Chapter 184 Ren's Haul
As Aleshia watched Ren examine the item in her hand, it occurred to her that these were likely the things Ren had gotten while transporting the bodies. Ren noticed Aleshia's interest in what she was fiddling with, so she asked, "Are you interested in these things?" She gestured around her haul.
"Yes, I am," Aleshia replied without hesitation.
"Alright, you can try them, but don't break them, got it," Ren said, turning to Aleshia and handing her one of the sturdier-looking items from the small pile.
Aleshia examined what she received, turning it over in her hands. She realized it resembled a brooch. Although its glimmer and shine had significantly dulled, it gave some credibility to Ren's information. Aleshia wanted to clean it to restore its former luster but decided against it, knowing it wasn't hers to do as she pleased.
Aleshia handed the brooch back and, in return, received another item from the pile. At first glance, the object seemed to be a ball, but on closer inspection, she realized it was a rare metal. Although it was small, about the size of a marble, she guessed it was likely a trinket that had adorned the clothing of the presumed noble of the story.
Aleshia shared her discovery with Ren. "I think this button, or ball, or whatever it is, might be made from a rare metal. But I don't understand why it would be on a noble person, other than for decoration or as a status symbol for those in the know, instead of being smelted down and used to enhance other metals.
"Is that so?" Ren replied, her body language brimming with curiosity.
Ren hurried over to Aleshia's side to see the thing she was holding. After peering closely into the marble-sized object from various angles, she said skeptically, "I don't see anything special about this. Is it valuable?"
Aleshia looked at her with her unmoving face and said, "If you take this to an inspector or someone knowledgeable about blacksmithing, I believe you could have it appraised. I suspect someone from the noble class or someone in the blacksmithing field might be interested in it, both for its potential use in creating a metal alloy and, as I suspected before, as a decorative piece for those who appreciate such things."
Seeing Ren's face, it seemed Aleshia's explanation had gone over her head. She looked like she barely understood what Aleshia was saying. When Ren regained her focus, she faintly said, "I think I'll just have Daniel appraise this marble."