Chapter 29: The Targaryen Secret Chamber
King's Landing, The Red Keep, a hidden secret chamber.
This was a secret chamber constructed of stone blocks and iron load-bearing pillars; under the reflection of the dim yellow light, it appeared ancient and dilapidated.
Standing within the secret chamber, Jon felt an ancient and heavy aura that vaguely made one feel a chill down their spine.
The walls here were dark and thick, and some kind of mysterious force field seemed to be operating and swirling within.
The entire room was filled with the smell of decay and dampness, and every inch of space exuded an incredibly oppressive atmosphere.
On the side of the wall directly facing the entrance of the secret chamber stood an immensely large bookshelf. Rows of books bound in strange leather were like ghosts hiding in the shadows; they seemed to possess a certain bizarre magic that made anyone who saw them unable to resist the urge to explore.
Some ancient-looking parchment scrolls revealed ominous glimmers under the light of the whale oil lamps. That light seemed to contain some terrible magical power; in Jon's eyes, that power appeared to be distorting time and space.
To the left of the bookshelf was an expensive-looking glass display cabinet containing several large transparent glass jars, in which humanoid specimens of various sizes lay.
Among them were those with wings, those covered in scales, and even a female humanoid corpse with breasts.
To the left of the bookshelf were rows of bottles and jars; the liquids inside began to shine with an ominous light after being stimulated by the glow.
As Jon approached, purple, yellow, and red potions began to churn within these bottles and jars, as if they had been stimulated by something.
Although this ancient secret chamber was filled with eeriness everywhere, in Jon's eyes, it was a natural treasure trove, because the energy light in these three areas was like an inexhaustible energy vault to him.
After confirming there was no danger, Jon walked directly to the bookshelf. After searching for a bit, Jon took down a leather-bound book bearing the Targaryen Family crest.
"Experimental records, 14th bloodline trial, my belly has begun to react..."
"This child's power is very strong, but..."
"The power of the ancient dragon kings is dangerous and alluring..."
"This child is irritable and prone to anger..."
..."Jory! Jory! Are you alright?..."
Because he was so engrossed, Jon had unknowingly become lost in it. Amidst this eerie and dangerous knowledge, Jon almost lost himself, but fortunately, his companions' shouts pulled him back in time.
After glancing at the beautiful gold and silver ornaments on the table, Jon quickly spoke up:
"There are too many things here. Light more torches; we've found the treasury!"
Upon hearing Jon's words, the Winterfell guards immediately became excited.
When they first entered, a guard had half-jokingly asked if they would find treasure in the castle, but no one expected those words to actually come true.
While the others outside were lighting torches, Jon collected the more valuable items in the secret chamber into his Item Space.
As he continued, the Item Space was instantly filled. Those books and scrolls took up too much room, as did the potions and specimens. Jon finished moving what he wanted.
The House Stark guards also walked in with lit torches. Seeing the somewhat messy bookshelf and glass cabinets, they weren't surprised.
Because their gaze was completely captivated by the gold and silver jewelry and vessels on the long table in the middle of the chamber.
Silver wine sets, golden candlesticks, jewelry boxes, and treasure chests were stuffed full. This scene dazzled everyone, and for a moment, they didn't know what to do.
"Jory, what... what should we do?"
After seeing the table full of expensive items, a House Stark guard asked somewhat stutteringly.
Although these things looked exquisite, they weren't actually worth much, as most were silver-plated or gold-plated vessels. The truly valuable items had already been taken by Jon in advance.
"Everyone can pick a few small items to take. The rest we must hand over to Lord Eddard. These things belong to The Red Keep. If you don't want to have your sword hand cut off for the crime of theft, then do not let word of today's events get out."
"Alright..."
These House Stark guards were all men who had seen the world; they were naturally happy to accept such an arrangement.
To be honest, the North was truly poor. Even for guards of a ducal house like them, their monthly income was barely enough to make ends meet.
The land in the North was not suitable for farming, and grain prices were wickedly high. If not for the Long Summer, it was estimated that many of the old and young would starve to death every year.
The treasure hunt in the secret chamber soon ended. After that, Jon led the men further forward. Finally, when they exited the secret passage, they had reached the second floor of the King's Landing Dungeons.
At this time, a secret passage exploration was also being conducted in the prison. The subordinates of the Master of Laws, Renly Baratheon, were tapping and searching for secret passages within the cells.
When the secret passage opened, both sides were startled, but after identifying themselves, Jon and his men were treated hospitably.
Because Renly and Eddard were currently temporary allies, and most of the officials guarding the prison were from the lower classes.
After arriving at the second floor of the dungeon, Jon immediately sent someone to notify Eddard Stark and Renly Baratheon. While everyone was drinking and chatting on the second floor of the prison...
Eddard Stark and Renly Baratheon also arrived with a large group of royal guards. After getting the exact location, Eddard immediately sent men into the secret chamber to empty out everything inside.
By the time everything was finished, evening had already arrived. Although King Robert was angry that there were so many secret passages in The Red Keep, the discovery of the secret chamber eased his mood slightly.
To avoid causing too much suspicion, Jon had specifically left some less valuable items in the secret chamber, and the existence of these items also greatly surprised the kingdom's high officials.
"Grand Maester Pycelle, what exactly are the things in this secret chamber?"
Since the matter of the secret passages was urgent, King Robert held a meeting that night to discuss how to resolve it.
Because the matter had caused quite a stir, the Queen and Prince Joffrey also hurried over upon receiving the news. As King Robert asked his question, the gaze of everyone present converged on the white-bearded Grand Maester Pycelle.
"Ahem... respected Your Majesty, I have learned from the signatures that these things should belong to the previous Targaryen dynasty, as the signature on them is Visenya Targaryen."
When Grand Maester Pycelle spoke, he sounded like an old man with one foot in the grave.
But those who truly knew his real face knew that this old fellow was quite vigorous when examining the bodies of prostitutes in bed.
"According to the records in 'The Conquest', this name and signature belong to the elder queen of Aegon the conqueror, Visenya Targaryen. In some stories, she was indeed a believer in black magic."
When the old man gave his serious description, he looked quite the part. As a Grand Maester, this fellow's professional knowledge was still quite solid.
"However, I must remind you, noble Majesty, that magic is an ethereal thing. We at The Citadel have never believed in magic; only knowledge and truth are what we should believe in. You know, I once..."
Perhaps it was because he was truly old, or perhaps because he wanted to show off his life experiences, but as this old fellow who had served four kings spoke, he began to promote himself again.
"Alright, alright, respected Grand Maester Pycelle, we don't have time to listen to your life story. What we need to discuss now is how to handle these secret passages!"
After hearing that the other party wanted to continue, Renly Baratheon quickly spoke up to interrupt.
"Yes, Renly is quite right. We should discuss how exactly these secret passages should be handled. Eddard, what do you think?"
After giving his brother an approving look, King Robert threw the question to his most trusted Hand of the King, Eddard Stark.
"These secret passages are too dangerous. I don't think there's any need to keep them. Just seal them all off directly!"
Eddard's solution was a one-time fix. To be honest, in his view, these secret passages no longer served any purpose; leaving them would only create unnecessary risks.
"Oh, respected Lord Eddard, I think we should keep some passages that lead to the outskirts or the woods. That way, in case of an emergency, we have a path to choose."
When Littlefinger, Petyr Baelish, said this, his eyes also drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward a certain bald, fat eunuch.
Although the other party still maintained a gentle smile, Littlefinger, who had always been good at reading people, could still see a hint of annoyance in the other's eyes.
After learning of the existence of the secret passages, Littlefinger was also startled by The Spider's trump card; secret passages were completely like an ace in the hole.
Many people would subconsciously think the bedroom is the safest place, so when they take off their masks, some secrets are naturally revealed in small talk with family or confidants.
And when another person they don't know appears in the bedroom, these secrets become leverage.
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