It was the height of summer.
But even before reaching Moat Cailin, the gateway to The North, the King's party had already experienced the northern chill.
Although the vegetation and water surface weren't frozen, just breathing in the cold night air was enough to instantly clear one's mind and penetrate deep into the Soul.
The King cursed loudly again.
"Seven Hells!"
"Damn it. That damned Pentos peddler is damned! Why haven't The Gods taken away these two evil Dragon spawn yet?!"
Earl Varys had delivered news of the exiled Targaryen bloodline with the "fastest speed."
Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos, with audacious boldness, had sheltered the remnants of the evil Dragon House, hiding the Dragon House siblings behind walls and even assigning a group of Pointy Hat Eunuchs to guard them.
Separated by the vast Narrow Sea, King Robert's fury obviously couldn't directly kill two living people.
This was precisely why the King was even more enraged.
Joffrey wasn't very interested in this outdated news.
He only wanted to know how his attendant, Elin, was doing. If all went well, Elin should be planning how to end his trip to Pentos by now.
But for now, he could only wait patiently.
Howl~
Rain let out an impatient cry.
Joffrey stroked its head soothingly, understanding its current frustration perfectly.
After all, they were trudging through the muddy and cold The Neck.
Although they were in a carriage on the Kingsroad, they weren't in close contact with the putrid water pools and mud, and they were far from the venomous snakes and Lizard-Lions in the swamp's quicksand.
But the damp, sticky smell in the air lingered, and the fungi clinging to the trees on both sides of the road hung densely over people's heads. The surrounding scenery was monotonous, dull, and gloomy.
Looking at the seemingly endless winding causeway ahead, Joffrey chose to transfer his negative emotions to the group of people beside him.
"Keep going!"
"Idiots, hurry up and practice! Practice until I'm satisfied!"
The musicians and bards dared not slacken.
Even though they felt wronged and exhausted, they could only "obey Your Highness's command."
All the way from the Riverlands to The Neck, Joffrey had half-forcefully and half-enticingly brought along all the "music workers" along the way, totaling nearly a hundred people.
These people had only one task: to play a new piece of music according to the instructions of the Crown Prince.
Joffrey had a complete and clear vision of King's Landing in his mind, but unfortunately, he wasn't a musician; he could only listen, not play.
So the matter was simple.
He found these musicians and kept trying, using his hearing to first determine the instrument with the most accurate timbre, and then correcting the musicians' rhythm, melody, and other details.
After more than ten days, King's Landing already sounded very good, and everyone concluded that it was a piece of music worthy of being passed down through the ages.
But Joffrey decided that he had to strive for perfection and wouldn't stop until it was in its most perfect state.
As an incentive, each person would receive an additional Gold Dragon upon completion.
The musicians were both in pain and happy.
Dozens of cellos played simultaneously, and the first part of the melody of King's Landing echoed over The Neck...
Amidst the stirring music, Joffrey's emotions gradually stabilized.
He began to sort through his gains in Runes over the past few days.
Including the Blood Rune from Harrenhal and the 6 new Runes obtained from the Glass Candle, he now had 13 types of Runes.
Recovery Rune:
Restores material structure and heals injuries.
Mirror Image Rune:
Creates Mirror Images of other Runes, and the main body has control over each Mirror Image.
Fire Rune:
Generates heat and shields against fire damage.
Solid Rune:
Maintains material structure and enhances physical defense.
Growth Rune:
Breaks through the limits of normal biological growth and lifespan.
Contract Rune:
Creates contracts between living beings.
Blood Rune:
Absorbs blood to release bad luck/curses (uncertain).
Mind Rune:
Guides and protects the user's mental power from overflowing. Used to obtain various information beyond sight, and to influence, attack, or invade the mental thoughts of other creatures.
Location Rune:
Obtains the location information of a place, object, or person through a medium.
Information Rune:
Transmits specific information (in the form of meditation, thoughts, dreams, etc.) to a known place, object, or person according to the user's will.
Note: Rune owners can directly transmit and receive various information without a medium.
Scout Rune:
Inputs location information to obtain various information about the nearby area.
Light Rune:
Creates specific light and shadow based on input information.
Sound Rune:
Creates specific sounds based on input information.
The amount of Rune Energy required for the birth of these runes varies. The general rule is that simpler, more basic runes require more Rune Energy, while those with strong functionality consume less Rune Energy.
Joffrey finally understood the working principle of the Glass Candle.
The reason Valyrian Wizards could communicate with each other using Glass Candles was that after exchanging mediums, they could use the Location Rune to obtain each other's location information, then use the Information Rune to transmit or receive information, and finally rely on the Light Rune and Sound Rune to display this information.
The reason they could enter others' dreams and display illusions was that the Mind Rune dismantled the other person's mental defenses, allowing the Information Rune to successfully transmit information.
The reason they could see distant scenes was similar in principle to how wizards communicated with each other: find a medium for positioning, then use the Scout Rune to obtain information, and finally display it with the Light and Sound Runes.
This was undoubtedly a mature system of rune cooperation.
What's more, the Valyrians only possessed this miraculous ability by using runes on tools.
His runes, however, were entirely his own.
Without the need for Light Runes and Sound Runes, he could receive those mysterious and distant messages more easily and accurately himself.
Referencing this method, and relying on the power of the Mirror Image Rune, he could establish an even larger communication network and create a more united and powerful system.
As for now.
He saw another combination from the 13 existing runes.
The Contract Rune, Mind Rune, Location Rune, Scout Rune, and Information Rune are used for control and communication, while the Solid Rune, Fire Rune, Growth Rune, and Recovery Rune are used to enhance strength.
A powerful and obedient monster was born.
The King would die because of it.
Joffrey looked around. The Neck was a grey-black, lifeless expanse, but his mind "saw" a Lizard-Lion.
In his opinion, the Lizard-Lion half-floating, half-submerged in the water resembled a kind of crocodile, its body blending with the rotten black swamp, looking like a black piece of wood with eyes and teeth.
Songs were sung that the ancient Marsh King's mount was a Lizard-Lion.
They were famous beasts in Westeros.
But not big enough to swallow a person whole; not cunning enough, they should be completely submerged underwater to hunt; not mysterious enough, there were too many of them and no deeds that shook the world.
Joffrey would make them more famous, more legendary.
He decided to create another monster.
Lizard-Lion, will the glory of killing the King belong to you, or to it?
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