Oseris had Sera, his Marshfolk Personal Guard, bring over a large chest prepared in advance. Standing over two meters tall and possessing tremendous strength, Sera carried it by herself, though it would have taken four ordinary strong men to lift it.
When the chest opened, it revealed an assortment of neatly arranged luminous porcelain.
These porcelain treasures-vermilion glow porcelain-had been painstakingly fired by Holy Flame craftsmen using powdered Pearlglow Clam shells. They gave off a soft, pearly sheen in the dim hall, instantly illuminating the shocked, greedy faces around them.
"This is pearlglow porcelain!"
Oserion continued proudly,
"These are only samples! Otheryon City has already mastered the techniques for mass-producing pearlglow porcelain. Illyrio, I want pearlglow porcelain to be famous on both shores of the Narrow Sea before the Tournament. Can you do it?"
The midsummer sun blazed like molten gold, scorching Otheryon City's rainbow dragonstone streets. The harbor waters gleamed like emeralds, a forest of masts rising above them as the colorful sails of merchant ships billowed gently in the hot wind.
This long summer had lasted almost twenty years, and the nobles of Westeros seemed to have grown weary of endless harvest feasts.
Their warehouses overflowed with wheat and wine, while Gold Dragon Coins gathered dust in their vaults-they craved something new, something they could flaunt at banquets.
In recent years, seemingly every top luxury on the continent of Westeros had come from Holy Flame Island. The nobles had grown accustomed to watching enviously as the houses close to Holy Flame Island showed off their treasures with smug delight.
Illyrio stood on the terrace of the Rainbow Tower. A sea breeze swept over his large, bald head, bringing a moment of cool relief.
This pearlescent tower was a hundred-meter lookout tower that Oserion, riding Ragnax, had built