Chapter 279 The King of Light
In the end, Lu Xuan and Daenerys only brought back nine adult pterosaurs, plus twenty-two dragon eggs. The rest of the pterosaurs were killed in the battle by Drogon and Viserion. It was fortunate that those two showed mercy and spared nine; if they had been allowed to act freely, they probably would have killed them all long ago.
“We need to go back immediately and set up a suitable location. These dragon eggs have already begun to show magical reactions. As magic revives in this world, their hidden bloodlines are awakening. One day in the future, they will become powerful weapons of war.”
The expedition did not yield the expected results, failing to capture more than thirty adult pterosaurs. However, the dragon eggs were an unexpected bonus.
Lu Xuan found quite a few spells similar to contract magic within the Flame of Wisdom. Few were actually useful, but fortunately, these wyverns hadn't made a sound yet, so for Lu Xuan and Daenerys, who were skilled in both magic and martial arts, these spells were basically easy to manipulate.
During this time, Barristan came to report on his work. In addition to serving as captain of the Kingsguard, he also participated in some administrative matters. After all, manpower was limited, and his character was trustworthy, so he was also a key figure in Daenerys's ranks.
"So far, we have received more than twenty warnings. All of them came from the major slave owners of the nine free city-states. However, they have not yet launched a large-scale military mobilization. I have already sent a group of spies to various city-states to gather information. They seem to be still hesitant."
"Hesitation is to be expected. Few of those noble families who have enjoyed peace for hundreds of years are truly willing to fight. However, we should not let our guard down. Conflict is everywhere. Those emerging noble groups are very likely to take this opportunity to rise to power. Pay attention to the council members of those city-states. Once they have a change of leadership or a large-scale personnel reshuffle, that should be the beginning of their attack."
“That makes perfect sense. Sir Lu, your wisdom is always so astonishing.”
"These are just some basic inferences. Throughout the thousands of years of human civilization, there has been almost no change in politics. Unless some irresistible external force comes along to break it."
Barristan did not respond to Lu Xuan's question, but instead reported on another matter.
"Recently, there have been more priests in red robes in the city. They are said to be followers of the King of Light. They heal some poor people in the city and spread the faith of the King of Light. Many people have begun to believe in them."
Lu Xuan's expression changed slightly.
How many of them are there?
There were six red priestesses in total. All of them were women.
Before Lu Xuan could speak, Daenerys spoke first.
“Expel them all.”
"What? Your Majesty, although I am a follower of the Seven Gods, these priests of the King of Light have not committed any evil deeds. On the contrary, they are helping the people, we..."
"Summon all ministers of state; we are to hold a meeting. I intend to implement a new law. From this day forward, no new religions will be permitted within my territory. I will preserve and respect existing religious beliefs. However, anyone holding a position within a religion will be barred from holding any public office in my empire."
These are the basic provisions of this law. Summon the other government officials to refine the law, and then implement it immediately. My people do not need a bunch of dubious believers to save them. Next, I will introduce sufficient welfare policies to free the lower classes from hunger. But if they want to live a prosperous life, they must work.”
Ser Barristan opened his mouth as if to say something. But perhaps Daenerys's cold demeanor slightly intimidated him. In the end, he said nothing and simply carried out the order.
"Clap clap clap..." Lu Xuan said while clapping.
“Very good, Daenerys. Your performance just now was truly a perfect image of a queen.”
“I didn’t think that much about it. I just remembered that the Dragon King back in the Valyrian Freehold era rejected Rahlo. I think there must have been a reason for that.”
Daenerys was right. They found details about the life of the Dragon Kings during the Freehold era in some of the city's ancient texts. For example, key locations in Freehold were illuminated with magic. Not a single shadow could be seen in any corner, because shadows were, to them, symbols of evil.
Simply put, they reject Raholo, the Lord of Light (although he is called the Lord of Light, the chief god should be the Shadow, and the position of the God of Light should be what he desires, but he has not fully obtained it).
“That’s right. It’s said that the Lord of Light has performed many miracles in Westeros. Even Stannis Baratheon has become his follower. Just from this point of view, this guy is absolutely untrustworthy.”
“That’s right, I remember what my teacher taught me. The best fate for any religion that tries to interfere in politics is to disappear completely.”
"Looks like I don't need to remind you. Take a few days off; our next adventure needs to be planned."
This adventure didn't stray far from the continent of Essos; besides hunting pterosaurs, it was primarily a practical test. It tested Drogon and his companions' long-distance flight capabilities, carrying capacity, and combat strength. Now that the testing was largely complete, Lu Xuan felt it was time to head to Westeros.
As for the siege of the nine free city-states, Lu Xuan appeared relaxed on the surface, but in reality, he had been making intensive preparations for some time. Large quantities of new wildfire alchemical bombs had already begun to be stockpiled. Even if the pterosaurs ultimately failed to learn how to airdrop them, they would still be top-notch weapons for defending the city.
In a square within the city of Astapo, several torches burned, surrounding a young and beautiful woman in a red robe.
At this moment, she was standing on a high platform, vigorously promoting the faith of the Lord of Light. Interestingly, everything she preached was very positive. For example, people should treat others kindly and obey the law. It sounded like a very positive church.
After listening for a while, Lu Xuan realized that the priestess couldn't stop talking about the Lord of Light. The Lord of Light was the only true god, and all other gods were heretics...
When you see a monotheistic religion, there's no need to say anything, just confront it.
Before Lu Xuan could make a move, a squad of soldiers rushed over, dispersed the crowd, and took the priestess away. However, Lu Xuan noticed that the four torches surrounding the priestess seemed to suddenly burn brighter.
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Chapter 280 The Last Targaryen
The strange phenomenon before him heightened Lu Xuan's vigilance. He didn't intend to investigate further, but instead turned to leave.
Just as it turned around, a faint sound came from beside it.
"Human, I..."
But as soon as the voice opened its mouth, Lu Xuan interrupted it.
“I want neither eternal life, nor endless wealth, nor supreme status, nor great power. Now you can speak.”
The voice choked for a moment. It took a while to reorganize its words.
"Human, we can make a deal."
"Okay, tell me what you can give me first. Let me make it clear, I don't want any of those things. I prefer something more practical, like a thousand tons of Valyrian steel or something."
"......"
"If you have nothing to say, then there's nothing to talk about?" Lu Xuan didn't give the other person a chance to speak, and directly mobilized his mental power to forcefully kick the other person out.
Lu Xuan had always maintained absolute vigilance towards Rahlo. This evil god, who had a very strong presence in the original work, made Lu Xuan feel quite dangerous.
Having confirmed that Rahlo could not directly harm him, Lu Xuan turned and returned to Daenerys's palace. But upon reaching the entrance, he witnessed a peculiar scene.