At the summit of Tarlonnd's highest peak, a magnificent sanctuary basked beneath starlight that would last for the next half year.
Seemingly eternal starlight poured down from the heavens, casting a faint glow across the sanctuary's pale golden walls and dome. Mist like smoke and gauze drifted slowly at its feet, and beneath it, the prosperous lights of Tarlonnd could vaguely be seen against the night—the lights illuminated the kingdom of dragons, where massive intercity pipeline networks and aerial traffic beacons crisscrossed between highly developed yet ancient and weathered cities, weaving a web-like pattern. Enormous facilities stood amid the lights, vast factory facilities or large-scale environmental maintenance systems.
With the mountain ranges as their foundation, all of Tarlonnd seemed divided into two distinct levels. Dense cities and factories filled the plains and foothills, while the upper reaches of the mountain peaks held temples, councils, senates, and the headquarters of various giant corporations.
Like the stars overhead, all of this had remained unchanged for far too many years.
A golden-haired figure stood at the end of the Grand Sanctuary's terrace, bathed in starlight and looking down upon the Tarlonnd Continent.
Yet his gaze had not truly lingered over the dragon kingdom. It stretched ever toward the edge of the continent, as if crossing the endless sea and eternal storms before finally falling upon the continent occupied by humanity.
"My Lord," Dragon Priest Heragol said with his head lowered, "the observers have sent word. The human empire Cecil's 'Magic Net' completed its interconnection today, but there seem to have been some complications. We are still investigating..."
"There is no need to investigate," the Dragon God said calmly. "There is nothing there worth your attention."
It was merely a rash yet fortunate god successfully breaking free of its restraints. The process had neither