Conquest Keep.
Lo Quen cradled the newly hatched young dragon. Its body was covered in scales as dark as eternal night, with a dull crimson sheen at its core, radiating a subtle, restrained heat. The little creature squirmed restlessly in his palm, its slender neck twisting. Although its eyes hadn't fully opened, it instinctively hissed faintly in Lo Quen's direction.
Lo Quen was deeply astonished. This black-and-red dragon egg had been retrieved from the ruins of Valyria. After using seventy thousand units of magic to awaken it, it had remained dormant, refusing to hatch. Yet, when the seal on the mysterious black stone was broken and the magic tide surged, the egg cracked open on its own, giving birth to this tiny life.
Even more bizarre, the nearly identical black-and-red dragon egg sent by Illyrio shattered into dust at the exact same moment, losing all its life force.
"This cannot be a coincidence..." Lo Quen stared at the young dragon in his hands, feeling the heat from its tiny scales with his fingertips. "The black stone and the hatching of this dragon egg—there must be some profound connection between them that I haven't yet fully understood..."
Lo Quen turned toward Qyburn, who was closely examining the broken dragon egg fossils nearby. Qyburn maintained his usual gentle smile.
"Your Grace, I suspect this may be related to blood magic..."
Lo Quen's heart stirred. "Maester Qyburn, please, continue."
Qyburn nodded, picking up a shard of the shattered black-and-red dragon egg fossil.
"Your Grace, House Targaryen has its share of strange tales. During the reign of Aegon III, Rhaenys Velaryon hatched a monstrous dragon—pale as maggots, wingless, and blind. Such a deformed young dragon was likely the result of some anomaly in the blood magic during the incubation of the egg. The dragons of Valyria were gifts from blood magic. While a few failed rituals among countless others are understandable, the key to whether they succeed or fail lies in something we need to uncover. I have some ideas—perhaps the hatching of these dragon eggs is connected to their souls... Please allow me time to further study these egg fragments."
Lo Quen paused. Souls? Qyburn was highly skilled in necromancy—perhaps he had discovered something important. Lo Quen nodded.
"As you wish, Maester Qyburn."
After Qyburn left, Lo Quen remained silent in the stone chamber, observing the other dragon egg fossils.
Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of footsteps and gasps of awe. The ladies of Conquest Keep had arrived, drawn by curiosity to see the newly hatched dragon.
Daenerys approached first, her violet eyes fixed on the young dragon, filled with complex emotions. There was an instinctive closeness to the creature, but also a hint of fear. She knew that this young dragon was not a creature the Targaryen bloodline could command.
Soon, Janice and Jaelena, Chai Yiq, and several other ladies gathered around, forming a circle around Lo Quen and the young dragon.
"It looks so fierce..." Janice reached out, but hesitated, unable to touch it.
"Such smooth scales..." Sansa, standing nearby, reached out and gently stroked the dragon, her voice soft with the natural tenderness of a woman. At the same time, she silently mourned her own dead Direwolf, Lady. With Sansa starting it, the others followed suit, each reaching out to touch the dragon. Even the usually reserved Lady Roslin joined in.
However, the young dragon seemed uncomfortable with so many eyes on it and so many hands touching it. It hissed, trying to appear fierce. But its childish voice and clumsy movements only made it appear even more adorable, causing the women to stifle their laughter. Even Jaelena, usually so composed, couldn't help but smile.
Under Lo Quen's watchful gaze, the black dragon hatchling dared not misbehave in front of the women. It could only endure silently, letting them examine it from head to tail.
"She's very healthy..." Chai Yiq gently stroked the young dragon's spine, her voice full of emotion. The young dragon flinched slightly, then nudged her fingers with its head. It seemed to sense the dragonbond bloodline within her.
"Your Grace..."
Daenerys lifted her head to look at Lo Quen, her eyes sparkling. "What name do you intend to give it?"
Lo Quen pondered for a moment, his gaze lingering once more on the young dragon's scales, a blend of black and crimson. Black represented stillness, the shadows. Red was intensity, destruction, and rebirth.
He spoke slowly:
"Let's call it Ashshadow. 'Shadow' represents the deep, mysterious black, while 'Ash' signifies what remains after a fierce fire burns. It may seem dark and lifeless, yet within it may lie an unextinguished spark, ready to reignite into a towering inferno at any moment. This name perfectly suits its colors."
As if understanding its master's naming, the young dragon Ashshadow suddenly arched its slender neck, letting out a roar louder than before. Though still immature, it carried a hint of chilling menace.
The women found this amusing and began teasing the little creature. Lo Quen observed the diverse group of girls gathered around him—each drawn by different circumstances—and couldn't help but smile. Their faces now bore a rare ease and curiosity, softening the usual grim atmosphere.
Yet his thoughts soon turned to future plans. Besides the newly hatched Ashshadow and that bizarre, fractured dragon egg fossil, he still held five dragon egg fossils unearthed from the ruins of Valyria.
Now that the Blackstone's seal was broken, the changes were nothing short of revolutionary. Not only had the Blackstone itself become a near-endless reservoir of immense magic, but even more astonishing was the concentration of free-floating magic throughout the world. It had surged by tens, if not hundreds, of times.
Now, even with normal breathing, his body spontaneously absorbed the dense magic particles in the air—so thick they seemed almost tangible—effortlessly accumulating hundreds of magic points with each breath. Magic that once required careful rationing and cautious use could now be squandered almost at will. The magic bottleneck that had troubled him for so long was resolved in this unexpected manner. Magic was no longer an issue.
Therefore, enhancing the purity of his Dragon Bloodline became the most pressing goal at hand. Lo Quen's current bloodline purity stood at 22.3%. Since escaping the ruins of Valyria, this figure had remained stagnant for three long years.
At his current bloodline purity, he could transform a maximum of three Flame Knights and awaken up to four dragon egg fossils. Based on his observations, each 10% increase in bloodline purity raised these limits by one. His current Flame Knights are Jaelena, Janice, and Chai Yiq. Without increasing his bloodline purity, Lo Quen cannot bind any more Flame Knights. Blooddancer, Silverfall, Duskshadow, and Ashshadow have already exhausted his available dragon egg fossil quotas.
Moreover, higher purity not only meant commanding more dragons and stronger Flame Knights, but more crucially, it brought immeasurable enhancement to his own power. Enhanced physique and potential transformations.
Lo Quen recalled gaining the new active skills [Dragonbond Lineage] when his bloodline purity surpassed 20%, enabling him to hatch fossilized dragon eggs. What if his bloodline purity broke through 40%?
His gaze grew profound as he looked northward. It seemed that after completely resolving the troubles with the Free Cities and the Seven Kingdoms, he must find an opportunity to venture beyond the Great Wall. But by then, the Others might already have marched south.
Lo Quen snapped back to reality and looked at Chai Yiq.
"Chai Yiq, shall Ashshadow be your mount?"
Chai Yiq was the only one without a dragon yet, and Lo Quen thought it best to give her one first.
Chai Yiq paused, then shook her head. "This black dragon is far more unique and mysterious than those three-headed beasts. It took so long to hatch—it must possess extraordinary qualities. I'll leave it to you. There are plenty of other dragon eggs; I can choose another later."
Lo Quen hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright. For now, I'll entrust Ashshadow to your care." Only then did Chai Yiq nod in agreement.
Chai Yiq's reasoning made sense. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but with so many women by his side, giving such a unique dragon to Chai Yiq might inevitably cause some resentment among the others. This made Lo Quen regard Chai Yiq's magnanimity and wisdom with newfound respect. Truly befitting a princess of Carcosa—she possessed political acumen after all.
He handed the young dragon from his embrace. The little creature seemed unsettled, wriggling its body and emitting a faint hiss.
Chai Yiq extended her hand, her movements gentle. Ashshadow turned its little head, nostrils flaring, carefully sniffing the scent on Chai Yiq's body. Soon, it seemed to find some sense of recognition. Its tiny claws scrambled, and it jumped into Chai Yiq's arms of its own accord, curling up in a comfortable spot. It even let out a small yawn, revealing its pink throat.
Chai Yiq cradled Ashshadow carefully, a delighted smile spreading across her face.
Lo Quen chatted idly with the women for a while before departing to prepare for the campaign against Volantis. Volantis had crossed his line by raiding the Yi Ti settlers. Lo Quen would never let Volantis off the hook.
...
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