Sunk Cost

Not just anybody could get a hold of dragon materials. Even a new legendary being would have to be quite cautious dealing with one, and such an act would leave them constantly on guard against the dragons’ vengeance.

Still there was a fair number of people in Norland capable of killing dragons, but few also had a passion for collecting treasure. This was why the midsummer festival had grown popular, its scale far surpassing that of the large auctions of the three human empires. The supply of top-grade materials available at it far surpassed the others in both quality and quantity.

Blackgold had long since busied himself on this front. The festival this year would be three times larger than the last one based just on the invitations the Deepblue had sent out directly. The difficulty and complexity of the preparations had increased more than tenfold.

The Deepblue’s main tower and even the borders needed to be cleared out to make space for the aristocrats on their way. Many caravans, servants, warriors, and mercenaries would be relegated...