From Driftmark, heading west along Blackwater Bay, you'll reach the Blackwater Rush. King's Landing lies on the banks of the Blackwater Rush. As the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, it's situated on the eastern coast of Westeros, where the Blackwater Rush flows into the Narrow Sea.
King's Landing, roughly square in shape, is one of the five largest cities in the Seven Kingdoms. It's protected by towering city walls and has seven gates for entry: Dragon Gate, Lion Gate, Mud Gate, Old Gate, Gods Gate, King's Gate, and Iron Gate.
Inside the city walls, a multitude of residences, tree-lined streets, granaries, stone warehouses, merchant inns, commercial associations, taverns, cemeteries, and brothels are scattered about. Near the Mud Gate to the south, there's a large fish market, and the harbor to the east has hundreds of docks.
The city is well-planned, with wide roads lined with trees separating the residential and commercial areas. Smaller streets and alleys branch off from these main thoroughfares.
However, like many medieval cities on Earth, the residents' hygiene and living habits are poor. The noble and commercial districts are fine, but places like the Mud Gate and Flea Bottom... the stench of filth and excrement is enough to make a person gag.
Marco almost threw up on his first day. Although he'd been to the Flint family's harbor and Gulltown before, he'd never encountered a city as disgusting as King's Landing.
The city occupies three hills on the north bank of the Blackwater Rush. Aegon I Targaryen named the highest hill after himself and the other two hills after his two queens, Visenya and Rhaenys.
Perched atop Aegon's High Hill is the Red Keep, the home fortress built brick by brick by the Targaryen family. Construction began during Aegon I's reign and was completed during the reign of Maegor I, taking three generations of kings to finish this magnificent structure.
This royal castle is located in the southeast corner of the city, and it's also the highest and most strategically important position in King's Landing. From the towers of the Red Keep, one can overlook the entire Blackwater Bay.
The Red Keep is built of pale red stone, with seven massive, iron-roofed drum towers. Thick, towering walls surround the castle, and iron spears are mounted on the crenellations between the gatehouses.
In a few months, our honorable Lord Eddard Stark, the Warden of the North, might very well have his head chopped off by Ser Ilyn Payne and impaled on these iron spears, becoming a symbol of King Joffrey's displayed "majesty."
In the center of the castle is a huge bronze gate, the only entrance to the Red Keep. In front of the gate is a large plaza, and behind it is a heavy iron portcullis. Beside the main gate are some narrow side doors, used by servants during peacetime, but which would be locked down immediately to defend against an attack.
At this moment, Marco was wandering through the secret passages of the Red Keep. More than a month had passed since he left High Tide. Although Marco's arrival had caught the attention of the two major intelligence figures in King's Landing, he had been acting very low-key.
After a simple report to the Merchant's Guild, Marco had booked a hotel near Shoemaker's Square. He kept to himself every day, appearing quite normal. Occasionally, a few powerful nobles would send their subordinates to inquire about the Dragonsteel Sword, but Marco turned them all down.
Marco told the visiting emissaries that he no longer had the Dragonsteel Sword, and that was indeed the case. Marco had already consumed many resources, and he was now very skilled at making magical items.
Moreover, Marco wasn't short of money in the first place, and he didn't need to rely on selling these things to get rich. The money he had earned in Gulltown had all been given to Morford Valeryon.
Marco told him that he couldn't join Stannis' fleet later. He instructed him to use the money to buy a few ships and then feign illness, handing the fleet over to Stannis. His main task now was to guard the Dragon Eggs in the treasury.
Marco cast Valyrian magic recorded in the scroll on the Dragon Eggs. He used the "Crystal Cage" spell to bind the energy leaking from the eggs, then used the "Summoning Spell" to summon life energy. Finally, he employed the "Hatching Spell" to continuously stimulate the Dragon Eggs, hoping to restore their vitality.
Under Marco's magical stimulation, Moford's bloodline power had been completely activated. Furthermore, with the enhancement of the Obsidian Magic Crystal created by Marco, Moford could now skillfully use the "Far Sight Spell" and the "Message Spell". Marco also had him continue studying the "Binding Spell" so that he could skillfully control dragons in the future.
The secret passages in the Red Keep were designed with exquisite craftsmanship. They could use certain light sources and gaps outside the chambers to refract light into the passages. This allowed Marco to walk normally inside and also see some of the outside situation through hidden compartments.
Just then, a crossbow bolt suddenly shot from a dark corner towards Marco, who was walking. The arrow was swift and powerful, hitting Marco's heart with precision. Then, Marco clutched his chest and slowly fell to the ground.
At this moment, a bald, fat man with a crossbow emerged from the shadows not far away. After reloading his crossbow, he walked over and aimed it at Marco's head. He muttered to himself:
"How could someone with Valyrian blood get in here? What..."
Then, two crystals suddenly appeared in front of the bald eunuch Varys. Before he could react, one of the crystals transformed into liquid and floated towards his neck, while the other quickly dripped onto his hand holding the crossbow.
A sharp spike pierced him, and Varys instantly felt a surge of intense numbness in his arm. With a "clack," the crossbow slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor.
"Bang!" The bolt shot out, embedding itself deeply in the nearby wall. The feathered arrow quivered violently, buzzing for a moment before stilling.
Marco scrambled to his feet, pulling the arrow from his chest. The steel arrowhead was blunted, leaving only a shallow white mark on his chest.
"Ouch! Still hurts! I thought adding so much Light Magic would prevent the pain. I just wanted to sneak in and find my Dragon Egg, but I didn't expect to find a giant spider first.
Good day, Lord Varys! Glad to see you. I've been searching for days, still can't find my destination. Luckily, I ran into you. Seems my luck is good. Hey! Don't get excited! I'm controlling the crystals on your neck and hands. If you don't cooperate, they'll strangle you! Now, quickly, take me to the passage in the Tower of the Hand!"
Before Marco could finish his jest, Varys darted backward, attempting to tear off the crystal collar. The result was his hands and neck were cut by the crystals, scaring him into stillness.
This was a minor magical trick Marco had devised after studying the "Crystal Cage" spell. It seemed practical, but the spell could only be used within a one-meter radius, and it had many limitations.
"You... you're the wizard with the Dragonsteel Sword, but weren't you always at the Golden Tree Flower Inn? How did you get here? This..."
Varys looked at Marco in disbelief. Having recovered from the pain, he could finally see Marco clearly.
He'd assigned three people specifically to watch Marco. Because of his past experience with sorcerers, and after confirming Marco's ability to use magic, Varys had increased his investigation and surveillance of him, just in case Marco might do something detrimental to King's Landing.
In Varys's opinion, sorcerers were all lunatics and psychopaths. Sometimes, they would commit atrocities for the sake of some vague prophecies. He himself was one of their victims, so he had always felt a bit uneasy and nervous about Marco's arrival.
"Didn't you always think I was a crazy sorcerer? Well? How's this magic? Crazy enough?"
Marco asked Varys, a smirk playing on his lips, his purple eyes filled with amusement.
"You... how did you know..."
"Alright! No more talk, take me there quickly. Just assume I can read minds! Hurry!"
Marco cut Varys off, ordering him. In Marco's perception, this guy had instantly calmed his thoughts the moment he heard Marco could "read minds," making it impossible for Marco to sense his thoughts.
This made Marco look at him with newfound respect. Few people could hide their thoughts from Marco's perception, and in Marco's memory, only a few guys like Brynden could achieve this.
After walking for about twenty minutes, Marco and the other man arrived at the Tower of the Hand. The Tower of the Hand was located in the center of the Red Keep and was quite narrow. The secret room Marco was looking for was located directly beneath the Tower of the Hand, where a secret passage led out of the castle. In a corner of that passage was Marco's destination.
Varys had only walked through this secret passage under the Tower of the Hand once, and with the passage of time, the lighting equipment in the passage had basically been damaged.
"We don't have a light..."
Before the eunuch Varys could finish speaking, he instantly shut his mouth because he found that Marco's hand suddenly held a glowing stone. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the stone in Marco's hand was a crystal, or rather, a glass candle.
"You guessed right! It is indeed a glass crystal. What's wrong? Is the power in your blood reacting? Varys! I'm curious, you descendants of the Blackfyre family didn't even inherit the Blackfyre surname, so why are you working so hard? ...Ay, it seems I guessed right again!"
Marco's words, illuminated by the red light of the glass candle, seemed very strange, as if they could captivate people's souls, directly causing Varys to break down.
"You...you..."
Varys was completely stunned. He didn't know what to say or what to do, just staring blankly at Marco, because Marco had revealed all of his secrets.
"I'm just curious. The matter of your Blackfyre Family and the Targaryen family has nothing to do with me. But I really didn't expect it! Two families that have been fighting for generations, actually connected in this way, tsk tsk! Fate is so unpredictable!"
Then Marco, with Varys still in a daze, pulled him into the underground passage. At the seventh pillar, Marco found a slot. He then took out the special key given to him by Brynden and inserted it, turning it.
"Click..."
After a harsh grinding sound of stone, a stone door slowly opened, revealing a secret room to Marco and Varys. Marco gestured for Varys to enter, and the two walked into the secret room together.
The secret room was filled with all sorts of things: weapons, armor, gold and silver jewelry, books, and scrolls. In the center of the room hung a portrait of a beautiful woman. Looking at her blue and green eyes, and that famous gem necklace, her identity was obvious.
Cyrenna Yangxing, Aegon IV's ninth and last mistress, the daughter of Serenna of Lys, and the lifelong love of Brynden, the lover who mysteriously disappeared.
Before Brynden left for Winterfell, he had asked Marco to help him bring back Cyrenna Yangxing's portrait and necklace, because this was his only remaining thought after his resurrection.
Now, Marco could only see the portrait. He didn't notice the gem necklace on the table, and the Dragon Egg was gone.
Marco searched the secret chamber, hoping to find a clue. But he found nothing.
Marco looked at the scene with a black face, filled with confusion and helplessness. Then, as if he'd thought of something, he turned his suspicious gaze towards Varys. Varys, feeling Marco's gaze, immediately shook his head like a rattle.
"My Lord! This is my first time here! If I knew about this place, I would have emptied it long ago, wouldn't I?"
Then, Marco unconsciously turned his gaze towards the beautiful woman in the portrait. Brynden had said that only he and Cyrenna Yangxing knew about this place. It seemed that this beautiful woman, or her descendant, had returned at some point and taken the Dragon Egg and the necklace.
Cyrenna Yangxing's mother, Ceyanna, came from Lys. She was introduced to the court by Jon Hightower, the Hand of the King at the time. Rumor had it that she was a descendant of a dragonlord family from the Valyrian Freehold, with noble blood. She was also very arrogant, and she had a mysterious library. Brynden had also mentioned that some of his magic came from his sister.
"Sigh! All in vain. Let's see if there's anything I need in these books!"
Marco muttered to himself, then walked towards the tall bookshelves. Although some of the books had been taken away, nearly half of the books were still there, which slightly eased Marco's depressed mood.
Marco then began to rummage through the bookshelves. The books here were of many types, and those from the Valyrian period only made up a small portion. Most of them were related to religion or history. Marco took a quick look, and it seemed to cover the religions and history of the entire Essos continent, as well as some myths and legends.
"Lord Varys! How about we make a deal?"