Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1160: Chapter 1159: A New Direction for Effort

Noreta wasn’t sure what expression she wore as she entered the room — every step felt like she was descending into an unknown direction, her thoughts were a chaotic mess, and the predictions she made before coming seemed to be swept away like a whirlwind in her mind, yet each guess was far from the truth revealed by the pale gold giant egg before her.

When she finally realized what she was doing, she was already seated on a sky-blue sofa in the room.

The room’s furnishings were somewhat peculiar. Besides the giant egg and its pedestal at the center, there were only a bunch of ancient magical devices beside the egg, and some sofas and a coffee table near the window. These few furnishings made the place seem overly simplistic, yet considering the current state of the room’s owner... such furnishings didn’t appear inappropriate.

Scattered thoughts began to drift through Noreta’s mind, a stress response after shock had faded away. She subconsciously glanced at the friend beside her, seeing her carefully placing the dragon egg she brought on the ground, and her friend’s expression was evidently much calmer than her own.

It all came back to Noreta – it was Melita who led the team that delivered the ”Relic of the Dragon God” to Talronde, no wonder...

While the White Dragon Lady was lost in thought, Melita had already settled the egg and looked up, this former Talronde Ambassador, who personally delivered the ”God’s Humanity” to Loren Continent, had a complex expression as her gaze wandered over the golden giant egg in the room’s center several times before she finally hesitated to speak: ”Enya... Lady, it’s been a long time.”

After much contemplation, it seemed only proper to add ”Lady” after the name of this God of Yore.

”Indeed, it has been a long time, young blue dragon,” Enya said with a hint of amusement in her voice, ”the last time you brought me here, I was in a dormant state, so in my relatively clear memories... our last meeting was in Talronde.”

Memories that were deliberately avoided resurfaced uncontrollably for a moment; scenes of the past appeared in Melita’s mind. She recollected the magnificent royal temple, the long stairway path, the hall filled with a sacred aura in the golden glow — the supreme and beautiful God standing before her high throne, gazing softly at her, with herself as insignificant as a speck of dust on the great hall’s stairs...

She blinked, and the memories gradually faded, the divine entity on the high platform vanished, leaving only a shining smooth eggshell in her view.

”I... ahem,” the odd sensation flashed through her mind, causing Melita to involuntarily cough lightly, ”Sorry, I’m unsure what to say at this moment. I wasn’t prepared for a meeting with you, and... well, even if I had time to prepare, I probably wouldn’t know what to say.”

”It’s alright, perfectly natural,” Enya’s amusement grew more pronounced, ”I can see both of you seem a bit nervous — relax a bit, would you like something to drink to refresh yourselves? I can offer stimulating beverages...”

(A friendly book recommendation, ”Actors Don’t Take Holidays” by Guan Wuya, in the urban entertainment circle genre, a rare recommendation for this type, primarily meant as a tribute.)

”Hold on!” Gawain immediately stood up, unable to contain himself as Enya spoke halfway, casting a nearly horrified look at the former Dragon God and the two bewildered Talronde Ambassadors opposite him, ”Be careful, those drinks are still in the testing phase, you know their effects may be overly invigorating...”

The Dragonkin’s constitution was strong, but as a legendary powerhouse himself, he knew the effects of this retired Dragon God’s ”energy drink” were something not even dogs would drink — if Melita and Noreta were to down it out of courtesy towards the Dragon God, it could lead to diplomatic disputes later! Not to mention they’d have to be carried away even if they didn’t die...

However, Enya’s words instantly stifled Gawain’s subsequent speech: ”No need to worry, it’s just ordinary red tea, prepared for me by Betty. I’m not a reckless child.”

As she spoke, two teacups and a delicate yet large teapot floated into the air behind the golden egg, propelled by Magic Power, they levitated before Melita and Noreta, filled themselves, and then gently landed on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

The two Talronde Ambassadors paused for a couple of seconds before picking up their cups with odd expressions, exchanging a bewildered glance, feeling the scene they witnessed exceeded all their previous understanding of the world — a Dragon God once venerated by countless Dragonkin now personally serving them tea...

”Tha... thank you...” Melita finally snapped out of it, hurriedly expressing gratitude and bringing the cup to her lips — maintained by Magic Power, the red tea remained piping hot, yet she seemed unfazed as she quickly raised the cup and drained it in one sip, nearly biting a piece off the cup in the process, fortunately realizing it just before her teeth met the rim. She hastily put the cup down.

Whether the tea truly had an effect, she felt her chaotic thoughts finally becoming a bit more settled, her mind clearing gradually.

She heard the familiar and gentle voice emanating from the golden egg: ”How is Talronde’s situation now? Are the other dragons... faring well?”

Melita fell silent for a couple of seconds, still unable to view this God of Yore in front of her as a normal conversation partner, but on this topic, she ultimately chose to share her direct experiences: ”... The situation is dire now, ninety percent of our land has been utterly scorched, all cities destroyed, only a small number of factories and warehouses deep within mountains or underground survived, the transport and communication systems have disintegrated, and Omega has left this planet.

”As for the dragonkin... less than one-tenth of the dragons survive, and no healthy adult dragons have been found so far. Our kind are forced to contend with two... three types of post-war backlash: the first being implant malfunction — many implants reliant on the Omega System are gradually shutting down, becoming a burdensome and rigid threat within us, even life-threatening, and we can only remove them through crude, primitive surgery, causing secondary injuries to many comrades in the process;

”Secondly, addiction to enhancers, mostly among the former lower dragonkin, their nervous systems suffer immense pain after leaving enhancers behind, but the good news is some comrades are gradually overcoming the worst backlash phase. Meanwhile, the nations of the Loren Continent have jointly supplied us with plenty of alchemical potion ingredients, Leader Heragor... has been guiding us on how to use those ingredients to craft ancient potions to help comrades addicted to enhancers repair their nervous systems;

”Lastly, lastly it’s...”

Melita hesitated briefly, looking at the golden egg, her expression gradually firming.

”The harsh living environment is testing our resolve, while the repercussions of diminishing Divine Arts torment priests and attendants from lower ranks of the royal temple system — we’ve emerged from the cradle, but it’s too cold outside, causing the less steadfast among us to long for the warmth inside the cradle. However, Leader Heragor, as the former highest authority of the royal temple system, has stabilized this situation, all dragons are resolutely regaining their strength.”

The gentle flow of pale golden light glided across the egg’s surface as Enya sighed softly, her sigh carrying a trace of comfort: ”It seems even without me, you can indeed proceed on your own... Heragor has served by my side for many, many years, and regardless of the burdens behind this companionship, it has indeed deepened our understanding. I am confident that as long as Heragor remains unwavering, Talronde’s revival is imminent, as for Andar and Balogar... their wisdom and experience are Heragor’s greatest support, and also your most valuable assets.”

”Rest assured, we understand this well,” White Dragon Noreta finally found her footing, nodding earnestly, ”we’ve established a new sanctuary city in Agondale, and in relatively stable and safe areas, both the camp and the forward base have gradually taken hold — the three leaders each lead our kin with their respective ways and strengths, most of us... know exactly what we should do.”

”That’s good, that’s good...” Enya said slowly, her attention finally focused on the dragon egg beside Melita, which was smaller than herself. ”I noticed you brought a dragon egg? And it seems like it’s already in the third stage of incubation.”

”This is the dragon egg we’ve jointly adopted,” Nuoletta immediately nodded and said, ”We found many healthy dragon eggs in the ruins of the hatching factory, and the Dragonkin are adopting them in temporary ’families.’ Through ancient incubation methods, these healthy dragon eggs will become the first truly healthy and pure dragons in this world, 1.87 million years...”

”The healthiest young dragons in a million years, facing the harshest environment in Talronde for a million years... They carry a mission, and their future dragon life may not be easy,” Enya said in a calm and gentle tone. ”But I still want to bless them... though now my ’blessing’ doesn’t hold much effect.”

Melita bowed her head and said sincerely, ”Such a ’blessing’ is already very precious.”

”They hope to incubate the dragon egg here,” Gawain said, seeing the opportunity arrive, and inserted, ”The preparations at the embassy will take a while, and they both have just been dispatched here with a heavy workload, likely unable to properly care for the dragon egg—here, we have ready incubation facilities and royal attendants to help care for it, which seems quite suitable to me. Of course, we need your opinion too.”

”I guessed it when I saw the dragon egg,” Enya said with a smile. ”Of course, no problem, I have no objections, and even feel delighted—in caring for dragon eggs and young dragons, I still have some confidence.”

Then she added with a smile: ”And after all, I’m just a ’tenant’ staying here with you, like those two little ones in the shadow realm who refuse to leave—you don’t need to consider our opinions much when arranging your property.”

The remark was clearly just courteous, and Gawain didn’t mind it much. He simply smiled and nodded, his gaze fell on the two Talronde ambassadors: ”So this arrangement is alright with you? The dragon egg can be placed here in the hatching room, with Enya here to help oversee it. It’s definitely more reliable than leaving it with anyone else, and you can come to check on it anytime.”

”To be honest, I really didn’t expect things to develop like this,” Melita couldn’t help but exclaim, then nodded. ”I certainly have no objections, this is much better than we had anticipated.”

”I have no objections either,” Nuoletta nodded along, then couldn’t help but rub her temples. ”Speaking of which, it’s truly incredible... I’m still wondering if I might be trapped in an illusionary realm... Reporting this to Speaker Andar or Leader Heragor, they would likely be quite shocked.”

”I quite look forward to seeing them shocked, especially Heragor,” Enya immediately spoke with a smile. ”He’s been by my side for over a million years, holding a straight face for over a million years, even when I deliberately tried to scare him, he’d just be fearfully respectful while still keeping a straight face... I’m quite curious to see what he looks like when he’s startled.”

Melita & Nuoletta: ”...”

They were already quickly considering whether Enya’s words just now could also be reported...

Thus, the arrangement for the dragon egg was settled, and the atmosphere in the hatching room finally relaxed. Afterward, the two Talronde ambassadors talked to their God of Yore about many things, including memories, present situations, and even the vision for the future—most of the time it was just Melita or Nuoletta speaking, while Enya quietly listened, just as she had done for over a million years as a deity: listening, and maintaining silence.

But this time, the listening finally became less piercingly painful.

And throughout the process, whether Melita and Nuoletta or Enya herself, they deliberately avoided the topic of that final battle.

As the sun set, the two Talronde ambassadors finally departed, leaving Gawain and Enya alone in the hatching room, but this time, there was also a dragon egg glowing softly under the lights.

”Later I’ll arrange for another base, right next to you,” Gawain said as he looked at the dragon egg. ”It’ll be more stable on a base; otherwise, I keep feeling it might roll around...”

The golden giant egg gave no response, as Enya seemed lost in thought, maintaining silence after Gawain’s words faded.

”Enya?” Gawain looked curiously at the golden giant egg. ”What are you thinking about? Still pondering on Talronde’s matters?”

”Gawain, my friend,” After two more seconds, Enya finally spoke, her tone unexpectedly serious and earnest. ”Do you have experience in caring for the young?”

”Caring for the young? You mean raising children?” Gawain was taken aback and awkwardly chuckled, ”Well... frankly, I should admit that back in the day... I mean, during my so-called ’back in the day,’ most of my time was either spent fighting wars or on the march, and when each of my children was born, I wasn’t really around, and their education...”

He finally realized, staring wide-eyed at the golden giant egg: ”Wait, could it be that... you actually don’t know how to incubate dragon eggs or care for young dragons?”

”...Knowledge I have, but no practical experience.”

”No experience... that’s right, how could you have such experience!” Gawain was stupefied staring at Enya’s eggshell. ”Then earlier you were...”

”...”

Enya remained silent, and Gawain looked at her for a long time before finally cautiously asking: ”Was it for... saving face?”

The golden giant egg finally broke the silence: ”Anyway, I now have a new direction for my efforts.”