"How many indulgences can you print in a day now?" Tyrion asked curiously.
"If we go all out, a million copies is easy."
"A million? Seven gods! No wonder you don't care about them leaking out. If you keep printing for a month, everyone in the world could have one." Tyrion swayed slightly, feeling dizzy.
"That's not sustainable. We only ran at full capacity for the first few days, printing three million copies and distributing them to castles near the North in the Riverlands, Crownlands, and the Vale. Now we're only doing a little over a hundred thousand per day."
Dany shook her head and sighed. "The biggest limiting factor for indulgences is the blood of the Stranger. Even though Drogon is huge, he can't withstand continuous bloodletting."
"A hundred thousand is still a lot… wait, you said the Stranger's blood? Isn't it Drogon's blood?"
No longer a muggle, Tyrion immediately caught the "heavenly secret" hidden in the Dragon Queen's words.
Dany thought for a moment and said, "The Three-Eyed Raven and Stannis know about this. Most evil gods across the world know it too, and maybe their followers do as well. There's no real need to keep it from you specifically. Just keep it to yourself, no need to spread it around."
"Actually, the Seven were originally seven pieces of wood…"
That night, in a guest room on Dragonstone.
Under the dim candlelight, as her body rose and fell, Arianne's glossy olive-toned skin reflected shifting light and shadow.
After a while, her full figure suddenly stiffened.
Smack!
Arianne slapped Tyrion across the face and scolded in a low voice, "What's wrong with you? Since lunch, all afternoon and even through dinner, you've been absent-minded and dazed. Where did your usual vigor go?"
Tyrion stared blankly at her dissatisfied face, watching her lips move, but nothing seemed to register.
Seeing him like a wooden statue, she pinched him hard again.
"Ahh!" With a howl of pain, the dwarf finally snapped. "I wasn't in the mood or had any energy today. Why are you pushing me like this?!"
When he got angry, Arianne instead softened. She gently rubbed the sore spot and asked curiously, "My Dragon King, what happened? You're very off today."
Hearing her call him "Dragon King" in such a soft tone, Tyrion calmed down a little.
He had a particular preference. He liked being called grand titles during intimacy, similar to how normal people enjoy hearing "you're beautiful" or "you're amazing."
For example, he liked Shae to call him "the Giant of Lannister" or "the Great Lion."
After being with him for a while, Arianne discovered this little secret. She replaced "Lion" with "Dragon King," while "Giant" remained.
"I'm fine, it's just…" Tyrion hesitated, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "Something is wrong, but it has nothing to do with you, and it's not something I can tell you."
"What's there that can't be said? Does it have to do with that little slut from Tarth?" Arianne's expression changed, becoming wary.
Then she suddenly remembered something and asked, "You originally planned to sign the sacred contract this morning and fly to Tarth in the afternoon to report the negotiation results to that woman. Why did you change your mind?"
"Tessa…" Tyrion shook his head. "My Paladin Mark has shattered. Tessa still remembers me and has feelings for me, but I can no longer control her heart-to-heart. If I fly recklessly, it could be dangerous."
"Why did your Paladin Mark shatter?" Arianne asked in confusion.
"My faith has encountered some problems."
"What kind of problems?" Her curiosity deepened.
Tyrion irritably pushed her off his chest. "Stop asking. Go find me a copy of the Seven-Pointed Star. I need to rebuild my worldview, my outlook on life, my faith, and my values."
Arianne looked completely baffled as she climbed out of bed in a daze. "Theresa is next door. She's a septa and usually carries a copy of the Seven-Pointed Star. I heard it was personally annotated by the High Septon, with his notes in it. My uncle bought it from a family of septons in the Starry Sept for a high price."
"No!" Tyrion twisted his face and shouted, "Not the High Septon's version. I want the New Seven-Pointed Star written by Saint Dany."
Arianne thought he was being unreasonable and stood still at the bedside, snapping, "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't all versions the same?"
Tyrion shook his head. "That sentence alone shows how shallow your faith in the Seven is. You don't even know the scripture has been revised?
No wonder your sister Theresa only recently became a third-generation priest. She chose the wrong material. Go find Laresa and have her get the latest version from the Queen's study. Preferably one annotated by my sister herself.
After I finish reading it, give it to Theresa. I guarantee she'll be promoted to White Robe Bishop within two years."
Arianne still didn't move. She looked at him strangely and asked softly, "Are you having an episode of your family's 'mad blood'?"
Tyrion glared at her impatiently. "Go call Laresa. You'll understand what I mean."
Though confused, Arianne still put on a robe, slipped into her slippers, and went to the door to ring the bell.
Soon a maid arrived. After asking a few questions, she left. About a quarter of an hour later, she returned with a brand-new Seven-Pointed Star that smelled faintly of castor oil.
"So there really is a new version," Arianne muttered as she flipped through it on her way back.
"I asked for the manuscript. Why give me a new book?" Tyrion complained.
"Laresa said the original draft is in Slaver's Bay. Since coming to Dragonstone, Daenerys has been focused on studying sorcery in the magic tower and hasn't had the time or interest to work on theology.
There was a copy annotated by your sister, but it was given to the red priest Moqorro."
Arianne lay beside Tyrion, propped up on feather pillows, their heads close together as they read.
"This is interesting…" Tyrion had expected it to be dull, but he gradually became engrossed, his energy rising.
Arianne, on the other hand, grew drowsy, drifting between sleep and wakefulness.
"What's interesting?" she asked, her eyes half-open.
"The book describes the time before the universe existed, the process of creation, and our current human era in a way that is…"
Tyrion paused, then sighed. "Terrifying. It's all real. They've directly revealed the truth in a scripture that everyone can read. That's terrifying."
"These mystical stories are all the same underneath. They're just meant to fool believers and make the gods seem more sacred and great. It's fine to skim through them, but anyone who truly believes them is a fool," Arianne said dismissively.
"That's quite insightful," Tyrion praised.
"My uncle Oberyn said that. He studied the Seven-Pointed Star before and almost became a septon. But like when he tried to become a maester, he gave up halfway."
"What a pity. If he were still alive, he would definitely take those words back. Sigh, that man talked too much."
Thinking of his friend who died tragically at the hands of the Mountain, Tyrion sighed.
Unexpectedly, it only took three days for Tyrion to restore his faith in the Seven.
More precisely, he came to genuinely accept the doctrine of the Seven, rather than worship the gods themselves.
Not only did he recover the divine power he had lost during his crisis of faith, but he also found his connection to the Mother had grown stronger. After praying, he received even more divine power than before.
With complicated emotions, Tyrion mounted Tessa, who had formed a dragonrider contract with him for the third time, and flew toward Tarth with the sacred contract signed with Stannis.
"You betrayed me?" Sansa's hands trembled as she held the parchment. Her face, plump from pregnancy, twisted like that of a demon.
"Hey, calm down. Listen to me!" Tyrion quickly said.
"You gave my grain to Stannis for free just to get him to spare your whore sister and Casterly Rock, and you expect me to calm down?" Sansa roared.
"With that level of vision and composure, you still want to compete for the Iron Throne?" Tyrion couldn't help but jab at her.
"Fine. Speak. I'll listen." Sansa felt her abdomen sink slightly and took several deep breaths to steady herself.
"Storm's End is now ours… yours," Tyrion said softly.
"It's only mortgaged to me. After the Long Night, he'll redeem it with five million gold dragons. Even if he dies during the Long Night, Mya Baratheon will inherit the contract.
In the end, I only get five million gold dragons, while you protect Jaime and Cersei and keep Casterly Rock," Sansa said coldly.
Such arrogance, calling five million gold dragons 'only.' Have the Starks ever seen that much money?
Suppressing his thoughts, Tyrion said seriously, "Sansa, remember this. In the game of power, never treat your opponents as fools.
It's better to overestimate than to underestimate."
A thoughtful look flashed in Sansa's eyes, and some of the hostility on her face faded.
Tyrion sighed. "I understand your plan. Stay hidden, act quietly, and if the opportunity arises, fulfill the oath 'the one who ends the Long Night shall be king.'
If not, use your leverage to secure a duchy from the new king.
But while you think you're clever, don't assume Stannis is a fool.
He's rigid and influenced by the Lord of Light, but he still has twenty years of experience in the game of thrones. Among the fallen kings, he alone survived… well, except for dying once at Winterfell."
"Get to the point. What's wrong with my plan?" Sansa said coldly.
"How did the Targaryens lose the Iron Throne?"
Without waiting for an answer, Tyrion continued, "During the War of the Usurper, neither the Mad King nor Rhaegar made tactical mistakes. They lost because their raw strength was inferior to the alliance of the wolf, fish, eagle, and stag.
If you gain a duchy, combined with your brother Jon Stark and your great-uncle Brynden Tully, you would form a terrifying northern alliance again.
And since you still carry the Targaryen banner, you'd also be a potential ally to my sister.
A four-kingdom alliance even more dangerous than before would drive any king on the Iron Throne mad. Why would Stannis allow that?"
"He has no choice. I hold the initiative. At worst, I'll leave Westeros, watch from across the sea, and wait for my chance," Sansa said stubbornly.
"Naive. Do you think the Free Cities are full of good people? Or that you're more capable than the Dragon Queen was back then?
During the Long Night, grain is even more tempting than the miraculous dragons that have reappeared in the world. And it invites even more recklessness. After all, people eat grain, but dragons eat people," Tyrion sneered.
(End of Chapter)
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