Chapter 141: Return

"More visitors?"

"This place is truly bustling."

Viserys noticed the commotion in the distance and placed the Heart of Stars back into the wooden box, handing it to the guard beside him.

At this moment, the army halted, and the soldiers responsible for scouting and guarding the nearby area quickly rode back to report.

"Your Majesty."

"It's the bearded monk soldiers from Norvos."

It turned out that the commotion caused by the falling star last night was too great. Not only was the Andalosian army nearby, but many others had taken notice as well.

Even the defeated Dothraki had regrouped.

One of Drogo's former Khalasar leaders, Jakko, had defeated the remaining Khals and become the new Khal, consolidating the remnants of Drogo's forces.

He first subdued his bloodriders, then saw the red comet in the sky.

To rally the people, Jakko dubbed the red comet "Shirak Qoyi" in the Dothraki language, meaning "The Weeping Blood Star."

It symbolized the great Khal Drogo ascending to the heavens in flames, riding fiery steeds across the sky, and that they would eventually avenge him.

Jakko then pointed to the Weeping Blood Star in the sky and swore that one day he would kill the iron-clad cowards, burn their stone houses, and then...

And then the Weeping Blood Star fell from the sky.

...

In addition to the victorious Andalosian Legion and the retreating Dothraki.

In distant Norvos.

A high monk residing atop the Sinner's Steps had prophesized that a star would fall that night, and it would be the "Star of Karmic Obstruction." If not stopped, it would bring a terrible disaster to Norvos.

Immediately, the ancient bells of Num, Nara, and Nael were struck, and the monk's warning echoed throughout the city-state with the resounding chimes.

As a result, the Norvoshi Council of Magisters did not dare to delay and swiftly dispatched a 2,000-strong force to search for the prophesized fallen star.

After a day and night of searching, the monk soldiers finally found the true location of the red comet's fall and learned what the disaster foretold by the high monk in the temple was: this bright-as-day wildfire was the most terrifying disaster.

However, someone had already claimed the site.

"We're late. Who are they?"

Due to the significant difference in numbers, the Norvoshi army did not dare to approach and could only watch from a distance for the time being.

Then, they sent an envoy to negotiate.

Clip-clop-clip...

A bald Norvoshi monk soldier with a long beard and wielding a long axe rode up to Viserys.

He dismounted, laid his weapon aside, and respectfully pressed his palms together, bowing slightly.

"Honorable Andalosian lord."

The messenger soon clarified their intentions, assuring them that they bore no ill will. They merely wished to investigate the site of the comet's fall and extinguish the wildfire, hoping that the Andalos Legion could assist them.

They were willing to offer a generous reward to the ruler of Andalos.

Norvos, nestled among the mountains, would face irreversible consequences if the wildfire could not be controlled and no rain fell in the meantime.

Viserys didn't hesitate for long upon hearing the Norvoshi messenger's request. He nodded in agreement, commanding his soldiers to help extinguish the fire.

After all, this was a natural disaster, and if the fire continued to spread, it would do no good for Andalos, located downwind.

A massive firefighting operation ensued, and the soldiers who ventured into the mountains soon returned unharmed. However, all the captives brought in seemed to have vanished.

The soldiers reported to Viserys that the comet's landing site was a huge, deep pit. Inside the pit were only ruins and scorched trees, with nothing else of value.

Several captives, whose shackles had been removed, seized the opportunity to stage a revolt. Armed with ropes, they attempted to take weapons but were discovered by the alert soldiers. These soldiers were among the most agile in the army.

The captives were swiftly killed by the soldiers, and the leader of the Brotherhood was impaled by a sword through his chest, falling into a fire pit below a steep slope. He was presumably dead.

The soldiers didn't dare pursue, taking advantage of the favorable wind direction and minimal smoke to return to the base of the mountain.

"Are they dead?"

Viserys listened to the soldiers' report and nodded indifferently.

The lives and deaths of a few bandits meant little to him. If they were dead, they deserved it, and if they escaped, it was no big deal.

...

Soon enough, a night had passed.

After a night of firefighting, the flames at the comet's crash site were completely extinguished.

Viserys, wearing a cloak and covering his mouth and nose with a damp cloth, ventured into the meteor crater. Beneath his feet lay soft, charred earth and the ruins left by the fallen meteor.

It seemed that apart from the Heart of the Fallen Star, there was nothing else of value here.

"Thank you very much for your generous help," the bearded monk following Viserys said, bringing his hands together in gratitude.

"But now... we can only pray for the heavens to have mercy and bring a heavy rain."

This morning, Norvos sent a few thousand more people to help, along with a large amount of gold, silver, and supplies for the Andalos Legion, thanking them for their assistance in controlling the fire the previous night.

Although the wildfire was not completely extinguished and had spread to several surrounding mountains, there was no alternative. Without the aid of the Andalos army, the fire would have spiraled out of control by now.

Viserys accepted the bearded monk's gratitude without demur, leading the Andalos army on a brief half-day rest before heading back home.

Their journey this time took them as far as Ghoyan Drohe, touching the Valyrian Road of Pentos, before returning home.

Venturing further would have led them into the territories of Norvos and Pentos, and Viserys didn't want to clash with these two formidable city-states just yet.

Although Pentos had no soldiers for foreign wars, their towering city walls were still awe-inspiring, and they maintained good relations with many horse lords.

Later...

Hoot—

The melodious sound of a horn echoed.

The Andalos Legion, on their way

home, executed the remaining Brotherhood members by the banks of the Rhoyne River and threw their bodies into the water.

Then, they crossed the river and headed straight for their homeland.

...