"Hello Father, it's been a few months since I wrote to you... Something big happened here in Asshai..."
Anurys stopped reading and pulled out two scrolls bearing strange symbols. The way the letter began meant it contained news his son didn't want made public...
Besides memorizing certain words that only he and Rafael knew, there were two more lists of codes. They also no longer exchanged letters using any means other than the Order's own. The same was done with the other Sages' family members to ensure their safety...
After understanding which code was used this time, Anurys returned to his reading.
"The great project we've been working on all these years has finally been completed. Something of this grandeur was accomplished in such secrecy and concealment for almost 70 years... You remember the reason, right? If such a project were undertaken in Westeros, it would start a new and grand revolution. Because it would completely change the way people travel, greatly reduce the price of food, and make war logistics several times easier. See for yourself the item I mentioned earlier..."
Anurys remembered his son saying about a powerful wagon that didn't need horses and could carry dozens of tons of cargo at high speed... At the time, he thought his son was fantasizing, but if he'd mentioned it again, it must be true. That's when he saw that inside the letter was a small piece of paper with a strange and sinister drawing.
His son had sent this item before. Not unlike memory crystals, this paper could display an image directly in someone's mind. Anurys received one of these many years ago when Rafael wanted to show him a woman he believed to be his mother. And after seeing her, he truly thought it was her too…
She didn't look like the one he'd met, but the similarity of some physical features and mannerisms was too much to ignore… Shaking his head to forget it, he continued with the memory item…
Following her steps, he dripped his own blood onto the center of the paper before taking from his bag a translucent stone called a soul stone. As soon as the stone touched the paper, it glowed red and absorbed the drop of blood…
Anurys felt his vision blur, and before he knew it, he was inside a dimly lit tunnel. In fact, the only light in this place came from the ceiling and walls, which were covered in a bright phosphorescent moss… On the floor, he could see a small road made of wood and metal, but before he could observe further, an extremely loud noise, along with a powerful light, shone.
"Chug-chug"
"Clickety-clack"
"Toot-toot"
Anurys turned his head toward the light and noise and wanted to run, but he couldn't. He finally remembered that this was all just a vision...
The next moment, the giant metal monster passed in front of him very slowly, but it was gaining speed with each passing second. It spewed smoke and steam from its top and had giant metal wheels that moved on their own. As soon as the front part passed, he saw two more metal carriages with windows attached to them, and he saw many masked men and women wearing cloaks with the Order's symbol. They were inside the carriage, leaning against the window and waving...
After that, he saw a huge animal that resembled a young whale tied to the back of a platform, which also had metal wheels and was being pulled by the first part. On the fourth and fifth platforms were giant square buckets filled with raw, unprocessed metal covered with some kind of rough hide. After that, he saw more wheeled platforms, but they were all empty at the moment, except for a few with chests and sacks of supplies…
As soon as Anurys's vision ended, the paper in front of him burned to ash, and the soul stone he had used turned to dust. He stood there for almost 20 minutes, trying to understand what he had seen… After a while, he simply shook his head, deciding to write his doubts in the next letter, and went back to reading.
"For those who worked on this project from the beginning, it was a lifetime's work for normal humans... Speaking of the human workers, everyone who participated in the construction of this tunnel over so many years now receives a fruit just like the one you earned as payment for their service and loyalty, and their names have also been engraved on a monument..."
Anurys stopped reading, turning his eyes to the white fruit that emitted a delicious scent, and urged him to eat it whenever he saw it. But he ignored it again and returned to his reading...
"Of course, the fruit wasn't the only payment; much gold and other valuable resources were given to them... They can now retire, regaining their youth and living a second life as lords somewhere in the world... For the apprentices who worked tirelessly on this task, they earned enough Wisdom Points to acquire one of the two new experimental races we created."
Asshai society fascinated Anurys, and if it weren't for the many miracles and disasters that mutants caused in Valyria, he would never have believed the things his son said. He then sat back in his chair and carefully read about the races his son had created…
****
Special thanks to Patreons:
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Senior Magic Apprentice: Cole Bromley and Avacus!