"Freehold, Valyria, such a great city. How many years will it take us to build such a magnificent city?"
The aged Scholar, dressed in a Scholar's robe, sat at the long table, sighing softly.
The Scholar's Hall, lit by candles and torches, was half illuminated by the lights and sunlight from the windows, and half shrouded in darkness.
The aged Scholar, sitting on the dividing line between darkness and light, had a face whose true emotions were hard to discern, much like the Scholar's Hall itself, with both gloom and radiance coexisting.
"For thousands of years, the Valyrians have been at the forefront of the world in all aspects, but I think they soon won't be."
Another Scholar in the darkness spoke, "Although they revere the sects of various gods, they do not believe in the gods. They should be punished by the gods, and among them, the Light of the Seven should also descend upon Valyria."
Thump, thump, thump.
The Great Noble, the patriarch of the Hightower Family, who settled on the Westeros during the First Men era, the current head of the family, gently tapped the long table, lost in thought.
Oldtown, the most ancient and powerful city on the Westeros, was controlled by the Hightower Family.
Although most of the Hightower Family patriarchs throughout history preferred to seclude themselves in their high towers to study theology and arcane magic.
The vast Citadel in Oldtown, however, was merely an extended tentacle and a chess piece, controlled and orchestrated by these Hightower Family members, who were skilled at biding their time, to control the Westeros.
According to legend, the Hightower Family and the earliest ancestors of the Valyrians, who established the Freehold, the world's great hegemonic civilization, came from the same place.
That place is Carcosa in eastern Essos, where there are abundant, well-arranged green farmlands and vast, lush rainforests. The legendary long-bodied lizard-lions still inhabit the jungles of Carcosa today.
Saffron is Carcosa's main export product, and the Night Lion is Carcosa's deity. The civilization that once ruled Carcosa in ancient times was known as the Great Empire of the Dawn.
In the myths of the ancient era, the first Long Night in the world was triggered by the Great Empire of the Dawn.
The Great Empire of the Dawn was destroyed during the Long Night, and the civilization that now rules Carcosa—the Golden Empire—was born from the world reborn from the ruins of the Great Empire of the Dawn.
The Golden Empire is a general term for the many dynasties that now rule the Far East Carcosa. As of today, there are three emperors in the Golden Empire.
The Son of Heaven of the Azure Dynasty, who occupies the capital of Carcosa, holds only limited power within the capital. The princes outside the capital all retain actual control over their territories.
Throughout various periods of the dynasty, it has consistently suffered raids and abductions from the Jogos Nhai of the northern grasslands, with continuous conflicts between the two sides.
Many Imperial Generals and three Sons of Heaven have led armies to suppress the Jogos Nhai, but most have achieved little success.
As the predecessor of the Golden Empire, the legendary empire—the Great Empire of the Dawn—had a vast territory, extending west to the Bone Mountains, which cut across the Essos Continent from north to south, east to the Grey Waste, north to the Shivering Sea, and south to the Jade Sea.
Even the islands in the Jade Sea were ruled by the Great Empire of the Dawn, and its powerful national strength was no weaker than Valyria's.
The first ruler of the Great Empire of the Dawn was called the God-on-Earth, the only son of the Night Lion and the Maiden-of-Light.
The Hightower Family and the ancestors of Valyria on the Valyria Peninsula are, according to legend, a branch of the descendants of the God-on-Earth from the Great Empire of the Dawn.
And the mysterious lands of the world today, Asshai and the Shadow Lands of Asshai, also have mysterious connections with the former Great Empire of the Dawn and the Golden Empire.
Ancient texts from Asshai prophesy that after a long summer, the stars will bleed, and cold will cover the earth. The hero Azor Ahai, who once wielded 'Lightbringer' to defeat the Cold God and end the long night of darkness, will be reborn in the land of smoke and salt.
And he will awaken the Dragon from stone.
In the eyes of the Hightower Family patriarch, this prophecy has another interpretation.
Azor Ahai represents the sun, while the hero's wife, Nissa Nissa, who was sacrificed to Lightbringer to allow 'Lightbringer' to be born, represents the moon. 'Lightbringer' represents the starfall—namely, the Dragon.
The process of awakening the Dragon by the death of the moon is called blood for fire.
His idea comes from the origin of the Dragon.
There are two theories circulating in the world about the birth of the Dragon.
One of them is that, according to legend, there were once two suns and one moon in the world. One of the moons was too close to the sun and was ignited by the scorching sun.
That moon exploded in the sky, scattering countless meteorites from within it, but they were not meteorites; they were thousands of Dragons, descending upon the earth at that time, absorbing the sun's flames, which is why Dragons breathe fire.
And in many historical records, not only the Valyrians of Essos had Dragons, but even on the Westeros, there were once many Dragons.
Even now, many Dragon bones are still being excavated in the Shadow Lands of Asshai and the far north and far south of Essos.
An ancient legend from Asshai claims that an ancient people first tamed Dragons using some magical spell in the Shadow Lands of Asshai, and later brought them to Valyria.
And before disappearing from historical records, they taught the Valyrians the secrets of the Dragon.
Another theory, proposed by the maesters of the Citadel, is that Dragons are products created by Valyrian blood mages combining long-winged lizards and a magical creature found in the Fourteen Fire Peaks of Valyria—the fire wyrm—with blood magic.
Although these theories seem contradictory, as one of the surviving families of the Great Empire of the Dawn, the Hightower Family patriarch roughly understands through some information that:
Dragons were born from blood magic. They descended from countless starfalls when the second moon was destroyed, and magic was thus brought into this world.
Because of the meteorites, there were once Dragons everywhere in the world.
Later, an ancient people in the Shadow Lands tamed Dragons and built the Five Forts, which stood in the Great Empire of the Dawn. Thousands of years ago, they brought Dragons to Valyria.
And this people taught the Valyrians knowledge about Dragons and related blood magic, while the Valyrians used blood magic to control the Dragons.
Although this is only the Hightower Family patriarch's speculation based on the information he has, no matter which speculation it is, it aligns with their intended purpose.
Although the Hightower Family was not taught the knowledge of Dragons or the magic to tame them, they possess their own inherited knowledge, which is the wisdom from the ancient empire, the Great Empire of the Dawn.
The patriarch of the Hightower Family looked at the thirteen Scholars at the long table. The Citadel in Oldtown accepts all identities.
Whether you are a lord, a farmer, or a bastard, regardless of your origin, it all depends on your achievements, appearing exceptionally equal, at least in the face of the Citadel's rules and regulations.
When an apprentice proves his specialization in a certain field, he can forge a link to show his expertise.
Black iron represents Ravenry, gold represents economics and finance, silver represents medicine, iron rings represent military strategy, and Valyrian steel represents advanced arcane arts.
Every Scholar present here possesses their own forged links, enough to form a complete necklace, and further, to represent the display of a doctorate.
Rings, scepters, and masks forged from metals corresponding to their specialized fields. Without a doubt, the Scholars present all possess their own proof.
And the most outstanding among these doctors will be regarded as honored guests by the various kingdoms on the Westeros, becoming extended tentacles of the Citadel in Oldtown, helping the Citadel gather information and establish networks.
But within the Citadel, no Scholar likes to mention the words magic and Dragon.
They do not like to explore the power of Dragons and the mysteries of the dead.
Although the Citadel's library houses scrolls from all over the world, meticulously describing everything.
From trivial matters to all things, and some forbidden knowledge.
This merely represents the Citadel's belief—to master the mysteries of all things.
But the ultimate goal of these Archmaesters in the Citadel is something no one could have imagined.
Finally, the Hightower Family patriarch's gaze settled on the glass candle on the long table, which flickered with tiny flames, representing some existence of magic.
A Scholar reached out his hand, covering the burning glass candle, extinguishing its flame.
Yes, their goal is to dedicate themselves to building a world without magic.
These Scholars want the glass candles in the world to no longer be lit, and they want those charlatan male sorcerers to no longer be able to make prophecies about the course of events.
They want those female sorcerers who believe in gods to no longer be able to foresee the future from flames.
Without Dragons, the Citadel would be able to rule, control, transform, and build the entire world through knowledge, ushering in their ideal world.
And the existence of Dragons and magic are intimately related, so Dragons are an obstacle to the Citadel's transformation of the world.
"According to the messages from the Ravens, changes are already happening in the Valyrian mines. This matter can indeed be of help to us,"
The patriarch of the Hightower Family said thoughtfully, "But those gods of faith have all shown some miracles, and our Seven Gods have not truly been born into this world yet."
"Therefore, we need some sacrifices," another Archmaester spoke. "When Dragons are extinct and magic recedes, even the gods will cease their activities. That will be the time for our Seven Gods to rule the world."
Thump, thump, thump.
The Hightower Family patriarch's foot suddenly felt heavy. He lightly tapped his heel, then finally looked around at the Scholars behind the long table before making up his mind and saying, "In that case, how about we vote by show of hands?"
"I agree," a Scholar raised his hand, a ring made of Valyrian steel glistening with the reflection of candlelight on his plump finger.
"I agree too,"
"I concur!"
…
Smooth silver hair, like the most beautiful silk in the world, spread across the wide cushion. The beauty, with her eyes closed, breathed softly in the dim candlelight, peacefully asleep.
Her beautiful face was like a goddess veiled by a hazy mist, enveloped in a mysterious halo under the dim light.
But the sleeping beauty's breathing suddenly became rapid at this moment. She furrowed her beautiful delicate eyebrows, and fear and shock appeared on her peaceful and serene face.
Daenerys Targaryen, she had that dream about Dragons again when she fell asleep.
The Dragon's scales were as dazzling as the sun and as brilliant as a rainbow, but the Dragon's scales were slippery with blood, and it was her own blood.
Daenerys Targaryen found that its eyes were two giant pools of molten lava, with golden suns hidden within them.
It opened its mouth, and surging flames shot out from it. She was being destroyed, dying, and the family behind her, the Dragon behind her, the world behind her, were all swallowed by this terrifying Great Dragon in one gulp.
Boundless fantasies surged forth. Dragons in the sky fell in groups, warriors on the ground collapsed in swathes, cities were turned into ruins, and mountains collapsed.
She also heard a voice like a god, warning the world, but the voice was faint and unclear.
But she only vaguely made out the appearance of that unique Great Dragon in the end: six Dragon horns soaring into the sky, a head more majestic than any Dragon in the world, and those vertical pupils that looked upon everything with indifference, like flames that would burn down all order in the world.
"Ugh,"
Daenerys Targaryen sat up from the bed, her beautiful upper body covered in sweat, her forehead already soaked between her forehead and ears.
She tried to calm her breathing, but her rapid heartbeat made it difficult for her to find peace.
Daenerys Targaryen suppressed her trembling, quickly jumped out of bed, went to her desk, and tried to recall the content of her dream, beginning to write down lines of dream warnings.
She is Daenerys Targaryen, a member of the Targaryen Family, one of the Forty Dragon King Families in the Freehold.
Although the Targaryen Family ranks lower among the Forty Dragon King Families, the Targaryen Family has a very special existence: the Dreamer, who can foresee snippets of the future through dreams.
And Daenerys Targaryen is one of the rare Dreamers in this family.
Her trembling hand held the pen, writing line after line of shocking words on the paper.
"They embraced tightly, their backs to the coming doom. Mountains crumbled, heaven and earth changed color, scorching flames shot into the sky, and Dragons with wings could not escape."
"This is certainly not the last sight in their eyes. Flying over the wall, they saw the sea wind chasing waves, surging and crashing. The city-state of a thousand years, the learning of ten thousand generations, all were swallowed by the catastrophe, and they never looked back."
"This is the punishment for defiance, this is the destruction of an evil god, and it is also the gods' consent."
"Oh, my goodness,"
Daenerys Targaryen came to her senses, looking at the prophecy she had written. The voice echoing in her mind became exceptionally clear at this moment.
"The gods once said, if we cannot resist, then punishment will descend!" she screamed, running out of her room.