Supreme Speaker of the Senate, Andal.

It is said that this old man is one of the oldest dragons in Talrond, the "primeval dragon" that has been active since before the rebellion of the ancient tides.

Long before coming to Talrond, Gawain had already learned a lot about the kingdom from Melita's mouth, and this knowledge naturally included a brief introduction to the top members of Tallrond, so he was no stranger to the name "Andal". And he also knew that the "primeval dragon", who seemed to be an old man, rarely left the deep halls of the council on weekdays, and even in the last thousand years, the old man had left the hall only a handful of times.

It seems that due to his extreme old age, he usually rests in his "throne" in the form of a dragon, and he takes the initiative to greet him like today, and even changes into a human form is enough to explain the attitude of this speaker.

After realizing that this was a courtesy, Gawain immediately took out a solemn look that matched it: "It's an honor to meet you, Your Excellency the Speaker." I've seen it on the way here – Talllund is an incredible country and I'm sure I'll be impressed by this trip to Talllund. ”

Speaker Andal smiled mildly, and at the same time made a slight gesture of invitation, and after Gawain stepped along, the old man smiled and said, "We haven't officially invited an alien here for many, many years - except for the occasional 'wanderer' who came to this land by accident, the last official visitor I remember was many millennia ago, when the ruler of the Loren continent was a creature with three pairs of limbs......"

"Civilization last season," Gawain looked at the Speaker, with the same smile, "that seems to have been a long time ago." ”

"Yes, it's been a long time...... We've been keeping an eye on the world outside of Tallund, but we almost never bring people or things from the outside world here," Speaker Andal nodded, "I hope you're happy with the welcoming ceremony we've arranged—we've taken human habits into account as much as possible on the basis of dragon customs, but after all, we're very different, and if there's anything that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to bring it up." ”

"It's been very thoughtful," Gawain said immediately, "but I'm more focused on the rest of the itinerary now - I haven't heard a detailed itinerary from Melita." ”

Speaker Andal led the guests away from the landing platform, followed by Melita, who had re-transformed into a human. They crossed the long bridge connecting the platform to the main building of the palace, and walked towards the inner courtyard of the council's headquarters, where Gawain felt his voice echo as if in the valley of the dragon palace, which was unusually wide and magnificent everywhere.

"I'm sorry, it's rude not to tell you the details of the itinerary, but that's because our gods didn't give detailed instructions before," Speaker Andal said, walking beside Gawain, the old man's voice echoing through the golden corridors filled with ornate carvings, "God...... He is unpredictable, and his arrangements often have a deep meaning, and on the other hand, when he delays making arrangements, he also has a deep meaning. ”

"So does He make arrangements now?" Gawain glanced at the Speaker beside him, and although he didn't mean to be offended when talking about the god who ruled Talrond, it was difficult for him to feel the same awe and worship as the dragons, so he chose to talk with this most ordinary attitude - after all, he was standing here today because of the invitation made by the god, "Frankly, my main purpose here is not to visit exotic places, I came here for an appointment, so I am more concerned about when I can meet your ...... 'dragon god'." ”

"Of course," Andal nodded, "as soon as you entered the skies over Agondor, the Sanctuary made a clear decree that you would meet after the feast of reception. We have prepared the sanctuary of Agondor and the High Dragon Priest Hragor will personally act as the guide and escort for the meeting. ”

High Dragon Priest ...... The corresponding information he got from Melita quickly came to Gawain's mind:

Hlagor, the supreme spokesman for the "theocratic" part of Tallund's society, is a powerful oracle who has served by the gods for many years, and is also a "primeval dragon" who has survived since ancient times like Speaker Andal, but the emissary is said to have been blessed by the gods and has a "more perfect eternal life than the Supreme Speaker", so he has always maintained a relatively young appearance.

No dragon knows how old Hellagore really is, and no one knows when Hragore became an oracle to serve the gods, and according to Melita, in the memories of almost all dragons, Hragore has been a saint standing beside the gods from the very beginning.

Gawain retracted his memories and said with a slight smile, "Then I'm quite looking forward to this meeting—and before that, I'm also looking forward to what kind of cuisine Talrond will have that is different from the human world." ”

……

At the top of the temple, where the gods dwell, the breath of holiness has descended here.

"My lord," said Hragore, who immediately bowed respectfully to the figure that appeared before the Holy See, "you are back. ”

"Well," the blonde figure standing in front of the Holy See replied briefly with a syllable, and then cast a downward gaze, "Hragere, they've all arrived, right?" ”

Hagere hung his head, and although he wondered where the goddess he had served had left for the past short time, he carefully controlled his curiosity and desire to explore: "Yes, they have arrived as scheduled. As you have commanded, I have sent a message to the Council that an audience will be arranged after the banquet over there. ”

"Not an audience, but a meeting, Hlagor," corrected the voice from the front of the Holy See, "that is my invited guest. ”

“…… As you say. ”

The dragon god nodded, and then asked casually, "Tell me about what you know - how did the guests react after seeing the real Talrond?" ”

"Surprised, surprised, stunned—there is no doubt that everything in Tallund is enough to shock outsiders," said Hagere, "but ...... And their reaction was indeed more than that.

"The reactions of the two human women were normal, they showed the consternation that ordinary people should expect at the advancement and prosperity of Talrond, and they also showed normal curiosity about things that were not seen in the outside world, but the human emperor you invited, the male human named Gawain Cecil...... There seemed to be something odd in his reaction. ”

"Weird?" Ryujin raised his eyebrows, "Hragor, you rarely use such ambiguous words. ”

"Strange indeed, my lord," Hragore pondered his words, uttering the details of the "anomalous" he had discovered after his covert observation, "the human had been surprised at the sight of Talrond, but he had been far less surprised than I had expected, and he had been more thoughtful than stunned when he saw the unusual—yes, thoughtful, he seemed to have been pondering, and frequently showing subtle confusion. It gives me a feeling...... Tarlund didn't seem to be the shock that the human expected, he was not surprised by what he saw, as if he had seen something like this, and he showed surprise...... It's just that he didn't expect these things to be here. ”

At this point, Hagere pondered for a moment before he said with a slight hesitation: "It gives me the feeling that the human seems to have been observing and judging us with an indifferent, even somewhat arrogant, attitude, which is obviously not normal, my lord. ”

The voice in front of the Holy See was silent for a few seconds, and only then did Hlagor hear the voice of the god come unhurriedly: "...... Seems interesting. ”

"My lord," said Hragore, looking up with a hint of curiosity, "why did you let me focus on these things? How did the Human King react when he saw Tallund...... Is this important? ”

"It's just a little curious," the god seemed to be in a good mood, and there seemed to be a smile in his tone, "haven't you thought about it, Hragor?" The human ...... He did a lot of things in his mortal kingdom, and the traveling dragon brought back a lot of interesting information, about the system, about knowledge, about ...... Mindset. On the surface, the human was just unifying and silently driving all these changes, but his actions themselves were beyond the knowledge and way of thinking he should have...... That could not have arisen naturally in the environment in which he lived, at least not in his generation. Don't you think that's interesting, Hlagor? ”

Hagere felt his breathing quicker, but he didn't say anything.

He only heard the voice of the god continuing unhurriedly:

"Gawain Cecil ...... 'resurrected' mortal hero, and on the surface he looks like an ordinary human, but it's a pity...... Not like it enough.

"Hagere, go and prepare, for the feast in the lower hall will not last long—just as I would love to see him, and I am sure he will want to see me now."

……

"I hope you're okay with our food and music," Melita said with a smile as she approached Gawain, "and to be honest, these two things are probably the least good at the dragons - at least in my opinion. We are more adept at working with stone and metal, such as sculpture and the art of blacksmithing, as for food and drink...... Tallund's diet can be boring. ”

"But all of them are great in my opinion." Gawain complimented, and at the same time his eyes swept over the golden hall and the banquet table - he should be the only human emperor in this civilization to dine in Talrond this season, and this banquet naturally reflects the sincerity of the dragon family's hospitality, but to be honest, the dragon family's food is indeed not as colorful as he imagined, the staple food on the banquet is basically all kinds of meat, the side dishes are mainly fish, grains and vegetables are only garnished, not even as food. It can be seen that the dragons eat on a daily basis, but it is also as Melita said...... Somewhat tedious.

It's just that for Gawain, a newcomer, some unique flavors between these foods can make up for the lack of tedium.

"Honestly...... I've been bothered by strange questions before," he said suddenly, "it's about your diet—your dragons are so different from your human bodies, so do you eat according to the size of a dragon or the size of a human?" This question may be a bit rude, but ...... This food should not be enough for a dragon with a body length of tens of meters. ”

“…… It's true that you're always able to pay attention to details that ordinary people don't even think about," Melita paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh, "But you're right—these foods aren't enough for dragons."

"Of course, we have to take in energy according to the standards of dragons, but in dragon form, we don't have to be so particular about food - dragon form has a weak sense of taste and oral perception, and we can't even eat the difference between raw meat and cooked meat in that form, so we don't entertain or dine with guests in dragon form, especially when the guests are relatively small...... You know, not only does it look rude, but it's also very risky, like...... Accidental injury.

"In the human form, we are able to handle and enjoy more refined food, as you can see - we choose to treat our guests in human form, not only because the human form seems more 'friendly' to most sapient races, but also because this form is more conducive to our enjoyment."

Gao Wen just asked casually out of interest, but he didn't expect to really hear such interesting details, and after listening to Melita's explanation, he couldn't help muttering: "So the dragon eats in two meals - one to taste and one to be full?" ”

"Most of the less elaborate dragons actually only have a second meal - especially when convenience food is very popular, and almost all young dragons don't have the patience to study cooking or eat those troublesome natural foods nowadays," Melita shook her head, even though she was a young dragon herself, but she sighed like an old dragon at this time, "Of course, these are 'exquisite' dragons in the banquet hall, so we have to eat another meal when we go back after eating with you......"

Gawain: "......"

"I feel that useless knowledge has increased!" Amber, who happened to be walking by the side, grabbed the chicken leg in her hand and sighed casually, just to break Gawain's heart.

The feast had come to an end, when Gawain noticed that someone like an attendant had entered through the side door of the hall, walked quickly to the side of Speaker Andal, and whispered something.

"Looks like 'this one' is coming to an end," Gawain said, turning to Melita, "I guess someone will be inviting me to the appointment soon." ”

Melita looked curiously in the direction of the Speaker, and almost at the same time, the old man turned and walked in this direction.

"I hope our hospitality has been considerate to you," said Speaker Andal, who had come to Gawain, "and our gods have just sent news, if it is convenient for you to do so now...... He wants to meet you in the upper temple. ”

Gawain glanced back, then turned to look at the Speaker, "Do you also include the two friends I brought?" ”

Speaker Andal nodded: "Yes, including them. ”

"No problem, we're handy now." Gawain immediately laughed, and Amber, who was munching on the chicken leg next to him, immediately glanced at the beloved chicken leg in her hand when she heard this - she seemed to want to say that she was not so convenient, but under Gao Wen's faint gaze, she immediately put down the chicken leg in her hand: "Convenient, convenient, very convenient......"

As for Veronica, who was on standby not far away...... She was clearly prepared.

"Very well," Speaker Andal nodded, "then please come with me—Lord Hageor is already waiting outside the hall, and he will take you to the Upper Temple." ”

Following the Speaker, Gawain, Amber, and Veronica quickly walked through the banquet hall, and after passing through a huge golden gate like a city gate, the music in the hall suddenly became weaker, and Gawain saw at a glance a man in a pale golden robe and a golden crown standing in a wide and quiet corridor.

There were no retinues or guards around the man.

That is the supreme spokesman of the "theocratic" part of Tarlund's society, the high-ranking dragon priest Hlagor?

At the same time as these words came to Gawain's mind, the man with his back to him also sensed the change in his breath, and he immediately turned around and nodded slightly: "Guests, I have come to guide you to the upper temple - you can call me by my first name, Hlagor. ”

Gawain nodded and just wanted to respond, but his gaze froze in the next moment.

His gaze fell on Hragor's face and did not move for a long time.

He remembered the face.

In the heart of the Eternal Storm, in the center of that frozen space-time, he had seen this face!

This is the dragon who stands on the tower of steel, like a commander, in the center of the battlefield, and fights "them" with the dragons who guard them!

(Oh yes!) ）

(End of chapter)