From the day he was born, Zhang Wei was raised as the crown prince, and he was taught all the secret arts, politics, religion, history, and culture of Yi Ti. As the future King of the great Zhang Dynasty, his future was bright, filled with glory, respect, and admiration. The fact that he was a gifted child made everyone in the Zhang clan look forward to the day he would rule them.
After turning 16 and having only a 14-year-old younger sister, Zhang Wei had no rivals for the throne, and his life was peaceful and calm. As the young prince attended one of his many classes, this time on religion, all he paid attention to was the classroom window and the boats coming and going from Yin Port.
The old white-haired priest ignored the young prince's lack of attention and continued his lecture: "During the era of the Deities, 7 Warrior Gods ruled over the territory of Yi Ti. They transformed Yi Ti into a land filled with heavenly energy just by living here. This energy gave birth to the first natives of Yi Ti, and it was also during this time that we began to serve them as our Gods and Creators. The energy allowed us to live longer lives without any illness, created incredible treasures and foods naturally, gave birth to miraculous, magical beasts, and lastly, helped us cultivate and improve our bodies to become excellent warriors worthy of the attention of our Gods..."
Knowing that even when he was absent-mindedly looking out the window, the genie prince still managed not to miss his words, the old man continued:
"But one day, our 7 Gods passed away, and with them the heavenly energy that permeated our land diminished with each passing day, our people fearing that this energy would one day disappear. ended, a religious war began between the faithful of the Seven Gods, leading to a great period of bloody battles, which, after many years, ended with the victory of the Zhang clan, leading to the emergence and creation of the ruling Dynasty throughout our territory."
"The Zhang clan then gathered all the remaining energy of the heavens into a special place called the Land of Legacy. And took it upon themselves to use the energy wisely to protect our land until the day our Gods return."
"Priest Meng, you tell this same story at least once a week. Are you afraid that I will forget the details of our people's origins?"
"Haha, no, young prince. This is one of your duties when you become king. It has been over 10,000 years since our gods disappeared and the Zhang Dynasty began, but nothing has changed. Although some energy still flows from the Legacy Land to the Yi Ti territory, it is not enough to allow the less talented to cultivate the basics. Dangerous voices talking about the Zhangs' failure are forming every day. And you will be the one to deal with all of this… Today, your marriage will be decided. Marrying a girl from the other 6 families will form a powerful and stable alliance, ensuring a stable government…"
After the class ended, Zhang Wei was still thinking about the Port and the ships, completely ignoring the priest's sermon. Like every young man, he longed for a life full of adventure and action in unknown lands. There were still 2 years left until he would be crowned, and his father was quite young as well.
Thinking about it, a certain plan was in motion. One that would allow him to experience a normal life for once in his life…
Early the next day, a masked young man boarded a pirate ship anchored in Yin Harbor as a new crew member. The captain had taken quite a liking to the boy due to his talent in martial arts…
As the ship weighed anchor and was starting to pull away from Yin Harbor, a man in armor and a mask, with a large spear on his back, came running and jumped onto the pirate ship. He bought a ticket from the pirate captain for a very high price, thus avoiding questions he didn't want to answer. A good portion of the men here were criminals, so no one was curious about him and his hasty boarding.
Only later did the armored man approach the masked young prince and growl angrily. "You know I would be executed if you ran away on my watch."
"If I had 'invited' you, you would have sabotaged my entire plan," Zhang Wei replied with a smile. "Well played, any ship would return to Yi Ti without warning with just one order from me. But on a pirate ship, I cannot risk your life by revealing your or my identity. So enjoy your vacation days. When I return and bring you back alive, I hope my sentence for failing in my duties will be reduced…"
The young prince smiled and patted the Guard on the back in comfort. He was not only his guard, but also his friend, and they both continued their journey alongside the pirates…
The journey did not disappoint young Zhang Wei, except for his guard, who prevented him from getting his hands dirty even when fighting other pirates. The fights still thrilled him greatly. Far from the Valyrian colonies, in the Jade Sea, piracy was extremely active and profitable, but after 1 year the ship decided to take a break and headed to Valyria to sell most of its stolen goods, since it was very difficult to do so in the surroundings of Yi Ti when the entire crew was wanted.
And so, the Pirate Prince arrived in a land that would be unforgettable for him. Full of dragons, magic, and Valyrian beauties, and soon, one of them would capture his heart, completely changing his destiny and giving the young prince the last happiness he would have before returning to his homeland to fulfill his duties…
Current date: 19 years before the Doom of Valyria!
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Special thanks to the Patreons:
Sage's Supporter: Jan, Vinnie, frimorigo, Leery Falcon, Parsa, Scott Robertson, and Pato Senalima!
Magical Apprentice: Axel Bour, Gabriele Sulpizio, Takatchi, mandeep singh, Austin, Kobe Robertson, Paul Gaslac, and Niteo akuma!
Senior Magic Apprentice: Cole Bromley!