This chapter's epigraph comes from a line in the play's first chapter, in which a dragon's birthstone is used to create a nail clipper. It's important to note that the nail clipper isn't the only thing that can be made with this stone. It can also be used to poison a dragon, which is why it's so rare. The antiquary sells this stone to the protagonist, and the protagonist decides to buy all of the stones from him. He thinks that the protagonist belongs to the dragon race, but he's not a match for the protagonist. The protagonist decides that he'll buy the stones himself, since he has money. He's proud, but doesn't want to be arrogant. This ring is a bit strange, because it'll absorb the void of the protagonist's body. The void of his body is his own, and he can't see how the void can be anything other than his own. He asks the protagonist to take a look at the box, but the protagonist is confused by the box's contents. It turns out that the box contains dragon saliva, which was once believed to be a sign of good omens. Some years ago, a dragon emperor in the xia empire told his followers that by keeping the saliva in a sealed box, they could make a good omen. The emperor of xia split the saliva, and a woman in the empire gave birth to her baby girl. It took them a long time to find the bottle of saliva, but they didn't try it.