Chapter 1069 — Gifts

"When you reached Northport, Cassandra reported certain matters to me," Gao Yang said, looking at the blue dragon lady. "She spoke of what happened in Tarongde—part of it. You shattered the Cradle; the entire Arctic Continent has become wasteland in the fires of war, and scarcely one in ten of the survivors remains... Even from her fragmentary account, I can imagine what that must have looked like. Frankly, I was shocked—even somewhat in awe. That was a war beyond our imagining, and a price difficult to bear."

"We have also learned what happened in the human world," Metzen said, drawing her gaze back from the banquet hall and resting it on Gao Yang. "That too was a war deciding the life or death of a race, and it shocked us no less."

"We paid a great price as well—perhaps it cannot compare with your sacrifice, but in essence, we did the same thing," Gao Yang said with a shake of his head, swirling the wine glass in his hand; the bright red liquid swayed within, catching the scattered lamplight, and he seemed once more to see the fire and explosion flashes that had blanketed the earth on the Winter Fort battlefield that day. "We... killed our own god."

"We killed our own god," Metzen softly repeated his words, "in the name of freedom and survival."

"This world is cruel, so cruel that often we have no right at all to choose which path we walk," Gao Yang said quietly, then looked into Metzen's eyes, his expression turning grave. "But be that as it may, we have finally chiseled the first crack in that cruel, frozen ice, and the mortal races of the world now have a sliver of room to breathe."

"Yes, together we accomplished this feat," Metzen said with a calm smile. "So now, dragons and humans have become natural allies."

At this she paused, then continued with great solemnity: "We know you are working to establish a new order among the mortal nations, with the aim of uniting the mortal powers of the entire world to face the calamities of this world together. I can promise you here and now—that is precisely why we have come. Tarongde will support this undertaking of yours; under any circumstances, so long as your original purpose remains unchanged, the dragon race will be Cecil's eternal ally."

Gao Yang's expression turned grave and serious; meeting Metzen's gaze, he held it for a moment before speaking: "When I first received Cassandra's message, I already knew your purpose in coming, but I did not expect you to be so resolute... and from what you say, it seems you have placed all your confidence in Cecil."

"Because this upheaval began with Cecil, and in the foreseeable future, it will continue along the path you have envisioned," Metzen said earnestly. "As for why we are so resolute..."

She smiled, a trace of self-mockery surfacing on her face.

"Tarongde is not what it once was—you mentioned Lady Cassandra's report just now, but I tell you, however detailed her report, the true state of Tarongde is worse than you imagine. The dragon race has fallen into dire straits; we now rely on our own formidable innate advantages and the remnants of supplies on the wasteland to sustain ourselves with the dignity of a 'civilization.' Frankly, if we are to survive going forward, we may even need outside support. In such a situation, we no longer have many choices, and naturally there is no room left for pointless reserve or hesitation."

Gao Yang glanced at Metzen with some surprise. "You are being very frank with me."

Metzen smiled in return. "Because we are friends."

"...Well then, I hope Tarongde and Cecil can be friends as well," Gao Yang said with a smile, raising his glass. "To friendship—and to our shared survival."

"To friendship and shared survival," Metzen replied, raising her glass; then her gaze drifted toward the banquet floor, and after a moment's hesitation she nonetheless offered a reminder: "Do you remember the dragons' special way of 'feeding'?"

Gao Yang blinked, then caught on at once. "Of course, you require 'two meals'—rest assured, beyond this banquet we have prepared ample provisions, and you and your friends will all receive the finest hospitality."

Metzen breathed a sigh of relief at that, and Gao Yang, after a moment's thought, could not help asking: "By the way, what exactly is inside that 'special' large chest you mentioned?"

"You seem rather concerned about it?"

"I suppose I am," Gao Yang said with a nod. "Mainly because I have a feeling... hard to put into words, but I seem to sense some kind of aura—whatever is in that chest seems to exert some pull on me."

In that instant, Metzen's eyes widened slightly, and only after a moment did she shake her head with a trace of wonder. "So that's how it is... no wonder it had to be entrusted to you. It seems everything was arranged from the start."

"Arranged?" Gao Yang raised an eyebrow. "So what exactly is in that box?"

"The timing is about right..." Metzen lifted her head. The atmosphere at the banquet was easing into something more subdued; a fresh batch of servers had entered the hall, and the band was changing its repertoire. From what she understood of human society, this marked the formal banquet drawing to its close. "Then once the banquet is over, I will tell you what it is."

...

The evening banquet came to an end, and all follow-up matters had been arranged properly. Gao Yang returned to his palace, and shortly afterward Metzen paid the visit she had promised.

In the great hall on the ground floor, all irrelevant personnel had been dismissed in advance. As Metzen had cautioned beforehand, only Gao Yang's most trusted people remained on the scene: Amber, Heidi, and Rebecca.

A great metal box, protected by layer upon layer of runes, stood in the center of the hall. Gao Yang and the others stood before it. Rebecca gazed at the massive box with open curiosity, barely managing to restrain the urge to step forward and poke at it twice, but she could not help blurting out, "Ancestral Ink person, what is this thing?"

"Metzen, you can reveal the answer now," Gao Yang said, looking at the blue dragon lady standing beside the box. "What exactly is this?"

This time Metzen finally did not keep them in suspense. She placed her hand on the surface of the box, and as the runes lit up one after another, a faint mechanical clicking sounded from all around the tightly sealed box as the locking mechanisms released. Then its lid slowly opened outward, and a sphere radiating a pale golden glow was revealed to everyone present.

"This is a dragon egg," Metzen said, drawing a breath, her expression turning earnest. "Now it is entrusted to your care."

Gao Yang: "...Huh?"

At the same time, three pairs of eyes fell upon him all at once.

Metzen drew another breath, her expression growing even more solemn. "After our goddess fell, she left behind a decree entrusting this egg to you."

Gao Yang: "...Huh?"

The three gazes around him grew even stranger.

(The manga adaptation of "Record of Unusual Creatures" needs everyone's support. The Erium arc is now drawing to a close, and it feels like a good time to binge it. The reading link is on Bilibili Comics.)