Chapter 995 - 481: Priceless Echoes of Yesterday

Having been thoroughly engrossed for quite some time, Michelle suddenly seemed to realize where he was and smacked his forehead.

"My apologies, Mr. Gauss. Please forgive my lack of manners," he said. "It has been far too long since I’ve seen a true dragon’s body that looks so much like a work of art. I lost myself for a moment."

"It’s no trouble. Take your time, Mr. Michelle." Gauss took a sip of the black tea on the table.

The tea was a bit too bitter for his taste, so he picked up the small pitcher beside him and poured in a splash of milk to neutralize the bitterness. He had plenty of time; in fact, it was a good thing for him if the Guild’s actuary took longer to appraise the items. He certainly did not want the Guild to send someone careless and sloppy for the job.

Michelle appeared to be a gentleman with an extremely high level of loyalty and passion for his Profession. Gauss was able to make this judgment not only because of the man’s demeanor, but also due to his own currently formidable Spiritual Power and Perception. Unless their Spiritual Power was stronger than his, it was very difficult for anyone sitting across from him to conceal their true character for long.

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Gauss."

After meeting Gauss’s gaze a few times and seeing the unhurried expression on his face, Michelle felt a growing fondness for this up-and-coming young man. His steady demeanor was completely unlike what someone his age should possess.

He held his magnifying glass, silently wondering what words could possibly describe that unique feeling.

Although his actual contact time with this young man—from the hall outside to this room—had been practically no more than twenty minutes, Michelle could sense a highly distinct aura radiating from him. He was as calm as water and as gentle as the breeze. Being around him subconsciously made one feel incredibly comfortable, as if he were an old friend they had known for a long time. Yet, simultaneously, one could palpably sense the strength and noble bearing he exuded.

That nobility was not meant in a superficial sense. It was not dictated by status granted by power, authority, or money, but was rather a nobility stemming straight from the soul.

Due to the special nature of his Profession, Michelle was able to interact with a vast array of people and situations, including those in high positions of authority and those with formidable strength. However, there were exceedingly few who could give him such a unique impression as Gauss did. Considering that Michelle himself was just an ordinary person whose perception could easily be skewed by external factors like authority, status, and wealth—and since Gauss’s background was undoubtedly much shallower compared to those major figures—the impression Gauss left was likely the truest and best.

However, he only pondered this for a brief moment before diving back into his work.

Time flowed by quietly like water.

Gauss did not pay much attention to the clock. After noticing that Michelle was continuously taking out various tools to observe and record, he took a book from his Storage Pouch and began to read silently. A person had to constantly absorb knowledge from the outside world; otherwise, they would be reduced to a fool with empty strength. What difference would there be between them and a Demon? Besides, there was no shortage of studious individuals even among Demons.

"COUGH, COUGH!"

Just as Gauss was completely absorbed in his reading, Michelle coughed lightly from the sofa across from him, interrupting his focus. Gauss looked away from what was who-knows-which book in his hands and glanced at the appraiser, who had finally put down his tools.

"Have you finished the appraisal, Mr. Michelle?"

"Yes, sorry to keep you waiting." Michelle pinched the bridge of his nose, a hint of exhaustion showing on his face.

Even though there was an Identification Technique in Magic, leading some to assume that any Caster who learned the Spell could participate in appraisal work, harboring such a thought would be a grave mistake. At best, the Identification Technique could only tell you roughly what the Casting target was. Estimating its specific value was an entirely different field of study.

Even if two true dragons were born from the same mother, were of similar age, and shared identical living environments and diets, their values could still differ drastically. The activity of the various special energy particles in their Dragon Blood, the sturdiness of their dragon scales, their feedback upon coming into contact with Magic Power, and the toughness of their dragon sinews all varied. Some dragons might be stronger in one aspect, but slightly inferior in another.

Furthermore, this was also tied to the varying demands of different countries.

Some kingdoms bordered numerous volcanoes, meaning their probability of encountering Red Dragons, or related Red Dragon Beasts and Dragon Descendants, was much higher than in other countries. Consequently, the price of certain Red Dragon materials within their borders would be slightly lower than elsewhere. Conversely, if a kingdom bordered deserts, forests, swamps, or snowy mountains, the probability of encountering other chromatic dragons would be higher, affecting the corresponding market prices accordingly.

Of course, these materials were not always complete corpses like the ones being appraised today. More often, they consisted of Giant Dragon metabolic byproducts—for instance, shed dragon scales, dragon bones buried deep underground, soil infused with Dragon Blood, and so on. Even Giant Dragon feces held tremendous value. As a result, a group of Scavengers emerged who made a living off this trade. They explored desolate, uninhabited lands with historical records of Giant Dragon activity, digging up soil and surveying the environment to ultimately uncover these precious "treasures."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Michelle. So, what is the value of my four Dragon Corpses? How many Gold Coins are they worth?" Gauss asked, voicing the question he cared about most.

As a seller, his greatest concern was naturally the value of his "goods." This held true even though this transaction was on an entirely different level from ordinary trades, and the buyer he was consulting was a behemoth like the Adventurer’s Guild.