The night was thick. On the Pentos beach, Viserys's Nine Towers Palace, the banner of the red dragon on a black field overlooked the fine white sand.
Viserys was playing with the gems in his hands in the bedroom, the delicate red and blue stones rubbing against his fingertips.
Even though Viserys searched exhaustively and screened carefully in the Pentos market.
Pentos merchants had all heard that a young Dragon King had arrived in Pentos, who loved collecting gems, bone carvings, and ancient artworks, and they all promoted their products to Viserys.
Including many gifts sent by the Pentos Magisters to curry favor, Viserys only managed to collect 9 usable rubies and 9 sapphires.
This was already rare and valuable, as gems that could serve as magical conduits were extremely scarce.
Among the many conduits for magic, stones and gems were an important part, in addition to scrolls, valyrian steel, animal horns, Weirwood, ebony, Glass Candles, and even the human body.
"The major magical elements are earth, fire, water, wind, and ice, and the minor element is thunder. I have already mastered affinity for two of them." Viserys was quite satisfied; it was remarkable for a mortal to master even one, and he controlled two.
The earth element belonged to the Children of the Forest and the Greenseers. The Children of the Forest called themselves those who sing to the earth, while the Greenseers observed everything by inhabiting Weirwood.
Viserys looked at the ruby and sapphire in his palm. Red represented blood and fire, representing life and desire.
The meaning of blue was complex. Blue's primary form represented water. Mother Rhoyne represented gentleness and growth, while the Drowned God in the sea represented slaughter and fear.
If water turned to ice, it represented death and hatred, corresponding to the Night King and the Others.
A Song of Ice and Fire. On the day the magical tide arrives in the known world, the Long Night will reappear.
Humans were bound to fight the Others, a battle between the living and the dead, a war of hope and hatred, fire and ice.
Viserys put down most of the gems and carefully examined one ruby. The Red Robe Priest said this gem was a Blood Gem.
From the outside, it looked like a warm, jade-like ruby. Rubies could slowly absorb the fluctuations of the fire element and, to some extent, extract and store them.
Besides fire, it might also absorb blood and life force.
Viserys felt that this gem was the same type as the Red Woman's. Melisandre could cast spells herself, but the ruby would facilitate spell acceleration.
The Red Witch Melisandre wore a golden necklace set with a ruby around her neck. When she manipulated magic, the ruby would glow with the magic. Sometimes the spells would burn her.
The Red Woman's body radiated heat. Melisandre did not need to eat like mortals, relying only on the Lord of Light for the energy she required.
"Blood Gem, Bloodstone Emperor." Viserys wondered. The Bloodstone sounded terrible.
Magical gems and black stones were very peculiar, especially the black stones. There were many black stone buildings in the Ice and Fire world, and the Bloodstone Emperor worshipped a black stone that fell from the sky.
This ruby might not be a true Bloodstone; it was merely a ruby with magical efficacy, barely mixed with the Bloodstone concept, but not the genuine article.
The more terrifying Bloodstone should be jade green, covered in red spots, a color of the eye.
The emperors of those ancient Great Empires of the Dawn, who seemed to be the ancestors of the Targaryen, also took their royal titles based on eye color.
In the dreams of Daeny the Dragon Dreamer, their ghosts lined the sides of the long hall, dressed in the faded robes of ancient kings, holding pale flame swords. Their hair was silver, golden, or bright platinum, and their eyes were the colors of opal, amethyst, tourmaline, and jade.
The last monarch of the Great Empire of the Dawn was the Bloodstone Emperor, son of the Opal Emperor and brother of the Amethyst Empress. Out of jealousy, the Bloodstone Emperor usurped his sister's throne.
The Bloodstone Emperor was extremely cruel. During his reign, he not only practiced widespread tyranny but also studied dark arts and necromancy, tortured and enslaved the populace, married a tiger-woman, and consumed human flesh.
He no longer revered the gods of Yi Ti, drove the true gods from their altars, and instead worshipped a black stone that fell from the sky.
The Blood Betrayal led to the descent of disaster. The Long Night came, and the Great Empire of the Dawn was destroyed.
Many scholars believe the Bloodstone Emperor was the first High Priest of the evil cult, the Church of Starry Wisdom, which still exists in many ports of the known world.
"Magic depends on bloodline and faith. Believe, and it is there; disbelieve, and it is not." Viserys contemplated, weighing the Blood Gem in his hand.
Magic is a creation combining mental power, elemental affinity, and bloodline. Many mages also choose to add faith and sacrifice.
Viserys had no chance of following the path of faith magic; he fundamentally did not believe in any gods, unlike the Red Robe Priests,
or religious fanatics like the Red Woman.
The only thing he could consider was the bloodline—continuing the power of the bloodline.
On the carpet of Viserys's bedroom lay two small piles of bones: one of dark, heavy Dragon Bones, and the other of white, dense fish bones.
"Fire." Viserys placed his palm on a Dragon Bone. The deep fire element within the Dragon Bone was slowly extracted, appearing as faint black-red specks of light, which were then purified into the fire element and absorbed.
Viserys felt a gentle, sunny sensation, warm but not violent.
This warmth made him stronger and healthier.
When the fire element extraction was complete, it was also when the Dragon Bone completely lost its efficacy.
Given Viserys's ability and the current magical low tide, he could only extract in small amounts repeatedly. But even so, he was walking the path of magic.
Absorbing through elemental affinity was much more effective than sacrificing blood and life.
Viserys treated his body as a vessel that must be continuously expanded to turn a stream into a river, but the current stream definitely could not bear an excessive amount of elements all at once.
In addition to the Dragon Bones, Viserys simultaneously extracted water elements from some of the fish bones to ensure balance between the two major elements. "Great River." The surge of the water element was different from the fire element; it was a feeling of being immersed in a cool river islet, refreshing, slow, and gentle.
Viserys discarded the purified bones; they had completely lost their previous magical properties and were now just ordinary bones.
Viserys moved his hand. The discarded Dragon Bone was no longer hard and stiff; without the fire element, its efficacy was largely diminished.
Just as Viserys finished his magical study, the bedroom door was knocked upon.
"Your Majesty." Argus Blackwood knocked on the door and entered after receiving Viserys's permission. "Magister Audro has arrived."
"Oh." Viserys was very surprised. Audro was another senior Magister, and he hadn't expected a midnight audience. "Tell him to wait for me in the reception hall."
Magister Audro presented Viserys with a generous gift: a sturdy dothraki Unsullied brought in a magnificent double-curved Dragon Bone Bow. The imposing black greatbow was likely over six feet long.
"This is a weapon fit for a great warrior, and I am merely a fat Magister. Let the Dragon King use this longbow," Magister Audro said.
Viserys found it incredible. A Dragon Bone Bow was unparalleled and astonishingly powerful, making it a valuable gift.
"I will treasure it forever, but such a valuable gift is truly beyond repayment," Viserys asked, gesturing for Magister Audro to sit on the velvet sofa.
No reward without merit. Magister Audro offered such a generous gift right away; he was certainly willing to spend.
"Besides this Dragon Bone Bow, there are also some Dragon Bones I have collected, and these elderly Unsullied are also my gift—a dozen Unsullied Squires. Although they are a little old, they are still loyal."
Viserys truly felt it was a great harvest. He hadn't originally planned on taking Unsullied, but if he were to climb the coastal ruins, he couldn't lack loyal fighters.
"You are too generous; it makes me feel incredibly warm." Viserys looked at Audro, noting that he hadn't forced him to open his purse.
"I greatly admire a young talent like His Majesty Viserys. I ask for no repayment; consider it my small gift. I lack neither gold, land, nor wealth. But I lack an army. When I, Audro, face difficulties, I hope you can lend a helping hand..." Magister Audro bowed elegantly.
"Very well." Viserys nodded.
"But why me?" Viserys asked. "The dothraki Khals, the Archon of Tyrosh—you have many choices."
"I heard you possess many fine swords, but you value most the sword left by your guardian, Ser Willem Darry. Even in poverty, you did not abandon your kin. By this measure, His Majesty Viserys is a man of integrity." Audro explained.
Viserys smiled slightly. Such insight was indeed worthy of a senior Magister of Pentos.
"However, you are too pessimistic about the future," Viserys said. "You are still the Magister of this great city."
"No, I am certainly not pessimistic," Audro said. "These Magisters of the Free Cities may appear to hold great power, but once they fall, they are no different from drowned dogs. I trust you haven't forgotten the tragedy of your ancestor's family, House Rogare of Lys."
Competition in the Free Cities was fierce; poison, assassins, and slaughter were common tactics used by Magisters and Archons.
Back then, "the Great" Lysandro Rogare and Drazenko Rogare of Sunspear both died simultaneously—one drowning in a shipwreck and the other choking on bacon—and the vast House Rogare quickly collapsed.
Viserys nodded. "The struggle for power is indeed full of whirlpools everywhere."
Audro later died of mushroom poisoning in 300 AC; who knows if there was a hidden agenda.
Audro was afraid that if he failed, his entire family would perish, so he wanted to befriend Viserys, this new military strongman.
Viserys was at least from the civilized world, much better than the Khals.
The two enjoyed their time together, and after a while, Viserys saw Magister Audro off.
Viserys initially thought he could have a moment of peace, but unexpectedly, the soldiers caught another young man loitering near the beach palace.
This person was not a native of Pentos. After such a massacre occurred on the Pentos beach, no one dared approach this stretch of sand at night.
It seemed Viserys wouldn't get a good night's sleep, with so many guests calling upon him.
"He says he is from Westeros, and he's timid."
"Bring him to the reception hall."
"Who are you?" Viserys, sitting on the chair, looked at the bound youth and signaled for him to be untied.
The young man looked destitute, dressed in rags, bony, with a sharp, thin face and dirty brown hair.
"Dick, Your Majesty, Clever Dick, from the Claw Isle." The youth raised his head and curtsied first. "Could you arrange a cup of red wine for me, Your Majesty? I heard there are sounds of dead men crying on this beach now, which is quite frightening. I wanted to climb over the wall to see you, but I didn't have the courage. As you can see, I am very hungry."
Viserys ordered a bottle of Pentos red wine to be brought and offered a cup to the cunning young man.
"The King's wine." Dick Crabb drank the wine thoughtfully. "I am from Claw Isle, Your Majesty. It is a large area of desolate hills and swamps, and I am a descendant of Ser Crabb."
"Come forward!" Viserys commanded. "It has been a long time since I heard such a strong regional accent."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then you must have very noble blood," Viserys said, smiling at the young man.
Viserys knew of Claw Isle. It was poor and coastal, inhabited by unruly semi-wildlings, but it was also a staunch Royalists faction.
"Indeed, my bloodline comes from Ser Clarence Crabb! He is the great hero of Claw Isle. Your Majesty, I have his blood. He was eight feet tall, strong enough to uproot a pine tree with one hand and throw it half a mile. No horse could bear his weight, so he rode aurochs."
"Are you a direct descendant?" Viserys asked Dick.
Crabb and Boggs were, after all, top nobles of Claw Isle; even if they fell on hard times, they shouldn't be starving.
"A collateral branch, Your Majesty. Clarence fathered many children, and there are many impoverished Crabbs on the peninsula," Dick said, blushing.
This was easy to understand. After all, noble families extended indefinitely, and only the main line enjoyed the privileges.
Other descendants of younger sons were constantly cast out, just like the Vale of Arryn was full of poor people named Arryn who had nothing but their surname.
"No wonder. But my warrior, why are you so thin?" Viserys asked.
"That's the fault of the damned Robert and old Arryn. We shed blood for the true dragon, and a generation of men died on the battlefield. As the price of loyalty, they also made us pay heavy fines.
When we had no money, it was so hard. Every family was forced to pay Golden Dragons. We would rather pay more money than give up hostages. Besides, Claw Isle only has pine trees and swamps, and we really can't make money. Smuggling business is also tough now; that Stannis is an Bittersteel." Crabb complained bitterly.
Speaking of the two names, impoverished Crabb's words were filled with hatred. Hatred lived too long.
"The Clawmen are true warriors, for those loyal ones who died in battle." Viserys personally poured Crabb a cup of wine. These oppressed lords were already furious.
"From beginning to end, we only pledge allegiance to our own lords and King. The true King. Not Robert's family." Dick spat. "At the Trident, fighting alongside His Majesty's brother Prince Rhaegar, there were Crabbs, Brens, and Boggses. We also had men in the Kingsguard, including a Hardy, a Cafferen, a Payne, and three Crabbs—Ser Clement, Ser Rupert, and'Short' Ser Clarence. He was actually six feet tall, but shorter than the real Ser Clarence. In short, all of us Claw Isle people are exemplary subjects of the Dragon King."
"What about your relatives?" Viserys asked Crabb.
"My parents died long ago, Your Majesty. I brought my sister with me, crossing the sea to try our luck. If we can't get money, she might have to sell her body in King's Landing. There's no choice; starving to death is too painful," Crabb said awkwardly.
Viserys couldn't help but think highly of this boy; at least he hadn't sold his sister.
Dick rubbed his hands expectantly again. "Your Majesty, ships arrive in Pentos from King's Landing every day. I came here just to see you. I didn't expect my luck to be so good, that Your Majesty would be visiting Pentos. If Your Majesty would agree to make me a Knight, I promise I would be eternally grateful."
"Poor young man, judging by your appearance, you are not suited to be a Knight." Viserys scrutinized Dick, who looked famished.
"Ah." The light in Crabb's eyes slowly dimmed.
"You have a long way to go before becoming a formal Knight. You are too thin and lack strength. How about this: you become my Squire first," Viserys said to Crabb.
Viserys knew Dick was only a petty noble or even a pauper, but this was his sincerity—buying the bones of a dead horse for a thousand gold—and Crabb was the first young man from Westeros to seek refuge with him.
"I am eternally grateful." Dick's heart soared like a roller coaster; he was overjoyed.
"Prepare a good set of clothes for my Squire, and also feed him something nutritious. So scrawny, how can you be called a Knight?"
Dick wept tears of gratitude. From this moment on, he decided to dedicate all his loyalty to the King.