Chapter 1121: The Ambassador’s Daughter

Rebuilding their shattered lands had consumed much of Heragor and Andal’s energy, yet despite this, their attention never wavered from the news coming from the continent of Loren. The cage had been broken—the chains that once bound the dragons were gone. What happened in this world was no longer irrelevant to the dragons. They had to quickly adapt to this new era, now that they had returned to the mortal realm. And the key to that adaptation was gaining timely information from the outside world.

Unfortunately, the war against the gods had destroyed everything in Talrond, including the once-advanced global communication network. Dragons traveling far from home could no longer maintain constant contact with Talrond. The convenience of technology, which the dragons had long grown accustomed to, was now a distant memory. They were forced to truly understand what it meant to be separated by “mountains and rivers.” Now, messages from Loren could only be delivered by messengers. Even at a dragon’s flight speed, a one-way message took over a day to arrive, and round-trip communication suffered even longer delays.

It was under these circumstances that Melita and her delegation became especially important to the two ancient dragons stationed in Talrond. This was the first official line of communication established since the dragon kingdom reopened its doors to the outside world—a foundation for regular contact with Loren in the future.

So when Melita arrived in Agondor from the coastal province, she was immediately given a grand reception by the two leaders. Their primary concern was the full details of the recent 112 Conference.

Messages sent by messengers were inevitably limited, and some time had passed since the conference ended. Both Heragor and Andal were eager to learn if there had been any new developments on the continent of Loren.

In the temporary “City Hall” set up in the old factory district of New Agondor, Melita sat somewhat nervously before the two ancient dragons, who had taken human form. Nearby, the alloy walls bore the flag of Talrond—a banner that made the blue dragoness involuntarily recall the solemn and majestic Stone Circle of Oaths, where dozens of flags once fluttered. She had much to report, but after Andal’s opening question, she began with the situation within the Alliance.

“…In summary, the mortal nations have now formed a community alliance centered around the three great empires of Cecil, Typhon, and Silver. Cooperation within the alliance spans from economics to military affairs, with a depth and breadth far surpassing any previous inter-state ‘pacts.’ This alliance was founded on the basis of ‘life and death survival.’ I believe that at least until the common crisis ends and significant conflicts of interest arise among the three empires, this alliance will remain exceptionally stable…

“Talrond’s accession to the alliance went very smoothly—perhaps even more smoothly than we imagined. The nations warmly welcomed the dragons as powerful allies. Even after learning of Talrond’s difficulties, their attitude did not change. However, the potential threat of a ‘dragon disaster’ has understandably made some smaller northern states nervous, which we anticipated…

“I personally met with the rulers of the three empires and visited many representatives. They are all curious about Talrond. Provided mutual interests are protected, they are willing to explore establishing long-term trade routes between Loren and Talrond. At the same time, they have expressed varying degrees of interest in technological exchange…”

Melita chose her words carefully, striving to convey her experiences and observations in Loren without bias. After hearing her report, Heragor nodded lightly.

“To them, even a destroyed dragon civilization is a treasure trove, and advanced technology is the most dazzling and valuable part. For us today, exchanging these now-useless technologies for scarce resources is an unavoidable choice.”

“Perhaps we should call it ‘knowledge’ instead,” Andal interjected. “Talrond’s technology far surpassed that of the outside world. At a certain level, it lost its value as a means of communication. But the underlying, universal knowledge embedded in that technology can be absorbed relatively easily by less advanced civilizations. The key is knowing the right ‘measure.’ For many backward countries and regions, basic draconic magic and runes are enough to bring significant progress. But for the three great empires—Silver, Typhon, and Cecil—they are no longer satisfied with basic draconic magic and runes. They have begun to study the deeper secrets of this world…”

“Higher-level technological exchange is inevitable,” Heragor agreed. “It is a necessary step for Talrond’s reintegration into the mortal world. We should establish a dedicated department to organize, vet, and filter the vast knowledge we possess, removing any black boxes or contamination, and build an exchange mechanism with scholars from Loren. I propose we call this department the ‘Sanctum of Knowledge.’”

Hearing this distinctly draconic name, Andal nodded in approval. “I have no objections, but we must proceed with extreme caution.”

Once the two ancient dragons finished their exchange, Melita gathered her thoughts and continued.

“As for exchanges between Talrond and Loren—both economic and cultural—Gawain of Cecil offered a suggestion. Well, ‘suggestion’ might be an understatement; to me, it’s almost a complete, well-thought-out plan…”

“Gawain of Cecil’s suggestion?” Andal’s interest was piqued, his aged face lifting slightly. “What did he say?”

“He proposed a ‘Talrond Economic Revitalization Plan’ centered on tourism,” Melita said, pulling out a prepared document she had compiled during her stay in the Holy Dragon Duchy. It included Gawain’s proposal and her own adjustments based on Talrond’s situation. “I personally think it’s an extremely bold and creative plan. It even seems likely to generate remarkable returns, at least enough to help us quickly escape our current predicament without long-term dependence on aid from other mortal nations.”

Andal and Heragor exchanged a glance, then took the document. They skimmed it quickly, falling into deep thought.

“‘Tourism’… now that’s a nostalgic word,” Andal was the first to look up, a hint of wistfulness on his face. “Long ago, before Talrond became so… ‘stagnant,’ our society had such an industry.”

“But back then, we didn’t have anything quite like… like this,” Heragor broke the silence, pointing at the plan with a puzzled expression, struggling to find the right words. “This plan is certainly creative—”

“And that’s putting it mildly,” Andal nodded.

The two ancient dragons fell silent again. After a few awkward seconds, Heragor couldn’t help but ask, “Is Gawain really not a dragon disguised as a human?”

“Impossible. No dragon makes money with as little… as much creativity as he does,” Andal blurted out, then quickly corrected himself, “I mean, no dragon is as creative as he is.”

Melita glanced cautiously at Andal, then at Heragor. “So, what about this plan?”

“We’ll arrange it as soon as possible,” Heragor said immediately. “In fact, we just finished clearing and surveying the area around the old hatchery. It might be suitable as a relatively safe ‘tourist spot.’ The wilderness north of the old factory district could be left to adventurers from Loren to clear out… Hmm, in that case, we’ll need to establish a dedicated reception facility in Agondor—an ‘Adventurers’ Hall,’ perhaps? That sounds promising…”

Melita stared in surprise. The usually cold and indifferent “Dragon Priest” had suddenly become so enthusiastic. She realized this formidable ancient dragon seemed to have an unexpected fondness for Gawain’s plan.

Snapping herself back to attention, Melita cleared her throat and steered the conversation back to her report.

“Also, there’s something very important I need to report, two leaders.”

“Something very important?” Andal’s expression turned serious at once. “What happened?”

Melita glanced at the two leaders again, suddenly worried whether the elderly Andal could handle the news she was about to deliver. She chose her words carefully, broaching the topic gently.

“I previously sent a special dragon egg to the Cecil Empire. It’s a legacy of the gods…”

“Yes, we remember,” Heragor nodded. “In fact, Andal and I discussed it just yesterday.”

“You were talking about that egg?” Melita’s heart skipped a beat. She had thought the two ancient dragons might have some kind of foresight. “So, what do you think of our god…?”

“Our god should be pleased,” Andal said with a sigh, his tone heavy. “After all, she was trapped on this land for so many years. If that egg carries her will, then she must be happy to finally set foot on unfamiliar soil…”

Melita relaxed and smiled. “Of course. I saw her a few days ago, and she seemed in good spirits—though I couldn’t quite read her expression…”

Her words fell into silence. Andal remained thoughtful for two seconds before letting out a single syllable from his throat: “…Ah?”

Melita: “…Ah?”

“What did you just say?!” Heragor suddenly broke the silence. “You said you saw… her?!”

“It should be ‘she,’” Melita said, still not fully grasping the gravity of the situation. “She’s no longer a god, right?”

“Melita, this is serious!” Andal’s voice turned stern. “You just said… you saw the ‘god’ again?!”

Startled, Melita realized she might have misunderstood something. She hurriedly gathered her scattered thoughts and words, then clearly explained everything she knew as quickly as possible.

“Yes, the egg we sent to Cecil is actually…”

Heragor and Andal’s expressions darkened halfway through her explanation, only gradually easing by the end. After confirming several times the true state of Enya, their god, their faces relaxed—but a complex expression lingered. Heragor was the first to break the silence.

“So you mean our god… Enya, has now become a dragon egg without divinity, theoretically mortal, living in the palace of the Cecil Emperor, and last time, she even chatted with you amicably?”

“Yes,” Melita said carefully, no longer daring to speak lightly. “From what I understand, her main activities now are reading newspapers and… studying beverages.”

Andal frowned. “I can understand reading newspapers, but studying beverages? What’s that about?”

“…Honestly, I don’t even understand the newspaper part,” Heragor said, frowning even more. “I never knew she… she had such hobbies.”

“I honestly don’t understand any of it,” Melita reported earnestly. “This is all the information I’ve been able to gather.”

Hragor frowned, deep in thought. After a long pause, he looked back at Melita. “Besides what you just told me, did she say anything else? Or did Gawain Cecil mention anything to you?”

“They want to keep this matter from spreading through dragon society for now—only the upper echelons are to be informed,” Melita nodded. “Gawain Cecil said he hopes to use this opportunity to study the separation of divinity and humanity in gods. It’s going to be a major, long-term project under the Theocratic Council. He also hopes Talrond can join in once they have the capacity. As for Lady Enya, she didn’t say much. She seems… to be enjoying her current ‘retirement,’ savoring the quiet life with Cecil, and doesn’t want us to disturb her.”

“I see,” Hragor said, rubbing his temple. His ‘understanding’ clearly came with some difficulty. “If it really is her, then all of this makes a certain kind of sense.”

“The study of the separation between divinity and humanity,” Andar’s tightly knit brows slowly relaxed. “Yes, there’s a huge secret hidden in that. I was too shocked earlier to even consider that angle…”

“In any case, this cannot be allowed to spread through dragon society, especially now, when the provisional government’s control is weak,” Hragor said firmly. “The gods of the dragons have fallen—that’s an indisputable fact. There can be no doubt, no room for debate.”

“We need to start discussing what comes next,” Andar tapped the table lightly. “It’s clear now that we must establish a permanent ambassador in the Cecil Empire. This is more urgent than we thought—we need a long-term representative and liaison stationed there. We should decide on someone immediately.”

The two dragon leaders exchanged a glance. A second later, their eyes both landed on Melita without a word.

Melita blinked, puzzled.

(End of chapter)