The liquid in the oak cup rippled slightly, reflecting the golden dome of the temple hall and the faint golden light that wandered between the columns and the paintings. Gwen held the oak cup with a faint smile on his face, and the "god" sitting opposite him smiled after a few seconds.
"Wonderful," she said with a smile. "You scared me."
"Because you scared me too," Gwen said frankly. "Especially after seeing the 'truth' above Tarlonde."
Then he paused and continued, "In fact, even if I have done this, I can't guarantee that this card of mine will work. I can only prepare everything, but there are always variables in the world that human wisdom cannot predict. For example … I wasn't sure how much of a threat the impact of the fall would have on you, and I wasn't sure if you had the ability to read my memories and tamper with my orders … The only thing I could rely on was that a 'god' like you couldn't directly tamper with the Voyager's Legacy and intercept or tamper with my orders. And from the looks of it, the situation isn't too bad. "
As he spoke, he reached out and took a piece of delicate-looking dessert from the table and put it in his mouth.
It was slightly sweet, not greasy, and had a strange fragrance.
The Dragon God also picked up the teacup in front of her and took a sip. She looked at Gwen as if she was talking to an ordinary friend. "To ensure mutual destruction, and even in the case of one side being annihilated, you can still ensure that the means of revenge will automatically take effect. What an amazing idea. You see, the Dark Cultists are right to fear you. Underneath your glorious heroic image, there is a very terrible mind. Let me make a bold guess — this terrible habit of thinking has something to do with your real 'hometown'?"
"Something like that," Gwen said casually. "But I still feel that the conditions in this world are much worse than my hometown."
"If possible, I really want to see what the real hometown of an 'extraterrestrial wanderer' looks like." The Dragon God sighed, but then she shook her head. "Well, that's not important. What's important is — if everything really comes to that point, will you really choose to destroy Tarlonde? You should now realize how destructive those 'abandoned satellites' are after they crash. They are enough to destroy and contaminate a country, and many members of this country … actually have a good relationship with you. "
"So I'm glad that it is just a deterrent," Gwen said calmly.
"… Yes." The Dragon God stared at Gwen for a few seconds before slowly saying, "Keep this vigilant and decisive mentality. If you still have to deal with the gods in the future, then this mentality is essential."
Gwen did not speak for a while. He sorted out his words before suddenly looking up at the Dragon God. "Were the Dragons who fought against the 'gods' not vigilant and decisive enough back then in the heart of the Eternal Storm?"
"They …" The Dragon God seemed to hesitate for a moment, and there was a complicated look in her eyes. "They did well, they did well … but it was a pity that they were one step too late. They had a chance to succeed, but the faith of the civilization as a whole had become too strong to the point where they could not fight head-on. In this case, the rash resistance caused all the gods to descend at the same time and lose control … "
"All the gods descended at the same time and lose control?" Gwen immediately frowned. "Then how did these 'all the gods' become you, the 'gods'? Why did they … fuse into you? "
When he asked these questions, he felt very strange because he was asking the 'gods' of the past, the target of the Dragons' disobedience, the biggest shadow and source of terror above Tarlonde. However, he had a feeling that the Dragon God would answer him. These seemingly rebellious questions were even something that he had been waiting for for a long time.
"… This is the result of mortals trying to break free from the chains and failing," the Dragon God said in a deep voice. His eyes became very serious, and even a little scorching. "Remember, remember, no matter which mortal race it is, they only have one chance. If they fail, they will face the same result as the Dragons. When the order of faith completely collapses, the relationship between the gods and humans crosses the line of contradiction, and if the chain does not succeed in breaking free in the end, this will happen —
"The gods will merge into one, and the 'gods' will become the ultimate shackle.
"The 'gods' will be named after the civilization, with all the history, culture, worship, and fear of the civilization as the skeleton, and with the mind of all the civilization members as the source of power. The gods will be as strong as the civilization as a whole."
…
The terrifying roar and nightmarish roar woke up many Dragons in the upper zone. Even President Andal, who had just fallen asleep, was awakened by the abnormal movement outside the temple.
This awe-inspiring ancient dragon raised his head from his' throne 'entwined with countless pipes and cables. He could hear the faint sound of thunder and storm still coming. His nerve sensory terminals echoed with the anxious questions and exclamations of his kin. Driven by uneasiness, he immediately shouted, "Omega! What's happening outside? "
Omega's interface quickly lit up, followed by a mechanical voice. "Connecting to external monitor … It's an energy storm forming above the upper temple. The energy level is still increasing."
Then, a clear surveillance image appeared on the surface of the largest crystal curtain in front of Andal. He saw the dazzling upper sanctum appear in the curtain. The sanctum was shrouded in a pale golden halo that was more powerful than usual, and a terrible cyclone was hanging upside down above the sanctum. The cyclone was wrapped in scarlet flames and lightning, and its scale might even be larger than the entire mountain. It spun, spread, and kept letting out deafening roars and whistling sounds, and it was expanding by the minute!
Why would such a terrible natural phenomenon appear in Tarlonde?! How could such a thing appear in this land protected by the gods?!
"Omega!" Speaker Andal immediately shouted. "Why is the weather controller not responding?"
"The weather controller is operating normally. This phenomenon is not on the alert list …" Omega quickly responded, but then its report was interrupted. "Special contact — Speaker Andal, High Priest Helagol wants to speak to you."
"Helagol?" Andal was stunned for a moment, but then reacted. "Connect."
The next second, the interface on the side of the hall was replaced by Helagol's serious face. Andal then turned his head. "Helagol, the upper temple …"
"Everything is normal. Nothing happened," the dragon priest on the interface said with a blank expression. "Tell everyone, just rest assured."
The mechanical eye in Andal's eye socket shimmered, and the telescopic structure of the mechanical control moved slightly. "Helagol, you …"
"Our Lord is receiving guests," the dragon priest said coldly. "Mr. Speaker, nothing happened. Don't worry about the cyclone, it will disappear. Tomorrow, Tarlonde will still be sunny."
After that, Helagol did not wait for Andal's reply and hung up. After a brief static image, the interface of Omega reappeared on the crystal curtain on the side of the hall.
"Speaker Andal," Omega's voice snapped Andal out of his daze. "Should I issue an evacuation order?"
"… No, no need." Andal took a deep breath and slowly shook his head. "Tell everyone, this is a temporary adjustment by the weather controller. There is no danger, nothing happened."
"Yes, Mr. Speaker."
…
"I seem to hear something outside." Gwen put down the cup and frowned slightly as he looked at the end of the hall. There was an open balcony, but perhaps due to the angle, he could not see much of the scenery from there.
"Don't worry," the god sitting opposite him said. "It's just a wind."
"Well, wind, the wind is always strong around Tarlonde." Gwen glanced at the 'god' and shook his head indifferently. Then his expression turned serious again as he returned to the topic that made him almost drop his cup. "Gods … That is to say, as long as the 'disobedience' fails, the gods will merge into one and become the 'gods'? How does this process happen? Is there any principle behind it? "
"You really like to find out the principle." The Dragon God smiled and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't give you an answer …"
Gwen stared at him. "You don't know, or you can't say?"
"I don't know, and I can't say," the Dragon God said. "Although I am the result of the fusion of the 'gods,' I don't know how all this happened, and I believe that the truth behind this process has exceeded the 'limit' of our communication. Even between you and me, there is some knowledge that can't be easily communicated."
"Well, I understand." Gwen nodded a little regretfully. Then he looked thoughtfully at the entrance of the hall, where Helagol was theoretically staying. "What about Helagol? You know … I have seen a humanoid Dragon in the center of the Eternal Storm, and I believe that was Helagol. Can you satisfy my curiosity on this point? "
The Dragon God was silent.
Just when Gwen thought that this question was too sensitive and that the Dragon God would not answer, he suddenly heard the Dragon God's voice. "Since you have seen it, then you should be able to see that he once stood in the center of the battlefield, leading the Dragons against the gods who had gone out of control … Ironic, isn't it? Now he is the highest-ranking priest in Tarlonde, serving the only and highest god of Tarlonde. "
Gwen frowned again. He looked at the Dragon God and said in a low voice, "So this is some kind of 'punishment'? Is it a punishment from the gods? Or … is it just a 'bad taste'? "
The Dragon God shook his head. "Neither. It is a deal."
"A deal?"
"The mortals choose to submit, and the gods end the judgment," the Dragon God said frankly. "This deal needs a 'symbol', and Helagol is this symbol."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"Okay, I got it." Gwen nodded, indicating that this topic was over.
"Maybe we should talk about something lighter." The Dragon God suddenly smiled, and his tone became as if he was talking about the weather and daily life. "You and your friends have been touring Tarlonde for three days. I believe you have seen a lot. Now, I want to hear your opinion."
"My opinion of Tarlonde?" Gwen raised his eyebrows. "You want to hear the truth?"
"If I want to, I can hear countless beautiful and sweet lies. I want to hear the truth, the evaluation from the heart of an 'extraterrestrial wanderer'."
Gwen looked into the Dragon God's eyes. In those eyes that were perfect beyond mortals, he saw calmness and nothingness.
"Deformed," he said. "Prosperous but sick, advanced but decaying, no vitality under the noisy and prosperous surface."
The Dragon God nodded. "A spicy and direct evaluation."
"This is the truth that I saw," Gwen said. "How many years has Tarlonde been stagnant? Hundreds of thousands of years? A million years? Perhaps only such a long stagnation can explain what I saw. At first glance, I saw how prosperous and advanced it was. To be honest, it even scared me. I almost thought that it was an advanced society that only appeared in my imagination. But as I looked inside, more and more dark and sorrowful things appeared before my eyes …
"Tallund is already dead. He's dead in the technological framework that's developed to the limit. He's dead in the social structure that's as rigid as stone. He's dead in this … shelter that you call the Eternal Cradle. Frankly speaking, when I look at Tarlonde, I even feel like I'm looking at a ruin — a ruin that is running on its own. "
Gwen could not help but sigh at the end. "This country is called the Giant Dragon Kingdom, but Dragons seem to have become the last thing that is needed here. Whether it is the citizens of the lower Tarlonde or the so-called upper class, they have all been disconnected from the development of civilization. This is the truth that I saw."
After hesitating for a while, he finally did not say the words "the final stage of capitalism" that he had in mind.
After all, although Tarlonde's situation looked very similar to the stage that he knew, he knew that the two were still fundamentally different. There were more complicated reasons that led to Tarlonde's current situation.
One of the reasons was that he was sitting right in front of him.
The Dragon God was silent for a long time this time. It was so long that Gwen began to worry if he would smash his cup and summon five hundred executioners. But in the end, he spoke. After a sigh, he showed a relieved expression. "To be able to make such an evaluation, you have indeed looked at it seriously."
"That's why I'm particularly curious now," Gwen said in a low voice. "What is the chain between the gods and the humans? How does it work, and how does it trap the mortals and the gods? Where did its power come from? If we want to break free from it … where should we start? Is it the 'right' thing to do? "
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