Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

The Empire now has more than ten legions directly under its command, each with a standing force of 30,000 men. Five of these legions are battle-hardened and directly commanded by Daenerys on expeditions abroad.

These are the First Legion of Pentos, the Tiger-Clad Legion of Valantis, the Legion of the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, the Giskari Shatterers Legion composed entirely of former slaves, and the Knights of the Dothraki Steppes.

With so many legions directly under her command scattered across Essos, it would be a piece of cake for her to help her son Immon seize the Iron Throne.

However, Viserys had already drawn a line in this succession dispute: his personal safety could not be endangered, and his three wives could not personally intervene.

However, unlike Renesas, who never cared about her son and only stayed on Dragonstone, Daenerys only had eyes for Viserys. Her son with Viserys was more like an accident.

Therefore, Heros actually worked very hard, and he won the support of the Riverlands, the Vale, and Dorne through his own abilities.

Daenerys was very good to her son. Although she was unable to spend much time with Immon during his childhood due to her responsibilities, she still arranged a bright future for him when he grew up and came to live with his mother.

Although Immon was already an adult, Daenerys still asked Bessie Joyce to take her son as her servant.

Bessie originally did not want to get involved in the power struggle, but she had no choice but to agree to the Empress's request and took Yin Meng into her service as a servant.

Therefore, Immon now follows Bessie as her attendant at the front lines in Kohor.

Chapter 996 The Fallen Dragon

Then, three years passed in a flash.

Yin Geng lived in the 322nd year of the calendar, which is the 29th year of the Gregorian calendar.

The empire has been established for nearly thirty years, and another batch of familiar faces have passed away, but many more new lives have been born into this world.

Over the years, the empire has gradually extricated itself from the quagmire of war, ceasing its wars around the world and shifting from an active offensive posture to a silent defensive posture, holding onto the territories it has already occupied.

These newly conquered territories had been under the empire's rule for over a decade, gradually eliminating the barriers between the local people and integrating them into the empire's system, making them part of a multi-ethnic and multicultural nation.

Ironically, the Imperial Legion no longer frequently launched wars to suppress these religious believers and rebels hiding in the deep mountains and forests. However, after losing their common enemy, the contradictions that had accumulated over the years erupted, and they actually began to kill each other.

Some of those who had refused to surrender even under duress have now run out of the mountains and surrendered to the Empire, leading the Imperial Legion deep into the forests to raid their former stronghold.

Of course, among these events, there are truths and falsehoods. In the Imperial Legion's many years of experience in suppressing uprisings, some were genuine internal conflicts leading to surrender and revenge, while others were traps set to lure the Imperial Army into the deep mountains and forests, where they were then wiped out in one fell swoop.

Overall, however, the Valyrian Empire has gradually extricated itself from the quagmire of this war since three years ago, shifting to a defensive posture, consolidating its territory, and no longer seeking to take the initiative.

However, it was also in this year that several major events occurred in King's Landing.

First, an unnamed fire broke out at the Starry Church in the old town, burning to death Archbishop Yin Geng, who was attending a festival in the church at the time, as well as many archbishops from various regions.

The Church of the Stars was destroyed once again in this fire, marking the second time in just a few decades that the ancient Church of the Stars has suffered a devastating blow.

Although Yin Geng has been the High Bishop for decades since his youth, many people still haven't forgotten that he was once a prince of House Targaryen.

However, whether the fire at the Starry Sanctuary was an accident or a natural disaster, it burned Yin Geng to death, causing a great deal of speculation and reigniting long-lost rumors about Yin Geng's background.

There were rumors that Yin Geng was not actually Prince Rhaegar's biological son, but rather a fabricated "dragon actor," but these rumors could never be confirmed. However, Yin Geng's death in the fire may have confirmed this view.

Because the true dragon bloodline of House Targaryen is immune to fire, a fact confirmed by Viserys, Daenerys, and many other members of House Targaryen.

However, there are also opposing views, because many Targaryens in history were not immune to fire, so not everyone has the blood of a true dragon, and Yin Geng may not be Rhaegar's biological son.

However, he is gone now; Yin Geng was burned alive, and this question may forever remain an unsolved mystery.

But the fire at the Church of Stars may have had other meanings as well.

At the same time that this great fire occurred, fires of varying degrees also broke out in the seven shrines around the world.

"Have the Seven Gods already fallen?"

When this news spread, the world was filled with doubt and uncertainty. However, because the Seven Gods rarely responded to the prayers of believers, people had no way of confirming whether something had really happened to them.

"All the seven shrines are ablaze. Does this mean the seven gods died in the fire?"

"Fire? What kind of fire could burn the gods in the sky?"

"If we're talking about fire, could it be...?"

At this point, everyone looked at each other, not daring to continue.

Within the Empire, the gods of Essos, including Raholo, have been classified as evil gods, and it is strictly forbidden to publicly discuss their names or their stories.

Therefore, many teenagers and young adults in their twenties have never even heard of the names of the gods of Essos, such as R'hllor, and even scoff at the traditional gods of Westeros, such as the Seven.

Because the young people of the empire now believe more in self-reliance than in relying on the gods in the heavens, their daily devout prayers are not as effective as working on the ground, at least that can solve the problem of what to eat for the next meal.

Not long after a great fire broke out simultaneously in all seven churches of the empire, another major event occurred—

That was a 'dragon corpse' that fell from the sky.

...

The dragon's corpse fell from the sky, crashing directly into the mountains of the Dornish frontier.

The dragon's carcass was enormous, larger than all the active dragons in the world today combined.

Rhaegal, the green dragon and mount of the Second Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, the largest dragon in the Valyrian Empire, appears like a baby in comparison.

Its length exceeded several hundred meters, and its flowing dragon blood stained the earth red. After it fell, it directly blocked the only passage from Dorne to the Reach, Prince's Pass, thus cutting off the main land route between Dorne and the Empire.

The sight of a dragon's corpse falling from the sky naturally became the most shocking and explosive event in the Valyrian Empire recently, even overshadowing the news of the Seven Gods' fall.

Subsequently, the First Prince Heros Targaryen, Queen Rhaenys, and even Princess Diana, who lived far away in the North, all rode dragons to Dorne and witnessed the dragon carcass falling from the sky.

However, although they all arrived in Dorne, they were unable to get close to the dragon's corpse.

Because its entire body was shrouded in thick black mist, which blotted out the sun and directly swallowed up the surrounding light, the sky within a radius of dozens of miles around the Prince's Pass was enveloped by this pervasive black mist.

Although the black mist was not poisonous, without exception, no one who got close to it ever came out again.

However, although no one could get close, the Targaryens still received some sad news.

Because the mounts of Queen Reyne and Queen Daenerys, Rhaegal and Viserion, both let out mournful cries, it was almost certain, through the connection between the dragons, that the giant dragon carcass shrouded in black mist was none other than the black dragon Balerion, who had disappeared with Viserion almost twenty years ago.

Is Bellerion really dead?

Nobody knows.

Even Bellerion's two brothers, Rego and Viserion, could not confirm it.

Chapter 997 Reunion

However, it's certain that something has happened to Bellerion, so Viserys will certainly not be doing too well either.

"Heros, has something happened to Father?"

On a hilltop near Prince Dorne Pass, a woman with short, silver-blonde hair spoke with a worried expression.

Three Targaryen dragons also gathered here; they were three of the original "Five Little Dragons": the eldest sister Varghal, the second brother Terex, and the youngest brother Silver Nugget.

They came with their respective companions, just like the three Targaryen brothers and sisters, who rarely reunited. After all, they had left with their companions, and some of them would not see each other again for a long time. Now they were resting and exchanging feelings not far away.

Meanwhile, the three siblings stood on a high hill, gazing into the distance. Rolling black mist enveloped Bellerion's corpse, completely obscuring the sky for dozens of miles around, turning everything into pitch black.

The three Targaryen siblings had not been reunited for a long time; Aemon was often in Pentos and Highgarden, while Diana remained in the North.

Heros, on the other hand, stayed on Dragonstone, in the Riverlands and Vale, and would occasionally ride a dragon to Dorne to visit his grandfather, Prince Doran, who was gravely ill and lying on his deathbed.

Of course, Diana would occasionally ride her dragon to Dragonstone to visit Queen Renée and see her brother, but Aemon, due to the large age gap, did not have a good emotional foundation with his older brother and sister, and therefore had not seen them for many years.

However, the reunion of the brothers, who had not been together for a long time, was not as warm as expected. It was not that they were indifferent, but rather that there seemed to be a barrier between them, making it impossible for them to open up and speak freely. As a result, the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

"Perhaps."

Meanwhile, upon hearing his sister's words, Heros, the second oldest of the three siblings, spoke up, somewhat uneasy.

He wore a long black velvet robe and a black cloak with gold thread, a small silver dragon buckle fastened on his chest, and long brown hair with slight curls hung down his back. He gazed at the distant black mist, lost in thought.

"My father is very capable."

Then, Heros tapped the platinum ring on his other hand lightly with his fingers, making a soft sound, and then turned the ring slightly before speaking softly once more.

"This black mist must be Father's magic..."

"We actually witnessed Father's magic a long time ago, didn't we, Diana?"

Heros looked at his sister, and the young Imon stared at her with wide eyes in disbelief. Although he knew his father was powerful, it was too much of an exaggeration to say that the black mist covering tens of kilometers was his father's magic.

Under his gaze, Diana looked at the distant black mist, her expression complex, but she finally nodded.

Aemon is too young.

He had never experienced true terror. Although he was born during the Long Night, he had no recollection of it whatsoever. Diana and Herros, on the other hand, had witnessed the battlefield between humans and White Walkers and survived for over a month amidst the White Walkers' encirclement, sharing hardships with all of humanity's soldiers.

For this very reason, Eamon's relationship with his brother and sister was never as deep as that with Diana and Herros.

There were only two children, Diana and Herlos. They seemed like a match made in heaven, destined for each other. Diana was likely to marry Herlos, while Herlos was destined to inherit the country.

But at that moment, a third party suddenly entered the fray. He possessed more pronounced family traits than Heros, and he had a domineering mother.

He came with a vengeance, wanting to take everything from Heros. Therefore, his arrival not only failed to integrate him into the original group of two people, but also aroused their mutual vigilance.

However, even though Imon secretly envied the relationship between his brother and sister.

He tried very hard to get along with his older brother and sister. He couldn't feel any fatherly or motherly love, so he placed all his longing for love on his older brother and sister.

But every effort he made was met with indifference and alienation, to the point that Eamon became somewhat self-destructive and began to doubt what he had done wrong.

However, adults can never truly understand what children are thinking, and the problems between siblings are even more difficult to resolve, especially when it comes to the right of succession to the throne.

"Your father is more capable than you think."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to build such a vast country from the perspective of a wandering prince, and he also saved the lives of all mankind."

"twice."

Heros's voice was light and airy, yet it continued, sounding calm but concealing a captivating sharpness unique to the eldest prince of the Valyrian Empire.

“From King’s Landing to Pentos and then to Kohol, and even all the way to Davis Dothraki, whether they were Andals, Rhoynar, Valyrian remnants, or even the Wood People who lived in the forests, or the steppe knights who roamed the Great Grass Sea, none of them were not grateful for the Father’s kindness.”

These words, though seemingly light, weighed on Imon like a mountain; he could feel the weight of history in his brother's words.

Unfortunately, he wasn't born yet and couldn't possibly understand how chaotic and difficult the world was at that time, or how people struggled to survive under the long night. After all, since Aemon began to remember things, the whole world had long since returned to peace and tranquility.

“Before you were born, Maester Aemon saved your life.”

"At that time, a stone fell from the sky, and it was Maester Aemon who pushed Queen Daenerys aside, thus saving your life."

"However, Maester Aemon left this world forever because of this, so Queen Daenerys named you Aemon, Aemon Targaryen."

"Brother, what do you think of Maester Aemon?"