It was Andal, the Supreme Speaker of the Council.
It was said that this old man was one of the oldest Giant Dragons in Tarlonde. He had been active since before the Ancient Reverse Tide and had survived to this day.
Before coming to Tarlonde, Gwen had learned a lot about this country from Melita. This knowledge naturally included a brief introduction to the top members of Tarlonde. So he was no stranger to the name "Andal." He also knew that this Primordial Dragon, who looked like an old man, rarely left the council's hall. In the past thousand years, the number of times this old man left the hall could be counted with one's fingers.
It seemed that due to his extreme old age, he would usually rest in his dragon form in his throne. Today, he took the initiative to greet Hao Ren and even changed into his human form. This was enough to show the attitude of this speaker.
After realizing that this was a courtesy, Gawain immediately put on a solemn expression that matched it. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. President. I have seen it on the way here. Tarlonde is a very incredible country. I believe this trip to Tarlonde will leave a very deep impression on me. "
Andal smiled gently and made a gesture of invitation at the same time. After Gwen stepped forward, the old man said with a smile, "We have not officially invited an alien race here for many, many years. Except for the 'wanderers' who occasionally came to this land by accident, the last official visitor I remember was many thousands of years ago. At that time, the ruler of the Lolun Continent was a creature with three pairs of limbs."
"The last civilization?" Gwen looked at the speaker with a smile. "That seems to be a long time ago."
"Yes, a long time ago. We have been paying attention to the world outside Tarlonde, but we almost never bring people or things from the outside world here." Andal nodded. "I hope you are satisfied with the welcoming ceremony we have arranged. On the basis of the customs of the Dragons, we have taken into account the customs of the humans as much as possible. But after all, there is a big difference between us. If there is anything that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to ask."
"It's very thoughtful," Gwen immediately said. "But now I am more concerned about the next itinerary. I did not hear the detailed itinerary from Melita."
Andal led the guests away from the landing platform. Melita, who had turned back into her human form, followed closely behind. They crossed the long bridge between the landing platform and the main building of the palace and walked toward the inner court of the Council headquarters. In this unusually vast and magnificent palace of the Dragons, Gwen felt as if his voice was echoing in the valley.
"Sorry, it is indeed impolite not to tell you the detailed itinerary. But this is because our god has not given a detailed order before." Andal walked beside Gwen. The old man's voice echoed in the resplendent and beautifully carved corridor. "God … He is unpredictable. His arrangements often have a deep meaning. On the other hand, when He does not make arrangements for a long time, He also has a deep meaning."
"So, has He made the arrangement now?" Gwen glanced at the president beside him. When talking about the god who ruled Tarlonde, although he did not mean to offend, it was difficult for him to feel awe and worship like the Dragons. So, he chose to talk in this most ordinary manner. After all, he was standing here today because of the invitation from that god. "To be honest, my main purpose here is not to visit the exotic scenery. I am here to keep my promise. So, I am more concerned about when I can meet your … 'Dragon God'."
"Of course." Andal nodded. "When you entered the sky above Agundor, the Sanctum had given a clear order. After the welcoming banquet, you can meet. We have prepared Agundor's Sanctum. When the time comes, His Excellency Helagol, the High Dragon Priest, will personally be the guide and escort for the meeting. "
The High Dragon Priest … Gwen quickly recalled the information he got from Melita.
Helagol, the highest spokesman of the 'theocracy' in Tarlonde society, was a powerful oracle who served God all year round. He was also an 'ancient dragon' who had lived since ancient times like President Andal. But it was said that the oracle had received a blessing from God and had 'eternal life more perfect than the Supreme President', so he had always maintained a younger appearance.
No Dragons knew the real age of Helagol, and no one knew when Helagol became an oracle who served God. According to Melita's description, in the memories of almost all dragons, Helagol was already a saint who stood beside God from the very beginning.
Gwen stopped reminiscing and said with a smile, "Then I am looking forward to this meeting. And before that, I am also looking forward to what delicacies Tarlonde will have that are different from the human world."
…
At the top of the temple, where God lived, the holy breath had descended.
"My Lord." Helagol immediately bowed respectfully to the figure who appeared in front of the Sanctum. "You are back."
"Hmm," the blond figure standing in front of the Holy See responded briefly, and then cast a condescending gaze. "Heragol, have they all arrived?"
Helagol lowered his head. Although he was curious about where the goddess he served in the past had suddenly left for, he carefully controlled his curiosity and desire to explore. "Yes, they have arrived as scheduled. As per your instructions, I have sent a message to the Council. After the welcoming banquet over there, an audience will be arranged. "
"Not an audience, an audience, Helagol." The voice in front of the Sanctum immediately corrected him. "Those are the guests I invited."
"… As you said."
The Dragon God nodded, and then asked casually, "Tell me what you know. After seeing the real Tarlonde, how did the guests react?"
"Surprised, surprised, and stunned. There is no doubt that everything about Tarlonde is enough to shock outsiders," Helagol said. "But … their reactions were not just that.
"The reaction of the two human women was normal. They showed the shock of ordinary people towards the advanced and prosperous Tarlonde, and also showed the normal curiosity of those things that they had never seen in the outside world. But the human emperor you invited, the male human named Gwen Cecil … his reaction seemed a little strange."
"Strange?" The Dragon God raised his eyebrows. "Helagol, you rarely use such ambiguous words."
"It is indeed strange, my Lord." Helagol chose his words carefully and told the details of the 'abnormality' he found after secretly observing. "Although the human showed surprise after seeing Tarlonde, his surprise was far less than what I expected. When he saw those unusual things, his reaction was more of contemplation than surprise. Yes, contemplation, he seemed to have been thinking, and frequently showed imperceptible confusion. This gave me a feeling … that Tarlonde did not seem to bring the shock that the human expected. He was surprised but not confused by everything he saw, as if he had seen similar things before, and the surprise he showed … was just that he did not expect these things to appear here. "
At this point, Helagol hesitated again before saying, "This gave me a feeling that the human seemed to have been observing and judging us with an indifferent and even somewhat arrogant attitude. This is obviously not normal, my Lord."
The voice in front of the Holy See was silent for a few seconds. After that, Helagol heard the voice of the god said slowly, "… It seems very interesting."
"My Lord." Helagol looked up with a hint of curiosity. "Why did you ask me to focus on these things? How did the human emperor react after seeing Tarlonde … Is this important? "
"I was just a little curious." The god seemed to be in a good mood, and there seemed to be a smile in his voice. "Haven't you thought about it, Helagol? That human … He has done a lot of things in his mortal kingdom. The traveling dragons have brought back a lot of interesting information about the system, about knowledge, about … the way of thinking. On the surface, it seems that the human is just integrating and silently promoting all these changes, but his actions have gone beyond the knowledge and way of thinking that he should have … This is not something that can happen naturally in the environment he lives in, at least not in his generation. Helagol, don't you think this is interesting? "
Helagol felt his breathing quicken, but he did not say anything.
He only heard the voice of the god continue unhurriedly.
"Gwen Cecil … the 'resurrected' mortal hero. On the surface, he looks like an ordinary human, but unfortunately … not enough.
"Helagol, go and prepare. The banquet in the lower hall will not last long. Just as I want to see him, I believe he wants to see me now."
…
"I hope you are satisfied with our food and music." Melita came before Gwen and said with a smile, "To be honest, these two things are the least the Dragons are good at — at least in my opinion. We are better at dealing with stones and metals, such as sculpture and the art of forging. As for food … Tarlonde's food is very boring. "
"But all these are great in my opinion." Gwen complimented as his eyes swept across the magnificent hall and the banquet table. He should be the only human emperor of this civilization to dine in Tarlonde, and this banquet naturally reflected the Dragons' hospitality. But to be honest, the food of the Dragons was not as colorful as he had imagined. The main dishes at the banquet were basically all kinds of meat, and the side dishes were mainly fish. Grains and vegetables were just decorations, and not even food. From this, he could see the usual eating habits of the Dragons, but as Melita said … it was a little boring.
But for a newcomer like Gwen, some of the unique flavors of the food could make up for the lack of boredom.
"To be honest … I was troubled by a strange question before," he suddenly said. "It's about your food. Your Giant Dragon body is so different from human body, so when you eat, do you use the dragon body or the human body as the standard? This question may be a little rude, but … this food is not enough for a Giant Dragon that is dozens of meters long. "
"… As expected of you, always paying attention to the details that ordinary people would never think of." Melita was stunned for a moment, and then she could not help but laugh. "But you are right. This food is not enough for a Giant Dragon.
"Of course, we need to absorb energy according to the standards of a dragon. But in the form of a dragon, we don't have to be so particular about food. A dragon's sense of taste and mouth is very weak. We can't even tell the difference between raw and cooked meat in that form. So, we won't entertain or eat with guests in our dragon form, especially when the guests are small … You know, not only does it look rough, it also has a high risk, such as … accidentally injuring the guests.
"And in our human form, we can process and enjoy more exquisite food. As you can see, we choose to entertain our guests in our human form. This is not only because our human form looks more 'friendly' to most intelligent species, but also because this form is more convenient for us to enjoy delicious food."
Gwen was just asking out of interest, but he did not expect to hear such interesting details. After listening to Melita's explanation, he could not help but mutter, "So dragons eat in two meals — one to taste, and the other to fill their stomachs?"
"Most of the dragons who are not so particular actually only have a second meal, especially when convenience food is very popular. Almost all the young dragons nowadays do not have the patience to learn how to cook or eat those troublesome natural foods." Melita shook her head. Although she was also a young dragon, she was like an old dragon when she lamented. "Of course, these dragons in the banquet hall are all 'particular' dragons, so after we eat with you, we still have to go back and have another meal..."
Gwen was speechless.
"It feels like the number of useless knowledge has increased!" Hu Po, who happened to be strolling over from the side with a drumstick in his hand, casually sighed and exposed Gawain's inner thoughts.
The banquet was coming to an end. At this moment, Gwen noticed that a person who looked like an attendant entered the hall from the side door. He quickly walked up to Speaker Andal and whispered something.
"Looks like 'this' is about to end," Gwen turned his head and said to Melita. "I guess someone will invite me to a date soon."
Melita looked curiously in the direction of the speaker, and almost at the same time, the old man also turned and walked over.
"I hope our hospitality is considerate," Speaker Andal said as he came up to Gwen. "Our god has just sent a message. If it is convenient for you now … He wants to meet you in the upper sanctum."
Gwen looked back and then turned to the speaker. "Does that include the two friends I brought with me?"
Speaker Andal nodded. "Yes, including them."
"No problem, it's very convenient for us now." Gwen immediately smiled, and Amber, who was munching on a drumstick next to him, glanced at the drumstick in her hand. She seemed to want to say that it was not that convenient for her, but under Gwen's faint gaze, she immediately put down the drumstick in her hand. "It's convenient, convenient, very convenient …"
As for Veronica, who was on standby not far away … she was obviously ready.
"That's good." Speaker Andal nodded. "Then please come with me. His Excellency Helagol is already waiting outside the hall. He will take you to the upper sanctum."
Following behind the speaker, Gwen, Amber, and Veronica quickly passed through the banquet hall. After passing through a huge golden door, the music in the hall suddenly weakened, and Gwen saw a man in a pale golden robe and a golden mitre standing in the wide and quiet corridor.
There were no attendants or guards around the man.
That is the highest voice of the "theocracy" in the Tarlonde society, the high-ranking dragon priest Helagol?
As Gwen thought to himself, the man with his back facing him also felt the change in the atmosphere. He immediately turned around and nodded slightly. "Dear guests, I am here to take you to the upper sanctum. You can call me by my name, Helagol."
Gwen nodded and just as he was about to respond, his gaze froze in the next moment.
His gaze fell on Helagol's face and did not move for a long time.
He remembered this face.
In the heart of the Eternal Storm, in the center of the frozen space, he had seen this face before!
This was the one who stood on the Tower of Steel, like a commander in the center of the battlefield, and fought the Dragons together with the Dragons!
(Oh my!)
(End of Chapter)
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