Chapter 854 — Progress

"Tonight we have heard some grand secrets," now that no one else was present, Amber immediately stretched out in a long, unconstrained yawn, muttering as she did so, "Seems the Augustus family and the Sleepers really are… thoroughly entangled."

"Reality is always this bizarre; it surpasses your imagination and mine even more than a bard's tale," Gao Yang said calmly. "In that case, Roan Augustus's large-scale acceptance of the Sleepers in the country at this moment… makes the matter all the more dramatic."

"After all, the Orendel Incident was two hundred years ago," Amber blinked. "To the vast majority of ordinary humans, that is already 'ancient'—an ancient tale buried deep in the archives, and to the modern Typhon emperor and the Sleepers' priests, it can only be a tale."

"You are beginning to sound more and more like me." Gao Yang glanced at Amber with a smile.

Amber immediately bared her teeth, but unlike her usual self, she did not instantly rattle off a heap of banter; instead, after a brief moment of thought, she said musingly: "Speaking of which… judging by the intelligence Merkaur III brought, the relationship between the ancient Tide Empire and the gods was likely even more complicated than we first imagined."

"Having the ability to build advanced devices sufficient to contain and control divine power, yet using that technology to build altars to welcome the gods…" Gao Yang's expression was somewhat grave. "Merkaur Pernia once said that mastering supremely advanced technology without first breaking the shackles of the gods brings nothing but calamity. I have long pondered the deeper meaning of her words, and that ruin beneath Orendel… seems to have answered part of my questions."

"What a pity that the ruin is truly gone this time," Amber muttered with regret. "The Sleepers blew it up again from the inside before withdrawing; those secrets can never be known now."

"Perhaps one day we will find another way to dig those secrets out," Gao Yang shook his head. "And for now, at least, the Sleepers have brought a great deal of material, and there is bound to be something of value in it."

……

After a night's rest and a whole morning of final deliberation, Sir Gorosh and the delegation of advisors he led came once more before Gao Yang Cecil.

Gao Yang sat in the high-backed chair he favored, watching the dragonborn take their seats opposite him, clerks and aides in readiness at the side, his expression calm and placid.

The intelligence Merkaur III had divulged the night before had given him much to think about and much to extrapolate regarding the future, but the matters demanding his attention were not limited to a single Typhon and one "eye" of the God of Dreams. Now he calmed his mind and prepared to continue with these powerful dragonborn from the far northern mountains the negotiation left unfinished the day before.

Sir Gorosh first bowed to Gao Yang, then cleared his throat and said, in a tone candid yet never lacking courtesy: "Your Majesty, first, thank you for receiving us once again.

"We have carefully considered the many projects and visions for the future you proposed yesterday, and as for our conclusions… forgive my bluntness, but I personally prefer a straightforward and candid manner of speaking—

"The Holy Dragon Duchy is not yet prepared for full-scale commercial engagement with Cecil, particularly with regard to mining development, joint academies, and basic infrastructure construction—the dragonborn have no intention in these areas."

Gao Song's eyebrows lifted slightly, by a degree imperceptible to anyone else.

Sir Gorosh had called it frank and candid, but what he said was in truth quite tactful—though no amount of tact could change the meaning of his words.

Everyone present understood plainly enough: the dragonkin had rejected more than seventy percent of the terms Gao Yang had proposed the day before.

And their attitude, by all appearances, was firm. This was the fruit of careful deliberation—perhaps even a decision reached after contacting the Dragonblood Archduke by some means. It was not something a few words could alter or reverse.

But driven by curiosity, Gao Yang could not help asking: "I'd like to hear the specific reasons."

Sir Gorosh exchanged a glance with Asharena beside him, then turned back and met Gao Song's gaze with earnest candor. "Your Majesty, the dragonkin have approached this exchange with sincerity and openness, and I believe you have done the same.

"We are all here to seek new friends in this vast world, and to work toward a shared and luminous future.

"There is a saying in the Holy Dragon Duchy: the lone climber has courage, but the one who climbs with companions has both courage and wisdom. The dragonkin are not as closed and xenophobic as the outside world imagines—in fact, we are glad to make friends. But the friends we make are those who can climb the heights together with us, advancing and retreating as one.

"Your Majesty, for the past thousand years and more, the dragonkin have seldom set foot outside the mountains of the Northern Reaches, for nothing that happened on this continent ever stirred our interest. Now we have opened our gates—and we opened them of our own accord. We opened them to seek an ally, and the dragonkin hope all of this can be built upon equality, respect, mutual benefit, and honesty."

Gao Yang looked quietly into Sir Gorosh's eyes. Two seconds later, he suddenly laughed.

"Of course," he said, with great cheer and ease. "Then let us discuss a new proposal."

His manner was calm, as though he had foreseen everything all along.