Chapter 1096 — The Tarronde Commercial Revitalization Plan

This piqued Amber's interest. "What is it? There is a way, but it is not easy to carry out?"

The awkwardness on Meitzen's face grew more obvious, but in the end she nodded. "In fact... Chief Hragor already mentioned a fairly effective identification method in his letter, and it is not difficult to implement..."

Gao Yang and Amber said nothing, watching her with open curiosity.

"As you know, the greatest difference between dragons affected by the Tower of the Countercurrent and dragons that come simply to plunder is their motive for coming to Loren," Meitzen went on helplessly. "For dragons affected by the Countercurrent, the greatest motive for heading to the civilized world is to spread 'knowledge contamination.' This mental suggestion even suppresses their physiological instincts, so they will fly straight toward the places where intelligent beings are most densely gathered. Whereas the greatest motive for other dragons to come to the Loren Continent is hunger..."

Gao Yang saw the light at once. "Understood. Set out a banquet on the ground. Those that fly straight at the food can still be negotiated with; those that ignore it and cross the border directly, or head straight for the crowds to peddle courses, get killed on the spot."

"...That is a rather crude way of putting it, but the general procedure is indeed correct," Meitzen said helplessly. "Also, even using this method to screen them, the possibility of friendly-fire casualties cannot be ruled out. So if possible, whenever conditions allow, I hope you will do your utmost to keep those dragons alive and contact the nearest Tarronde aerial squad. We will rush to the scene as quickly as possible to identify and handle them. Of course, we know this request is not easy to fulfill, so please do what you can."

Gao Yang nodded. "Of course. Our aim from the start has been to 'keep them alive' as much as possible. After all, we have already settled on an agreement: every 'dragon refugee' who survives and receives aid means Typhon, or Cecil, or the Silver Empire gains a dragon mercenary bound by contract for a hundred years of service — I remember that point very clearly."

The expression on Meitzen's face was somewhat complicated. "Yes, there is indeed such a 'bargain' between Tarronde and the three great empires..."

Looking at the blue dragon lady's somewhat downcast expression, Gao Yang sighed softly. "It may indeed be a kind of bargain, but it can effectively protect those dragons who have a chance of being rescued, can it not? We must not underestimate human nature, but neither should we overestimate it — a cold bargain is sometimes for the sake of living lives."

"You are right. I should not let sentiment rule me on this matter."

"All right, the basic plan is settled, so let us leave this topic here for now," Gao Yang cleared his throat twice and shifted the subject with a slightly lifted tone, adjusting the mood of the room as well. "As it happens, there is something I wanted to discuss with you — I had not yet decided when to bring it up, but since you came tonight, it is perfect timing."

A flicker of curiosity appeared on Meitzen's face. "What is it?"

"Do you remember what you said today to that delegate who questioned the Tarronde incident?" Gao Yang smiled. "About the thrilling yet safe and reliable journey to Tarronde..."

"Ah, I was a little angry at the time," Meitzen said at once. "Actually, thinking about it afterward..."

"Thinking about it afterward, I feel this really could work," Gao Yang nodded with a perfectly serious face as soon as she finished. "If you truly can guarantee that travelers can go safely to Tarronde and back, and carry out a certain degree of sightseeing in the safe zones of the wasteland, then it works even better..."

Meitzen: "??"

"What is that look supposed to mean? Do you think I am joking?" Gao Yang glanced at the blue dragon lady. "I am perfectly serious right now. Is Tarronde not short of money and food at present? Have you not failed to find a breakthrough for commercial connection with the Loren Continent? There are indeed many valuable technologies and legacies buried in your wasteland, but turning those things into cash quickly is no easy matter. The Loren Continent can provide you with a certain degree of food aid, but relying on aid can never solve long-term problems. So what matters most for you at this stage is to open up a commercial field that can take shape quickly, generate returns quickly, hold long-term value, and operate as a matter of routine. And your speech today gave me an idea — Tarronde's one-of-a-kind wasteland might just be a good one..."

Meitzen listened, dazed, barely able to keep up with Gao Yang's line of thought. When she finally confirmed that he truly was not joking, she could not help saying, "Wait, hold on, my friend, hold on — that is a wasteland! A place where even dragons struggle to survive. You mean to have humans, elves, and other races of frailer constitution go there to 'sightsee'?"

"I never said you should actually send travelers into those deadly contaminated zones — did you not say there are safe zones along the Broken Coast in the southeast of Tarronde and the coastal waters and land? And I have also heard Cassandra's report that the environment there is fairly acceptable for ordinary races. As long as the dragons can provide a certain degree of protection and the borders of the safe zones are properly guarded, why could it not host guests from the Loren Continent?"

"That... in theory it seems possible?" Meitzen thought it over and nodded with some uncertainty, but immediately a greater doubt arose. "But would this really bring in much profit? Would that many people really spend money to go looking for hardship in a wasteland? There are plenty of magnificent mountains and rivers with enchanting scenery in the world..."

Gao Yang cut her off. "Yes, there are plenty of magnificent mountains and rivers with enchanting scenery in the world, but there is only one Tarronde. The only similar wasteland landscape besides Tarronde is the Gondor contaminated zone in the center of the Loren Continent, but the Gondor wasteland obviously cannot be used for 'sightseeing' — it is full of life-forbidden zones everywhere. Tarronde is different. Some of its regions may be even more dangerous than the Gondor wasteland, but other regions still have value to be developed.

"As for whether that many people would really spend money to go looking for hardship in a wasteland — I tell you, of course they would, and plenty of them."

Here Gao Yang could not help but recall many memories of his past life, and he murmured to himself in his pondering: "Do not underestimate humanity's 'spirit of adventure,' and do not underestimate their curiosity either... To you, Tarronde is a scarred ruin, full of survival crises everywhere, but to many people, it is a mysterious land out of legend. Even if it now lies ruined by war, it is still the ruins of a holy land. A ruined house there, a broken wall, even a scorched stone, holds a fatal attraction for explorers full of curiosity."

"And what you have to do is really quite simple—you need only find these people, escort them safely to Tarronde, make sure they don't actually get themselves killed in the process of courting death, and then ask them for money. That is all."