Landing at the Ruins

"The Unsullied will send five of our finest warriors, my lord." Silver Scorpion, commander of the Unsullied, stepped forward to volunteer before anyone else could speak.

"Silver Scorpion, the Silver Blood Army hasn't even spoken yet. What are you trying to do?" Aslan Longdell responded at once, displeased.

"The Unsullied are more suitable than the Silver Blood Army." Silver Scorpion refused to yield. "Though the Silver Blood Army was trained by the old lord, the Unsullied surpass them in both training intensity and adaptability to magic."

"Proof?"

"Silver Scorpion is right." Lonzell agreed with the eunuch warrior. "When Astapor trains the Unsullied, the trainees are made to drink something called Courage Wine. Though it is called wine, it is actually a medicinal mixture of poisons, and it does indeed improve the Unsullied's tolerance for magic."

"Belladonna, bloodfly larvae, and black lotus root from Slaver's Bay. There's also a secret formula passed down by poison masters from Asshai." Zesal the Shadow Weaver, who was well versed in poisons, understood the toxicity of those ingredients. "The slave masters of Astapor use them to numb the Unsullied's bodies, so I support Commander Silver Scorpion's proposal."

Tigaro, the poison apprentice standing nearby, took out a small notebook and recorded the formula Zesal had just described.

"The Silver Blood Army is the soul of Valaerys." Aslan Longdell pointed at himself. "At the very least, I should remain at your side until death."

"Valar and Rey will accompany me." Lonzell nodded at Aslan to show there was no problem, then continued, "This is the result of prophecy. The three of us are connected by blood, and with them there, my magic will last longer as well."

"Brother, then you need more people." Valar said. "Rey needs protection, and we can't have him follow us too deeply into the ruins."

"I can do it." Rey protested. "I'm already twelve. When you were twelve, you were already following Father into battle against the Dothraki. Why can't I go deep into the ruins?"

Lonzell grabbed a handful of his younger brother's hair. "Since you said so, Rey, then you can enter the ruins with us. Just don't cry when the time comes."

Only then did Rey smile again.

"Tigaro, little Adams, and I will remain aboard the Silent Lord." Zesal the Shadow Weaver rose to his feet and volunteered to stay behind. "The little brat and I can ensure your rear remains as steady as a rock."

Lonzell nodded in agreement. After all, the two specialized in poisons, but their martial skills truly were lacking. Staying behind to guard the ship suited them perfectly.

"Aslan, Amos, Sebastian, you and the selected Silver Blood Army brothers will take one boat." Lonzell began assigning tasks.

"How many Silver Blood Army brothers should I bring?" Aslan needed to clarify. With only fifteen slots, the Unsullied had already taken five, while Lonzell's young followers would take another six, leaving only four for the Silver Blood Army. There was also one red priest.

"Lynn is connected to me by blood." Though Lonzell had already removed the magical factors from Lynn's blood with his consent, their blood relation could not be easily severed. Therefore, Lonzell's Blood Magic could take effect directly within Lynn's body, without any outside medium.

"He does not need my potion to activate the protective runes."

After Lynn Valtaken was taken in by Lonzell, he learned of his identity. But he was a precocious and perceptive child. Being a descendant of Princess Senira was certainly no good thing for him, so he begged Lonzell to use Blood Magic to dull his bloodline.

At least now, he no longer needed to worry about the problems brought by his bloodline, and he had not lost the benefits of being Lonzell's blood relative.

"I do not need your potion either, my lord." The red priest spoke indistinctly. "The power of the Lord of Light is quite active here. I can use magic to protect myself."

Thus, Lynn's and the red priest's slots became available, and Aslan naturally assigned them to Silver Blood Army warriors eager to distinguish themselves.

Lonzell did not stop him. He trusted the loyalty of the Silver Blood Army. Not only had they been personally trained by his father as a "royal guard," but nearly every Silver Blood Army warrior had drunk beverages mixed with Lonzell's blood.

There was no harm in those drinks. They merely deepened the bond between Lonzell and his army. The warriors would naturally acknowledge Lonzell's leadership, and in turn grow close to and obey his blood relatives.

"Lynn, you'll come with Ago, Hofa, and us." Lonzell looked around at the group. Everyone stood solemnly.

After all personnel had been arranged, the Silent Lord departed its planned route under the cover of the Crying Boy and the Swordfish, sailing toward the Smoking Sea until it anchored at the edge of the Valyrian Peninsula.

The large ships lowered small boats covered in runes. The crimson runes, streaked with silver, gave off a faint glow once they touched the waters of the Smoking Sea. It was as though something beneath the water was holding the boats aloft. Even without rowers, the boats sped forward rapidly.

"Lynn, something feels wrong." Hofa, the golden-eyed youth, wore gleaming chainmail as he quietly moved closer to Lynn, who was watching the sea.

The seawater was murky and seemed to boil, while an unsettling smell of sulfur filled the air. Hofa might not have been able to see it, but Lynn could vaguely make out shadows beneath the water.

He believed Lonzell could see them too.

"Hofa, stay alert." Ago was still dressed in the customary Dothraki fashion, without armor, but his bare upper body was covered in silver-and-red patterns that also emitted a faint glow.

Hofa hurried back to his position and continued watching for possible dangers on the sea.

The two small boats continued onward at a steady pace.

"Brother, did you see it?" Valar gripped his spear tightly and stared fixedly at the sea.

Lonzell rested a hand on the sword at his waist. It was Black-Skirt Widow, a plain Valyrian steel sword. The entire blade was devoid of decoration, black from end to end like the night.

The Valaerys family had once possessed a magnificent Valyrian steel sword called Silver Blood as its heirloom blade. But Emperor Aurion had taken the family sword with him, and after his spectacular disappearance, the Valaerys family had only one Valyrian steel sword left: the sword carried by the wife Emperor Aurion had left behind in Qohor.

"I saw it." Lonzell could not describe what he was seeing. On the polluted surface of the sea, shadows formed dancing human figures, as though enticing people into their embrace—or foretelling something.

He saw scenes from the previous fire ritual, and strange voices rang in his ears again.

The difference was that this time, he could not make out a single word.

Rey felt something similar. He saw more than Valar, but he was not as sensitive as Lonzell, so the moment they entered, Rey had voluntarily closed his eyes.

The boiling seawater suddenly bulged upward. An enormous black shadow rose from beneath the surface, then slowly sank back into the deep sea, as though it had not noticed the two small boats at all.

Only then did everyone nervously lower their weapons.

The Valyrian Peninsula drew ever closer in the distance.

The small boats found a suitable place to dock. The people disembarked in groups of three, warily looking around in every direction.

This place seemed to have once been a harbor, but it had now become a scorching hell.

Black mist and crimson liquid were everywhere. The collapsed buildings had long since become unrecognizable.

There was no sign of life.

The group cautiously advanced inland.

At first, everything went smoothly. They crossed the ruined harbor without incident and saw toppled towers, until they passed a tower that had become nothing but rubble.

Hofa, the golden-eyed youth, suddenly raised his spear and thrust in one direction.

A piercing shriek instantly tore through everyone's eardrums. Lonzell drew Black-Skirt Widow without hesitation and slashed.

There was no blood.

Only a molten, burning liquid.

The thing hiding in the dark slowly rolled out.

It was a section of a body from some unidentifiable species.

"Stay alert! Stay alert!" A Silver Blood Army soldier had barely cried out before something concealed in the shadows pierced his chest. His iron armor was ripped apart as though it were paper.

A soft rustling rose from within the shadows as they slowly revealed their true forms.

The contract has been signed. Thank you all for your support. I'll be organizing my saved chapters and adjusting the plot this week. For the remaining days this week, updates will probably be around 3 PM and 10 PM, one chapter each. Once I finish organizing the backlog, I'll switch to a better update schedule. This weekend, Lonzell will tame a dragon. Please look forward to it.