Man, you are even more cynical than I. Or smarter.
I did consider that it could be a scam, to be fair, but I don't think it was considering I remember seeing that sword for sale earlier, and I also don't care about the gold.
Either he is to be compensated for his loss, or he is to be rewarded for his ingenuity.
At the end of the day, I still get to shoot someone in the face and have them rage at me in battle, so it is all good.