Chapter 964: The Ancient Divine Cataclysm and the Voyagers
The Voyagers were not the original inhabitants of this planet—they were merely travelers passing through. In the dragon god’s ancient, faded memories—so distant and blurred that even the gods themselves found them hazy—this world’s primordial era was far more in line with the kind of “fantastical imagination” that High Lord envisioned. It was a world without orbital megastructures, satellite clusters, or space stations.
A world of swords and sorcery, kingdoms and dragons.
“…Back then, the continent of Loren was situated a bit closer to the North Pole than it is today—the entire civilized world was colder than in the present age. The dragons first thrived and established their kingdoms in Tal’Ronnd, while several other intelligent races lived scattered across Loren and two other continents. Initially, these peoples were divided into nearly a hundred tribes and small states, which later coalesced into a few larger confederations or empires. For a long time, the dragons of Tal’Ronnd shared dominion over the world alongside these other races…”
“You mentioned two other continents?” High Lord couldn’t help but interrupt. “Are those the lands now located to the east and west of Loren?”
“Yes,” the dragon god nodded. “The mortals of Loren today have no knowledge of their existence, but in the ancient draconic tongue, they were called ‘Kaldo’ and ‘Mor’—the western continent, Kaldo, was the ancient homeland of the Silver Elves… though that was tens of thousands of years ago.”
High Lord’s heart pounded. Every scrap of ancient knowledge the dragon god casually revealed was a treasure trove for him.
“So the elves really migrated from another continent west of the sea to Loren?!” he asked eagerly. “Do you know why the original elves made that journey?”
“Unfortunately… even the dragons cannot continuously monitor the entire world. Especially after the Chaos Tide rebellion forged new chains, the dragons’ range of activity and exploration was further restricted. My vision is limited by the dragons’ own perspective—events too far from Tal’Ronnd remain unknown to me,” the dragon god shook its head, then added, “However, Tal’Ronnd occasionally dispatched ‘Voyagers’—explorers who, within the limits of the rules, conducted rapid reconnaissance of distant lands. About four centuries after the elves migrated to Loren, one such team briefly flew near Kaldo. From their rough observations, Kaldo had already become a wasteland.”
“A wasteland?” High Lord’s voice was filled with shock. “The elves’ homeland turned into a wasteland?”
“Yes. A very obvious wasteland. The earth was scorched and barren, plants extinct, and along the coasts lay vast, charred ruins of cities—abandoned for centuries,” the dragon god said. “The elves did not migrate because of exploration or lack of living space—their homeland was destroyed by some kind of catastrophe.”
High Lord’s curiosity was fully ignited. He couldn’t wait to ask, “…What about that ancient continent called Kaldo now? Has it recovered? Is anyone living there?”
The dragon god slowly shook its head.
“According to the last observation from Tal’Ronnd two centuries ago, Kaldo remains shrouded in deadly toxins and radioactive contamination… The wasteland shows no signs of revival. Though the Voyagers did not venture deep inland, it’s unlikely any survivors remain in such an environment.”
“…I see,” High Lord sighed regretfully, silently noting the names Kaldo and Mor. Then he steered the conversation back, “Let’s continue with the previous topic—about the Voyagers.”
The dragon god showed no impatience, nor any annoyance at High Lord’s repeated questions and topic shifts. It simply nodded and resumed recounting the ancient times—
“…Back then, the Voyagers had not yet arrived, and the various races living in this world existed in ignorant survival—even the dragons were just one of the many mortal races. My memories of that era are not clear, as it all happened before I ‘merged into one,’ but one thing remains vivid…
“That age was marked by constant warfare, with even wars among gods not uncommon.”
High Lord instinctively furrowed his brow.
“Why?” he asked.
The dragon god countered, “Why? When have mortal wars ever needed a reason?”
High Lord was momentarily at a loss for words.
“Mortals are always eager to fight. Their history is a chaotic cycle of prolonged wars punctuated by brief, localized peace—that is the conclusion I reached after watching this world for 1.87 million years. Back then, the nations of this planet were trapped in this endless cycle, unable to form a dominant empire or a stable balance. Even the dragons of Tal’Ronnd were drawn into wars within and between continents, sometimes by choice, sometimes by force…
“In the memories I inherited from before my ‘merging,’ I recall the scenes—massive airships crossing continents, knightly orders battling on the plains, alliances forged and broken, heroes rising and falling like storms. This long, nearly global conflict among almost all intelligent races eventually influenced the ‘collective consciousness’—an influence that nearly destroyed that age’s civilization.”
The dragon god paused briefly. High Lord immediately caught on.
“The gods of that age… were they also warlike?”
“Yes. The endless years of war bred countless civilians who lived their entire lives in conflict. Such people came to see war as part of their worldview. When their numbers reached a critical mass, the collective mindset shifted—the gods became warlike… No, worse than warlike. The gods of that age turned bloodthirsty, becoming incarnations of madness and slaughter—terrifying and dark.”
The dragon god shook its head slightly, a faint trace of lingering dread beneath its calm expression. At first, High Lord thought he imagined it, but soon he understood why the dragon god was so troubled by this.
The dragons of 1.87 million years ago… also worshipped their own pantheon.
If that shift in collective consciousness affected the entire world, the dragons’ gods would not have been spared. The dragon god had already mentioned that Tal’Ronnd was drawn into global wars multiple times. Clearly, the bloodthirsty, terrifying gods of that era included the dragons’ own deities. Though the dragon god itself had not become twisted or lost control, as a god born from the fusion of many, it must have been affected—at least retaining many terrible memories.
High Lord didn’t press further. After a few seconds, the dragon god continued:
“When mortals realized something was wrong, it was already too late—malicious divine edicts and ‘spiritual enlightenments’ directly affecting mortal minds spread worldwide. The entire world plunged almost overnight into an age of dark madness. All wars spiraled out of control; the boundaries of warfare vanished. Gods commanded fanatical church armies to slaughter unarmed civilians; rogue priests held bloody rituals to appease their gods… The true divine calamity was the arrival of the Outer Wanderers.
“Unlike the ‘mad gods’ you know—who went insane after crossing a threshold—these gods consciously embraced their bloody transformation. They did not lose control; rather, mortal collective thought altered their authority, granting them ‘legitimate’ dominion over slaughter. These lucid, bloodthirsty gods were far more terrifying than mad gods.”
“Was Tal’Ronnd affected? What did the dragons do?” High Lord finally asked.
“Before a global shift in collective consciousness, no group can remain untouched unless it completely isolates itself from all international affairs and keeps its people ignorant of outside changes,” the dragon god said gravely. “Tal’Ronnd was affected—the dragons were drawn into wars more than once. When other races’ gods descended into darkness and tyranny, that bloodthirsty impulse spread like a plague to Tal’Ronnd, infecting the dragons’ own faith and beginning to influence their gods.
“But Tal’Ronnd’s situation was far better. Located near the Arctic, only mighty dragons could survive in its harsh environment. This natural isolation prevented the chaos from spreading rapidly, giving the dragons’ sages time to think and respond.
“Once they realized the world was in crisis, the great dragons began devising countermeasures. Thanks to their advanced civilization and understanding of the world, scholars identified the root cause and, by analyzing global anomalies, uncovered patterns related to the gods—such as realizing mortal collective thought was influencing divine judgment.
“So, the Tal’Ronnd Council of Elders made a decision—a decision that was both fortunate and unfortunate…”
High Lord’s emotions rose and fell with the dragon god’s tale. As soon as it paused, he couldn’t help but ask, “What decision?”
“To seal off Tal’Ronnd, cease all worldly affairs, and then—purify and reinforce the dragons’ ‘orthodox faith system.’”
Hearing those words, High Lord felt a creeping sense of dread.
The dragon god continued:
“At that time, no dragon realized the chain linking gods and mortals, nor did anyone suspect the gods might fully oppose civilization. Even as the world deteriorated under bloodthirsty gods, the dragons’ first thought was to ‘repair’ their faith, not abandon millennia of tradition and belief. They devised a grand, orderly plan to strengthen their religion, centered on restoring the ‘correct’ worship of the traditional gods and returning the gods to their ‘proper place.’
“Many temples were restored or renovated; ancient texts were revised and expanded; the people revived fading old doctrines. Tal’Ronnd closed all external gates, as if the outside world had vanished. The dragons immersed themselves in a collective spiritual reconstruction that lasted many years.”
“Completely doomed,” High Lord groaned, rubbing his forehead. “I think I understand why the dragons were left behind…”
The dragon god nodded. “Yes. In hindsight, this faith reconstruction had terrible consequences. But at the time, no one knew that. And from the surface, the plan seemed effective.
“The dragons’ gods, which had begun to mutate, quickly stabilized. The spiritual decline and negative enlightenments among the people were curbed. Tal’Ronnd soon became safe again—these were visible changes.
“But beyond Tal’Ronnd, the world had become a living hell, immersed in cycles of slaughter and sacrifice, with endless wars and bloody battlefields everywhere…”
“No one can predict fate in advance. Even history that has already unfolded often seems utterly unexpected to those who come after,” Gawain shook his head. “So what happened next?”
“Then… the Voyagers appeared,” the Dragon God said in a deep voice. “They came from the depths of the cosmos and changed the destiny of the entire world.”
There was a brief pause. The deity lifted a cup from the table, took a small sip, and then continued.
“The Voyagers… they are a civilization shrouded in mystery. They call themselves mortals, yet they seem completely unaffected by the ‘Chains of the Gods.’ They don’t believe in any of the gods of this world, and none of those gods can touch even the most ordinary among them. I don’t know if they somehow broke free from these shackles or if they possess some inherent uniqueness.”
“Many, many years ago, the Voyagers broke free from the confines of their home planet and became a civilization that travels freely through the universe. They migrate and explore from one galaxy to another, seemingly obsessed with traversing the entire cosmos—or perhaps searching for something within it. During their journeys, they are often drawn to planets inhabited by intelligent species. They make brief stops on these worlds and… are keen on helping the local intelligent beings break their chains to the gods.”
“Helping locals break their chains to the gods?” Gawain blinked in surprise. “That’s quite the hobby…”
“Unfortunately, no one knows why the Voyagers do this… They seem driven by some kind of obsession, doing this ever since they first set out,” the Dragon God recalled. “According to their own accounts, our planet was not originally on their planned route. But a sudden, intense ‘chaotic background pulse’ erupting here caught their attention, which is why they came.”
What happened after that, even if the Dragon God remained silent, Gawain could piece together clearly.
(End of chapter)