"People say the Valyrian ancestors were nothing more than shepherds beneath the Fourteen Flames, their bloodline hardly worth mentioning—ah!"
The dwarf did not finish his sentence before his words struck a raw nerve in Jenny.
She immediately used a move called "Earthworm Burrowing." Dragon-worms like densely packed, gigantic earthworms drilled into every opening they found, covering the dwarf's entire body.
The dwarf convulsed as if electrocuted for quite a while before Jenny finally let him go. Well, only halfway. She left his head exposed.
"Do not bring up those absurd rumors you picked up somewhere and use them to insult our great ancestors in front of me," Jenny warned.
After being tormented like that, the dwarf also grew angry and retorted stubbornly, "There are only the two of us here. What is there that can't be said? Whose ancestors didn't rise from humble beginnings?"
Jenny shook her head and said, "The Valyrian ancestors are divided into two major categories: the ancestors of the Fourteen Flames, and the ancestors of the other Valyrian families.
"The ancestors of the Fourteen Flames were three noble princes. They ruled all the nomadic tribes on the plains surrounding the Fourteen Flames.
"These three princes were born with holy spirits. Their bloodlines were so noble that they surpassed anyone of the present age. They comprehended the laws of the universe on their own and engraved bloodlines aligned with those laws into the genes of the families of the Fourteen Flames.
"The remaining first-generation Valyrians were the princes' subjects. They were the true herdsmen. Their bloodlines were forged through blood sorcery, fusing the blood of giant dragons.
"For example, the Targaryens.
"Their ancestor did not even have a name, merely one of the many household slaves of the eldest prince."
"But the Targaryen bloodline isn't low," the dwarf said skeptically.
"That depends on who you compare them with. Compared to those uncivilized savages of Westeros, the Targaryens are naturally as noble as gods," Jenny said proudly.
"I mean, the Dragon Queen's bloodline seems stronger than yours," the dwarf said cautiously, watching Jenny's expression.
This time, Jenny did not get angry. After all, the Dragon Queen's achievements were plain for everyone to see and could not be covered up with words.
"After the Doom, Valyria lost its dominion over the world, yet the Targaryens instead became royalty," she sighed helplessly. "I told you before that royal authority can gain recognition from the laws of the universe. That gave her bloodline the foundation for a beneficial mutation.
"Just like you. You are also of royal blood. Although your Valyrian blood is thin, the blood of a king gives your genes a slight possibility of atavism."
"If that's the case, after the Doom, why didn't you merge with the Targaryen bloodline? They are royalty and have dragons," the dwarf asked in confusion.
Jenny's expression changed several times.
"It's not that it was never done," she said after a long while, her tone complicated.
"I've never heard of a marriage alliance between the Targaryens and Valyria," the dwarf said. "I couldn't possibly have missed something that big."
Jenny stiffened her face and said coldly, "What are you thinking? How would the Targaryens be worthy of marrying into the families of the Fourteen Flames?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to merge with their bloodline?" the dwarf asked, puzzled.
"Hmph. Does merging bloodlines only happen through marriage? Aren't you merging with dragon-worm blood right now?"
"Ah!" The dwarf's face changed drastically as he cried out in shock. "You plan to use blood sorcery to seize the Targaryen bloodline?"
Several overlapping pupils of strange colors flashed through Jenny's blue eyes. After a moment, she shook her head regretfully. "What a pity. Such a rare dragon-spirit talent."
The dwarf's heart stirred. "What is dragon-spirit talent?" he asked.
Dragon spirit. He had heard the Dragon Queen mention it vaguely a few times. It seemed she herself possessed dragon-spirit talent, but he did not understand its concrete effects.
"A true talent for controlling dragons."
Jenny had already regarded the dwarf as one of her own. Even a test subject was still a person, and many secrets that did not involve Balerion's fundamentals were not worth hiding.
"So that's how it is." As the dwarf exclaimed in amazement, a chill crept into his heart. The Dragon Queen and the great black dragon must share a dragon-spirit bond. Aside from her, no one could possibly become the great black dragon's rider. Yet Aegon had been trying to subdue the great black dragon all along, a completely futile effort.
Then her affection for Aegon,even Aegon's identity.The people of Westeros suspected Aegon was a false prince, and he himself had already harbored doubts back on the Rhoyne, yet the Dragon Queen was such a shrewd person, and still…The dwarf shuddered, not daring to think any further.
"You're trembling," Jenny noticed the chill running through the person beneath her. She stared at him meaningfully. "What are you afraid of?"
"I, I, Jenny, don't take my bloodline!" The dwarf did not explain and only begged desperately.
Not explaining meant there was no concealment, and no concealment meant he had nothing to hide.
His expression shifted swiftly and naturally. Even the dwarf himself felt a bit impressed.
After this undercover mission is over, maybe I can go join a theater troupe as an actor.
At this moment, the identity of "Prince Leo of Elephant Isle" was not even on par with the Targaryens of old. Since Jenny felt the Targaryens were unworthy of marrying into the noble remnants of the Fourteen Flames, it was only natural that Leo was even less worthy.
"Hehe, rest assured. After what happened with Aerea Targaryen, we won't do something as foolish as killing the chicken to get the eggs anymore," Jenny said with a chuckle, trying to comfort him.
Damn it, killing the chicken to get the eggs? I wasn't even afraid before, but now that you've said that…The dwarf truly began to tremble in fear, and Jenny let out an "Oh~~~."
"Then who was that Aerea Targaryen?" he asked with a forced smile.
"That was 250 years ago. Back then, the Targaryen dynasty had just been established and was at the peak of the true dragon family's power and glory.
"Aerea Targaryen was the crown princess of that era.
"Of noble status, pure bloodline, awakened dragon-spirit talent, and she even subdued Balerion of House Targaryen."
The "dragon expert" gradually formed a clearer impression of Princess Aerea, because he remembered the names of all the dragons of the Seven Kingdoms, their successive riders, and even the ultimate fates of those riders.
It seemed that, according to official records, Princess Aerea died of a fever.
That was not right. Princess Aerea had once ridden Balerion and left Westeros for nearly a year. She returned and, after barely two days, died under mysterious circumstances.
That was abnormal. There had to be a major secret hidden by the Targaryen royal family.
Thinking of this, the dwarf grew genuinely interested. "What exactly happened back then?"
"Why do you care about this?" Jenny asked, puzzled.
"Because I can relate!" the dwarf sighed dramatically. "I am also a prince, also of Valyrian collateral blood. I have awakened noble Valyrian pure blood as well, and I was chosen by you too."
"You are overthinking it," Jenny said disdainfully, giving him a glance. "You are hundreds of streets behind her. No matter how lowly Targaryen blood may seem, that is only in comparison to the Fourteen Flames.
Before mortals, even the servants of the Fourteen Flames are gods.
And besides, her talent, hmm."
Jenny swayed slightly, savoring it deeply before judging. "She initially awakened her dragon spirit. In that regard, you are far inferior. But your bloodline is somewhat special. The help it offers me may well be no worse than that of a Targaryen dragon spirit."
"How is it special?" The dwarf began to feel nervous again.
If it was that special, would I be devoured by you?
"Special in its rarity. This is the first time in several thousand years such a magical fluctuation has appeared. In truth, your bloodline is neither pure nor noble."
Then, noticing his expression, Jenny said impatiently, "Only my child with you would merge with the great Balerion. Stop overthinking it."
That's good, that's good. Thank the arrogance of your Valyrian Fourteen Flames. Thank you, High Priestess, for looking down on me.
The dwarf let out a sigh of relief and asked again, "So what happened to that Aerea afterward?"
"All great dragons born in Valyria share a faint, wondrous spiritual connection with His Majesty Balerion.
So after Aerea became the rider of the Black Dread, we could directly summon the Black Dread back home. Although Valyria had already become ruins, the Black Dread would not lose its way, nor would it be blocked by the Wall of Storms."
The dwarf suddenly understood. The Black Dread, Balerion, was indeed born in Valyria. At that time, the Doom had not yet occurred, and the Targaryens had not been exiled.
Returning to the Smoking Sea was simply going home for the Black Dread.
"Since you already brought Aerea to the ruins of Valyria, how did you still fail?"
A sheep that has entered the tiger's den can still escape? Your operational competence is really lacking.
The dwarf was utterly perplexed.
"At first, she was very obedient. She even served as a priestess in Oros for more than half a year, and His Majesty Balerion taught her many of the great sorcerer's inherited arts.
But that little wretch, just like Daenerys, was ungrateful and blind to kindness. Once she discovered that she would merge with the spirits of her ancestors, she immediately struggled and resisted, unwilling to offer everything to the great ancestral god Balerion.
Alas, she had already initially awakened her dragon spirit. And the Black Dread, Balerion, was an adult dragon!"
This proves that Daenerys and Princess Aerea were normal people!Aside from you brain-damaged remnants of the Fourteen Flames, what normal person would willingly offer everything to an evil god?
The dwarf muttered inwardly, then said oddly, "The Black Dread was that terrifying, yet it could oppose the ancestral god?"
"Heh. Do you know when Balerion died, and how many years he lived?" Jenny sneered.
Of course the dwarf knew, but "Leo" certainly did not.
So he said, "I have no idea."
"To save Aerea, the Black Dread voluntarily used a forbidden art. She was not its first rider at all; the two of them should not have shared such deep feelings," Jenny said regretfully.
Then she explained once more the great sorcerer's inheritance and the overclocked fusion under the dragon-spirit state.
The dwarf recalled carefully. After Aerea's death, Balerion lived for nearly forty more years, but his condition was extremely poor. He was the first dragon to dwell permanently in a dragonpit and spent all his time crouched in a cavern.
Later, a Prince Viserys gained his recognition and became his final dragonrider. But the Black Dread could barely fly and almost never went on missions. In less than a year, he died of old age.
Barely making it to two hundred years.
As one of the three ancestral dragons of the Targaryen dynasty, Vhagar lived to roughly the same age as Balerion, around 180 years. Yet she died in a dragon battle, with no signs of physical decline.
Moreover, Vhagar's death was not due to being weaker than the younger generation.
The main reason was that her dragonrider was one-eyed, and in the dragon battle, his remaining eye was fatally dazzled by the glow of the setting sun, allowing the enemy to exploit his blind spot.
Even when a dragon half her size clamped down on her throat, a deadly weak point, Vhagar remained unafraid and nearly tore that prime dragon apart with her claws. Even in an unfavorable state, Vhagar won the dragon battle.
However, dragons have limited carrying capacity. With her neck firmly bitten and another dying dragon entwined around her body, Vhagar could not take flight. She fell into the Gods Eye Lake and died from the impact.
Compared to Vhagar's tragic and heroic end, Balerion, the eldest of them all, died in a rather ignoble manner.
(End of chapter)
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