Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 952 - 951: Idle Conversation

Casual conversation.

This word gave Gawain a moment of strangeness—ever since arriving at Talronde, such strangeness seemed never to have disappeared.

The Dragon Kingdom different from what he imagined, the Dragonkin’s "style" different from what he imagined, the true appearance of the Dragon God different from what he imagined, and the attitude of the Dragon God different from what he imagined...

But no matter what, he had already prepared himself mentally to face any situation before setting out, and witnessing the sky-obscuring "Dragon of Chaos" just now further strengthened his mind. Gawain did not show any abnormality, he just calmly nodded, then casually sat in the most luxurious chair closest to him.

A golden-red tea appeared out of thin air, filling the golden cup in front of him.

Dragon God Enya sat opposite Gawain, then looked up at Amber and Veronica: "Are you going to stand?"

Veronica hesitated for a second and sat down to Gawain’s left, Amber seeing Veronica sit, also boldly moved to the seat on Gawain’s right, deliberately saying as she sat down, "... Well, then I’ll sit!"

Once everyone was seated, Heragor stood behind Enya, quietly like an attendant.

The scene was a bit too quiet for a moment, as if no one knew how to start a conversation for this very special meeting, or perhaps the divine being was waiting for the guests to speak first. Gawain was not in a hurry, he merely picked up his teacup, took a sip unhurriedly, and then showed a surprised expression: "This tea... is good, just the taste is... peculiar."

"It’s something I thought of during leisure time, called ’Reflection’," Enya smiled faintly, "In the world, mortals are numerous and diverse, their thoughts and preferences are always different, just the desires for taste are innumerable, so why not offer them ’Reflection’—what you most desire in your heart, appears in a cup of Reflection."

Gawain holding the teacup heard the Dragon God’s words and immediately felt a movement in his heart, he thoughtfully looked at the divine being in front of him: "Increasing numbers of mortals bring increasing numbers of desires, even with divine power, it’s impossible to fulfill all their wishes, isn’t it?"

While saying this, he couldn’t help but pick up the teacup again for a sip—even though he should perhaps be more reserved in this setting, Gawain had simply not tasted the flavor of cola for too long.

Dragon God Enya’s gaze stayed on Gawain, after two seconds, His smile became more pronounced—like a musician suddenly finding a kindred spirit after a thousand years of playing alone. His mouth curled as He said, "You understand a lot."

Gawain slightly raised the teacup in his hand: "’Reflection’ indeed is a good way to address the issue of ’too many mortal desires, impossible to fulfill each one’."

"Unfortunately, a single cup of ’Reflection’ cannot resolve all problems, miracles are limited—what isn’t limited is divine acts, however gods... do not believe in divine acts."

Gods do not believe in divine acts?

Gawain couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow, picked up his teacup again for a sip, then looked at Enya and asked very seriously: "Is there a bigger cup?"

Using a cup smaller than 300 milliliters to drink cola is an insult to cola—this is the last stand of a cola aficionado.

Probably even the divine wouldn’t expect Gawain to suddenly come up with such a request in this situation; the Dragon God showed a startled expression, but after a few seconds of surprise, the divine suddenly curled His lips with a clear smile in His tone: "Of course there is—I am starting to appreciate you more and more, ’Gawain Cecil’, you are almost one of the most interesting humans I have ever seen."

Gawain accepted this praise, unsure if it was indeed praise, looking at his teacup suddenly transforming into a large oak cup decorated with golden hoops, filled again with the wondrous "Reflection" drink tasting exactly like cola to him. While feeling satisfied, he began to steer the conversation towards the direction he initially planned: "Then let’s talk about serious matters—although we’re speaking casually, you also know we did not cross the entire ocean to another continent simply for a chat. I have many questions, and I hope to get answers from you."

"If I can answer them—if you know enough about gods, then you should know that gods cannot tell everything to mortals. But from another perspective, I count as somewhat special among the gods, so I know more things and can answer more questions, at least more than that child named Melita."

Gawain nodded, then straightforwardly asked: "Do you understand other gods?"

The Dragon God casually replied: "I have some understanding—communication between gods is difficult, but through my own way, I can grasp the general situation of some gods."

Gawain continued: "Then do you know if the War God worshiped by mortals on the Loren Continent is currently in an abnormal state?"

"I know, He is stepping into the final stage of madness, although I am not sure when He will cross the threshold, but He is already very close to that threshold."

Since the question was already laid out, Gawain simply pursued directly: "Is the madness of the War God indeed related to the changes in forms of warfare? At this stage, are there other factors besides changes in forms of warfare and the War God’s own ’tendency’ issues influencing His madness process?"

"The changes in forms of warfare are one of the reasons accelerating His madness, but only one of the reasons. As for other factors beyond warfare changes and ’tendency’ issues... regretfully, none exist. The balance of godhood is more fragile than mortals imagine, just these two factors are sufficient."

"Then... is there any saving this situation?" Gawain couldn’t help but pursue further.

"There is no saving it, prepare for the battle of the gods."

Gawain, Amber, Veronica: "..."

"You seem surprised," the Dragon God said lightly, "but this is not an answer worth being surprised at."

"I... simply didn’t expect you to answer so bluntly," Gawain was unsure of what expression to make, "I thought you would be more gentle..."

"It does not require any gentleness," the Dragon God answered, "You need an answer, and this answer is not complicated—so I just tell you frankly."

"... Well, I think I understand your style," Gawain sighed, then promptly reorganized his words and continued, "But do you think with mortal power, one can truly stand against the War God at this time?"

"... This part, I cannot give you an answer, because I also cannot predict how the War God would appear, and in what state or form He would intervene in this world," the Dragon God’s answer seemed quite candid, as a divine being assumed to be omniscient and omnipotent in mortal minds, it showed no hesitation in admitting limited foresight here, "That is your god, ultimately it is you who have to face Him. However, one thing I can tell you—at least at this current stage, you have a chance to win."

"Current stage..." Gawain immediately noted the key in the Dragon God’s answer, he mused to himself, "Because as time goes on, gods grow stronger... and now, they are not yet strong enough to be invincible..."

The Dragon God heard his monologue and immediately cast a scrutinizing glance: "I’m surprised—you know more of the truth than I expected."

Gawain calmly met the Dragon God’s gaze, and after a brief moment of weighing his options, he spoke truthfully: "I learned everything from the God of Nature."

The Dragon God instantly fell silent, her gaze becoming extraordinarily profound. She seemed to be caught in a brief yet intense contemplation, until several seconds later, she gently broke the silence: "The God of Nature... so He is still around."

"From the perspective of the God of Nature, He is no longer there, but from Amon’s point of view, he is still alive," Gawain nodded, "though he temporarily maintains a state of imprisonment, and he is expected to keep this state for a long time. He temporarily does not wish to return to the mortal world—at least that’s what I think."

Yet the Dragon God suddenly showed great interest in Amon’s state, and for the first time, began actively asking Gawain questions: "Did Amon maintain his self after leaving the divine throne?"

Gawain was certainly happy to answer the other’s inquiries—in this inherently unequal "conversation," he needed to gather as much "conversation capital" as possible for exchange with the deity before him. Having control over questioning was something he longed for: "It seems so—although I didn’t know the God of Nature when he was still in divine form, based on his current state, apart from being unable to move, his condition seems quite good."

"It seems that He... he has shared a lot with you, he appears to trust you considerably as a former deity."

"Perhaps it’s because too few people can communicate with him," Gawain said jokingly, "Despite departing from the divine position, he still retains the body of a ’God,’ and not every mortal can approach him for conversation."

Upon reaching this point, he noticed the Dragon God seemed to be reflecting, so he proactively paused, waiting for this deity to speak on her own.

After a moment, the Dragon God lifted her eyes again but asked a seemingly unrelated question: "It is said you held a funeral for the Goddess of Magic."

Gawain immediately cleared his throat: "Well... indeed, that happened."

"You held a nationwide ceremony and scattered ’Sacred Ash’ in front of millions—and you personally wrote an elegy for a deity."

Gawain couldn’t help but cough softly again: "Well... that also happened. But I did it purposefully, in order to..."

The Dragon God interrupted him: "The Goddess of Magic is actually similar to the God of Nature, merely attempting to escape her divine throne—correct?"

Gawain felt a bit strange but, under the gaze of Dragon God Enya, which seemed like an abyss, eventually nodded: "Indeed, that’s the case."

The Dragon God remained silent for a moment, then suddenly murmured as if with a sigh: "Then it seems she did indeed succeed..."

For reasons unknown, Gawain even sensed a hint of envy within the Dragon God’s sigh.

He did not delve into this topic further, as his intuition told him that the other party would not directly address such matters.

The Dragon God’s gaze then moved to Veronica, who had remained silent and motionless, scarcely reacting.

"To be honest, when I invited ’Gawain Cecil,’ I didn’t expect I would also meet a living ’Gondor,’" she smiled gently and casually at Veronica, speaking in a warm and serene tone, "I’m delighted, for me, this is an unexpected reward."

Veronica immediately raised her eyebrows, her fingers seeming to involuntarily tighten somewhat: "You... saw through?"

"Do not imagine me as excessively closed or blind," the Dragon God said, "Although I reside deeply within these ancient palaces, my vision remains sharp—the brief yet glorious Mortal Empire impressed me greatly, I once thought it might even progress to... alas, everything abruptly ended."

Saying this, the deity shook her head, seeming genuinely regretful over the Gondor Empire’s collapse seven hundred years ago. She then continued staring at Veronica, saying: "You were a jewel among those humans, brilliant enough to even catch my attention; I glanced at you from afar—but only glanced."

"When your glorious empire perished, even Talronde was perturbed, without your knowledge, even some Dragonkin mourned for you."

"I don’t know how you ’survived,’ your current state seems a bit... strange to me, and my sight cannot penetrate to your deepest part. I can only discern some discord in your soul... would you care to explain?"

Veronica looked into the Dragon God’s eyes, long before lowering her eyelids, seemingly resisting some impulse, speaking slowly and resolutely: "Merely the price of survival."

"In that case, I won’t ask further," the Dragon God nodded agreeably, subsequently refraining from pursuing Veronica, while her gaze turned to Amber, who was clutching a teacup and sipping slowly, "You are another surprise... an interesting little lady."

"Hey," Amber immediately put down her cup, nervously sitting upright, then couldn’t help but lean forward slightly, "How am I a surprise too?"

"Who placed you into this body?" the Dragon God inquired curiously.

Amber was astounded immediately.

Two seconds later, the half-elf’s eyes widened: "This question was previously asked by a Shadow Inhabitant! You... how did you perceive..."

"I happen to know some things regarding the shadow realm—though I am not the deity ruling over shadow powers," the Dragon God interrupted Amber, "the shadow inhabitants, huh... so upon seeing you, I felt rather surprised, child, who infused you into this body? That’s quite an achievement."

"It’s related to a secret experiment during the Gondor era," Gawain glanced at Amber, confirming that the absent-minded one had no response before speaking, "an experiment on converting and fusing living entities between shadow and the real world. Amber is the only successful subject."

"...another Gondor, huh," the Dragon God slowly shook her head, "then this makes the situation even more regrettable."

At this moment, Amber unexpectedly thought of something, suddenly exclaiming excitedly: "Oh right, speaking of shadow power deities, have you perceived anything between me and the Goddess of Shadows? Let me tell you, I’m a Shadow Chosen! Do you know the Goddess of Shadows?"

"Goddess of Shadows? Lady Night?" the Dragon God showed no sign of minding Amber’s suddenly somewhat brash behavior, and upon hearing her words, interest seemed piqued, examining her twice earnestly before shaking her head again, "You indeed possess exceptionally strong shadow protection, yet I do not see any trace of belief connecting you to any deity... not a hint."