They even heard news of the Targaryen siblings who had fled to the other side of the river, and that William Darryl, who had protected them, had died, and that the two were now forced to wander in Braavos.
Some nobles even offered bounties for the exiled princess Daenerys, wanting to capture her. However, they hesitated to act because of their public identities as guests of the King of Braavos.
There will definitely be contact in the future. Gavin is also planning how to get the dragon egg that should have been Daenerys's, but it is unknown whether the dragon egg has reached Illyrio's hands yet.
Gavin, still without a suitable plan, lay on the rather simple and hard bed in the tavern room, his thoughts in turmoil. He wondered if, if he changed the plot, the Night King, without obtaining the dragon, could breach the Wall. His greatest advantage now was his foresight into the future; if he were to alter the course of events, he had to be cautious. He also thought about the upcoming tournament.
He knew very well that this was an extremely rare opportunity, one that would allow him to fully demonstrate his abilities and potentially earn him a considerable fortune.
Unfortunately, it's difficult to gain status through tournaments. The nobles of Westeros tacitly block upward mobility, constantly wary of commoners and bastards. Bastards are relatively better off; some can gain family recognition and help to become knights, but only a very few can obtain the status of lord. Some are even considered a disgrace to their families and are never acknowledged.
Gavin's situation was relatively good. Although he encountered the mean and indifferent Earl Horton Cortoine, he also met Sir Edmund, who was full of kindness towards him. The other party was really considering his future and had arranged a path for him to become a knight. However, this process might take more than ten years. If it weren't for his panel, he might have really followed the path arranged by Sir Edmund.
The next morning, the warm sunlight playfully peeked in through the cracks in the window, gently caressing Gavin's cheek and slowly waking him from his sleep. He groggily rubbed his sleepy eyes, got up, quickly washed up, and hurried back to the school town; he still had patients to see that day.
Having just finished his work, Cobb took off his mask and called out to Gavin, "Gavin, come to my study when you're done."
Gavin bowed slightly and replied respectfully, "Yes, Sir Coburn." In his heart, however, he muttered to himself, "This old fox is probably going to test me again. He's never going to stop." Despite thinking this, Gavin did not show any displeasure on his face and maintained his respectful expression.
After a while, Gavin arrived outside Coburn's study. He took a deep breath, composed himself, and then raised his hand to gently knock on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock," the sound of knocking echoed in the quiet corridor.
"Come in," Qyburn's voice came from inside the room.
Gavin gently pushed open the door and stepped inside. He saw Coburn sitting at his desk, holding a few books, a smile on his face, but a subtle, unspoken meaning in his eyes.
Coburn looked at Gavin and said gently, "Gavin, I'm having you study more theoretical knowledge. These books aren't supposed to be for assistant bachelors, but I think with your level, you're not far from building the chain. And I can see your passion and dedication to medical research. These books cover some in-depth knowledge about the human body, so you can take a look."
As he spoke, he handed the book to Gavin, and then Coburn waved his hand and said, "Take the book back and study it, but don't let anyone know. Remember to return it when you're done reading it."
Coburn still wore that seemingly amiable smile, but his eyes were fixed on Gavin, as if trying to glean something from his reaction.
Gavin quickly accepted the book with both hands, nodded solemnly, and said, "Thank you, Scholar. I will certainly not let you down and I will keep my mouth shut."
Cobb nodded slightly, then sat back down in his chair and began tidying up the other items on the table, no longer looking at him.
Gavin clutched the book in his hands, bowed to Coburn again, then carefully turned and quietly left the study, gently closing the door behind him.
Back in his dorm, Gavin, like a long-starved beast spotting its prey, eagerly immersed himself in studying the books. He laid them open one by one on the table, his eyes scanning the pages with eager concentration.
After a cursory glance at several books, I discovered that two of them were detailed descriptions of the mysterious blood sorcerers' exploration and research into the human body, as well as various chilling and evil sorcery.
Moreover, he discovered many later-added annotations and questions in the book, written in neat handwriting and with unique insights, leading him to suspect that they were written by Coburn and posed to him as questions.
For the next three days, Gavin almost completely isolated himself in this small world of research. He forgot the passage of time, ignored the noise of the outside world, and immersed himself entirely in the obscure yet alluring knowledge in the books. He ate only simple dry food and light fruit each day, and only slept briefly when he was extremely tired.
Finally, as night fell on the third day, Gavin's eyes, bloodshot from exhaustion, revealed a hint of relief and excitement. After this arduous research, he had roughly arrived at a preliminary result.
The book meticulously records several blood sorcery techniques used by blood sorcerers to curse others, repair their own bodily functions, and even temporarily and significantly enhance their physical bodies. It also includes scattered pieces of knowledge about blood sorcerers. However, all these sorcery techniques have one fundamental condition: they all require the blood sorcerer's unique bloodline as support, just like the blood-fire dragon bloodline that he himself possesses, which is fused with the blood of a pyromancer.
He had read about it in the biographies of the Belleris family; among the forty dragon king families, another high-ranking dragon king family controlled blood magic. Their bloodline had been passed down through generations, always retaining the special abilities of blood sorcerers. This inheritance of abilities was quite similar in some ways to the fire magic inherited by the Belleris family, both relying on blood ties. However, the abilities were far more insidious, evil, and unpredictable.
A careful consideration of the historical records of the Belleris family reveals that among the forty dragon king families, the top families, in addition to possessing the ability to control dragons, also maintain long-term control over other extraordinary abilities. It is precisely because of these that these high-ranking families have been able to effectively suppress most of the dragon king families.