With the dragon as his means of transportation, Wright's range of activities on the Essos continent expanded significantly.
This time, when visiting the Nine Free Cities, Wright would not be stopping at just one place. He told Odahviing that the snow bear was a rare animal, just like the dragon, worth 500,000 gold dragons each. Odahviing deeply regretted swallowing it without savoring the taste, but was grateful for Wright's generosity. When flying, Odahviing's speed was astonishing, and it worked tirelessly.
Originally, Wright had planned to bring back Viserys's skull to Tyrosh, but after investigating, he found that the skull had already been taken, leaving him to return empty-handed.
Three years ago, after Viserys Targaryen's death, his body was taken by his guards and, according to the Targaryen tradition, cremated with the ashes placed in a jar. The skull was Wright's spoils of war and no one dared take it. Along with the urn, it was stored by the Braavos officials in the Temple of the Moon Singer.
It wasn't until the previous year that the urn and skull were retrieved by an unknown person after they paid a large storage fee.
Before leaving Braavos and heading south, Wright made a secret detour to the city of Pentos. He gathered some information about Daenerys, who had hatched three dragons, and the slanders against him in the Nine Free Cities. After investigating, he uncovered a few key pieces of information.
One of the governors of Pentos, Illyrio Mopatis, had been away on a long business trip, and his servants didn't know where he had gone. After Daenerys hatched her dragons, she had grown close to the Golden Company, and two months later, she and the Golden Company moved eastward, never to be seen in Pentos again.
All the rumors in Pentos that were unfavorable to Wright were traced back to the Golden Company members, who had spoken of them in taverns.
These three pieces of information suggested that Daenerys had already allied with the high ranks of the Golden Company and had left the Nine Free Cities to head toward the Dothraki Sea, an area so vast that even Wright on his dragon couldn't track her. He had no choice but to give up and continue south toward Volantis.
Odahviing appeared directly above the city of Volantis. After circling a few times, Wright leaped off and landed in a large square inside the city.
Upon landing, the soldiers from the City Watch had already lined up in formation, welcoming him in the formal diplomatic manner. After a long absence, Dofas Pennymion greeted Wright and led him into the castle.
The three rulers of Volantis attended the reception banquet, along with the former slave owners who had hired slaves to dig pits, and a few strong merchant traders. After the meal, Wright wiped his mouth and addressed the crowd:
"All of you are important figures of Volantis, and you must know that Tyrosh is in a period of construction. In my personal capacity, I would like to purchase goods from Volantis worth 1.5 million gold dragons."
Upon hearing this amount, Dofas Pennymion knew that even if he pledged his loyalty to Wright, one person could not take such a large order. He only hoped to get a larger share: "Lord Wright, may I ask what goods you require? All the important people here in Volantis can provide whatever you need."
Wright replied, "All kinds of glass produced in Volantis, including construction and decorative glass. I also want to specially order circular glass for watchmaking. Additionally, silk and spices shipped from the Jade Sea, a large quantity of basic construction materials, and I have also hired a large slave construction team."
Dofas Pennymion responded, "There are too many goods. My suggestion is for everyone here to discuss and provide the items. If we cannot gather them all, we will notify other merchants. What do you think, Lord Wright?"
He took the initiative to distribute the favorable parts to the people present, gaining their favor, and Wright supported him in return: "You are one of the rulers, I will only place the order, pay, and receive the goods. As for the intermediate process, I do not participate."
"Thank you very much for your trust, Lord Wright! We will provide the best quality goods and the strongest slave laborers!"
After a thorough discussion, they finally signed all the trade agreements before nightfall. Wright, holding a thick stack of contracts, like a pile of dictionaries, bid farewell to the nobles and merchants one by one.
Night
That night, Dofas Pennymion, accompanied by another Triarch, Naisso Visama, both wearing black hooded robes, secretly arrived at Wright's luxurious temporary residence under the cover of darkness. Naisso came on behalf of his family to swear allegiance to Wright.
After Dofas pledged his loyalty to Wright, his power and wealth rapidly grew. He had even convinced the other two rulers during the previous war to ally with the Seven Kingdoms and send troops to constrain Lys and Myr.
Then fortune struck. Lys was being attacked by pirates and the Seven Kingdoms, and the Volantis navy seized the opportunity to launch an attack, capturing Lys in one swift blow. This victory boosted Dofas Pennymion's reputation to its peak, and his support among the military was so high that he had no worries about his next term.
The victory came so unexpectedly, and while the people of the city cheered at the realization of a dream that had lasted for millennia, the upper echelons were left confused. They had never considered how to govern Lys; they were only focused on killing the Lysenis and plundering their wealth. However, Wright had publicly declared an alliance with Lys, preventing them from going too far.
On the surface, Lys remained independent, but in reality, the noble ruling class had been wiped out, and all those managing the city were now Volantis nobles.
Among the three rulers, the once weakest Dofas Pennymion had now surpassed the other two, becoming the most powerful and respected family in Volantis. As a member of the Elephant Party, Naisso Visama naturally leaned towards Dofas and asked the reason. It turned out that he had secretly pledged his loyalty to the new Dragonlord, Wright Baratheon.
The people of Volantis had a deep-seated longing and reverence for dragons, and they took pride in it. After seeing the dragon soaring above the city, its wingspan nLordy two hundred meters, Naisso made up his mind to pledge allegiance to Wright. Though Wright did not have the Valyrian silver-blonde hair and purple eyes, as long as the Dragon King could bring benefits to his family, even if Wright were a dwarf, Naisso would still kneel before him.
After the oath ceremony, Wright showed his approachable side, having the two sit down while he personally poured them drinks.
Wright: "Now that both of you have sworn loyalty to me, I hope you will unite and face the external enemies together!"
Dofas, trembling, responded, "Lord Wright, Volantis has always been ruled by the Tiger and Elephant parties."
Seeing that Dofas had misunderstood, Wright quickly corrected him: "I will not interfere with Volantis's internal affairs. You two can even publicly show discord if you wish. The enemy I speak of is the remnants of House Targaryen, Daenerys Targaryen!"
Naisso: "I heard she has hatched three dragons. If left unchecked, they will eventually become a great threat. The Tiger Party's rulers have mentioned several times that they wish to find Daenerys."
Wright: "She has dragons. Once the dragons grow to the size of two horses, they will be able to carry people into the sky. You'd best not provoke Daenerys. Just find information about her and bring it to me."
Dofas and Naisso nodded in agreement.
The three dragons were a huge temptation to them, especially as people with Valyrian blood. Even if they weren't part of one of the forty dragon lord families, if they found dragons, they would certainly try to tame them.
Wright knew he couldn't control everyone's deSeres. They would only give up when they were killed by dragon fire, and the news would inevitably reach him. For external forces that voluntarily pledged allegiance, as long as he got the results he wanted, Wright didn't care about their specific methods.
After a few days of organizing the goods, the merchant ships set sail. The heavily loaded cargo ships were expected to take a month to reach Tyrosh. Wright, riding his dragon on the way back home, circled above Lys a few times before having Odahviing shout a few times before flying back to Tyrosh.
In the highlands of the inner city of Tyrosh, where there used to be a large noble district and the Lord's castle, now only ruins remained. According to Wright's plan, aside from the Lord's castle, no new buildings would be constructed for the time being. This area would, in the future, become the site of the largest magic school and academic branch, aside from King's Landing and Oldtown.
As Wright floated down, Odahviing had already flown towards its Skull Island.
In Tyrosh, especially at the entrance of Wright's temporary residence, more Dornish soldiers had been stationed, and several Dornish nobles were dining at nearby restaurants, frequently glancing toward the house.
"I can still sense Tyene's magic, but there are no violent fluctuations. Nothing major should have happened," Wright thought to himself.
Wright hurried back home, and the Dornish soldiers guarding the gate had been there for quite a while. As soon as they recognized him, they quickly opened the gate. Once inside, Wright realized that it wasn't just outside; there were many more people in the house as well.
"Wright! You're finally back!"
Tyene jogged over, trying to jump into Wright's arms, but a young woman nearby quickly pulled her back.
"Lord Wright! Good afternoon!"
"Lord Wright! Good afternoon!"
"Hello," Wright greeted them and then raised an eyebrow at Nymeria, sitting nearby. "Care to explain?"
Nymeria stood up and walked over to Wright, adjusting his shirt that had been ruffled by the wind. Then, looking into his eyes, she said:
"After confirmation from over ten experienced women in the city, both Tyene and I are pregnant!"
"Really! That's wonderful!"
Wright was genuinely happy, though there was an indescribable feeling inside him. Thoughts collided in his mind, and he felt a mix of emotions.
His family, the banner of the Stag, had Lordless internal power struggles. But he was a transmigrator, inherently feeling no belonging to this world, only deSering to live casually. The blood of dragons gave him powerful magic and a mighty dragon. Wright had always acted with a carefree, roguish mindset. Now, he was going to have descendants in this world. The thought of it all mixed together, leaving him feeling uneasy.
Seeing Wright's expression, Nymeria, who had originally been smiling, now looked hurt. She reached up with both hands to touch his face: "Don't you like children?"
Realizing his reaction, Wright understood how it could give a bad impression after hearing about the pregnancy. He quickly changed his expression to a smile and embraced Nymeria tightly:
"Tyene! Come here for a hug!"
He pulled both women into his arms, not daring to hold them too tightly: "Until you both give birth, I'm not going anywhere! Odahviing also has to patrol Tyrosh every day!"
Tyene: "Alright, but we won't be able to keep you company."
Wright gently patted Tyene's head: "You're pregnant, and you're still thinking about such things."
Nymeria: "They're all people my father sent. After he heard about my pregnancy, he sent even more people, and they will be directly under my command."
Nymeria freed herself from Wright's embrace and stood next to him to introduce the others.
She pointed to a strong male knight, with black hair and a typical Dornish look, likely in his forties:
"This is Ser Ulwyck Uller from the Hellholt. His brother is Harmen Uller, and his niece is my father's lover, Ellaria Sand. Ser Ulwyck Uller will serve as my captain of the personal guard."
It turned out that he came from the family of the four Sand Snakes' mothers, with a family crest of yellow and deep red intersecting flames. Wright: "It's an honor! An honor!"
Ser Ulwyck Uller spoke seriously: "Lord Wright, please do not worry. I will defend Lady Nymeria's safety with my life."
Nymeria then pointed to the second male: "This is Arron Qorgyle from Sandstone, the second son of the Lord of Sandstone. He is one of my personal guards."
Wright noticed that Arron Qorgyle's cloak had a red background with three black scorpions. Dornish noble family crests were undeniably unique. "A pleasure! A pleasure!"
Nymeria then pointed to the third male: "This is Dickon Manwoody from Kingsgrave, the son of the Lord of King's Tomb. He is also one of my personal guards."
Dickon Manwoody, in his twenties, wore flashy clothing, with a curved sword at his waist and a black eye patch worn at a jaunty angle. His expression was one of determination. His family crest, on a black background with a white skull crowned in gold, had Wright betting that he had passed through Tyrosh a few years ago when...
Dickon Manwoody, in his twenties, wore flashy attire, with a curved sword at his waist and a black eye patch at a slant on his head. His expression was resolute. His cloak bore a family crest of a white skull with a golden crown on a black background. Wright bet that he had seen this flag on a pirate ship a few years ago when passing through Tyrosh. The whole look, combined with the crest, made him look like a pirate without needing any makeup.
Wright leaned in and said, "Hello, I think we've met before?"
Dickon Manwoody pushed aside his eye patch, revealing his perfectly fine eye, grinned, and his serious expression immediately turned into a toothy smile: "Lord Wright, I can swear with both eyes that we've definitely never met! Ha ha!"
"Ha ha, nice look! You're just missing a tricorne hat." It seemed like it was all an act, and Wright encouraged him to keep it up.
Nymeria then led over two girls with light yellow hair, and Wright finally noticed that the two girls were twins.
"They are the twin daughters of Lord Fowler from Skyreach. This is Jeyne Fowler, the older twin. Jennelyn Fowler, she's the younger one. Both of them are my personal guards, though they are also allowed into my bedroom."
"Good afternoon, Lord Wright!" The twins spoke in unison.
The two girls were very beautiful, not wearing formal dresses like most noblewomen but instead leather armor with short swords at their waists. Dornish women, unlike those from other regions, trained in combat from a young age just like men. They grew up hunting and fighting, and they usually wore armor. Tyene, who wore noble dresses every day, was the real exception.
"Hello, ladies!"
Nymeria and Tyene didn't yet show obvious signs of pregnancy on the outside, but both had some discomfort, especially Nymeria, who felt very unwell. The two girls helped Nymeria to the side and served her with tea and water. Tyene, on the other hand, embraced Wright without showing any pregnancy symptoms.
Oberyn had been thoughtful, sending the twin girls to look after the pregnant Nymeria and Tyene. However, these two beautiful twins, each standing by one side, kept touching Nymeria's belly, their hands often wandering up or down. Wright scratched his chin, thinking there was something off about it all.