Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1096: Chapter 1095: Talronde Commercial Revitalization Plan

The intelligence brought by Melita made Amber break out in a cold sweat, while Gawain remained calm. He looked into Melita’s eyes and asked, "Didn’t you consider the issue with that tower before?"

"Some compatriots thought about it, but we were powerless before," Melita sighed—a sigh that reflected the current state of Talronde, which left the dragons with too many unspeakable difficulties. However, Gawain was one of the few ’old friends’ among the Mortal Nations of the dragons, so she did not shy away from speaking her mind, "The Tower of the Inversion Tide is situated in the northwest of the continent, while the safe zones we have reclaimed are mainly concentrated on the Broken Shore and nearby coastal lands in Southeast Talronde. In between lies a vast wasteland; the environment deep in the wasteland is very harsh, and to this day, we still cannot venture too deeply. Thus, to ascertain the situation of that tower, we can only make a detour by sea—a big circle, bypassing the main polluted area and spatial rifts. For us not long ago, the cost of this was too great."

"So now you can finally spare the effort to focus on that tower?" Amber couldn’t help but ask, "Is there anyone... dragons watching over there now?"

"After barely resolving the short-term food supply and some clan members’ Enhancer backlash issues, Agondale dispatched a small team to the northwest coast. They found a relatively safe landing point and established a forward camp there," Melita nodded. "They contact Agondale once every two days. Although this level of surveillance is rather inadequate, it’s better than nothing."

"Contact every two days?" Gawain immediately frowned. "Isn’t that too big of a breach? Two days is enough time for an out-of-control dragon to fly across the stormy sea areas."

"There’s no other way," Melita sighed again, "Currently, communications on Talronde Continent are cut off. The original Omega network has disintegrated. We dug up some old signal stations from the ruins and started a factory to produce small communications devices, but these can only maintain small-scale communication. For the team at the forward camp to contact Agondale, they must first fly over a polluted area to the top of the atmospheric static layer. Meanwhile, Agondale also has to have dragons fly over a large polluted area on the southern coast to reach a recently repaired communications station. Afterward, strong communication spells and the station’s amplification assistance are needed to establish contact... Considering the situation at the forward camp, communication every two days is already the limit."

Gawain opened his mouth, but the doubts in his heart finally swallowed back, only turning into a sigh after a long while, "...It sounds really difficult."

"At least we have successfully established a safe haven near the Broken Shore, and the situation is developing in a good direction," Melita forced a smile. "Moreover, from the messages returning from the forward camp, so far, there hasn’t been any dragon affected by the ’things’ in the Tower of the Inversion Tide. That team is monitoring the sea and sky near the tower day and night to ensure no intelligent creatures enter."

Gawain listened to Melita’s words, and after a moment of silence, he spoke slowly, "Was this what Heragor wrote in his letter?"

Melita nodded, "Yes."

"Maybe I’m being overly suspicious," Gawain frowned, "Many times, when your boss tells you that ’the market may not do well in the near future,’ the truth is it’s already collapsed..."

Melita was visibly startled by Gawain’s words. Her expression showed some nervousness, but she quickly regained her composure and, after a brief contemplation, shook her head, "I don’t think so... Heragor is a rational and strong leader. He wouldn’t be vague about this matter. Even if Heragor’s judgment were wrong, I still trust Speaker Andar, who is also keeping an eye on that tower issue."

Gawain pondered, gently nodding, "Alright, we should trust the judgments of both leaders. But as Heragor said, even if the tower doesn’t pose a problem now, it will inevitably be a hidden threat in the future..."

"But right now, I’m afraid we can’t resolve that tower," Amber couldn’t help but say, "The most capable dragons are already down, the god who can suppress the tower is reduced to just an egg, and the only mortal nations left in the world are the Loren Continent. Yet among them, the strongest force capable of going to sea is only the Winter. Moreover, even if those ships under construction were completed and tested in an instant, the assembled fleet might not be able to take down such an ancient heritage, right?"

Gawain couldn’t help but glance at this all-disgrace being who was seriously analyzing the situation—every word of this individual was so provoking, yet the most frustrating part was that she was right...

He shook his head and sighed—being one of the most trusted people by his side and the Empire’s Minister of Intelligence, Amber’s understanding of many ancient secrets was not much less than his own. In most cases, her flexible thinking and keen insight could solve many problems for him, though her mouth could be a bit more tactful. Speaking of which, she clearly exhibited great composure and intelligence when she met with Rosetta before, so why did she return to running her mouth off duty? Was it because overtime work wasn’t paid?

"We can’t fight it down. According to the strength of the Eternal Stone Slate, I even doubt whether our weapons can break through the tower’s defenses," Gawain collected his wandering thoughts and said with a serious expression, "What we can do at this stage is to quickly complete the establishment of the joint warning circle, especially mounting enough anti-air firepower in the near-sea areas of the northern continent. We have to ensure we can completely shoot down any polluted dragons—if they appear at all. In any case, we cannot allow a single pollutant to enter and contact the intelligent creatures of Loren Continent... Divine contamination is truly too lethal."

"Moreover, this warning should also be raised in the subsequent meetings," Melita said, "We have to make them understand that polluted dragons are more dangerous than those simply plundering for food. The latter might be communicated with, but the former... contact is a natural disaster."

Amber rolled her eyes beside them, "I kind of sympathize with those representatives—they’re bound to experience several emotional roller coasters these days."

"A little tempering of the mind helps improve their stress resilience, and sooner or later, they will find it useful," Gawain said casually. Then he showed a pondering look, "But now there’s a problem... How should we identify the dragons contaminated by the Inversion Tide and those simply hungry for food? After all, feelings and reason dictate that we should save as many of the salvageable dragons as possible."

Gawain spoke with subtlety, but the unsaid portion was already quite evident—saving as many of the salvageable ones meant that if there truly was no way to screen them, all dragons approaching Loren Continent that couldn’t be identified would have to be shot down en masse. While this might not sound good, once the air-sea joint alert circle is established, the strength of the three major empires united could confront dragons in a weakened state, making this entirely feasible.

Upon hearing Gawain’s words, Melita showed a hesitant expression, appearing both awkward and hesitant.

This piqued Amber’s interest, "What’s wrong? Do you have a way but it’s tricky to implement?"

Melita’s face showed more obvious embarrassment, but she finally nodded, "In fact... Leader Heragor has already mentioned a relatively effective identification method in the letter, and it’s not difficult to implement..."

Gawain and Amber remained silent, looking at her with curiosity.

"You know, the biggest difference between a dragon affected by the Tower of the Inversion Tide and a dragon simply here to plunder is their motive for coming to Loren," Melita said helplessly, "The dragons influenced by the Inversion Tide have the main motivation to spread ’knowledge pollution’ in the civilized world. This mental suggestion can even suppress their physiological instincts, so they head straight for the places with the most intelligent beings, while the main motivation for other dragons coming to Loren Continent is hunger..."

Gawain suddenly understood, "Got it. Set a table feast on the ground; those who fly straight towards the food can be negotiated with, while those who ignore it and head straight across the border or approach the crowd to sell courses should be dealt with on the spot."

"...This approach is a bit overly simplistic and crude, but the general process is correct," Melita said helplessly. "Moreover, even using this method for identification does not rule out the possibility of accidental harm, so if possible, under the conditions allowed, I hope you ensure the dragons’ survival as much as possible and contact the nearest Talronde aerial squad. We will arrive on-site for identification and processing in the shortest time. Of course, we know this request is not easy to fulfill, so please do your best."

Gawain nodded, "Of course, our initial goal is to ’keep them alive’ as much as possible. After all, we have already agreed that every surviving and rescued ’dragon refugee’ means Typhon, Cecil, or the Silver Empire will get a dragon mercenary in contract service for a hundred years— I remember this very clearly."

Melita’s expression became a bit complicated, "Yes, there is indeed this ’deal’ agreement between Talronde and the three empires..."

Gawain looked at the blue dragon lady with a slightly downcast expression, sighed lightly, "This may indeed be some form of trade, but it effectively protects those dragons with a chance to be rescued, right? We cannot underestimate human nature, but we also cannot overestimate it— a cold trade is sometimes for the sake of vibrant life."

"You’re right, I shouldn’t be constrained by emotions on this matter."

"Alright, the basic plan has been set, let’s end this topic for now," Gawain cleared his throat and tried to change the atmosphere of the scene by shifting the conversation with a slightly rising tone, "I just happen to have something I want to talk to you about— I hadn’t figured out when would be a good time to discuss it with you, but since you came tonight, it’s perfect."

Melita showed a hint of curiosity, "What is it?"

"Do you remember what you said to that representative questioning the Talronde incident today?" Gawain smiled, "About the thrilling yet safe and reliable tour of Talronde..."

"Ah, I was a bit angry at the time," Melita immediately said, "Actually, thinking about it afterwards..."

"Upon reflection, I actually think it’s a good idea," Gawain didn’t wait for her to finish and nodded seriously, "If you can really ensure that travelers can safely travel to and from Talronde and conduct a certain degree of visiting activities in the wasteland’s safe zone, then this matter is even better..."

Melita: "??"

"What’s with that look? Do you think I’m joking?" Gawain gave the blue dragon lady a glance, "I’m deadly serious— isn’t Talronde short of money and food now? Aren’t you struggling to find a breakthrough for commercial connection with Loren Continent? There are indeed many valuable technologies and legacies buried in your wasteland, but transforming those into immediate monetary value isn’t easy. The Loren Continent can provide a certain degree of food aid, but relying solely on aid can’t solve long-term problems— so, at this stage, most importantly, you need to develop a business sector that can rapidly form, rapidly generate income, has long-term value, and can run sustainably, and your speech today gave me a hint, perhaps the unique wasteland of Talronde is a good idea..."

Melita listened in a daze, almost unable to keep up with Gawain’s thought process. After finally confirming that he was not joking, she couldn’t help but say, "Wait, stop, friend, hold on— that’s a wasteland! A place where even dragons find survival difficult, and you want the more fragile humans and elves to go there for ’sightseeing’?"

"I never said you should actually send tourists into those deadly polluted areas— didn’t you say there’s a safe area on the Broken Shore and nearshore land of southeast Talronde? And I’ve also heard from Cassandra’s report, the surroundings there are quite acceptable for general races, as long as the Dragonkin can provide some protection and secure the safe zone boundaries, why can’t it accommodate guests from Loren Continent?"

"This... in theory, it seems possible?" Melita thought for a moment and nodded uncertainly, but then a bigger question arose, "But will such a venture really yield substantial profits? Will so many people really pay to suffer in the wasteland? The world is full of scenic and magnificent mountains and rivers..."

Gawain interrupted, "Yes, the world is indeed full of scenic and magnificent mountains and rivers, but there’s only one Talronde— similarly desolate landscapes exist only in Talronde and Gondor’s polluted region in Loren Continent, but the Gondor wasteland is clearly not suitable for ’sightseeing’, filled with zones prohibiting life; Talronde is different, some areas might be more dangerous than the Gondor wasteland, but other areas still have exploitable value.

"As for whether people will actually pay to suffer in the wasteland— let me tell you, of course, they will, and in large numbers."

As Gawain spoke, many memories of his past life involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and he began to soliloquize in thought, "Never underestimate humans’ ’spirit of adventure’, nor their curiosity... For you, Talronde is a wasteland scarred by trauma, full of survival crises, but for many, it’s a mysterious land from legendary tales, even if it’s now destroyed by war, it’s still the ruins of a holy place. A ruined house, a broken wall, even a charred stone, has deadly allure for curious explorers.

"And what you need to do is really simple— just find these people, safely bring them to Talronde, ensure they don’t end up killing themselves in the process of their death wish, then just ask them for money."