Robb Stark knew that his future success depended solely on his own efforts; Wright was already too busy helping Renly to offer him much aid.
In the preface of the magic book Wright had given him, it described the magic and martial skills created specifically for Robb's strengths and characteristics, combining into a unique system. Wright feared that Robb might one day decide to keep the knowledge only within the male line, to hoard it selfishly, and that after Wright's and Robb's generations passed, the hard-earned magic would be lost to time.
Odahviing had arrived over King's Landing, flying in circles above the city before landing in the large plaza next to the magic school.
The magic school had just been expanded and had taken in a batch of younger apprentices. As soon as the dragon landed, they lost interest in their lessons, with the teachers unable to control the nobles' children. The youngsters flooded out of the school, gathering in the plaza to watch the dragon.
The children, who had heard many stories about Wright, seemed unafraid of the dragon and even ventured under its wings and belly. This made Odahviing uncomfortable, as with the slightest movement, these small bodies would be crushed into pulp.
Odahviing raised its head and opened its massive mouth filled with sharp teeth, aiming at the sky.
Boom~~~
Dragon fire continued to pour out, and the entire city of King's Landing could see the flames turning Dragonpit Hill into a golden-red glow.
"Wow!" Odahviing's intention was to scare the children away with its fire, hoping to keep them at a distance, but instead, the children grew even more excited, clapping and cheering.
"Back to school, all of you!"
"Run! The skeleton's coming!" The younger apprentices scrambled back into the school.
From the direction of the Dragonpit slope, a white-robed mage approached, none other than Qyburn, who had just gone to the port to greet Wright.
His voice was quiet, lacking any magical force, but the children feared the skeletal horse he rode, and no one dared to disrupt his necromancy lessons.
With the King and his ministers absent, the streets were less crowded with nobles, but more bustling with common folk. Despite this, the area around Street of Steel remained vibrant.
In the city's most expensive district, where noble merchants gathered, Wright, Stannis, and Renly walked casually, without the usual display of ducal pageantry or golden robes. Only a few close retainers accompanied them, and the trio chatted leisurely as they strolled.
Renly and Stannis, walking side by side, were discussing business.
After secretly taking over Petyr Baelish's entertainment venues, Robert had invested a sum to expand the shop. With the King support, the beautiful women in the district now ignored the priests' warnings from the Seven and openly solicited customers in Street of Steel during the day. Although the young nobles claimed they wouldn't visit such establishments, they often lingered outside, and among the young men, the most popular bet was to see who could leave the most lipstick marks on their face after passing by.
Stannis had been running his business on Street of Steel for nearly ten years, offering various gambling facilities, wines, and foods from across the world. With soundproof private rooms inside, it became the top choice for nobles and merchants to discuss business, as bribery via gambling could be concealed within these walls, where no one could question the dealings. Naturally, this had become a frequent target for the protests of the Seven's priests.
Recently, Renly had opened his own shop on Street of Steel. Seeing the success of the alchemy shop in Highgarden, he, with his extensive resources and connections, figured he should try his hand at the business. Using his influence, he secured a location in the noble-filled street and started selling alchemical potions. Due to the actions of Robert and Stannis, the Seven's priests had already visited his shop multiple times even while it was still under construction.
"Don't you want to open a shop here?" Margaery asked, linking her arm with Wright's.
Both dressed in noble robes, with their respective Valyrian steel longswords at their sides, Wright carried nothing, and with Margaery walking beside him, Loras Tyrell had to follow dutifully behind, his hand resting on his sword, pretending to be an attentive bodyguard.
"I'm different from them. In Volantis, we sell our products to merchants, and aside from custom-made high-end goods, we don't directly sell to nobles or the public. For example, the set you're wearing was custom-made." Margaery was firmly holding Wright's right arm, and he could only gesture with his left hand to indicate her outfit from head to toe.
Margaery's brown hair was styled in an elaborate updo, with some slightly curled locks falling to her neck. She wore a green gown intricately embroidered with gold thread, and with her left arm around Wright and her right hand holding a Volantene lace sunshade, she had a larger bust than before, with a Valyrian steel rose pendant hanging just above her cleavage.
She smiled gently, standing on tiptoe to whisper in Wright's ear, "Want to try it?"
Wright glanced around, noticing many people still walking the streets, and his eyes shifted back to Margaery's chest. "Cough! In public, isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
Margaery nudged him with her shoulder. "Did Nymeria and Tyene make you sleep on the couch again? Your mind is always wandering! I'm talking about the shop, the Volantene barbecue!"
Following her gaze, Wright saw a luxurious restaurant with a sign that read "Volantene Barbecue". It was bustling with guests, and many others stood outside, waiting for takeout, making it clear the place was doing well.
"The barbecue here tastes different from others and is very popular in King's Landing. I've heard traders talking about it even at Windfall. Let's get some and try it." Margaery tried to pull Wright toward the shop, but he firmly pulled her back.
"Didn't you live in Volantis for half a year? We Volantene rarely eat barbecue, mostly seafood. Only a few inns in Volantis sell roasted pigeons." Wright, looking serious, wanted to make sure Margaery wasn't misled. "Let me educate you on the subject."
"However," Margaery pouted, looking displeased.
"Look at that fat-faced, big-eared guy dressed to the nines. The one attending to the customers—he must be the shop owner." Wright looked again, his eyes widening. "Wait a minute, isn't that the guy who delivers pork to me? This guy has never been to Tyrosh, and now he's selling Tyroshi barbecue!"
Margaery chuckled at this. "Are you going to tear down his sign?"
Wright thought for a moment. "Forget it. After all, he's a supplier I know. I haven't been to King's Landing for a year, so his pork business is probably struggling. By taking over this shop, he's found a way out."
"How much money has he made from you, to open such a big shop on Street of Steel?" Margaery started calculating in her mind.
Wright tightened his arm around Margaery's. "Heh, wait until your two dragons grow up more; then you'll see just how much they can eat! They can finish off the savings of a small noble family and sell the castle, that sort of thing."
The group arrived at a large shop formed by three interconnected small buildings. Renly stood in front of the two, saying, "This is my shop, the largest alchemy potion shop in the Seven Kingdoms!"
"Let's go in and have a look," Stannis said briefly, striding into the shop.
The shop had been under renovation for a long time and had only recently opened. Stannis' family had many supplies of wildfire, healing potions, and water-walking potions, all directly supplied from Tyrosh. This was his first visit to an alchemy shop, so he wanted to see what they were selling.
Renly cheerfully invited Wright to come inside, while Margaery released Wright's arm and handed her umbrella to her brother. Loras took the umbrella and followed them into the shop. It was hard to say who started the tradition, but it had become a standard courtesy for knights to hold umbrellas for noble ladies.
"The shop is spread over three small interconnected buildings, with a total of three floors. The top floor is for the warehouse, as well as the workers and guards. The second floor sells raw materials, and the first floor sells finished potions."
As they walked, Renly explained proudly, "This place has all known alchemy potions, including experimental potions whose formulas haven't even been verified by the Magic administration Committee!"
The shop was huge, much larger than the one Wright had seen in Highgarden, with connections that ensured a steady supply of goods.
Shelves filled with colorful glass bottles of potions dazzled the eye. Several nobles and merchants were negotiating with the staff. The group walked deeper into the first floor, where several shelves had family crests hanging from their tops.
"This one is Thoros' exclusive counter, this one is shared by Qyburn and Malora, and this one is mine!" Renly pointed to his own with a beaming smile.
The three of them were veteran members of the Magic School and were the first batch of students to learn magic under Wright, contributing to the spread of magic. Now, wherever they went in the magic world, they were respectfully addressed as "Grand Mages".
These counters were selling potions they had personally made. This was a business model Wright had taught Renly long ago, starting when he was selling high-end pocket watches.
Unlike the large counters outside, these special counters didn't label the names or prices of the potions. With the naked eye, it was impossible to tell their properties. Wright approached the counter, raised his hand, and used his magic to sense the potions inside through the glass.
"Thoros' counter even sells alchemical poisons! Did Robert approve this?"
Renly nodded. "Yes! He's the only one who received the king's permission for that."
"Qyburn and Malora share a counter, but Thoros has one all to himself. How much does he need money for?" Margaery, familiar with Renly, often went to the Magic School, and was now quite familiar with the three of them.
Wright said, "He's nearly forty, unmarried, earns a lot, and spends a lot. You should know where all the money goes."
Margaery smiled and walked to Renly's side, linking her arm with his, and looked up at his face. "Wright taught Thoros magic. Thoros makes alchemy potions and sells them here for profit, then goes to your second brother Stannis to turn a profit, and finally takes the money to your oldest brother Robert's entertainment venue across the street. You Baratheon brothers are really draining everyone dry."
"It really is like that, haha," Renly and Wright both laughed, and even Stannis' lips twitched.
Maybe because they were all family, they let their guard down over time. Margaery returned to Renly's side with Wright, and while others couldn't tell the difference between their similar appearances, hairstyles, and clothing, Stannis recognized them immediately, subtly suspecting something.
After walking past a few counters, Wright went deeper into the first floor. "Why is there a counter for Tyene here?"
Wright pointed at the counter and said to Renly, "Haha, this is a business between Tyene and me. It's perfectly normal that you wouldn't know about it."
Renly walked over with a mischievous grin, placing his arm around Wright's shoulder. "Tyene's alchemy is widely recognized as the best on the continent. You pioneered magic, but alchemy? You're not even close to her level!"
Wright unlocked the counter with his mage's hand, took out a bottle of red potion, and held it in his hand. He sensed it; it was a mana restoration potion he had drunk before. The red liquid inside the transparent glass bottle resembled wine. Due to the ingredients, a replacement formula still hadn't been found after all these years. Wright was certain that drinking this would turn his skin red.
"How well is her potion selling?"
"The potions made by masters are too expensive for ordinary people. Tyene's potions are bought mostly by mages. The mana restoration potion you're holding is her best-seller."
Wright shook the potion in his hand. "How much do you sell this bottle for?"
"Ten golden dragons, no haggling."
"This little girl must have saved up quite a bit of pocket money!"
Alchemy is a technical skill. With the same ingredients, processes, and equipment, two mages can produce vastly different results—one might be a failure, while the other is excellent.
Wright and Tyene were business partners in alchemy. Wright provided the raw materials, while Tyene handled the processing. Wright took a 30% cut, and Tyene kept 70%. Back when the castle wasn't finished, Tyene had a lot of money and nowhere to put it. Wright often found a few golden dragons in Tyene's pockets while she was asleep. Now that the bottom three floors of the castle were completed, Wright had no idea where she hid her money.
"Hehehe, Nymeria and Tyene told me that even without you, the two of them could still support the kids and the women," Margaery chuckled, covering her mouth.
Renly patted Wright on the shoulder. "Hey, whether you're here or not, it's the same! Let's go, go, go, over to Stannis' place!"
The group left the alchemy shop and arrived at Stannis' store on the same street, which had a very different atmosphere from the previous one filled with commerce and magic.
Outside the shop, there were groups of young people gathered at every intersection. Some were squatting on the ground, others chewing on nuts and casually tossing the shells onto the ground. The hired street cleaners seemed to have no problem with this, as if they were familiar with these young people and even exchanged a few words while cleaning.
Wright noticed a few young people at an intersection who were tugging at someone wearing the Seven's faith robe. After a few moments, a strong young man was lying on the ground, clutching his stomach and wailing. The person in the robe spread his hands, looking innocent, while he continued talking to the other young people.
At the entrance, two tall, fierce-looking attendants dressed in fine clothes were carefully inspecting the small cards in every visitor's hand. When they saw Stannis approach, they immediately stood up straight and bowed to him.
Wright could tell from their demeanor that they were probably retired navy men from the royal fleet.
The door opened as the two attendants stepped aside, and Stannis led the group through the hall.
The hall didn't have any facilities for gambling or entertainment. The floor was covered with thick carpets, and luxurious sofas and chairs were arranged around tables, where nobles and merchants sat together. Beautiful female attendants moved between them, offering exquisite food and fine wine.
After entering, Stannis didn't say a word, maintaining a stern face as he walked straight toward the stairs leading to the second floor. Many male attendants dressed in different clothing stepped aside for him and stood straight to salute him.
Wright noticed that all the attendants were carrying weapons under their clothes. Some had daggers strapped to their calves, some wore them at their waists, and others had them on their forearms.
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