Melita's message made Amber break out in a cold sweat. Gwen, on the other hand, remained calm. He looked into Melita's eyes and asked, "Didn't you think of the problem with the tower before?"
"Some of our compatriots thought of it, but we couldn't do anything about it." Melita sighed. The situation in Tarlonde made the Dragons sigh. There were too many difficulties that were difficult to tell outsiders. But Gwen was one of the dragons' few 'old friends' among the mortal kingdoms. So, she did not hold back. "The Tide-Defying Tower is located in the northwest of the continent. The safe zone we have recovered is mainly focused on the broken coast and offshore land in the southeast of Tarlonde. In between, there is a vast wasteland. The environment in the depths of the wasteland is very bad. Until now, we still can't go too deep. So, to confirm the situation of the tower, we can only go around the sea. It's a big circle, bypassing the main polluted areas and spatial rifts. For us not long ago, it was too costly."
"So, you finally have time to pay attention to the tower?" Amber could not help but ask. "Is there someone … a dragon monitoring the tower?"
"After barely solving the short-term food supply and the problem of the booster backlash of some of our people, Agundor sent a small team to the northwest coast. They found a safer place to stay and set up a forward camp." Melita nodded. "They will contact Agundor every two days. Although the monitoring is very poor, it's better than nothing."
"Contact every two days?" Gwen immediately frowned. "Isn't that too big of a loophole? Two days is enough for the out-of-control Giant Dragon to fly across the Stormy Sea. "
"There's no other way." Melita sighed. "Now the communication in Tarlonde has been cut off, and the original Omega network has disintegrated. We dug out some old signal stations from the ruins and started a factory to produce small communicators. But these things can only be used to maintain a small range of communication. If the forward camp wants to contact Agundor, they first have to fly across a polluted area and come to the top of the static layer of the atmosphere. At the same time, Agundor also has to fly across a large area of the polluted area on the south coast to a recently repaired signal station. Then, through a powerful communication spell and the amplification of the signal station, they can establish contact … Considering the current situation of the forward camp, once every two days is the limit."
Gwen opened his mouth, but he could only swallow his doubts. After a long while, he sighed. "… Sounds like it's not easy."
"At least we have successfully established a safe shelter camp near the Broken Coast. Things are going well." Melita forced a smile. "And from the news back from the forward camp, at least until now, no dragon has been affected by the 'thing' in the Tide-Defying Tower. The team is monitoring the sea and the sky near the tower day and night to ensure that no intelligent creatures are allowed to enter there."
Gwen listened to Melita's words. After a moment of silence, he said, "Is this what Helagol said in the letter?"
Melita nodded. "Yes."
"Maybe I am overthinking." Gwen frowned. "Most of the time, when your boss tells you that 'the market may be bad', the market has already collapsed …"
Melita was obviously shocked by Gwen's words. She looked a little nervous, but she quickly calmed down and shook her head after a short thought. "I don't think so … Helagol is a rational and powerful leader. He will not be careless on this matter. And even if Helagol's judgment is wrong, I believe that President Andal is also concerned about the tower."
Gwen pondered and nodded gently. "Well, we should trust the judgment of the two leaders. But as Helagol said, the tower is not a problem now, but sooner or later it will be a hidden danger … "
"But at this stage, I'm afraid we can't deal with that tower," Hu Po couldn't help but say. "The dragons, who are the best fighters, are already dead. Only an egg is left of the gods who can suppress that tower. Only the mortal countries of the Lorren Continent are left in the world. However, the strongest naval force that can go out to sea is only the Winter. Besides, even if the rest of the ships under construction are all completed in an instant, and all of them are tested and trained, the fleet can't destroy the ancient heritage, right? "
Gwen could not help but look at the Shame of All Things who was seriously analyzing the situation. Every word of this woman was so hateful, but what was more annoying was that she was actually right …
He shook his head and sighed — as one of the people he trusted the most, as well as the head of the Empire's intelligence department, Hu Po's understanding of many ancient secrets was no less than his own. In most situations, this fellow's flexible thinking and keen insight could help him solve many problems, but it would be better if she could be a little more particular with her mouth. When she met with Rosetta before, she was smart and courageous. Why did she become so talkative after work? Was it because she was not paid for overtime?
"We can't destroy it. Based on the strength of the Eternal Slate, I doubt our weapons can break the tower's defense." Gwen put away his wandering thoughts and said with a serious expression. "At this stage, what we can do is to complete the establishment of the joint alert circle as soon as possible, especially to set up enough anti-air firepower in the northern coastal area of the continent as soon as possible. We have to ensure that we can completely shoot down the tainted dragons — if they appear. Anyway, no matter what, we can't let a tainter into the territory to come into contact with the intelligent creatures of the Lolun Continent … Divine pollution is a deadly thing. "
"In addition, we have to warn them in the follow-up meeting," Melita said. "We have to let them know that the tainted dragons are more dangerous than those who just want to steal food. The latter may be communicable, but the former … contact with them is a disaster."
Amber rolled her eyes. "I kind of sympathize with those representatives. Their mood must be up and down a few times in the next few days."
"Training their minds will help improve their ability to withstand pressure. They will need it sooner or later anyway," Gawain said casually. Then, a thoughtful look appeared on his face. "But now there is a problem … How do we distinguish between the dragons who are contaminated by the reverse tide and those who are simply hungry and want to plunder food? After all, we should try our best to save those Dragons that can still be saved. "
Gwen's words were very subtle, but the part that he did not finish was actually very obvious. Saving those that can still be saved meant that if there was no way to screen them out, they could only shoot down all the Giant Dragons that were near the Lolun Continent and could not be identified. This may not sound good, but once the joint air and sea security perimeter was established, with the combined strength of the three empires, it was completely achievable to deal with the weakened dragons.
Hearing Gawain's words, Melita looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself. She looked awkward and hesitant.
This aroused Amber's interest. "What's wrong? Is there a way but it's not easy? "
The awkwardness on Melita's face became even more apparent, but she still nodded in the end. "Actually … Leader Heragor has already mentioned a more effective method of identification in his letter. It won't be hard to implement …"
Gwen and Amber did not say anything. They just looked at her curiously.
"You know, the biggest difference between the dragons affected by the Tide-Defying Tower and those that come purely for plunder is their motive for coming to Lolun," Melita said helplessly. "The dragons affected by the Tide-Defying Tower have the biggest motive for going to the civilized world to spread 'knowledge pollution'. This mental suggestion even suppresses their physiological instincts, so they will go straight to the place where there are the most intelligent creatures. The biggest motive for other dragons to come to Lolun Continent is hunger …"
Gwen suddenly understood. "I see. Set up a table on the ground, and the dragons that fly straight to the food can still be negotiated. Ignore them and cross the border, or go straight to the crowd to sell the courses, and kill them on the spot."
"… This is a bit too simple and crude, but the general process is like that," Melita said helplessly. "In addition, even if we use this method to identify the dragons, we can't rule out the possibility of accidental injury. So if possible, as long as the conditions permit, I hope you can ensure the survival of the dragons as much as possible. Contact the nearest Tarlonde Air Squad, and we will rush to the scene to identify and deal with them as soon as possible. Of course, we know this is not easy to achieve, so please do your best. "
Gwen nodded. "Of course, our initial goal is to try to 'keep them alive' as much as possible. After all, we have made an agreement. Every surviving 'Dragon refugee' means that Typhon, Cecil, or the Silver Empire will get a mercenary of Dragons contracted to serve for a hundred years. I remember this very clearly."
The expression on Melita's face was a bit complicated. "Yes, there is such a 'deal' between Tarlonde and the three empires …"
Gwen looked at the blue dragon's somewhat depressed expression and sighed softly. "This may be a kind of deal, but it can effectively protect those Giant Dragon who have a chance to be rescued, right? We can't underestimate human nature, but we can't overestimate it either. A cold deal is sometimes for the sake of fresh life. "
"You're right. I shouldn't be controlled by my feelings on this matter."
"Well, the basic plan has been set. Let's end the topic here." Gawain coughed twice and changed the topic with a slightly raised tone. He also adjusted the atmosphere of the scene. "There's something I want to talk to you about. I haven't thought about when to discuss it with you, but you happened to be here tonight."
Melita showed a hint of curiosity. "What's the matter?"
"Do you remember what you said to the representative who questioned the Tarlonde incident today?" Gwen smiled. "About the thrilling and safe Tarlonde trip …"
"Ah, I was a bit angry at that time," Melita immediately said. "But after thinking about it …"
"After thinking about it, I think it's okay." Gwen nodded seriously without waiting for the other party to finish. "If you can really guarantee that the tourists can safely go to and from Tarlonde and have a certain degree of sightseeing in the safe zone of the wasteland, then this matter is even more okay …"
Melita: "???"
"What do you mean by that look? Do you think I'm joking? " Gwen glanced at the blue dragon. "I'm very serious now. Isn't Tarlonde short of money and food now? Isn't it because you can't find a way to connect with the Loren Continent? There are many valuable technologies and heritage buried in your wasteland, but it's not easy to turn those things into cash quickly. The Loren Continent can provide you with a certain degree of food aid, but aid can't solve the long-term problem. So at this stage, the most important thing for you is to develop a business sector that can quickly take shape, generate profits, have long-term value, and can operate normally. And your speech today reminded me that Tarlonde's unique wasteland may be a good idea … "
Melita listened in a daze, almost unable to follow Gwen's train of thought. After confirming that he was not joking, she finally could not help but say, "Wait a minute, my friend, wait a minute. That's the wasteland! It's a place where the Giant Dragon has a hard time surviving. You mean to let the more fragile races like humans and elves' visit 'there? "
"I didn't say that I want you to send the tourists to those deadly polluted areas. Didn't you say that there are safe zones on the Broken Coast and offshore land southeast of Tarlonde? And I've also heard from Kassandra that the environment there is acceptable for ordinary races. As long as the Dragons can provide a certain degree of protection and the border of the safe zone is well guarded, it's not impossible to receive guests from the Loren Continent there. "
"This … seems to be possible in theory?" Melita thought for a moment and nodded with uncertainty. However, an even bigger question popped up in her mind. "But will there really be a huge profit to be made by doing this? Will so many people spend money to go to the wasteland to look for trouble? There are so many beautiful mountains in the world — "
Gwen interrupted her. "Yes, there are so many beautiful mountains in the world, but there is only one Tarlonde. Other than Tarlonde, the only similar wasteland landscape is the Gondor polluted area in the center of the Loren Continent. But the Gondor wasteland obviously can't be 'visited'. It's full of life forbidden zones. Tarlonde is different. Some areas may be more dangerous than the Gondor wasteland, but some areas are still worth developing.
"As for whether so many people will spend money to go to the wasteland to look for trouble, let me tell you, of course, there will be, and there will be a lot of them."
At this point, Gwen could not help but recall many memories of his past life. He muttered to himself, "Don't underestimate the 'adventurous spirit' of humans, and don't underestimate their curiosity. To you, Tarlonde is a wasteland full of trauma and crisis. But to many people, it is a mysterious land in the legends. Even if it is now destroyed by war, it is still a holy land. A deserted house, a broken wall, and even a charred stone there is a fatal attraction to curious explorers.
"And what you need to do is actually very simple. Just find these people, bring them safely to Tarlonde, make sure they don't kill themselves in the process, and then ask them for money."
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