Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

However, when Viserys saw what was inside, his brows furrowed involuntarily, much like the reaction on the faces of the guards around him.

However, what they saw was different.

"Your Majesty, what's inside..."

The guards peered into the contents of the box, scratched their heads slightly, and looked utterly disappointed.

They had assumed that the scholar, having gone to such great lengths to hide the chest so deep inside, would be filled with gold and jewels, but...

"That's it?"

"Why is it all junk?"

Inside this ancient bronze box, all that can be seen are some dilapidated and rustic-looking items.

They looked like they'd just been dug out of a hole, and indeed they really had just been pulled from the ground.

An ancient urn with a chipped edge, a bronze candlestick covered in spots, and a bronze mirror that can no longer reflect anything clearly.

Finally, there is even a stone sculpture of a woman whose face is not clearly visible, but who appears to have a horn growing from the top of her head and a perfect figure.

The stone sculpture appears to be a natural creation, incredibly lifelike. Except for some cracks due to years of neglect, many gaps are filled with mud.

However, even from the smallest details, one can still see the sculptor's exquisite craftsmanship, which is truly admirable.

What's strange is that despite the sculptor's incredibly skillful craftsmanship, he failed to carve the woman's face, which is quite a pity.

The guards were somewhat puzzled by the box full of junk.

I don't know what the point is of 'Scholar Gunther' going to such lengths to hide this box at the very bottom, even deeper than his diary.

Why is the box full of junk?

However, in Viserys' eyes, the box of tattered goods appeared slightly different from what the soldiers had seen.

"This is..."

Viserys's eyes narrowed, and his fingers involuntarily clenched slightly. If you looked closely, you could see a faint magical rune deep in the boy's pale purple eyes, along with a clear look of shock.

This shock was even greater than when he had recently seen the letter of denunciation from Varys, which stated that Maester Gunther was an inside agent for the Iron Throne.

Before this, he already had some doubts about the bachelor's degree.

"How...is this possible?"

Viserys stared intently at the contents of the box, his voice tinged with disbelief.

Now, in his eyes, these dilapidated surfaces were all shrouded in a thin layer of black mist.

Although it wasn't very dense, it was indeed the black mist that Viserys was most familiar with, the kind that could be obtained after killing someone.

Being able to see this mysterious black mist is one of Viserys's biggest secrets, second only to his being from another world and having a precognitive soul about major events and important figures.

Viserys once tried to search for information from various sources, but he could not find any record of the black fog in the vast historical documents.

If this black mist, which can enhance one's power by killing, truly once existed within someone else's body, that person would surely have their name recorded in history.

However, Viserys could not find any clues.

Even after many years, Viserys continued to search for clues about the origin of the black mist.

But he never expected this.

Today, while executing a traitor, we unexpectedly found a tiny clue about the black mist.

call…

Viserys let out a soft breath, pursed his lips slightly, and suppressed his inner shock.

Then slowly extend your hand.

Call ~

The black mist clinging to these tattered items seemed to have found its mother, transforming into a wisp of black smoke and entering Viserys's body.

To become part of that black mist.

Chapter 161 Demon Land

Viserys let out a soft breath after absorbing the black mist.

Then he began to carefully examine the various odds and ends placed in the box.

Click...

He first reached inside and took out the bronze candlestick.

The candlestick has some mottled marks, which shows that it may have been there for many years.

However, apart from these, there's nothing else particularly outstanding.

Viserys picked up the candlestick and weighed it in his hand for a moment before casually setting it aside.

They then continued to take other things out of the bronze box. There were many odds and ends in the box, not just the ones they had seen at the beginning, but also some other things, most of which were broken artifacts.

Although Viserys wasn't an expert, he could tell that these items were ancient objects that had been around for countless years.

among them.

When he took out the faceless female stone sculpture, Viserys examined it repeatedly for a long time.

Because among all those objects, she was the only one carrying the most black mist.

Who is this woman?

Viserys stared intently at the stone sculpture in his hand, his pale purple eyes fixed on it.

Because of the 'Wrath of the Gods', Valyria suffered a terrible catastrophe. This powerful civilization and race were torn to pieces, and many precious texts have been lost to the annals of history.

People outside Valyria also found it difficult to fully reconstruct the complete picture of this civilization; even the records of the Targaryen family were not very detailed.

Moreover, many of them had been lost in several upheavals over the centuries, including the Dance of the Dragons. Even after the War of the Usurper, the Targaryens had lost King's Landing, and the Red Keep had been sacked by Lannister soldiers.

Although Dragonstone still holds many ancient books, many precious rare copies were lost in the war, so even though Viserys had read many books, he was unable to fully reconstruct the original history of Valyria.

but.

Viserys looked at the faceless stone sculpture in his hand and instinctively felt that this woman might have played a very important role in Valyrian civilization.

Viserys felt that the stone sculpture resembled a miniature version of the statues of the gods enshrined in the Temple of the Seven.

"Could this also be a statue of a deity?"

Viserys made some bold guesses, then fiddled with them in his hands for a moment before placing them among the other junk.

"Based on Gillian Lannister's past, these items should all be artifacts from the Valyrian civilization."

When Gillian Lannister was eighteen, he sailed the Laughing Lion from Lannisport to Volantis, with two purposes: first, to find his family's lost divine weapon, the Light Howl; and second, to explore the ruins of Valyria and uncover the secrets of this lost civilization.

"I just don't know where Gillian got all this stuff. Did he find a way to enter the Valyrian ruins?"

Viserys pondered for a moment, but then shook his head.

"impossible."

Today, the ruins of Valyria are known as the 'Devil's Land' because few who enter this land return alive, and even those who do often die from mysterious illnesses.

Perhaps he had been hiding it too well in his daily life. Apart from the fact that his plan to kill three birds with one stone made him look at him with a little new respect, Viserys did not realize that the 'Mage' had such an ability.

but.

Everyone has a secret in their heart, and Viserys' secret includes his true origins and the Black Mist.

For Gillian, who has no right to inherit the family business and is overshadowed by his brother's fame, he must bravely step out of his comfort zone if he wants to make something of himself.

Therefore, his greatest secret is his experience exploring the ruins of Valyria.

Viserys guessed that he probably hadn't even told his older brother Tywin Lannister about this.

Viserys then put the statue together with the junk, and then touched the bottom of the chest again.

Finally, a thick roll of parchment was taken out, which contained a thin diary. It seemed that Gillian did indeed have the habit of keeping a diary.

What is this?

Viserys unfurled the parchment scroll in his hand, but after just one glance, his expression froze, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"This...no way."

"Could it be that I guessed right?"

Now, on the parchment in Viserys's hands, there appeared a map-like pattern, marking reefs and fortresses, every tiny island, and the route of navigation. Many places were highlighted in red, while others were crossed out.

"Could this be a map to the ruins of Valyria?!"

Splash...

Viserys, holding the parchment, suddenly stood up from his chair, startling the guards around him. They wondered what had caused His Majesty's agitation.

Viserys never expected that his casual guess would lead to the fact that Gillian Lannister actually visited the Valyrian ruins.

And he escaped unscathed, having drawn a map of the Valyrian ruins.

Is this true?

Viserys felt his spirits lift instantly, and his eyes became bright and alert.

Valyria's ruins hold amazing treasures.

Stories of people exploring the ruins of Valyria, taking a few items from them, and making a fortune are passed down through the continent of Essos every now and then.

The protagonists of the stories are mostly penniless outlaws who escape unscathed from the ruins of Valyria by taking desperate risks.

Then he acquired astonishing wealth and status, becoming an extremely wealthy merchant, or even a governor or prince of a city-state, and so on...

Viserys had heard countless versions of this story, and it would resurface every now and then.

When Gillian was eighteen, he may have heard such a story, and then he came to Volantis without hesitation, ready to bravely venture into this 'devil's land'.

But... could Gillian be one of the lucky ones who managed to escape unscathed from here?

If this parchment map is genuine, then it is indeed an immeasurable treasure.

I wonder how many people will go crazy for it: dragon eggs, Valyrian steel swords, armor, all sorts of treasures, and so on.

Even Viserys, who had seen many grand occasions, couldn't help but feel his heart race and want to try his luck when faced with such a treasure.