You clear your throat and produce a rolled parchment from your sleeve. 'A radical proposal, Your Pyric Majesty - we could employ kobold scribes to conduct a full aesthetic audit of your collection. They would note which gems you admire least during your weekly hoard inspections.' Valthorix's barbed eyebrows arched so high they nearly touched his horns.

'The small ones with the ink-stained claws?' the dragon mused, tapping a talon against his chin. A shower of sparks rained onto his treasure pile. 'They did decent work cataloging my third lava chamber's garnets... though one tried to pocket a peridot.'

You nod enthusiastically, unrolling the kobold employment contract across a relatively flat mound of gold ingots. 'Precisely! And we'd implant tracking spells in their quills. Any stolen gem would immediately teleport back to your vaults.' The volcanic rumbling beneath your feet settles into a contented purr as Valthorix considers this.

After a long moment, the dragon exhales a smoke ring shaped like a balance sheet. 'Very well. But they wear blindfolds near the black opals - I won't have their weak eyes dulling the fire in those.' He snaps his claws, summoning a dozen tiny green scales from the shadows - the kobold elders, already waiting in the service tunnels.

As the reptilian scribes bow and begin setting up their inking stations amidst the treasure, you notice Valthorix discreetly nudging several flawed diamonds toward the appraisal area. Perhaps this audit will reveal more about the dragon's tastes than expected...