Swann did obtain some valuable intelligence. For example, he learned that all the able-bodied men in the city were eagerly enlisting, and the number of soldiers defending the city far exceeded his own estimates. He also learned that although the number of soldiers was large, the city was severely lacking in weapons and armor. Apart from the Unsullied, the rest of the garrison simply did not have enough armor and weapons.
Having obtained this intelligence, Swan felt he could report back. He would never dig for any deeper information, even if it existed, because such things could easily lead to death.
But fate is so dramatic; he didn't want to dig deeper into the information. But the information came knocking on his door.
The visitor was a wealthy merchant in the city, and of course, he also had another identity: a former philanthropist.
“We once had everything, and everyone in this city knelt at our feet. But now, those slaves are all free. Our glory as benevolent lords is gone. We will not allow this to happen, and we want to kill Daenerys and take back everything we have. But after that battle, we have lost the means to confront her directly. So, tell your master that we can cooperate.”
The visitor offered numerous terms for cooperation, essentially various commercial concessions made after the recapture of Astapo. These were not matters for someone like Swann. What truly concerned him was that the visitor had revealed a secret—the secret of the Astapo tunnels.
"Those were secretly developed by a group of smugglers using the drainage channels hundreds of years ago. They were later sealed off. But after hundreds of years, those fences have long since rotted away and are now extremely vulnerable. Using those secret passages, your people can bypass the guards and quickly enter the city. With an attack from both inside and outside, even the Immaculate would not be able to hold it."
To be honest, Swann didn't want to take this job. But he wasn't stupid; knowing this secret meant that if he dared to say no, he'd be trapped in the city, unable to even leave the gate.
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Chapter 263 Burning Flames
The end result was that Lu Xuan didn't send anyone to the front lines, but the other side did. That spy game, while seemingly simple, actually involved a considerable amount of thought from Lu Xuan.
First, the few "good guys" who came forward were all genuine former "good guys." They'd just been thoroughly trained by Lu Xuan to be obedient. Second, the three spies who remained that night all encountered the same scenario: a relentless pursuit. During the pursuit, a sliver of opportunity was offered; whoever seized it and survived would become the protagonist of this drama.
Those who survive will witness the deaths of their two colleagues. This will solidify their belief in the importance of the intelligence they have obtained, and will also make them more likely to trust their superiors.
In the early hours of the morning, they actually took action.
The secret passage wasn't wide, but it was wide enough for six or more people to walk side by side. Therefore, a large number of mercenaries immediately flooded into Astapo's underground drainage system.
Inside Daenerys's palace, Paiya, along with three other wizards, was using magic to broadcast live the situation in the sewers. Thousands of the most elite mercenaries were seen rushing into the sewers. Outside, the enemy forces also launched a symbolic general offensive, intending to draw the attention of the city's defenders and create an opportunity for the group that had penetrated deep into enemy territory to strike directly at Daenerys's main camp.
Dreams are beautiful, but reality is cruel.
Having read this far, Lu Xuan had lost all desire to continue. Daenerys felt the same way. Her training was at a crucial stage, so the two of them immediately stood up and missed the battle meeting.
The follow-up plan had already been laid out: the mercenaries would be surrounded and wiped out the moment they approached the palace. Not a single one would escape alive.
At the same time, the garrison would open the city gates on their own initiative, creating the impression that the city gates had been breached.
The plan was so crude that Lu Xuan couldn't bear to look at it, but he knew very well that the chances of success were extremely high. Because when the city gates opened, the enemy would instinctively rush in. However, the slave owners behind them didn't actually intend to launch a full-scale assault. Hesitation is a cardinal sin in warfare. At the same time, the influx of a large number of soldiers would create a herd effect.
This effect would cause the soldiers behind to blindly follow. Meanwhile, within the city, tens of thousands of Unsullied had already laid out a deadly formation.
............
In the backyard, Daenerys's private training ground. She stood there, eyes closed. The surrounding air gradually grew scorching.
Lu Xuan stared intently at Daenerys's figure. He had a strong feeling that this attempt seemed different.
The surge of magic within Daenerys made the air around her scorching hot. But it was merely scorching; she could never take that final step—to unleash magical flames upon the world.
But this time, Lu Xuan felt that something seemed different.
A tiny spark suddenly burst forth in the air. It was incredibly faint, yet it represented a historic step. Because this faint spark symbolized a breakthrough from nothing to something.
Lu Xuan instinctively took a step back. The next second, flames suddenly erupted.
Lu Xuan then entered Daenerys's spiritual world. This time, he saw two suns within her spiritual realm. One of them, though small, already possessed the qualities of a sun. This was a manifestation of a special pattern formed by Daenerys's soul, spirit, and the magic within her—the pattern of a dragon.
Back then, Lu Xuan and Daenerys were researching how to break through the mysterious fire law. They mentioned two methods. One was to perfect the meditation method of the Valyrian High Wizard, but that was hopeless in the short term. The other was what Daenerys was doing now: she was trying to simulate the inherent fire law within the dragons.
This was no easy task; at least, Lu Xuan had tried and found it completely impossible. That burning sensation would damage his soul. However, he ingeniously used this method to temper his spirit, and the results were quite good.
But when it came to Daenerys, the outcome was entirely different. Although she appeared petite and charming, she was, in essence, a humanoid dragon. This didn't mean Daenerys's body was as powerful as a dragon's, but rather that her physical attributes, spirit, magic, and even soul were remarkably similar to those of a dragon. Therefore, she successfully completed the experiment.
In Lu Xuan's eyes, Daenerys in the spiritual world had transformed into a new sun. But in the real world, Daenerys was no longer just a spark; she was completely enveloped in intense flames—a magical flame infinitely close to dragonfire.
The next second, Daenerys abruptly opened her eyes. The surrounding flames, as if receiving some kind of signal, suddenly contracted and returned to her body. Then, she raised her right hand, and a ball of flame appeared in her palm.
It's not just about simulating the flames of a dragon; her control over this power is far beyond imagination.
A surge of immense excitement flashed across Daenerys's face as she raised the fireball in her hand, seemingly wanting to show off something. But the next second, her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.
This is a typical aftereffect of a massive burst of magical power. She had just successfully broken through the seal and then unleashed an unlimited surge of magical power within her, which her body naturally couldn't withstand. Her fainting spell at this moment could even be seen as a form of self-protection.
When Daenerys awoke again, she found herself lying in her own bed. Missandei was standing guard by her bedside.
"How long was I unconscious? How did the battle go?"
"Your Majesty, rest assured, the battle is over. We have eliminated over ten thousand enemies, taken tens of thousands of prisoners, and the rest have completely fled. We have won this war decisively."
"That's good. Where is Sir Lu?"
"He's handling post-war matters. Should I go and call him?"
"No, no need. Let him go ahead with his work; I can take a break now."
"Yes, seeing him train His Majesty like that every day breaks my heart. Your Majesty, really. You are the Dragon Queen, we will all protect you, why do you still have to do that kind of training? Anyway, you don't need to go to the battlefield yourself."
How do you know I won't personally go to the battlefield?
Missandei glared and said matter-of-factly, "You are the Queen. Grey Worm, Ser Jorah, and even Ser Luthor are the ones who should be on the battlefield. You should be sitting in your magnificent palace, on your high throne, awaiting their victory and everyone's submission."
“Hehe, I wish I could too. But Sir Lu once told me something. He said that the return of magic represents the arrival of a new era. My dragon has returned, but other things have also returned.”
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