As the burly men worked on dismantling the Earth Dragon, we resumed unloading our materials. Since the dragon’s body alone took up the entire warehouse, we could no longer take out any other monsters. Instead, we focused on appraising smaller items that could fit on the table. While we were at it, I decided to bring out the sample bottles I had made.

"I never would have imagined… the scales of an Ancient Red Dragon appearing before me."

When I first brought them out, Fleur completely froze. Once she rebooted, she hesitantly picked up a scale and murmured, "So this is the legendary material..." Hopefully, she was okay.

The scale itself was about a meter long on its longest side and around eighty centimeters on the shorter side—about the size of a shield I carried. Seeing a single scale this big made it impossible to imagine the full size of the dragon itself.

"I have a few more, but this is the largest one I have."

"...Huh?"

She let out a strange noise before freezing again, though this time she recovered more quickly.

"I-I see. Understood. I’ll just... refrain from being surprised by anything else you bring out."

"Hahaha."

Rio gave a wry smile, but I figured she’d be fine from here on out. Since I had started with the highest-value items, the rest should gradually decrease in rarity. Probably.

＝＝＝＝＝

Type: Tool

Name: Ancient Red Dragon Scale

Description: A scale from an Ancient Red Dragon.

・Possesses a strength that makes it impervious to ordinary attacks.

・Highly resistant to fire and heat. Due to its inability to conduct heat, it is also resistant to cold.

・Excellently conducts magic while also having properties that block it, exhibiting a dual nature.

＝＝＝＝＝

When appraising items, they appeared like this. As expected of a "Red" dragon, it was highly resistant to fire. However, the part about conducting and blocking magic at the same time was a bit puzzling.

Curious, I pulled out another scale and held it in my hand before channeling magic into it.

"Oh!"

The scale emitted a faint red glow and became slightly warm. The blocking effect wasn’t immediately apparent, but I didn’t have time to test it further. That could wait until later.

"That’s… quite the size as well..."

Fleur sighed in resignation.

"If we put this up for auction alongside the Earth Dragon materials, I wouldn’t be surprised if the total exceeded fifty billion."

While I was unloading other items like branches and leaves from the World Tree, Fleur suddenly muttered those words.

"An auction?"

"Yes. While it would take some time for the funds to come in, it would sell for far more than if we purchased it directly. No, in fact, I can guarantee it. Even after deducting the auction fees, it would still be worth it."

That made sense. If prices were driven up, then an auction might be the better choice. As long as we could use the money to help the workshop, that was fine. I had intended to sell a lot, but maybe I should pace myself—selling too many identical items could drive the price down.

"Either way, our store doesn’t have fifty billion in cash available. So whether we purchase it directly or auction it, you’d have to wait for the payment regardless."

"Understood. Let’s go with the auction this time."

After thinking it over, I made my decision. This was more than enough for now. Honestly, I hadn’t expected it to reach fifty billion.

"Alright, now that we’ve settled the materials, I’d like you to take a look at something I made."

"...? Of course."

Though puzzled, Fleur encouraged me to continue. In response, I pointed to a slender bottle made of earth magic that I had placed on the table earlier. It wasn’t made of glass but rather a crafted earthenware bottle.

"This is...? Now that you mention it, you did place it there earlier. It looks like an ordinary bottle."

Since the Earth Dragon dismantling had started, the table had become a station for evaluating smaller items. I had left this bottle there beforehand so that enough time had passed to demonstrate its function. More than two hours had gone by, which was plenty.

"This is a bottle that can maintain its contents' temperature for long periods."

In other words, a thermos.

Last night, before going to bed, I had made a sample to see if I could sell the technology to the trading company. I had originally used it for the outdoor bath in the portable house, but shaping it into a bottle was easy.

"Ah, so that’s why you placed it on the table earlier. Meaning..."

"Yes. This bottle contains boiling water. I’d like you to check how well it has retained its heat."

"Understood."

The bottle was sealed with a cork-like stopper. While I could have made a screw-top lid, I wasn’t sure if others could reproduce it.

When she removed the stopper, faint steam rose from the bottle.

"Huh?"

To prevent burns, I placed a wooden cup next to it.

"Thank you… The bottle itself isn’t hot at all."

Fleur cautiously grasped the bottle and muttered in surprise. She then carefully poured the hot water into the wooden cup.

Steam gently wafted up, making the heat visibly apparent.

She lifted the cup and wrapped her hands around it, only to quickly place it back on the table after feeling the warmth.

"Is this… not a magic tool?"

"Huh? No, it’s just a bottle."

"That can’t be! Even Mimina Trading Company’s recently developed insulated cups don’t work this well!"

Oh, so those cups were actually somewhat famous. I hadn’t been that impressed by them, though.

"I’m glad it surprised you that much. I was wondering if I could sell the technique for making these. Do you think it would sell?"

As Fleur inspected the bottle, still searching for a hidden magic stone, I gave her a knowing smile.