Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1093: Chapter 1092: Joint Maritime and Aerial Defense Perimeter

The expressions of the representatives from various countries were varied, but apart from the three great empires, there was a common point in their reactions, and that was concern, undisguised concern.

"May I ask a question?" A tall, dark-skinned representative stood up. He hailed from the northwest border region of the tribal country of Augari, elected by several independent city-states north of the Moss Woods. He looked at Melita Ponia with a very serious expression, "How strong is the magical resistance of the Dragonkin? How tough are their scales? I apologize if my question seems somewhat offensive, but this is extremely important to us."

Melita Ponia seemed to have anticipated this type of question at the scene. She appeared quite composed, and even showed a slight courteous smile while answering: "There’s no need to be so formal. The Dragonkin have come here to establish equal communication with the friends from the Loren Continent. As for your question... it’s difficult to give an accurate quantitative answer, as the Dragonkin vary in strength, and different dragons have different power tendencies.

"Generally speaking, by the standard of an average adult dragon, our various magical resistances are above average. With a healthy body free of major diseases and not carrying specialized combat equipment, most middle-ranked Magic Spells cause us no harm... zero, to be precise. Middle-ranked Magic Spells can cause some damage to the Dragonkin, but it requires a certain quantity and sustained attack, depending on the power of the spellcaster. If one who has just broken through to the middle rank, with insufficient Magic Power reserves, faces an adult dragon alone, then the threat to us remains zero.

"Powerful to legendary heroes can effectively counter adult dragons, but the inherently frail bodies of most mortal races remain a fatal weakness—to remain unharmed under dragonfire, one requires strong armor and barrier protection.

"The aforementioned pertains only to the magical resistance of the Dragonkin. As for the toughness of our scales... you know the gates made entirely of purple steel? With a layer of Mithril Plate as thick as a finger, a Black Dragon has about that level of toughness, while other colors of dragons are slightly weaker in scale strength—which is equivalent to not having the Mithril plate backing."

The leader representative from the Northern City-States stood there, listening carefully to Melita Ponia’s description. After the Dragonkin envoy’s speech ended, he pondered for a moment and thought it was best not to say anything offensive here. So, he sighed and sat down.

Another representative, unable to restrain himself, stood up: "So how should we... shoot down these dragons that you claim have been ’expelled’ from Talronde? If they are as formidable as you say, this obviously exceeds the response capacity of many countries—perhaps the well-defended kingdoms can take on these attackers, but ordinary border areas certainly do not have large garrisons everywhere!"

"Dragon disaster," was undoubtedly an awkward yet unavoidable term for the representatives present. The messenger from Talronde stood here, with a desire for peaceful coexistence with the nations of Loren Continent, yet their out-of-control compatriots were clearly not so harmless. Who knows how many powerful dragons would harass the borders of Loren Continent, a threat that has been proven to be far more frightening than the battle of the gods.

"That’s exactly what I am going to address next," Gawain stood up at this moment. He surveyed the room, and after everyone’s gaze fell on him, he continued, "We are forming an alliance primarily to solve ’security concerns’, therefore one of the initial tasks of the alliance is to deal with threats that endanger the safety of member states, such as out-of-control dragons.

"One of the principles of the alliance is mutual vigilance and assistance among member states. All countries have the responsibility and obligation to ensure the interests of the entire alliance. On this premise, I call upon the countries currently capable of confronting out-of-control dragons to take responsibility for establishing a ’sea and air joint warning network’ around Loren Continent. The specific implementation plan is as follows:

"Using the circumnavigational route as the warning basis, form a complete monitoring chain through a series of maritime lookout posts, patrol ships, coastal ports, and civilian fleets, constantly on alert for threats coming from outside the continent; Deploy air defense bases and anti-aircraft ships, military ports, and other armed forces at each node of the warning network to constantly safeguard the safety of alliance member states;

"Considering that out-of-control dragons might present a long-term threat, the ’sea and air joint warning network’ will also operate as a long-term project until the threat is eliminated. We will convene another meeting then to discuss whether to retain the facilities and troops established during the warning period."

After Gawain finished speaking, he gave the representatives the opportunity to express their opinions. A representative from the tribal country of Augari, a long-haired gray elf, was the first to stand up—Gawain recognized her as Venna Baizhi, the Grey Elf Clan Leader, who has always had good relations with Cecil. This petite lady raised her head and sternly asked: "Exactly who will be responsible for establishing this ’joint warning network’?"

Gawain looked at Silver Empress Belsetia beside him, as well as Typhon Emperor Rosetta Augustus further away. After a confirming glance, he returned his gaze to the Gray Elf Leader and nodded, saying, "Cecil, Typhon, and the Silver Empire. The three nations will be responsible for establishing sea, land, and air defense lines based on their specific situations. We are capable of intercepting small groups of dragons threatening the Loren Continent, and even if a major offensive occurs, we can quickly gather sufficient military strength to shoot them down. Additionally..."

As he spoke, he looked toward Melita Ponia, who immediately nodded, stood up, and responded, "Talronde will also dispatch a certain number of aerial forces to join the countries of Loren Continent in establishing this warning network. This is a challenging task for us, but it is a responsibility that the Dragonkin must bear to the end."

"No need to be so pessimistic, Miss Ambassador," Gawain said with a slight smile at Melita Ponia, "There will be three opportunities for dialogue, right? I believe most of the Dragonkin who made wrong decisions do not invade other nations with malicious intent. If they know there’s an alternative, I’m sure the vast majority would be willing to rejoin the civilized world."

While speaking, he inwardly sighed: No matter how you look at it, establishing a defensive line against the dragon disaster is a task that must be undertaken. This is indeed to ensure the safety of the alliance member states, and it’s also to advance his plan for the circumnavigational route and further secure the influence of the Cecil Empire over the entire Loren Continent. However, this is not something Cecil can handle alone at present—even with a few more years of stable development, it would still be difficult to establish a military force capable of encircling the entire Loren Continent. So finding some ’helpers’ to participate is an unavoidable situation.

But he doesn’t feel much regret over this, since from the start, developing allies was part of his envisioned plan: this world is so vast, and the path before Cecil is still long. He already senses the approach of a crisis; with limited time and the current situation, he cannot resolve all dangers in this world through his strength alone—ultimately, the power of heroism is limited. Only when the world as a whole progresses will it bring greater hope.

As Gawain mused inwardly, Venna Baizhi’s voice came again from the opposite side: "Then who will bear the costs required to establish this joint warning network? What must the member states receiving protection give in exchange for this ’safety’?"

There’s no such thing as a free lunch—children understand this principle, and the business-savvy gray elves naturally understand it even better. The cost of such a "united vigilance circle" is undoubtedly exorbitant; even if the three great Empires work together with a group of dragons, it’s not easy to protect the entire Loren Continent. Thus, it seems only fair that the member states seeking protection within the vigilance circle should pay a price.

After all, the first principle of the alliance Gawain just mentioned is "mutual assistance and vigilance; each country has responsibilities and obligations to ensure the interests of the entire alliance." In other words, when faced with difficulties, everyone bears the burden together—those with strength contribute their power, those with wealth contribute their resources, and those with neither... well, they might have to pay a price higher than wealth.

Gawain glanced at the gray elf and cleared his throat before speaking: "Please rest assured, the purpose of establishing this united vigilance circle is to protect our shared land, and not to blackmail or plunder any member state—the protected countries do not need to bear any military expenses or any form of ’employment costs’. They only need to provide locations necessary for deployment. Part of the operational costs come from the revenue shares of Typhon, the Cecil Empire, and the Silver Empire from the transcontinental trade route; another part is borne by Talronde. Considering the current stage where Loren Continent has yet to establish trade with Talronde, they also have their difficulties, so this portion of costs is temporarily covered by the Cecil Empire."

He paused for a moment and continued: "Of course, as members of the alliance, the countries along the vigilance circle also have their responsibilities—joining the transcontinental trade route, signing an alliance trade agreement, and jointly welcoming a more prosperous new era are the most basic and important contributions each member state makes to the alliance overall."

The representatives in the venue began to discuss quietly, seriously considering the issues and pondering the gains and losses behind Gawain’s conditions. Some matters are not difficult to consider; the tall leader from the Northern City-States Union soon stood up: "So only member countries of the alliance and those joining the transcontinental trade route will be included in the vigilance circle?"

"That is naturally the case," Gawain nodded, "We cannot protect a country that willingly wishes to maintain distance from the alliance. This is the most basic mutual respect, isn’t it?"

"...So can we assume this is still a form of ’abduction’ and ’blackmail’?" A representative who hadn’t spoken much before couldn’t help standing up and said, "Please excuse my direct words; I don’t mean to speculate with malign intent on this great plan, but since we’re holding this meeting, surely there should be some voices of doubt, shouldn’t there? Now we have to join an alliance to receive protection; this sounds as if non-members will be destroyed by dragons. I know this sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory, but... who can guarantee that everything that happened in Talronde is true?"

Doubt was raised, as expected, but Gawain actually welcomed it because only through sufficient questioning and clarification can this newly formed alliance have a more stable foundation and an unobstructed future. This time, however, he didn’t continue to respond, but Emperor Rosetta Augustus sitting nearby stood up.

"Please correctly distinguish between ’abduction,’ ’blackmail,’ and the concept of ’equivalence of rights and responsibilities,’" Rosetta’s voice was deep, his tone calm yet powerful and convincing, "Firstly, the sea and air united vigilance circle is not mandatory; anyone has the right to refuse joining and the right to leave after joining. Even the entire alliance itself is free to come and go. If a member state feels their interests and dignity within the alliance are not safeguarded, they can leave at any time, as long as they do not attack other member states during their membership, it does not violate the alliance’s covenant."

"Secondly, the protection provided by the united vigilance circle is a ’benefit’ for states unable to independently fight off uncontrollable dragons. Surviving safely within the alliance system is the basic right of member states. To enjoy rights means to bear equivalent duties and responsibilities, and I do not see joining the transcontinental trade route and accepting the alliance covenant as an act of ’blackmail.’ It is something beneficial to both sides."

"Lastly, if any friends have doubts about the matter of Talronde... I believe the Dragon Envoy, Lady, has something to say."

Rosetta looked towards the nearby Melita Ponia. After a slight nod of indication, he sat back down, while Melita rose with poise, her expression neutral as she looked at the previous speaker.

"Talronde is open to the countries of Loren Continent—we are always welcoming new friends to visit our homeland," she said slowly, "Talronde will establish air ports in the capitals of the Sacred Dragon Kingdom and the Cecil Empire. We will have at least three flights back and forth between Talronde every week. Despite our heavy transportation tasks, there’s more than enough capacity to carry a few more passengers, and you can rest assured, the Dragonkin will ensure the safety of passengers throughout the journey—Sir, would you be interested in applying for the first spot?"

The representative’s face suddenly changed; obviously, he didn’t anticipate Melita’s sudden "invitation". This unexpected situation left him a bit perplexed. After brief contemplation, he shook his head: "No... not this time. But perhaps I’ll consider it in the future if the opportunity arises."

Gawain instinctively glanced at Melita—based on his understanding of this Lady Dragon, he was almost certain that the "invitation" was Melita’s impromptu idea, likely carrying a touch of resentment. However, thinking it over, there’s indeed much potential for operation in this...

He should discuss this with her later, to see if they could bring about a "Talronde wasteland tour" project under assured safety. This matter requires significant protection from Talronde’s side, but if push comes to shove, the cost can be higher. After all, the world is filled with wealthy explorers willing to spend extravagantly to uncover the mysteries of dragons... Those mages, who are obsessed with various secret knowledge, are incredibly affluent.

If executed well, this could be a breakthrough point for the currently struggling Talronde, who knows, maybe this might be how the first foreign exchange for these pitiable dragons arrives...

These random thoughts only took a brief moment in Gawain’s mind. He quickly put these ideas aside and looked at the representative who still carried a bit of embarrassment on his face. After recognizing the flag behind him and matching it with the information in his mind, a smile appeared on his face: "Actually, Ambassador Westwood brought up a perfectly valid concern earlier; I believe it’s also the place where many present here have their worries—the establishment of a new organization requires the building of understanding and trust among members. This first requires bringing those doubts and suspicions to light, openly discussing and openly resolving them. This is also one of the alliance’s principles: openness, transparency, honesty, and mutual trust."

"No one needs to worry. Just as the alliance’s formation has yet to be voted on, we are only proposing a draft now for the sea and air united vigilance circle and the transcontinental trade route. It’s not yet time for a vote."

"We all need to have a comprehensive understanding of the future alliance before making accurate judgments. Since we have discussed many issues concerning crises... now it’s time to discuss positive matters."