The rest were clothes and sundries of unknown styles—all rags. Aemon took a look at the gold coins. His Royal Highness had more than enough of these 100 million gold coins. This was all thanks to the Targaryen's true dragon blood, which automatically scanned golden objects. There were a lot of ores piled into a small mountain. Except for the three common ores—gold, copper, and obsidian—the rest were outside the scope of his knowledge.
Aemon had a discerning eye and picked the most precious books to check first. They were yellowed, ancient books made of parchment with special ink, and they were very well preserved. Aemon, who was proficient in High Valyrian, opened the first book and read it without any difficulty.
The book recorded the brief history of a dragonlord family named "Belaerys." It was written in great detail and included illustrations of several dragons. The Belaerys family was large with a long heritage in ancient Valyria. The words that best describe them are: ancient, excellent, and prolific. The book recorded more than 500 dragons. At its peak, the family had an astonishing 56 dragons—old and young—living at the same time. Due to their rich heritage, they ranked among the top 40 dragonlord families, second only to a few others.
The space ring in Aemon's hand was one of the Belaerys family's inherited treasures. Its owner is unknown, but he or she was probably an important person.
"It is indeed a big family, and its strength is beyond imagination." Aemon took a deep breath and admired it. He had heard of the Belaerys family. There were mentions of them in fragments of ancient books in the Citadel and House Celtigar's library. One famous fact was that the family was very large. Not only were there many dragonriders, but many also carried the true dragon bloodline.
Records exist of a female dragonrider named Geninara Belaerys who rode a dragon named Terex and traveled around the continent of Gossos for three years. Gossos is a continent located south of the Summer Sea, outside the eastern and western continents. No one has ever reached the end of Gossos, and some speculate that it is no smaller than Essos. There were many dragonriders like her in the Belaerys family. Their footprints could be said to have been spread across most of the world.
Unfortunately, no matter how many traces they left behind, they were all wiped out by the Doom of Valyria.
Aemon shook his head and flipped through the second book. This book recorded detailed information about the forty dragonlord families. For example, it recorded the strength of the forty dragonlord families. The top ten families almost occupied half of the dragons in ancient Valyria. In normal times, the number of dragons was maintained at 800. The top ten families had 400 dragons. The two most powerful families accounted for more than a quarter of the dragons. That is more than 120 dragons. The remaining eight dragonlord families had an average of more than 30 dragons each.
"Hiss! How can a family afford to raise 60 dragons?" Aemon took a breath of cold air. This was still the normal bottom line: the number of dragons that coexisted within a family over time. The Targaryen family had the most dragons during the Dance of the Dragons, but only 18.
Among the forty dragonlord families, the Targaryens couldn't even rank in the upper echelon. They could barely be considered upper middle class. Judging from the book's description, the family's ranking during the time of "Exile" had fallen to the lower middle class.
After migrating to Dragonstone, four of the five dragons died for no reason, leaving only a young Balerion. This nearly resulted in their annexation by the top ten dragonlord families. It's no wonder that Aenar listened to his daughter Daenys's prophecy and sold his ancestral property to migrate to a distant outpost. He didn't want to leave; he had to.
Aemon said helplessly, "I said that the Targaryens have dreamwalkers, so how could the other thirty-nine dragon king families not have similar talents?" Even if not, fire and blood wizards had the ability to predict. It's likely that, even if they did speak up, no one would believe them. Perhaps there were unknown secrets about the Doom of Valyria. Aenar ordered the destruction of all ancient records, so he must have known something. Because he was insignificant, he could only leave his homeland to protect himself.
Aemon felt sad for a while and continued to read. There was one regret. In the brief history of the Belaerys family, there was no record of other families' surnames, especially the two most powerful dragon king families'. According to the books, the Belaerys family had been in the top ten for many years. However, they could not improve their ranking and could only expand their strength by plundering more land and maritime trade. As he read, Aemon envisioned not the splendor of ancient Valyria but rather the bloody and cruel internal struggles of the forty dragon king families.
Time passed minute by minute. It was dark. The bright moon rose and shone its light on the table. Aemon read the book seriously, his long, silver-gold hair shimmering. There were too many books to read one by one. He picked out the key content and selected it carefully.
Aemon didn't notice the time passing, and suddenly stood up in surprise, exclaiming, "Found it!" His eyes shone, and his hands shook as he held the book. He opened the page, which had a series of High Valyrian secret codes recorded on it. Translated, it was the cover of Binding Spells. Complete: Handbook of Honored Knights – Belaerys Family.
Handbook of Honored Knights: Belaerys Family.
"The complete version of the Binding Spell! The powerful dragon king family really had it!" Aemon excitedly shook his fist. This was not the castrated youth version that the Targaryen family had inherited, but rather the official, high-end version.
Take a look, take a look.
Honored knights were also called "dragon knights." Any one of them could serve as a commander during wartime, and their social status was far higher than that of unhonored dragonriders. In other words, they were trained officers. In Westeros, this was the difference between a knight and a regular soldier. To become an honored knight, one must first pass fourteen ancient dragon-taming tests handed down from ancient Valyria. Only then could one learn the Complete Binding Spell.
Not many people could pass the tests in ancient Valyria; they were all talented individuals with an elite education. Aemon's mouth curled into a smile. Even during the Dance of the Dragons, there were fewer than five dragon tamers in the Targaryen family with the potential to be honored knights. He had completed the tests at the age of twelve and was waiting for his reward.
Daemon and Caraxes had a tacit understanding, which counted as one. Aunt Rhaenys and Meleys, who could fight two people alone without fear in the later period, counted as one. With some training, Aegon and Sunfyre could count as one. Among the other dragon tamers, the bastard Addam and his time with Seasmoke might count as one. However, Aemond simply took advantage to claim Vhagar, the Bastard Strong couldn't control a dragon, and Rhaenyra and Helaena didn't ride dragons into battle.
If these people had lived in ancient Valyria, they wouldn't have passed the fourteen dragon-taming trials. During peaceful times, they would be kept on family lands or sent to protect maritime trade. Once war broke out, they would be recalled to guard the homeland.
Send them to battle? In a war involving dozens or hundreds of dragons, dragonriders who couldn't perfectly control their dragons would be an unstable factor. This was especially true of those who rode old dragons. Those who rode young dragons couldn't resist attacks from their own kin.
"Good rules, all substance, no fluff." Aemon read with relish. He pinched the sleeping golden-nosed rat in his pocket, waking it up, and took out the pyromancer's nightlight.
Puff!
The nightlight ignited, casting a soft halo. Aemon put the space ring on his right index finger and emptied the contents from the rat's mouth. With a true space ring, he no longer needed the rat.
"Squeak!" The rat protested fiercely, clinging to the three dragon eggs. Even if its efforts were futile, it had worked hard. How heartless! Aemon tried, but the dragon eggs couldn't be stored in the space ring.
"Ahem, you're still very useful." His Royal Highness comforted the rat and put the dragon eggs back in its mouth. He put the rat in his pocket. Then, he put the family sword, Sorrow, into the space ring. The rat's stomach was too small to hold the three-foot sword. With the space ring, there was no longer any need to carry two swords at once. It was cumbersome and lacked dignity.
"I love to study, and study loves me." Aemon cheered up and seriously studied the Knight Training Manual. It included the complete version of the Binding Spell, as well as notes for dragon knights on marching and warfare, coordinating with land and naval forces, and adapting military strategies to local conditions. A quick scan left him with many insights. Had the last Prince Aemon of Dragonstone read this book, he wouldn't have died in his tent.
With the help of the nightlight, he absorbed knowledge voraciously.
Experience +1, experience +1...
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. In the waters of the Stepstones, a dozen pirate ships from the Triarchy entered, breaking the calm waves.
"We have looted the coast of Myr. We have enough to go to Volantis and have fun for a few years."
"That prince is a fraud. He's just a coward."
"Hahaha..."
The pirates laughed wildly on the deck, holding the captured foreign women in their arms.
Boom!
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew and the ships began to shake. Someone looked up and was immediately shocked.
"Dragon!" A shrill cry echoed across the vast sea.
"Hiss—"
Vermithor raised his head and roared as he dived like a meteorite. Midway down, he opened his jaws and released a torrent of dragonfire. In an instant, the dragonfire drew a blazing line across the sky, like molten copper.
Sizzle!
The flames hit a hull and immediately set it ablaze. Anyone touched by the fire was instantly reduced to gray and black ash.
"String the scorpion crossbows!" the pirate leader shouted in a panic.
The next moment, the massive bronze dragon circled the fleet and soared into the sky with calculated ease. The two scorpion crossbows were armed, but their target had already disappeared.
"Come again!" Aemon's eyes were sharp as blades in the sky.
"Hiss..."
Vermithor vanished into the clouds. Moments later, he dived again, rushing straight to the rear of the fleet.
Boom!
Dragonfire swept across the light boats once more, shattering the mast of a warship. Aemon leaned forward and held onto the saddle rope. Vermithor roared, his dragonfire scorching the pirates on deck while carefully avoiding the ship's hull.
"No, no, no!"
"Run away!"
Faced with flames as hot and thick as molten rock, the pirates lost all hope. Those who managed to leap into the sea were considered lucky. Most only caught a glimpse of red on the dragon's back before the flames consumed them.
"Roar!"
Moments later, Vermithor roared again and soared back into the sky. Only a dozen half-destroyed, smoke-spewing ships remained adrift. Aemon's silver hair fluttered as he calmly looked back. The salty sea breeze blew through his red cloak, making it seem as though he were cloaked in fire.
Woo woo woo—
Several royal warships slowly approached, led by Earl Cameron and Ser Koen. They took control of what remained of the Triarchy fleet. The pirate ship cabins were intact, with cargo and slaves aboard. Only parts of the hulls were damaged and could be repaired.
"Bring them all back."
Bloodstone Island.
Vermithor flew back to Dragonblood Castle, his broad back towering higher than the castle's tallest tower.
"Huh, not bad." Aemon exhaled and dismounted from the dragon's shoulder, landing atop the city wall.
"Roar!" Vermithor stared at Aemon with vertical pupils and licked his massive, fanged mouth with a long, scarlet tongue. He was clearly craving food.
In the past ten days, he had been very active.
"Don't worry. Someone will come feed you soon." Aemon smiled and pressed his forehead to the dragon's jaw. Vermithor raised his head proudly, gave his rider an approving look, and then curled up arrogantly at the base of the wall.
"You rascal." Aemon chuckled and descended the wall with a light step.
Three days. That's how long it had taken him to learn the complete Binding Spell. Thanks to his pure Dragon King blood, he had mastered every aspect of the spell and reached full proficiency:
It took him two days to read the Order of the Knight Training Manual and ten days to practice dragonriding. His dragon control had skyrocketed.
He called up his personal panel.
[Aemon Targaryen]
Talent: Dreamer (Gold)
Bloodline: Ancient Valyrian Dragon Lord (58.5%)
Skills: Archery (Always Hits), Riding (Top Level), and Swordsmanship (Great Mastery).
Witchcraft: Binding Spell (Mastery), Burning Rune (Proficient), Solid Rune (Proficient), Illumination (Mastery)
Magic Cards: Strong and Robust (Blue), Solid as a Rock (Intermediate, Purple), and Kingly Temperament (Purple).
Forces: Dale (entire territory), Stone Archipelago (partial), and Isle of Tarth.
Equipment: Space Ring, Lament, Lady of the Void, War Horn, Double Valyrian Daggers, Pyromancer's Stone Sculpture, Pyromancer's Nightlight
Pets: Golden-nosed Rat (Blue), White Deer (Auspicious Beast).
Comment: "A young, decorated dragon knight and an adult dragon about to reach its peak are enough to guard a dragon Lord's family for a century."
Aemon couldn't help but smile. With the Binding Spell: Complete, he could now use fire magic better than fire magicians.
Mobilize! From the Dragon Lord's pure blood, he could awaken dormant fire magic. The binding spell depended on commands imbued with magical fluctuations. Regardless of the situation, the dragon could accurately hear and obey the command by instinct. This level of dragon control far surpassed the simple methods of House Targaryen. He could now control Vermithor flawlessly and without fear of the dragon losing control during an emotional outburst. Even when overcome by rage, the binding spell could forcefully restore reason. That was the terrifying power of the binding spell!
"Near-perfect command ability. Battlefield losses are greatly reduced." Aemon was filled with pride. Half a month ago, the pirate ships of the Triarchy would have been burned and sunk. Now, they could be preserved. Their lives were in his hands. That alone showed his tremendous progress.
Meanwhile, his panel changed quietly. By learning to harness the fire magic in his blood, his bloodline purity increased by 0.5%. The Burning Rune, now supported by fire magic, could ignite his bare hands or imbue weapons with flame. Illumination, which shared the same principles as the Burning Rune, would now improve easily, even without deliberate practice.
Finally, his eyes fell on the evaluation. Aemon murmured, "Vermithor's body has grown to 110 meters. Isn't that the peak?" The Belaerys family's records were clear. Dragons that reached 100 years old or 100 meters in length were considered to have entered their peak phase. Vermithor was only about 85 years old—still far from a century. Yet, his size far exceeded that of his peers.
"Maybe it's thanks to the two Blood Source Fruits." Aemon thought for a moment. He resolved to bring out another Blood Source Fruit and continue feeding it to Vermithor. Before his death, Balerion the Black Dread had grown to nearly 200 meters in length.
According to the detailed records of ancient Valyrian dragons, the average dragon lifespan was 200 years, though some lived as long as 300 years. Their sizes generally matched those of Targaryen dragons. Those that were carefully nurtured could reach 200 meters in length before dying. A dragon's peak period ranged from ages 100 to 150, with body lengths between 100 and 180 meters. Balerion, the last dragon of ancient Valyria, was clearly exceptional. Among the forty dragon-king families, he would have ranked among the top dragons.
After the Doom of Valyria, all dragons declined to some extent. Their lifespan, growth rate, and rate of aging were all diminished. Of course, for exceptional dragons like Vermithor and Caraxes, this decline was difficult to detect. Their talent alone could defy all odds.
Aemon looked up and declared, "Set a small goal: raise Vermithor to surpass Balerion and restore the glory of ancient Valyria."
The book said it clearly. The purer the Dragon Lord blood, the stronger the physique. Physical strength also affected lifespan. Great-grandfather Jaehaerys and great-grandmother Alysanne both lived long lives. Viserys was half-dead for years but still lived to be 52. Daemon was 49 when he died. At 49, Daemon could still execute a dragon-leap ambush and gift Dark Sister to his nephew.
With blood this pure, wasn't it reasonable to live to be a hundred? After all, the evaluation said so. He and Vermithor could protect the family for a century.
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