Chapter 1158: A Fortuitous Encounter

Ten minutes later, in the main hall of Castle Cecile, the atmosphere had turned somewhat awkward.

Highlord Gaubwen stood there with a blank expression. Not far in front of him were two familiar dragons who had arrived together—the blue dragon Melita and the white dragon Noretta. Behind him stood Heddy and Rebecca, appearing as members of the royal family. Amber was lurking nearby, watching the scene unfold. Right in the center of them all, a massive dragon egg rested quietly on the floor. Afternoon sunlight streamed through a tall window, casting a pattern of light and shadow across the upper half of the egg’s shell.

“I’m not sure I heard you correctly just now…” After a long silence, Gaubwen finally broke it. “Could you please explain this again?”

“This is a dragon egg that Noretta and I have adopted,” Melita said earnestly. “It doesn’t have a name yet. Since the embassy still needs time to prepare, and the Autumn Palace isn’t really suitable for incubating a dragon egg, we thought we’d bring it here for you to see. We were wondering if you could help us arrange something…”

“All right, I understand.” Gaubwen covered his forehead and shook his head, confirming that he hadn’t imagined things. The blue dragon lady had gone back home for a visit, and now she had come to take up her ambassadorial post—carrying a dragon egg with her, no less, and jointly adopted with the white dragon Noretta. He had been hoping she wouldn’t bring any “surprises” that would leave everyone scrambling, but now he silently resolved that for the rest of his life, it was better not to overthink things…

“You seem a bit troubled?” Noretta, perceptive and sensitive, immediately noticed the subtle change in Gaubwen’s expression. “Sorry, we were a bit rash. As diplomats, it’s probably inappropriate to bring up such a personal matter with a head of state like you…”

“No, it’s not that,” Gaubwen quickly waved his hand, worried she had misunderstood him. “I’m just surprised. I never expected you to… bring a dragon egg. Honestly, I never thought something like this would be connected to Melita.”

“Ancestor, you’re surprised too, right?” Rebecca seized the opportunity to speak up, stepping forward excitedly. “I’m telling you, Auntie and I were even more shocked when we welcomed the delegation! Miss Noretta literally arrived carrying a dragon egg—there was no mention of it in the diplomatic roster from Talrond! But Auntie explained it to me later, and it makes sense. After all, the egg hasn’t hatched yet, so it’s basically just luggage…”

“Rebecca,” Heddy stepped forward and placed a hand firmly on her niece’s shoulder before she could go any further. “You can be quiet for a moment.”

Rebecca glanced at the veins subtly bulging on her aunt’s hand, felt a chill down her neck, and immediately shrank back like a startled squirrel, falling silent.

“Sorry, she tends to have an overactive imagination,” Gaubwen said awkwardly, nodding to Melita and Noretta. Fortunately, Rebecca’s interruption had eased the strange tension in the room. He then turned his gaze back to Melita. “Arranging something for you won’t be a problem. But I’m curious—how did you suddenly decide to raise a… well, a hatchling? I honestly can’t imagine this happening to you. I’ve also heard that your ‘customized’ upper-class dragons tend to be quite indifferent when it comes to family matters. You’re not supposed to be raising hatchlings…”

“Talrond needs more hatchlings. We need more of the next generation,” Melita said calmly. “Healthy hatchlings, without implanted modifications, whose nervous systems haven’t been corrupted by enhancers—young dragons whose understanding of the world can be built from scratch. Talrond needs these healthy offspring to continue a thriving dragon civilization.”

She paused briefly, her gaze falling on the dragon egg nearby, a gentle smile softening her features. “And you were wrong about one thing. While it’s true that the ‘customized’ upper-class dragons may be somewhat detached from traditional family concepts, we are not soulless commodities. That war changed many things. If we can break the chains of the gods, what else is truly unchangeable?”

As Melita’s words sank in, Gaubwen’s expression grew serious. The absurd, helpless feeling he’d had moments ago vanished like smoke. Only now did he truly realize how much this seemingly unreliable “acting ambassador” had endured. She had adopted a dragon egg, and behind this sudden act lay a reason deserving of respect and blessing.

“I understand,” he said solemnly, nodding. “I will make sure you’re properly taken care of. And I also wish for many hatchlings to be born healthy and strong. May Talrond one day return to its former glory.”

“Thank you very much for your blessing,” Melita bowed her head respectfully. Beside her, Noretta looked curious. “May I ask how you plan to arrange things for our dragon egg? We need a stable environment suitable for incubation, and considering the embassy’s work, we might also need…”

“Actually, I happen to have a place that’s just right,” Gaubwen interrupted with a smile, feeling a bit amazed by the strange coincidences of life. He thought of the incubation chamber where Enya was staying. He had assumed the system there was no longer useful, but now it seemed it might come in handy after all. “Not only does it have the right conditions for incubation, but there might even be a ‘roommate’ to keep your egg company.”

He paused, then added cautiously, “Of course, we’ll have to ask the ‘roommate’ if they’re okay with it. But from what I’ve learned recently, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“You mean…” Noretta looked puzzled, glancing between Gaubwen and Melita, then catching the thoughtful expression on Melita’s face. “Melita, do you know something?”

Melita snapped out of her thoughts, her face twitching slightly as nervousness flickered in her eyes. She stared directly at Gaubwen. “Wait, are you talking about…”

“She wants to meet you,” Gaubwen smiled, cutting her off. “And now we have even more reason to pay a visit. No time like the present—shall we go now?”

Noretta was completely baffled, her eyes darting between Gaubwen and Melita. “So what exactly are you talking about? I don’t understand a word.”

“Consider it a surprise,” Gaubwen said with a mysterious smile, signaling Melita to keep quiet. “You’ll understand once we get there.”

He’d already received enough surprises today, so… it was time to give others a little surprise in return.

“Do you want to come along?” Gaubwen turned to Heddy and Rebecca. “If you don’t have any plans…”

“I-I-I want to join the fun!” Rebecca jumped up before Gaubwen could finish. Heddy barely had time to stop her. “Just thinking about it sounds so interesting—eggs and all… hey!”

Rebecca had barely taken two steps before her aunt gave her a sharp smack on the back, and she immediately wilted. Heddy’s voice came from beside her: “Do you have to get involved in everything? This kind of thing should be handled by the ancestors!”

“It’s not a big deal… but fewer people might be better,” Gaubwen said with a helpless smile, looking at Rebecca, who was now hanging her head, and Heddy, who clearly had a headache. “You two should rest for now. I’ll take them to the incubation chamber. Oh, and Amber, you stay here.”

As he spoke, he casually reached into the air nearby and pulled out the shadowy assault goose that had been trying to sneak over to the dragon egg unnoticed. The creature flailed wildly in midair before being tossed aside.

…

Two minutes later, Gaubwen walked down the corridor to the incubation chamber with the two “envoys” from Talrond. Noretta kept glancing back toward the main hall, hesitant to speak until finally breaking the silence.

“I always thought you were a very serious and dignified person, maybe even a bit… old-fashioned. The way you interact with your family and friends surprises me.”

“Privately, I’m actually like this all the time,” Gaubwen smiled. “Compared to the formal, hierarchical ‘royal atmosphere,’ I prefer a more relaxed family and friendly environment. Melita should know that.”

“I don’t have much experience with that,” Melita said with a slight pout. “The most memorable thing for me is having to constantly watch my heart health when talking to you.”

Gaubwen immediately coughed awkwardly. Now that he knew many secrets about Talrond’s ancient divine shackles, he understood the cause of Melita Pernia’s occasional physical discomfort during their deep conversations. The topic was a bit embarrassing, but luckily there were other things to focus on.

The dragon egg floated beside Melita, surrounded by numerous draconic runes. Melita controlled its levitation through these runes—a unique way to carry a hatchling.

“You two adopted this egg together. When it hatches… who will the hatchling call ‘mother’?” Gaubwen asked curiously. “Or have you not thought about that?”

“That’s simple—both of us,” Melita said matter-of-factly. “Otherwise? Noretta and I are both female. Are we supposed to draw straws to decide who’s the ‘father’?”

Gaubwen was momentarily stunned. During those few seconds, he heard Noretta continue, “Talrond’s social order hasn’t fully recovered yet. To maintain basic governance, we’ve formed many ‘temporary families.’ But rather than traditional families, these are more like survival alliances and mutual support groups. Talrond’s concept of family has always been different from that of the Loren continent, and the disaster made things even more complicated. Situations like mine and Melita’s are not uncommon—some hatchlings even have three fathers after hatching!”

Gaubwen was dumbfounded. He had imagined many challenges Talrond would face during reconstruction, but never this. Shaking his head, he muttered, “Truly a people born from the cyber era… this is unprecedentedly complicated.”

“Yes, it’s complicated and chaotic. But at this stage, our resources are limited. More importantly… after years of being eroded and altered by implants and enhancers, combined with the scars left by the final Godslayer War, it’s hard to say how many of the dragons still surviving in the Talrond Wastelands can form stable, normal families. You’ve seen our current dragon forms—do you think the wounds on me and Melita are shocking? The truth is… by Talrond’s standards today, we’re actually among the ‘healthy’ ones. That’s why we’ve been sent on such an important diplomatic mission. But the rest of our kin… most of them carry physical and psychological wounds that will never fully heal in their lifetimes.

“Talrond’s dragons may still be considered strong—at least compared to most creatures on the continent of Loren—but by dragon standards, over ninety percent of our members are effectively permanently disabled. Without the Omega system, implants can’t be repaired, biological modifications can’t be reversed, enhancers can’t be replenished. All these injuries will haunt those ninety percent for the rest of their lives. This is the future we’re forced to face.

“That’s why we’re so desperate to hatch more hatchlings. Because Talrond… truly needs a new generation of healthy dragons.”

Noretta spoke calmly about the heavy reality facing Talrond’s “survivor generation,” and Gawain’s expression grew serious in response. When the conversation ended, they had reached the end of the corridor and stopped.

Before them stood the hatchery door, silent and imposing.

Melita’s face tightened with a hint of nervousness, while Noretta’s gaze lingered on the door, filled with curiosity and thought. Gawain stepped forward and placed his hand on the door. “Let’s go in—she’s been waiting for you both a long time.”

The rune-etched door slowly swung open, revealing the bright, temperature-controlled hatchery inside.

Bathed in sunlight, the pale golden dragon egg shimmered with a warm, gentle glow. It stood in the center of the room like a hostess welcoming guests. A soft, slightly smiling voice came from within the shell: “You’ve come—Melita, Noretta. It’s been a long time.”

“…It really is you,” Melita finally steadied her emotions after a few seconds of silence. She took a quiet breath and stepped forward. “When Gawain mentioned it earlier, I guessed…”

“This…” Noretta was still stunned, but she was beginning to process it. Although she had no right to know about the ‘dragon god’s humanity still living on’ when Melita first returned to Talrond, after being chosen as a member of the envoy and appointed liaison, she had learned from Speaker Andal about the existence of the ‘dragon egg Enya.’ But knowing was one thing—seeing it with her own eyes was quite another. She stared at the golden egg in the center of the room for a long moment before nervously continuing, “Are you…”

“It’s me, but also not,” the voice from the golden egg replied with a smile, as if carrying a soothing power. “Relax, child. Here, you can call me by my name—just call me Enya.”

(End of chapter)