SWNOVELXO Chapter 414: Chapter 410: Jenny Returns
Darko first obtained the official title of Grand Protector of the Light in King's Landing before arriving in Oldtown ahead of the raven, to publicly announce the Citadel's Seven Sins.
This wasn't some private punishment from the Dragon Queen to the Citadel—both the High Sparrow and the Holy See formally intervened in the matter.
Just like when Cersei accused Margaery and the High Septon accepted the case and imprisoned her, now that Dany had accused the Citadel, the High Septon had to accept the case and summon the maesters to face a church trial.
This was tradition!
If the named archmaester obediently went to the Wall, it meant he was admitting his guilt.
And once he donned black and washed away past sins, the Church would no longer interfere.
But if a maester was captured by "bounty hunters" and brought to the Great Sept, the High Sparrow would teach them a lesson.
With that matter settled, Dany's affairs in Westeros were officially concluded.
Darko traveled from Dorne to the Stepstones, then to Lys, Volantis, Mantarys, and finally Astapor. Along the way, he picked someone up in the Stepstones.
The black-haired girl, Laryssa.
After Barristan reorganized the fleet of the King of the Waters, the task of "raiding" the Hightower's grain fleet also fell to him.
Well, "raiding" was an exaggeration.
Barristan had two key objectives: First, to ensure the safe transport of 200,000 tons of grain purchased by the Oldtown elders from the Free Cities—at a cost of three million gold dragons—to Crab Isle and Dragonstone; second, to escort the ships carrying the Wildlings picked up from Eastwatch and settle them on the Stepstones and in the Disputed Lands, in preparation for knighting Darkstar.
About 60%—around 120,000 tons—of the grain would be sent to Crab Isle, then gradually transported into Crab Bay, upstream through the Trident, and delivered to Brother Meribald in Maidenpool.
This was to help the old monk provide relief to the farmers of the Riverlands, who had no grain reserves due to the war.
A promise is a promise.
Since Dany had agreed to Brother Meribald's request to aid the Riverlands, it didn't matter whether she was influenced by the Three-Eyed Crow at the time—once the words had left her mouth, she had to stay true to them.
The remaining 80,000 tons would be stored on Dragonstone for emergencies.
"Bull Neck" Marwyn continued traveling with the fleet led by the Fourth White Knight, Garth.
He was headed to Myr to purchase materials for building the "Magical Internet."
The book Valyrian Magical Nodes, previously kept in the Restricted Section of the Citadel, had already been borrowed by the Oldtown elders and handed to Marwyn.
Dany planned to use the small volcano on Dragonstone to establish a miniature magical node.
Black-haired Laryssa originally intended to become the Dragon Queen's disciple, so of course, she wouldn't stay on Dragonstone.
With guidance from the talking Holy Dragon, Laryssa retrieved the Valyrian steel swords, books, and rare treasures that Dany had taken during her raids, stored in Lys and Volantis.
"By the Seven, so many Valyrian steel swords!" Black-haired Laryssa was stunned when she opened the bundles.
"Sigh, the Iron Bank of Braavos has the biggest collection of Valyrian steel. Unfortunately, that place can't be robbed," Dany said through Darko with a hint of regret.
During the second round of negotiations at the House of Black and White, the Dragon Queen had requested the Iron Bank to compensate the future White Knight for emotional damages by letting him choose a Valyrian steel sword.
Back then, Dany had promised to equip Darkstar with a Valyrian steel blade.
But the spoils had been left behind in Lys and Volantis, and there had been no opportunity to retrieve them until now.
And with Jorah about to lead the rented fleet to Eastwatch, where he would dock near the lands beyond the Wall to receive the Wildlings, there was a chance he might encounter wights or White Walkers.
Dany wasn't trying to extort the Braavosi—she didn't lack one or two swords. She simply wanted to ensure Jorah's safety.
The keyholder understood and quickly agreed after realizing the Dragon Queen's intention.
Then, the fat man Bessaro personally took Jorah to the Iron Bank and let him choose for himself.
Eight hundred!
Out of the 3,000 Valyrian steel weapons in the world, only 227 remained in Westeros. Most of the rest were in the Free Cities—Braavos alone owned over 800.
Swords, sabers, axes, spears, daggers—everything imaginable.
It was only then that Dany truly understood the extravagant wealth of the Iron Bank.
Or rather, how profitable the Faceless Men's business really was.
Bessaro didn't bother to hide the Iron Bank's wealth—it was impossible to conceal.
It's like pretending to be poor while living in a mansion. Like Ma Ba claiming he lived in a rundown house, eating plain buns and pickled vegetables while saying he was just a poor man.
Would you believe that?
Even the Wildlings knew the Iron Bank hoarded more than half of the world's gold. What's the point in hiding it?
When Jorah asked in shock how the Iron Bank had managed to gather so many Valyrian steel weapons, the fat keyholder didn't mince words: most of them were payments to the Faceless Men. Valyrian steel was a more stable currency than gold—easier to carry, and less conspicuous.
"In truth, without involving magical properties, Valyrian steel swords are just lighter. Their effectiveness is no different from the finest Qohor-forged blades.
It's just that Westerosi knights prefer to use Valyrian steel weapons, while in the Free Cities, they are primarily used in large-scale transactions," said fat Bessaro.
Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. The Dragon Queen's assassination alone had cost five million gold dragons—tens of tons of gold—which would require a massive ship to carry.
Transporting it across vast distances would be far too conspicuous, and dangerous.
As for opening an account at the Iron Bank…
When Dany deposited the Slaver's Bay gold in Volantis, the Iron Bank charged a 13% service fee.
Out of every one million gold dragons, 130,000 went to the bank. Most couldn't afford such a cut.
Truth be told, when Dany learned that the Iron Bank had 800 Valyrian steel weapons, she briefly regretted not having Jorah hire one or two mercenary companies in advance to station near the bank.
With Darko's support, maybe they could've tried to rob the Iron Bank?
Well… the Iron Bank was built under a rocky mountain range, with narrow, deep tunnels. Not even two dragons could pull off such a heist.
Besides retrieving the spoils of war, Darko had another task—inspecting the movements of the allied forces.
Honestly, at first, Dany hadn't believed a world war would break out.
Slaver's Bay and Qarth were separated by a wasteland of hellfire. Marching overland would take more than 2,000 kilometers.
Volantis was even farther from Slaver's Bay. Even if someone dared to cross the Valyrian ruins, it was still a 2,500-kilometer journey.
Do the math—how long would it take a hundred thousand troops to cover that distance?
And how massive would the logistical burden be?
If they tried sailing from New Ghis, they'd face the Dragon Queen's complete aerial dominance. The allied fleet would bleed enough to dye the Sea of Sorrow red.
At the time, Dany believed that even if the allies were determined and had thousands of supply ships, the war wouldn't truly begin for at least another year.
And by then, the Long Night would already be here.
Why bother fighting anymore?
Unfortunately, she guessed wrong.
The Allied forces had already set out.
Half of the fleet in the port of Volantis was gone—most likely already en route to New Ghis.
The navy would use New Ghis as a beachhead to launch an assault on Slaver's Bay.
Along the wide Valyrian road from Volantis to Mantarys, while not completely packed, every dozen kilometers or so, mercenary groups numbering in the hundreds or even thousands could be seen.
Caravans transporting grain—elephants, horses, and ox-drawn carts—formed an unbroken line stretching for four to five miles.
"Hiss—gaaah!" Drogon flew overhead at four hundred meters, carrying two large bundles and roaring past above the mercenaries.
"Aaah! Demon dragon! The demon dragon is attacking! Get the dragon ballista!"
The mercenaries were shocked at first, but quickly regained their composure.
They moved swiftly and with coordination. Some crossbowmen pulled back the curtains on wagons, rolled out the dragon ballistae, adjusted the shooting angles, and scanned the sky for the dragon.
The rest dispersed, hiding in the fields along both sides of the Blackstone Road to avoid concentrated dragonfire.
"I am the High Priest of Light. I am the Holy Light—"
"Aaaah!" The dragon suddenly spoke, sending shockwaves through the crowd. The mercenaries screamed in terror. Though the dragon was still beyond effective range, they panicked and launched volleys of bolts—swish swish swish—from the dragon ballistae.
"The demon dragon is talking! Gods help us!"
The mercenaries were thrown into chaos. Some even broke down crying.
Seeing them this pathetic, Dany suddenly lost all desire to show off. She simply left them with a message:
"The Mother of Dragons values all life. Let me offer you a word of advice—this road leads only to death. The sea of blood is endless. Turn back, and you will find the shore. Mercy to you, mercy to you."
Then she turned and flew away without looking back.
Well, that in itself was still quite dramatic.
Both Laresa the Black and the mercenaries below were left in a daze, deeply shaken.
Some were even lost in thought, wondering whether they should immediately "turn back and find the shore."
Truly, that line—the sea of blood is endless—was terrifying just to hear.
As they flew over the vast plains of the Rhoyne River, the sky suddenly dimmed, as if a thick layer of cotton had muffled the sun overhead.
Drogon had entered the lands of the Long Summer.
A hazy gray sky loomed over barren land covered in reddish-brown wild grass.
A straight Valyrian road led directly to Mantarys.
No sign of demons.
Mercenaries and merchant caravans moved along the Blackstone Road in an unbroken stream, yet not a single spot had been attacked by demons.
What awaited Dany outside the city of Mantarys shocked her even more—thousands of brightly colored tents had sprung up on the plains like mushrooms after the rain.
There were also at least thirty phalanxes, each a thousand men strong, practicing combat formations.
Among them, one elephant phalanx—over a thousand war elephants charging in formation.
Nearly every elephant had a ballista mounted on its back.
Perhaps due to a shortage of dragon ballistae, more than half of the elephants were carrying only standard bolt-throwers.
"Demon dragon! Demon dragon approaching!" Before long, someone spotted the black dragon circling high above.
"Woo woo woo—" Horns blared, and the ten-kilometer-long camp erupted into chaos.
Infantry raised their shields to protect the archers and crossbowmen. Covered wagons were stripped of their waterproof cloths to reveal siege engines, quickly arranged in circular formations to shield the troops.
"Hiss—gaaah!" Drogon flew over the elephant ranks, exuding full dragon might—bold, wild, and unrestrained.
"Argh, argh, argh—" The elephant herd indeed grew restless, stomping their hooves, raising their trunks, flapping their massive ears, and letting out shrill cries like sirens.
Yet despite their agitation, the elephants remained under the control of their handlers and did not stampede.
—People from the Whispers of the Wind group claimed that these elephant soldiers came from Jade Elephant Island. Could it be that they had some special elephant-controlling skill? Or was it simply that the dragon was too far away for its aura to have full effect?
Several thoughts rose in Dany's mind.
But she didn't dare descend to confirm. The ballistae on the elephants' backs were already loaded and aimed at the sky.
"Impossible!"
While Dany was amazed at the elephants' reaction, a young girl inside a yurt beneath the walls of Mantarys was even more astonished.
Her waterfall-like hair cascaded down to her firm, rounded hips. A red crystal dragon-shaped hairpin pinned her long bangs behind her head, revealing a smooth and radiant forehead.
A proud nose, finely sculpted features, and deep blue eyes that seemed far beyond her years.
She wore a golden priestess robe.
On the back of the robe was an image of a volcano belching smoke, with a massive dragon coiled around the summit, one claw gripping a sacred sword.
—It was the crest of House Balerion, the leading family among the Fourteen Flames.
The girl looking skyward in shock was none other than Jeyne Balerion, the former High Priestess Oros, once possessed by an evil god.
In the last battle, she had seemingly exploded into millions of dragon-worms—yet somehow survived.
Not only that, she had made her way to Mantarys and aligned herself with the allied forces.
"The black dragon is at least 500 meters above ground. How can it still affect elephants soaked in dragon's blood?" A burly man beside Jeyne—the "Twin-Headed Demon"—asked grimly.
The man appeared to be in his early thirties, stood nearly two meters tall, had long, silver, shoulder-length hair, and light violet eyes. His face and outfit bore an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt in Troy.
But he had two heads—one of which had shriveled into a thick layer of pale, leathery skin that clung to his left shoulder and neck.
"Demi-god. The black dragon carries the aura of a demi-god," Jeyne replied hoarsely.
(End of Chapter)
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