Chapter 691 — The Nodes of Survival
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
The two young dragon descendants departed, leaving only an ancient dragon who had already completed mechanical immortality in the vast prototype chamber, along with the countless machines and devices that kept him company.
Amid the pleasant, faint hum of the various devices in the room, the golden dragon Anqian slightly tilted his head; hundreds of alloy joints and electronic nerve bundles worked together to assist him in this simple motion, and as his gaze turned toward a crystal veil before him, a low voice, as if speaking to himself, came from the speaker beside the platform: "What do you make of this?"
The crystal veils around the platform simultaneously stopped refreshing their data and images; flowing motes of light swiftly assembled into clear, distinct figures, and one imposing dragon after another appeared upon those thin display mediums—some maintaining their dragon forms, others in human shape, some having undergone thorough mechanical or electronic modification like Anqian, and still others young and natural.
These elders of the Council seemed to have been watching what transpired in this room all along, for the moment Anqian's words fell, a blue dragon immediately answered: "The development path and scope of change of this season's civilization do indeed exceed those of the past, but we cannot determine their final outcome. Given the special circumstances of Talond, we can only observe."
"We have observed for hundreds of thousands of years, and how many civilizations that once held some promise have gone to their ruin while we merely watched," another dragon could not help but speak out. "Perhaps this time we should take some active measures."
"Be wary of the lesson brought by the Chaos of the Counter-Tide. All our active actions may invite a greater backlash..."
The Chaos of the Counter-Tide seemed a sword forever hanging above the heads of the dragons; after that word was spoken, even the eyes of Speaker Anqian narrowed slightly.
And in the brief silence, another elder broke the quiet: "The elves' Silver Empire once reached the threshold of technology, and the God of Nature, who influenced them most, has already fallen. I believe the Silver Empire is the most noteworthy among all the variables..."
"But the elves share our flaw—they find it hard to break through that lock... Their average lifespan is simply too long."
Listening to the conversation of the Council members, Speaker Anqian merely kept his eyes half closed and said not a word, until the discussion around him gradually subsided; only then did he lift his eyelids and look slightly forward: "Omega, what is your assessment value for the Silver Empire?"
The discussion in the room fell silent for a moment, and a crystal veil before Anqian suddenly dimmed; then an image of a ring, ceaselessly breaking apart and reforming, surfaced upon the display medium, accompanied by a mechanical synthetic voice: "...Zero point three three percent, Anqian."
"And the newly born Cecil Empire?"
"Insufficient data; assessment currently impossible, Anqian."
"What was the highest assessment value for the former Gondor Empire?"
"Querying historical records... Zero point four two percent."
Anqian expressed his thanks, and after Omega's data connection returned to standby, the ancient dragon raised his eyes and swept them around the room.
"It is too early to discuss final assessments now, my friends. The Silver Empire, the Cecil Empire—be it one or the other, if they are to become 'variables,' they must first survive."
As Anqian spoke, there surfaced in his mind the recent reports sent back by agents at various levels concerning the shifting situation of the nations on the Loren Continent.
A newly born Cecil Empire, desperately in need of recuperation; a Typhon Empire that had developed to a critical stage and urgently needed to break through its bottleneck.