“Yes, why is it like this? Whether they are nobles, wealthy merchants, or monks, they all…” Daenerys felt very uncomfortable; this conversation was actually a bit premature for her.
"They all rightfully possess power, but why should their fate be decided by a mercenary? Is that what you're trying to say?"
"Yes. I don't understand why?"
Lu Xuan chuckled softly, then said.
"To understand this issue, we first need to understand what power is. What do you think?"
“Power…is strength. Armies, armor, swords, and dragons.” Dani’s voice grew firmer. Lu Xuan’s earlier guidance had had some effect.
“Well said. What else? These are the most important components of power. In fact, with these, you can already have people kneeling at your feet and calling you Queen. But it’s not enough. Think about it carefully. There’s one crucial thing missing from these things. If you lack that thing, the scene in the story will happen. You are a nobleman, or even a king, but your fate is in the hands of a mercenary.”
Daenerys even had beads of sweat on her forehead. She was somewhat at a loss; for an exiled princess who had never received an imperial education, these questions were far beyond her capabilities. In fact, even if she had received a Targaryen education, she might not have been able to answer these questions.
The people of this continent worship money, religion, and bloodlines. They believe bloodlines preserve their nobility, money buys them armies, and religion enriches their souls. They own and trade slaves, treating people as commodities. And this has become commonplace over thousands of years. In a sense, Westeros is more advanced in this respect, even though they are far worse in other respects...
Lu Xuan wasn't surprised that Daenerys couldn't answer the question. What he really wanted was just her attitude. Lu Xuan's questions tonight were almost deliberately difficult. But Daenerys maintained a humble attitude and seriously considered each question, which already satisfied Lu Xuan.
"It feels vague, doesn't it? Rights are rights. For most people, you're either born with them or you're not, so almost no one thinks about these things. But you have to learn to think, Dani. If you want to be queen, you have to learn to think. I can explain some things to you, but I can't give you all the answers."
Rights are a strange thing. They are invisible and intangible, yet they certainly exist. So where do they exist?
Under Daenerys's shocked gaze, Lu Xuan gently pointed to her chest.
"Rights reside in people's hearts. You only truly possess power when others believe you have it. Only then can you command that mercenary to kill anyone. It exists if they believe, and it doesn't if they don't."
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Chapter 241 Undercurrents (Please Subscribe)
Daenerys received marriage proposals, and not just one.
Zarro was also completely bewildered. He had originally thought that he and Lu Xuan had already discussed it, with Zarro proposing to Daenerys and keeping her in the city. But now it seemed that Lu Xuan had actually found someone else.
"We agreed that I would propose. Why did you get other people involved?"
“Hold on, Mr. Zarro. We did say that, but we didn’t agree to anything. I accepted your proposal, but I didn’t promise you anything. This is Qarth, a commercial city. Everyone here is a merchant; the highest bidder wins.”
Lu Xuan spoke casually, which infuriated Zhalo. However, it also dispelled some of his doubts. In fact, he would have been even more suspicious if Lu Xuan had truly only conspired with him. But the fact that Lu Xuan clearly wanted to sell Dani for a good price made it more likely to be true.
Of the Thirteen Lords, three were preparing to propose to Daenerys. Meanwhile, the royal family of Qarth also extended an invitation to her. However, Daenerys now understood that these men weren't after her, but rather her dragons. They simply wanted to obtain her dragons through this means.
In other words, Dani doesn't have real power yet.
"Sir Lu, what do you think I should do?"
"Don't worry too much, I won't let you get married here. This city can't give you what you want. Our goal is to get enough resources from here. So, you don't need to agree to anyone, but don't refuse anyone either. Buy some time and let things develop."
A conflict naturally arose. There were only three dragons: the warlock, Zhalo, 'Lu Xuan', and at least ten other high-ranking nobles in the city all wanted them.
However, they were all too aware of each other's strength. Although a rift had appeared, it was far from internal strife. These people were used to stability and would never easily engage in direct conflict. However, among all these rulers, there was one exception: Haiga.
The male wizards have been in decline for many years. They've fallen so low that the Thirteen Giants have long since lost their vigilance towards them. Or rather, they simply don't take these fallen male wizards seriously. But Lu Xuan could sense that with the restoration of magic, the male wizard lineage, represented by Paiya, was beginning to stir.
In the series, these guys killed all thirteen of the Great Ones, wanting to possess Daenerys and her dragons for themselves.
In the same conference room, Lu Xuan and Pai Ya faced each other. However, Pai Ya's face now showed a hint of anger.
"Lord Grant, what do you mean? Now the whole of Qarth is starting to get interested in Daenerys's dragons. I suddenly have dozens of new rivals."
“That’s a dragon, a magical creature that went extinct three hundred years ago. The reason they weren’t interested was because they didn’t want to break the balance. But when they learned that someone was interested, they had to be interested. Because they wouldn’t allow any of the Thirteen Giants to possess a dragon while they themselves didn’t. Unless that person was themselves.”
Pai Ya fell silent. He knew, of course, that Lu Xuan was telling the truth. He also understood that this situation was deliberately orchestrated by the person before him, a ploy to gain more advantage. But he was powerless to stop it; the other party was also a wizard, and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, a wizard even stronger than himself.
The techniques he had just awakened were useless against the person before him, so he could only rage helplessly. But just because they were useless against Lu Xuan didn't mean they were useless against others. After Lu Xuan left, Pai Ya sat in his chair, lost in thought, his expression gradually turning fierce.
Perhaps it was a woman's natural talent, but Dani quickly mastered the essence of certain techniques without any formal instruction. She navigated the relationships with several suitors with ease.
Lu Xuan took some time to check on Dani's three little dragons. Strangely enough, the three little dragons were unfriendly to most people, biting anyone they saw. Apart from Dani, only her closest maids who regularly fed the dragons were allowed to get close; everyone else could only watch from afar.
But these three little ones treated Lu Xuan differently. Not only did they not reject him, they were also exceptionally close to him. If Lu Xuan didn't have black hair and black eyes, Dani would have suspected that he was of Targaryen blood.
A month ago, when Lu Xuan left, the little guys were still like kittens. In just one month, they've grown into puppies. And their wingspan is nearly a meter and a half, already showing some intimidation.
They were natural hunters. Within days, all the cats and dogs in Dani Manor were reduced to charred remains, devoured by them. Dragons only ate meat roasted over a fire, and they particularly loved charred meat, which Lu Xuan found quite peculiar.
After teasing the three little dragons for a while, Lu Xuan casually asked a question.
"How are they breathing fire now?"
"All three are fine. And they're already very skilled at it; they can all fly now, though they can't fly very high yet."
"Hmm, very good. How much weight can they carry?"
"Bearing weight? I'm not sure, I haven't trained them in that area." This wasn't Dani's fault; after all, dragons had been gone for three hundred years. Naturally, the corresponding tactics had largely disappeared. However, Lu Xuan knew that simply having dragons breathe fire and kill was a huge waste. If they were to carry flammable and explosive materials and drop them from the sky, creating a high-altitude bombardment reminiscent of a fantasy world, the effect would be quite impressive. But this required training from a young age. That's why he mentioned it.
Dani's expression was unusually strange after hearing this. She seemed surprised that dragons could be used in this way. But upon closer reflection, it made perfect sense.
"I understand, I will add these training exercises to them."
"Great. By the way, how many gifts have you received so far?"
Dani blushed slightly, then led Lu Xuan to a storeroom. It was filled with gifts from various suitors and merchants over the past few days.
Various luxurious silks, spices, gemstones, jewelry, and even some professional comedic dwarf performers. A large, pure white peacock, the fur of a shadowy lynx, and so on.