"The Red Demon Ship?" Daenerys was amused by the New Ghis man's words. "Do you really believe demons come to the mortal realm to be pirates?"
"If it's not demons, then it's even more terrifying!" the customs officer warned solemnly. "They say no ship targeted by the Red Demon Ship has ever escaped its pursuit—the ship is too fast. And no one who's seen it has ever survived—the demons aboard are too vicious."
"Thank you for your warning," Daenerys said, her smile fading as she spoke with solemn sincerity.
Demons doing demonic deeds was only natural. It was the thought of humans committing such wicked acts that truly filled one with dread.
The customs officer glanced around, his eyes immediately freezing when he spotted the white and green dragons in the crow's nest above. He couldn't move his feet, and he stole furtive glances at the two dragons while trying to fill the silence. "The New Ghis Iron Legion certainly isn't afraid of pirates, but we understand the need for vigilance.
"That's why, for the past six months, our officers have been inspecting every ship entering New Ghis Bay—not for cargo, but to search for hidden armed personnel."
Seeing that Daenerys and her companions remained silent, the man's expression didn't change as he continued, "Besides pirates, you should also beware of Sea Monsters.
Several oared boats from the Summer Isles encountered a massive, terrifying Sea Monster north of the Serpent Isles.
A 30-meter long fast ship was dragged straight to the seabed, and of its 200 sailors, only 13 were rescued by nearby vessels.
The sea was stained crimson with blood, and the red waves churned violently. It was a horrifying sight.
This time, Daenerys's interest was piqued. "Really? I thought Sea Monsters were just legends."
"Heh, those dark-skinned fools were driven mad by fear—seven or eight of them! Do you think it could be false?" Zanak, a man with tanned skin and a grin revealing two rows of white teeth, laughed. "Besides, compared to your Dragon, what's a Sea Monster?"
That statement left Daenerys speechless. Sea Monsters were legendary, but Dragons were even more so.
Perhaps tired of the topic, or perhaps busy with other matters, Zanak exchanged a few more polite pleasantries before leaving with two soldiers.
Watching the New Ghis dinghy row back to their ship, Daenerys turned to Blackbeard Grolai and asked, "Do you think the Sea Monster attack on the ship is true?"
"Perhaps," the old sailor said worriedly. "Not only do sailors whisper of Sea Monsters lurking in the depths of the Summer Sea, but even in the Narrow Sea..."
"When our fleet set sail for Qarth, someone spotted a Sea Monster near the Fingers Peninsula. It attacked an Ibben whaling ship with crimson tentacles and dragged the 25-meter vessel into the abyss."
"The man told me, his face pale with terror, that a single tentacle was as thick as a water barrel, stained crimson as if by blood. It was almost like a demon's tendril."
*A red octopus?*
*I wonder what it tastes like.*
Whitebeard Astan remarked, "In the legends of the Seven Kingdoms, some Dragons are said to catch Sea Monsters as easily as ospreys snatch fish from rivers."
"That Sea Monster was just a giant octopus. We eat grilled octopus all the time," Daenerys said dismissively.
"No, it's not what you think," Jorah interjected. "Sea Monsters have been part of the legends for ages, but attacks on ships have been virtually unheard of until recently."
Blackbeard, the old sailor, nodded in agreement. "Ser Mormont is right. I've lived at sea for thirty or forty years, and only in the last six months have I heard confirmed reports of Sea Monsters attacking ships."
Could the appearance of Sea Monsters be related to the magical tides?
If so, they might be Magical Beasts rather than ordinary giant octopuses.
But Dragons vanished for over a century, and the Immortals' souls had long since decayed under the relentless flow of the River of Time. How did these Sea Monsters survive the Age of Decline?
"How long do Sea Monsters live?" she asked.
The group exchanged bewildered glances, never expecting such a question.
"No one has ever studied that," Whitebeard said hesitantly. "Although House Greyjoy uses the golden Sea Monster as their sigil, they don't seem to be able to summon them for battle like the Ironborn Kings of legend.
However, Count Adrian Celtigar of Crab Island once boasted that his family possesses an ancestral horn that can awaken sea monsters."
Celtigar?
In her memory, Viserys had mentioned this family to Daenerys. Twelve years before the Great Valyrian Cataclysm, Daenys the Virgin, a Targaryen, prophesied Valyria's destruction. At that time, several families moved away from Valyria, including the Celtigars and Velaryons, in addition to the Targaryens.
The Targaryens held Dragonstone, the Celtigars Crab Island, and the Velaryons Driftmark. These three islands were close to each other, the farthest being only an hour or two's sail apart.
In Valyria, the Targaryens were considered minor nobles, while the Celtigars and Velaryons weren't even Dragonlords and possessed no dragons.
Of course, as Valyrian nobles, they retained the ability to communicate with and ride dragons.
During the Dance of the Dragons over a century ago, several Velaryons became dragonriders.
If the House Targaryen had even a slight chance of victory, the Celtigars and Velaryons would be their most loyal allies. But to ask them to sacrifice their entire house was impossible.
Viserys often hoped those two families would help him reclaim his throne, yet he also cursed them as disloyal, forgetting their centuries-old bond of loyalty.
Daenerys didn't dwell on the Celtigars and continued, "How long do dragons live?"
"It's said to be determined by their wisdom," Jorah replied thoughtfully. "Some legends speak of wise old dragons living for millennia. But during the Targaryen Dynasty, Balerion the Black Dread, the oldest and wisest, lived only a little over two centuries, despite having abundant food and the Royal Library at his disposal."
"Dragons need more than just food; they crave freedom and the sky," Whitebeard said softly.
"Freedom?" Daenerys turned to the old man, her brow furrowed. "Did the Targaryens ever lock up Balerion?"
The old man sighed, his gaze distant. "King's Landing is primarily built on three hills."
"I know that," Daenerys replied. "They're named after the three siblings: the Red Keep, where the king resides, is on Aegon's High Hill; the Cathedral of Saint Baelor stands on Visenya's Hill; and the vast Dragonpit was constructed beneath Rhaenys's Hill."
A sudden thought struck her. "Could the Dragonpit be too small, restricting the dragons' movements?"
Whitebeard slowly shook his head. "The Dragonpit is enormous. It can accommodate thirty knights riding abreast, and its massive circular dome reaches a height of 100 meters. But a dragon is a dragon. Your ancestors forgot one crucial thing: Valyria had no Dragonpit."
*No, that's not true,* Daenerys thought. *Valyria did have a Dragonpit. The Valyrian Dragonlords lived atop the Blackstone Skyreach, which had a dome and walls.*
Daenerys thought this to herself but didn't interrupt the old man's story.
"From then on, the dragons in the Dragonpit grew smaller with each generation, until..." The old man sighed. "The last dragon was only the size of a puppy."
"Damn it! If walls could restrict size, wouldn't the peasants in thatched cottages all be dwarves? And the kings in their tall castles would be as burly as giants?" Ser Jorah scoffed, his voice dripping with derision. "The opposite is true: big men often come from humble homes, and short men dwell in castles."
"Humans are humans, and dragons are dragons. Dragons should live in the sky, while humans are bound to the earth. These words aren't mine alone; the Maesters came to this conclusion after meticulously studying the bones of dragons throughout history," Whitebeard said, his tone earnest.
"Hmph!" Ser Jorah had never liked the old man much. He snorted contemptuously. "You, a mere squire, think you're someone special. Since you know so much, why don't you enlighten us with your knowledge of dragons?"
Whitebeard replied with unwavering dignity, "I was fortunate enough to see the skull of a great dragon hanging on the wall of the Throne Room during King Aerys's reign. Those bones corroborated some of the Maesters' theories, but I know nothing of the more profound mysteries."
As he finished speaking, the old man turned to Daenerys and said gently, "Your Highness, if you wish to deepen your understanding of dragons, you may borrow *Dragons, Wyrms, and Longwings: An Unnatural History of Dragon Evolution* from Governor Illyrio in Pentos. It's an invaluable work, meticulously detailing all known knowledge about dragons."
Daenerys's interest was piqued, and she asked curiously, "The title seems to suggest that dragons evolved from other animals, rather than naturally?"
"Ah!" She suddenly covered her mouth in surprise. "Could it be that humans evolved dragon-like creatures into dragons? Good heavens, blood magic, the Valyrian blood mages! Does that book come from the ancient Valyrian Freehold?"
Whitebeard's eyes widened in astonishment at her ability to deduce so much from a title alone.
After studying her intently for a moment, he nodded. "Maester Barth believed that dragons were magical creatures created by Valyrian blood mages using wyverns."
"Maester?"
"Maester Barth was Hand of the King two hundred years ago. He served for forty years, bringing peace and prosperity to the Seven Kingdoms," Whitebeard explained.
"Uh, how did a prime minister end up researching dragons and magic?" Daenerys was speechless.
The key was that he never neglected his primary duties; the realm remained well-ordered and prosperous.
"I know of Maester Barth," Jorah said, his brow furrowing. "I've heard he was born into poverty, the son of a blacksmith, and was sent to the Church by his father because the family couldn't support him. But why have I never heard of him writing that *History of the Non-Natural Evolution of Dragons*?"
"Maester Barth was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. The Church assigned him to work at the Royal Library, where he not only gained boundless knowledge but also met The Old King, Jaehaerys I, a great lover of books."
He turned to Daenerys and added, "The Old King was the grandson of His Grace Aegon."
Then he addressed Jorah again. "That book didn't survive. After Saint Baelor ascended the throne, he ordered all of Maester Barth's works burned. Only a few handwritten copies circulated overseas or were kept by certain nobles."
Daenerys knew of Saint Baelor. Many of the legends in the *Westeros Fairy Tales* that Jorah had given her were about him, and she had later asked Ser Jorah in detail about his deeds.
Even with the many eccentricities of House Targaryen, this man was truly one of a kind.
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(End of Chapter)