Chapter 1148: Tal’Rath Seen Through the Eyes of the Dragonborn
The arrival of the Dragonborn would inevitably reshape the future of Tal’Rath, the Holy Dragon Principality, and the entire draconic race. Yet, at this very moment, those who had witnessed these events firsthand were not focused on any “long-term historical significance.” Instead, their attention was riveted on the stark, harrowing reality laid out before them.
The land was shattered and fragmented, gravity twisted and warped in chaotic ways. Everywhere, spatial rifts and surges of raw energy pulsed violently. Malevolent elemental and spirit creatures roamed this wasteland, their presence a constant threat.
If it weren’t for the fact that mighty dragons still inhabited this place, most mortal races would have long since abandoned it as an unlivable no-man’s land.
Accompanied by the red dragon Karador, Asalina ascended the tallest watchtower beside the Coastal County. From this vantage point, she could survey the entire county and the vast, desolate wilderness surrounding the town. The scene before her eyes plunged the Dragonmark Witch into a long, heavy silence. Neither in her past memories as a dragon nor in her darkest imaginings before setting out had she ever conceived of a land so utterly ravaged. The devastation here far exceeded anything she had anticipated.
Only now did she fully grasp that the “live footage” Melita Pernia had brought to the 112th Council meeting was not some exaggerated plea for aid. Compared to the grim reality, that footage seemed almost sanitized. Clearly, after years of isolation and societal stagnation, the dragons of Tal’Rath had little experience in “public relations.”
What shocked the Dragonmark Witch even more was that, despite this wasteland, the dragons of Tal’Rath still intended to heal and rebuild their homeland—to survive here.
“Forgive me for speaking plainly, but this land, to me, seems utterly uninhabitable,” Asalina said softly, drawing a breath as she addressed the elderly red dragon beside her with solemn respect. “The cost to restore this land would be staggering. For your people, it would be far more practical to leave and start anew somewhere more hospitable.”
“From a rational standpoint, you’re right,” Karador chuckled, shaking his head. “But we can’t just walk away… This land has been our home for over a million years. Everything we are is buried deep within its soil. It’s not something we can simply ‘restart’ and forget. Besides… we still have responsibilities here. Whether it’s the monsters roaming these ruins or that towering spire to the northwest, these are burdens the dragonkind must bear.”
“Responsibilities?” Asalina murmured, her gaze drifting to a half-melted tower outside the town. Once part of a massive factory, its surrounding structures and piping had long since fused into the earth, leaving only a twisted, broken skeleton of a tower standing against the cold wind. “Before coming here, I had my suspicions about what Tal’Rath might look like. And in earlier years, like many Dragonborn, I held many romantic notions about this ‘Dragon’s Homeland’… But now that I’m here, I realize all my imaginings were wrong.”
Karador pondered for a moment before finally asking the question he’d long wanted to: “How do the Dragonborn… view Tal’Rath?”
“If you mean the land itself, then Tal’Rath is like a distant, almost mythical story to us—real, yet unreachable. We know it exists, but no one truly knows what it looks like. Our only connection is through ancient legends passed down through generations. In those stories, we have a homeland—one forever beyond our grasp.
“And if you mean pureblood dragons like yourself, then I can only say this: many Dragonborn once felt both hatred and longing toward you before learning the truth. After learning it, they feel both moved and conflicted.
“Dragonborn resent your ‘exile’ and the secrets kept from you, the fate imposed upon you, and the ‘legacy’ you were forced to inherit. But beneath those raw emotions, most of us understand how we’ve survived until today. Whether we admit it or not, our lives originate from Tal’Rath—that is an undeniable fact.”
Hearing such a conflicted and tangled answer, Karador showed no surprise. He simply said quietly, “It seems our unilateral decisions have left a deep mark on you… And what about you, Miss Asalina? How do you see us?”
“I?” The Dragonmark Witch smiled faintly. “I have no personal opinion of you. I’m here representing my homeland, offering aid to another nation in need. It’s part of the Alliance’s ‘Internal Mutual Aid Act.’ That’s all.”
Karador looked at the young red-haired dragonborn with some surprise, then smiled after a long moment. “I think I understand why Chief Balogur sent you to lead this team.”
After a long voyage, the Winter’s Chill and its fleet finally passed beyond the sea once dominated by the Eternal Storm. Tal’Rath was no longer distant, and sights rarely seen around the Loren continent began to appear along the supply fleet’s route—small drifting ice floes, seals leaping between them in pursuit of prey, magical auroras shimmering in the sky, and the perpetual daylight and twilight cycles of the polar day. All of this amazed the crew, even Byron himself found himself marveling at the wonders of nature.
On the bridge of the Winter’s Chill, Byron stood by the open-air railing, gazing at a glacier slowly drifting past the fleet. A sea bird, unrecognizable to him, had landed on the ice. Byron quickly pulled out a small arcane net terminal from his cabin and used its crystal lens to capture the scene.
The faint rustle of a tail sliding across the deck caught his attention, followed by a somewhat languid, magnetic voice: “Recording the sea again, are you?”
Byron turned to see a sea witch with long black hair and a teardrop-shaped beauty mark near her eye crawling along the walkway toward him. At the tip of her long tail, a small water elemental struggled fiercely, baring its teeth and claws. Byron smiled wryly. “I’m gathering these to bring back as gifts for my daughter, Ms. Cassandra—I promised her I’d record these things before I left.”
“I can tell you dote on your daughter,” Cassandra said, her serpentine body swaying like a snake. She seemed freshly returned from the sea, still adjusting to walking on land. Suddenly, she pushed the struggling water elemental forward and stuck a straw into its head. “Want a sip? Just caught it from the ocean floor. Mixed with some cool meltwater and a unique polar mana core—really packs a punch.”
The tiny elemental thrashed even harder, its voice sharp and indignant: “You keep switching who you suck from! You keep switching who you suck from!”
Byron took a half-step back, his mouth twitching as he waved his hands. “No thanks, I really can’t handle that… And I’d advise you not to let other humans try it either. Their digestive systems aren’t built for this stuff.”
“That’s a shame,” Cassandra shrugged, tail flicking as she brought the elemental to her lips. After a deep sip, she sighed in satisfaction. “Water elementals from the Arctic taste the best—full of energy, icy and refreshing. No wonder they’re blasted straight from the elemental plane by the gods themselves… The ones near temperate and equatorial zones are nowhere near as good. And since the peace treaty, most elementals have stopped bothering us. Boring, really.”
The little elemental screamed again, “Shameless! Shameless! I shouldn’t have had ice today!”
Even someone as eccentric as Byron was momentarily stunned. After a moment, he gave the elemental a strange look, noting it had shrunk to half its size, and muttered, “Maybe you should let it go… looks pitiful.”
“As long as its core remains intact, an elemental won’t truly die even if drained in the material world,” Cassandra said, glancing at Byron. “And if this one grew a few hundred times bigger, you might not feel so sorry for it. But it doesn’t matter—these small rift-born creatures spawn by the dozens near Tal’Rath. We can always catch fresh ones.”
As she spoke, the sea witch flicked her tail, hurling the tiny water elemental toward the nearby ocean. A sharp voice rang out midair: “Curse your entire family! Curse your entire family!”
Cassandra watched the elemental fall over the ship’s side until its voice and form vanished from sight. Then she turned back thoughtfully. “I don’t know if it’s the lingering power of the Dragon God, but elementals and spirits emerging from the rifts near Tal’Rath are unusually active. Normally, elementals of this level shouldn’t react so strongly.”
Byron frowned, growing serious. “I don’t know much about elemental lore, but as an adventurer, I’ve dealt with hostile elementals and spirits plenty. These creatures aren’t too dangerous when alone, but if stable rifts keep spawning them endlessly… the threat level skyrockets. From what you’re saying, there are many such rifts around Tal’Rath?”
“More than many—practically everywhere,” Cassandra shook her head. “In the sky, on the ground, and under the sea. These rifts spread like cracks through a crystalline polymer, enveloping all of Tal’Rath. Mostly water and fire elementals come through, but there are also some magically charged spirits and shadow creatures.”
Byron’s brow furrowed deeper. “For adventurers, this is basically a paradise. With enough strength, a few months here could set them up for life back on Loren. But if these rifts grow unchecked…”
“Unstable elemental rifts can vanish on their own or merge into larger conduits. The elementals spilling out often become feral due to the material world’s influence, rarely remaining calm or friendly. If left alone, they’ll become a huge threat—especially the water elementals. They could ride ocean currents and invade Loren’s coastal regions,” Cassandra curled her tail, lifting her body higher to emphasize her point. “But judging by the dragons’ response, they don’t intend to abandon this mess. Staying here means they’ll try to seal those rifts.”
The weight of that resolve hung heavy in the cold air.
“Then let’s just hope everything goes smoothly,” Byron sighed after a moment’s thought. “Those adventurers who signed up from the Loren continent are nothing but a ragtag bunch chasing after money. At best, they can handle small packs of monsters wandering the wilderness. Expecting them to risk their lives closing the rifts? That’s unrealistic.”
Cassandra remained silent for a while, propping herself up with her spiraled tail as she gazed out over the distant sea. After a long pause, she finally broke the silence. “Don’t forget to watch out for the ice floes. Some of them are big enough to sink your steel warships. Although we’ve tried to pick the quieter sea routes, if you want to reach Talrond, you can’t avoid these polar ice fields. The further you go, the more there are.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be on high alert for this last leg of the journey,” Byron said immediately, glancing at Cassandra with some curiosity. “Speaking of which, aren’t you going back to your navigation post?”
“See those dragons?” Cassandra smiled, lifting her head and pointing with the tip of her tail at the small group of dragons circling overhead. “Talrond is their home. They know these waters better than the sea hags or the naga. Last time, we swam here from the ocean floor—we never took the surface route.”
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, then, as if sensing something, added casually, “Ah, looks like something worth watching is about to appear.”
“Something worth watching?” Byron looked toward the sea, intrigued. “What do you mean?”
“An erratic turbulence is about to form very close to the fleet. Don’t worry, I’ve done the calculations—it won’t affect our course. But it will likely impact many people’s minds.”
The sea hag glanced at Byron as she spoke. “You’d better order an immediate alert so the crew can prepare—mainly mentally. And let the scholars on board get ready. The close-up observation they’ve been waiting for is about to begin.”
Byron’s expression changed instantly. He turned and sprinted toward the bridge, while Cassandra looked back at the still, empty sea. On the far horizon where sea met sky, the coastline of Talrond was faintly visible.
Once they passed through this erratic turbulence, the fleet would have arrived at Talrond.
Moments later, piercing alarms sounded across every ship in the fleet. Byron’s distinctive rough voice came over the ship’s broadcast:
“Attention! Erratic turbulence forming near our route—this turbulence poses no threat to the fleet, but everyone must prepare for safety!
“Non-essential personnel return to your quarters immediately. All ships, tighten formation and do not deviate from the safe course!”
(End of chapter)