Chapter 348: Chapter 348: Plotting
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" In the corridor outside the bedroom, three children were running while shouting, hand in hand. Little children don't care about controlling the volume, they just shout at the top of their lungs, and the whole third floor of the castle could hear them.
Behind the three, four small dragons the size of horses were running on the floor, wings tucked in. They occasionally leapt off the walls, playfully knocking into each other. Their swishing tails shattered vases along the walls, and their claws tore up paintings, paying no mind to the chaos. Everywhere the three children and four dragons passed, there was a scene of turmoil. A dozen or so maids and attendants hurried behind to clean up the mess.
Quaithe suddenly appeared from around a corner in the corridor, swiftly scooping up Sauron into her arms. "Little Sauron, who's fighting?"
The three children were none other than Darkseid, Sauron, and Lilith. They were all about one and a half years old, born around the same time. They had inherited exceptional intelligence and magical potential. While they weren't yet fluent with long sentences, they could manage everyday speech. They could walk and run, but occasionally they tripped and fell, and Wright had ordered the attendants not to help them up if they fell, but to let them get up by themselves.
"It's father. Mom is beating him," Sauron said before burying his head in Quaithe's chest.
"And mom and sister Kana, three against father, his clothes got all torn!" Darkseid stood at attention, looking up at Quaithe, getting straight to the point in just a few words.
Lilith, teary-eyed, looked at Quaithe with fear. She was truly scared her father Wright might die in the bedroom. She grabbed Quaithe's skirt, swaying from side to side. "The slaps were so loud! Aunt Quaithe, help!"
With her red mask, Quaithe's expression was unreadable. She reached out to gently pat Darkseid and Lilith's soft black hair. "They are discussing the art of magic, no one's going to die."
Seeing that Lilith still didn't believe her, Quaithe pointed to Wright's statue placed along the corridor. "Your father is universally recognized as a cultural pioneer by all artists. See, this statue of him isn't even dressed."
The three children turned their heads and saw that the statue was, indeed, naked, just like the situation in the bedroom.
"Then why doesn't it have statues of our moms?" Lilith stopped crying and began to concern herself with the statue issue.
"And no statue of Aunt Quaithe either," Sauron said, clutching Quaithe's neck tightly, as if afraid she might put him down.
"Art of magic?" This was the first time Darkseid had heard this term and didn't understand its meaning, falling into deep thought.
"Let's go. We'll go see Odahviing."
Sometimes being too smart is troublesome; the kids always dig deeper into things. After managing to calm down the three, Quaithe led them outside the castle, with the four little dragons closely following behind.
---
That night, in the castle bedroom filled with the scent of perfume and cosmetics.
"Kana, your skirt is too short," Nymeria said as she put on a pure white, tight-fitting dress, sweeping her long black hair to one side and turning her body in front of the mirror.
Kana walked up behind her, placing her hands on Nymeria's thigh. "It's not the skirt being short, it's that you're too tall, and your legs are too long."
Tyene, who was next to them, also wore one of Kana's white dresses. The dress didn't look like it was worn, but rather tightly wrapped around her body, emphasizing her curves even more than Kana's.
"Wow, Tyene looks so cute in this dress. I'm going to kiss her," Kana said, grabbing Tyene's shoulders and pulling her toward her for a kiss.
The three women played around for a while before taking off the white dresses and trying on Nymeria's long gown.
Wright, lying on the large bed with his head propped up, watched the smooth backs of the three women as they pulled a thin blanket over themselves.
Nymeria was the tallest, with long, black hair hanging down to her waist. Her skin, tanned from years of training in martial arts, was a golden brown, and her toned muscles and powerful long legs made it hard to believe she had given birth to children.
Tyene's height was average for a woman, but she was the shortest among the three. Her fluffy shoulder-length golden hair and pale, rosy skin—almost never exposed to the sun due to spending all her time in the room doing magic experiments—made her look delicate. After giving birth, her figure had become more voluptuous and soft, which even Nymeria found irresistible.
Kana, both in height and figure, was right in the middle of the three. Having grown up helping her father run a tavern and managing the Tyrosh bank, she was the one who spoke the most, often adjusting the atmosphere between the three.
Speaking of Kana, Nymeria had proactively allowed her to stay with Wright, and Wright more or less knew why.
Nymeria had so many women around her—the twin sisters from Dorne, Dacey Mormont from Bear Island, and others, all of whom lived in the castle's guest rooms—but she specifically asked Kana to move into the master bedroom. To make space for Kana's clothes, she had even shoved Wright's things into the storage room. Nymeria had planned today's events in advance.
The Stepstone were just beginning to take off, with their economy growing rapidly, far surpassing the mainland. Only Wright could stabilize everything. The western part of the islands, Dorne, was controlled by Nymeria, and with smooth sea trade, there were no concerns about military threats. Tyene took care of magical affairs, and would soon take over as the headmistress of the Tyrosh Magic School. Wright, with his busy schedule, had taken a step back to become an ordinary researcher.
As the territories under his control rapidly expanded, in addition to the lands bought with money, there were also the cities of Lys and Volantis, secretly controlled by the Dragon Cult. These two places, with their wealthy economies and unique population structure, would require a genuine Valyrian bloodline to maintain long-term stability. The nobles of Volantis and Lys had tried every possible way to catch Wright's attention. Either Wright dismissed them, or they were too old, until Kana appeared, the one Wright had sought out himself.
Even with Wright providing policies behind the scenes, it would still be hard for most people to destroy a powerful city-state using economic tactics alone. Kana, with her pure Valyrian blood, was the perfect person to stabilize the hearts of the Lysian and Valyrian nobles.
Rather than let the existing nobles have their way, it was better for Wright to foster and support a new aristocratic power. The fallen House Rogare was the perfect candidate. Moreover, Kana was also open to both men and women, and her appearance and figure were favored by Nymeria, who found Kana's intimate relationships with several individuals even stronger than those of most women.
After becoming the Princess of Dorne, Nymeria's political sensitivity had been growing steadily. She was no longer the girl who only knew fighting and killing; she was now helping Wright in her own way. Perhaps her father Oberyn and Doran had also assisted her, with the two retired elder princes offering advice and strategies.
"Nymeria, where's Geralt?" Wright asked, noticing that his adopted son was missing when he returned.
"Little Geralt is with my father. Prince Doran's birthday is coming up," Nymeria said as she began to braid her long hair.
Geralt, the bastard child of Robb and Arianne, and Nymeria's nephew, had usually been cared for by Nymeria and Arianne. When he grew older, Wright and Tyene planned to teach him magic.
"He's been hanging around entertainment places since he was little. What kind of person will he turn into when he grows up?" Wright was worried that Oberyn had corrupted Geralt.
Nymeria walked over to the bed, hands on her hips, looking down at Wright with a mischievous smile. "Heh, didn't you sneak my access card the last time?"
"Oberyn's place requires money to get in. I didn't have any, so I used yours," Wright pointed to the bedside table, where the card had already been put away.
"Geralt is a boy. What could possibly happen to him?" Kana also walked over.
"This time, he's going to King's Landing too. Robb should be coming as well," Wright said, though he hadn't yet informed Robb about Geralt, planning to surprise him.
Tyene, holding a cup of water, sat on the bed and handed it to Wright. "This is lemon water I made."
"Lemon water is supposed to be yellow, why is this red?" Wright asked, noticing that the color of the liquid in the cup was off.
"I made it specially," Tyene lowered her head to look at the cup, then stuck out her tongue to taste it. Satisfied with the flavor, she held the cup to Wright's lips. "Wright, drink!"
---
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Wright left the bedroom and went to the study, making some changes to his schedule.
Noble participation in the king's funeral was mandatory, and having his own ice blocks was essential to temporarily preserve Robert's body. Depending on the situation of the local nobles, the court officials would likely change the funeral date to accommodate the maximum number of attendees.
After the funeral, the nobles would also need to stay in King's Landing for Stannis' coronation, which would add up to a stay of at least a month.
Wright arranged for all the nobles from the Stepstone to depart quickly. Originally, Nymeria and the others had planned to take the Wave-Rider Knight, but now Kana was added to the trip. The Wave-Rider Knight would be used for the nobles from Volantis, Lys, and Myr, and they would depart today.
The warships from the three regions weren't suitable for entering the waters of Westeros, and the merchant ships were too slow and didn't suit their status. The fastest and most suitable option was the Wave-Rider Knight, which was large enough to carry many people and goods.
When Wright handed the documents to the secretary Missandei, the little girl looked half-awake and was yawning.
"You're coming to King's Landing as well," Wright said.
"All the nobles are leaving. They are important officials too. Who will manage the Stepstone?" Missandei didn't quite understand why Wright wasn't leaving behind some senior officials.
Wright packed up his papers and pens. "This is also a test for Tyrosh and for all the current policies on the Stepstone. We'll see if any issues arise while we're temporarily away. If there are, we can correct them."
"Why now, though?" Missandei opened a metal box on the desk, lighting a flame and stirring red wax in a metal cup with a small metal stick.
"We're in peacetime now, and if anything goes wrong, we can return to fix things. Once war comes, some people may never return." Wright walked over to the window and looked toward the resting Odahviing in the distance.
Missandei sealed the documents with red wax, using the deer-head seal Wright had left on the desk, and placed the sealed documents into her small leather pouch.
"Take the documents to the messenger and then go back to sleep. You're in your growing phase, so eat well, sleep well, and exercise more," Wright said, noticing how tall and thin Missandei was and wondering where she put all the meat she ate.
"Has Daenerys arrived?" Missandei, who had walked to the door, stopped and asked in a soft voice.
Wright: "You can go check on her, but be very careful not to come into direct contact. The disease has a high infection rate, and there's no cure."
"Thank you, Lord Wright!" Missandei bowed to Wright and quickly ran out of the study.
Wright looked out the window again. Odahviing, lying on the square, opened its eyes, cracked its mouth, showing a row of enormous sharp teeth, and let out a low growl. It wasn't happy.
The four little dragons, two black, one red, and one gold, were already flying. They circled around Odahviing's head, occasionally hanging on its horns or perching on its eyelids, flying and chasing each other with noisy squeals.
Adult dragons take care of their younger offspring, and as the little dragons grew, they went through an awkward age. Wright guessed that as they grew bigger, Odahviing would no longer want to live with them. In the wild, dragons naturally divided territories to live separately, but now that their riders lived together, the dragons didn't fight like they would in the wild.
Odahviing suddenly shook its head, chasing the little dragons away, and went back to lying down to sleep. The four little dragons, startled, flew off in all directions but soon regrouped and playfully chased each other, eventually diving into the distant sea.
"The dragons can already fly, but the kids haven't grown up yet," Wright muttered, leaning on the window sill.
The four little dragons, including the two from Storm's End, had grown quickly due to the correct feeding methods. However, Darkseid, Sauron, and Lilith were still too young. Wright wouldn't let them ride dragons until they were at least eight, by which time the little dragons would have grown considerably. Unlike the unfortunate Renly, he had to wait for his dragon to grow.
Wright watched the little golden dragon in the sea biting a large fish, wondering if he and Kana could make a pact with it if they had children. As for having more children with Nymeria and Tyene, Wright wasn't planning on that for now. There weren't enough dragon eggs.
When Nymeria and the others finished washing up and getting ready, Wright took them, along with Daenerys, to tour the city of Tyrosh.
Even without the nobility, the streets were still bustling. Missandei pushed a wooden wheelchair, walking slowly.
"This is the Square of the Gods," Missandei explained as they walked.
At the border of the prosperous old and new cities, the square was filled with people coming and going, and many merchants had set up small stages with musicians and dancers promoting their goods.
"Trust me, cure all diseases, gain eternal life!" A man with short hair, wearing nothing, shouted loudly in the square while running around. A dozen city guards were chasing him with clubs.
Before long, they caught him and beat him up, leaving him bruised and bloody, then dragged him onto a prisoner cart.
"Disturbing the peace in the square. Don't expect to leave the prison without paying dozens of gold dragons," Missandei explained to Daenerys.
Daenerys looked at Wright, confused as to why someone like this was allowed to live.
"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Wright asked, holding his left hand open while clenching his right fist, looking down at her.
Daenerys pointed at Wright's open right hand, the one he raised when he said "lie."
"First, the lie. In Tyrosh, we uphold freedom of belief in the law. No matter the sect, as long as there's no weaponry, no incitement to harm or extort wealth, they can spread their faith here."
Wright smiled.
"Now, the truth. The followers of the seven dared to meddle with the succession of the royal family. I'm going to make trouble for them! That man causing chaos in the square was one of my arrangements, and there will be more to come."