Part 44
The Silence – Dragonstone
Once the fight with the Ironborn was over and every one of those scum had been slain or tossed overboard to go meet their Drowned God, as we had no room for prisoners, nor any desire to waste supplies on them, however, the Ironborn's thralls had a different fate.
Acting with Northern honour, we offered them pay and better food in exchange for doing what they had already been doing, along with the promise of freedom once we reached a friendly port, which was something Dragonstone might not prove to be, even if our prospects looked good.
We'd captured two of the Ironborn vessels: one now belonged to House Manderly, and Euron's The Silence was now mine. I had killed Euron and paid the iron price, so what he had owned was now mine. So it belonged to House Blackwolf, and thus by extension, to House Stark, since I was in direct service to my father's house.
Since Winterfell and my own small bit of land were far from the sea and therefore had no where to store a ship, I might end up selling the ship to the Manderlys, or perhaps I would give it to Wylla Manderly, if I didn't end up marrying her, as a ship of her own would make for one hell of an apology for not letting her drag me off to a Sept.
For now, I was the new captain of The Silence, a ship I wished to rename to something wolf-themed or otherwise insulting to the Ironborn. But I'd been advised not to do that until the ship docked and the Greyjoy sail could be removed.
According to the sailors of House Manderly, this ship could only be renamed once anything bearing the Greyjoy name or symbol had been stripped away, or it was very bad luck and I'd decided to go along with the tradition just in case.
Since the island of Dragonstone had more going for it than just a Targaryen castle, there was a town, as well as facilities for repairing ships, we should be able to get the sails replaced and the ship renamed before we leave the island.
I could certainly afford to have a bit of a refit performed. Euron Greyjoy had been a successful raider, and the spoils of his raids had been shared out among the officers and sailors, with me getting the lion's share, or rather, the wolf's share.
Since I now had a ship of my own, men of lower rank who had performed well were promoted to officers to help me sail this vessel. I was only the captain in name until I gained more experience at sea.
"No sign of any other ships, Ser Jon," said Larence Snow.
My squire, who had been smart enough not to get in the way when I was busy in Gulltown or dealing with the Ironborn, had started to warm up to me during the latter part of our sea voyage.
I didn't blame him for acting a bit shy around me before now. Aside from the fact that I am the son of Lord Stark and he is a bastard of a lesser house, I've gained a reputation in the North as both a fierce warrior and a bard.
Outside my family and the other high-ranking nobles, I'm seen as something akin to a rock star in my old world. Turns out that he'd be a little star-struck upon finding out he was going to be spending a few years squiring for me.
"The only vessel any of us have seen is the Onion Knight's ship," I said. "Stannis must have left Ser Davos to look after his wife and daughter when he went to war, and by the looks of things, he didn't leave much behind".
From what we had heard, the Red Woman, as she was known, had tried to use her foreign magics to take King's Landing and ended up burning it down. So it was easy to imagine that House Baratheon wasn't very popular these days.
I knew that it had been Cersei Lannisters, and I was sure others suspected the truth, but the Westerosi weren't very tolerant of foreigners, so it was easier to place the blame on an outsider witch who influenced an otherwise good man than it was to admit the truth.
"So what happens after we make port, Ser Jon?" Larence asked curiously.
It was good that he asked questions. The relationship between knight and squire is supposed to be a symbiotic one. In exchange for service, I needed to teach him what he must know to become a knight. That included how to deal with the nobility, though he would've learned a bit of that while staying as a ward at Deepwood Motte.
"We need to dock and then deal with the harbormaster," I answered. "We'll have to pay for the ships to be berthed and for any repairs. I want this ship refitted, that'll take a while. Once arrangements have been made, I'll send someone to the castle to ask for an audience. Likely, I'll meet with Ser Davos in private after a formal audience. Then I'll make arrangements for us to start gathering dragonglass".
Given our time at sea, I was glad for the magically induced cleanliness provided by the Eros Earrings. Others weren't so fortunate, and we needed to get cleaned up.
"As my squire, you'll come with me, along with a few guards," I went on to say, "Don't speak unless spoken to, and remember to give a quick bow to whoever's in charge. Then watch and listen. You can learn a lot that way".
"Once the messenger has been sent and we are waiting for a reply, we'll get something to eat and make sure we're resupplied," I told my squire, "We can trust most of the work to the ship's officers, but we need to make sure the work is getting done that is part of leadership".
Owning a ship was a big responsibility and something Larence might to need learn about should he chose a life at sea rather than serve as a knight to a northern house. He would be what the locals a man-grown in a few short years and then he would have to decide what to do with his life.
Until then, he was mine to look after and to teach as best I could. Hopefully, he'd keep his head down and listen rather than getting it chopped off in a battle.
The Great Hall – Dragonstone
It didn't take long before we were escorted up the winding path to the castle. As planned, I took Larence and a few guards with me, letting the Manderly officers handle things down in the port town. Which, confusingly, was also called Dragonstone.
Spoiler
As we made our way to the castle, I took in the sight. Only now did it really sink in that I had something of a right to this place, and had it been occupied by anyone unfriendly, then I would be attempting to take the castle.
Arguably, I was the heir to the Iron Throne, whose holder traditionally bore the title Prince of Dragonstone. But the castle, like the Red Keep, had been lost to the Targaryens when House Baratheon claimed the Iron Throne.
Since House Targaryen and House Baratheon were so closely connected, Robert and Rhaegar had been cousins, even if Robert would not have thanked you for mentioning it, and this meant Lady Shireen was also distantly related to me.
Lady Shireen Baratheon awaited us in the great hall, flanked by Ser Davos Seaworth. She sat in a throne made of dragonglass, and her greyscale scars were barely noticeable, veiled as she was in shadow.
The entire castle was a dark place, and so dragon-themed that even I was thinking the Targaryens of the past could have toned it down a bit.
"Ser Blackwolf," Davos greeted, his voice rough but steady, "Her Highness, Princess Shireen Baratheon, is ready to receive you".
Since Stannis was dead, I wondered why no one had declared her the rightful queen. And why wasn't Stannis's wife here? He wouldn't have taken her into battle with him. But that was not the kind of question to be asked in public.
I'd already imagined that Ser Davos and I would meet in private to discuss the finer details of the situation here and how we would be able to harvest the dragonglass.
"Your Highness," I said as I handed a scroll to her advisor, "I am Ser Jon Blackwolf, natural child of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, Warden of the North. I have been sent here on an important mission for the North".
'Natural child' was a polite term for a child born to a noble and a commoner. It didn't strictly apply to me, since both my biological parents were noble, but that was not something I was ready to tell people, and it was better than saying I was a legitimised bastard.
The knight read the scroll and then spent a few moments whispering. Everyone ignored the delay, knowing they were in a poor position. However, it would have been disrespectful of me to point that out, so I acted humbly and waited to be addressed.
"I couldn't fail to notice the Ironborn ships in your fleet," mentioned Ser Davos. "Ships that have been seen in these waters of late".
He couldn't hide his concern, and he was right to feel that way. Having Ironborn near your home was never a good thing.
"While at sea, we were attacked by three Ironborn ships," I explained. "But they didn't know we had so many fighters on board. They soon regretted boarding us, and we captured two of their vessels. The third was able to flee".
I could explain the details to Ser Davos later. It was time to move on with the formalities.
"Ser Jon," said the princess, who sounded more mature than her years should allow, "I've heard that people from the North, even of noble birth, prefer to speak bluntly, so we will speak bluntly to you".
Ser Davos took a step forward before speaking.
"To be frank, we cannot hold the island if we are attacked," admitted the Onion Knight. "His Grace took almost all of the fighting men with him, and since news of his death reached us, the Houses of the Stormlands and Crownlands have deserted us. Those fighting men left are men of Dragonstone".
Not shocking news. Stannis had been a proven commander, and he'd had a claim to the Iron Throne. His daughter was a little girl whom no one would want to marry due to her disfigurement, she was not someone to whom lords and armies would rally behind.
"Lord Stark has authorised me to garrison the island and to protect it," I stated. "We are willing to defend the entire island with ships and men, if you permit it".
I'd been thinking that Princess Shireen would allow this, and that she would do so graciously, to make it look as if she were doing House Stark a service, when in fact they needed our protection rather badly.
"And the Small Council has allowed this?" said Ser Davos.
If it had been Dorne or the Vale wanting to garrison the island, I doubted it would have gone so smoothly, but the North had a Wildling problem to focus on and thus weren't going to be trying to conquer the south.
"That is indeed the case," I confirmed "They will permit House Stark to do what it must to claim the dragonglass that we need. If this can be done peacefully, then Lord Stark will be pleased. He counted King Robert as a brother, and he would want his friend's niece to be protected".
This seemed to be going well so far, even if I wasn't much of a diplomat, it wasn't as if they had much choice.
"The Princess requires more than just the promise of protection for the island. She seeks the protection of House Stark more directly," said Ser Davos.
I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that.
"You want to become a ward of House Stark?" I asked the princess directly.
That shocked me at first, until I realised she was an enemy of House Lannister and very vulnerable. Not to mention, when Daenerys Targaryen turned up, she wouldn't be happy to find someone from an enemy noble house living in what the Mother of Dragons would see as her castle.
"If you are half the man your father is, you'll keep your word and keep the princess safe," said Ser Davos, still speaking on her behalf, "We know that sooner or later, House Lannister will want to put an end to any competing claims to the Iron Throne and Tywin Lannister not a merciful man".
He wasn't wrong about that. Tywin Lannister might not claim the throne directly, but he'd want to put a puppet on it, one of his children, if any had survived, and he would not want to have someone who his enemies could use as their puppet just sitting here on Dragonstone.
"We are surrendering the island and the castle to House Stark in exchange for House Stark's protection, and for Lady Shireen Baratheon becoming a ward of House Stark," stated Ser Davos.
Once it sank in, and this took a few moments, I realised this was a rather clever move. If I accepted, and I knew my father would want King Robert's niece looked after, it would protect Shireen from House Lannister.
The last thing Lord Tywin Lannister would want to do was to add fuel to the flaming pile of shit that was Westeros by angering The North.
I also took note that Ser Davos had referred to her as Lady rather than Princess, signalling that she was dropping her claim to the throne in exchange for her safety. That was a very wise move.
"Very well, I, Ser Jon Blackwolf, natural son of Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, do, on behalf of House Stark, accept the Lady Shireen Baratheon as a ward of House Stark".
That made it sound nice and official, and my father had been given a great deal of authority in how I got a supply line of dragonglass going, so he would not question this as long as I didn't drag the North into a war.
Lady Shireen stood slowly, her hands clasped in front of her. She didn't look like a princess ready to rule, she was just a sickly little girl. Yet there was a certain quiet dignity about her as she surrendered her throne.
"I thank you, Ser Jon," she said, her voice soft but clear. "I will do my best to be worthy of your protection and my place among your House".
Ser Davos gave a small nod of approval as the girl was led away.
"Please take your seat, Ser Jon," he said, "You are acting Lord of Dragonstone".
I had to struggle not to laugh. My arguable birthright had just been handed to me without so much as a raised sword. For some reason, I found this to be very funny.
"We'll need to organise the handover," Ser Davos said "As Acting Lord of Dragonstone, I ask that you keep me on as Casterlen so I can help you".
I knew Ser Davos to be a decent man, and he would know this island, so it made sense to keep him in a position of authority.
"Yes, you should keep your position," I said.
I sat down on the throne that my ancestors, Aegon the Conqueror, must have once sat upon, and that was something I could get giddy about later.
Right now, many things require my attention. I would also need to send messages to my father and the Small Council to confirm my taking possession of the Island. I had no desire to rule, but if that was what it took to secure the dragonglass, then it needed to be done.
"I want to disrupt life here on the island as little as possible," I told Ser Davos "This occupation isn't permanent, but it could last for years, and I don't want the people of Dragonstone to resent our presence here".
Ser Davos was willing to work with me, and this pleased me.
"There are still some loyal men here, for now I'd like to keep them in the castle, the former queen is not in good health and Lady Shireen is vulnerable," he said.
I gave this some thought.
"Then it might be best to keep the Baratheon household in what part of the castle," I decided "The port and castle will need a proper garrison, and I have enough men for that, and I can send for more if we need them".
I would not forget the mission that had brought me here.
"Ser Davos, if there are any records or inventories of the dragonglass deposits, if there are, then I'd like to review them," I added. "We'll need to begin extraction soon and start sending it North".
That made the older knight grimace for some reason.
"Aye, I'll have Maester Cressen's notes brought up. He kept track of such things," he said.
Cressen was the old Maester who had tried to kill the Red Woman with poison and died while doing so. Davos had been friends with him, or at least friendly, from what I knew.
"Good, we brought along some scribes from White Harbour who can take care of the details, and we brought ravens as well," I mentioned "Once we have the men settled I'll send a message to Winterfell and White Harbour. We'll make sure the castle is properly guarded, staffed and supplied".
There was one matter that worried me.
"Do you want Lady Baratheon sent to Winterfell?" I asked, "She's your responsibility even if she is a ward of House Stark. So I will trust your judgement".
The old knight looked to have already considered this.
"I'd prefer to keep her ladyship here if possible. The former queen is too ill to travel, and there's no direct danger to her ladyship now that your men are here," he answered.
That was fine with me as this was her home, and it wasn't as if she'd be any trouble, and she hadn't even been born during the rebellion, so if I did have a reason to resent the Baratheons, she couldn't be blamed for anything.
There were many details to go over, and I focused on them as Ser Davos explained what needed to be done to secure the island and open its port up to trade once again.
Creating heavenly laws
Surrendering all 12th-rank weapons, armaments, treasures, and rare items is a cost that is difficult to bear for the many 12th-rank Strongest Ones.
In the future, the probability that they could endure the Great Cosmic Destruction would plummet significantly.
But if they do not surrender them, they would not even have the chance to endure the Great Cosmic Destruction.
How to choose—naturally, the many 12th-rank Strongest Ones understand this in their hearts.
In fact, during the time they were suppressed inside the palace, many of the 12th-rank Strongest Ones already felt quite resentful.
Back then, if they had agreed to the Milky Way Star Lord's conditions, handed over ninety percent of their 12th-rank weapons, armaments, treasures, and rare items, and then submitted to human civilization, nothing would have happened.
Yet some of the 12th-rank Strongest Ones were unwilling to accept it and wanted to resist.
Resist?
What was the outcome?
When faced with the new conditions proposed by Lin Yuan, not a single 12th-rank Strongest One dared to hesitate.
"Hand them over first."
Lin Yuan spoke.
At this moment, for Lin Yuan, the dozens of 12th-rank Strongest Ones inside the palace were merely burdensome.
When the Great Cosmic Destruction arrived, if Lin Yuan continued to carry the palace and the dozens of 12th-rank Strongest Ones within it, he would face a backlash and suppression from over half of the universal consciouness.
It would be equivalent to Lin Yuan helping these dozens of 12th-rank Strongest Ones resist the Great Cosmic Destruction.
"Hand them over first?"
Inside the palace, the dozens of 12th-rank Strongest Ones hesitated slightly.
If they handed over their treasures and rare items and weapons right away, what if the Milky Way Strongest one went back on his word afterward and refused to let them out?
"I believe in the Milky Way Strongest one."
After thinking for a moment, the 12th-rank Strongest One from the Starry Sky Alliance decisively took out all of his treasures and rare items and weapons.
Right now, they had no leverage to negotiate with the Milky Way Strongest one. In fact, he felt that it was already a gift of mercy for the Milky Way Strongest one to give them a chance and let them out.
"Go on."
Lin Yuan put away the treasures and rare items and directly teleported that Strongest One from the Starry Sky Alliance out.
"Many thanks, Milky Way Strongest one."
The Starry Sky Alliance Strongest One spoke in a tone full of delight. After repeatedly expressing gratitude, his figure immediately vanished.
Inside the palace, as soon as the remaining 12th-rank Strongest Ones saw this, they handed over all their treasures and rare items one after another and were then gradually teleported out.
"Remember, the current universe is the domain of human civilization." Lin Yuan offered a rare reminder.
"Rest assured, Milky Way Strongest one, we will definitely not violate the rules of human civilization." The many 12th-rank Strongest Ones hurriedly responded.
Violate the rules?
If the Milky Way Star Lord could suppress them once, he could suppress them twice or thrice.
Watching as each of the 12th-rank Strongest Ones disappeared one by one, Lin Yuan's expression remained calm.
Having lost their respective weapons and treasures, these 12th-rank Strongest Ones probably only had a twenty or thirty percent chance of surviving the Great Cosmic Destruction.
And even if they managed to endure it, should they dare reveal any hint of malice—
Lin Yuan's dozens of incarnations were still waiting outside the universe.
Compared to inside the universe, where Lin Yuan's abilities were greatly suppressed by the universal consciouness in all aspects, outside the universe—where even a single incarnation could employ far more powerful methods—the resulting despair would be true despair indeed.
"These weapons, armaments, treasures, and rare items…"
Lin Yuan glanced over the items offered by the dozens of 12th-rank Strongest Ones and nodded slightly.
All the weapons, armaments, treasures, and rare items combined were worth nearly one hundred thousand chaos stones, roughly equivalent to the net worth of an ordinary Dominance-level expert.
At the Thousand Treasures Festival on the Guming Chaos Continent, Lin Yuan had spent thirty thousand chaos stones to buy that golden box, so this finally made up for some of his expenditure.
"The Chaotic Void."
Lin Yuan's gaze was deep.
After the Great Cosmic Destruction, what the human civilization needed to do was to hurry and find a new homeland somewhere in the Chaotic Void, then establish a foothold and develop.
As for continuing to live in an internal universe? An internal universe cannot nurture true powerhouses. In terms of its source, an internal universe is far inferior to a genuine cosmic starry sky, let alone the Chaotic Void.
Up until now, any 12th-rank being within the universe—whether a special lifeform or a race-based lifeform—was born from the universe itself. As for the internal universe? Its upper limit was set from the start.
"With the current foundation of human civilization, buying a piece of continental fragment beside the Guming Chaos Continent shouldn't be an issue."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
The new homeland for human civilization must prioritize safety. The large surrounding areas near the Guming Chaos Continent are of course the safest.
The Guming Chaos Continent's size is roughly equivalent to dozens of universes, and naturally, there are some continental fragments orbiting around it.
They are effectively part of the Guming Chaos Continent. Even if the Guming Chaos Continent sets sail and moves, it will carry the surrounding fragments along with it.
Virtual world.
Lin Shou Cheng and Lin Qiong stood there full of worry, while Lin Yi obediently stayed at their side.
"Little Yuan, what exactly is going on right now? Why have so many citizens of Canglan Star begun migrating?"
Lin Qiong asked in a low voice.
"Yes, migrating? Migrating to where?"
Lin Shou Cheng could not help but ask.
According to the plan laid out by Xuanyuan Strongest one and the other eight Strongest ones, only about one percent of the human civilization's people could be moved into internal universes.
But because of Lin Yuan's influence, all the citizens of Canglan Star were given the right to move in.
"They are migrating to another universe."
Lin Yuan explained simply.
In order to prevent the citizens from reacting too violently, Xuanyuan Strongest one and the other nine Strongest ones did not announce the reason for the migration.
After all, the Great Cosmic Destruction is truly inconceivable.
"Why migrate to another universe?"
Lin Qiong was still somewhat puzzled.
"Please don't tell anyone about this." Lin Yuan looked at his parents. Under his protection, his parents would definitely survive safely.
Not just his parents and other relatives—even the entire Canglan Star and the Red Kun Star Domain—under Lin Yuan's influence, the vicious competition was reduced or even avoided.
"This universe is about to be destroyed," Lin Yuan said.
"The universe is about to be destroyed?" Lin Shou Cheng and Lin Qiong felt somewhat dazed.
In their eyes, the universe was boundlessly vast. Even if there would be a day when it perished, that should be countless ages away.
"Because of influences from beyond the universe, in a while I will send you into my internal universe. Life there will be no different than it is on Canglan Star."
Lin Yuan said.
His internal universe currently extended to nearly eight million light years across. For the vast majority of human citizens, eight million light years is no different from a complete cosmic starry sky.
"Brother, if the universe is being destroyed, can't you stop it?" Lin Yi asked softly from the side.
She had previously learned a little about cosmic destruction from the Xia family. Hearing Lin Yuan say it himself now, though she felt shocked, she recovered quite quickly.
"I can't stop it." Lin Yuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
Right now, he was far too insignificant in front of the two Chaos Great Saints.
Not only him—Shadowfiend Great Saint and Nine Phoenix Great Saint had battled their way across countless stars, causing who knows how many universes to collapse and perish prematurely in the process.
Mysterious Emperor Secret Realm.
Inside the jade gourd.
Lin Yuan appeared solemn, reaching out to take a rune and placing it before him to examine carefully.
Facing the Great Cosmic Destruction, ninety-nine percent of humanity was destined to die, but these 3,333 runes before him let Lin Yuan see a glimmer of hope.
By integrating the advantages of every cosmic structure contained in these runes, not only could he lead more humans to survive, but he would also gain an unimaginable boost in strength.
Reaching the peak of Path-Clearing and possessing an internal universe close to the level of Chaos?
What kind of concept was that? Even if it couldn't match a Chaos level being, it would at least be invincible at the Dominance level, right?
"Cosmic structure."
Lin Yuan poured all his focus into it. At this moment, he even stopped comprehending rules, and he paused his work on perfecting the Martial Dao Dominance Chapter. All his energy was devoted to analyzing the complex runes before him.
[Your Unrivaled Insight is in effect. Observing the mysterious runes greatly enhances your comprehension of cosmic structure.]
New bursts of inspiration surfaced in Lin Yuan's mind. A complete model of a cosmic structure appeared before him.
It quickly improved and swiftly took shape.
Not far away.
A red-clothed young girl was lying idly on a huge rock, legs crossed, glancing at Lin Yuan.
"So boring, I really want someone to talk to."
She felt troubled. In truth, she wished Lin Yuan could chat with her once in a while as he studied the runes.
But she also knew that it would disrupt his progress in understanding them. Needing one cosmic epoch to comprehend 3,333 runes was definitely an enormous task.
"Just endure it."
"Better not disturb him."
After hesitating for a moment, the red-clothed girl gave up on trying to chat with Lin Yuan.
If she caused him to fail at the last step, wouldn't she be stuck in this place for endless ages once more?
"The first rune is the simplest of all the runes. Normally, it would take tens of millions of years to fully grasp."
The red-clothed girl observed Lin Yuan and the rune floating before him, thinking to herself.
However, in the next moment—
Right under the red-clothed girl's gaze, the rune in front of Lin Yuan gradually dissipated.
"Huh?"
The red-clothed girl froze. The rune vanished?
Those runes were left by her old master, and aside from being fully understood, there was no way to make them disappear.
Understood? Lin Yuan had understood the first rune already? She suddenly realized this and displayed an expression of disbelief.
So little time had passed, and he had already grasped one rune?
She could hardly believe it.
"It must be a coincidence, absolutely just coincidence."
"Maybe the universe he's from has a cosmic structure resembling this rune."
She thought to herself. After all, these 3,333 runes were all created by the jade gourd's owner.
However, in the Chaotic Void, countless universes are born. It's possible one might mirror a certain structure. If Lin Yuan just happened to be born in a universe that matched this rune, it would somewhat explain him mastering it so quickly.
She kept her attention on Lin Yuan.
One hour later.
The second rune disappeared.
The red-clothed girl fell silent.
Could Lin Yuan really be so lucky, encountering two runes similar to universes he had seen?
Two hours later.
The third rune disappeared.
Five hours later.
The fourth rune disappeared.
A day later.
The fifty-eighth rune disappeared.
A month later.
The three hundred sixty-second rune disappeared.
Half a year later.
The two-thousandth rune disappeared.
A year later.
The three thousand three hundredth rune disappeared.
Ever since Lin Yuan rapidly understood the first rune, the red-clothed girl had changed from leaning on the boulder to sitting up, then to standing, and finally to watching with utmost gravity.
She watched, wide-eyed, as the runes vanished one by one.
Originally, thousands of runes drifted about in the sky and on the earth, but now it was all empty.
Only a few dozen runes were left floating, lonely.
"One year."
She calculated the time.
Based on Lin Yuan's speed in comprehending the runes, the remaining dozens likely wouldn't take him much longer.
In other words, the jade gourd's owner had set one cosmic epoch as the standard for testing anyone fated to find these runes, yet Lin Yuan had nearly comprehended them all within a single year?
...