Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

Big Black's "crash" wasn't very long. At first, he fell towards the ocean like a piece of wood, but midway, a strong wind swept him back up. After being tossed back and forth like this, Big Black finally regained consciousness from his brief fainting spell.

Dany remained in her dragon-spirit fusion state. Despite receiving an electric jolt to her soul, she was still in relatively good condition. After reassuring Jorah and the others with a few words, she resumed directing Big Black's flight.

This time, Big Black flew at a lower altitude.

Dany wasn't foolish. She had already considered the issue of lightning. On Earth, the highest thundercloud layers rarely exceed 10 kilometers.

According to her initial plan, Big Black should have been able to fly above the clouds into the stratosphere.

Who would have thought that Big Black had already reached his altitude limit—over 10,000 meters (PS)—but still couldn't get above the thunderclouds? Worse yet, he was unlucky enough to get caught in a lightning strike.

(PS: The original novel doesn't specify how high dragons can fly, but many bird species in nature can surpass 10,000 meters. Considering Big Black has eaten a demi-god dragon and doesn't suffer from low-temperature or low-oxygen limitations, it's reasonable.)

Since they couldn't fly over it, the next option was to fly beneath the thunderclouds. Surely, the thundercloud layer wasn't 10 kilometers thick, right?

Descending to around 2,000 meters, Big Black couldn't go any lower. The further they descended, the fiercer the sea winds became, making it impossible for him to maintain balance in the storm.

Fortunately, this altitude was just low enough to avoid the thunderclouds.

Thus, Big Black struggled to weave his way through.

Five minutes passed. The path ahead was bleak, shrouded in dense rain and gusts of wind.

Half an hour passed. The scene remained dim, with water vapor condensing on Big Black's body, forming a trail of white mist.

An hour later, Big Black's stomach growled—he was hungry.

"Have we reached the island yet?" Jorah asked for the fifth time.

For the first four, Dany had confidently reassured him, "We're almost there! Big Black flies incredibly fast!"

Big Black indeed flew fast, covering 150 kilometers per hour.

But could the Wall of Storms really be over 150 kilometers wide?

"No, something's wrong. Big Black is lost!" Dany realized that Big Black's magnetic sense had become disoriented.

From her first time entering the dragon-spirit fusion state, Dany had been able to share seven or eight additional sensory perceptions from Big Black, beyond the usual five senses.

What those extra senses were, Dany didn't fully understand—she was just an ordinary person, with no cosmic cultivation techniques. She could only grasp sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste.

Incidentally, through taste, Dany discovered Big Black's favorite food—marrow from the hind leg bones of wild buffalo. Whenever he sucked on those bones, his taste response became especially excited.

After months of experimentation, Dany managed to identify a few of these extra senses: magnetic field detection, heat sensing, and danger perception.

She discovered the danger sense when the Sorrowful Man attempted to assassinate her. The moment he revealed his box, one of those previously incomprehensible sensory signals began pulsing intensely.

Though she didn't understand its full meaning, she knew it indicated danger.

This was fantastic news for her.

From now on, Dany could gauge whether someone intended harm by observing the intensity of that signal.

At this moment, she noticed Big Black's magnetic field sense fluctuating wildly, leading her to suspect he was lost.

"Can he find his way back?" Whitebeard asked nervously.

"He can. I'm the best landmark," Dany sighed, deciding to abandon the failed Valyria expedition.

Big Black turned around and flew toward Dany's position.

It turned out that he had been flying further away from her all along. To be fair, the curved path they had taken around the Wall of Storms had indeed distanced them from Dany.

"Wait, is that...a ship?" Fifteen minutes later, Dany suddenly exclaimed.

"Someone else is exploring the ruins of Valyria!" Realizing this, she shouted excitedly.

"What?" Jorah and the others were puzzled.

"I—oh, I mean Big Black—spotted a ship in the storm," she explained.

"Impossible," Groly shook his head.

After waiting on the deck for two hours without seeing the dragon return, Blackbeard had grown anxious and come below deck.

"In a storm this fierce, no ship could survive. Any vessel caught in it would be torn to shreds instantly," he declared with absolute certainty.

Dany shook her head. "Seeing is believing. When Big Black descended to 2,000 meters, he could spot sand lizards in the desert. If you don't believe me, you can ask Jorah or Aggo."

"Khalessi is right," Jogo immediately said. "I've personally seen the dragon dive from high altitude to catch a sand lizard hidden in the grass."

"This…" Groly hesitated. "Could it be shipwreck debris?"

Dany couldn't be bothered to argue with him anymore.

Big Black circled above the ship, which was tossing on the waves. Through the clouds and rain, Dany could faintly see its main sail was furled, while two smaller side sails spread out like wings.

Though it swayed violently, the ship remained upright, like an unyielding tumbler.

This captain must be an expert.

In the dark, stormy expanse where the sea and sky merged into one, even Big Black's keen eyes couldn't make out the people onboard or the ship's name painted on its hull.

"When it emerges from the storm, should we approach and ask about the ruins of Valyria?" Dany asked her advisors.

Jorah thought for a moment and said, "Let's not get too close. First, send out a small boat to approach—"

"No," the old man interrupted him sternly. "Anyone daring to explore the ruins of Valyria is not someone to trifle with. More importantly, if they've succeeded, they must have made significant gains. No matter what we say, we won't eliminate their suspicions unless..."

The old man's piercing blue eyes met Dany's violet ones, and he said slowly, "Unless the princess already has the idea of taking advantage of their success."

You sly old fox! You've guessed my thoughts exactly.

But why say it out loud?

A truly loyal advisor would have immediately taken responsibility for such a suggestion. For instance, you could passionately urge the princess to focus on the bigger picture: "For the sake of the countless people waiting for you in the Seven Kingdoms, seize this chance to take what's needed! With those treasures and secrets, the dream of restoration becomes possible!"

Then, while I, the upright and righteous princess, protest repeatedly, you persist in your persuasion and even execute the plan on your own initiative. At that point, I'd have no choice but to accept it with a sigh.

Sigh!

"Let's set sail and leave immediately," Dany said, sighing as she gazed into his calm, deep-blue eyes. "Compared to catching one big fish, I'd rather learn how to fish myself. Besides, those people are probably desperados. Even if we had bad intentions, we wouldn't be a match for them."

"Fish? What fish?" The burly eunuch had already drawn the curved blade from his waist. Confused, he asked, "So, we're not going to rob that ship?"

This fool. I can't even be bothered with you.

The old man, as though realizing his daughter had indeed gone to her friend's house and not sneaked off with some rascal, exhaled deeply and said, "Princess, you are the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, the wealthiest ruler of an entire nation. To you, only your subjects and the honor of your house matter. Common gold and silver mean nothing."

"Ha! Don't Unsullied soldiers require payment? If gold dragons mean nothing, why don't you try saying that to Tywin Lannister?" Jorah retorted before turning to Dany, speaking firmly. "Leaving immediately is the right choice. We may truly not be their match.

On land, with 80 mounted screamers on their dragon-steeds, we could fight even if they had 200 swordsmen. But at sea, the Dothraki can't even stand steadily.

As for the hundreds of sailors in our fleet, they're good for self-defense but lack the courage and drive to launch a desperate attack. A few volleys of arrows from the enemy, and our sailors would undoubtedly collapse in chaos."

Dany understood the logic. When pirates attack merchant ships, sailors fight desperately for survival, with casualty rates reaching over 50%. But for her cause, even a 10% death toll would shatter morale.

Still...

"I never said I wanted to rob that ship," Dany said, her face stern with anger. "I just said we encountered a ship returning from Valyria and thought to ask if they needed assistance. Maybe even inquire how they managed to get in."

What do these fools take me for?!

Seeing her anger, everyone awkwardly fell silent. Grolo quietly returned to the bridge, loudly commanding the crew to lift the anchor, set the sails, and turn the rudder.

Ten minutes later, Drogon landed on the deck, and Dany hurried over with a bucket of fish chunks to feed him.

Another half-hour passed, during which the sails were adjusted, and the bulky ship creaked and groaned as it began sailing northeast, away from the storm wall.

Ten minutes after that, a lookout shouted down from the crow's nest: "That ship has emerged! Someone really made it through the storm wall!"

Thud, thud, thud!

The idle sailors on deck rushed to the stern, scrambling to use spyglasses to get a better look.

Though this world followed a medieval system, its technological level wasn't low. The lens-making techniques of Myr on the western coast were world-famous. Spyglasses were common, and even high-precision telescopes had been crafted by the maesters of Westeros.

Dany didn't bother competing for one of the monocular spyglasses. She simply had Drogon, perched atop the mast, tilt his head slightly. Through his keen eyesight, she could see more clearly than any sailor.

An eagle can spot a rabbit sprinting through grass 10 kilometers away from an altitude of 4,000 meters, constantly adjusting its focus to capture finer details.

Drogon's vision surpassed that of any eagle.

She saw it was a long, blade-like ship with a sharp prow, its hull painted dark red and its massive black sails like the night sky. The smaller auxiliary sails, like wings, gradually folded up, while the main sail unfurled wider—twice as wide as the ship itself, its additional width extending diagonally beyond the ship's sides.

Its design looked fast, incredibly fast, as though crafted purely for speed.

The bulging black sails swelled taut like the chest of a muscular warrior, and the ship shot forward like an arrow, finally escaping the storm wall's hellish grip.

"They've spotted us!" the lookout yelled from above.

Through Drogon's fiery-red eyes, Dany also noticed it. A figure stood tall at the ship's raised prow, holding a spyglass and peering in their direction.

The distance was roughly 15 nautical miles—around 30 kilometers—not too far, but not too close either. It was a safe distance, allowing the fast ship to flee quickly without worrying about being attacked by Dany's fleet.

But...

"They're changing course!" the lookout shouted in confusion. "They seem to be heading toward us. Could they be seeking help?"

"Damn it! Pirates!" Grolo cursed loudly.

He, too, had been observing the sleek ship with a spyglass.

(End of Chapter)

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