After skimming through the record, Lu Xuan confirmed his guess. It contained information about the real world, the downfall of the Long family, magic, and the elusive masterminds behind it all.
The book, of course, presents a righteous and awe-inspiring narrative, claiming that magic is the source of turmoil and dragon breath is the flame of ambition... However, as far as Lu Xuan knows, during the era of Valyria's Freehold, most civilians lived far better lives than the people of the Seven Kingdoms today. Productivity and military strength far exceeded the current limits of these nations.
The so-called true world of the Seven Kingdoms is probably the most corrupt, decadent, and rotten period in the history of Westeros. Ironically, magic and dragons should be the bane of the White Walkers and the undead army. But now, the Seven Kingdoms have neither magic nor dragons, and even the few remaining spiritwalkers are considered monsters and are vehemently rejected.
Lu Xuan sometimes wondered, once the Night King breached the Great Wall, what would humanity do then?
In fact, some things are quite obvious, and can be understood without even deep thought. The so-called "real world," such a high-sounding excuse, is usually just a deception. Lu Xuan had also seen some of the Citadel's exploits in Essos.
Back in the Valyrian Freehold era, the Citadels were wildly obsessed with magic. Several maesters even traded decades of unpaid service for the glass candles and gossiping mirrors still preserved in the Citadel. This demonstrates that they had indeed studied magic in great depth.
Unfortunately, magic in this world has a threshold. Without the corresponding bloodline, it's practically impossible to learn magic. Lu Xuan guessed that the efforts and disappointments of generations must have created a huge psychological gap among the scholars of the Citadel, perhaps even an uncontrollable jealousy and hatred.
It's a very simple psychological issue. There's something you desperately want, something others have that you don't. The key is that certain external conditions limit your ability to possess it, no matter how hard you try. Most people would then turn to resentment towards those who have it.
In reality, most people can only harbor hatred in their hearts, unable to put their ideas into practice. However, the Citadel, which controls the lifeline of knowledge in the Seven Kingdoms, has the ability to put it into practice. And it's a classic villainous tactic: "Since I can't have it, I'll destroy it completely, so that no one can have it."
At that moment, faint sounds of fighting could be heard outside, as if Daenerys was clashing with the night patrol guards.
Lu Xuan reached out and put the book "The Real World" into his pocket, then turned and walked out of the office. Facing him were four fully armed guards rushing towards the library hall.
The four guards froze for a moment, about to draw their swords, when suddenly everything went black, and they lost consciousness. Lu Xuan walked past them and headed into the hall. He could already see Daenerys's sharp figure in the distance. Unlike Lu Xuan, who had simply knocked out several guards...
At this moment, Daenerys seemed to be consumed by extreme rage. The black fire in her hands drew arcs of death in the moonlight, slicing through more than a dozen guards with the ease of chopping vegetables.
A flash of fire appeared in her left hand, and a fireball the size of a soccer ball flew out from Daenerys's grasp. It blasted the dozen or so guards who had just rushed in through the doorway, sending them sprawling. The guards were stunned, hesitant to approach.
After reuniting with Daenerys, the two swaggered towards the exit. Ahead, over thirty guards formed a semi-circle, surrounding them. Ironically, however, they dared not attack, instead retreating as the two advanced. The whole scene was rehearsed with perfect coordination, yet utterly satirical.
Some scholars were startled. When they saw Daenerys with her long, golden-silver hair, they were all stunned. An incredulity flashed in their eyes. Daenerys's appearance here was completely beyond their imagination. Especially when they heard that Lu Xuan had come out from the laboratories behind the library hall, the scholars' expressions changed drastically.
"Kill them!" One of the old scholars gave the order without hesitation.
A dozen soldiers armed with crossbows stepped forward and drew their bows. However, these powerful crossbows posed no threat to Daenerys and Lu Xuan, who were clad in armored steel and possessed superhuman physical abilities. Daenerys simply raised her hand to shield her face, remaining unharmed. Lu Xuan didn't even bother to shield himself; he merely turned his head slightly, avoiding all the bolts.
Seeing the old scholars, Daenerys's anger intensified. Lu Xuan guessed that she probably understood that the destruction of the Dragon Clan was inextricably linked to the Academy City. The hatred of her clan's annihilation made her want to rush forward and cut down the old scholars. However, Lu Xuan stopped her.
"Alright, Daenerys, that's enough for tonight. Let's go. I have something for you to see. After you've seen it, we'll think of a proper ending for them... worthy of them."
Hearing Lu Xuan's words, Daenerys turned and headed towards the exit. More guards rushed over, and over a hundred men surrounded the two in the courtyard.
Daenerys took a deep breath, and her own sun in her spiritual world suddenly shone brightly. Even Lu Xuan subconsciously took a few steps back, distancing himself from her.
The next second, a fierce ring of fire exploded around Daenerys. The flames erupted in a shockwave, instantly sweeping across the entire courtyard. The magical fire, approaching the power of dragonfire, directly engulfed hundreds of guards. The screams lasted only a very short time, as all the guards were reduced to charred remains by the violent flames. Their armor and weapons even turned into molten iron, flowing among the hundreds of charred corpses.
The bright red molten iron, like glowing blood, combined with the moonlight in the sky, cast a chillingly tragic light over the entire courtyard.
The entire courtyard was deathly silent. The guards who had just arrived had witnessed the scene. They all stood there dumbfounded, staring at the two men as they swaggered out of the academy.
As he reached the door, Lu Xuan even had time to pull out his copy of "The Real World" and wave it at the scholars. He clearly saw more than one elderly scholar collapse on the spot...
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Chapter 285 Night in the North
The dragon soared into the sky and left the old town, flying towards the heart of the seven kingdoms in the north.
The war had just ended, and wasn't even completely over yet. The entire Seven Kingdoms were utterly devastated. Lord Tywin Lannister, in order to requisition food for the front lines, hired a bloodthirsty troupe to plunder the Riverlands (the Stark family was doing much the same).
The once prosperous and wealthy Riverlands were ravaged by war. Tywin Lannister was a master strategist among the Seven Kingdoms. However, he also had several weaknesses. One was Tyrion Lannister, and the other was that his vision was always too high, and he never bothered to look down on those below him.
Looking at the ravaged land beneath her, Daenerys remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
“Teacher, I’m starting to have doubts now. I’m questioning whether the Iron Throne I’m pursuing truly matters. Look at this rotten kingdom below. Look at those decadent nobles. Look at those apathetic people. What meaning does this throne hold for me?”
"The significance of an emperor often stems from his heart. No matter how powerful an emperor is, how many countries he conquers, or how many nations pay tribute to him, certain fundamental things always reside within him. This is especially true for the most powerful emperors. Strategists, renowned generals, and formidable armies all converge towards a certain predetermined goal. That is, what does the emperor truly want? Daenerys, ask yourself, what do you truly want?"
Daenerys fell silent once more. If it were the old Daenerys, she would have answered without hesitation, "I want the Iron Throne." But now, she was uncertain. Especially after witnessing the chaos within the Seven Kingdoms. She felt even more... contempt for this land.
With the help of Lu Xuan's various advanced ideas, Daenerys's three cities in Slaver's Bay became richer and more prosperous than ever before. The faces of the people reflected genuine joy and contentment. But here, she saw only numbness and despair.
To be honest, she's actually starting to look down on the so-called Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne.
The two did not linger long within the Seven Kingdoms, but flew directly north. Winterfell in the North was now under the banner of the Skinners. The Boltons had successfully betrayed their cause, joining forces with the Freys to slaughter the five thousand elite Stark troops and seize Winterfell.
To be honest, Robb Stark's decision to break off the engagement was truly unethical. He later had Edmure Tully marry Frey's daughter in his place. This revealed an underlying sense of superiority. And what old Frey hated most was being looked down upon.
However, what Frey did next was truly outrageous. He slaughtered five thousand elite soldiers just like that. He even sewed Robb's head onto a direwolf... Even an outsider like Lu Xuan couldn't stand by and watch. This was also the most direct manifestation of the collapse of the Westeros social order.
From the moment Emperor Joffrey executed Ned, a veiled signal was sent to the nobility: all the unspoken rules that had governed the nobility for centuries had vanished. Now, everyone could kill at will.
Ser Barristan wanted to say something good about his homeland, but the words wouldn't come out. The facts were undeniable, the evidence irrefutable. So the three remained silent until they crossed the North and reached the vicinity of the Wall.
Looking from afar, the massive city wall, stretching for three hundred miles and reaching a height of over two hundred meters, is truly astonishing. Its bluish-gray and dark blue surface exudes a sense of ancient and heavy history.
Giant rocks and unmelting ice together form this fantastical structure. Even before getting close, Lu Xuan could sense the ancient and immense power inherent in the Great Wall itself.
Without a doubt, it was a power at the level of a law. Like some kind of censorship mechanism, it prevented special creatures from crossing this insurmountable barrier.
As darkness fell, the Wall remained a hive of activity. Large numbers of Night's Watchmen were carrying various supplies up the wall: bows and arrows, rolling stones, oil cans, and other war materials.
Outside the city, four or five miles away, countless tents could be seen being erected. Even in the woods more than ten miles away, the movement of people could still be faintly seen.
That was the Wildling army, led by Mansray, boasting an army of 100,000 Free Men. At this moment, the Wildling army was already at the city gates, and appeared to be preparing to attack, or had already launched a probing attack. No wonder the Night's Watch on the Wall were so tense.