Barristan rubbed his nose and said helplessly, "Also, the High Sparrow has formally proclaimed the Maiden—one of the Seven Gods—as the 'Maiden of Light and Freedom.'"
"The Holy Light symbolizes purity and liberty. The Faith of the Seven has always opposed slavery, so 'freedom' is only natural.
"They've even added the prefix 'Light' to their name. The Seven are now united as the 'Church of the Light.'"
"Excellent, very good," Dany clapped her hands in approval. "The High Sparrow is a fine believer indeed!"
"By the way, has he promoted my 'Knight of Glory' doctrine?" she asked again.
"No. I doubt he'll endorse your 'Knights of Glory' unless a Septon anoints them with holy oil before their elevation.
"However, ever since you knighted over a thousand Glory Knights in one go, the crownlands near Dragonstone have begun to take notice.
"Many wandering swords, hedge knights, even bards and tavern singers have started calling themselves 'Knights of Glory,'" Barristan said.
"Hahaha! That's exactly the effect I wanted!" Dany laughed in satisfaction.
"Your Grace, be cautious. The High Sparrow has realized how influential a talking dragon can be to the faithful. He's planning to tie Drogon to the Faith of the Seven," Barristan warned.
"Drogon isn't even in Westeros. What could he do? Proclaim Drogon as the Holy Defender of Light?" Dany asked curiously.
"He's recently been gathering stonemasons to build a statue of the Defender of Light in the Great Sept of Baelor—a statue of Drogon, placed beneath the Seven.
"The High Sparrow even wrote a letter asking whether Viserion could also be inducted into the Faith, so they could form a 'Black and White Guardians' pair. That way, the statues could be symmetrically placed on the left and right."
"Black and White Guardians?" Dany's lips twitched. "He actually came up with that?"
"Your Grace, don't you see? The High Sparrow wants to use the dragons' fame to elevate the sanctity of the 'Church of Light and the Seven,'" Barristan emphasized.
"He's just borrowing the name. That doesn't hurt me. Agree to it—let little Viserion become the Guardian of Light on the right. Once he can talk, have the High Sparrow baptize him," Dany said, suppressing her laughter.
"Your Grace, you must understand this is a sacred vow! Having Drogon and Viserion join the Faith is akin to a knight swearing fealty to a liege. Except the dragons would be pledging loyalty not to a person, but to the Seven.
"This would be a global sensation—the first of its kind in history. There are countless faiths in the world, but only the Church of Light would have talking dragons as their protectors.
"It's bound to become legendary, a story that will be told as myth for generations.
"And if you ascend the Iron Throne in the future, you'll no longer be able to use dragons against the Church," Barristan said solemnly.
"Heh, do you think I'm like 'Maegor the Cruel,' who'd ride a dragon to burn down the Great Sept?" Dany said with a strange smile.
Barristan replied gravely, "You're not Maegor. But I know that no ruler can tolerate religious authority surpassing royal authority. You're no different."
"I am different. I am both Queen and High Priestess!" Dany laughed heartily.
"Uh…" Barristan paused, then mumbled, "And your descendants?"
If she really ended the Long Night and took the Iron Throne, the one to inherit the Seven Kingdoms would be a child that Dany's grandmother would least approve of.
Let them do as they wish!
If her grandchild turned out to be lovable enough, Dany's grandmother might begrudgingly sail to Westeros to help steer the ship and turn the Faith of the Seven back on course.
The High Sparrow wasn't truly the Son of Light—surviving the Long Night would already be a miracle. After his death, wouldn't the Church of the Seven fall entirely under Saint Daenerys' control?
But of course, she couldn't say that to old Barristan.
Dany simply said with confidence, "Do you really think there are many High Septon-like figures as tenacious and capable as the High Sparrow? I'm younger than him, so I'm bound to outlive him. As long as I wish it, reinstating royal supremacy won't be too difficult."
Well, living long is a kind of ability.
Barristan had nothing more to say.
After ending her conversation with Barristan, Dany noticed that only half her magic had been consumed, so she reached out again to contact Kraznys.
Ever since the Three-Eyed Crow incident, every night before bed, Dany would send a soul-rattling "True Dragon Roar" to Kraznys through the soul shard on her wrist.
It wasn't a soul attack, but a soul-soothing sound that purified evil influences.
It was still that same dim, cramped stone chamber. Kraznys sat cross-legged on a soft couch, with the glass candle glowing brightly.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Just checking in on you."
"I'm fine. Lately, I've been considering whether to go deeper into the underground palace," Kraznys said.
"I don't get it. You should know your limits. Even if you really find the evil god down there, do you think you can handle it?" Dany asked.
Kraznys replied helplessly, "That evil god has existed for tens of thousands of years. No one has ever been able to destroy it. I know my limits. I only intend to leave behind a magical seal deeper underground to block the evil aura from leaking to the surface.
"The deeper into the palace I go, the closer I get to the demon god, and the stronger the seal will be. Thousands of years before me, many sorcerers have done the same."
Dany's eyes lit up. "What do you think of the magic formation on the Wall that suppresses evil? Is it better than your method?"
"Brandon the Builder's anti-demon array? Where did you find that?" Kraznys asked, intrigued.
"I'm surprised you even know about Brandon the Builder," Dany said with a strange expression.
"Of course I do. He's the founder of the sealing magic school. Any mage with ancient lineage knows him," Kraznys said.
"You sure? Westeros' Brandon is the ancestor of Ashai mages?"
"Only in the field of sealing magic," Kraznys replied, then added, "Besides the Wall, Winterfell and Storm's End also contain divine seal formations.
"If you ever get the chance, visit Storm's End or Winterfell yourself.
"Standing outside their walls, you won't be able to cast spells on people inside—unless you're inside as well."
"No need to go to Storm's End. If it really works, I'll renovate my Great Pyramid completely," Dany said.
"Where did you find Brandon's legacy?" Kraznys asked.
"I traveled through time in the Song of the Wind and saw with my own eyes as he led a group of greenseers, carving every line of the formation. I know the Wall's enchantment inside and out, which is how I helped recharge it so quickly after it collapsed."
Dany thought back to everything she had seen and couldn't help but sigh aloud.
"What is the Song of Wind? How can you traverse the river of time?" Kui Xi asked in astonishment.
"Looks like you're not all-knowing after all, hahaha!" Dany burst into gleeful laughter.
"I never claimed to be omniscient," Kui Xi replied coolly.
"Fine, that was my assumption. I thought you were a big shot, someone who knew everything. Sigh, without realizing it, I've become a big shot myself now. A true one, a massive one," Dany said with a bright smile.
Kui Xi suddenly felt the urge to punch that smug smile off her face.
"What do you want from me?" she asked gloomily.
—If it's nothing important, then leave already.
Dany couldn't see her expression, nor did she seem to pick up on the implied meaning. Her smile only grew wider as she said, "I've recently established a Royal Circle of Mages, with fifty renowned grandmasters from all over the world joining.
With your skill and reputation, you'd be more than qualified to lead the mage circle.
What do you say?
I can send a dragon to Thunder Isle to fetch you—it'd only take a day or two."
"I'm not going. I made it clear a long time ago that I wouldn't interfere deeply in your life. Besides, back then, you were quite wary of me, weren't you?" Kui Xi said stiffly.
Dany didn't deny it. With confidence, she replied, "That was then, this is now. A person's magnanimity grows with their power."
Then, switching to a more persuasive tone, she added, "I did encounter many dangers in Westeros, but what I gained was far greater.
Valyrian arcana from the Citadel, the meditation techniques of the Green Seers, the foundational spells of the Others, even necromancy from Yi Ti—I've made breakthroughs in all of them.
Come over. We can share our knowledge, study arcane mysteries together, and explore the truths of the universe. How about it?"
This time, Kui Xi felt a bit tempted.
In just two short years, the Dragon Queen had gone from a mundane commoner to one of the world's few great mages.
Such talent and opportunity—anyone would envy and admire her.
Discussing the arcane with her would no doubt be highly rewarding.
"The Queen of Thunder Isle is in poor condition, and I must fulfill the promise I made to Prince Bu Gan," Kui Xi said.
"How long will that take?" Dany asked.
"Half a year to a year isn't short, but three to five years isn't that long either."
Dany licked her lips thoughtfully and asked, "The evil god in the underground palace—is it a demigod or a true god?"
"In theory, true gods cannot exist in the mortal realm," Kui Xi replied hesitantly.
"The astral realm is just a legend. No one's ever been there, nor do we know what it's like. Maybe the so-called astral realm is simply a dimension adjacent to the human world," Dany speculated.
"What do you mean by 'dimension'?"
"Another world. A smaller one."
Dany's speculation wasn't baseless.
When the Gate God was still alive, its true body resided in the Riverlands.
During the construction of the Wall, one hundred royal maidens from the First Men were sacrificed (royal blood possesses power), transferring the will and divine power of the weirwood into a single branch.
Perhaps after becoming a deity, the Gate God's consciousness resided in another space—a divine realm.
And its weirwood body served as the coordinate and passage linking to the real world?
"Whether it's a true god or demigod, neither of us can afford to provoke it. No matter how powerful your dragons are, can they really squeeze into a narrow underground palace a thousand meters deep?" Kui Xi asked.
"You're sure it's a thousand meters deep? How did the ancients manage such a feat?" Dany asked in surprise.
"The underground palace I'm in now is at least 1,200 meters below the surface. Haven't you noticed? Every time you've seen me recently, I've been in the underground palace.
If it weren't so deep and far from the exit, why wouldn't I sleep in a luxurious palace at night and come down during the day?"
"Do you know where to find a demigod? Not one too powerful—something about on par with the Undying Ones," Dany asked.
"Why?" Kui Xi asked curiously.
Dany thought for a moment and decided to speak frankly.
"My dragon loves eating demigods. In Qarth, Blacky ate the Undying Ones and grew taller and stronger. At the Wall, he ate the rat chef, and suddenly his mind seemed enlightened. I haven't had to worry about his studies since.
So I was thinking, maybe Little White, Little Green, Little Gold, and Little Red could also grow taller—and a bit smarter?" Dany said with a hopeful expression.
"You—" Kui Xi pointed at Dany, her voice and arm trembling.
"Eating gods?! You're insane. Is your Targaryen 'mad blood' acting up again?"
"Sigh, you don't know how hard it is for a mother to raise her children. You have to worry about feeding them, teaching them not to go astray, constantly be on guard against dragon traffickers trying to abduct them.
Then, once they grow up a bit, you have to worry about their studies and whether they'll get shot on the battlefield," the Dragon Mother said with a helpless look.
Behind her wooden mask, Kui Xi's pretty face turned pale, then green. It took a while before she managed to regain her composure and sighed.
"I once told you, having a dragon by your side makes you immune to any curse or magical harm.
But no shield is unbreakable. When I said 'any,' it clearly didn't include divine beings.
If magical power were ranked, gods would undoubtedly rank higher than dragons.
Let alone true gods—even some powerful demigods are beyond a dragon's ability to handle. Like the Three-Eyed Crow."
Dany smiled confidently and said loudly, "Before, I could only rely on dragons to protect me. Now, I can protect them.
If there's a god a dragon can't defeat, I'll deal with it.
I have three bloodsworn guards, seven—no, four—half-white knights, and over twenty Valyrian steel swords. What kind of god can't I slay?"
(End of Chapter)
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