Chapter 733: Melita’s Answer

The information Melita revealed—and the possibilities behind it—made Gawain’s breath catch for a brief moment.

Melita noticed the flicker of reaction in his eyes.

“Could you be more specific?” Gawain suppressed the turmoil inside him, leaning forward with a serious expression. “How exactly did they steal that knowledge, and from where? And why did that knowledge almost destroy the future of the world?”

“The history of the ‘Inverse Tide Rebellion’ is a rather sensitive topic among dragons,” Melita said, narrowing her eyes slightly as if gauging Gawain’s response. “It’s not an absolute taboo, but we rarely share it with outsiders. Setting that aside for now… you seem quite concerned about this matter?”

Gawain knew his reaction had been a bit strong, but he kept his expression calm and answered frankly: “Of course I’m concerned. The End of All Things used that book to create a disaster that nearly destroyed Ansu. Now the book is in my hands. If it carries some ancient curse or maddening power, then what we face isn’t just a matter of a few casualties. Your dragons’ nervousness about this book only heightens my vigilance.”

“You can rest assured on that point,” Melita shook her head. “It has nothing to do with curses or supernatural forces. Its greatest danger lies in the knowledge itself.”

“For some reason, dragons on missions outside are forbidden from revealing the specifics or origins of that knowledge to other races,” she continued, “but regarding the Inverse Tide Rebellion… I can give you one hint.”

“What hint?”

“Civilizations that remain spiritually ignorant must never possess material technology beyond their capacity,” Melita said gravely. “Because they become slaves to both spirit and matter.”

Gawain was silent for two seconds.

For a soul who had crossed over from Earth, who had been immersed in vast streams of information and exposed to countless ideological currents, Melita’s words were actually quite straightforward.

It was basically the classic tale of an alien civilization unearthing advanced technology from their ancestors’ tombs, triggering a technological crisis.

But his intuition, combined with the look in Melita’s eyes as she spoke, told him this “crisis” was far more complicated.

Melita mentioned a crisis that “almost destroyed the future of the entire world.” That wasn’t a phrase to toss around lightly. But why would a spiritually ignorant race possessing advanced technology doom the entire world’s future?

To Gawain, “destroying the future of the world” meant losing any hope for progress, plunging the world into an irreversible, bleak state—no more growth, no more development, no chance for revival, eternal decline.

If the ancient “Inverse Tide Empire” had merely stolen some technology from the “Ancient Fleet” and used it to develop advanced weapons, they might have destroyed themselves in war or even wiped out the dragons. But that wouldn’t count as destroying the world’s future—because this world had already seen multiple cycles of civilization, with mechanisms like the “Magic Tide” reshuffling the order. Any race was just a passing player. If the Inverse Tide Empire fell, another kingdom would rise. If the dragons perished, new species would emerge.

The world would still evolve and change. The future wouldn’t be destroyed—only one cycle would end.

Of course, maybe Melita was only referring to the crisis the dragons themselves faced in that war, and Gawain’s broader historical musings were just his own speculation. But he believed that an ancient race like the dragons, who had witnessed countless epochal shifts, wouldn’t have such a narrow perspective.

He spoke his thoughts openly.

“The severe consequences you mentioned… surely it’s more than just the Inverse Tide Empire using forbidden knowledge to build some weapon, right?” He looked Melita in the eyes. “What exactly did they do that nearly destroyed the world’s future? Can you tell me?”

“…No,” Melita shook her head, her gaze hinting at something unspoken.

Gawain caught the subtle hint immediately. “Oh, so it’s related to the Black Trap and the gods again.”

After several conversations, he had already grasped the pattern behind Melita’s “unspeakable secrets” and deduced the dragons’ current predicament—they were bound by divine constraints, unable to reveal any secrets involving the gods. But in other words…

If they desperately refuse to say something, it must be about the gods.

After all, these ultimate beings were overwhelmingly powerful—one breath could scorch the sky, the earth, and the air; a simple roll could till eighteen acres of land. There weren’t many things they dared not speak of.

Piecing together the hints, Gawain pondered deeply—

The Inverse Tide Empire, an ancient civilization that once nearly bested the dragons in the distant past, was described by Melita as “spiritually ignorant.” This ignorance was relative—after all, they had developed “data theft devices” capable of stealing satellite cluster information, indicating a high level of technology. So their ignorance must mean their spiritual civilization couldn’t keep pace with the technology from the satellite cluster, or in other words, the ancient fleet’s technology.

This “mismatch” had triggered some crisis involving gods and the Black Trap.

Melita couldn’t reveal the details, but Gawain speculated…

If “spiritually ignorant” meant failing to break free from divine authority, then… did the Inverse Tide Empire wage religious wars with superweapons? Use black technology to pursue the path of the gods? Attempt to reshape reality into a divine kingdom? Or…

Did this black technology fall into the hands of the gods?

A flicker of caution crossed Gawain’s eyes.

If advanced technology leads to “mismatch,” then with Cecil’s rapid development of magical industry… has it already entered this “danger zone”? Could this technology one day become a crisis?

What were the hard limits of the crisis caused by the Inverse Tide Empire? Were there boundaries that could be avoided?

He looked at Melita. “Does advanced technology always lead to a crisis like the Inverse Tide Rebellion? What exactly counts as ‘advanced technology’?”

Melita clearly understood what Gawain was worried about. She smiled faintly. “Did human researchers develop magical technology themselves? Does it originate from humans and belong to humans? Do ordinary people in your empire see this technology as a tool or a miracle?”

Gawain began to grasp the key point.

“If the technology is developed and applied by ourselves, and the common people know its origin is human, not divine, then it’s safe. No matter how fast it develops, it’s safe. Otherwise… it will cause a crisis like the Inverse Tide Rebellion. Is that right?”

“Exactly as you say.”

Gawain watched Melita’s expression carefully but didn’t press for more details or the exact connection to the gods.

Experience told him that pushing further would only trigger her “ask for extra compensation” moment, given her blood pressure over 200 and a failed sanity check.

Though the “My Little Pony” lady always seemed to get through these moments unscathed, Gawain genuinely feared she might one day collapse right before him.

Still, even if Melita couldn’t provide answers, it didn’t stop him from following this line of thought:

What’s the difference between a technology tree developed entirely through research and one that “descends from the heavens”? Why is one safe and the other likely to cause a divine-related crisis? According to Melita, there seems to be a subtle matching between “spiritual civilization” and “material technology.” What does this matching affect?

After cycling through all these questions in his mind, Gawain suddenly felt he’d grasped a crucial point: during the process of developing and spreading technology, how does society change?

He looked at Melita and said deliberately, “The process of technological development is the gradual transfer of what once belonged to the gods, piece by piece, to humans. Is it that stolen advanced technology lacks this step?”

Melita smiled—not her usual professional, precise smile.

This one came from the heart.

“If you can understand this, then it seems you won’t go astray.”

Gawain exhaled softly.

In truth, he had almost taken the wrong path.

Almost chosen the shortcut that nearly every crossover traveler would pick.

Fortunately, in this world with strange physical laws, shortcuts didn’t work.

He raised his head and looked at the Ultimate Book on the lab table. “What will the dragons do with this book?”

“According to regulations, this item related to the Inverse Tide Empire must be reclaimed,” Melita said seriously. “Leaving it ‘outside’ is very dangerous.”

“But there are always exceptions,” Gawain said, looking at her. “You know it’s hard for me to hand this book over just based on a few words.”

Melita blinked. “Yes… so you should keep it.”

Gawain had expected some back-and-forth, but her agreement was so straightforward he was a little stunned. “Really? That’s okay?”

“As you’ve seen, it’s already broken beyond repair. It can no longer steal knowledge from anywhere. The greatest risk has disappeared,” Melita said calmly. “More importantly, you’ve just realized that ‘key point.’ I believe… you won’t go astray.”

“You trust me a lot.”

“Consider it a gesture of friendship,” Melita chuckled. “Taking a friend’s treasure is destructive to friendship. Since there’s no need to reclaim it, why be unkind?”

Gawain’s lips twitched at the mention of “friendship.” So much for not being a My Little Pony.

Unfortunately, Melita had no idea what was running through this old fox’s mind when his lips curled upward. She just thought her rhetoric was clever and that she’d boosted the goodwill between herself and this human leader.

The Ultimate Book was placed back on the lab table. The alloy barrier rose again, and the protective shield reactivated.

Melita quietly gazed at the book for a moment before turning back with a formal tone, though a lively smile twinkled at the corner of her eyes. “Well then, this concludes our service. I hope you’re satisfied with this consultation.”

“More than worth it,” Gawain nodded. But just as Melita was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something. “Oh, one small question.”

The smile in Melita’s eyes stiffened noticeably, and her tone shifted subtly. “It can’t be…”

Honestly, she had some psychological trauma. Whenever this human added a “small question,” it almost always involved the Black Trap or the gods. She’d lose half her life answering a single word. She’d thought this time would end peacefully—how could he still have a follow-up?

Gawain noticed her reaction and felt awkward. He quickly waved his hand. “Don’t be nervous. It’s really just a small question to satisfy my curiosity. I’m curious—what’s your attitude toward human stories about dragon slayers and dragon knights?”

Melita blinked, clearly surprised by the question, but her professionalism quickly kicked in, and she smiled. “Dragon slayer stories… Speaking of which, have you heard the tale of ‘The Dragon in Black Mountain Castle’?”

Gawain thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ve heard of it. It’s a famous poem that circulated among the bards back in the days of Gondor. It tells the story of a fictional dragon terrorizing a town, bringing disasters upon it. Then, a war veteran who survived the conflict picks up a knight’s sword left by his commander and gradually confronts the beast, culminating in a final battle against the dragon on the Black Mountain. Both disappear without a trace—a legendary tale. Apparently, even seven hundred years later, variations and fragments of this story still circulate in the northern and western regions. It’s considered one of the earliest classic depictions of dragons as evil creatures.”

“I wrote it.”

“Oh… uh?”

“I wrote it,” Melita said, pointing to herself. “The main character is based on a friend of mine, though she doesn’t know about it yet.”

Gawain: “…”

After a stunned silence that lasted half a minute, he finally hesitated and asked, “So… what was your main reason for doing this?”

“Lately, villain stories have been popular in Talrond—I mean, in the last ten centuries.”

Gawain: “…”

What kind of crazy trend is that over in Talrond? Have these dragons all gone mad from boredom?

“You see, this is how we dragons view stories like these,” Melita said, completely unfazed by the shock she’d caused Gawain, smiling calmly. “Don’t try to apply human logic to a species that’s lived through multiple civilizations. So, do you have any other questions?”

“No, that’s all…”

(End of chapter)