The City of London wakes up and they are already in place. Located at ten entrances to the enclave, the dragons flank more than just its limits, they indicate the direction of the geographical influence of the decisions made there, a particular compass rose. Each dragon, always standing, always alert, ironically holds in its claws the shield with the city's banner: the red cross on a white background of Saint George or the official flag of England, with the red sword of Saint Paul on the back, up to the left corner, always pointing to the sky.

As in other places where Saint George is the patron saint, the defeated mythological creature ends up playing a paradoxical role. Barcelona is another city of dragons. From the three in the castle to those by Antonio Gaudí spread throughout the city. In all these places, architects and sculptors remind us that the saint could not defeat all the dragons and that there are still many among us. In the city, there are at least thirteen who stand guard.

A city within the city, it has had administrative autonomy since the year 886. Like the Vatican, with multiple churches, the city has its Cathedral, but an Anglican one of Saint Paul. The dragons remind visitors and the almost 400,000 workers who enter daily that this is how it is and the monarch and head of the Anglican Church, that if he wants to enter her domain, he must inform the mayor of the city or Lord Mayor, as a sign of respect. Should he ask permission to enter, His Majesty the King?

The Lord Mayor of the Corporation of London, which changed its name in 2006 to the City of London, is elected annually by representatives of the borough's registered unions. The weight of each vote depends on the number of employees of each company. Therefore, this mayor represents the business, not political, interests of those members. Its main function is business promotion. The mayor presides over the council of the corporation or Crown, which does not depend on the monarchy. In 1694, King William III of Orange privatized the Bank of England. That Crown belongs to another empire. It is no coincidence that Charles Dickens located the house of Evanize Scrooge and that of his partner Jacob Marley, on Insurance Street or Lime Street. Today there are around 7 thousand residents and more than 14 thousand registered companies. The volume of international transactions frequently exceeded that carried out on Wall Street.

Roads, an airport, train stations and even docks to the Thames ensure access. It has its own university and the Lord Mayor himself is its rector. A few kilometers to the east is the modern Canary Wharf investment exchange. One of the satellites of the City, in this case, within London. Most are found on rocks or small islands spread throughout the 7 seas, including the Caribbean, preferred by pirates, buccaneers and privateers. As in the Spanish empire of Philip II, in the network of influence and activity of the City the sun never sets.

The square mile, as it is also known by its length, has its traditions. It arose from the rental halls where adventurers obtained bags of money to finance invasions, wars, or expeditions to colonize new lands or expropriate them and exploit their resources. On the Metal Exchange, for example, transactions are still communicated with a manual sign language so ancient that it shares its origin with the concept of a marketplace. Merchants often newly arrived from many corners, without knowing the local language, had to communicate using signs, gestures and even special sounds to close deals. Nowadays, that whole concert is reduced to endless clicks and beeps. A true musical delight for some. Although we continue to live at the foot of the Tower of Babel, in the same way; "The transaction must continue."

It is also an architectural paradise. The Roman ruins of Londinium are the base, the medieval Tower of London and the more recent Tower Bridge are the most touristy, but Normal Foster's Gherkin or Richard Rogers' Lloyd's provoke. Among the sculptures, the one located in the dome of the Old Bailey Court Palace draws attention. You can see a Lady of Justice in whose outstretched arms she holds the sword on one side and the scales on the other, with the particularity that she is not blindfolded. It seems that in the City the original version of the Greek goddess is preferred; she is a psychic whose impartiality depends on the innocence of her femininity and not on the blindfold that was later placed on her. Sometimes she indeed perceives, that she is rarely right, so it is worth asking: should justice continue to be blind?

If William III can be considered the father of the City, it found its mother in Margaret Thatcher. The 1986 reform promoted by the former prime minister, definitively entered the traditional City on the one hand and fueled the current voracious and competitive system on the other. This reform, which for many has revitalized the influence of Great Britain in the world of big international business and which represents 3.7% of national income, for others; Savage deregulation, corruption and low taxes are the ingredients of a self-destructive recipe. Within the UK, the number and tone of voices calling for greater control has only just begun to increase, and its consequences may still be uncertain. Nationalism and, worse still, Scottish independence, find inspiration among them.

On the other hand, some claim that the City's most dangerous enemies are found in continental Europe. Brexit has been one of its immediate consequences. Dismantling the City's advantages as an international stock exchange center may have been a European objective, one that the British refused to tolerate. In the City, its tax haven will be defended at all costs. In any case, weakening competition could be an objective. It seems that there are more than thirteen dragons that guard and defend the City of London, but will they be enough?