The arrival of the Dragonborn will eventually change the future of Talronde, the Sacred Dragon Kingdom, and the entire dragon race, but at this moment, for those experiencing the event firsthand, what concerns them more is clearly not some "long-term historical significance," but rather, the shocking reality before them.
The fragmented earth, distorted gravity, ubiquitous spatial rifts and energy surges, and the malicious elementals and spiritual creatures wandering across this wasteland.
If it weren’t for the dragons residing here, this land would have long been an uninhabitable forbidden zone for most mortal species.
Accompanied by Red Dragon Carladore, Asharena ascended the highest sentinel tower beside the Coastal Shire, where she could directly overlook the entirety of the Coastal Shire and a vast desolate wilderness surrounding the town. The sight deeply plunged the Dragonbranded Witch into prolonged silence—whether in her previous dragon life memories or in her worst imaginations before departing for Talronde, she had never envisioned a land being destroyed to such an extent; this wasteland’s current state far exceeded her expectations.
Only at this moment did she truly realize that the "live footage" Melita Ponia brought to the 112th meeting was not exaggeratedly processed to seek assistance—for, compared to the actual situation, that footage seemed rather mild. Evidently, after enduring long-term blockade and social stagnation, Talronde’s Dragonkin lacked experience in "external publicity."
What startled this Dragonbranded Witch even more was that despite such wasteland conditions, Talronde’s dragons were still intending to heal and rebuild their homeland, continuing to survive on this land.
"Forgive my frankness, but this land seems entirely unsuitable for survival to me," Asharena lightly inhaled and solemnly spoke to the elderly Red Dragon beside her, "The cost to heal this land is astonishing; for you, a more sensible choice should be to leave here and start anew in a place suitable for survival."
"From a rational standpoint, what you say is indeed correct," Carladore smiled and shook his head, "But we cannot simply walk away... This land has been our home for over a million years; everything about us is deeply rooted in the earth, far from being discarded by simply ’starting anew.’ Moreover... we have yet unfulfilled responsibilities; whether it’s the wandering monsters here or that huge tower to the northwest, these are obligations the dragon race must undertake."
"A sense of responsibility?" Asharena softly said, her gaze falling upon a partially melted huge tower structure outside the town. The building may once have been part of a large factory, but now the components and pipe systems that had adhered around it have transformed into layers solidified into the ground, leaving only the distorted and ragged tower body standing like some jagged skeleton in the cold wind, "...Actually, before coming here, I speculated on what Talronde might look like, and in earlier years, like other Dragonborn, I harbored many fantasies about this ’dragon’s homeland’... However, upon arriving here, I realized all my imaginations were wrong."
Carladore pondered for a moment before finally asking the question he had always wanted to ask: "How do the Dragonborn see Talronde?"
"If you mean this land, then Talronde is akin to a real yet distant ’story’ to us; we know of its existence, but no one knows what it looks like. Our only connection with it is those ancient legends passed down, and in those legends, we have a home—it is in a place we can never reach.
"And if you mean ’Pureblood Dragons of Talronde’ like you, then I can only say that many Dragonborn had animosity yet longing for you before knowing the truth, and after knowing the truth, they felt touched yet conflicted.
"Dragonborn resent your ’exile’ and concealment, are dissatisfied with the arranged fate, and your unilateral ’mission legacy.’ Yet, aside from these impulsive feelings, most Dragonborn are well aware of how they’ve lived to today; whether willing to admit it or not, our lives stem from Talronde—is an undeniable fact."
Listening to such contradictory and entangled answers, Carladore was not surprised at all; he merely said in a low voice, "It seems our unilateral decisions have had too profound an impact on you all... What about you, Miss Asharena, how do you see us?"
"Me?" The Dragonbranded Witch lightly smiled, "I don’t have any opinions on you; I’m here representing my homeland, to aid another country in need, as part of the alliance’s ’Internal Assistance Act,’ that’s all."
Carladore looked at the red-haired young dragonkin with some surprise, and only after a long while did he smile, "I think I understand the reason why Chief Balogar sent you to lead this team."
...
After a long voyage, Winter and its fleet finally crossed the sea where the Eternal Storm once roared; Talronde was no longer distant, and some sights hard to see around the Loren Continent appeared more frequently along the supply fleet’s course—a small floating iceberg in the distance, seals leaping through the ice to hunt, the Magic Aurora appearing in the sky, and the Eternal Day phenomenon constantly cycling between daylight and dusk, all these opened the eyes of the crew and even made Byron himself marvel at the wonders of nature.
Outside Winter’s bridge, Byron came to the railing of the open connection gallery, gazing at a glacier slowly floating past the fleet in the distance. Seeing unidentified seabirds landing on it, he immediately picked up the small Magic Web Terminal he brought from the cabin, using the Memory Crystal on the terminal to record the scenery of the sea.
A light swishing sound of a tail sliding along the ground reached his ears, followed by a slightly lazy yet magnetic voice from nearby, "You’re recording the scenery of the sea again?"
Turning back, Byron saw a sea demon with long black hair and tear-mole at the corners of her eyes crawling towards him along the gallery, her long tail’s end wrapped around a small struggling water elemental. He smirked, "I’m preparing to take it back as a gift for my daughter, Lady Cassandra—I promised to record these things before I left."
"I can tell you’re quite fond of your daughter," Sea demon Cassandra swayed her body like a snake; she seemed to have just returned to the ship from the sea, still adjusting to walking after leaving the water. She then suddenly thrust forward the small water elemental wrapped at the end of her tail, inserting a straw into its head with a casual motion, "Want a sip? Just caught from the seabed, mixed with some chilled frozen water and polar-exclusive magic cores, it’s very stimulating."
The struggling small water elemental immediately writhed more vigorously, a sharp and angry sound emanating from the flowing water, "You’re switching people to sip me! You’re switching people to sip me!"
Byron instantly stepped back half a step, pulled his mouth awkwardly, and waved his hand repeatedly, "No thanks, I really can’t handle that... and I suggest you don’t let other humans try this thing casually; it doesn’t match our digestive systems."
"That’s quite unfortunate," Cassandra shrugged, casually bringing the water element to her lips with her tail, inhaling deeply before letting out a satisfied sigh, "The taste of water elements from the Arctic Region is indeed delightful... invigorating, ice-cold, directly blasted out from the depths of the elemental world by the gods... The water elements near the temperate and equatorial regions are much less potent—plus, most water elements no longer actively bother us after the peace agreement was signed, which is quite boring."
The small water element immediately shrieked again: "Shameless! Shameless! I shouldn’t have added ice when going out today!"
Even Byron, someone who is quite unusual within the military, couldn’t help but feel a bit stunned at this moment. After a moment’s reaction, he looked at the elemental creature wrapped around Cassandra’s tail with a somewhat peculiar expression, observing its body, which had shrunk by half and muttering, "Maybe you should let it go; it seems rather pitiful now..."
"As long as its Surge Core isn’t destroyed, an elemental creature won’t truly die even if drained in the prime material world," Cassandra glanced at Byron, "And besides, if this thing grows hundreds of times bigger, you might not find it so pitiful... Regardless, there are plenty of these small rift creatures emerging from the elemental rift near Talronde, so fresh ones can be captured anytime."
As she spoke, the sea demon lady flicked her tail sideways, forcefully throwing the small water element into the distant sea, where its sharp voice echoed from mid-air: "I thank your entire family! I thank your entire family!"
Cassandra gazed at the water element falling beyond the ship’s rail until its voice and figure disappeared from sight. She then slightly turned her head, thoughtfully remarking, "I wonder if it’s affected by the residual power of the Dragon God; the elemental creatures and spiritual body creatures emerging from the rift near Talronde are showing overly active states... Normally, water elements of this level wouldn’t react so intensely."