Chapter 67: The Purple Dragon Egg and the Purple Dragon Nest
Late at night, beside the Gate of the Moon, in the Eagle Guards' camp.
Lord Jon Arryn ordered the steward of the Gate of the Moon to prepare a lavish dinner for the returning soldiers.
Roast mutton, roast beef, fruits, fruit tea, lemon cake, and roast goose were enjoyed by the soldiers.
After the dinner concluded, Rhaegar returned to the camp with Barristan, the others, and the escort soldiers.
The massive dragon skeleton was placed in the center of the camp, serving as a magnificent decoration.
The soldiers' morale was high; only iron and fire could forge fine steel.
Only victory can instill courage in a warrior.
These young men did not lack training; they only lacked a fierce fire to temper them into steel.
They also represented the first group of investors Rhaegar had attracted: the Gulltown group.
For now, the Eagle Guards had a few too many sons of nobles and wealthy merchants, but there was currently no other way. Aside from a few lords who could afford a standing army, most forces were knights and lords conscripted during wartime. If you have no money and no status, why would you become a knight?
"These people are my iron fist, my sharp sword, and my seeds," Rhaegar thought happily. Quality over quantity; he would rigorously train every single soldier.
Once the dragon hatched, opposing forces would certainly surface from the deep. Lys, Myr, and even Braavos had previously harbored deep malice toward dragons.
Rhaegar needed such a force, whether for sweeping away opposition in King's Landing, clearing out pirates in the Stepstones and wildlings in the Pale Mountains, or even for future confrontations against the Sealord of Braavos, Lys, Myr, and other Free Cities. Time waits for no man if he is to restore the glory of the Dragonlords.
King's Landing, a major city of four to five hundred thousand people, having only three or four thousand Gold Cloaks, was truly absurd. King's Landing qualified as a major city by population, but its planning and design were sprawling and lacked order.
With the tacit approval of Lord Jon Arryn and the investment from the wealthy merchants of Gulltown, the Eagle Guards' ranks would expand further.
Rhaegar watched the soldiers return to their respective tents before signaling those around him to rest.
Eating, living, and training together—it wouldn't take long for this group to become Rhaegar's sharp sword.
Rhaegar's tent was in the center of the camp, next to the tents of Barristan, Ser Brynden, and the others.
In the simple tent, Rhaegar polished the dragon king's ring a few times.
The camp environment was rough; there were no velvet beds like in King's Landing, no attendants or maids, and certainly no flatterers surrounding him.
But Rhaegar felt very comfortable. In this camp, there were no constraints; he was the sole king. He didn't miss the stench of King's Landing—perhaps only his family.
Rhaegar recalled an old saying: I would rather be king in a remote, poor place than be subordinate in King's Landing.
Having experienced the Battle of the Valley Road, Rhaegar had grown stronger again. He wondered what good things the dragon king's ring would reveal this time.
Filled with anticipation, Rhaegar activated the dragon king's ring once more.
He would worry about devouring the Seeds of Fire later; his current greatest concern was continuing to expand the ring's space.
Under the faint lamplight, Seeds of Fire dispelled the darkness for Rhaegar, and the space within the ring expanded by another section.
A captivating purple light shone, and a dragon egg suddenly appeared before Rhaegar.
"It's a Purple Dragon Egg!" Rhaegar widened his eyes.
It was a deep purple dragon egg, its scales emitting a purple crystal glow. It was truly beautiful—seductively purple, purely purple.
Purple signifies nobility and splendor, yet historically in Westeros, there was no trace of the Purple Dragon.
The Targaryen family had black, gold, blue, bronze, silver, and red dragons, but the Purple Dragon had never appeared.
The only thing Rhaegar knew about the Purple Dragon was that it originated from the Balerion family, and it seemed only the Balerion family could tame Purple Dragons; other Dragonlord families either dared not or could not tame them.
Rhaegar excitedly picked up the Purple Dragon Egg. Getting close to the dragon egg made him feel his blood burn, making him stronger and braver.
As Rhaegar turned the dragon egg with his fingers, it emitted a metallic luster, and tiny purple spots slowly shifted.
"What is that?" Rhaegar noticed a round stone dragon nest where the Purple Dragon Egg had been placed.
The stone dragon nest also emitted a dazzling purple light.
The stone dragon nest was about half the height of an adult man, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, looking very much like an oversized wine glass.
Rhaegar examined it closely. The stone dragon nest was carved from a large piece of black stone, seemingly shaped by melting the stone with dragonflame.
However, the dragon nest was adorned with so many purple gems, crystals, and jade that it shone with purple brilliance, eclipsing all other light. Purple dragons coiled around the nest, seemingly ready to break free from their constraints.
The black stone resembled obsidian, but it felt hard and extremely heavy to the touch, and it was warm.
Rhaegar felt this was normal. Valyrian Dragonlords could not only ride dragons but also developed advanced technology like the black Valyrian roads.
The Balerion family's Book of the Craftsman should document this method, but Rhaegar hadn't seen that book yet.
The Purple Dragon Nest was adorned everywhere with carvings of purple dragons and traces of fire. The dragons soaring in the high heavens were lifelike, exquisite, and magnificent, showcasing the Balerion family's ambition to conquer continents and oceans.
This might be the smallest dragon nest in the world, yet its luxury and exquisite craftsmanship remained unparalleled.
Rhaegar looked at the numerous purple gems and felt he had struck it rich again; the Balerion family truly was wealthy. However, the dragon nest likely served more than just an aesthetic purpose; it probably had other functions.
Rhaegar gently wiped the stone dragon nest and found that the Purple Dragon Nest could hold five dragon eggs simultaneously, with one indentation for each egg.
Inside the dragon nest, the bottom of each hatching indentation was embedded with a large red gem, the size of a cobblestone, and very beautiful.
Rhaegar noticed that the red gems seemed to have lost their vitality; their red color was dull and lackluster, making them look unremarkable.
"Heart of Fire!" Rhaegar discovered a line of Old Valyrian text written on one of the red gems.
Could these red gems have sealed fire magic within them? Rhaegar wondered.
Just then, the Tree of Life Template lit up again:
(Explorer: Congratulations on discovering a great relic of the Balerion family, the Heart of Fire Dragon Nest. Dragons love fire and heat. Using this object to hatch dragon eggs will yield twice the result with half the effort, and the hatchlings will surely be outstanding.)
(Explorer: Congratulations on discovering the Heart of Fire Gem. The Heart of Fire has been dormant for a long time; it craves all flames.)
Rhaegar carefully explored the Purple Dragon Nest; it truly was a magnificent and advanced piece of art.
In terms of craftsmanship, the Targaryen bumpkins couldn't compare.
Rhaegar first lit a small flame; the gem absorbed all the sparks, but there was no change.
Rhaegar's mind raced: All flames. It shouldn't be limited to natural fire; the fire of life is also fire.
According to the Balerion family's philosophy, all species are driven by fire.
The lives of plants, animals, rivers, and humans are all Seeds of Fire. The Dragonlords possess the strongest Fire of Life, which is why they can command fire and dragons.
Speaking of fire, does he need to use the Dragonlord bloodline? Rhaegar thought about it. Currently, perhaps only his Blood of Fire level was sufficient. The Seeds of Fire in other life forms were too weak and useless.
Ordinary bloodlines couldn't activate the gem, but Dragonlords had the Blood of Fire, which the Heart of Fire Gem should appreciate.
Rhaegar grit his teeth and let a drop of blood fall onto the Heart of Fire Gem.
After the blood soaked in, the Heart of Fire Gem remained completely unresponsive.
Is this thing a fake?
Rhaegar thought, and when he touched it again with his finger, his finger was tightly stuck to the red gem.
Rhaegar felt the blood and the fire of life inside his body draining away. Finally, the Heart of Fire emitted a faint light and intense heat. The scorching heat of the gem was so fierce that Rhaegar found it unbearable.
"This is terrifying." Rhaegar quickly bandaged his finger. He looked at his face in the mirror—it was excessively pale. He felt the exhaustion of severe blood loss, more tiring than fighting on the battlefield.
Rhaegar looked at the Purple Dragon Nest, still feeling a trace of fear.
It was like an electric shock; he was almost drained dry and paralyzed. It was best to stay away from this thing.
The Balerion family was not only proficient in fire magic but also deeply researched blood magic.
Rhaegar felt that the Purple Dragon Nest was like a fire dragon hatching accelerator.
The Heart of Fire Gem was created by the Dragonlords using concentrated fire heat. It first absorbs fire heat and then feeds it back to the dragon eggs. The Fourteen Flames never lacked fire.
In times of crisis, the Dragonlords could even use their own Seeds of Life Fire to nourish the gem.
"Can't waste this!" Rhaegar quickly placed his Silver Dragon Egg into the dragon indentation so it could absorb more heat.
As for the Purple Dragon Egg, it had to wait its turn.
Rhaegar looked expectantly at the Silver Dragon Egg. Although it showed no reaction yet, he would eventually hatch it himself.
Dragons love fire, heat, and the smell of sulfur and smoke.
Old Valyria had the Fourteen Flames, and Dragonstone barely met the conditions for hatching a dragon.
Rhaegar looked at the beautiful dragon nest, realizing he should visit Dragonstone's Dragonmont if he got the chance.
As far as he knew, the only volcanic environment suitable for hatching dragon eggs was Dragonmont.
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