[1985] The Library of the Golden Dragon

I'm writing a story about a dragon! My hope is that my twist on the standard dragon story is entertaining and engaging. In this post, I'm asking RDR to critique the first scene:

The Library of the Golden Dragon - first scene

My primary question is: do you feel compelled to read further? Do you want to know more about my world and what happens next?

The secondary questions are:

- Was I successful in avoiding info-dump-style worldbuilding? I want information about my world to emerge naturally.

- Too many new words? I want to be on the left side of this graph. Did I succeed?

- Did I start the story in the right place? The first scene could take place earlier in the story - when a stranger from far away arrives in town with a mysterious box. Or even earlier, when an ancient weapon is discovered. Or when the dragon kills Xoseph's father. Are there better starting points for this story than what I've chosen for the first scene?

Prior Critiques:

[2920] The Otherbody