Elric gazed in awe at the garishly opulent mansion that Estallir led them to.  Clearly the man was accustomed to wealth and wanted other people to know it.  The estate's impressive size in comparison to everything else in the town, the rich decorations, and even more lavish interior furnishings seemed almost as if Estallir was bragging about how wealthy he was.

Finally they came to Estallir's library where his guards left them before Estallir, without preamble, began to tell them the story of the Dragon Stone.  As soon as Estallir began talking about all the wonders the wizard performed with the stone, Elric guessed that this stone was, in fact, a shard of the Orb of Ardor.  Therefore, it was no surprise to him when Estallir confirmed his suspicion at the conclusion of the tale.  The account of the corruption of the wizard's young apprentice due to the power of the stone, and the conclusion of that matter, were also quite predictable, and Elric was again not surprised when Estallir explained that they would have to find the temple where the apprentice was sealed and do battle with the fell creations of the apprentice, and perhaps even the still living (or reanimated?) apprentice himself.  This was certainly going to be a dangerous undertaking, but he and his companions had known this from the start.  There was no turning back now.  He nodded at Roland and Kace, then looked back to Estallir.  "Well, then.  Shall we be off?"