Chapter 1069 — Gifts

It had been a long time since they last met.

When he saw the blue dragon descending onto the plaza, that thought surfaced in Gao Yang's mind unbidden—though in truth only a little over two months had passed since his last meeting with Metzen, the sense that things had changed beyond recognition lingered long after it appeared, and it was not until the other gave a slight nod that he suddenly understood where that feeling came from.

It was not only because so many earth-shaking events had unfolded within those two months, nor only because the histories of Tarongde and the human world had been altered so drastically at this turning point—the main reason was that he could sense a distinct difference in the bearing of that vast and majestic blue dragon, as well as a striking change in her outward appearance.

He stepped down from the raised platform and walked toward Metzen, and he saw that her enormous body still bore many wounds visible to the naked eye, the most shocking of them a scar that ran from her neck all the way down nearly half the length of her torso; scales once kept flawless by machine nurses and advanced compounds were now weathered and battle-worn, and many new marks that looked like the traces of recent surgery were scattered across her limbs.

It was not only Metzen—the other dragons that had landed with her bore injuries of comparable scale, and these wounds were left wholly unconcealed, visible to all who stood around the plaza; seeing the dragons thus scarred, many people instinctively fell silent.

Many did not know what had happened in Tarongde, nor could they imagine how these dragons had come by their injuries, but those savage wounds were themselves a wordless symbol: they carried with them the blood and smoke of the battlefield where gods were slain, and that aura of having passed through war was more palpable even than the dragons' own dread presence, filling those who beheld it with awe from the depths of their hearts.

Gao Yang came to a halt before the delegation of seven dragons, and the suffocating pressure that had hung over the plaza finally loosened with his footsteps; countless gazes fell upon the center of the square all at once, and Metzen stirred slightly at the same moment, her long neck bending low until she was nearly at eye level with Gao Yang: "I salute you, Emperor of the Cecil Empire. On behalf of Tarongde, I come with peace and goodwill to visit your realm."

The former agent of the Mithril Vault now stood before him as ambassador of the dragon nation; the overly solemn diplomatic occasion and the rigid diplomatic formalities were of course somewhat awkward to accommodate, but Gao Yang's expression remained composed. He gave a slight nod and smiled. "On behalf of the Cecil Empire, I welcome our visitors from the dragon nation—friendly guests are forever friends of this land."

Metzen seemed to smile—her expression was difficult to read at that moment, but Gao Yang chose to believe that the row of fangs, together a meter and a half wide, constituted a smile. Then the blue dragon tilted her body slightly, one wing dipping toward the ground: "I have also brought your envoy—Lady Cassandra has been of great significance in this exchange. In addition, I have brought gifts from Tarongde, and I hope they will please you."

For some reason, Gao Yang felt there was a distinct pause in Metzen's voice when she spoke the words "Lady Cassandra," but this small doubt did not occupy his attention for long, for he soon saw a beautiful lady with black hair and a tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye appear upon Metzen's back. She had the upper body of a woman and the tail of a serpent, her bearing mature and elegant; after waving to the crowd not far off, she quickly undulated in a light, gliding motion down the dragon's wing and came before Gao Yang—and that fluid, serpentine "gait" of hers, caught in the eyes of many, left some surprised, while the gazes of others instinctively fell upon Tyr, who stood nearby by the raised platform, neck stretched out to watch the spectacle.

—To the ordinary people of Cecil, the merfolk remained a mysterious and rarely seen race, and most of those living in Xuanyao City who had seen one drew their impression of these deep-sea allies from the only local merfolk, Tyr; with publicity and general knowledge on the subject lacking, it was clear that most people assumed this was simply how the merfolk race walked—by undulating...

Even Gao Yang had not anticipated this small slip—but fortunately it was harmless.

In any case, the merfolk themselves were broad-minded.

Meanwhile, the dragons accompanying Metzen began to busy themselves as well; with the aid of magic, they started transferring the many packed crates that had been secured to their backs down to the ground, and the carriages and staff already waiting around the plaza stepped forward to receive and register the gifts—the media making records nearby did not let the moment pass, and at once a great many imaging devices focused upon the scene.

Everything that happened today was unprecedented, and every frame recorded carried special significance; any scholar or reporter present was well aware that whatever images or fragments of speech they captured now might well appear in historical records years hence.

Gao Yang's attention was also drawn to those crates large and small, but his gaze merely swept over them and he did not ask any questions at this moment—this was a formal official contact governed by strict procedural norms, and this was not the stage for formally receiving gifts; his curiosity would have to wait until the middle of the banquet proceedings later.

Even so, as his gaze passed over the crates it suddenly halted: some peculiar intuition surfaced in his heart, causing his eyes to settle instinctively upon one of the boxes.

It was a metal chest that looked especially heavy and sturdy, its surface covered densely with Draconic runes; it was evidently under extraordinary protection, for the eyes of three dragons had not left that chest from beginning to end—its importance was plain to see.

"That chest..." Gao Yang finally could not help speaking, for he trusted that his intuition as a legendary powerhouse had not emerged at this moment out of idle boredom. "What is it?"

Metzen lowered her head. "That is the most special 'gift,' but precisely because it is too special, it is not on the gift list. Later, I will deliver it to you personally."

Gao Yang: "...?"

……

It was not until nightfall, when starlight mantled the earth, that the grand and ceremonious welcome finally concluded, and a banquet of equal grandeur was promptly held in the Autumn Palace near Cecil Palace.

This was likely the most magnificent banquet held here since the Typhon envoy Matilda's visit to Cecil; the palace chefs had resolved to take this opportunity to display the delicacies of the human world to the dragons in full, and the imperial officials and representatives of every circle fortunate enough to be invited would do their utmost to display the grace and dignity of human civilization—after all, to humans the dragon race was nearly legend, shrouded in mystery across all manner of fantastical tales for far too many years, and today was the first day the veil had been lifted.

The vast banquet hall blazed with light, the fragrance of fine wine and delicacies drifting among cups and dishes, tables and chairs, while light, graceful music wound through the air; the dragon envoys, now in human form, were received with lavish hospitality, and as representative of the delegation and ambassador of Tarongde, Metzen Pernia was naturally seated at Gao Yang's side.

It was only then, too, that Gao Yang finally found a relatively relaxed interval in which he could talk with Metzen.