I Only Tame Dragons

Nyx landed gracefully on the crafting table, her skeletal wings ruffling as she settled.

A faint, eerie glow radiated from the top rune of her skull, flowing like liquid light across her body until it gathered at the edges of her wings.

Then, with a soft crack and a quiet plop, the tip of her wingbone dropped onto the table.

"There." She gestured to the small fragment, her voice steady yet distant. "That's a piece of [Nyx's Bone]. You can use it as an added material to craft a weapon or armor—only one though."

Horizon eyed the bone, its edges shimmering with a strange iridescence. He had heard of rare materials before, but nothing like this.

"Can you produce more?" he asked, though his tone was cautious.

Nyx shot him a sharp glare, her eyes burning with irritation. "Do you want me to chop off all my bones for you? Dream on. Be grateful I'm helping you at all," she muttered, glancing at the exposed gap on her wing. Her expression soured as she added, "This will probably take a week to grow back. Maybe more.

This wretched body's healing abilities are just too inferior."

Horizon wasn't fazed by her irritation. He took the fragment of [Nyx's Bone] and examined it, feeling a surge of anticipation.

This was no ordinary material—it pulsed with latent energy, almost humming beneath his fingertips. He could already picture the weapon he would forge from it. It came from Nyx's after all, one of the great wyrm of Drakha.

He would save it once he would forge a weapon or equipment for himself.

Now that was settled with, there was another problem that needed to be addressed. He had no materials to upgrade Silphie's equipment.

He had planned to bring everyone's gear up to Silver-tier, maybe even Gold if luck was on his side.

Lydia and Von had plenty of armor options he could work with, and Frigid didn't need armor at all, being a Frost Giant and all.

Silphie, though . . . she was like a priestess. A robe suited her better than armor, but he didn't have the right materials to enhance her current one or make a high tier silver robe for her. Not yet at least.

"Why don't you try looking in the forest?" Nyx suggested, yawning as she perched over her hair. "You should've thought about gathering resources from Crownjade Woods before renting this place. Would've saved you some coin."

"Its fine that I rented this place early," Horizon replied, glancing out the window. "You saw the line of players earlier? As soon as word got out that there's a Forging Studio here, others would be flocking this place. If I didn't claim this spot now, there wouldn't be a studio left for me to rent at all if I waited a minute longer."

"Fair enough," Nyx commented and went to sleep.

Horizon, on the other hands, continued to forge in the coming of days.

=== 🐲 ===

Meanwhile, Lydia strolled down the crowded streets with Silphie by her side, her eyes gleaming with excitement. The bustling city was alive with players and inhabitants, weaving in and out of the marketplace. It was a thief's paradise, and Lydia couldn't help but feel the thrill of opportunity.

With practiced ease, she moved through the crowd like a shadow, her nimble fingers deftly relieving the unsuspecting of their coin pouches. Her eyes practically glowed with the gleam of gold as she expertly picked her targets—those too distracted by the sights and sounds of the city to notice.

"It's so crowded here," Silphie remarked, her voice full of wonder as she marveled at the endless sea of people.

Lydia let out a soft laugh. "Right? It's practically heaven for me," she said with a sly grin.

"Huh?" Silphie blinked up at her with wide, innocent doe-like eyes, completely oblivious to Lydia's sneaky work. For a moment, Lydia felt a pang of guilt. Silphie was so pure, and here she was, plundering people's pockets like a common thief.

But she couldn't help it. She was a relic hunter, after all. (thief)

"Want to take a break at that dessert shop over there?" Lydia asked, pointing toward a cozy, elegant café with colorful pastries and sweets displayed in the window.

Silphie's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can we?" But then she hesitated, eyeing the fancy shop. "It looks expensive, and we don't have any money."

Lydia flashed a mischievous grin, holding up a fat purse she'd just swiped. "Don't worry, your big sister's got it covered today."

With that, the two slipped into the dessert shop, and Lydia found them a seat by the window. The interior was just as fancy as it looked from the outside, with velvet chairs and marble tables.

Silphie's face was practically glowing as she scanned the menu, eyes sparkling at the decadent treats.

"Order anything you want," Lydia said, leaning back in her chair, feeling like a queen for the day. "Your big sister's rich today."

Without hesitation, Silphie started ordering a variety of desserts, from creamy parfaits to delicate macarons. While Silphie's attention was on the sweets, Lydia discreetly went through her haul from the day, her nimble fingers sorting through the stolen goods beneath the table.

Most of what she had lifted was petty—a few handfuls of gil, some useless trinkets, and a bunch of cheap coin purses from the distracted common folk. But one prize stood out from the rest—a noblewoman's purse.

This particular find was no ordinary pouch. The fine leather was embroidered with silver thread, and its contents were a treasure trove of high society luxury.

As Lydia sifted through it, she found a small, folded letter tucked between a silver hand mirror and an ivory hairbrush. The letter, written in elegant script, was from a member of the [Society of Gentlemen], detailing a scandalous secret rendezvous. Lydia smirked at the juicy gossip. Read latest chapters at empiren/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

But that wasn't all. Inside the purse, there was also a pair of gold earrings encrusted with small rubies, a gold ring set with a sparkling diamond, a delicate bracelet adorned with colorful gemstones, and a tiny, ornately carved jewelry box that probably held more hidden treasures. Even a fancy quill made from an exotic bird's feather rested at the bottom, alongside a few more odds and ends.