After delivering Kuixi to Thunder Isle, Big Black circled over the Yi lands for three more days to build momentum for the soon-to-be-
After delivering Kuixi to Thunder Isle, Big Black circled over the Yi lands for three more days to build momentum for the soon-to-be-established "Church of the Seven Dragon Gods."
Yes, although Prophet Ren was still in Volantis, Prophet Tian had already founded the Church of the Seven in his name.
It wasn't the state religion of Azure Dynasty in the Yi lands, but it held more sway than the other faiths thanks to official support from the Bu Dynasty, which backed this newly established Church of the Seven Dragon Gods.
Big Black was like an endlessly energetic loudspeaker, preaching over the skies of "Redwood County" in the Yi lands: "Believe in the Seven Dragon Gods and receive the essence of the Holy Dragon."
Redwood County happened to be the region hit hardest by the Greyscale Plague.
The "Holy Dragon Essence" was the antidote to the plague, with dragon essence as its main ingredient.
Big Black didn't just shout slogans; he had Seven Dragon monks working with him to heal the sick and recruit believers.
Indeed, by now, a large number of Seven Dragon monks had appeared in the Yi lands. They wore white robes emblazoned with the black dragon and seven-pointed star sigil. They pitched tents and treated patients infected with greyscale who had already shown devotion to the Seven Dragon Gods.
There were prayer sessions three times a day—morning, noon, and evening.
Even though the church hadn't been formally established yet, the people prayed to seven wooden statues tattooed with black dragons.
Such was the power of official endorsement!
Many of these monks were physicians assigned by the Bu Dynasty—some were even necromancers from the Death Society.
They had donned the robes of the Seven Dragon monks, temporarily assuming the role of "fake monks" until the epidemic ended.
But fake monks could still make real converts!
Every Yi citizen cured by these fake monks became a follower of the Seven Dragon Gods.
It was just like Saint Dany herself—she wasn't a true devotee, yet under her rule, Slaver's Bay still produced a large number of devout believers with faith scores over 10.
Consider the rise of the White Lotus cult at the end of the Heavenly Dynasty. Compared to that, the Dragon Queen's Seven Dragon Church was far more powerful.
They had Holy Dragon Essence to cure so-called incurable diseases, and a divine black dragon who could speak the human tongue.
By the Seven, that black dragon could talk—what else could it be but a god?
Big Black plus the miracle cure worked so well that when Big Black was about to leave the Yi lands, Emperor Bu Hao secretly sought him out.
Yes, Dany was a good mother. She had protected her son very well.
While in the Yi lands, Big Black never landed in densely populated or complex urban areas. He either flew above 200 meters or met with locals atop Dragon Mountain.
Dragon Mountain was a 700-meter peak located five kilometers outside the Yi capital. It shared its name with the volcano on Dragonstone.
From the mountainside to the summit, there wasn't a patch of green—just one massive slab of gray-white rock.
Dany had claimed the mountain from the Bu Dynasty, making it Big Black's temporary base in the Yi lands.
"Emperor Bu, what do you want from me?" Dany entered Big Black's mindspace, gazing down at the dark-eyed, pudgy king below as her voice echoed like thunder.
The dragon lay crouched on a broad rock seven or eight meters tall. Below it, the locals had flattened a 40 to 50 square meter stone path.
Standing on that stone path, the plump king beamed and said, "Dragon God, it's rare to have you here. Why not stay a few more days? I haven't had the chance to properly host you!"
Asking my Big Black to stay longer and saying he wants to host us well…
This sounds… oddly familiar.
Could this fat man be trying to copy the Braavosi?
Dany became alert. She warned Big Black to keep his eyes open, observe everything, and be ready to roast this fat bastard at the first sign of trouble.
This Emperor Bu Hao didn't seem as worthless as Kuixi and Butian made him out to be. If he dared to use himself as bait, he was bolder and more decisive than the Braavosi.
Dany became even more cautious.
"Emperor Bu, how exactly do you plan to entertain the Dragon God?"
The fat king's eyes darted, and an unnatural look crossed his face. He stammered, "Come to my palace. There are mountain delicacies, exquisite beauties, vast gardens spanning thousands of acres, tens of thousands of palace buildings, and the Bu Dynasty's treasure vault. Whatever you fancy, it's yours."
Trying to tempt a black dragon with beautiful women? Even pigs wouldn't say something that stupid.
He was definitely smarter than a pig, which meant he had to be pretending!
Hmm, this fat king was indeed cunning—trying to lower Big Black's guard by playing the fool.
Appearances can be deceiving. Bu Hao might just be the legendary "pig-faced, fox-hearted" man, fooling even Kuixi and Butian.
Dany grew even warier. "The Dragon God has no need for treasures or beauties. I'll be leaving tonight."
"Well then…" The fat king hesitated, then said haltingly, "Some of my ministers wish to meet you. Could you allow them to come up?"
Ministers? Or fully armed dragon slayers?
If the banquet failed, they'd resort to assassination.
"Let them come," Dany replied.
Within the mindspace, Big Black's nine-colored vortex spun rapidly. Magic surged, dragonfire at the ready.
Soon, more than twenty strong soldiers climbed up the narrow, winding path, carrying about ten sedan chairs—two men per chair.
They've definitely hidden crossbows in those sedan chairs. So sneaky!
Too bad—Dragon Queen had seen through it all.
Big Black crouched low, wings spread flat against the stone. His muscular legs tensed, ready to unleash a blast of dragonfire down the narrow stone path.
The fat king noticed the dragon's posture and quickly shouted, "Dragon God, please don't leave in such a rush!"
"Alright, I won't," came a deep, raspy voice that suddenly turned seductive.
Ah, she had switched into her Smaug persona.
If I don't burn all you bastards to ashes, how could I possibly leave?
"What? The Dragon God is leaving?" a voice cried out from one of the sedan chairs. The curtain was flung open, revealing several elderly men with white hair and lavish robes.
Dany froze.
Not crossbowmen?
"Dragon God, please don't go—we have something to discuss," the elders said.
Ten dignified, stately old men stepped out of the sedan chairs and jogged over to the rock where Big Black crouched, calling out repeatedly, "Dragon God, we are willing to convert to the Church of the Seven Dragon Gods."
"What?" Dany was stunned again.
"It's like this," the fat king said, rubbing his hands and grinning obsequiously. "The Azure Dynasty is unstable right now, and we've heard that the Long Night is coming. So we were wondering… could we make a secret agreement with the Dragon Queen?"
He put extra emphasis on the word secret.
"What kind of agreement?" Dany asked, raising an eyebrow.
Was this part of a deeper conspiracy—or had she just been overly paranoid?
"Um…" The fat king glanced at a tall, thin elder with a sunken nose and said, "Prime Minister, I'm not very good with words. Why don't you explain to the Divine Dragon?"
"Your humble servant, Moldo, pays respect to Her Majesty the Dragon God!" The flat-nosed elder stepped forward and bowed calmly.
"Her Majesty the Dragon God possesses wisdom as deep as the abyss. We mortals dare not deceive you with flowery words.
If the Long Night is real, the allied forces are bound to lose, and the Azure Dynasty will not survive it either.
Therefore, we hope to rely on the power of the Dragon Queen to avert this catastrophe."
Interesting.
Dany grew intrigued and said, "Go on."
"We hope that the Dragon Queen can form a marital alliance with the Bu Clan—"
"Hmm?"
The pressure of the dragon's might descended like a tangible force, forcing the old prime minister to bend over, nearly collapsing to the ground.
President Bu Tian wasn't lying. This truly is a deity!Moldo screamed internally, while hurriedly explaining aloud, "Please, Dragon God, do not be angry. It's not that His Majesty Bu Hao seeks to overreach by marrying the Dragon Queen. It would be a union between their children.
The Dragon Queen is in her prime and will eventually have children and grandchildren.
His Majesty Bu Hao hopes that the Dragon Queen's daughter or granddaughter might marry into the Bu Clan and become empress."
"Hmph. What's so special about being the last empress?"
Dany instantly understood two things: First, she really had become a "startled dragon" due to repeated violations of guest rights.
The people of Yidi didn't want to slay a dragon—they had simply misunderstood Bu Hao, who was just a blockhead, dumber than a pig.
Second, the last royal dynasty of Yidi hoped to prolong its reign by attaching itself to the Dragon Queen.
"As long as the Church of the Seven-Headed Dragon becomes the state religion of Yidi, and you begin spreading the word of the Long Night now, you might survive this winter through your own courage," the Holy Dragon rumbled.
The flat-nosed prime minister fell silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "We hope to sign a secret agreement with the Dragon Queen. After all, the Long Night may never come, and the allied forces might not lose. Yidi doesn't dare to side with the Queen when the outcome is still unclear."
"Then so be it. I'm leaving," the Holy Dragon said, rising to depart.
"Perhaps… the Queen's son could come to Yidi, marry a daughter of the Bu Clan, and inherit the Azure Dynasty?" a silver-robed elder quickly suggested.
"And you are?" the Holy Dragon stopped and lowered himself again.
"Your humble servant is the Grand Priest of the Bu Clan."
Dany noticed that although the fat Bu Hao looked displeased, he didn't voice any objection.
"A sacred oath?" she asked.
"These nine ministers present are from the nine most prestigious families. Along with me, they all serve as witnesses to the oath," the Grand Priest solemnly replied.
"Very well."
It was a throne handed to her for free—no reason to refuse.
Whatever the Bu Clan was planning, with a sacred oath in hand, she would have every right to interfere in Yidi's affairs in the future.
In truth, had Dany known more about Yidi's history, she would not have had the slightest doubt.
Back in the Valyrian era, the Yidi emperors had already formed marital alliances with the families of the Fourteen Flames. Otherwise, how else could Yidi have survived the dragonfire of the world-conquering Dragonlords?
A Valyrian noblewoman had once married into the Yidi royal family, and her dowry had included a dragon.
Now, with the Bu Clan's Azure Dynasty pushed to the brink, imperial decrees could no longer leave the capital walls. Real power had fallen into the hands of hundreds of princes.
Bandits, sorcerers, and warlords ran rampant across the land. The people suffered terribly. Anyone with a shred of intelligence could see the country was on the verge of collapse.
If the Dragon Queen crushed the allied forces, then the Bu Clan that allied with her would surely retain the throne. With her help, they might even sweep across the world and breathe new life into the Azure Dynasty.
The Grand Priest still hoped that when the "Dragon Mother's Son" came to Yidi, he would "follow tradition" and bring along a dragon or two.
Ideally, they could establish a true Dragonblood Dynasty in Yidi.
Whether it was the Dragon Mother's son or daughter didn't really matter. After three or four generations of intermarriage with the Bu Clan, even the silver hair and violet eyes would be gone.
Soon, Prime Minister Moldo personally wrote up two copies of the contract on jade-embellished silk. Eleven people, including the plump Bu Hao, the Grand Priest, and the Prime Minister, signed it and stamped it with the seals of their respective houses.
From that moment on, the future royal surname of the Azure Dynasty changed from "Bu" to "Targaryen-Bu."
For example, if Bu Cheng lived another forty years and one of Dany's grandsons came to Yidi to claim the throne, he would have to change his name to Targaryen-Bu Cheng.
Uh… somehow that sounded like a country bumpkin name—like "Nicholas Zhao Si."
"Grand Priest, Emperor Bu Hao, rest assured. During the Long Night, the Dragon Queen may not be able to provide much assistance, but as long as one member of the Bu Clan survives, the Azure Dynasty shall not fall!"
The Holy Dragon used his claw as a pen and signed both his name and the Dragon Queen's on the contract.
"Wonderful! Now that there's no more fear of losing the kingdom, I can finally cut loose and have some fun!"
Fat Bu Hao let out a long sigh of relief. It was as if a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders, and he suddenly looked full of energy.
"Your Majesty!" the flat-nosed prime minister blushed with embarrassment and gave a low, angry cry.
"Oh, come on. You all know what kind of person I am. No need to pretend in front of Lord Dragon God," the chubby emperor waved it off nonchalantly.
All the ministers: [speechless]
This chapter marks the end of the June release. If you have any leftover recommendation tickets, feel free to give them. They don't really affect an already-published book like this one, but with over 80,000 votes now, I was hoping to reach 100,000 before the finale—my last book got close but was sadly taken down.
Of course, no pressure. If you're following a new book now, that's totally fine. Honestly, 100K is a stretch.
By the way, Dun Ji (a.k.a. "Quiet Don") just launched a new book and got it signed: Marvel Princess Becomes Queen. Feel free to give him your votes too. Might be worth bookmarking—I'm checking in every day anyway.
(End of Chapter)
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