You ducked as a sapphire the size of a melon dislodged from the ceiling, narrowly missing your left shoulder. 'Your Excellency,' you ventured, keeping your voice carefully neutral, 'what of the great Emberclaw the Indomitable? Didn't he fund an entire mercenary legion that toppled the Ivory Citadel while quadrupling his hoard?'

Valthorix's massive head tilted, his spined crest rising with sudden interest. Molten gold dripped from his jaws as he chuckled, the sound like boulders tumbling down a mountainside. 'Ah! Clever worm, you know your draconic histories.' His tail swept across the chamber, revealing a massive mosaic depicting a crimson dragon perched atop a mountain of gold and shattered marble. 'Emberclaw took the citadel's treasury as spoils... then sold their famed ivory back to the survivors at tenfold its worth.'

You nodded eagerly, ink dripping from your quill as you scribbled. 'Exactly! Strategic conquest combined with—'

'BUT!' The dragon's wing unfurled violently, sending a gust of hot wind that scattered your parchments. 'Emberclaw had already incinerated their armies first. The trade came after their complete submission.' Valthorix's eyes gleamed as he leaned in, his breath melting the gold trim on your robes. 'You suggest I show weakness before strength?'

The abacus beads froze mid-calculation, displaying only: WARNING - HISTORICAL PRECEDENT ANALYSIS AT 92% COMBUSTION RISK.