Chapter 1069 — Gifts
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 5
For some reason, Gao Yang felt there was a distinct pause in Metzen's voice when she spoke the words "Lady Cassandra," but this small doubt did not occupy his attention for long, for he soon saw a beautiful lady with black hair and a tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye appear upon Metzen's back. She had the upper body of a woman and the tail of a serpent, her bearing mature and elegant; after waving to the crowd not far off, she quickly undulated in a light, gliding motion down the dragon's wing and came before Gao Yang—and that fluid, serpentine "gait" of hers, caught in the eyes of many, left some surprised, while the gazes of others instinctively fell upon Tyr, who stood nearby by the raised platform, neck stretched out to watch the spectacle.
—To the ordinary people of Cecil, the merfolk remained a mysterious and rarely seen race, and most of those living in Xuanyao City who had seen one drew their impression of these deep-sea allies from the only local merfolk, Tyr; with publicity and general knowledge on the subject lacking, it was clear that most people assumed this was simply how the merfolk race walked—by undulating...
Even Gao Yang had not anticipated this small slip—but fortunately it was harmless.
In any case, the merfolk themselves were broad-minded.
Meanwhile, the dragons accompanying Metzen began to busy themselves as well; with the aid of magic, they started transferring the many packed crates that had been secured to their backs down to the ground, and the carriages and staff already waiting around the plaza stepped forward to receive and register the gifts—the media making records nearby did not let the moment pass, and at once a great many imaging devices focused upon the scene.
Everything that happened today was unprecedented, and every frame recorded carried special significance; any scholar or reporter present was well aware that whatever images or fragments of speech they captured now might well appear in historical records years hence.
Gao Yang's attention was also drawn to those crates large and small, but his gaze merely swept over them and he did not ask any questions at this moment—this was a formal official contact governed by strict procedural norms, and this was not the stage for formally receiving gifts; his curiosity would have to wait until the middle of the banquet proceedings later.
Even so, as his gaze passed over the crates it suddenly halted: some peculiar intuition surfaced in his heart, causing his eyes to settle instinctively upon one of the boxes.
It was a metal chest that looked especially heavy and sturdy, its surface covered densely with Draconic runes; it was evidently under extraordinary protection, for the eyes of three dragons had not left that chest from beginning to end—its importance was plain to see.
"That chest..." Gao Yang finally could not help speaking, for he trusted that his intuition as a legendary powerhouse had not emerged at this moment out of idle boredom. "What is it?"
Metzen lowered her head. "That is the most special 'gift,' but precisely because it is too special, it is not on the gift list. Later, I will deliver it to you personally."
Gao Yang: "...?"
……
It was not until nightfall, when starlight mantled the earth, that the grand and ceremonious welcome finally concluded, and a banquet of equal grandeur was promptly held in the Autumn Palace near Cecil Palace.