It had been a long time.
When Gawain saw the Blue Dragon descending on the square, such a thought popped up in his mind. Even though it was only two months ago when he last met Melita, the feeling that things were still the same but people had changed didn't go away for a long time. It was only when Melita nodded slightly that he suddenly realized the source of this feeling.
It was not only because too many earth-shattering events had happened in the past two months, nor was it because the history of Tarlonde and the human world had changed too much at this turning point. The main reason was that he felt an obvious difference in the aura of the huge and majestic blue dragon — and a significant change in appearance.
He walked down the platform and walked towards Melita. He saw that there were still many visible scars on her huge body. One of the scars was so shocking that it extended from her neck down to almost half of her torso. The scales that were originally perfect under the care of the robot nannies and advanced compounds were now covered in frost. There were also many new scars that looked like they had just undergone surgery on her body.
It was not just Melita. The Giant Dragon that landed with her also had similar injuries. These wounds were not covered, and everyone around the square could see it with their own eyes. And after seeing the scarred appearance of these Giant Dragons, many people subconsciously quieted down.
Many people did not know what happened to Tarlonde, and could not imagine how these Giant Dragons got their wounds. But these hideous wounds themselves were a kind of wordless symbol, and they brought the blood and smoke of the godslaying battlefield. This kind of aura was even more substantial than the Giant Dragon's own aura, and it made people feel awe from the bottom of their hearts.
Gwen came in front of the delegation of seven Giant Dragons, and the stagnant aura in the square finally loosened with his footsteps. Countless eyes fell on the center of the square at the same time. Melita moved slightly at the same time, her slender neck lowered until it was almost at the position where she could talk to Gwen face to face. "Greetings, Emperor of the Cecil Empire. On behalf of Tarlonde, I visit your country with peace and goodwill."
The former agent of the Mithril Vault was now in front of him as the ambassador of the Giant Dragon Kingdom. Of course, the overly serious diplomatic occasion and rigorous diplomatic language were a little uncomfortable. But Gwen's expression was still calm. He nodded slightly and smiled. "On behalf of the Cecil Empire, I welcome all visitors from the Giant Dragon Kingdom. Friendly guests are the eternal friends of this land."
Melita seemed to smile. It was not easy to distinguish her expression at the moment, but Gwen thought that the row of fangs, which added up to one and a half meters wide, should be a smile. Then the blue dragon tilted her body slightly, and one of her wings drooped to the ground. "I have also brought your emissary, Lady Kassandra, who is of great significance in this exchange. And I have also brought a gift from Tarlonde. I hope you will be satisfied with it. "
For some reason, Gwen felt an obvious pause in Melita's voice when she mentioned 'Lady Kassandra'. But this little question did not occupy his attention. He soon saw a beautiful lady with black hair and a tear mole at the corner of her eye appear behind Melita. She had the body of a human and the tail of a snake. Her posture was mature and elegant. After waving at the crowd not far away, she quickly slid along the Giant Dragon's wings and came before Gwen. Many people were surprised by her smooth, snake-like 'steps'. Some people subconsciously looked at Tyre, who was craning his neck to watch the show.
The sirens were still a mysterious and rare race to the ordinary people in Cecil. Those who lived in the city and had seen the sirens could only remember the only siren in the city, Tyre. In the absence of relevant publicity and common knowledge, most people obviously thought that the sirens were a race that walked with a bow.
Even Gwen did not think of this little mistake. But fortunately, it was not a big deal.
Anyway, the sirens were not worried.
At the same time, the Giant Dragon who came with Melita began to get busy. With the help of magic, they began to move many of the packed boxes that were originally fixed on their backs to the ground. The convoy and staff, who had been ready around the square, came forward to register the gifts. The media, who were taking notes around the square, did not miss this moment. In an instant, a large number of video-recording devices were focused on them.
Everything that happened today was unprecedented. Every image recorded had a special meaning, and every scholar and reporter present knew very well that any image or even words they recorded now would probably appear in historical records years later.
Gawain's attention was also attracted by the large and small boxes, but he just glanced at them and did not ask. This was a formal official contact, and there were strict procedures and regulations. At this moment, it was not the time to formally accept gifts, so his curiosity had to be saved for the middle part of the banquet later.
Even so, his gaze suddenly paused when he glanced at the boxes: some weird intuition suddenly appeared in his heart, and his eyes subconsciously fell on one of the boxes.
It was a metal box that appeared to be extraordinarily thick and sturdy, its surface covered in dense draconic runes. It was clearly specially protected, and the three Giant Dragon's eyes never left that box. Its importance was obvious.
"That box …" Gwen finally could not help but speak, because he believed that his intuition as a Legendary champion would not jump out because he had nothing better to do. "What is it?"
Melita lowered her head. "This is the most special 'gift', but because it is too special, it is not in the list of gifts. I will personally deliver it to you later."
Gwen: "…?"
…
It was not until nightfall and starlight shrouded the land that the grand and solemn welcoming ceremony finally ended. An equally grand banquet was held in the 'Autumn Palace' near Cecil Palace.
This was probably the grandest banquet held here since Typhon's special envoy Mathilda's visit to Cecil. The palace chefs had made up their minds to show the Dragons the delicacies of the human world, and the imperial officials and representatives who were lucky enough to be invited to the banquet would also do their best to show the grace and dignity of human civilization. After all, to humans, the Giant Dragon race was almost legendary, and they had been mysterious in all kinds of strange stories for too many years, and today was the first day they were unveiling their mysterious veil.
The large banquet hall was brightly lit, and the aroma of fine wine and delicacies wafted between the tables and chairs. Brisk music was melodious, and the Giant Dragon emissaries who had transformed into human form were treated with great hospitality. As the representative of the diplomatic corps and Tarlonde's ambassador, Melita Pânia was naturally arranged to be beside Gwen.
It was also at this time that Gwen finally had a chance to relax and talk to Melita.
"When you arrived at North Harbor, Kassandra reported to me," Gwen looked at the blue dragon lady. "She talked about what happened in Tarlonde — part of it. You broke the cradle, and the entire North Pole Continent has become a wasteland in the flames of war, with less than one in ten survivors. Although it was only a brief description, I could imagine what it was like. To be honest, I was shocked, and even somewhat impressed. It was a war we could not imagine, and the price we could not bear. "
"We also know what happened in the human world," Melita retracted her gaze from the direction of the banquet hall and fell on Gwen. "It was also a war that determined the survival of the race, and it shocked us as well."
"We also paid a great price. Perhaps it was not comparable to your sacrifice, but in essence, we did the same thing," Gwen shook his head and swirled the wine glass in his hand. The bright red wine swirled in the glass, reflecting the fragmented light, making him feel as if he was seeing the flames of war and explosions all over the land on the battlefield of Winter Castle. "We … killed our own gods."
"We killed our own gods," Melita whispered, repeating Gwen's words. "In the name of freedom and survival."
"This world is so cruel that many times we are not qualified to decide which path we should take," Gwen said quietly. Then he looked into Melita's eyes, and his expression became solemn. "But in any case, we have finally chiseled the first crack in this cruel ice, and the mortal races in the world have a chance to breathe."
"Yes, we have done this feat together," Melita smiled calmly. "So, now the Dragons and humans have become natural allies."
At this point, she paused and continued solemnly, "We know that you are working to establish a new order among the mortal kingdoms, hoping to unite the mortal forces of the whole world to face the disasters of this world together. I can promise you that we are here for this. Tarlonde will support you in this feat. Under any circumstances, as long as you do not change your mind, the Dragons will be Cecil's eternal allies."
Gwen's expression became solemn. He looked into Melita's eyes and said after a moment of staring, "When I just received the news from Kassandra, I knew why you came, but I did not expect you to be so determined. And it sounds like you have put all your faith in Cecil."
"Because this change started with Cecil, and in the foreseeable future, it will go down the path you envisioned," Melita said seriously. "As for why we are so determined …"
She smiled with a self-deprecating look on her face.
"Tarlonde is not what he used to be. You just mentioned Ms. Kassandra's report, but I want to say that no matter how detailed her report is, the real situation of Tarlonde is worse than you think. The Dragons are in trouble. We are now relying on our own strong innate conditions and the remaining materials on the wasteland to support our dignity as a 'civilization.' Frankly speaking, if we want to survive, we may even need external support. In this situation, we have few options, and naturally, there is no need to be reserved and hesitant. "
Gwen looked at Melita with a little surprise. "You are very frank with me."
Melita smiled back. "Because we are friends."
"… Well, then I also hope that Tarlonde and Cecil can become friends." Gwen smiled and raised the glass in his hand. "For friendship and our common survival."
"For friendship and common survival," Melita responded with a toast. She then looked at the banquet hall. After hesitating for a moment, she reminded Hao Ren. "Do you remember the Giant Dragon's special way of 'eating'?"
Gwen was stunned for a moment before he immediately reacted. "Of course, you need 'two meals'. Don't worry, we have prepared enough food outside this banquet. You and your friends will get the best treatment."
Melita was relieved to hear that. Gwen thought for a while and could not help but ask, "By the way, what is in that 'special' big box you mentioned?"
"You seem to care a lot about it?"
"Sort of." Gwen nodded. "The main thing is that I have a feeling … I can't describe it, but I seem to be able to sense some kind of aura. The thing in that box seems to have some kind of attraction to me."
In an instant, Melita's eyes widened slightly. After a moment, she shook her head with a sigh. "I see … No wonder it was given to you. It seems that everything has been arranged."
"Arranged?" Gwen raised his eyebrows. "So what is in that box?"
"It's almost time …" Melita looked up and saw that the atmosphere in the banquet hall was turning calm. A new group of waiters walked into the hall, and the band was changing the song. According to her understanding of human society, this was a sign that the formal banquet was coming to an end. "Then after the banquet, I will tell you what it is."
…
The banquet was over, and all the follow-up matters had been arranged. Gwen returned to his palace, and soon after, Melita came to visit as promised.
In the hall on the first floor, the irrelevant personnel had been dismissed in advance. According to Melita's advance warning, only the most trusted people around Gwen were left: Amber, Heti, and Rebecca.
A large metal box protected by layers of runes was placed in the middle of the hall. Gwen and others stood in front of the metal box. Rebecca looked at the big box in front of her curiously. It was not easy to resist the urge to poke at it, but she still could not help but ask, "Ancestor, what is this thing?"
"Melita, you can tell us the answer." Gwen looked at the blue dragon lady standing next to the box. "What is this?"
Melita finally did not keep them in suspense this time. She put her hand on the surface of the box, and as the runes lit up one by one, there was a slight sound of mechanical devices unlocking the tightly sealed box at the same time. Then, the lid slowly opened, and a sphere emitting a pale golden light appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
"This is a dragon egg." Melita took a breath and said solemnly, "Now it's in your care."
Gwen: "… Huh?"
At the same time, three pairs of eyes fell on him at the same time.
Melita took another breath, and her expression became more solemn. "Our goddess left a message after her fall, and entrusted this egg to you."
Gwen: "… Huh?"
The three pairs of eyes around him became even more strange.
(The comics of the Journal of Unusual Creatures need more support. Now that the Aerym chapter is coming to an end, I feel like I can make a killing. Follow the comics at Billibili Comics.)
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