Chapter 11: Daeron Takes Multiple Wives, Rhaegar Takes the Blame
For the next half month, there were constant frictions between House Targaryen and House Lannister.
Aerys convened councils frequently, seizing every opportunity to target Tywin.
Tywin was not to be outdone, retorting with verbal irony at every fault he could find.
It was as if they could end this long war of words by simply cursing the other to death.
White Sword Tower.
"Screech—!"
Caraxes lay crouched beneath the tower, two charred sheep before him; he snatched one up, tilted his head back, and swallowed it whole.
A squad of Dragon Guards performed their duties, sealing the White Sword Tower so tightly not even a breeze could pass through.
It was as if they were guarding some great secret.
The meeting room at the top of the tower.
The fireplace blazed, and a large hand was held over the fire, feeling the searing heat of the flames.
When the man turned around, it was indeed Daeron.
Meanwhile, several people sat around the Weirwood round table.
Daeron sat by the window; at his left was Maester Aemon, at his right was Ser Gerold, and directly opposite him sat his teacher, Tywin.
Four members of the Kingsguard, including Barristan and Ser Jon, stood around the round table alongside Davos, Brynden, Tygett, and others.
This was a private council, one that could potentially determine the future direction of the kingdom.
"This is the Smiling Knight's personal collection."
Daeron pushed forward a box filled with seven or eight gemstones of various colors, which made a crisp clinking sound as he picked them up and set them down.
Tygett's eyes lit up, and his breathing grew ragged.
The others immediately noticed his abnormality and cast questioning glances his way.
"I— well—"
Tygett stammered, his eyes darting repeatedly toward his elder brother Tywin, trying desperately to hide some secret.
Tywin's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of doubt flashed in the depths of his eyes.
With a great war looming, the second brother, Kevan, had returned to Casterly Rock to oversee the rear.
The third brother, Tygett, who possessed extraordinary martial skills, remained by Tywin's side to be of use.
Recently, Tygett had made great progress; first, he mastered Life Force, and then his strength surged to the point where he could trade blows with the eldest son, Jaime.
"Is there a problem?"
Looking at the box of gems, Tywin's brow furrowed deeply.
Daeron stated plainly, "These are special gems, possessing the ability to strengthen certain aspects of the body's potential."
The box contained red, yellow, green, purple, and sea-blue gems of all kinds, identical to the ones he had mined in the pits.
They were gemstones containing special energy.
"Special gems?"
Forgive Tywin's ignorance, but to him, all gems looked the same.
House Lannister sat upon gold mines, and the outside world believed they even defecated gold; this reputation was not without reason.
"Let me say a few words."
Maester Aemon spoke softly, his hands fumbling inside his sleeves for a moment before pulling out several sheets of letter paper.
Since several months ago, Three Daughters had risen and launched an invasion of the Stepstones, engaging in large-scale warfare.
According to reliable sources, it was all for these special gems.
"Within the waters of the Stepstones, veins of special gems have appeared on the islands. Merchants from the Free Cities and pirates from all over the world are fighting for them like madmen."
Maester Aemon's expression was exceptionally grave, as he foresaw a very grim future.
Because any warrior who mastered Life Force could strengthen certain aspects of their physical potential by absorbing the energy within these special gems.
For example, red gems corresponded to strength, green gems to speed, and yellow gems to defense—
This method of cultivation was known as the 'Gem Sequence.'
Among the pirates of Three Daughters, some had already used special gems to strengthen their bodies to an unfathomable degree.
After hearing this, the Kingsguard members all frowned.
Prince Lewyn, holding a transcendent status, was the first to speak: "Is there no limit to absorbing the energy of these special gems?"
On the continent of Westeros, no matter how many special crops one consumed, Life Force could not be increased so deliberately.
Why should the people of the Essos be able to strengthen themselves without limit?
"There is, there are limits."
Maester Aemon had researched this and said, "The amount of Life Force a person has and their physical constitution determine the number of special gems they can absorb."
"Because the number of gems they can absorb is limited, the pirates of Three Daughters often specifically choose one type of gem to push a certain aspect of their potential to the absolute limit."
If there were limits, then it wasn't so bad.
The Kingsguard members looked at each other and collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
"How did you discover this?"
Tywin sensed something was wrong; special gems could very well widen the gap between the two continents.
Maester Aemon remained silent.
Daeron said calmly, "The Throat Guardians Alliance was attacked. I rode Caraxes to the rescue and accidentally captured two Triarchy pirates who had been strengthened by special gems."
One was strengthened by a red gem, the other by a green gem.
On the turbulent seas, they could exert impressive effects.
However, with one blast of Caraxes' Dragonfire—mere indiscriminate AOE damage—the two were burned into cripples.
By now, they had already died from their injuries.
Tywin's frown deepened as he turned his gaze toward Tygett.
Tygett confessed, "Gerion wrote to me, telling me about gem strengthening. After I mastered Life Force, I gave it a try."
"Are there any side effects?"
Tywin asked, but he was addressing his student, Daeron.
"Yes!"
Daeron said seriously, "After gem strengthening, the Life Force in the body solidifies. It becomes like a pool of stagnant water and will not grow even a single bit more."
They would also be unable to learn Life Frequency or use 'Amplification' and 'Attachment.'
"Then it won't be an issue."
Tywin had not mastered Life Force, but viewing it from the perspective of an ambitious man, he said solemnly, "The Stepstones are rich in special gems. If the people of the Essos monopolize the mining, they will cultivate a host of powerful individuals."
Westeros had always been at a disadvantage regarding the ownership of the Disputed Lands.
Once the Essos's research into Life Force surpassed that of Westeros, the coastal regions of the continent would be threatened.
It might even lead to a repeat of the ancient history of the First Men's westward migration or the Andals' invasion.
Tygett spoke up first, saying, "Brother, special gems are highly liquid. Many people in the The Reach and the Westerlands are reselling them."
Tywin snorted, still not optimistic.
Anyone who sat on a gold mine knew that if the mining rights weren't in your own hands, you would be at the mercy of others.
Daeron was very calm.
He even felt a bit of excitement about the appearance of the special gems.
The matter started from beyond the Wall.
Through the words of the Child of the Forest, 'Leaf,' Brynden 'Bloodraven' had conveyed two key pieces of information.
First: Brynden 'Bloodraven' is the Three-Eyed Crow, but the Three-Eyed Crow is not Brynden 'Bloodraven.'
Brynden 'Bloodraven' was nearing his limit.
He needed to realize the Prince That Was Promised as soon as possible to combat the future Long Night.
Second: With the appearance of the newborn young dragons, the magic tides were surging and increasing day by day.
The most direct manifestation was that Daeron was finding more and more gatherable items in the wild; even the three dragons catching fish at sea would occasionally catch special types of fish.
This was unthinkable before.
Furthermore...
In the past half year, one could often hear of some noble or knight mastering Life Force after consuming special crops.
Even a warrior with average talent like Tygett had happened to master Life Force.
All signs indicated that a new era was coming.
"And I have already perfected the path of Life Frequency."
Daeron was full of confidence.
After recovering dark sister, his progress in Life Frequency resonance had advanced by leaps and bounds, leading to the development of the next stage of results.
He called it the 'Life Seed.'
By using his own Life Force to simulate the frequency of dark sister, and after the two resonated, he would withdraw it into his body and continuously compress it.
Eventually, it would turn into a solid seed within his body.
This seed gathered all of one's Life Force; while remaining vibrant, it was also extremely stable, allowing the Life Frequency to become a permanent state.
When using 'Amplification,' there was no longer a need to hold one's breath.
The Life Seed would regulate itself.
It could also amplify the body while simultaneously attaching to a weapon.
The only drawback was the extremely high requirement for talent.
Furthermore, when compressing Life Force, a large supply of Life Force was needed to ensure that the compression wouldn't fail due to excessive consumption.
Daeron had eaten a stardrop, so he didn't have to worry about talent at all.
He only consumed an Ancient Fruit when condensing the Life Seed.
Ancient Fruit: 'The seed matures in 27 days and can be harvested every seven days.'
Daeron closed his eyes and sensed a Life Seed in the shape of an Ancient Fruit existing three inches below his navel.
"Ancient Fruit is truly a miraculous special crop."
Opening his inventory, a single slot stored one Ancient Fruit.
He had harvested three in total.
He consumed one, put one into the Seed Maker to reset it into a seed, and kept the third for research.
Seeing his indifferent manner, Tywin thought of the Life Frequency his eldest son Jaime was learning.
"Daeron, have you mastered another way of strengthening?"
Daeron nodded in admission: "That's right. Distinct from the Essos's Gem Sequence, I have created the Life Seed."
At the Tourney at Harrenhal, Barristan and Ser Arthur Dayne had already given a preliminary demonstration; there was no need for secrecy.
The Life Seed wasn't like the Gem Sequence, which had no talent requirements and could be done by anyone.
He described the capabilities of the Life Seed.
"The requirements are too high."
Tywin shook his head and gave his evaluation: "According to you, the requirement for mastering Life Force on the continent has lowered, but the conditions for learning your method have instead increased."
The Gem Sequence had low requirements and low potential; it was about high volume with low margins.
The Life Seed had high requirements and high potential, but various conditions would block most people.
With valyrian steel weapons, Life Frequency, and the requirements for talent and special crops, one could buy countless special gems and force-feed a high-end combatant into existence.
"Isn't it good that the requirements are high?"
Daeron looked around and said, "Every knight present has the potential to condense a Life Seed. Your future achievements will far surpass that lot of pirates from the Essos."
Tywin pondered for a moment and looked at his eldest son in silver armor and a white cloak.
Jaime stood behind Ser Gerold and said confidently, "The Commander has agreed to lend me the valyrian steel sword 'vigilance' to complete the life resonance. I only need a few more special crops, and I can attempt to compress my Life Force and condense that seed."
One of his goals for joining the Kingsguard...
...was to obtain the royal family's exclusive cultivation method and catch up to his idol, 'sword of the morning' Ser Arthur Dayne.
He felt he was close to success.
This was finally a piece of good news that gratified Tywin.
"The Iron Throne has the Life Seed cultivation method, but we cannot miss out on the strengthening path of the Gem Sequence either."
Tywin had a very high vision and proposed, "The Iron Throne should do its utmost to acquire special gems. When the news from the Essos reaches the Seven Kingdoms, we can resell them to replenish the treasury."
Maester Aemon spoke slowly, "We can also keep a portion to reward loyal subjects, enhancing their strength to resist foreign enemies."
Everyone knew that the Seven Kingdoms were about to fall into chaos.
And beyond Westeros, there were the predatory pirates of the Essos watching with greedy eyes.
"Oldtown and King's Landing are the ports with the most trade; start by acquiring special gems from these two ports."
Daeron expressed his agreement.
Although he had mines to extract gems of all colors, he couldn't spend all day in the mines.
Doing business as a gem merchant wasn't a bad idea either.
Pushing the box of gems forward, Daeron said generously, "Whoever among you is not condensing a Life Seed can absorb these gems."
Several Kingsguard members shook their heads repeatedly.
Prince Lewyn was somewhat tempted, but his knightly honor triumphed over greed, and he gave up the shortcut to quickly increasing his strength.
Brynden watched from beginning to end, then took an amethyst from the box and said, "I don't have money to buy them, so I'll take one for research."
In the end, only Davos and Tygett, the two who had mastered Life Force, remained.
The former was not a warrior and had low talent; even mastering Life Force was thanks to a bowl of soup.
Davos rummaged through the various gems in the box and discussed, "I don't have the talent of a warrior, so the Gem Sequence suits me. What color gem do you want?"
"Yellow!" Tygett said without thinking.
The two hit it off immediately; Davos took three green gems, and Tygett took two yellow gems.
The Smiling Knight had mainly absorbed green gems, so there was a larger quantity of them collected.
The box was more than half empty, and Daeron closed it up.
One red, one sea-blue, and two purple gems remained; the red gem was of higher value, while the other two were less popular.
With that, the meeting was about to adjourn.
The door suddenly pushed open, and Cersei entered carrying a tray of wine, acting as a cupbearer.
"Prince, please have a taste."
Cersei first poured wine for Maester Aemon and the others, and finally poured a cup for Daeron alone, holding the tray to her chest with an expectant expression.
Daeron didn't care for alcohol, but he still took a sip and didn't hold back his praise: "Thank you, Cersei."
As he spoke, he cast an appreciative glance at her.
Cersei felt a surge of joy in her heart, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upward.
"Ahem—"
Tywin coughed twice, interrupting the two: "We still have things to discuss; you may leave now."
"Yes, Father."
Cersei curtsied slightly and left reluctantly.
Daeron waved his hand.
After the trip to the Wall, he had come to a realization.
The so-called 'don't let the good girls go, and don't let the bad girls run wild'—
Cersei had the delicate face of the number one beauty in the Seven Kingdoms, a slender figure, and a charming temperament.
Crucially, she was also a bit of a lovesick fool (without experiencing Rhaegar and Robert, she indeed had a talent for being lovesick).
There was no need for Daeron to refuse her.
It just so happened that the relationship between the Targaryen and Lannister families was tense; by accepting Cersei, he could also stabilize his teacher, Tywin.
The Seven Kingdoms was a place where everyone was terrible.
His teacher Tywin was already a top-tier politician; there was no better tool than him.
Daeron had to use him, and use him hard!
As for what would happen after sleeping with Cersei—
Daeron swirled his wine glass and asked casually, "Still no news of Rhaegar?"
"None."
Tywin's expression was mysterious, as if he were pondering something, and he said, "Dragonstone is empty. Some claim Rhaegar and Lyanna fled across the Narrow Sea."
Daeron then asked Prince Lewyn, "With Rhaegar nowhere to be found, how has Prince Doran reacted?"
Prince Lewyn shook his head in silence.
Rhaegar's disastrous actions had shocked the Seven Kingdoms; even the resourceful Prince Doran was stunned and was currently waiting to see how things would develop.
"Rhaegar and Lyanna eloped; where does that leave the Targaryen, Stark, and Baratheon families?"
Daeron condemned them harshly with his words.
But in his heart, he was thinking of using this incident to restore the Targaryen tradition of taking multiple wives.
Tywin would never allow his daughter to be a mistress.
Shaena—
Daeron definitely wanted to take multiple wives and restore the traditions of Old Valyria.
Rhaegar already had a wife, Elia, yet he eloped with Lyanna.
In Westeros, there was only widowhood, no divorce.
House Martell would not recognize a 'divorce' either.
If Rhaegar wanted to protect Lyanna and give their future children a legitimate status, he would inevitably have to restore the tradition of multiple wives.
This was a good thing!
Daeron wanted to fight a war, and Rhaegar would be the one to take the blame.
Daeron wanted to restore the tradition of multiple wives, and Rhaegar would be the one to take the blame.
"Big brother, this is what you owe the family."
Daeron felt no guilt, only layers of calculation.
more chapter available in p@tréøñ(Atoki_29)
30% offer on annual membership also