Chapter 968 — Consultation

Meicen thought for a moment, then nodded: "Actually, I'm just a little curious... after all, today you spoke alone with our god for a long time, and in my memory, no mortal has ever experienced anything like it..."

Gaoyang revealed a faint smile and gestured to the side: "Then shall we go in and talk?"

Meicen did not refuse. She walked into the room and sat down with practiced ease on a chair close to the bar by the wall. She beckoned to the side, and a drink automatically flew from a shelf not far away into her hand. She raised the cup and gave Gaoyun a little shake: "Would you like a glass? Though it probably can't compare to the god's hospitality."

Gaoyang came over and sat down beside Meicen, politely declining her offer: "No need, I'm still... not thirsty."

This was no mere courtesy—after all, not long ago he had drunk so much "cola" at the Dragon God's place that on the way back he felt his lungs might float away. Right now he truly did not want to drink anything...

Meicen did not mind: "All right, then I'll enjoy it alone."

Gaoyang glanced at her: "You want to know what your god and I talked about? Are you sure you want to ask?"

Meicen's hand froze mid-motion as she lifted her cup, and a flicker of tension visibly surfaced on her face. Clearly some unpleasant memory had rushed back to her, for she hastily shook her head. "That's not what I meant either... I was only curious what sort of thing you two discussed, just roughly, without any specifics... Ah, actually, my curiosity isn't even that strong..."

"I understand, I understand," Gaoyang could not help laughing. "I've already figured it out. As one of the dragons, there are things you truly cannot discuss with outsiders, and it's not merely a matter of divine punishment or 'corporate regulations'... Rest easy, I know where the line is now. I won't touch that 'lock.'"

Meicen went still once more, but this time it was from astonishment.

Her eyes went wide, and she stared at Gaoyang for a long while before a rather complicated expression settled over her face. "You... it seems you really have discussed some remarkable things with our god. You even know about that."

Gaoyang nodded. "We talked about some of Talund's history, about what happened on this planet in ancient times, and about matters of faith and the realm of the gods."

Meicen seemed to sink into confusion. She pondered for a long time before curiosity got the better of her. "Why would our god discuss such things with you?"

"...Honestly, even I am not certain," Gaoyang said frankly. "Perhaps... even He is only searching for certain answers."

"Searching for answers?" Meicen looked all the more bewildered. "Even gods have moments of confusion?"

"People are confused, so gods are confused too," Gaoyang said with a smile. Then, looking at Meicen, he suddenly asked with curiosity, "Do you piously believe in that 'Dragon God'?"

Meicen opened her mouth, yet hesitated for a split second. Before a priest or the councilors, this was a question that should have demanded an immediate affirmative answer. But before Gaoyang, this "outsider," she ultimately gave an answer that might not have been quite so "pious": "I am... in awe of Him, but I don't know whether that counts as piety."

"Awe is a part of piety, but piety requires more than awe. I understand your answer," Gaoyang nodded, then asked further, "And your friend Noretta? Is she a devout believer? What about the other upper-layer dragons?"

"That... it's not really my place to judge others," Meicen said with hesitation. But after a couple of seconds of agonizing, she seemed to decide that a friend was a friend and could be sold out. "Noretta is probably much the same as me. At least as far as I can see, the dragons of upper Talund mostly hold our god in awe—of course, I mean we revere the Dragon God greatly, but we are all a little afraid of the high priests of the temple. You know how it is, places like temples always make me a bit nervous..."

As she spoke, Meicen shrank her neck a little, as though already feeling she was committing something deeply irreverent. Then, as if to change the subject that made her so uncomfortable, she added, "But down in lower Talund, there seem to be many exceptionally devout dragons... they even spend more than half of their monthly free ration of enhancers on pious rituals."

A thoughtful look came over Gaoyang's face.

The upper-layer dragons mostly held the Dragon God in awe, while the lower-layer dragons came closer to unconditional devotees... Was it because the only value of the lower-layer dragons in this society was to provide support for the Dragon God, while the upper-layer dragons still had to do a certain amount of practical work? Or was there some deeper arrangement behind this state of affairs... Was it the Dragon God's tacit consent, or the secret consensus of upper Talund?

"What are you thinking about?"

Meicen's voice roused Gaoyang from his reverie. He came back to himself and shook his head with a smile. "Nothing. It just struck me that your 'enhancers' are truly incredible and useful things. They can even be used in religious rituals?"

"Enhancers is a general term for a whole series of biochemical agents, some of which can be paired with our implant technology, with all sorts of functions," Meicen said at once, with a note of pride. "Some enhancers boost neural response and the body's recovery capacity, while others are used to focus the mind and strengthen transcendent perception. The ones used in religious rituals are usually 'soul' enhancers, and their consumption in the lower districts is nearly a hundred times that of the upper districts. That stuff is actually a kind of low-efficiency hallucinogen, only its effects aren't that intense..."

Listening to Meicen's enthusiastic explanation, Gaoyang's mind suddenly conjured up a face and a promise he had nearly left behind in the back of his mind. He quickly cut in on the dragon lady before him. "By the way, Meicen, there's something I'd like to ask of you..."

"Huh?" Meicen was taken aback, then hurriedly nodded. "Of course, if it's something I can do."

"It's like this. I have... a friend," Gaoyang hesitated, striving to think how to phrase what came next so that it would not sound too bizarre, "and he wanted me to inquire here in Talund whether you have some kind of technology that could help... with hair growth... something like enhancers, perhaps."

Gaoyang barely managed to get it out before Meicen's expression turned strange and she looked him up and down. "But you don't look like you..."

Gaoyang's mouth twitched. "I really do have such a friend!"

"This friend you speak of isn't you?" Meicen seemed a little surprised, and at last caught on. "Ah, sorry, that was rude of me. That's not what I meant..."

"It's fine," Gaoyang said helplessly. "Just tell me whether Talund has anything of that sort—it shouldn't be difficult for you, seeing as your technology seems..."

"But we really don't have anything like that." Meicen's eyes went wide, her expression one of utter helplessness.

Gaoyang: "...With technology as advanced as Talund's, how..."

"Because dragons don't have hair..."

Gaoyang: "..."