Sangis Never thought that one day, this country might be finished.
She is a close minister of His Majesty the Emperor, Administrator of the palace, and is also the messenger who conveys the Emperor's orders.
Her responsibilities range from arranging seats for palace banquets, to reviewing documents submitted from various places, to drafting strictly worded replies for His Majesty the Emperor that cannot be changed even a word.
She had seen this country at its best and at its worst. She had seen rebellions on the borders, the conspiracies of the nobility, the plague, and food shortages. She thought she had seen all the ways a country could be "finished."
Every time she thought the empire was going to be over, but every time the empire was not over.
Because Valerirus is still there, his scales are still red, his breath is still hot, and his wings can still cover the sky above the entire city.
As long as he is still there, the empire will not fall.
Now he's fallen.
When the black giant dragon that appeared out of nowhere swooped down from the sky and slapped Red Dragon Emperor away, Sangis was standing on the corridor on the second floor of the palace, holding a cup of freshly brewed black tea in his hand.
The teacup was made of fine white porcelain, with a golden dragon pattern painted on the wall. The tea was dark amber, steaming, and exuding the unique aroma of Ceylon black tea with a hint of mint. She was about to take her first sip of tea today.
Then she saw the black shadow passing outside the window, so fast that her eyes only caught a blurry afterimage. Before she had time to think about what it was, the palace shook.
It wasn't an earthquake, but something hit the main structure of the palace. The red wine glass rolled off the table and shattered on the floor. The red wine splashed on her white skirt, like a pool of fresh blood.
Sangis was holding a teacup, standing on the corridor, looking out the window. Her teacup did not fall because she held it tightly, her knuckles were white, and her nails were embedded in the glaze of the fine white porcelain, making a subtle, harsh friction sound.
Outside the window, Red Dragon Emperor was flying away from the sky. It spread its wings, kicked its limbs wildly, and swung its tail wildly in the air, like a panicked cat that had been thrown out of the window.
No, it's not like a cat. A cat won't fly away so fast. Red Dragon Emperor fell so fast that Sangis didn't even have time to count three times in his mind. He had already smashed into the mountains to the east. The mountains exploded and mushroom clouds rose.
Then, the second one came.
The golden dragon with three heads, as big as a mountain, emerged from the black storm. He was so big that Sangis stood on the corridor on the second floor of the palace and had to raise his neck to the limit to see his whole face.
What is that? Is that a dragon? Sangis has lived for many years and has seen many dragons - Red Dragon Emperor, dragon princes, those wandering dragons who come from all over the world and want to find an official position under Red Dragon Emperor.
She has seen all kinds of dragons, big ones, small ones, red ones, black ones, green ones, and blue ones. But she has never seen a dragon like this, never seen one that looks so big and looks like this.
His scales are golden, not the dull, dull gold like old copper, but the kind of pure gold that is dazzling in the sun and glows in the dark.
Sangis put down the tea cup, which made a crisp, small collision sound on the table. Her fingers were still shaking, but her expression had returned to calm.
She and the guards in the palace were hiding behind a certain pillar. The pillar was very thick, with a diameter of more than ten meters. It was carved from a single piece of granite, and its surface was covered with dense runes.
These runes were inscribed by Red Dragon Emperor himself when he built this palace. Their function is to strengthen the building structure and resist external attacks.
At this moment, the runes on the pillars are glowing red, flickering, as if the palace is using its own heartbeat to tell the people hiding behind it - I am still holding on, don't be afraid.
But Sangis knows that it can't hold on for long. It's not that the pillars can't hold up, but that the rulers of this country have changed. This country has changed.
It was only a matter of time before he was discovered. Sangis There were several waiters huddled around him, some squatting, some lying on their stomachs, some burying their faces in their knees, shaking their shoulders.
The waiters in white uniforms huddled together like quails, and the guards in black armor squatted on both sides of the pillar with their hands on the hilts of their swords, staring at the ground and not daring to raise their heads.
No one spoke, no one dared to make a sound, and even breathing was suppressed to the lowest level, for fear that one of the two giant beasts would notice that there was someone hiding behind the pillar.
Sangis leaned against the pillar, closed her eyes for a while, and then opened them. She made a decision - to go out and meet it.
It's not about being brave, it's about balancing. If you hide here, it's only a matter of time before you are discovered. Take the initiative to go out and maybe get a chance to speak. The opportunity to speak in front of the giant beast is not for negotiation, but to show that you will not become a threat.
She has seen how Red Dragon Emperor deals with adventurers who break into his territory - if you don't run, he won't kill you. If you run, he will catch up and kill you.
She didn't know what the temper of this golden three-headed dragon was, but she bet that he wouldn't trample her to death the first time he heard someone speak. If she lost the bet, she would lose.
The living do not need her to be responsible, and neither do the dead.
Sangis walked out from behind the pillar. Her long red hair was spread behind her shoulders, and her hair glowed faintly in the sunlight that leaked from the cracks in the dome.
The long red skirt trailed behind her, and the skirt swept across the smooth stone floor, making a subtle rustling sound. There were two horns on her head, the horns of a dragon.
The horns were not long, curved inward, with a rounded arc, and the color was deep red, like aged red wine. There were several small, red scales on her cheeks, extending from the cheekbones to the lower jaw, shining like enamel in the sun. She walked to the open space in front of the pillar and stopped.
There was a rustling sound behind him, and other people also walked out from behind the pillar. Some lowered their heads, some had twinkling eyes, and some had trembling legs, but they still followed and walked out. The one standing at the front was Sangis.
Behind her were several waiters in white uniforms, all dragonborn, with horns on their heads and more or less scales on their faces.
There were a few who were not dragonborn and had no horns or scales on their bodies. They huddled back and looked at the two giant beasts not far away with fearful and horrifying eyes.
There are also several half-dragons—dragons that are almost upright and without wings. They are much taller than humans. Their bodies are covered with rough scales, their faces are ferocious, and their claws are sharp.
But at this moment they are also the most docile, with their heads and tails hanging down, like a group of well-trained hounds, waiting for the acceptance of their new owners.
King Ghidorah's three heads turned around at the same time. Six golden vertical pupils looked down at the group of little things coming out from behind the pillars from a high place.
King Ghidorah leaned his neck close, and the three heads looked at the red figure in the front from three different angles.
Human? No. Her body is human-shaped, she wears gorgeous clothes, has long red hair, delicate facial features, and fair complexion.
But there are two horns on her head, dragon horns. There are scales on her cheeks, little dragon people?
King Ghidorah gave this species a name in his mind. He moved his eyes away from Sangis and glanced at the people behind her.
The ones next to him were similar - the Dragonborn, with horns on his head and scales on his face, wearing a white waiter uniform, with his head lowered, not daring to look at him.
There are also a few with wings - not bird wings, but dragon wings, fleshy, membrane-covered wings that extend from the shoulder blades and tuck at the sides of the body.
They are taller than humans, their bodies are covered with dark scales, their faces are ferocious, and their teeth are exposed. But their ferocity is of no use at this moment.
King Ghidorah clicked his tongue in his heart. The human race in this world is much richer than he imagined. He retracted his neck and the three heads returned to their normal height.
Sangis took a deep breath and spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it spread far in the empty hall.
"Hello, this great dragon. I am Administrator, the original name of the palace, and a close minister of His Majesty the Emperor - Sangis."