At the center of the square stood Wright's icy throne, its backrest towering over a person's height, exuding an imposing aura. Next to it, there was a wooden tea table and a cup of water. Only Wright knew that the table was, in fact, an enchanted platform.
Wright, not using an umbrella, was seated in his newly forged heavy dragonbone armor, and the Bloodskal Blade was leaning against the side of the chair.
Raindrops fell on the jagged bone armor, quickly evaporating due to the high heat of the dragonbone, creating a strange phenomenon. Despite sitting in the icy chair, Wright's body emitted heat, rising in white steam.
The heavy dragonbone armor, brought back from King's Landing, was combined with Valyrian steel to form the connecting metal. The yellowish dragonbone plates and black Valyrian steel kept their original colors.
The boots and gloves were made of pieced-together dragonbone fragments, while the forearms, upper arms, calves, and thighs were crafted from hollowed-out dragon ribs. Each wrist, elbow, and knee had protruding spikes made from dragon teeth. The enormous shoulder plates were adorned with dragon teeth and crafted from two chin bones. For flexibility, the chest and back were one solid bone plate, while multiple bone plates and metal were used to form the skirt armor, reaching mid-thigh. There were also clasps on the shoulders to hang a cloak.
The black helmet, with two long and two short horns resembling dragon heads, had a spliced bone plate extending to the shoulders, providing additional protection for the back of the neck. Only the front eyes and mouth were visible.
While maintaining the general design of the dragonbone armor from the game, Wright made several improvements, such as extending the skirt armor, filling the gaps at the joints and neck with spliced bone plates, and adding more decorations with black Valyrian steel, making the armor more menacing and brutal.
The dragonbone armor wasn't something just anyone could wear—it was extremely hot to the touch, capable of boiling water if submerged. Inside the armor, it felt like an oven. Only mages proficient in destruction magic, constantly maintaining fire magic to counteract the heat, could wear it.
At that moment, a personal guard ran up to deliver a message to Wright: "Lord Wright, the people aboard the black ships claim to be from Asshai and wish to visit Your Grace to exchange magic knowledge. They've introduced themselves as two Shadowbinders, two Warlocks, a spellcaster, three alchemists, a Moonsinger, a Red Priest, a Dark Sorcerer, a Necromancer, an Aeromancer, a Pyromancer, a Bloodmage, an Inquisitor, a Judgment Knight, a Toxin Master, a Priestess, a Nightwalker, a Skinchanger, followers of the Black Goat, and a Witch Queen. There are a total of twenty-three individuals."
"You managed to remember all those titles?"
Wright looked at the guard, remembering that he was from a farm outside Storm's End. He had many brothers, so he immigrated to Tyrosh with two of them. Due to his tall stature and good appearance, he was selected as Wright's personal guard to hold flags.
The guard scratched his head, grinning foolishly: "I can't read, but my memory's pretty good."
Wright responded: "I have a unit directly under my command, known as the Dragon Guard. It requires the most loyal and intelligent individuals. It offers an opportunity to learn knowledge. Would you like to try the selection process?"
The Dragon Guards needed to learn vast amounts of knowledge. Loyalty, intelligence, and combat ability were all essential. Since there were few Tyroshi, the last selection process resulted in ten knights from noble families with excellent martial skills, but none of them passed the dragon language test.
"I'd be honored!" The guard was thrilled. Back home, he had been too poor to learn how to read, and he hadn't even had the chance to apply for the selection. Everyone in Tyrosh knew that the Dragon Guards now had only one member, so entering meant immediately becoming one of the elite of the unit!
"Go find Dickon Tarly and arrange this. He should be at the city guard training grounds." Wright planned to have him skip learning the common tongue and directly study the dragon language.
"Thank you, my lord!" The guard left, and Wright didn't mind being short one person. Their tasks mainly consisted of holding flags and delivering orders.
The farmers from Dickon Tarly lands were responsible for raising sheep and feeding dragons. But the Dragon Guards now had only Deacon Tally as their sole member. The unit's duties, set by Wright, included being able to communicate with dragons and serving as dragon guards for Skull Island and the future dragon hatchlings. They would also undergo special training, using silver gear to hunt monsters, such as werewolves and vampires.
Since learning that his old friend had visited five thousand years ago, Wright had been worried. The werewolf and vampire bloodlines had likely been passed down by him.
Wright himself could summon skeleton horses from the Soul Cairn, so the his old friend could do the same. As the had aged, he had developed his own Hall of Heroes, and with that ability, he could develop a way into the Soul Cairn. There, maybe a vampire was inside!
Studying the Skinchangers's talent and magic, Wright had already gotten close to understanding the werewolf's threshold. With the knowledge his old friend gathered in his later years, changing his own soul to that of a werewolf, giving birth, and then stripping away the werewolf bloodline shouldn't be too difficult.
Thus, both the werewolf and vampire bloodlines had the conditions to reach this world.
Considering the hybrid bloodlines he had arranged for his direct descendants, along with personalities that could even lead to family members killing each other, Wright had no reason to give up on these two bloodlines. The only downside was that their transformed forms were a bit unattractive, but his colleague had always liked white fur—perhaps that trait was passed down to his illegitimate children.
There's no trace of them. One reason was that, under the circumstances where the two bloodlines didn't transform, their appearances were indistinguishable from ordinary people, and they could still move around freely during the day, making them very difficult to detect. The other reason was that they might have been suppressed by the legitimate descendants of the Valyrian Empire's bloodline, just like how the White Walkers were almost wiped out by them.
Now, the Valyrian Empire had been destroyed for hundreds of years, and logically, the powers of werewolves and vampires should have developed. So, even without any news, Wright had to be prepared for the worst.
The black ship had been confirmed to have come from Asshai. Wright calculated the time—it was probably after news of the events in Braavos reached Asshai that these people set out. Along the way, more magic users joined, and they would have learned about his dragons during the journey.
During the height of the Valyrian Empire, these Asshai people weren't welcome—every one of them would be killed on sight. But now, Wright was alone. Just moments ago, someone had dared to cast magic to probe his Eye of Wright, which meant they were likely trying to take advantage of him!
And Wright couldn't keep an eye on Tyrosh at all times. Religious figures and magic users came and went from the Stepstones; religious figures could be controlled by institutional means, but if a mage wanted to cause trouble, it was too easy.
Wright reached out and tapped his fingers on the nearby enchanted table. Time to set the tone! Anyone who didn't understand their place would have their life ended nad soul used for his dragon armor enchantment right here and now!
Ashara Dayne led a group of strangely dressed individuals to the mountaintop plaza in the inner city, handing each person an umbrella.
When these mages saw that a circle of chairs had been set up on the plaza, with a person in strange armor sitting in the middle and two beautiful women next to him, they immediately recognized him as Wright Baratheon. Some of them walked over to initiate conversation, while others quietly observed from behind.
Used to the free and easy lifestyle of Asshai, these people showed no manners at all, and Wright had a low opinion of them.
Wright ignored them, letting them stand awkwardly, until Ashara walked over and whispered, "The ship has been secured by soldiers, and everyone who got off has come here."
Wright nodded. "Well done. Find a seat for yourself. This is a mage exchange, so you'll join in too."
After Wright waved in confirmation, several of his personal guards stepped forward to guide the Asshai mages to their seats.
At this moment, Wright's magical sense was dialed up to the maximum, fully attuned to the twenty-three mages present. Sixteen of them had magical power, though none were particularly strong—around the level of the mages in King's Landing. Only Melisandre was the strongest among them. The other seven had no magic power at all! These seven were either experts in magical theory or frauds!
It was raining, and the chairs were all soaked with water—this was their first test. Knights from both continents would endure the rain, but this was a mage exchange, so naturally, they would use some magic to avoid it.
As the Archmage of the Seven Kingdoms, Wright maintained his composure as the host. Everyone could use magic to stay dry, and if they couldn't use magic, they could use an umbrella—but that would disqualify them from participating in the conversation! Wright made tens of thousands of gold dragons a day; he had no time to waste on such people.
Everyone sat down. Including Wright, Tyene, and Ashara, there were a total of twenty-six "mages" present.
Among the visitors, Melisandre was the one most familiar with Westerosi customs and who had some understanding of Wright. She had a good relationship with the Quaithe, so she advised her. Melisandre emitted a searing aura that evaporated the rainwater around her. Quaithe and another Shadowbinder were both women, and the rainwater ran straight off their black robes without a drop sticking to them.
The Aeromancer, who had just cast magic on the Eye of Wright, had a layer of air flowing around his body, blowing the rain away.
There was a Dark Sorcerer who transformed into a shadow, a Moonsinger whose rain turned into light dots as it touched her, and a Necromancer whose body radiated purple dark light. Others showed off their unique skills, though a few had simply opened umbrellas.
Wright smiled broadly and said loudly, "I am Wright Baratheon, Archmage of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and I welcome all of you magic users who have come from afar!"
"Greetings, Archmage Wright," the others began to introduce themselves.
Melisandre arrived as the Red Priest, sitting next to Nymeria, whispering to each other with hands held.
Wright's gaze swept over the group. "I wonder what brings you all from far-off Asshai to seek me out in Tyrell?"
A Pyromancer spoke up, "Archmage Wright, we heard that you used fire magic to destroy much of Braavos and came to exchange magical knowledge with you."
Wright replied, "I'm always happy to exchange magic. I'm in the process of establishing a new magic School here in Tyrosh, as knowledge must be shared in order to reach new heights."
A Judgment Knight clad in black armor, holding a longsword, stood up. "Archmage Wright, we've come to buy your dragons."
"Dragons?" The surrounding mages seemed to be unaware of this.
Wright noticed some of the people beside the knight growing excited, confirming they were all part of the same group. Other people looked shocked, clearly just learning of Wright's dragons. It seemed these individuals had their own sources of information, and they weren't particularly friendly with each other. They hadn't exchanged any intelligence and had spent a long time at sea, not even knowing what had been happening on the mainland.
At this point, an elderly Skinchanger with an eagle perched on his shoulder interrupted, speaking somewhat disgruntled: "I don't know about any dragons, but Master Wright, if you wanted to see us use our magic to avoid the rain, you could have just said so. But holding court in the square like this feels a bit disrespectful to us!"
The clever people in the room quickly realized Wright's intention. The Skinchanger's method of avoiding the rain was to spread the eagle's wings.
Wright pointed to a few small buildings behind them: "Heh! My palace isn't built yet. If you come back in two years, I'll entertain you properly. And this is also to expose a few frauds, so they don't tarnish the reputation of all magicians under the guise of their title."
"Who are you calling a fraud? Aren't you also avoiding the rain with your armor?" said a Spellcaster holding an umbrella.
Wright turned to look at him. The man had no magic at all. From his introduction, it seemed he lived near Asshai, and merchants hired him to curse their competitors for a living—a fraud!
"The rain of Tyros is precious, but since our honored guests are here and don't like the rain, I'll stop it for you," Wright stood up and walked forward a couple of steps, the sound of metal clashing emanating from his bone armor.
"Bone armor?" Some people found it strange. In Asshai, there were some mages who used the bones of animals or humans to craft armor or weapons.
"To wear armor made from the scorching bones of dragons, Master Wright truly is impressive!" Some recognized the value.
Wright looked up at the tightly sealed sky, took a deep breath to gather his magic, clenched his fists at his sides, slightly bent his knees, and let out a roar towards the sky:
"Lok~~Vah~~Koor~~!"
Boom~~~ A tremendous thunderclap erupted from Wright's mouth.
Everyone present, including the guards behind them, had their hearts skip a beat at the deafening sound of thunder that seemed to be mere inches away.
The Dragon Language accompanied Wright's blast of pale blue magic, and the rain around him was instantly shaken off. The spilled magic gathered before him, forming a magical sphere several meters wide, trailing a pale blue tail as it flew rapidly toward the sky.
The people from Asshai had never seen such a display of magic before. They stood up in alarm, nervously watching Wright.
"High Valyrian magic!" Melisandre and Quaithe exchanged a glance. Shadowbinders all knew a bit of the language.
The thunder spread across the city, and since it was a rainy day, the residents thought the thunder would bring heavier rain. Some wanted to go and collect their laundry. But when the Dragon Language echoed through the city, everyone ran to the streets or opened their windows to look toward the inner city.
The people of Tyrosh were used to hearing Wright's Dragon Language magic when he called upon his dragons, and even the slaves on construction sites could pronounce the dragon's name, Od-Ah-Viing, clearly. But this new Dragon Language magic, never before heard, made everyone stop what they were doing, eager to see something extraordinary.
As the magic sphere flew into the clouds, the rain quickly stopped. The dark clouds parted, revealing a large hole, and a beam of sunlight slanted down to the sea below.
The clouds continued to thin at a visible rate, expanding outward, and the sunlight no longer came in a single beam—the sun had fully revealed itself.
Tyross, which had been under dark clouds and light rain just moments ago, was transformed into a cloudless, sunny day in less than a minute.
"Bless the Moon God!"
"A miracle!"
"No, this is magic."
The people from Asshai, including Melisandre, as well as Ashara and the guards, stared at the sky, then at Wright, unable to believe that humans could use magic to change the weather. Their mouths hung open in astonishment, unable to close for a while.
Only Nymeria and Tyene took it in stride. Having seen Wright fight in the ruins of Valyria, they knew magic could turn clear skies into thunderclouds, so it made perfect sense that Wright could also dispel bad weather. He just didn't want to waste the island's water source.
The city of Tyrosh was unusually quiet. It took a long time for the residents and soldiers to recover from their shock. They looked up at the suddenly clear sky and began to discuss, speculating that Lord Wright could create a hundred-meter-high tidal wave, or perhaps he might even punch a hole in the sky. Some residents were even convinced that Wright could bring down the moon.
Wright turned to face the man in black armor who had called himself a Judgment: "My dragon, how much are you offering to buy it?"
The Judgment Knight, seeing how powerful Wright's magic was and realizing that Wright could easily kill him, was clearly caught off guard. However, he thought to himself that he was not Wright's enemy, and if the transaction didn't go through, at least there would be mutual respect!
Summoning his courage, he gave Wright a salute and said, "Master Wright, when we passed through Qarth, we heard rumors that a girl from one of the nine major Free cities has a dragon, just like you. If I recall correctly, this was about a year ago."
He spoke with trepidation, and one of the Warlocks, unable to watch any longer, stood up and gave a salute to Wright: "Master Wright, I am Paya Bolin, an immortal from Qarth. May I ask if your dragon has a name?"
Wright replied, "Greetings, Master Paya. My dragon's name is Od-Ah-Viing."
The male wizard was very old, with pale skin and no hair, his lips blue—a typical sign of someone who had drunk too much of the Shade of the Evening. Immortals were the highest-ranking Warlcoks, a title that could only be earned by the most powerful wizards at their headquarters, the Hall of Immortals.
A man named Yun Kong also stood up, and like the Judgment Knight and the Warlcok Paya Bolin, he too was eyeing Wright's dragon.
Just as Yun Kong was about to speak, the Warlock elbowed him aside. With a grin, Paya Bolin raised his blue-lipped smile and made a formal gesture towards Wright: "Master Wright, my offer is to exchange an amount of gold equal to the weight of Od-Ah-Viing."
"Deal!"
Wright immediately agreed, then turned to the crowd and said loudly, "All the mages here are witnesses to this transaction. Master Paya Bolin, my dragon should be flying here soon. We'll exchange the gold for the dragon!"
"I, on behalf of the Shadowbinders of Ashaya, congratulate Master Paya!" Quaithe said, though the expression behind his red mask was unreadable.
"An Immortal has a dragon now?"
"I can't believe Master Wright agreed to sell it. If I'd known, I would've offered a higher price!"
The mages erupted into chatter, some jealous of the Warlock, others regretting not asking about the price. Yun Kong and the Judgment Knight glared fiercely at Paya Bolin.
"An Immortal from Qarth is so wealthy?" Ashara Dayne looked up at the sky and muttered to herself.