After receiving Princess Daenerys's guidance, Earl Bisbury approached Old King Jaehaerys again to discuss the matter further.
Only after gaining the Old King's approval did he straighten his formal attire and walk to the display stand in the center, showcasing Valyrian equipment.
First, he cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to himself, then announced loudly,
"Quiet, everyone~"
"Please, Lord, don't argue anymore, listen to me."
"I don't need to elaborate on the benefits of Valyrian steel; everyone is already well aware of them.
Now, let me explain the conditions required to successfully forge Valyrian steel equipment."
"To successfully forge Valyrian steel equipment, in addition to specialized forging techniques, the bones of magical creatures, the power of strong Dragonflame, and the power of devout faith are all indispensable."
"As for the bones of magical creatures, as you already know, these are precious materials like dragon bones and sea dragon remains.
If you wish to contend for the right to forge the first Valyrian equipment, please first assess whether your family can provide enough materials."
However, the first condition mentioned by Earl Bisbury already stumped almost all the families.
Most of the noble Lord despairingly and obediently returned to their seats.
Duke Tully, unwilling to give up, continued to inquire,
"And how much dragon bone is needed to forge a valyrian steel sword?"
Earl Bisbury slowly raised his index finger, and under everyone's tense gaze, he slowly began to speak,
"A valyrian steel sword requires at least one thousand catties of dragon bones.
This must also include large bones, otherwise, the effect will be greatly diminished."
"What?"
"Who can meet such conditions?"
Although dragons are precious, dragon bones possess an indestructible quality.
Over the long years, quite a few dragon bones have been passed down on both the Eastern and Western continents.
But those are all scattered fragments; as for large bones, it seems that apart from the Targaryen Family, one would only be able to search in the ruined Ancient Valyria Ruins.
That would be no different from seeking death, so Earl Bisbury's words made everyone feel even more desperate.
The foolish Boros even blurted out,
"This first condition alone makes it almost impossible for any family to achieve.
To obtain large dragon bones, one would have to venture into the Sea of Smoke.
If someone had that ability, wouldn't it be simpler to directly search for Valyrian equipment in the Ancient Valyria Ruins?"
"Earl Bisbury, aren't you just speaking nonsense?!
If you just want to amuse everyone, why bother putting on such a serious facade?!"
Earl Bisbury, of course, couldn't be bothered with this fool and continued to explain to everyone,
"This condition is indeed difficult to achieve, otherwise, why would Valyrian weapons be so precious?!"
"However, this is not entirely without a solution.
Once I have explained all three conditions, everyone will understand."
Duke Lannister quickly urged,
"Then please speak quickly, we are all ears!"
Earl Bisbury deliberately asked a maid for a glass of red wine, slowly took a few sips, and then slowly began to speak,
"The second condition, dragon fire, I believe everyone can easily understand.
It means that forging Valyrian equipment cannot be done without the cooperation of a dragon.
Only with the high temperature of Dragonflame can Valyrian steel equipment be successfully shaped."
"And the longest-lasting is the third condition, the so-called power of devout faith.
You might not understand it immediately.
But I think everyone should know about the Fire Burial Tower customs of Dragonstone and Holy Flame Island, right?!"
"Only by selecting the purest maidens, having them pray for the deceased before a dragon and the Fire Burial Tower, and then cremating the deceased with Dragonflame, can pure power of faith be accumulated.
This is also the key to the millennium-long indestructibility of Valyrian steel."
"If you cannot gather enough dragon bones, then as long as the sword blank is continuously placed within the cremation ceremony, over time, it can gradually acquire the characteristics of Valyrian steel."
Although the third condition seemed simple, it was not so easily achieved.
Because the entire Westeros, except for the North, worshiped the Seven Gods.
The Seven Gods Church had its own unique funeral customs.
The deceased had to first be processed by the Silent Sisters, then undergo a series of rituals in the church, and only then could they be buried.
So, the High Septon immediately raised an objection,
"This truly goes against the funeral rites of the Seven Gods Church.
Your Majesty, we absolutely cannot disregard the doctrines of the Seven Gods Church for the sake of forging a single sword!"
However, the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms were not particularly devout in their faith in the Seven Gods Church, and almost no one believed in a god who had never manifested a miracle.
It was merely out of deference to the power of the Seven Gods Church that they all cooperated and followed tradition.
Apart from noblewomen and the purest knights, not many people truly took the Seven Gods' doctrines as their code of conduct.
Now, with greater interests at stake, they naturally would not easily yield to the pressure of the church, and so they began to refute,
"The Seven Gods' doctrines have never said that cremation for the deceased is forbidden."
"Exactly, at most, complete all the necessary rituals, and then hold the cremation ceremony last.
Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?!"
However, as the High Septon of the Seven Gods Church, his political awareness naturally far surpassed that of ordinary people.
Those nobles might not see the implications here.
But how could a monk who lived by the name of God not know that once more people accepted the cremation ceremony, it would undoubtedly shake the foundation of the Seven Gods' faith?
Because whether commoners or nobles, they would certainly be more willing to believe in gods who provided feedback.
The Targaryen Family's cremation rituals used to be fine, but the Seven Gods Church knew that the Holy Flame Island's cremation rituals involved praying to dragons.
Dragons were already beings comparable to gods in this world.
If more people were to believe in dragons as they believed in the Seven Gods, the Seven Gods Church would naturally be unwilling.
But the High Septon could not produce any decent grounds for opposition and was quickly defeated amidst the public's condemnation.
This shows that in the face of practical interests, as long as the interests are great enough, even gods can become ineffective!
Just as everyone was about to turn their refutation of the High Septon into an attack on the Seven Gods Church, Earl Bisbury quickly raised his voice to stop them, saying,
"So now, everyone should believe that most families still have hope of forging their own Valyrian weapons, right!"
"If you want to save time, why not build the Fire Burial Tower first?
Even if you can't cast a sword blank, at least you can first temper some of those steel materials to acquire some of the properties of Valyrian steel!"
"This way, when it's your turn to have the qualification to forge Valyrian weapons, you can succeed earlier.
As for the construction of the Fire Burial Tower, you will need to discuss the specifics with Holy Flame Island."
"Whether it's the priests who perform cremations or the technology for building the Fire Burial Tower, only they understand it.
The most crucial point is that the number of dragons that can permanently reside in the Fire Burial Tower is limited.
Currently, only Princess Daenerys's dragon can permanently reside in the Fire Burial Tower without the cooperation of a Dragon Knight."
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