The sudden accusations from the Triarchy immediately reunited the various families of Braavos, who had been somewhat divided by undercurrents, and they began to work together against the common enemy.
The high-ranking members of the various families were well aware of the situation in the Stepstones.
They were not afraid of how much trouble the Tri-City Alliance Army could cause, but at least in terms of public opinion, they could not be caught with their guard down.
After all, Braavos dominated the world not by force but by economic means and credit, and maintaining appearances was still very important to them.
During this period, intelligence systems and undercover agents from various factions gradually began to emerge in Braavos, making the situation in the perpetually cloud-shrouded city even more perplexing.
And Daenerys, enjoying the generous support of Braavos, spent her days either riding her dragon to the distant northern ice fields to hunt whales, walruses, and seals, or checking on the progress of the Sanctuary construction.
The cold winds blowing from the far north, imbued with rich magic, allowed the populations of whales, walruses, and seals to freely breed and grow in the Trembling Sea.
These large marine beast populations not only had astonishing reproductive rates but also grew rapidly, their sizes far exceeding those in other regions.
Although those that ventured into human-populated areas were almost all the weaker, ostracized groups, they were still colossal creatures to humans.
In areas difficult for humans to reach, Dreamfyre often hunted whales over thirty meters long and giant walruses over ten meters long.
The magic contained within their bodies was also incomparable to that of ordinary sea beasts.
Originally, Daenerys wanted to continue exploring further north, but the biting cold winds and violent magic made even Dreamfyre, the giant beast, unwilling to proceed, so she did not force it.
However, Hoggodra and Hognara, the three siblings, perhaps due to their unique bloodline, seemed to rather enjoy this icy landscape.
Hoggodra, who had devoured the strange flames of the House of Black and White, had recently taken a liking to the giant pit there.
The strange magic continuously emanating from the House of Black and White ruins, after being transformed by the Weirwood, seemed to greatly benefit him.
So, except for eating and hunting with Daenerys, Hoggodra would always be sleeping here.
Thus, Daenerys simply converted the giant pit into a dragon's lair, allowing him to reside within it.
And with a dragon residing in the Sanctuary, it attracted many worshippers.
The forgotten minor deities also gradually began to gain new followers.
To ensure that the new Sanctuary would not remain so obscure in the future, Daenerys had already instructed people to purchase a large number of young male and female slaves from nearby Loras and Pentos, granting them freedom.
She allowed them, along with the orphans of Braavos, to receive free education and board there until they reached adulthood.
For this, Daenerys also applied to the Sea Kings Palace for a monthly special assistance fund for the Sanctuary, equivalent to ten thousand gold dragons, which was enough to allow these children to live a decent life.
Braavos never lacked knowledgeable scholars and people skilled in various crafts.
To better unearth and promote the stories of the gods who were gradually being forgotten, Daenerys hired artists skilled in painting and sculpture with generous sums of money, instructing them to paint the stories of these gods within the Sanctuary and sculpt new idols for the gods.
The central pillar of the Sanctuary, which was also its largest load-bearing pillar, was named "The Gods" by Daenerys.
The core of "The Gods" was carved with a Weirwood depicting the silhouette of a maiden.
The remaining areas were left blank, awaiting the destined deities to occupy them.
This day, Daenerys came to the Sanctuary again and found that one of the positions on "The Gods" had been carved with a beautiful naked goddess wrapped in red and white roses.
"This is simply the embodiment of beauty and love!"
Daenerys was truly amazed by the image of the goddess before her.
So she stopped to admire it, but the more she looked, the more she felt a sense of déjà vu about this goddess.
"This is the goddess who presides over love and beauty, the Goddess of Desire from Lys!"
Just then, a handsome young man emerged from behind "The Gods."
"Greetings, Princess!"
"Lisandro?!"
"I didn't expect the Princess to still remember me; that is truly Lisandro's honor!"
Although Lisandro was rugged and tall, his voice was exceptionally warm and magnetic.
"This bas-relief of the Goddess of Desire wouldn't be your masterpiece, would it?"
Looking at Lisandro, dressed in a craftsman's attire, Daenerys couldn't help but tease, "Did you fail in business and change professions?"
"You make fun of me, Princess.
I prefer painting and sculpting.
Actually, compared to the family business, I hope to become an artist."
Lisandro was clearly aware of his artistic talent and said with considerable confidence, "And I believe I will definitely become a great artist."
"On that point, I have no doubt whatsoever."
For someone who could carve such a vivid and beautiful sculpture at the age of fifteen or sixteen, Daenerys believed that if Lisandro specialized in this path, he could certainly become a great artist.
"Tell me the story of the Goddess of Desire!
Such a beautiful deity, her story should be known to more people."
"The name of the Goddess of Desire cannot be spoken, but Lys has the legend of Aslodi.
Some say Aslodi was born from cream, which is why she possessed the most beautiful countenance and the fairest skin in the world."
"There is also a legend that during a battle between the God of Sky and the God of Earth, when the God of Sky's phallus was bitten off by the God of Earth and thrown into the sea, it was later swallowed by a giant clam.
After this giant clam died, it gave birth to Aslodi."
"After Aslodi's birth, her beauty immediately captivated the eyes of all deities.
Numerous gods, and even many goddesses, fought fiercely to become her companion."
"However, the beautiful Aslodi fell in love with the gentle and kind God of Love, Adonis.
But Adonis was a relatively weak deity among the many gods.
To avoid suffering the cruel hands of other gods who might attack him out of jealousy, he went to live on a small island."
"As for the island where they lived, some say it was the Summer Isles, while others say it was Lys Island."
"Here they enjoyed a period of peaceful and beautiful life, inseparable.
They successively gave birth to seven daughters and twelve sons.
And the island where they lived became covered in white roses due to their love."
"But the too long, monotonous life caused Adonis to grow somewhat weary, and he became madly obsessed with hunting.
Aslodi was very worried that Adonis would encounter life-threatening danger and often advised Adonis not to go out hunting, but the young Adonis did not heed her advice and, unfortunately, was bitten while hunting a wild boar, collapsing on the spot, his blood staining the surrounding flowers."
"When Aslodi heard Adonis's cry, she rushed to the scene of the accident, accidentally pricking her foot on the thorns of the white roses, her blood staining the white roses red.
By the time Aslodi reached Adonis's side, Adonis had already stopped breathing.
Aslodi, plunged into sorrow, embraced Adonis's body, her tears flowing like a spring.
Her teardrops fell to the ground and grew into anemones."
"Those blood-stained white roses slowly turned into red roses.
White roses symbolize pure love, and red roses thus represent the dangers behind love.
And the anemones born from tears of pain are the raw material for concocting the highly poisonous Tears of Lys."
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