Chapter 334: Great Forest (Dragon) (4)
“Coexistence? That’s nothing!”
“That doesn’t seem hard at all.”
Bijet and Bolec spoke. But Joonbum didn’t seem to be relieved. Graham’s coexist wasn’t a coexistence between dragons and humans. He meant the coexistence of all creatures in this world.
“That’s hard.”
[Good that you understood. Yes, it is.]
It was hard, especially for the humans. Humans had a history of destruction and development. It was built by destroying nature, gathering what they could from it, and using it to further develop civilization. This was because humans required resources from nature, but it was also because nature was never friendly to humankind.
‘At least there’s a peaceful way…’
Joonbum looked at Graham. Graham didn’t seem to show any hostility.
“How much can you accept from us?”
[Too much development cannot be accepted. You and I both know how it will end. I can accept a set, reasonable line for human survival. It will need to stop beyond that.]
“That is a very hard request. I can promise you as an Emperor, but I can’t promise you for how long it will be kept.”
Graham seemed to be pleased by Joonbum’s answer.
[Yes. There is nothing that can last forever. I am fully aware of that, and I do not wish you to bear the burden of the descendants of your kind. You do what you can, and your descendants will do what they can. Don’t you agree?]
Joonbum nodded. He couldn’t promise for thousands of years. The longest time the promise could be kept was probably around 100 years.
“I am not a god. I can promise on my behalf, but there will be those who will object my will. They will try to work against me without me noticing. What will you do to them?”
[We will take care of what you are concerned about. Humans are such beings after all.]
“There are still dangerous weapons lying around in the world. What will you do if those people lay their hands on it?” Joonum asked again.
Graham nodded.
[You must be talking about nuclear weapons. All nuclear weapons of the old times have been eradicated. We did it ourselves. That includes nuclear reactors. Not many are left that can endanger us.]
Jinpok seemed shocked. Graham continued,
[There are still a few, but there isn’t much. We are strong, and there are a lot of us. The remaining nuclear weapons do not pose much of a threat to us.]
It was amazing news. That was the biggest concern Joonbum had.
“Is that true? Did you really take care of them all?” Jinpok asked in shock. He seemed genuinely surprised.
[Yes. We ate them all. It was quite a snack.]
Graham spoke jokingly. Joonbum answered, “I will do my best to achieve coexistence. I will see that no hostile actions can be made toward any dragons while I am alive.”
[Good. Then in return, I will see remains of our comrades be passed onto your Empire for better use of their remains if they die. We will also hand over the hides and carcasses that we shed. How do you like that?]
Joonbum nodded.
[If the promise is kept, we will not interfere with human lives.]
End of Chapter
