Afterward, Daenerys and Aemon tested several common disinfectants such as high-concentration alcohol, vinegar, mustard paste, and lime cream.
Well…The mustard-lime paste developed by the maesters turned out to be almost useless. It couldn't effectively reduce the number of viruses on a sample's surface. Lime did have antiviral properties, but achieving that effect required such a high concentration that it would harm human skin.
Surprisingly, high-concentration alcohol still worked exceptionally well—even in this magical world, even against a "magical beast virus."
It couldn't kill the greyscale virus outright, but it could effectively suppress its spread.
Most importantly, alcohol was harmless to the human body.
This result left old Aemon deeply embarrassed.
"To think that the Citadel spent generations and over a hundred years developing that ointment, and it's not even as effective as the cheapest wine sold on the streets!"
The old maester suddenly seemed drained of all energy. Looking exhausted, he rubbed his temples and left the lab in a dejected daze.
The blow was too much—he needed to sleep and recover his mood.
Daenerys, however, was still brimming with enthusiasm. After completing tests on the greyscale virus, she began studying "genes."
Valyrian genetic testing wasn't based on base pairs.
The witch's lens couldn't even detect DNA, let alone the nucleotide bases that made up DNA chains—but this was a magical world.
Different genes triggered different types of supernatural magic.
Simply put, the genes of a Muggle differed from those of a mage. The brightness, density, and color of the spiritual essence within the genes also varied and could be clearly distinguished through the witch's lens.
Daenerys connected her mental power to the lens and saw her own genes: they resembled a golden wheat field under a noonday autumn sun—shimmering gold as far as the eye could see.
Then, using her own genes for comparison, she examined Young Aegon's. Amid the multicolored specks of light was a faint trace of gold.
Each speck—whether gold, green, red, or blue—had a particular kind of vibration that the witch's lens could detect.
As she carefully focused on the golden specks in Aegon's gene pattern, Daenerys had a sudden realization: these golden specks represented a mysterious power—the purity of the true Targaryen (Valyrian) dragon bloodline.
Daenerys began comparing the faint golden specks in Aegon's genes with her own by analyzing their wave patterns.
First, the two of them shared some golden specks with identical wave signatures.
This confirmed that they did have a blood connection.
Second, every golden speck in Aegon's DNA also existed in hers, but there were many, many golden specks in her genes that were entirely absent from his.
This showed that Aegon's supernatural gene expression was far inferior to Daenerys's—his dragon bloodline was not as pure as hers.
To further confirm that the golden specks with these specific wave signatures were unique to House Targaryen, Daenerys tested leftover blood samples—from old Aemon and the red priest—and examined their genes.
Everyone's genes had golden spiritual specks, but each person's wave signature was different.
Only Aemon and Aegon's golden specks matched Daenerys's wave signature.
It was conclusive: Aegon was 100% related to Daenerys.
But Aemon had far more golden specks than Aegon. Even though Aegon's mother was a Dornish princess, Aemon's mother wasn't Targaryen either.
Well, Aemon and Ashara were relatives. His mother came from Starfall, a direct descendant of House Dayne's main line.
Considering the near extinction of House Targaryen, Varys's plan, and the connection between Clinton and Ashara, Daenerys very reluctantly accepted the idea that Aegon might be Rhaegar's son.
After all—if he wasn't Rhaegar's son, then whose son could he be?
That was Daenerys's thought after seeing the comparison data.
But soon, her opinion changed.
Because she tested Tyrion's blood.
As the "Plague King" who had infected dozens in Astapor, Tyrion's blood sample was of course in the lab.
But Tyrion's blood also glowed golden—more intensely than Aemon's.
What shocked Daenerys even more was that the golden specks in Tyrion's blood had the exact same wave signature as hers.
This was…
Knock knock knock!
In the dead of night, the door to old Aemon's bedroom was pounded with a thunderous urgency.
"Who is it?" After a moment, Aemon's sleepy voice came from inside.
"It's me," Daenerys whispered, trying to suppress her excitement. "Something big has happened."
Creak— The door opened. A groggy Aemon yawned and asked, "Daenerys? What is it at this hour?"
Daenerys slipped in through the door crack like an eel and said to the confused old man, "Tyrion has the true Targaryen dragon bloodline."
"What?" Aemon was stunned.
"You know the witch's lens can analyze genes, right?"
"Yes, but unfortunately, I don't have magic. I can't project mental power and sense the spiritual essence waves in genes," Aemon said regretfully.
"Aegon has dragon blood—but it's very faint. Fainter than yours," Daenerys said.
"That…" Aemon looked surprised and hesitated. "His bloodline should be purer than mine. I don't even have the typical Targaryen silver hair."
Indeed, Aemon had black hair that had only turned silver with age.
"You're saying he might be a fake? But does House Targaryen have other cadet branches?" Daenerys asked, alarmed.
"My grandfather had two younger sisters—Daenella and Rhaella. Their bloodlines still exist, but they're five or six generations removed. Not really cadet branches anymore.
And besides, Varys wouldn't go to such lengths to replace a direct line with a distant one. It wouldn't make sense," Aemon replied.
Daenerys had thought the same.
"Maybe Aegon just has weak talent. Just like you have stronger talent than your ancestors, maybe he just had bad luck—his bloodline is thinner," Aemon guessed.
"Ay, Aegon isn't the point," Dany waved her hand, her young face full of disbelief. "Old man, Tyrion also has true dragon blood!"
"You must be mistaken. No Targaryen princess ever married a Lannister, and Tyrion's parents were cousins," Aemon shook his head.
"I'm not mistaken. Genes don't lie, and his blood concentration is very high. In terms of lineage, he seems closer to me than you—or Aegon," Dany said with certainty.
"This…" Aemon was completely stunned.
He clutched his head and paced back and forth several times in the spacious bedroom.
Suddenly, the old man stopped abruptly and said, "Dany, contact Ser Barristan right away. He was your father's Kingsguard. He must know about Aerys and Joanna."
Dany didn't act immediately. Instead, she asked in surprise, "Joanna is Tyrion's mother? She had an affair with Aerys?"
"There were rumors. During your grandfather's coronation, Joanna came to the Red Keep. After that, she became your father's lover for a few years before marrying Tywin."
At this point, Aemon gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "Looking at it now, those may not have been mere rumors. If Tyrion really is your father's bastard, it at least proves that Joanna truly had an improper relationship with him."
It was already humiliating enough for the brilliant, proud old lion to die on the toilet. Now, a sea of Dothraki grass loomed over his head.
Could it be that she had been wrong all along—and the most tragic figure in the game of thrones was actually the old lion?
Dany looked conflicted for a while before finally letting out a long breath and sighing, "This would explain why Tywin hated Aerys so much—and also why he was biased during the 'Purple Wedding' incident."
"Go ask Barristan whether there was anything between Aerys and Joanna before Tyrion was born," Aemon urged.
"All right."
The Dragon Queen's chambers were right across from Aemon's bedroom.
Dany returned to her room, took out a glass candle, and began contacting the White Knight.
Hmm, it was midnight in Astapor. On the other side of the world, the Narrow Sea would be around four in the afternoon.
On the mirror-like waters of the Sea of Myrth, a long line of flat-bottomed cargo ships bearing the banner of the White Tower approached from the east.
Barristan stood on the bridge, holding binoculars as he gazed at the distant vessels, his heart full of emotion: after today, tales of him leading the "Royal Fleet" to rob merchant ships would spread across both coasts of the Narrow Sea. He wondered if people would call him a pirate.
At that thought, he quickly turned around and looked up at the flag atop the mainmast.
Then, the old knight flew into a rage.
"Sweetpotato Kent! I told you to hoist the Targaryen three-headed dragon banner. What's the meaning of this?"
The White Knight pointed furiously at the pirate skull flag on the mast and shouted at the first mate on the deck.
The short, stocky man known as Sweetpotato shouted back, "My lord, we're the Targaryen Royal Navy now. You said it yourself—we must uphold the honor of the Royal Navy."
"If we fly the dragon banner while robbing ships, wouldn't that disgrace the queen and our navy?"
Kent had originally been a pirate captain under Lord Velaryon, and also served as a captain in Cersei's Royal Fleet.
In other words, "Sweetpotato" Kent came from the Crownlands, from King's Landing.
So, he was no stranger to Ser Barristan and the Dragon Queen.
In fact, most of Velaryon's thousands of pirate subordinates also hailed from the Crownlands. The Targaryens were to them what the Starks were to the North—perhaps even more so.
Their loyalty to the Dragon Queen was greater than to Cersei.
People of the Crownlands had little loyalty to the Lannisters. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so easily swayed by Lord Velaryon to betray the Iron Throne.
"There's more to this," Barristan pulled Kent aside and whispered, "We need to spread word that the Queen is raiding the Hightower family's grain shipments."
"The Hightowers have pledged to the Queen. This is all for show."
"Ohhh~~" Sweetpotato Kent finally understood.
"Keep your mouth shut. Don't tell anyone else," Barristan warned.
"I understand." Kent nodded and left the bridge to oversee the flag switch.
"It won't stay hidden."
Suddenly, a clear female voice rang in Barristan's ear.
Startled, the old knight turned around—only to find Her Majesty the Queen.
She held a hand to her forehead, her figure shimmering and flickering under the sunlight, seemingly steaming?
"The sun is too harsh. Go inside."
Leaving those words behind, Dany's figure disappeared again.
Barristan looked around. Seeing that no one had noticed the bridge, he let out a breath of relief and quickly retreated below deck.
He jogged all the way to the captain's cabin, shut the door, and found the Dragon Queen had already reappeared.
"Your Majesty, is something urgent?" Barristan asked.
"What was the relationship between my father and Joanna Lannister?" Dany asked directly.
"Why… why do you ask that?" The old knight hesitated.
"Did you hear unpleasant rumors? Words are like the wind. They've all been dead for years. Even if there were rumors, it's nothing to dwell on."
"Heh, if it were just rumors, I wouldn't have come running to you," Dany said with a cold, mocking smile. "Unfortunately, what they left behind doesn't disappear with the wind."
Barristan's blue eyes suddenly contracted. He asked with a trembling voice, "What do you mean?"
(End of chapter)
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