hotmtlnovel Chapter 592: Dragonbone Pit
Chapter 592: Dragonbone Pit
Chapter 592: Dragonbone Pit
"What's the situation? How many people were lost?" Rhaegar asked anxiously.
The eruption of the undersea volcano, coupled with the sudden storm, had been a disaster. However, Sea Snake was relieved to report, "We lost two warships, and only 500 people were injured."
"No more?" Rhaegar asked suspiciously. "This is the Lands of the Long Summer. How did we get here?" The storm had been massive, yet the damage was less than expected. Moreover, the land they now stood on was most likely the Lands of the Long Summer. It all seemed too easy.
"Prince, the remaining ships were damaged to varying degrees, and the sailors are doing their best to repair them," Sea Snake answered, then glanced at the huge black beast sprawled on the hillside. He admired it as he continued, "The storm was so fierce, but thanks to your dragon for finding its way, spewing dragonfire to guide the fleet."
The black wings had torn through the heavy clouds, and the dark green dragonfire had cut through the thick fog. The fleet had followed the dragon's path and, by sheer luck, found this lost continent.
Upon hearing this, Rhaegar looked back at the sleeping Cannibal and couldn't help but feel relieved. 'This troublesome dragon always comes through at critical moments,' he thought.
"Roar..." The Cannibal's pupils remained tightly shut as he greedily absorbed the fire magic in the air, exhaling hot air from his nostrils with each breath.
Seeing this, Rhaegar decided not to disturb the creature and signaled the Sea Snake to walk with him. The grasslands stretched out as far as the eye could see, and the breeze rippled through the tall grass.
The Sea Snake walked a short distance away, knelt reverently, and held a handful of soil to his nose. 'The land of my ancestors,' he thought. After more than two hundred years, the ancient bloodline had finally set foot on it again.
"I had always imagined that I would be able to make a tenth voyage," Rhaegar mused, but the Sea Snake's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Rhaegar looked down to see the Sea Snake's dark face slightly raised, his eyes glistening with tears. "Being able to set foot on this land is greater than the first nine voyages of my life," Sea Snake said deeply, even though he had traveled to Asshai in the east of the world and braved the glaciers in the far north. There was no greater significance than finding the Lands of the Long Summer.
Rhaegar helped the wounded Sea Snake to his feet and spoke with resolve, "We are not just here to find it. We will bring back the treasures left behind by our ancestors. Only then can we justify the twists and turns of our journey."
"You are right," the Sea Snake agreed, regaining his solemn expression as he picked up a piece of broken Dragonstone rubble. "Daemon rode the Blood Wyrm to explore the Snow Peaks and unearthed an ancient ruin."
The old rubble in his hands was a relic he had picked up from the ruins outside. Rhaegar took the Dragonstone rubble in his hands. It was cold and rough, a testament to its age and the external forces that had damaged it.
"Take me there. We can't miss any ruins," Rhaegar said firmly. 'Especially those near the Snow Peaks and the Fourteen Flames. Only the Dragonlord's house would be worthy of them.'
"Should we call Daemon?" Sea Snake asked cautiously. "Your dragon is sleeping. It would be safer to call him and Caraxes."
Rhaegar glanced back at the Cannibal, who remained oblivious. After a moment of thought, he said, "No need. There is no danger in the ruins on the ground. It's easier to uncover more secrets by splitting up."
The Fourteen Flames were more dangerous, and Daemon was willing to be the first to go. After exploring this continent, they could regroup.
Sea Snake considered this and agreed. "The fleet has suffered varying degrees of damage. We will stay here for a while, so there is no rush."
With that, he summoned a team of sailors to gather wood and headed for the snowy peaks.
...
Not long after the team had left, a rustling noise stirred in the grass. The air on the empty slopes was thick with the smell of ash.
“Hurry up, don’t be lazy,” one of the shirtless sailors barked as they approached, carrying a thick pine log on their shoulders. The grassland stretched vast before them, but trees were sparse, forcing them to venture to the foot of the snow-capped mountain in search of usable wood.
"Roar..."
"This is the ancient oath of the Dragonlords," the Sea Snake said solemnly.
Rhaegar nodded, already familiar with the phrase. But as they continued, the writing below was badly damaged, making the text barely legible. He frowned and wiped more ash from the bottom of the stone, revealing two carved images.
One depicted a volcano flanked by a pair of statues, while the other showed a dragon with its head and tail facing each other, forming a closed loop. The dragon was stout, with a particularly slender tail. Beside it was another dragon, wings spread wide, its tail as thin as an eagle's, and its head tilted as if about to soar into the sky.
The two dragon totems were positioned opposite each other, with the volcano in between.
The Sea Snake pointed to the winged dragon and said with certainty, "This is the sigil of House Aurion. I once saw a breastplate left behind by a Dragonlord of Aurion in the masked temple of Qohor. It bore the same totem."
Rhaegar glanced at him, then pointed to the other symbol. "This is the mark of House Belaerys. It likely represents a marriage alliance between the two houses."
The Sea Snake examined the carvings carefully. "If that's the case, these ruins were probably built by one of the Dragonlords," he concluded. The Dragonlords of ancient Valyria were known for their tyranny and domination. Slavery, colonization, and fortress-building were common practices among them.
Rhaegar stood up and dusted off his hands. "There's no time to waste. Let's reach the ruins before dark."
With that, he gave the order, and the group quickened their pace.
...
The sun rose and set, marking the passage of time until dusk settled over the landscape.
At the foot of the snowy peak, Rhaegar, clad in a black robe, crushed the frost beneath his boot with a crisp crack. He looked up to see the mountain soaring into the clouds like a colossal, gleaming sword.
"It's so cold!" he exclaimed, his breath forming a swift plume of white mist in the frigid air.
Suddenly, a shout broke the silence behind him. "Your Grace, come quickly!" Sea Snake's voice echoed with a mix of excitement and horror.
Without hesitation, Rhaegar turned and hurried down the lightly snow-dusted slope, skillfully navigating around the ridges of the peak. The sparse snow couldn't conceal the dark ground beneath, which was littered with crumbling walls and debris.
Sea Snake stood nearby, pulling aside a broken section of stone wall, his expression tense and alert. As Rhaegar approached, the chill in the air seemed to lessen, and his breaths no longer crystallized before him.
Crunch!
Rhaegar's foot landed on something brittle. He glanced down, his eyes narrowing as he realized he had stepped on a pile of rubble concealing a dark skeleton. The bones were slender, resembling those of a large cat or dog, but their inherent blackness was unmistakable.
Kneeling, Rhaegar brushed his fingers over the familiar texture of dragonbone. Gently pushing aside more rubble, he uncovered a small dragon skull adorned with horns, no larger than a soccer ball. A mix of emotions washed over him as he held the relic in his hands.
"Your Grace, there's more over here," Sea Snake called out gravely, stepping aside to reveal a broader view.
They stood within the ruins of what had once been a magnificent hall, now reduced to a collapsed ceiling and fragmented walls. Rhaegar's gaze followed Sea Snake's gesture, and his grip tightened involuntarily around the small skull he held.
At the center of the ruins lay a massive dragon skeleton, stretching seventy to eighty meters long, its bones as black as ink. Scanning the area, Rhaegar spotted several other dragon skeletons of varying sizes scattered among the debris, many broken and weathered by years of wind and snow.
One particularly striking skeleton rested against the edge of a broken wall. It spanned over forty meters, its spine severed at the cervical vertebrae. The dragon's skull leaned against the crumbling stone, empty eye sockets gazing skyward, evoking a profound sense of melancholy.
"This is a graveyard of dragons," Rhaegar murmured, his voice heavy with awe and sorrow.