Chapter 149: Searching for Blackfyre
The azure sea was very calm. Since the Myr fleet and the Golden Company had left in a sorry state, Rhaegar could fully enjoy the vast sea surface covered by the pure blue sky of Tyrosh.
Three dragons circled in the sky, chirping a few times and spitting fireballs that made the seawater steam, before climbing higher again. Those bright and dazzling fireballs could only be unleashed upon the sea.
Rhaegar looked out at the vast sky from atop his dragon. The Myr fleet and the Golden Company had already gone far away, but Rhaegar understood that the war would not end so easily.
To support Governor Daario's rebellion, the people of Myr and Lys had contributed men and resources, paying a high price to hire mercenaries like the Golden Company and Meereen gladiators, incurring huge costs. Now, they had gained nothing; instead, the Myrish had lost nine large warships, and had also lost Governor Daario and other opposition parties and moles, causing Tyrosh to completely part ways with them. With such a huge loss, the merchants and mercenaries of the Free Cities, who were all profit-seekers, would see the governor attacked, ousted, or even killed for losing money. The situation in the Narrow Sea would become even more tense.
"Chaos is a ladder!" Rhaegar exclaimed.
If not for the chaos and disintegration of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, the Iron Throne could not have reaped so many benefits. Of course, the fire support of the dragons was also very important; force was the backing for everything. Force was equivalent to truth! The power of dragons and fire was a kind of truth in this world!
[Attributes: God of Strength and Beauty: A combination of strength and beauty, the embodiment of strength and beauty.] Rhaegar's attributes had changed once again.
[Destiny Claim: Westeros: Subdue enemies, increase destiny authority.]
Rhaegar looked at his overall attributes and destiny claims.
[Attributes: Dragon King's Talent, Dance of Water and Fire (Dual Warlock of Water and Fire), God of Strength and Beauty (Spokesperson of Strength and Beauty), Heart of a Sword and Soul of a Zither, Awakened Dragon, Dragon Dreamer] The addition of the God of Strength and Beauty indicated that he had surpassed everyone of his time in both aspects.
[Destiny Claim: Westeros (High-tier): Hatching dragons, silver hair and purple eyes beauty, triumphant general, beloved by the people, city builder, subduing enemies. Not obtained: Aegon the Conqueror's crown, Blackfyre. Old Valyria Smoking Sea ruins (High-tier): Ancient remains of the forty dragon lords, high-tier Blood of Fire. Rhoyne River line (Low-tier): Weak Rhoynar blood, low-tier Blood of the Water]. Rhaegar felt that what he lacked most at the moment was a crown and a sword; without these, he would probably be called a "blank" prince.
His destiny claims and attributes had undergone brand new changes; Rhaegar had gained a lot from his trip to Tyrosh.
Rhaegar checked his achievements and collections again; there were no changes. It seemed that obtaining the Valyrian steel sword Orphan-Maker was not counted in the collection column. Just like before, Valyrian weapons were not considered a separate achievement and were not as good as runes.
[Achievements: Fate Changer, Game of Thrones (manipulator of the universe, high-tier player), Commander, lucky one, Explorer, Collector, Weapon Mastery (sword, knife, spear, bow, etc.), Precision Strike]
[Magic Achievements: Fire Seed Eater, Rune Matcher (Rune Crown), dragon pact, Blood and Fire Chain, Dragonrider, Dragon Dreamer, Fire Sight]
[Collection: Rhaegar Targaryen's Dragon King's Ring, Heart of Fire Dragon Nest, Fire Sight Magic Stone, the cursed fire of the Iron Throne, the cursed eye of Harrenhal]
When the dragons had circled enough, Rhaegar rode his dragon back to the flagship of the Narrow Sea fleet. The Narrow Sea fleet had suddenly become wealthy, having extorted six warships from the Myrish. War banners fluttered; the most conspicuous ones were the three-headed red dragon on a black field, the black dragon on a silver field, and the silver seahorse on a sea-green field, representing the Targaryen dynasty, Prince Rhaegar's personal emblem, and Fleet Commander Corlys Velaryon, respectively.
Rhaegar stood on the flagship's deck. Except for Ser Gerold Hightower and Jon Arryn, who were guarding King's Landing, and Ser Brynden Tully, who was guarding the Stepstones, all other major commanders were present. Rhaegar was wearing two swords, which everyone felt was a bit strange, but no one asked.
The handsome silver-haired prince was high-spirited, his eyes bright, as if he were an immortal descended to the mortal world.
"Go and accept your great victory, Prince Rhaegar. You have brought Myr to its knees," said Ser Corlys, Ser Yohn, and others.
"These are naturally very good. However, I still have a second friend who has not knelt to me yet!" Rhaegar said.
Everyone understood that the prince was referring to the city-state of Lys, known throughout the world for its lust and beautiful scenery.
"The people of Lys will kneel to you, Prince! The Lysene are only known for being bed slaves; they do not deserve to be called warriors, and their combat record is mediocre," said the handsome silver-haired Ser Corlys.
"I am afraid it will not be that easy!" Ser Barristan Selmy sighed, his wise blue eyes meeting theirs. Young people should be paired with the experienced; if there were too many sycophants like Ser Corlys around Prince Rhaegar, it would not be a good thing. Ser Corlys was a capable navy commander, but also a fawning sycophant. A thousand yes-men are not as good as one outspoken advisor.
"I would like to hear the details!" Rhaegar looked at Ser Barristan. The tall Barristan was considered older in Rhaegar's team, with seniority and age. Everyone recognized Barristan's martial prowess, but in fact, the knight also had great strategic vision and benevolence, compassion for all living things. He fought steadily, had a sharp eye, spoke bluntly, and possessed the soul of a true knight. Unfortunately, not many people discovered this commanding ability of Barristan to elevate him to a higher position as a commander-in-chief, usually treating Ser Barristan as a symbol of honor. Thinking about it this way, the career of Barristan the Bold was also a bit tragic.
"Lys and Myr are difficult to conquer not only because of the war, but also because they are indispensable in the slave trade. Attacking the Third Daughter, some slave-holding city-states will most likely provide help..." Ser Barristan said.
Rhaegar understood in his heart. Yes, the core of the trade operation of the Essos continent was the slave trade, mixed with blood and tears. Myr was the center of the slave trade, and Lys was no less inferior. Lys's slave trading market was the most active; the Lysene did not want to do hard labor and outsourced it all to slaves. Once a large-scale attack on the Third Daughter occurred, causing the interruption of the slave trade, besides the Third Daughter, those merchants and slave traders who relied on it for a living would also be furious.
Do I have to destroy the slave system if I want to conquer the world? Rhaegar thought.
For thousands of years, there had been no slaves in the Seven Kingdoms, and the Old Gods and the Faith of the Seven abhorred slavery. If he conquered Essos, countless people would ask him to destroy the slave system. Besides the opposition of slave traders all over the world, Braavos would not want to see the resurgence of Old Valyria's hegemony. But these grand plans still needed long-term planning and careful consideration.
"You are not just a warrior, you also have the vision of a commander; I lack people like you by my side," Rhaegar complimented Barristan. It is easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find one general, let alone a commander-in-chief. Reckless generals were not rare; what was rare were commanders who were brave, resourceful, and had a big-picture view. Rhaegar felt that in his team, currently only Barristan and Ser Brynden could lead a detachment, and Ser Corlys counted as half because he only excelled in naval warfare.
Ser Barristan was a bit embarrassed; most people only thought he could fight, and rarely did anyone elevate him to this height.
"A general cannot rely solely on martial prowess; he must also be brave and resourceful like Ser Barristan, and have strategic height. Boar-like generals are not rare; I need those with wisdom and brains, and you should also train your soldiers this way," Rhaegar said, hoping that all the warriors would understand.
"I have one more thing to return to you! Lord Yohn!" Rhaegar handed a longsword at his waist to Yohn Royce. With the famous sword Orphan-Maker, there was no need to keep occupying Lamentation, especially since the runes on Lamentation had already been explored.
"This is Lamentation?" Ser Yohn blushed and said excitedly. It was the joy of recovering something lost; he was almost speechless. Lamentation was something House Royce had dreamed of for generations. Now that Lamentation had appeared, he was completely overwhelmed by excitement and joy.
"This generous gift is really hard to repay. House Royce is willing to die for the Prince!" Bronze Yohn knelt on the ground and said. Recovering a lost Valyrian steel sword was a great story, and legendary enough.
Everyone on the flagship began to congratulate the return of the famous sword and the prince's generosity. A Valyrian steel sword was a peerless treasure. House Lannister had once spent a fortune trying to buy one; Valyrian steel swords were always priceless.
Everyone believed that Prince Rhaegar was destined, a great man who would dominate this era. He had not only reawakened the dragons but could also pick up different Valyrian steel swords as if they were free; this was already the second one.
Rhaegar looked at the happy Yohn, thinking that he did this because of House Royce's consistent loyalty. Moreover, he now had three Valyrian steel weapons, and if he added a set of armor, it would be a full Valyrian steel set. If Rhaegar discovered a new Valyrian steel sword, he would keep it for himself. For example, the sword of House Hightower; he would absolutely not return it. He simply felt disgusted and repulsed by this ancient family, and House Hightower was also one of the main participants in the Dance of the Dragons.
"The sword of House Royce has been found, but the sword of our house has not yet returned!" Rhaegar joked. Blackfyre and Dark Sister were nowhere to be found.
"You will find them, Prince Rhaegar, you are the star that guides the destiny of the world," Ser Corlys said.
Everyone agreed that the prince should be paired with the Blackfyre and Dark Sister swords because he had the soul of the Conqueror.
Rhaegar smiled and said nothing, calculating his intelligence network in his heart, the possible location of the Blackfyre sword.
On both sides of the Narrow Sea, Rhaegar also had an intelligence network: the rat-catcher Roken in King's Landing, the merchant in Planky Town in Dorne, the leader of the Orphans of the Greenblood, Gaelin, the thief leader Quickfinger Lysandro in Lys, the magister Marajo in Volantis, and now the Archon Sirae in Tyrosh. With such a net, any movement would fall into it, but there was no news of the Blackfyre sword.
Rhaegar thought, the greatest possibility was still Pentos. If there were remnants of the Blackfyre supporters in Pentos, the Blackfyre sword might also be there.
Possessing the Blackfyre sword was very important to him; there might be many secrets on it. Rhaegar scrolled through his attributes; Blackfyre was a kind of destiny claim.
Rhaegar's overall attributes had not changed much. The most likely enhancement at present was to look for the Blackfyre sword.
[ Rhaegar Targaryen ]
[ Identity: The Last Dragon, Blood of the Dragon (High-tier Superior), Blood of the Water (Low-tier) ] Rhaegar scanned his identity. If he did not go to the Rhoyne River, he was afraid that his water magic would not improve.
[ Titles: Prince of the Targaryen Dynasty, Supervisor of Bloodstone Customs, Temporary Protector of the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones ] The formal titles were still just a few major items.
[ Aliases: Triumphant Silver Dragon, Triumphant Prince (derived from victory in war), Born at Summerhall, Lucky Rhaegar (derived from birthplace, luck attribute), Silver Prince, Dragon Prince (derived from the love of the people), Victor, Spearbreaker Rhaegar (derived from the Battle of the Valley Road attacking the wildlings of the Pale Mountains), The Unburnt, Father of Dragons (derived from hatching dragons), Butcher of Maidenpool (derived from the Maidenpool incident), Silver Dragon Prince, Silver Dragonrider (derived from riding the silver dragon), Tyrant of the Narrow Sea, Shipburner, City Builder (derived from the Stepstones war) ] Rhaegar felt that aliases were similar to achievements; the more events he participated in, the easier it was to obtain aliases.
[ Charisma: Child of Destiny (Peerless Silver Prince, Early-witted, triumphant general, Silver Dragonrider, Friend of Dragons) ]
Rhaegar was very satisfied with his attributes, a hexagonal warrior, but with the Blackfyre sword, he would be even better.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics