A baby dragon hatched in a factory, accompanied by a lifetime of modification of implants and addiction to enhancers, everything under the control of a giant artificial intelligence, a clear distinction between the upper and lower worlds, the temples, the lower city, the factories, the streets, the priests, the councilors, the elders, the civilians, the city that operated automatically, and the employees that were customized by the enterprises.
Tarlonde.
The Kingdom of the Giant Dragon.
Everything here left a deep impression on Gwen, and the impact it brought was even greater than what he saw and heard when he first stepped out of the tomb. In just a day of sightseeing, all his impressions of the Giant Dragon Kingdom had been completely subverted.
All the mysterious, powerful, elegant, and majestic impressions of the Dragons had been shattered by reality. The world built in the imagination of bards and playwrights had collapsed, leaving only a grotesque residue, a distorted and absurd impression, and countless thoughts and speculations.
In front of such a Tarlonde, the stories about Knight slaying the dragon with a sword, the contract between the dragon and the hero, the war between the castle and the kingdom and the Giant Dragon suddenly became cute and even had a warm luster.
Gwen seemed to suddenly understand why so many "travelers" from the Giant Dragon Kingdom came to the human world as bards and wrote so many grotesque legends of the Giant Dragon that were completely different from the facts. He understood why "upper Dragons" like Melita would be bored enough to write a bunch of made-up "Heroes Fight Evil Dragons" and put her friend as the prototype.
He used to think that these were all boring and inexplicable quirks, but now … he could not help but suspect that maybe it was some kind of nostalgia, nostalgia for the pastoral life that the Giant Dragon once had, without relying on boosters and implants, artificial intelligence and automated cities — or maybe it was just some kind of beautiful imagination.
In the Ultimate Arena, one of the several large arenas in Agundor, a "competitive game" that Amber and Veronica found incomprehensible was going on fiercely.
It was an ellipsoidal three-dimensional arena — a large number of strong alloy materials and high-strength polymer shells formed the shape of a "dome". Twelve Giant Dragons were competing for a symbol of honor called the "champion ring" in this transparent dome, and the participating dragons were even completely beyond the impression of the "Giant Dragon" that Gwen and others had of the "Giant Dragon".
They boldly used a large number of external implants, covered the bones over the bones, and covered the skin over the skin. The alloy armor and turbine injection devices made the original flesh and blood look like strange flying machines. They fought, fought, and even killed in the dome. Except for the prohibition of powerful dragon breath and magic attacks, this so-called "competitive game" allowed almost any form and degree of melee combat, and the melee of the Giant Dragon … was completely destructive in the eyes of humans.
A participating black dragon was eliminated. He was besieged in mid-air by his opponents, and after a savage and cruel fight, he was almost torn into pieces and thrown down. His wings, limbs, and torso were torn apart. The heavy wreckage fell to the alloy floor at the bottom of the "competitive dome". Dazzling arcane sparks and uncontrollable frost, flame, and lightning flashed in the broken parts. His chest burst open, and a heart that was still running fell out. The sealing device did not work in time, and hot and shimmering liquid spurted out everywhere from the black dragon's body — there was more oil and boosters than blood.
A rescue team rushed into the arena and quickly retrieved the black dragon's torso with its head attached, and the rest of the wreckage was thrown directly on the arena.
The audience booed loudly, as if ten thousand thunders had exploded inside and outside the arena. Numbers jumped on the scoreboard above the dome, and the loser left the game in the form of points.
Gwen, Amber, and Veronica sat in the "senior seats" at the front outside the dome, watching the game in front of them in astonishment. Melita and Noretta were next to them, and they seemed to be completely immersed in the game. It was not until the remaining members of the team successfully rushed to the stagnation force field where the championship ring was placed, successfully took out the ring and activated it that they were greatly relieved and returned to the "real world" at once.
"That black dragon who was eliminated just now is going to lose a lot!" Melita said loudly. "Almost all of his body parts will have to be replaced. I hope he bought all the insurance."
"He shouldn't have tried to fight with three opponents at the same time. Once he was surrounded, he would be finished immediately. The black dragon is not good at dealing with attacks from the back, especially when he has an extra layer of joint armor on his spine … I don't know what he was thinking."
"He must have injected too much booster." Melita shrugged. "He has the illusion that he is the best in the world."
"… Makes sense."
The two Dragons friends discussed the game enthusiastically, but even Amber, who was usually the most talkative, did not seem to have any intention of interrupting at this time.
It was not until a dozen seconds later that Melita seemed to suddenly realize something. She hurriedly turned her eyes and looked at Gwen and the other two with an apologetic look. "Ah — sorry, we accidentally got too engrossed in the game …"
Gwen did not know how to react, and for some reason, he remembered the scene when he first met Melita Pânia — the elegant and mysterious woman in a purple gauze dress and a lavender veil who visited at night. But this image was quickly shattered by the almost deafening roar in the arena.
In front of him was only Ms. Blue Dragon, who was watching the game with passion.
"It's okay." Gwen shook his head. "I can see that you like this game very much."
"Actually, I don't like it that much. Things like the Extreme Arena are a bit too noisy for me." Melita smiled awkwardly. "But once you get into this atmosphere, it is inevitable that you will be affected by the emotions around you … In fact, I don't usually watch this game."
Noretta, who was next to them, noticed that Gwen and the others did not seem to be interested in the arena. "Is the game here a bit boring for you?"
"It's just a bit … well, a bit too exciting," Amber finally said. She scratched her head with an awkward and impolite smile on her face. "As a competitive game, isn't this thing a bit too bloody?"
"Well, it may seem a bit not in line with human aesthetics … This is our mistake." Melita bowed her head sincerely. "The Extreme Arena is a popular entertainment in Tarlonde recently. We were too eager to show you some of the 'relatively new things' in this land."
"Let's leave this place first," Gwen said casually and looked up at the arena dome. A team had entered the arena and began to clean up the abandoned parts and limbs on the ground. They also began to use a large cleaning machine to clean up the oil and blood on the ground. There were also some teams that looked like small teams guarding the exits below the dome. Gwen saw one of the teams coming up to the staff and loading the recovered parts and living biological tissues into the car. "… This place is a bit too noisy."
Under the night sky, the blue and white Giant Dragon rose again and hovered above the Extreme Arena.
Gwen looked down from this height and saw that the "dome" made of alloy and high-strength polymer was illuminated by countless lights inside and outside. A large number of steel support structures and intricate streets around the arena were intertwined and spread like a nest of twigs.
The noisy roars and impassioned music turned into a faint humming in the distance. The feeling of irritation in his heart gradually faded away, and the giant dome of the arena regained its beauty in Gawain's eyes.
It was like a crystal egg illuminated by the lights, lying quietly in a nest made of metal and cement, nurturing blood, oil, and steel.
If it was Talron who 'gave birth' to this egg … then what was it that gave birth to Talron as he was now? Those Giant Dragon reveling around the arena … Were they intoxicated by the revelry, or were they intoxicated by the revelry itself?
For some reason, Gawain's thoughts started to wander uncontrollably until Melita's voice suddenly rang out. It sounded like a low rumble of thunder, waking him up from his thoughts. "Are you still thinking about that arena? Sorry … Now that I think about it, Noretta and I only cared about letting you see the 'complete Tarlonde', but we did not consider the aesthetics and worldview of the Loreans. In fact, there are some things that are seriously not in line with human preferences that should not be shown to you. "
"No, I don't care about that." Gwen shook his head. "I'm just thinking about something else."
"That's good." Melita seemed to be relieved, but then shook her head. "In fact, Noretta and I are a little … a little too excited. Few Dragons have the opportunity to openly show visitors like you around Tarlonde … I hope these things that we are eager to show you don't give you a bad feeling."
Gwen immediately laughed. "No, actually, I'm quite … happy."
He was not being polite, but he really felt that this trip to Tarlonde was novel and interesting. Putting aside the occasional deep thoughts and worries about the situation behind Tarlonde, this eye-opening trip was even a surprise for him. After all, in his previous life, he did not get to see "Cyberxk 2077" until he died.
This time, it was like a dream come true.
Of course, Noretta did not know the real thoughts in Gwen's mind. She obviously felt that Gwen was being polite, so she could only reply with an awkward but polite laugh.
And the brightly lit land of Tarlonde quickly retreated into the depths of the night amidst the awkward laughter of the blue dragon lady.
And in the next two days, Melita and Noretta became the "full-time guides" for Gwen and the others.
Under the guidance of the two Giant Dragons, Gwen, Amber, and Veronica almost visited every corner of the metropolis of Agundor. They even visited the two nearby cities and the factory cluster on the coast. After the shock and surprise of the first day, Gwen and the others had calmed down and began to visit this strange world with the mood of sightseeing.
Amber seemed to be very happy. Although she did not understand what was going on with this group of Dragons who were completely different from the legends, she had obviously given up on this problem. Under the premise of relaxing, she began to seriously enjoy the courtesy of the Dragons and the fun of sightseeing.
Even Veronica showed her curiosity and began to treat this journey with the mentality of a tourist and a "scholar". She actively chatted with the new Dragons she met, asked about the local customs of Tarlonde, and borrowed some books from Melita that had been translated by Omega to try to understand the cultural changes and legends of the Dragons. Everyone could see that she was really enjoying all this, and not wearing a mask of eternal peace and smile as usual.
But Gwen knew that this "sightseeing" tour was not the end of his trip to Tarlonde. The most important part of this journey … was still the meeting with the Dragon God, Enya.
He did not have to wait for too long.
On the fourth day in Tarlonde, the high-ranking dragon priest with golden vertical pupils and a serious temperament appeared in front of him again. At this time, Gwen and the rest were overlooking the scenery with Melita on a mountain peak outside the city of Agundor. Under the night sky, Tarlonde was illuminated by lights and starlight, and there was a large-scale aurora curtain in the sky. This was a scene that was difficult to see in the human world, and the dragon priest appeared directly from the night sky as if using some kind of teleportation technology.
"My Lord wishes to have a private meeting with you." Helagol came before Gwen and conveyed the wish of the Dragon God, Enya.
"A private meeting?" Amber, who was enjoying the scenery at the side, came over in surprise. "You're not bringing us this time?"
"Please forgive me." Helagol seemed to be able to maintain the most perfect manner in front of everyone. He smiled at Amber and said, "This is the wish of my Lord."
Amber and Veronica immediately frowned slightly. Gwen was not surprised by this situation. In fact, he had been thinking about when this moment would come since yesterday. He smiled and said to Helagol, "Looks like he's finally going to talk to me about something more in-depth. When do we leave? "
"If it's convenient for you, we can leave now." Helagol immediately said, "I can take you directly to the upper sanctum."
Gwen thought for a moment. He reached out and took out his mechanical watch. He opened the cover and looked at the time on it. He then put the watch away and nodded to Helagol. "It's convenient for me. The time is just right."
Helagol's eyes stayed on Gwen's mechanical watch for a moment, but he quickly looked away and took a step forward. He opened his hands slightly, and a pale golden halo appeared out of thin air and completely shrouded the area where Gwen was. "Then, allow me to give you a ride."
The next second, the pale golden halo suddenly expanded into a beam of light that connected the sky and the earth. When the beam of light dissipated, Gwen and the high-ranking dragon priest had disappeared in front of everyone.
(End of Chapter)
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