The steps had clearly been carved by human hands. As Redd followed them upward, he felt as though he had entered an unknown world.
As he continued climbing, more and more buildings came into view.
These buildings were embedded in the volcano, blending seamlessly with it as though they were part of it.
Redd approached the buildings curiously and examined their details.
Though the buildings had collapsed into ruins, their surviving walls and pillars revealed how magnificent they had once been.
Redd could not help imagining what this place had looked like intact. It must have been a resplendent palace, filled with luxury and majesty.
He marveled that the volcano had actually been hollowed out to build such an enormous palace. What engineering skill and courage that must have required!
While exploring, Redd also discovered some enormous rock faces and stone walls. They radiated scorching heat, as though still recounting the terror of the volcanic eruption all those years ago.
However, the objects inside these buildings had all been severely weathered and lost their original value.
Redd surmised that this must have been a palace or castle belonging to House Targaryen, but its owners had not survived the volcanic eruption.
Redd realized that the dragon was very likely hiding in a lair within this volcano.
He quickened his search, refusing to overlook any possible clue.
An entire day passed. Though he had not found the lair's exact location, he was not discouraged.
Just as he continued searching, he suddenly saw a dragon flying back toward the volcano.
As the dragon approached, Redd finally got a clear look at it.
The dragon was enormous, its entire body covered in black scales. When its wings spread, they blotted out the sky and sun.
Its eyes were like burning flames, exuding majesty and dominance.
Like a black mountain, the black dragon slowly descended from the sky. Its enormous wings whipped up a fierce gale that swept toward Redd like surging waves.
Caught off guard, Redd was battered by the gale. He desperately clung to the volcanic rock beside him and barely managed to steady himself, avoiding being blown away outright.
The gale finally subsided, and Redd breathed a sigh of relief, though his heart was still pounding.
He collected himself and fixed his gaze on where the black dragon had landed, pinpointing the lair's location.
Then he carefully felt his way forward, taking every step with particular caution, afraid that the slightest sound would alert the terrifying dragon.
When he finally reached the mouth of the lair, Redd took a deep breath and summoned his courage, preparing to peek inside.
However, the instant he poked his head out, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with a massive, thickset dragon's head!
Redd's heart felt as though it would leap into his throat. He was so frightened that he did not dare move, and even his breathing nearly stopped.
The unexpected encounter left him both nervous and awkward. Especially under the fixed stare of those reddish-gold dragon eyes, Redd felt a chill rise along his spine, and cold sweat broke out uncontrollably across his back.
His body reacted instinctively. He swallowed with difficulty, then slowly drew his head back.
The oppressive presence of such a powerful creature almost made Redd want to turn and flee at once.
But he forced himself to suppress the impulse. After all, this dragon was the very reason he had come here.
Redd's heartbeat grew ever more frantic. He could even hear it clearly, as though it were the only sound left in the world.
He desperately tried to regulate his breathing and heartbeat, striving to calm himself.
Only after a long while did he recover a little of his reason. He thought of how the dragon had not attacked him. Perhaps that meant it bore him no ill will.
Redd took a deep breath, calming himself as much as he could.
He gripped the shield in his hand tightly, as though it were his only support.
Though he knew perfectly well that the shield might be useless against the black dragon, he still did not dare lower it lightly.
He edged forward step by step, each step feeling unusually heavy.
When he finally reached the mouth of the lair, he stopped and gazed inside.
The black dragon lay quietly on the floor of the lair, its eyes tightly shut, seemingly resting.
Redd inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his guess had been right: the dragon bore him no ill will.
Moreover, judging by its behavior, it seemed to have noticed Redd's presence long ago, yet had no intention of driving him away.
Redd took several more deep breaths to bolster his courage, then carefully continued forward.
As he gradually approached the dragon, he felt the blood within him begin to boil, as though an invisible force were pushing him onward.
The cave was filled with the strong smells of sulfur and rot, making it somewhat suffocating.
But Redd was unaffected by these smells. All his attention was focused on the dragon before him.
When he observed the adult dragon up close, he was profoundly awestruck.
The dragon's head was exceptionally broad, its savage features enough to send a chill through anyone.
Its body was covered in black scales, each gleaming coldly as though indestructible. Its sharp bone spurs added even more majesty.
Redd could not help reaching out, wanting to touch the dragon.
His fingers lightly touched its scales, and their hard, smooth texture surprised him a little.
Just then, the dragon's enormous eyes suddenly opened, their coldly striking vertical pupils staring straight at Redd.
That majestic gaze made Redd feel a wave of pressure, but he did not retreat. Instead, he met the dragon's eyes.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment as man and dragon silently faced each other.
At last, the dragon's eyes slowly closed. It seemed satisfied with Redd's behavior and made no further move.
Redd could clearly feel that, at the very instant the dragon's eyes slowly closed, the bloodline within him seemed to form an indescribably subtle connection with the dragon before him.
The sensation coursed through his body like an electric current, making him tremble slightly all over.
He realized that the dragon before him had accepted him!
The discovery left Redd so excited that he felt he might burst. Unable to contain himself, he circled close around the dragon like a child, examining it.
This dragon, which had survived the destruction of Valyria, measured an astonishing hundred meters in length!
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