Rhaegar's gaze darkened as he unconsciously tightened his grip on the letter.
"Prince, this is not good news. We should start preparing immediately," Tormund suggested softly.
Rhaegar remained vigilant. "Tell Syrio to keep a close watch on the movements of the Three Daughters. No whispers must be missed."
The moment he saw the letter, he wanted to mount Glutton and search the Lysene waters immediately.
But that was nearly impossible.
An injured wild dragon could hide anywhere, and the likelihood of him successfully finding the Smoke Sea wild dragon was far lower than that of the Lyseni, who had the advantage of proximity.
Flying there on dragonback would only complicate matters, drawing the attention of all of Lys to the wild dragon in the Smoke Sea.
Tormund nodded but remained troubled. "Prince, this is just one of many pieces of bad news."
Rhaegar ignored him and continued reading the letter.
[Prince Qoren's eldest daughter, Alysandra Martell, is engaged to the youngest son of the Sealord of Braavos...]
[Sunspear has been purchasing large quantities of military equipment from Braavos and Qohor...]
Rhaegar read through the letter carefully, a cold smirk forming at the corner of his lips.
Qoren of Dorne was as ambitious as ever, using his daughter's marriage to the Sealord's son as a means to strengthen Dorne's military power.
Tormund lowered his head and hesitated before pulling out another letter from his coat. "A report from our spy in Sunspear states that to win the favor of the Sealord of Braavos, Qoren has transported a complete dragon skeleton using three large ships."
"A dragon skeleton?"
Rhaegar was momentarily stunned and instinctively asked, "Meraxes' remains?"
During the First Dornish War, Queen Rhaenys Targaryen—Aegon the Conqueror's sister-wife—tragically perished.
She and her dragon, Meraxes, had been attacking Hellgate Hall in the heart of Dorne.
During the battle, Meraxes flew too low and was struck in the eye by a scorpion bolt from the ramparts, crashing to its death.
Before the Targaryens and Dorne signed a peace treaty, the Dornish envoy presented Meraxes' skull as a gift to Aegon the Conqueror.
To this day, Meraxes' skull remains well-preserved in the Red Keep.
Tormund nodded. "It's almost certainly Meraxes' remains. Despite the missing skull, the skeleton is still enormous, measuring nearly eighty meters."
"No surprise—it was one of the three great dragons of our house's first generation. At the time, Meraxes was even larger than Vhagar," Rhaegar remarked, unable to hide his regret.
Records described Meraxes as having noble blood, golden eyes with slit pupils, and bright silver scales. It was both ferocious and fiercely loyal.
Rhaegar suddenly sensed something was off. His expression shifted. "Why is the Sealord of Braavos collecting dragon remains?"
A dragon, whether alive or dead, was a treasure trove.
Even dragon dung could be used in blood magic to create black dragonstone, let alone the remains of a fully grown dragon.
"I suspect the Sealord of Braavos is interested in dragons," Tormund analyzed rationally. He handed the letter to Rhaegar and pointed to the final line, his tone grave. "The previous Sealord of Braavos was assassinated ten years ago. His longtime jester once claimed that he had hidden a treasure of immeasurable value."
"This man had previously formed an alliance with House Velaryon, arranging a marriage between his only son and Lady Laena. During this time, the two families had frequent dealings."
"The current Sealord of Braavos was one of his most trusted retainers and is rumored to have inherited much of his estate."
Rhaegar listened intently, his mind racing.
He had heard many stories about the previous Sealord of Braavos.
A wealthy, generous, yet unpredictable magnate.
When Rhaegar was born, his mother, Queen Aemma, died in childbirth. His frail health kept him teetering on the brink of death, spending his early years in a near-comatose state.
At the time, the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon, suggested that King Viserys remarry, offering his 12-year-old daughter, Laena, as a potential queen.
Viserys, however, was uninterested in the young Laena and was wary of marrying into the already powerful Velaryon family, fearing the influence of an overbearing in-law.
Feeling insulted by the rejection, Corlys Velaryon angrily withdrew from the Small Council.
The previous Sealord of Braavos seized the opportunity, arranging for his only son to marry into House Velaryon, thus forming a political alliance.
Later, the Sealord was mysteriously assassinated, and rather than seeking revenge, his son chose to remain on Driftmark, living off the Velaryons' wealth.
Daemon Targaryen, who had grown close to Laena, eventually challenged the Sealord's son to a duel and slew him in a fair fight, putting an end to the matter.
Rhaegar snapped back to the present and hesitated. "The marriage alliance with House Velaryon... was to obtain a dragon!"
At the time, House Targaryen was significantly weaker than House Velaryon.
Rhaegar had been a frail infant on the brink of death, and Aegon's younger siblings had yet to be conceived.
The Targaryens had only two dragonriders:
Daemon, the "Prince for a Day," who had been exiled to the Vale.
And Rhaenyra, just eight years old, riding the juvenile Syrax.
In contrast, House Velaryon controlled three dragons—Vhagar, Meleys, and Seasmoke.
During that time, Viserys had been unable to sleep soundly, fearing that Corlys Velaryon might lead his fleet and dragons to seize the throne.
Seeing that Rhaegar understood, Tormund speculated boldly, "There are rumors that three dragon eggs once belonging to Dreamfyre were secretly purchased by the Sealord of Braavos. Even King Jaehaerys was unable to reclaim them."
"If the previous Sealord truly hoarded treasures, those lost dragon eggs could very well be among them."
"That's why he was assassinated, and his successor reaped the rewards."
Rhaegar furrowed his brows. "Can we determine the current Sealord's purpose in collecting dragon remains?"
"We're still investigating," Tormund replied, then added, "He once paraded the dragon skeleton through the streets. Whether it was a mere display or a cover-up remains unknown."
"Find out!"
Rhaegar's gaze was sharp and resolute. "The dragon eggs must not fall into the wrong hands."
At the very least, they must not be allowed to hatch.
Tormund lowered his eyes and solemnly vowed, "We will do our utmost."
Three days later.
In the Stone Drum Tower, daily feasts were held to entertain the guests from Pentos while discussing the terms of an alliance between the Iron Throne and the Free City.
Daemon was particularly active, constantly persuading his brother, Viserys.
Outside the Stone Drum Tower, along the cliffside.
Rhaegar leaned against the bronze statue of the Mother, holding a transparent glass candle in his hands, his eyes closed in silent concentration.
He was not praying—he was testing a newly discovered form of blood magic.
His Explorer's Ledger recorded this particular blood sorcery:
[The Blood Mage's Secret Candle]
Exploration Progress: 100%
"This exploration is now complete. Please retrieve any lost treasures."
"Retrieval successful. Analyzing..."
"Analysis complete. Identified as an Epic Relic—Blood Sorcerer's Treasure."
After a brief pause, the text on the panel slightly shifted.
"Congratulations! The Blood Sorcerer's Treasure has been activated. You have obtained..."
[Catching the Moon in Water]
Rarity: Epic (Purple) Effect: Used in conjunction with a glass candle, enhances the power of the bloodline, granting insight into the hidden secrets of the world.
The simple and direct description outlined the general capabilities of this blood sorcery.
Rega calmed his mind and skillfully activated [Catching the Moon in Water] with his will.
Zzzla!!
As magic infused the artifact, the transparent glass candle ignited, producing a small, pea-sized orange flame.
Rega slowly opened his eyes, gazing intently at the flickering flame.
Buzz—
A resonant hum echoed in his mind, and the scene before him shifted.
The grassy lawn beneath his feet vanished, replaced by a panoramic vision akin to [Dream Sight].
The sky was a deep blue, with drifting white clouds.
Looking down, he saw an endless ocean stretching beneath him, dotted with tiny black specks—isolated islands in the vast sea.
"Where is this?"
Before Rega could fully adjust, his perspective moved at an imperceptible speed.
Soaring across the boundless ocean, his vision soon arrived at a lush, verdant rainforest.
Rega kept [Catching the Moon in Water] in mind as he observed the world from this unfamiliar vantage point, shifting his view with a mere thought.
"Yoo-yoo..."
A crisp, delicate cry rang out. A nimble young deer emerged from the forest and trotted to a winding stream to drink.
The water was crystal clear, revealing a bed of silt and scattered pebbles, where fish, shrimp, and river crabs could be faintly seen.
Rega stared in astonishment, murmuring to himself, "This world... I've seen it somewhere before."
Suddenly, his vision shifted again, moving beyond his control.
At the edge of the vast rainforest, an uninhabited mountain range loomed, blocking the jungle's expansion.
"Screeeech—"
A sharp, piercing cry abruptly rang out. From a valley, a vibrantly colored, dragon-like creature burst into the sky, its long, narrow wings flapping as it ascended.
Rega's heart tightened—his first instinct was that it was a wild dragon.
The creature circled high above before diving into the dense jungle, where its razor-sharp claws snatched up a shrieking red-furred monkey.
Only then did Rega get a clear look at the beast.
Its body bore an 80% resemblance to that of a dragon—
A maw lined with fanged teeth, bat-like wings, and long, slender legs ending in razor-sharp talons.
Its scales were striped with emerald green and white.
Yet, there was a fundamental difference between this creature and true dragons.
Its narrow head lacked horns or a crown, it did not breathe fire while hunting, and its size was only about twenty feet—merely that of a young dragon.
There was no doubt—this was not a real dragon!
After a brief moment of thought, Rega recognized the species.
"A Longwing Wyvern!"
More specifically, a Striped Longwing Wyvern.
His mind quickly connected the dots, realization dawning upon him.
"This is the continent of Sothros!"
Back in the era of his great-grandfather, Jaehaerys, his Hand of the King, Maester Barth, had authored a famous book—
"Dragons, Drakes, and Wyverns: A Study of the Unnatural Evolution of Dragonkind."
The book recorded the existence of Longwing Wyverns, stating that they bred in the distant and uncharted lands of Sothros.
"Screeeech—"
Another shrill cry rang out as a second, much larger Striped Longwing Wyvern emerged from the valley, measuring at least thirty feet in length.
The moment it soared into the sky, it attacked the first wyvern, attempting to seize its prey.
Rega watched as the two wyverns clashed fiercely, their fangs and claws tearing into each other in a brutal struggle.
It was clear that these creatures possessed low intelligence but extreme aggression.
Rega recalled the records in Maester Barth's book, which detailed the various species of Longwing Wyverns.
Striped Longwing Wyverns were one of the more common types, growing up to thirty feet in length, with a temperament even more savage than true dragons.
The stone gargoyles decorating Dragonstone Castle included depictions of Longwing Wyverns.
Buzz—
Suddenly, Rega's vision blurred, and the scene vanished in an instant.
When he opened his eyes again, the flame on the transparent candle had gone out.
Rega shook his head slightly, realizing that more than half of the magic in his blood had been consumed, leaving him nearly drained.
"It seems I ran out of magic."
As his mind cleared, he grasped the issue at hand.
Holding the transparent glass candle, he marveled at the enigmatic nature of blood sorcery.
It was incredible that such a small, unassuming candle could allow one to witness scenes from thousands of miles away.
Rega rubbed his forehead and noted, "The vision is difficult to control, and the further the distance, the greater the magic consumption..."
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