This flame contained all the knowledge and secrets preserved by their lineage of male sorcerers. A normal person would be instantly overwhelmed by the massive flow of information upon touching it. However, Lu Xuan possessed a cheat-like ability, becoming immune to the information overload. He countered the flame of true knowledge.
Now that this thing has fallen into Lu Xuan's hands, it's as if the male sorcerer's inheritance has been blocked by him. At the same time, that flame and they have a symbiotic relationship. Without the power of the flame, their spiritual forms will quickly perish.
"I'm sorry, I've never had the habit of returning spoils. In fact, I have an even better habit."
The immortals seemed to realize something.
"No, no. We still have..."
With a snap, before the immortal could finish speaking, Lu Xuan crushed his heart with a single hand. The immortal's voice also vanished completely.
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Chapter 247 Encounter at Sea
Without a sound, the so-called immortal vanished completely, leaving not a trace in this world. However, in Lu Xuan's view, the true immortal still existed—the flame in his hand.
This is the culmination of the wisdom of the immortals, and the continuation of the sorcerer. This is the true immortal.
The male wizards outside witnessed everything Lu Xuan did. But no one dared to step forward; in a sense, Lu Xuan had now become a new immortal.
After a while, one of the male wizards stepped forward and faced Lu Xuan.
He first performed a complex and respectful ceremony. Then he requested that Lu Xuan return the flame of wisdom.
"You want me to return my spoils? Why didn't you take them yourselves after all these years?"
"...None of us can control it. Those dead souls don't want to give it to us at all. They just want to prolong their own lives."
"Yes, they're dead now. The only function of the Fire of Wisdom is inheritance. You want to reclaim the wizard's legacy? But you can't control it. So, what do you plan to do?"
Lu Xuan's words stunned the wizards. Yes, they certainly wanted to reclaim that flame, which contained countless secrets of the wizards: meditation techniques, alchemy, shadow magic, blood magic, potion recipes, the history of wizards, even the past of those lost souls. These were all invaluable treasures to them. But they were simply no match for it.
Seeing that the other party was silent, Lu Xuan smiled and then said.
"I have a suggestion, how about we cooperate?"
"cooperate?"
"Of course, you see, I can control the Fire of Wisdom. The one beside me is the Mother of Dragons, the source of magic. We already have enough leverage. Why not cooperate? Daenerys needs help, and you, having regained your magic, can serve as her magical advisors, working for her. In return, I can share the magical knowledge within with you. What do you think?"
Lu Xuan's words were simple: they just needed to pledge allegiance to Daenerys. However, these warlocks had just regained their magic and were a bit arrogant. So, he proposed a cooperation, giving them a way out.
"We need to discuss this."
"certainly."
Seeing the wizards gathered together, discussing Lu Xuan's proposal, Daenerys stepped forward with some concern.
"Do I really want them to be loyal to me?"
"Why not? Dani, you are destined to be queen. You don't need to fear or reject any kind of people in this world. They will all be your subjects. And everyone has their own value. These are wizards, wizards with real magic. If you can get them to pledge their allegiance to you, at least you won't be afraid of others using magic against you."
"I see."
The wizards made their decision quickly; they didn't really have a better option.
“We accept your proposal. The Temple of Immortality will send two male wizards to serve the Mother of Dragons. They will also be there to learn the magic of male wizards.”
“Four.” Before Daenerys could speak, Lu Xuan immediately doubled the number.
"...Alright, the four wizards will swear allegiance to the Mother of Dragons."
“Very good. Dani, now you can accept their allegiance.”
..............
At the port, Jorah waited in vain. The mercenaries had noticed the trouble in the city and were starting to stir. However, the Dothraki warriors were still quite formidable. Plus, Jorah was a seasoned veteran, so they didn't dare to make a rash move.
Jorah was also extremely anxious, fearing the bad news he would receive about Daenerys. Fortunately, Lu Xuan did not disappoint him in the end.
When Lu Xuan and Daenerys appeared, Jorah excitedly rushed forward, seemingly wanting to hug Daenerys. However, remembering the difference in their status, he could only reluctantly withdraw. But upon seeing the four male wizards led by Paiya behind them, he instinctively reached for his sword.
Dani quickly stopped him.
"Don't act rashly. They've already sworn allegiance to me. We'll explain on the way. The chaos in the city is almost over. We need to leave immediately."
Five ships, laden with money, food, water, and a group of over two hundred people (along with a number of children Lu Xuan had bought), sailed away from the port. This wasn't all of Daenerys's forces. In the City of Bones, there was a small tribe of about a hundred people living there. However, those people weren't lacking food or drink at the moment, and Lu Xuan and his group couldn't go back to retrieve them. They could only leave for now and make further plans once the situation stabilized.
Their target was Slaver's Bay. More precisely, Astapor within Slaver's Bay. Because there, they could buy qualified troops. Looking across the entire world of A Song of Ice and Fire, there were many powerful military units. Whether it was the Stark army that had ravaged the Westerlands, Dorne who had fought the Targaryens head-on, or the invincible Dothraki cavalry in open battle, their combat strength was quite good. But Lu Xuan didn't find any of them appealing.
The reason is simple: the discipline of these armies is simply too poor. Various private armies from different families have been thrown together, forming a motley crew. Overall, the wars in the Ice and Fire world are basically a contest of who's worse. They are far from the disciplined, strictly enforced army that Lu Xuan desires.
To assemble a sufficient navy, Stannis actually had to take out a loan from the Iron Throne and then hire pirates... In Essos, whenever there's a war, it's always mercenaries. Lu Xuan was speechless at this distorted war system.
Of these, only the Unsullied of Astapor somewhat met his requirements. Although the Unsullied were trained through extremely inhumane methods, including breeding and selection using poisonous insects, it is undeniable that in terms of record-keeping, they were the only army that could meet Lu Xuan's standards.
The training of the Unsullied begins at the age of five. They are completely castrated, their penis and genitals removed, and then burned to ashes at the altar of the Spear Lady. They regularly drink the nectar of courage to alleviate the pain. Every day, from dawn to dusk, they undergo inhuman training.
The training process is extremely brutal, not only teaching them how to fight, but also erasing all their personality, emotions, and ego.
It is foreseeable that, in countless wars, the people of the Ice and Fire world were not unaware of the importance of discipline for an army. Therefore, they used this undeniably bloody method to train a group of war machines devoid of personal feelings.
Although the soldiers were somewhat different from what Lu Xuan had envisioned, they were still adequate. The only problem was that the Unsullied lacked cavalry, making them significantly weaker offensively. They were an excellent unit for both frontal positional warfare and defensive battles.
The fleet sailed slowly across the sea. Everyone, including Dani, was in high spirits. After all, just a few months ago, they had nothing. But now, they had ships, money, and enough to buy an army.