At last, they arrived.
As if by agreement, they appeared in the final minute before the meeting began.
No one present resented them for it.
These were Celestial Dragons—real Celestial Dragons. What was wrong with making an entrance at the very end?
The fact that they had not arrived late already set them apart from ordinary Celestial Dragons.
After all, Celestial Dragons had no sense of time. They went wherever they pleased, whenever they pleased.
No one knew how many times Celestial Dragons had barged into auctions at the Sabaody Archipelago.
But lately, none of them had wanted to visit the Sabaody Archipelago.
It was because of the war at Marine Headquarters.
The Liger Mammoth had fallen from the sky and struck the ice with such terrifying force that it triggered a massive tsunami, swallowing many nearby islands.
The Sabaody Archipelago was among them.
The archipelago had been submerged by the tsunami.
It had suffered devastating losses in lives and property.
One figure after another entered the conference room.
Some were strong, others weak; some looked haughty, others calm.
Some wore the Celestial Dragons' distinctive "spacesuits." Others dressed more like the Five Elders, in simpler but immaculate clothes.
Not a single crease marked their clothing.
What they shared was the imposing air of people accustomed to power, much like the Five Elders and Saint Garling, Commander-in-Chief of the Holy Knights.
That presence and their looks of disdain for all around them exerted immense, invisible pressure.
Even so, differences between them were plain to see.
The patriarchs of the Celestial Dragon families took their seats.
Saint Saturn glanced at the clock on the wall. They were right on time. He folded his arms across his chest and swept his gaze over everyone.
"Now that everyone is here, the meeting will begin."