Lira tucked the pouch into her belt, her green eyes lingering on Ash and Maya with a mix of curiosity and caution.
"A dragon's no joke," she said, her voice steady. "I'll need more than coin to sell this to a crew. Give me something to work with—why's this beast your problem?"
Ash exchanged a quick glance with Maya. They had agreed to keep the jade statue a secret, but Lira's sharp gaze demanded some truth to seal the deal.
"It's been circling Longhua for days," Ash said carefully. "It's old, smart, and hasn't attacked yet. We think it's planning something big. We need a team to track it, maybe to take it down before it strikes."
Lira leaned back, arms crossed, her longsword catching the dim light of the finding team's hall. "Cunning ones are trouble. I have a mage, a tracker, and a bruiser in mind, but they'll want proof this isn't a death trap. Got anything solid to show?"
