Konbini Ossan Volume 6 Chapter 12 — The Ecology of Dragons (Hypothesis)
“Well then, before we drift too far, let’s get back to dragons.”
Shuri steered the conversation back on track.
“In conclusion, the likelihood that dragons possess an internal organ capable of producing an unknown metal is very high.
…
First reason: this metal has never been found anywhere in the world. Mithril is famous for its magical resistance, but even mithril doesn’t repel magic this aggressively.
…
Same goes for other high-resistance metals. Which means Insulator has only ever been found in dragon scales. More precisely, you are the first person in history to extract it.
…
So logically, if the metal exists nowhere else, the only place it can originate is inside the dragon itself.”
That logic was sound.
If no natural deposits existed and it wasn’t an alloy formed by some process, then the most plausible source was biological production.
And since my skill extracted it directly, Insulator could only be pure metal — not a mixture.
“And there’s another reason,” Shuri said. “Otogin, could you take the sample from the Four Heavenly Kings’ dragon and extract a piece about the same size as this little one?”
“Understood. Something like this?”
“Perfect!”
I produced a small bean-sized piece of the Insulator taken from Aresvelg. Shuri lined up the two samples on the desk.
“Now watch. I’m going to visualize and release mana.”
He closed his eyes and focused.
A faintly glowing mist of mana drifted from his palm, falling like smoke onto the two samples and enveloping them.
“…Huh?”
I immediately understood the source of his reaction.
The strength of magic repulsion differed drastically between the two samples.
The one extracted here from a normal dragon scale definitely repelled mana, but the effect seemed like the flow was deflected, nudged aside.
Aresvelg’s sample, however, repelled mana like a shockwave — the mana-free zone around it was two to three times larger, the repulsion visibly violent.
“This is strange,” I murmured.
“See?” Shuri grinned. “Your sample and this one behave completely differently. Since you didn’t do anything special to your material, the only reasonable explanation is that the difference comes from the source — the type of dragon it came from.
…
Which means each dragon species must generate its own unique variant of Insulator.”
With that, he stopped the mana flow. The shimmering light around the metals faded.
“Now then,” he continued, “why do different dragons produce different Insulators? It could be diet or habitat, but considering Insulator has never been found outside dragon scales, that’s unlikely.
…
Which leads to the cleanest hypothesis: each dragon species has a unique internal organ that produces a distinct Insulator. Until disproven, this is the leading candidate.”
The logic was simple and compelling. Different organ, different metal. Different metal, different magical properties.
“If this turns out to be true,” Shuri said, “it’ll revolutionize the market for dragon materials. Up to now, differences in scale quality were assumed to come from individual growth — how strong the dragon became.
…
There’s long been a theory that weaker dragons’ scales could match stronger ones with enough processing. That theory will collapse.”
Because no amount of processing could replace the intrinsic properties of the Insulator embedded inside.
“The value of rare dragon scales will skyrocket, and cheap ones will tank. People always want the best material.
…
And if the quality gap comes from something irreproducible, supply and demand will shift hard.”
“That makes sense. Quality becomes absolute when alternatives can’t compensate.”
“Exactly.”
He nodded and continued, excited.
“And on the magical research side, the impact is huge. Until now, dragon scales weren’t suitable as magic catalysts — everyone assumed the scales themselves repelled magic.
…
But if the culprit is the Insulator inside, then removing it could open entirely new applications. Dragon scales might become high-grade catalysts depending on how we treat them. There’s a mountain of things to test.”
Indeed.
If the magic-repelling element could be separated, the remaining material might behave completely differently.
“Looks like this may become a grand discovery.”
“Definitely. And since you discovered it, Otogin, you have naming rights.”
“Naming… rights?”
“Think of it like discovering a new element. Insulator can remain as the general category. But these two specific metals deserve individual names — and you get to choose.”
I thought for only a moment.
“Then, the metal extracted from a standard dragon’s scales will be Dracium. The one taken from the Four Heavenly Kings, in honor of Aresvelg, will be Aresium.”
“Dracium and Aresium. Got it!”
Shuri jotted the names on the chalkboard with satisfaction.
“Now,” he said, turning back, “about your original request. You want me to analyze Aresium and Dark Matter. What exactly are you planning to use them for?”
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E/N:
Since my own field of study is biochemical research, I'm invested in this type of scientific discussion 😁! What about you guys?
Stay tuned! (4/4 chapters)
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