As Moford Valerion finished speaking, the Crimson Energy in Marco's hand shot towards him. It coiled around his arm like a nimble little snake, then burrowed into his veins like a drill.
At first, Moford could bear the surging power in his blood, but later he felt the overwhelming strength of it. He felt as if his very flesh was melting.
"Argh..."
A painful howl escaped Moford's lips. His bones cracked and popped, and his veins bulged, with something roiling within them.
Bang!
Suddenly, the doors were violently kicked open, and a squad of fully armed soldiers stormed in. Behind them were Oren and a young man. Under their direction, the soldiers surrounded everyone in the hall, with a small group of around 20 crossbowmen positioned behind them.
Oren, upon seeing Marco's true appearance, showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger because he had heard his father's screams.
He glared at Marco furiously, shouting at those around him, "Don't you see your Lord being cursed by this sorcerer? Crossbowmen, you lot, look sharp! Aim! Attack!"
Before Oren could finish speaking, a buzzing sound filled the ears of the crossbowmen. Before they could react, a wave of intense pain swept through their bodies. After a chorus of screams, the crossbowmen fell to the ground, one after another.
Moonshadow's "Mountain Peaks Disturbance" spell was becoming increasingly proficient, now capable of both mass attacks and precise control. A single strike was enough to render ordinary soldiers unconscious and unable to fight.
Then, the soldiers in the front ranks, wielding shields, were hit by a blinding golden light. They immediately felt a sharp pain in their heads.
Bang, bang, bang...
Maeve swatted these fully-armored soldiers away like flies. They crashed against the wall, losing consciousness instantly. Maeve controlled her strength with remarkable precision, ensuring the soldiers weren't severely injured.
Soon, only Oren and the young man remained standing. Just as they prepared to draw their swords and charge at Maeve,
the young man, who had been with Oren, suddenly threw down his weapon with bloodshot eyes. He then charged at Oren, headbutting him repeatedly until Oren saw stars and passed out.
Under the influence of Nymph's "Siren's Song" skill, the young man removed his helmet and slammed his head against the wall repeatedly, ceasing only when he lost consciousness.
Moford Valerion was trembling, sweat soaking his clothes and hair. When he looked up again, his hair and eyes had turned the same silver and purple as Marco's.
He seemed to have grown a good deal, almost reaching Marco's height. He shook the hair from his forehead, looked at Marco with excitement, and said in a trembling voice:
"Lord Marcol, thank you for your help. I can feel the power surging through my body. I feel like I'm young again."
Marco nodded with satisfaction and said to him:
"Congratulations on finally making it. The Ancient Bloodline has completely awakened within you, Moford Valerion! The Glory of the Valyrian Magical Age will be revived in my hands. Are you willing to serve me, to fight for your future, and to fight for the revival of your Family?"
"I am willing! I am willing! Respected Lord! Under the witness of the new gods and the old gods, I, Moford Valerion, swear that my Family will be loyal to you, to eliminate all enemies for you, until the stars fall!"
Moford excitedly drew the longsword from his waist, held it with both hands, and knelt on one knee, swearing his allegiance to Marco. Then Marco commanded him to rise, indicating that he accepted his allegiance.
After Moford stood up, he looked at the soldiers lying on the ground. He apologized to Marco, then walked over and woke up the soldiers who weren't too deeply unconscious, telling them to carry out those who were still unconscious.
After calming his soldiers, Moford invited Marco and the others into his Family Treasure Room. After opening a mechanism and a large door, Moford presented a Dragon Egg to Marco as if offering a treasure.
"Lord Marcol! This is the last remaining Dragon Egg of the Family. Our ancestors tried to hatch them, but they all failed. There were five originally, but only this one is left when it reached me."
Marco took the Dragon Egg, which had lost its vitality, and carefully examined it in his hands. It was a Dragon Egg with silver scales and faint golden patterns in the middle, looking like it had turned to stone. However, Marco felt a faint fluctuation of magic law within it.
Ding! Detected a powerful Soul Core, 1. Would you like to extract?
Marco didn't click "extract." Instead, he turned his gaze to Moford. Under the effect of "Magic Control," Marco felt the connection between the Dragon Egg and Moford. Marco nodded thoughtfully and said to him:
"The fate of this Dragon Egg is already linked to you. Although it's still a stone now, I believe the Valerion Family will soon have a Dragon Knight again."
After saying that, Marco handed the Dragon Egg back. Moford received the Dragon Egg with trembling hands, looking at it with a face full of joy. But then, as if he thought of something, he frowned slightly and said to Marco:
"But, Lord Marcol! Dragons have been gone for hundreds of years. Do we still have a chance?"
Marco chuckled upon hearing this, and asked him in return:
"So, what do you think happened to the dragons?"
Moford looked at the Dragon Egg in his hand, which was no different from a stone, and couldn't help but ask himself.
"Yes! How did the dragons disappear?"
Ever since the Targaryen Dynasty experienced the "Dance of Dragons" civil war, dragons slowly vanished. First the remaining four dragons, and then the deformed dragon known as "the last dragon."
Moford vaguely sensed something amiss about this, but couldn't quite pinpoint what was strange. He unknowingly stood still, lost in thought.
Watching Moford's bewildered expression, Marco's words slowly reached his ears.
"Magic! In the end, it was all due to magic. Magic was the foundation of the dragons' very existence, but many people thought the dragons were the Valyrians' most powerful weapon. However, they forgot that the real weapon that made the Freehold of Valyria the world's superpower was magic. It was magic that allowed them to control dragons, and it was magic that allowed them to build the greatest and most magnificent city in the world.
"Moford! You know what? Only magic is the eternal guarantee of our future dynasty. When magic becomes so powerful that it's invincible, even dragons are just embellishments."
Marco's words made Moford's blood boil. Then, as if he'd just remembered something, he suddenly apologized to Marco and ran back into his family's treasure room.
About three minutes later, he emerged carrying a beautiful little wooden box, a look of excitement on his face. After placing the box on the ground, Moford pulled out a simple, old key from his pocket and gently opened it.
A stack of intricately designed scrolls appeared before Marco. Their craftsmanship was exquisite, with two dragon heads on the top and bottom, giving them an exotic feel. Moford said excitedly to Marco:
"Lord Marco! These are the Valyrian magic scrolls that our first ancestor kept. When I was a child, I curiously opened one and was unconscious for three days. After that, my father hid them all away. Even after I inherited the title, I didn't dare open them again. Now, it seems that only you can be unaffected by them."
Marco nodded slightly. These scrolls were different from those held by Maester Yimon of the Black Castle. These seemed to be artifacts from the Valyrian era, and even after so many years, they still retained some residual energy.
This energy was different from life energy; it seemed very active and unstable. Yet, it was firmly attached to the scrolls, which was quite fascinating. Marco, filled with curiosity, eagerly opened one of the scrolls.
With Marco's "Understanding All Things" skill activated, the first thing that caught his eye were the three large characters, "Binding Curse". "Binding Curse" was also known as "Dragon Binding Curse." The early Dragon Kings of the Valyrian era had always used this magic to control the dragons.
As time passed, dragons became increasingly docile, and this magic began to be shelved. Some Dragon King families even forgot the spell's incantation.
It seemed this was collected and preserved by the head of the Valerion Family before the "Doom," possibly as a collection or perhaps a legacy for his descendants.
Besides the "Binding Curse," Marco also found "Crystal Cage," "Hatching Curse," "Summoning Curse," "Far Sight Curse," and "Message Curse" in the remaining scrolls. Unfortunately, these spells didn't resonate with the system, leaving Marco somewhat disappointed. He had obtained two spells before, but this time, he got nothing!
After examining these spell incantations, Marco discovered they lacked the most crucial condition for casting: a conversion medium.
He wondered what the Dragon Kings and mages of the Freehold of Valyria used as a medium for casting spells. Some legends spoke of glass candles, while others believed dragons were the medium for storing magic.
Although this medium issue didn't exist for Marco, he wanted more of his people to use these spells. His self-created rune magic was powerful, but the talent requirements were too high. He wanted a faster and more effective method.
The most basic magical energy in this world was life energy, which permeated the entire world. However, its magical inertia was too strong to be used. Some witchcraft and spells could indeed trigger its reaction, but either it was too violent or the reaction was lackluster. This was also the reason why magic wasn't prominent in this world.
"Do I have to create something like the 'Well of Eternity' from World of Warcraft? But... isn't magic going to revive later? Could it be? That meteor is the source of magic?"
Marco thought more deeply, and the more he did, the more he felt that the return of magic in this world might really be related to the "Red Comet." He had initially thought it was just a revelation, but now, upon reflection, it was likely that the energy released from the meteorite had caused the dragons to revive.
At this moment, Marco's gaze unconsciously shifted to the first "Binding Curse" magic scroll. The "Binding Curse" was the initial magic of the Valyrian era and also the initial template for a portion of magical incantations. Perhaps Marco could start with it to plan something regarding the mysterious "Red Comet."
However, this thing carried a certain risk. Marco didn't know if this comet was related to that mysterious Other God. He didn't want to bring another helper to the Others; in that case, Marco would be very passive. Although he was currently suppressing them with the "Holy Light Words" and obsidian weapons, these guys were simply too mysterious. Marco was afraid they still had some terrifying backhands.
Subsequently, Marco turned his gaze to the slightly excited Moford Valerion and asked him:
"Have you studied High Valyrian? Can you decipher the script?"
Moford said proudly, "Lord Marcol! This is a required subject for every Valyrian, how could I not know it! Even those guys on Crab Island are still studying these things, how could we forget the study and inheritance of our mother tongue!"
The Setiga Family on Crab Island, near the Crab Claw Peninsula, also possessed the ancient Valyrian bloodline, but this family had always been relatively ordinary and low-key, except for when someone served in the royal palace during the reigns of Aegon I and Maegor I.
Historically, they had basically not produced any great figures, just guarding their own small plot of land, quietly making a fortune. Moreover, they had never married into the royal family. With the passage of time, their Valyrian bloodline was becoming increasingly thin.
The three ancient Valyrian Families of Dragonstone, Driftmark, and Crab Island have always been the embodiment of wealth and mystery on the continent of Westeros. Although they eventually converted to the Faith of the Seven, they never forgot many of the customs retained since the Valyrian era, such as teaching their descendants High Valyrian.
Marco nodded after listening and said, "You can look at them now. These magic scrolls are all related to dragons, and you must learn them. I will help you restore the Dragon Egg first, and see if there's a chance to hatch it."
Moford was extremely excited when he heard this. He said in a trembling voice, "Is this true? Lord Marcol! A... a dragon, is it my dragon?"
"What's so surprising about that? We already have two Dragon Eggs that have regained their activity; they're just one step away!"
Marco's words sounded as if he were talking about something very ordinary.
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