Valyria, concluded

At that moment, the last scholarly representative Naharis had sent, a white-haired old man named Marion, spoke in a trembling voice. "Your Highness... no, Your Majesty. This is a miracle. The 'three-headed Dragonlord' recorded in ancient texts was no mere legend..."

"From this moment on, Naharis is no more." Viserys looked at them. "You will need to swear allegiance to me. Are you willing?"

"I am." Tears streamed down Marion's aged face. "Having witnessed Valyria's miracle with my own eyes, I could die this very moment without regret."

The others dared not question him either. Even without the legendary "three-headed Dragonlord," the black dragon watching them intently nearby was enough to shake them to their core. One after another, they pledged their allegiance.

A banquet was held that evening. The fare was simple, as the castle's food stores were running low, but the atmosphere was extraordinarily lively. After all the wonders they had witnessed, everyone held Viserys in even greater esteem.

Viserys sat at the head of the table, with King Ghidorah perched on a raised platform beside him. Its three heads took turns eating. In its original form, it had needed no food, but it was still far from reaching that level now.

"It's growing," Ser Arthur said quietly beside him.

"Yes. What do you think we need now?" Viserys asked.

"Time, Your Majesty. Dragons need time to grow."

"Exactly. What we need most right now is time."

After the banquet, Viserys gathered his core personnel.

That evening, in the castle's council chamber.

Five people sat along the two sides of the long table: Ser Arthur, Ser Alliser, two other knights who had come from Westeros to serve Viserys, and the elderly scholar Marion.

"How many places in Valyria have you yet to search?" Viserys asked.

Marion unfolded a yellowed map, the one Naharis had previously given Viserys. "Please look, Your Majesty. This is the Hall of a Thousand Pillars, the former headquarters of the Mages' Guild. Its underground vaults should still be intact. Here stands House Valaerys's castle. That house was said to rank among the foremost dragonlord houses."

"There are also the Star Court, Furnace Canyon... but those places probably harbor many mutated magical creatures and other dangers." Marion gave a bitter smile. "Over the past three hundred years, our family has lost at least several thousand people exploring them."

Viserys turned to look at King Ghidorah beside him.

"It doesn't matter. We have dragons now. We can crush any danger in our path." This was not mere arrogance on Viserys's part. While absorbing energy earlier, he had sensed the entire Valyrian Peninsula and detected no signs of life more powerful than Blackflame. King Ghidorah had also said that Blackflame was now the strongest being on the peninsula.

And so the plan was settled.

The exploration lasted two weeks.

With Blackflame scouting from the air and deterring threats, the ground parties encountered almost no real danger. Most mutated magical creatures chose to hide rather than attack when they sensed the dragon's overwhelming presence. Occasionally, a few monsters foolish enough to court death charged out, only to be instantly reduced to ashes by Blackflame's dragonfire.

They explored seven relatively intact ruins and castles.

Their haul exceeded everyone's wildest expectations.

On the fifth day, they discovered a cache of Valyrian steel weapons in a half-collapsed palace, including twelve longswords and four suits of armor. Even in the darkness, faint rippling light still emanated from the weapons and armor, attesting to their magical properties.

On the seventh day, they found a well-preserved study. Most of the books were still reasonably intact. Viserys skimmed through the texts and confirmed that they contained Valyrian magical knowledge, building techniques, and the complete method for forging Valyrian steel weapons.

On the tenth day came their greatest discovery.

It was in House Valaerys's castle.

When Viserys entered the castle's basement with King Ghidorah and several soldiers, they were stunned by the sight before them.

Dozens of weapon racks stood neatly arranged in a space of roughly two hundred square meters. Everything on them was made of Valyrian steel: longswords, battle-axes, spears, bows and crossbows, and even complete suits of plate armor. The weapons were so well preserved that they looked as though they had been placed there only yesterday.

The final tally was staggering: forty-eight Valyrian steel longswords, twenty-two daggers, fifteen battle-axes, eight spears, seven full suits of armor, twelve breastplates, and an astonishing number of gems imbued with magic.

The treasures were carefully packed, then carried back to Satheryn Castle by Blackflame in several loads. With every load that arrived, morale in the castle rose higher.

In the ruins of a castle near the beach, they also found a Valyrian steel greatsword. Its blade had a distinctive deep gray finish threaded with dark red ripples, and its hilt bore an exquisitely carved lion's head.

Beside the sword lay an armored skeleton, sprawled across the steps.

The armor itself was badly corroded, but its style and decorations remained recognizable. It was typical Westerosi plate armor, with a lion crest still faintly visible on the breastplate. The helmet beside it bore a lion ornament as well.

"House Lannister. Then this greatsword must be Bright-Roar," Viserys murmured.

That meant the remains belonged to Tommen Lannister II, a King of Casterly Rock who had died exploring the Valyrian ruins.

Ser Alliser came closer. "Your Majesty, I recall that House Lannister once possessed a Valyrian steel greatsword called Bright-Roar, but it was lost before the War of Conquest. So this is where it ended up."

Viserys nodded. He swung Bright-Roar, tracing a dark red arc through the air. "This sword now belongs to House Targaryen. I will inherit all of Valyria's legacy."

Although Viserys could wield the greatsword with one hand, it was still too long for him. If he had been as tall as the Mountain, he would have considered replacing both his current swords with greatswords.

He remembered that, in the original story, Tywin had repeatedly tried to buy swords from impoverished houses that owned Valyrian steel blades, but had never succeeded. If he openly sold this sword to Tywin, might it deepen the rift between House Lannister and House Baratheon? That was worth planning for.

Once the exploration was over, everyone assembled in the castle's great hall.

The treasures filled half the hall, but every eye was fixed on Viserys.

"Everyone," Viserys began, his voice echoing through the hall. "Over the past two weeks, you have explored Valyria yourselves. Its legacy is richer than anyone could have imagined. More importantly, however, you will witness another miracle. The effects of the Doom will soon begin to fade."

He walked to the window and pointed toward the churning Smoking Sea in the distance.

"King Ghidorah's arrival consumed the corrupting energy that had accumulated in this land for centuries. By my estimate, the Smoking Sea will settle within three years at most. Within five years, this land will once again be fit for habitation."

Murmurs rippled through the hall.

"And so, I have decided," Viserys said, turning to sweep his gaze over everyone, "to rebuild our homeland on the Valyrian Peninsula. Not a government in exile, nor a refuge, but a true nation. A new Valyrian Freehold."

Silence. Then an eruption of cheers.