When Liu Qian brought the nine Dragon Egg fossils before Jelena and her sister, both women immediately gathered around. Holding their breath, they carefully lifted the magnificent eggs and examined them, reluctant to put them down.
They had never seen Dragon Eggs in Tyria. The greedy Blood Warlocks had claimed every one for themselves.
Standing beside them, Liu Qian gazed at the eggs, lost in thought.
Although he now had Dragon Eggs, that was only the first step. How to hatch them remained a difficult problem.
In the original story, Daenerys Targaryen had hatched dragons on the Khal's funeral pyre. Blood Magic born of the combined effects of the stillborn child in her womb, the Khal's life, and the Witch's sacrifice had awakened the dragons within the stone-a convergence of chance that could not be replicated.
The Red Priestess Melisandre had also counseled Stannis Baratheon that awakening a True Dragon required king's blood as a catalyst.
But where was he supposed to gather all those elements?
And even if he hatched the dragons, how would he control them as a Valyria Dragonlord did?
These Dragon Eggs were products of the Valyrian Warlocks' Blood Magic. Liu Qian was no Valyria Dragonlord, and he was uncertain whether the system could let him tame Valyria's dragons.
Setting aside his doubts, he told the two women, "Let's leave for now. Once the Dragon Spirit Guardians finish searching Tyria, we'll have them come up and search the Wizard Tower thoroughly."
They descended to the entrance at the base of the tower. A squad of Dragon Spirit Guardians was silently leading several hundred bloodstained survivors of Tyria, their eyes filled with fear, to assemble on the steps beneath the High Tower. Some were clearing the heaps of monster corpses and shattered rubble piled on the steps.
An exceptionally burly Dragon Spirit Guardian, his armor covered in old blade marks, stepped forward and saluted stiffly. His voice was flat and emotionless. "My lord, the search is complete. Three hundred and seventeen survivors."
Liu Qian swept his gaze over the remnants of the population, who had survived the disaster only to tremble like startled birds, then turned to the sisters. "Tyria is in ruins. It can no longer shelter anyone. We must take them away."
Jelena slowly shook her head, deep worry weighing in her icy violet eyes. "My lord, people of Tyria have tried to leave these cursed ruins before. But soon after they left this land defiled by Blood Magic, their bodies began to rot. Their flesh sloughed off like melting wax, their vitality drained away, and they finally died in unimaginable agony."
The air seemed to freeze, a deathly silence heavy with the smell of blood settling over them.
The cruelty and tenacity of the Blood Magic curse far exceeded Liu Qian's imagination.
Jelena raised her hand and pointed firmly north. Her gaze pierced the drifting gray mist, as though she could see the distant shore. "There is another land across the Smoking Sea, with a settlement also founded by Valyrian survivors. It is called Oros. The vast Smoking Sea separates it from the ruined main city of Valyria, making it much safer than Tyria. Perhaps we could settle there."
Liu Qian pressed, "Are there ships here?"
Jelena nodded. "After the Doom, countless adventurers driven by greed ventured into this cursed land. In the end, they perished here along with their dreams. Their ships lie stranded in the harbor shallows a short distance to the north."
Liu Qian was delighted. He could transform into a dragon and carry Jelena and her sister away, but with so many Dragon Spirit Guardians, he needed ships.
"There's no time to waste," Liu Qian said, his voice decisive and leaving no room for argument. "Have the survivors get moving immediately. Pack only essential food, drinking water, and clothing. Everyone must assemble here in two hours!"
Jelena nodded, turned, and strode toward the anxious survivors, beginning to issue instructions in a clear, firm voice.
Just then, another squad of Dragon Spirit Guardians returned, dragging a heavy wooden cart piled with Valyrian weapons recovered from the battlefield and the ruins-longswords bent like snakes, spears with blunted heads, and armor plates rusted through or even shattered.
Liu Qian stepped forward and examined them carefully.
Soon, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes. Not one weapon bore those mysterious Blood Magic runes.
It seemed that these precious objects, capable of storing and channeling magic power, had been beyond the reach of ordinary soldiers even at the height of Valyria's glory. They were as rare as Dragon Eggs.
Jelena came over as well. Her gaze swept across the pile of scrap metal, and her brow furrowed deeply. "Something is wrong. Teres's Valyrian steel sword isn't here."
She clearly recalled the chaos when the walls finally fell. "We fought together at the crumbling gate, drenched in blood, trying to hold back the flood of monsters. He was soon overwhelmed by Scaleclaws that outnumbered him several times over. There was no way he could have survived."
Yet neither the weapons the Dragon Spirit Guardians had brought back from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood nor the wreckage scattered through Tyria's streets and alleys held any trace of Teres or his distinctive sword.
This eerie absence was like a hidden current beneath still water.
"He's still alive?" Liu Qian remembered the man he had met upon first entering Tyria. His arrogant, defiant manner remained fresh in his memory.
"I'm not certain," Jelena said coldly, her voice filled with suppressed anger and profound contempt. "Teres has always been cunning and cowardly, endlessly fawning over the Blood Warlocks. Perhaps when he saw that the walls were about to fall, he found an opening and slipped away. He may be huddled in some filthy corner even now, watching our every move."
She looked to Liu Qian for permission. "My lord, allow me to send another squad of guardians to thoroughly search the remaining areas where he might be hiding."
After a moment's consideration, Liu Qian nodded.
Then he added with a note of finality, "Whatever the result, once our business here is finished, we will set sail and leave Valyria for good."
Jelena and Janice exchanged a glance, each seeing a complicated mix of emotions in the other's eyes-relief, uncertainty, and a trace of anticipation for the unknown.
Like invisible chains, their vows as Flame Knights had bound their lives and fates firmly to Liu Qian's chariot.
Moreover, the lifting of the Blood Magic curse was like shedding heavy shackles. To them, the vast, unfamiliar world outside promised a tempting new life.
Janice immediately went to work, directing the Dragon Spirit Guardians to transport the salvaged Valyrian steel weapons that remained relatively intact to the harbor in batches.
The other guardians, like tireless undead worker ants, once again poured into Tyria's ancient libraries buried deep underground and its battered Wizard Towers for one final, exhaustive sweep.
Janice threw herself into directing the Dragon Spirit Guardians with particular enthusiasm.
Strange Glass Candles, bundles of Ghost Grass emitting faint fluctuations of magic power, thick tomes with weathered covers written in high Valyrian runes, alchemical instruments and magical implements gleaming ominously, and even exquisite gold and silver vessels left behind by Valyria-
vessels, uncut gemstones and crystals, sacks of ancient coins... everything of value, or that might hold knowledge or wealth, was carried out in orderly fashion and piled at the harbor to await loading.
Liu Qian also took the opportunity to absorb magic power from the Ghost Grass.
At the same time, he was quietly considering his situation.
His maximum magic power had already reached well over a hundred thousand. How he would replenish it after leaving Valyria was a crucial question.
Absorbing magic power from the air was unrealistic. The world was currently at a magical ebb, and the magic power in the air was sparse.
Thus, he could obtain magic power only by draining magical objects.
Among the Valyrian weapons, only those engraved with Blood Magic runes held enough magic power for him to absorb. Ghost Grass was his best option.
That was precisely why he intended to take the Ghost Grass with him.
The Ghost Grass in the Wizard Tower still had its roots and stems. He could try growing it elsewhere in the future.
Of course, he still needed to think of other methods.
"I almost forgot about that thing!" Liu Qian abruptly opened his eyes, remembering the mysterious Black Stone at the base of the tower that had made him feel so deeply uneasy.
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