When the magic network collapsed in the early hours of yesterday morning, the Bullneck Doctor was even more incredulous than Sansa was now.
Strange messages kept flashing within the mana crystal. The moment he placed his hand on it, not only was he unable to read those messages, but his own thoughts and memories were also uncontrollably siphoned away.
In the past, the flow of information within the crystal had been as gentle as a stream formed by melting ice and snow in early spring. Now, however, it had transformed into a blue-black vortex, madly devouring all information that came into contact with it.
It even actively plundered the memories and thoughts of anyone who touched the crystal ball.
Had Maester Pyros not been beside him and noticed the Bullneck Doctor's eyes rolling back and his body convulsing as if electrocuted, rushing forward to pull him away, Marwyn might already have been reduced to an imbecile.
In fact, he constantly felt as though he had lost part of his memory, yet he could not recall what exactly was missing.
"I suspect Balerion tried to search my memories for the queen's secrets," Marwyn said with lingering fear."Alas, I have no idea how much He saw, or how much harm it might cause Her Grace.As expected of the being that founded Valyria's supreme magical civilization, Balerion's methods are truly terrifying."
Sansa was both shocked and frightened. "When I tried to contact Aunt Dany yesterday, I discovered that I had lost my connection to the magic network's core, so I came to Dragonstone to investigate the cause. I never expected this…"
At this moment, she finally understood how great a risk she had taken by riding a dragon alone to Dragonstone.
"The allied wyvern squadrons began their air raids on Dragonstone almost the instant the magic network collapsed. After that, I sent ravens separately to Storm's End, Sunspear, and Moon Gate Castle to warn you about the wyverns.
"I'm not sure whether those places were attacked, but starting yesterday, Dragonstone has been harassed off and on, with wyverns flying in from time to time to drop a single fire-oil bomb."
"Were the losses on Dragonstone severe?" Brienne could not help asking.
"Not too bad. The castle is built of immortal black stone. As long as one takes shelter inside the towers, there's no fear of fire-oil bombs. Only the magic tower, which was built of ordinary stone and was also the enemy's primary target, had two floors smashed in.
"Fortunately, the queen had the foresight to construct underground chambers dozens of meters deep within the rock. Even if all the upper structures collapse, it won't matter."
"Still, I don't know whether Dragonstone's ravens can make it to Slaver's Bay. We have to notify Aunt Dany somehow and have her arrange for wyverns to come support us," Sansa said worriedly.
Though she was no expert on wyverns, she understood that the mainstream types were spotted wyverns, swamp dragons, and shadow dragons. Her Lady was a spotted wyvern, the most cost-effective type but also the weakest in attack power.
If she encountered any allied wyvern, there was a high probability she would be captured.
One king had already been taken prisoner. If even the queen fell into enemy hands, Aegon VI's short-lived dynasty would be truly pitiful.
"Don't worry. The queen's reinforcements will arrive soon," Marwyn reassured her.
With the collapse of the magic network core, Dany naturally sensed it immediately. She then began contacting Darkstar Gerold Dayne.
Do you remember the reserve White Knight who once led eighty giant ships rented from Braavos to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to pick up the wildlings?
He had already completed his mission, transferring roughly seventy-five thousand wildlings to Queen's Angle in the Stepstones.
Although the task of relocating the wildlings was finished, the lease on the great ships had not yet expired.
With a mindset of not wasting resources, and also considering that the duration of the Long Night was still unknown, Dany began pushing a major leap forward at Queen's Angle.
Not just farming.
Living by the sea but not making use of it would be far too wasteful.
Thus, the "Dragon Queen Deep-Sea Fisheries Company" was officially established.
She also specifically instructed Old Crab to arrange for several hundred Ibbenese to be hired from across the Narrow Sea.
The shaggy-haired Ibbenese not only possessed the world's best whaling techniques, but were also highly skilled at processing whale oil and preserving whale meat. Ibben lies north of the Essos continent, in the Shivering Sea, at a relatively high latitude, heavily affected by winter, and like the people of Westeros, they are accustomed to stockpiling food for the cold season.
However, Ibben's resources are far inferior to those of inland Essos, so its fishing industry is extremely developed.
Among the wildlings as well, there were tribes who lived by fishing. They joined the whaling ships in groups and began traveling back and forth between the Shivering Sea and the Summer Sea.
Gerold Dayne was stationed at Dragonstone, centrally commanding the fishing fleets of the Narrow Sea and the Shivering Sea. Barristan led seventy thousand wildlings across the hills and fields to plant sweet potatoes and potatoes, while also managing the fishing operations in the Summer Sea.
While war raged throughout Slaver's Bay, the wildlings at Queen's Angle were instead thriving, living prosperous and happy lives.
Moreover, because every White Knight carried a fragment of the Dragon Queen's external soul imprint, even after the magic network core collapsed, Dany was still able to learn of Dragonstone's situation at the very first moment through mental projection.
At this moment, the advantages of Kuishe's soul-marking technique became apparent. By leaving a fragment of the soul directly inside the target, even the "global radio interference" tower set up by Balerion could not block a "wired signal."
Hmm. Jenny had built a magic tower in Oros identical to the one on Dragonstone.
As long as the output of her tower was higher than Dany's, she could use special means to suppress, or even backlash against, the authority holder of the Dragonstone magical network hub.
If Dany herself were stationed on Dragonstone, she might have been able to engage Balerion in a defensive counterattack. Unfortunately, the authority holder of the Dragonstone magical network was Marwyn, who had not mastered the legacy of a Grand Wizard and was easily crushed.
"Valyrian sorcery is far too domineering. It actually interfered with glass candle communications across the entire world."
It was as if a door to a new world had been opened for Sansa. For the first time, she gained a more intuitive understanding of the upper limits of individual power.
Melisandre's sorcery was elusive and hard to guard against, but it only functioned in personal struggles. The Valyrians, by contrast, were using magic to reshape heaven and earth.
Marwyn sighed and said, "Even a small magic tower like Dragonstone's can stir tides in the sea of magic.
"One can only imagine how far Valyrian magical civilization had developed back then. Fourteen gigantic volcanoes!"
"What is their purpose?" Sansa suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Marwyn's expression turned awkward for a brief moment.
His bull-like thick neck bobbed as he swallowed. He said cautiously, "The impact on Slaver's Bay is still uncertain, but in Westeros they may have two objectives: to destroy the Dragonstone magic tower, and then capture hostages."
"Capture hostages? Who?" Sansa asked blankly. In the next instant, her rosy face turned deathly pale. Trembling, she said, "C-could it be… Aegon?"
"Perhaps you as well," Marwyn nodded gently.
The blood rushed back into Sansa's pallid face, turning it bright red as she cried out in agitation, "Why? We didn't provoke—"
Her voice cut off abruptly. The bright flames of anger in her eyes instantly dimmed, and she murmured, "Because of Aunt Dany. The decisive battle of Meereen is about to begin. The allied forces lack confidence, so they want to seize us to threaten her?"
"This is only a conjecture, and it may not be accurate. It is also possible that they were hired by Cersei. With the True Dragon Alliance attacking King's Landing from north and south, the Iron Throne has no reason to remain completely inactive."
Marwyn spoke words of consolation that offered no real comfort.
Even if they were hired by Cersei, was not the target of the wyvern squad still the two of them?
Suddenly, Sansa thought of something extremely terrifying and hurriedly asked, "In that case, does it mean that the Vale lords at Rosby, as well as the Golden Company south of the Blackwater, the Dornish sand cavalry, and the Stormlands lords could all be subjected to wyvern raids?"
Marwyn nodded helplessly. "I sent letters to the Crownlands nobles. They will dispatch people to notify the various commanders."
"Which noble? Are they reliable? Will it be in time?" Sansa asked anxiously, then suddenly froze. With a bitter smile, she shook her head and said, "I almost forgot. The True Dragon Alliance has already been broken apart by Stannis. Those who still remain loyal to Aegon are probably very few."
Marwyn did not know how to comfort the poor queen. He could only nod and say, "Many Crownlands nobles maintain secret ties with Dragonstone. There will always be at least one who is reliable."
On the day when the Vale lords seized the small castles of minor nobles in the Crownlands, Crownlands lords sent letters one after another to Dragonstone asking for help. Then the Old Crab went to the Eyrie to admonish Aegon.
Today, Dragonstone needed the help of the Crownlands nobles. Only a single discreet letter was sent, and someone immediately took care of the matter properly.
In theory, the Crownlands were directly administered lands of the Iron Throne, and the nobles there should all have been loyal to it.
But this was the way Westerosi nobles survived: who among the lions does not understand dragons? And among the dragons, who cannot also understand lions?
Thud, thud, thud. As the two were talking by the fireplace, the two brown-lacquered doors were suddenly pulled open. Two figures wrapped in snow hurried into the hall. The cold wind followed them inside, causing the fire in the hearth to flare and roar.
Startled by the chill, Sansa instinctively shrank her neck and looked up, only to see Maester Pyros in gray robes, who should have come to pay his respects long ago, and Bronn in black steel armor.
"Greetings, Your Grace!" The two first bowed to Sansa, then straightened with grave expressions. "Something terrible has happened. The target of the allied wyvern squad was indeed the True Dragon Alliance.
"The Golden Company south of the Blackwater, the Dornish cavalry, and the Stormlands coalition have all but been wiped out. There has been no raven from the Vale lords yet, so their situation is still unknown."
The Aegon dynasty had not yet been established, and it was already formally declared over.
"Seven save us!" Even though Sansa had already had suspicions, she still covered her face and cried out in grief.
"Wiped out? All dead?" Marwyn frowned.
"Not exactly," Maester Pyros shook his head and handed over the newly received letter.
The letter was from Arianne of Dorne. Its contents were extensive, detailing the battle that took place in the early hours of this morning.
Randyll Tarly served as the commander, leading ten thousand Reach cavalry, ten thousand Westlands lion-helmed troops, and five thousand Gold Cloaks in a frontal assault.
Opposing them were ten thousand of the Golden Company, eight thousand peasant soldiers assembled by Stormlands nobles, over four thousand Dornish sand cavalry, and several thousand laborers.
Once Aegon's capture was confirmed, morale in the army collapsed. Yet the performance of the Golden Company and the Dornish was astonishing. They faced the greatest general of the Seven Kingdoms head-on without the slightest fear.
However, the Dornish sand cavalry held greater advantages in the desert environment of Dorne. On the hard plains, they were instead crushed by the high speed and great strength of the Reach's fine steeds.
After several charges, the Dornish fought fearlessly to the death, but their losses were severe.
The Dornish did not even fear true dragons. The Targaryen dynasty spent more than a hundred years and even lost a dragon, yet still failed to conquer them by brute force. But while Dorne excelled at defense, it was severely lacking in offense. Thus, Daeron had never hoped to avenge himself by his own strength. Once they left Dorne's complex terrain, they were immediately beaten into a pulp.
(End of chapter)
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