Chapter Summaries

Liu Qian offered Jelena and Janice a Dragonblood Pact that would cure their Valyrian curse in exchange for eternal loyalty and lives bound to his. Both sisters accepted, and the pact restored their bodies as they became his Flame Knights.

• Liu Qian explained that his Dragonblood Pact could purge the sisters’ curse, but would bind them to serve him and share his fate.
• Jelena agreed to the pact on the condition that Liu Qian protect Janice, and Janice consented as well.
• Jelena swore allegiance to Liu Qian, identified herself as Jelena Belerys, and drank his dragon blood to complete the pact.
• Liu Qian welcomed Jelena as his Flame Knight, then led Janice through the same oath and pact.
• The pact erased the scales on Janice’s face and restored her violet eye and human appearance.

After Liu Qian lifted the sisters’ curse, Janice and Jelena gained magic and raised fallen warriors as Dragon Spirit Guardians, though Jelena struggled with the cost of stripping her comrades of their humanity. The group investigated a strange blood-carved black stone beneath the Wizard Tower and planned to search Tyria’s records for answers before continuing their exploration.

• Liu Qian explained that Janice and Jelena could use magic and raise the dead as Dragon Spirit Guardians, but the revived warriors would be soulless and obedient.
• After Janice urged Jelena to preserve their comrades’ chance of restoration, Jelena agreed to raise the fallen warriors and dispel the magic if they could never regain consciousness.
• Jelena raised about three hundred guardians, and Janice raised five hundred before exhausting her magic power.
• Liu Qian ordered Janice’s guardians to search for survivors and Jelena’s to collect usable weapons and Blood Magic artifacts.
• Liu Qian and the sisters examined a strange black stone beneath the Wizard Tower, and Janice said Tyria’s Underground Library might hold records about it.
• The group left the chamber and continued exploring the Wizard Tower while the guardians searched.

Liu Qian, Janice, and Jelena discovered that the Blood Warlock had sacrificed people in his Dragon Egg experiments, but learned that nine Dragon Egg fossils had been reserved. Liu Qian found them in a trapped chest atop the 315-floor Wizard Tower.

• Liu Qian and the sisters explored the Wizard Tower and found stores of ghost grass, Blood Magic experiments, and a locked study.
• Janice read the Blood Warlock's diary and revealed that he had sacrificed outsiders, Tyria residents, and apprentices while trying to awaken Dragon Eggs.
• Liu Qian found a note stating that nine high-quality Dragon Egg fossils had been set aside, then reasoned they might be on the tower's 315th floor.
• Liu Qian flew to the top of the tower and was attacked by a Scorpion-Tailed Beast that had been hidden in a chest.
• Liu Qian killed the beast with Dragonfire and found nine Dragon Egg fossils in the chest.

Liu Qian prepared to evacuate Tyria’s survivors across the Smoking Sea to Oros, while searching the ruins for supplies and the missing Teres. As the guardians gathered people and valuables for the voyage, Liu Qian remembered the unsettling Black Stone beneath the tower.

• Liu Qian showed Jelena and Janice nine Dragon Egg fossils and told them the guardians would search the Wizard Tower after completing their sweep of Tyria.
• A Dragon Spirit Guardian reported that 317 survivors remained, and Jelena warned Liu Qian that the Blood Magic curse killed anyone who left Tyria; she proposed taking them to Oros across the Smoking Sea.
• Jelena told Liu Qian that stranded ships lay in a nearby harbor, so he ordered the survivors to gather food, water, and clothing and assemble within two hours.
• Jelena noticed Teres’s Valyrian steel sword was missing, and Liu Qian approved another search for him before declaring they would leave Valyria for good.
• Janice organized the transport of weapons, Ghost Grass, books, magical objects, and valuables to the harbor while Liu Qian absorbed magic power from the Ghost Grass.
• Liu Qian considered how he would replenish his magic power outside Valyria, then remembered the mysterious Black Stone beneath the tower.

Liu Qian recovered a mysterious black stone and discovered Bright-Roar, the lost Valyrian steel ancestral sword of House Lannister, aboard an ancient fleet in Tyria's harbor. With sixteen ships made seaworthy, he led the survivors away from the cursed ruins.

• Liu Qian transformed into a golden dragon and hauled the strange black stone from the underground chamber, then ordered Janice to load it aboard a ship.
• The guards returned without finding Teres or the sword, and Liu Qian, Jelena, and the survivors headed to the harbor.
• Liu Qian recognized the golden lion banners on the ancient ships and followed a Dragon Spirit Guardian to a sealed cabin aboard the flagship.
• Liu Qian found and tested a Valyrian steel sword, identifying it as Bright-Roar, the lost ancestral blade of House Lannister.
• Jelena and the Dragon Spirit Guardians confirmed that sixteen ships could sail after emergency repairs, and Liu Qian ordered the fleet to leave Tyria.

Liu Qian transformed into a golden dragon to draw a swarm of Valyrian monsters away from the fleet, while Jelena and Janice watched anxiously belowdecks. As the battle continued, Teres appeared aboard the ship and took Janice hostage.

• Liu Qian spotted a swarm of Valyrian monsters pursuing the fleet and transformed into a golden dragon to lead them away from the ships.
• Liu Qian burned a purple monster bird with dragonfire, but a bat-winged serpent-lizard lunged at him from the fog.
• Jelena and Janice worried that Liu Qian might not survive fighting the monsters alone.
• Teres ambushed Janice outside her cabin, held a sword to her neck, and confronted Jelena.

Teres held Janice hostage aboard the ship and demanded the Dragon Eggs, blaming Liu Qian for Tyria’s destruction while revealing his own role in sacrificing its people. Janice stabbed Teres, allowing Jelena to kill him and rescue her sister.

• Teres revealed that he had hidden in the ship’s cargo hold and threatened Janice to force Jelena to surrender the Dragon Eggs.
• Teres accused Liu Qian of bringing the Scaleclaws to Tyria, but Jelena defended him and confronted Teres over the people he had sacrificed to the Blood Warlock.
• Teres admitted that he viewed the sacrifices as necessary and demanded the Dragon Eggs so he could restore Valyria and learn Liu Qian’s dragon transformation.
• Janice stabbed Teres in the back of the thigh, and Jelena used Shadow Transformation to cut off his head.
• Jelena embraced her injured, trembling sister as Teres’s body fell on the cabin floor.

Liu Qian fought his way through the monsters over the Smoking Sea, killing several attackers and turning the pursuing creatures against one another. With Sphinx and three Chimeras closing in, he flew upward to draw them toward Sphinx.

• Liu Qian killed a Bat-Winged Serpent Lizard and a White-Feathered Cockatrice as they attacked him.
• He defeated a Three-Headed Purple-Winged Chimera and a Lion-Goat-Serpent Three-Headed Chimera, then spotted a host of monsters surrounding him.
• Liu Qian plunged into the fog and used a Cockatrice's fire to disrupt a Chimera's attack, then escaped through the confused formation.
• He lured Griffin Monsters into colliding and attacking one another with a provoking dragon cry and evasive maneuvers.
• Liu Qian caused Bat-Winged Serpent Lizards to strike a Griffin Monster and one another, then climbed toward the three Chimeras to draw them toward Sphinx.

Liu Qian escaped the Sphinx’s attack by diving out of the Smoking Sea, but suffered devastating burns and a torn tail before reaching the water. Jelena, Janice, and the Dragon Spirit Guardians rescued him, and the fleet sailed away while he remained barely alive.

• Liu Qian used an explosion of Dragonfire to distract the Sphinx and dive beneath it, prompting the Sphinx to blast the Chimera and his escape route with destructive fire.
• The Sphinx burned Liu Qian’s back and wings, then tore bone and scales from his tail with a claw strike.
• Liu Qian used his remaining strength to steer into the blue waters beyond the Smoking Sea and fell into the sea, where he returned to human form and lost consciousness.
• Jelena ordered the Dragon Spirit Guardians to search for Liu Qian, and they surfaced with his badly wounded body.
• Janice and Jelena treated Liu Qian’s wounds as best they could, and the fleet hurried away from the Smoking Sea with him barely breathing.

After recovering from his wounds, Liu Qian learned how his bloodline had evolved and decided to seek a base in the Stepstones. He ordered the ship to stop first at Volantis to change ships, gather supplies, and buy slaves.

• Liu Qian woke from unconsciousness and checked his system panel, finding his bloodline purity had risen to 22.3% and unlocked the Dragon-rider bloodline skill.
• Jelena reported the voyage’s events, and Liu Qian praised Janice for standing up to protect them; Janice said she had asked Jelena to train her to fight.
• Jelena presented Liu Qian with Teres’s Valyrian steel sword and offered to hand over his armor as well.
• Liu Qian decided to build his power near Westeros and chose the Stepstones as his intended territory.
• Liu Qian ordered the ship to sail to Volantis first to change ships, replenish supplies, and buy slaves before heading to the Stepstones.

Liu Qian bought fifteen hundred slaves in Volantis and discovered several Yidi captives carried a faint trace of magic. As the fleet prepared to leave, a red-robed woman’s apocalyptic cries drew his attention, and a strange old man approached him.

• Liu Qian sent Jelena to buy a new ship and supplies while he and Janice went to the western city’s slave market.
• Liu Qian negotiated a price of one Glowcoin per slave and bought all fifteen hundred slaves for work on the Stepstones.
• Liu Qian spoke with Rowan, a Yidi merchant captured on Naath, and noticed a faint magical aura among Rowan’s group, including a scarred young woman.
• Liu Qian returned to the harbor, where Jelena and the Dragon Spirit Guardians transferred the fleet’s supplies and slaves onto a new ship.
• A fanatical woman in black-and-red robes screamed warnings about the Long Night and doom, and a strange, short, fat old man approached Liu Qian.

Liu Qian met Marwyn, an archmaester who studied magic, and learned about the Order of Starry Wisdom and its connection to the Bloodstone Emperor. Hoping to recruit Marwyn as an adviser, Liu Qian introduced himself and ended their conversation by predicting the nickname the Citadel's maesters would give him.

• Marwyn warned Liu Qian to avoid the Order of Starry Wisdom and explained its founder was the Bloodstone Emperor, blamed for bringing on the Long Night.
• Liu Qian told Marwyn he had traveled with merchant caravans since childhood and had not returned to Yidi.
• Liu Qian recognized Marwyn's maester's chain, introduced himself, and asked whether he could visit Marwyn at the Citadel in Oldtown.
• Marwyn said the Citadel's maesters resented him and complained that they hoped he would die at sea and mocked him with nicknames.
• Liu Qian guessed the nickname Marwyn's colleagues would use and called him “Marwyn the Mage.”

Liu Qian’s fleet encountered pirates attacking a passenger ship near the Stepstones and moved to engage them. Jelena and the Dragon Spirit Guardians captured the first galley, while the other pirate ships remained to be confronted.

• Liu Qian led his newly purchased fleet from Volantis toward the Stepstones and spotted four pirate galleys attacking the Daughter of the Titan.
• The fleeing passenger ship collided with one of Liu Qian’s Swan Ships, and Terenzio Terris identified himself as its captain.
• A powerful man admitted ordering the merchant ship to ram Liu Qian’s fleet, but their confrontation was interrupted by pirate fire.
• Liu Qian ordered Jelena to encircle the four galleys, board them, and prevent anyone from escaping.
• Jelena and the Dragon Spirit Guardians boarded the first galley and overwhelmed its crew, forcing the surviving pirates to surrender.

Janice led the Dragon Spirit Guardians in defeating the pirates aboard her galley while Liu Qian fought their burly leader. After Liu Qian wounded and disarmed him, the man identified himself as Jorah Mormont, an exiled former Earl of Bear Island.

• Janice used her Flame Knight strength and the Dragon Spirit Guardians' support to break the pirates' resistance aboard her galley.
• The pirate leader surrendered after seeing the enemy's overwhelming strength and the slaughter of his crew.
• Liu Qian fought the burly man, testing his strength and sword techniques against the veteran's experience.
• Liu Qian broke the man's longsword and slashed his chest, leaving him badly wounded.
• The man introduced himself as Jorah Mormont, former Earl of Bear Island and an exiled knight, and admitted Liu Qian had won.

Liu Qian captured Jorah Mormont and Lynesse after Jorah rammed his fleet while fleeing pirates, then took the pirate leader Rollo Uhoris prisoner. After learning that Rollo's ships belonged to Crab Claw, who commanded a force in Torturer's Deep, Liu Qian prepared to attack him.

• Liu Qian confronted the wounded Jorah Mormont, who explained that he had rammed the fleet while escaping pirates.
• Lynesse Hightower revealed her concern for Jorah's wealth rather than his wounds, and Liu Qian ordered both her and Jorah taken prisoner.
• Jelena reported that the fleet had killed 107 pirates and captured 178 pirates and 170 sailors, including their leader, Rollo Uhoris.
• Liu Qian spared Rollo on the condition that he guide the fleet through the Stepstones, but Rollo revealed that Crab Claw could threaten his family if he failed to return.
• Rollo told Liu Qian that Crab Claw commanded about two thousand pirates at Torturer's Deep, and Liu Qian decided to fight him.

Liu Qian’s fleet reached Torturer’s Deep, where Rollo Uhoris used a false tale of loot to seek entry while Liu Qian and the Dragon Spirit Guardians prepared to attack. Crab Claw grew suspicious but ordered the gate opened and archers hidden, setting a trap as the ships approached.

• Rollo told Liu Qian that Blind Bastard Rollo Uhoris was his father and that he had renamed his ship the Pebble Cat in his memory.
• Rollo guided Liu Qian’s fleet through the Stepstones to Torturer’s Deep, where Liu Qian ordered his ships to wait until nightfall.
• Liu Qian had Rollo lead the attack ships and claim that they were returning with loot and a stranded Lys spice ship, while Janice stayed outside with the other ships.
• Rollo called to the guards at the channel gate and urged them to let his damaged ships inside, but the scar-faced guard noticed suspicious signs and sent a warning to Crab Claw.
• Crab Claw ordered the chains lowered and his archers concealed along the channel, intending to attack the fleet once it entered.

Liu Qian’s fleet sailed into a fjord ambush at Torturer's Deep, where he and Jelena used their flaming Valyrian steel swords to fight back. Liu Qian killed the pirate leader Crab Claw with a shot from his Dragonbone Longbow, forcing the pirates to surrender and leaving Torturer's Deep under new control.

• Rollo guided the Pebble Cat and the disguised merchant ships into the narrow fjord, where Crab Claw’s archers launched a surprise attack.
• Liu Qian used his flaming Valyrian steel sword to deflect arrows and blast the pirates hiding along the rock walls.
• Jelena led Dragon Spirit Guardians onto the shore walkway and cleared the ambushers with her flaming sword.
• Liu Qian spotted Crab Claw and shot him with a flaming arrow from his Dragonbone Longbow, killing him.
• Liu Qian called for the pirates to surrender, and they dropped their weapons as the Dragon Spirit Guardians took control of Torturer's Deep.

After taking Torturer's Deep, Liu Qian cleared Rollo Uhoris of suspicion and learned that the Dragon Spirit Guardians had suffered casualties but been revived. Rollo swore allegiance to Liu Qian and was given command of five hundred pirates as Liu Qian began inspecting the stronghold.

• Jelena and Janice secured Torturer's Deep, while Liu Qian ordered the rest of the fleet to enter and released Rollo after deciding he had not betrayed them.
• Jelena reported that 156 Dragon Spirit Guardians had died in the ambush and been revived, and said she and Janice had created a hundred new Guardians each from pirate corpses.
• Rollo reunited with his wife Vera and their baby, then swore allegiance to Liu Qian.
• Liu Qian assigned Rollo three hundred surrendered pirates to bring his force to five hundred, citing his knowledge of the Stepstones.
• Liu Qian had supplies moved into Torturer's Deep's warehouses and took Rollo to inspect the stronghold.

Liu Qian explored Torturer's Deep and studied Crab Claw's detailed map of the Stepstones, learning about the region's major pirate and merchant powers. He left determined to conquer them all, considering which stronghold to strike first.

• Liu Qian and Rollo inspected Torturer's Deep's natural harbor and the sea caves where surrendered pirates cleared the battle wreckage.
• Rollo showed Liu Qian Crab Claw's carved sea chart and identified Torturer's Deep's reefs and its proximity to the Disputed Lands.
• Rollo explained that Salladhor Saan controlled the largest fleet and held formidable influence across the Stepstones.
• Rollo identified Kago's Cleftjaw Island, Mara's Weeping Reef Island, and the Tyroshi-backed black market at Broken Spear Island.
• Liu Qian circled the Stepstones' major strongholds on the map and said he was deciding which one to attack first before wiping out the region's powers.

Liu Qian learned that building and maintaining a powerful fleet would cost far more than his fortune could cover, so he ordered repairs and armaments for his ships while considering the Ironborn’s raiding ways. He also discussed ghost grass and magic with Jelena and Janice, then decided to spend much of their supply awakening some of the Dragon Egg fossils.

• Rollo warned Liu Qian that conquering the Stepstones required warships and explained the immense cost of building and maintaining a fleet.
• Liu Qian ordered Rollo to repair every usable ship and outfit the Swan with heavy scorpions and catapults, which Rollo said he could source in Spearhaft.
• Liu Qian asked Janice to search the Blood Warlock’s writings for information about ghost grass and try growing it.
• Liu Qian warned Jelena and Janice to conserve their magic while they lacked a way to replenish it.
• Janice suggested using some of their ghost grass to restore magic, and Liu Qian explained that he could use magic to awaken the nine Dragon Egg fossils.
• Liu Qian decided to use their ghost grass to awaken some of the eggs and told Jelena and Janice to choose the dragons they wanted.