Chapter 171 Return to King's Landing
Volantis's Black Wall is currently the tallest in the known world, reaching up to one hundred and twenty feet. Compared to the Black Wall of Volantis, the walls of Tyrosh are merely a younger sibling.
Rhaegar felt that the Black Walls of must have been even taller than those in Volantis, but unfortunately, Old Valyria has completely turned into ruins.
The Black Walls of Old Valyria, the Valyrian roads, binding spells, dragon horns, and the Valyrian glass candles used for communication—the dragonlords could use sorcery to make the glass candles emit strange, pale, unsettling flames. Through these obsidian candles, the Valyrians could see distant places, perceive the thoughts of others, and even communicate with people half a world away. These were the core arts of the ancient Valyrian Freehold, but these techniques were restricted to only the top dozen or so core dragonlord families, such as House Belaerys. Smaller dragonlord families like House Targaryen rarely possessed these secrets and knew almost nothing about them.
Rhaegar was eager for knowledge, mainly because these techniques had been lost for a long time and were truly invaluable. Near the Black Wall of Volantis, Rhaegar saw a rune within the blue flames—an ancient rune shaped like the character "工" (gong). In the flames, Rhaegar saw many dragonlords riding towering dragons soaring into the sky. Beneath them were hills of black fused stone. The dragonlords awakened the flames within themselves, and the great dragons also spewed dragonfire. The raging fire fused with the stone. As the dragonlords cast their spells, tall, seamless Black Walls rose from the ground. The dragonlords manipulated the flames, shaping the stone like clay. The resulting walls were oval-shaped, and the fused structure was even harder than steel or diamond.
[Explorer: Congratulations on discovering the "Gong" Rune of Old Valyria, the core secret of the dragonlords. True dragonlords never hammered or chiseled stone; they used fire and magic to shape it like clay.]
Seven is a fortunate number, and the "Gong" Rune happens to be the seventh type of rune, one that directly originates from Valyrian civilization.
Rhaegar watched the mass of black flame runes slowly gather in his hand. This rune contained great power, representing construction and wonders, a symbol of ancient Valyrian civilization. To construct a Black Wall, fused stone, dragonfire, and a dragonlord rune must be used together. However, for things like the Valyrian roads, ordinary earth could be shaped into them.
"I now possess two runes for building wonders. The first is the Net Rune from , which can isolate magic. The second, the 'Gong' Rune from Volantis, can create Black Walls. If I combine these two runes, I can create a lesser version of a Valyrian Black Wall city, or even something stronger!" Rhaegar watched the Rune Crown flow in his hand. It would be quite easy to transform a ruined city into a Black City again. Though his own flames were still relatively weak, and having only one dragonlord made it difficult to directly create a magnificent city like Volantis, building a lesser version would not be a problem.
Rhaegar looked excitedly at the Black Wall of Volantis. By mastering the Valyrian secrets behind the Black Wall, he would truly become a dragonlord. Only with such walls and roads could the foundation of a great empire be laid.
"You will not be alone for long, Volantis. This world will see the rise of more Black Walls. This is the glory of the dragonlord families."
Rhaegar was satisfied and strolled through the courtyard. Many benches and chairs there were made of black stone, and silent Unsullied guards stood watch in the corners. Rhaegar was waiting for someone; Magistrate Marajo arrived in secret in the deep of night.
Marajo had changed into the attire of the Tiger Cloaks and appeared before Rhaegar.
"You seem to have drunk quite a lot of wine! Are you not drunk at all?" Rhaegar asked curiously.
"Everyone knows Marajo loves wine and gets drunk every time! But no one knows that Marajo can drink a thousand cups without falling!" Marajo smiled mysteriously. "Prince, you need not worry about those Unsullied guards. The Tiger Party is backed by the warlike nobles, so naturally our military foundation is deeper, unlike the Elephant Party, which relies on merchants and the masses."
"What a cunning Magistrate!" Rhaegar chuckled.
"This is the game of thrones, my friend. I learned that the year I entered the Magistrate election. Women and children can afford to be careless, but men cannot—especially men who deal in power. And I am part of the minority Tiger Party; the Elephant Party would see me destroyed if they could," Marajo said seriously.
"Indeed. Enemies and allies—those are the first choices in politics. There is nothing wrong with caution," Rhaegar replied. "But you came so late. What is the matter, Magistrate?"
"Of course there is, my friend. My troubles concern this turbulent era. We both need strong allies. You slew a Dothraki khal and the so-called King of the Narrow Sea. Your rise has been faster than I expected, and my investment in you has proven worthwhile." Marajo continued, "Volantis appears calm, but it stands on the edge of a powder keg. There are three great dangers."
"Oh?" Rhaegar showed interest.
"The first danger is the overwhelming number of slaves. The ratio of free men to slaves has reached one to five. These restless slaves lack only a leader—and now, it seems they may have found one. The second danger is the followers of the Lord of Light. Even the Tiger Cloaks have many believers now, and the red priests of grow harder to restrain."
Rhaegar had heard of this. The first referred to the Widow of the Waterfront, once a slave who rose to power and now commanded influence among the slaves of Volantis. The second referred to the growing faith of R'hllor, which had spread rapidly through the city.
"My friend, sometimes a quiet blade is more effective than open war," Rhaegar suggested.
"It is not so simple," Marajo shook his head. "Power here is divided. The Elephant Party holds influence, and they maintain ties with the Widow of the Waterfront. As for the red priests, none dare provoke them. If they call upon their god, they could burn the entire city."
"The third threat," Marajo continued, "you already know—the . Their khalasars could cross the Rhoyne at any time. Yet the Elephant Party insists everything is fine."
"In this era, all powers face the same struggle—conflict and instability," Rhaegar said. The faced its own dangers as well.
"Then let us aid one another," Marajo said. "An alliance—power, wealth, and intelligence."
"A sacred alliance," Rhaegar agreed. He did not reveal his deeper thoughts on slavery. That conflict would come later.
After a brief stay in Volantis, Rhaegar could no longer wait. He mounted his dragon and prepared to return to .
End of Chapter 171
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