Chapter 1122 — The Ambassador Lady
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Rebuilding this land consumed the greater part of Heragol's and Anqian's energies, yet even so, they kept a constant watch on tidings from the Loren Continent—the cage had shattered, the shackles that had once bound the dragons were gone, and what happened in the world was no longer a matter of indifference to dragonkind. The dragons must adapt as quickly as possible to the age that followed their return to the mortal world, and mastering information from the outside was the most vital link in that chain.
Unfortunately, the war with the gods had laid waste to everything in Talrond, including the once-advanced global communications system. Dragons traveling abroad could no longer reach Talrond at will, and a race long accustomed to the conveniences of technology was forced to learn the hard meaning of "a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers." News from Loren now traveled only by courier, and even at a dragon's flight speed, a single one-way message took more than a day at best, while round-trip correspondence suffered far worse delays.
It was precisely under these circumstances that Metz and the delegation she led took on exceptional importance for the two ancient dragons then stationed in Talrond. Hers was the first official channel of contact established since the dragon nation had opened its doors to the outside world, and the foundation for regular communications with the Loren Continent in the days to come.
Thus when Metz came from the Coastal Province to Agondor, she was received with full ceremony by the two leaders at the earliest opportunity—and what concerned them most was every last detail of the 112th Conference.
Information borne by couriers was limited at best, and some time had already passed since the conference's close; Heragol and Anqian were both anxious to know whether any new changes had arisen on the Loren Continent.
In the central district of New Agondor, within the "civic center" hastily converted from the skeleton of an old factory, Metz sat somewhat nervously before the two ancient dragons in human form. Not far off, the banner of Talrond hung upon the alloy wall, and the sight of it could not help but remind the blue dragon lady of the solemn, majestic Ring of the Oath, where dozens of banners streamed in the wind. She had, in truth, a great deal to report, but when Speaker Anqian spoke to question her, she began with the situation of the alliance.
"...In sum, the mortal nations have now formed a commonwealth alliance with the three great empires of Cecil, Typhon, and Silver as its core. Within the alliance, cooperation spans from economic to military affairs, its depth and breadth far exceeding any previous 'covenant' organization between nations; the alliance was founded upon 'life and death,' and I believe that until the common crisis is ended and serious conflicts of interest arise among the three empires, its structure will remain exceptionally firm...
"The process of Talrond joining the Covenant went very smoothly... one might even say more smoothly than we imagined. The nations welcomed the mighty race of dragons as their ally, and even after they learned of the straits Talrond faces, that welcome never changed. Still, the latent danger of a possible 'dragon calamity' has indeed put a good many small northern nations on edge, and that too was within our expectations...
"I made contact with the rulers of all three great empires and called on representatives of many nations as well. They are full of curiosity about everything in Talrond, and provided the interests of both sides suffer no harm, they are willing to discuss with us how to establish a long-term trade route between the Loren and Talrond continents—at the same time, all of them voiced varying degrees of willingness... to exchange technology."