Under the Red Dragon

"The Freehold of Valyria, such a magnificent city. How many years would it take us to build something so grand?" the aged maester, clad in his robes, murmured softly while seated at the long table.

The maester's hall, illuminated by candles and torches, was half-lit by the light of the fire and the sun shining through the windows, the other half shrouded in darkness.

The old maester, sitting on the dividing line between darkness and light, had a face that was hard to read, mirroring the hall itself, where shadow and light coexisted.

"For millennia, the Valyrians have been at the pinnacle of the world in every aspect, but I suspect that will soon change."

Another maester spoke from the darkness, "Though they revere various religious sects, they do not believe in the gods. They should be punished by the gods, and the light of the Seven should descend upon Valyria."

Tap, tap, tap.

The head of House Hightower, a great noble family that arrived in Westeros during the time of the First Men, and the current Lord of the House, gently tapped the long table as he pondered.

Oldtown, the oldest and most powerful city in Westeros, was controlled by House Hightower.

Though most Hightower lords throughout history preferred to seclude themselves in high towers to study theology and mystical arts,

the vast Citadel of Oldtown was merely an extension of these reclusive Hightowers, a tool used to control Westeros, their tendrils reaching out and their pieces strategically placed.

Rumor has it that House Hightower and the ancestors of the Valyrians, who established the great dominant civilization of the Freehold, originated from the same place.

That place is the Yi Ti region in eastern Essos, with its rich, well-arranged green farmlands and vast, lush rainforests, where the legendary longsnakes are still said to dwell.

Saffron is the primary export of Yi Ti, and the Night Lion is its deity. The civilization that once ruled Yi Ti in ancient times was known as the Dawn Empire.

In ancient myths, the world's first Long Night was triggered by the Dawn Empire.

The Dawn Empire was destroyed during the Long Night, and the civilization now ruling Yi Ti—the Golden Empire—was born from the ruins.

The Golden Empire is a general term for the various dynasties that rule the Far East of Yi Ti today. Currently, there are three emperors vying for power within the Golden Empire.

The Azure Emperor, who occupies Yi Ti's capital, holds limited power only within the city. The princes outside the capital maintain their actual control over their territories.

Throughout the dynasty's various periods, it has constantly suffered from raids and abductions by the Jogos Nhai people from the northern steppes, leading to continuous conflicts.

Many Azure generals and three emperors have led armies to quell the Jogos Nhai, but with little success.

As the predecessor to the Golden Empire, the legendary Dawn Empire had a vast territory, stretching west to the Bones Mountains that cut off Essos from north to south, east to the Grey Waste, north to the Shivering Sea, and south to the Jade Sea.

Even the islands within the Jade Sea were ruled by the Dawn Empire, whose powerful national strength was no weaker than that of Valyria.

The first ruler of the Dawn Empire was called the God-Emperor, the only son of the Night Lion and the Maiden of Light.

House Hightower, along with the ancestors of Valyria on the Valyrian peninsula, are said to be descendants of the God-Emperor's bloodline from the Dawn Empire.

The mystical places in the world today, Asshai and the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai, also have mysterious connections to the former Dawn Empire and the Golden Empire.

The ancient books of Asshai prophesy that after a long summer, the stars will bleed, and coldness will engulf the earth. Azor Ahai, the hero who once wielded 'Lightbringer' to defeat the darkness brought by the Great Other, will be reborn amidst smoke and salt.

And awaken the dragon from the stone.

In the eyes of the Hightower lord, this prophecy has another interpretation.

Azor Ahai represents the sun, while his wife, Nissa Nissa, who was sacrificed to Lightbringer to allow 'Lightbringer' to be forged, represents the moon. 'Lightbringer' represents the star that fell—the dragon.

The process of awakening the dragon with the death of the moon is called blood for fire.

His idea comes from the origin of the dragons.

There are two theories circulating in the world about the birth of dragons.

One theory is that in the legendary past, the world had two suns and one moon. One of the moons was too close to the sun and was ignited by the intense heat.

That moon exploded in the sky, scattering countless meteorites, but these were not meteorites, but tens of thousands of dragons, descending upon the earth at that moment, absorbing the sun's fire, which is why dragons breathe fire.

In many historical records, not only did the Valyrians of Essos possess dragons, but there were also many dragons in Westeros.

Even now, many dragon bones are still being unearthed in the Shadow Lands of Asshai and the far north and south of Essos.

An ancient legend from Asshai claims that an ancient people first tamed dragons using some kind of magical method in the Shadow Lands of Asshai, and later brought them to Valyria.

And before withdrawing from the historical records, they taught the Valyrians the secrets of dragons.

Another theory, proposed by the maesters of the Citadel, is that dragons are the product of Valyrian blood mages using winged lizards and a magical creature found in the Fourteen Flames of Valyria—firewyrms—combined with blood magic.

Although these theories seem contradictory, the Hightower lord, as one of the remnants of the Dawn Empire, roughly knows through some information that:

Dragons were born from blood magic, descended from countless stars when the second moon was destroyed, and magic was brought to this world as a result.

Because of the meteorites, there were once dragons everywhere in the world.

Later, an ancient people in the Shadow Lands tamed the dragons and built the Five Forts, which stood since the Dawn Empire, and brought dragons to Valyria thousands of years ago.

And this people taught the Valyrians about dragons and related blood magic, and the Valyrians used blood magic to control the dragons.

Although this is only a guess based on the Hightower lord's understanding of the information, both guesses are in line with the purpose they want to achieve.

Although House Hightower was not taught the knowledge of dragons and the magic to tame them, they have their own inherited knowledge, the wisdom from the ancient empire, the Dawn Empire.

The Hightower lord looked at the thirteen maesters at the long table. The Citadel of Oldtown accepts all identities.

Whether you are a lord, a farmer, or a bastard, it does not ask about your background, only your achievements. It seems particularly equal, at least in the face of the Citadel's regulations and systems.

When an apprentice proves his specialization in a certain field, he can forge a link to display his expertise.

Black iron represents ravenry, gold represents economics and finance, silver represents medicine, iron represents military strategy, and Valyrian steel represents advanced arcane arts.

Each maester here possesses his own forged links, enough to form a complete necklace, and further, to represent the doctorate's distinction.

Rings, staffs, and masks made of metal corresponding to the specialized field undoubtedly, the maesters present all possess their own proof.

And the most outstanding of these doctors are regarded as honored guests by the major kingdoms of Westeros, becoming extensions of the Citadel of Oldtown, helping the Citadel collect information and establish networks.

But within the Citadel, no scholar likes to mention the words 'magic' and 'dragon'.

They do not like to explore the power of dragons and the mysteries of the dead.

Although the Citadel's library contains scrolls from all over the world, detailing everything,

from trivial matters to all things in the world, and some knowledge that is forbidden to spread.

This only represents the Citadel's belief—to master the mysteries of all things.

But the ultimate goal of these archmaesters in the Citadel is something that no one can imagine.

Finally, the Hightower lord fixed his gaze on the glass candles on the long table, which were brewing with sparks of fire, representing some kind of magic.

A maester reached out and covered the burning glass candle, extinguishing its flame.

Yes, their goal is to build a world without magic.

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These maesters want the glass candles in the world to no longer be lit, they want the charlatan warlocks to no longer be able to make predictions about the development of things.

They want the witches who believe in the gods to no longer be able to foresee the future from the flames.

Without dragons, the Citadel can use knowledge to rule, control, transform, and build the entire world, ushering in their ideal world.

And the existence of dragons is closely related to magic, so, for dragons, it is an obstacle to the Citadel's transformation of the world.

"According to the news from the ravens, changes are already taking place in the mines of Valyria. This matter can indeed become our help," the Hightower lord said thoughtfully, "But those gods that are worshiped have all shown some miracles, and our Seven Gods have not yet truly been born into this world."

"Therefore, we need some sacrifices," another archmaester said, "Dragons become extinct, magic recedes, even the gods will cease their activities. At that time, it will be the time for our Seven Gods to rule the world."

Tap, tap, tap.

The Hightower lord's footsteps suddenly became a little heavy. He tapped his heels slightly, and finally looked around at the maesters behind the long table before making up his mind and saying, "In that case, how about we vote by raising our hands?"

"I agree," a scholar raised his hand, and the Valyrian steel ring on his fat finger reflected the candlelight.

"I also agree."

"I approve!"

……

Smooth silver hair, like the most beautiful silk in the world, was spread on the wide cushion. The beauty with her eyes closed breathed finely and slept peacefully in the dim candlelight.

Her beautiful face, like a goddess veiled in mist, was shrouded in a mysterious halo under the dim light.

But the sleeping beauty's breathing suddenly became rapid at this moment. She frowned tightly with her beautiful eyebrows, and fear and shock surged on her peaceful and quiet cheeks.

Daenerys Targaryen, as she fell asleep, had that dream about the dragon again.

That dragon's scales were as dazzling as the sun and as brilliant as a rainbow, but the scales were slippery with blood, her own blood.

Daenerys Targaryen found that its eyes were two huge pools of molten lava, with golden suns hidden within.

It opened its mouth, and surging flames shot out from its mouth. She was in destruction, in death, and her family behind her, the dragons behind her, and the world behind her were all swallowed by this terrifying dragon.

Boundless fantasies surged forth. Dragons fell from the sky in droves, warriors fell on the ground in pieces, cities were turned into ruins, and mountains collapsed.

She also heard a voice like a god, warning the world, but the voice was faint and could not be heard clearly.

But she finally saw the appearance of that unique dragon, the six dragon horns soaring into the sky and the head that was more majestic than any dragon in the world, and those vertical pupils that disregarded everything, like flames that burned everything in the world.

"Uh," Daenerys Targaryen straightened her beautiful curved upper body from the bed in a sweat, and the sweat on her forehead had already soaked her forehead and between her ears.

She tried to calm her breathing, but the rapid heartbeat made it difficult for her to calm down.

Daenerys Targaryen suppressed her trembling and quickly jumped out of bed, came to her desk, tried to recall the content of her dream, and began to write down lines of dream warnings.

She is Daenerys Targaryen, a member of the Targaryen family, one of the Forty Dragonlord families in the Freehold.

Although the Targaryen family is ranked at the bottom of the Forty Dragonlord families, there is an extremely special existence in the Targaryen family, that is, a dreamwalker who can foresee fragments of the future through dreams.

And Daenerys Targaryen is the dreamwalker who rarely appears in this family.

Her trembling hand, holding the pen, wrote lines of shocking characters on the paper.

"They embrace tightly, back to the coming doom, the mountains and hills fall apart, the world changes color, the scorching flames rush into the sky, and the dragons have wings but cannot escape."

"This is definitely not the last scene in their eyes. Flying over the wall, but seeing the sea breeze chasing the waves, surging and undulating, the city-states of thousands of years, the learning of generations, are all inked in the catastrophe, and they never look back."

"This is the punishment for resistance, this is the destruction of the evil god, and it is also the approval of the gods."

"Oh my god," Daenerys Targaryen came back to her senses, looking at the prophecies she had written, and the voice in her mind became particularly clear at this moment.

"The gods once said, if we cannot resist, then punishment will befall!" She screamed and ran out of her room.