Chapter 366: The Awakening of the Inheritance

Sandor and Geralt were locked in iron frames, while Bronn and Jaqen were confined to an iron cage. Geralt appeared calm on the outside, but inside, he deeply regretted his decision to play the hero and get involved in this mess. The other three had long since grown accustomed to life and death, and had already started chatting casually.

"Stop talking, someone's coming!"

The ship had not yet set sail, but the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from the dark lower hold. From the sound, it seemed they were heading towards the four of them. The group immediately fell silent and looked up at the upper deck.

"It seems like there are cabins for people above us, someone must have moved in," Sandor, the Hound, spoke once the footsteps had faded.

"That's obvious, isn't it? The ship only has two levels. Could they really be squeezing in with us and the cargo?" Bronn said just as the ship creaked from various parts of its body.

"We've set sail! Hey, Geralt! Do you think they'll kill us once we leave the city?"

In the pitch-black hold of the ship, only Geralt's special eyes allowed him to see clearly. He raised his head to look at Bronn. "They won't kill us."

"How can you be so sure? If they don't kill us, are they planning to treat us to a nice meal?" Bronn thought it made more sense to kill them outside the city to dispose of the bodies.

Geralt looked at them. "You're thinking too much. They're trafficking in vampire dust. They'll take us to a secret location, transform us into vampires, and then kill us to sell the dust."

"I hate vampires!" Sandor cursed angrily as he struggled, but the iron shackles didn't budge.

The usually quiet Jaqen walked over to the cage and said, "You're the adopted son of Lord Wright, they probably won't dare to kill you, right? Or do you have a backup plan, and deliberately got captured to take them all down in one go?"

"I'm sorry, I overestimated myself! I came alone this time, no backup," Geralt said with a bitter smile on his face.

"I didn't think we'd die like this, so helpless!"

The group fell silent.

The ship sailed for two days, during which time the four were only fed a few pieces of black bread. They barely moved, saving their strength in the hopes of finding an opportunity to make a desperate fight for freedom.

"Something's happening upstairs!" Geralt suddenly said.

"What's going on?" Bronn didn't hear anything.

"My senses are sharper than usual. There are people talking in the upper cabins, keep it quiet," Geralt closed his eyes, focusing on his hearing.

The voices didn't come from above but from the side above them. There were sounds of someone running, followed by a conversation between two men. One of them was the shapeshifter with three animals, and the other was a voice Geralt had never heard before.

"Bol, urgent news, we need to change course to Winterfell," the voice of a man in his twenties said.

"What happened? You're usually so calm, why the panic?" This was Bol's voice.

"While you've been busy with the cargo, I received a letter from King's Landing this morning. I'm telling you this, but don't get shocked!"

"Heh, what could possibly shock me?" A sound of pouring wine followed.

Geralt deduced that the two were likely friends or partners.

"Lord Wright, in his capacity as Archmage, has issued an announcement to all mages: the inheritance of the Three-Eyed Raven has been unlocked! Any Skinchanger mages with time can travel to the area beyond the Wall."

There was a pause. "Lord Eddard Stark has also issued a recruitment order in his capacity as the Lord of Winterfell: all Skinchanger mages should first gather in Winterfell before heading together to the dangerous lands beyond the Wall."

"Who is the next Three-Eyed Raven, then?" Bol asked the most pressing question.

"Neither Wright nor Eddard mentioned it. Perhaps they don't even know. I think this is something the Three-Eyed Raven set up deliberately, making everyone think they're the lucky one, so they can unite and go to the Wall together."

"Aside from apprentices, there must be over a hundred Skinchangers gathering in Winterfell. Are you going too?" Bol asked.

"Of course I am. In fact, I came specially to notify you. The more powerful Skinchangers are closer to the Three-Eyed Raven's inheritance. Many people are betting on you, being a three-form shapeshifter," the voice answered.

There was silence for a moment, and Geralt guessed that Bol was weighing the pros and cons.

"Yes! Maybe this is the only chance in my life. What if it really is me? Then I might even stand equal to Wright, haha!" Bol suddenly burst into wild laughter.

"What about the four people in the cabin? There's also Wright's adopted son in there. If we don't deal with them, it'll be a big problem!"

"When we reach Castle Carwyn, the three ordinary ones will be turned into vampires and killed immediately. As for Geralt, how we deal with him isn't my problem. Someone will take care of it then," Bol replied, indicating he had higher-ups.

Geralt stopped listening to the conversation when it reached this point, and the two walked out of the cabin to speak with the other mages.

"Good news and bad news."

"Hey, young man, don't keep us in suspense, just say it already." Sandor sounded impatient.

Geralt: "The bad news is that the three of you and I are most likely going to be executed. The good news is, they're taking us to some place near Castle Carwyn before they act, so we probably have about a week to live."

"Sounds like good news after all. Maybe we'll find a chance to escape." The others weren't ready to accept their fate just yet.

---

While Geralt and the others were getting only one piece of black bread a day, far in the West, Wright sat down to eat a piece of honey-glazed swan meat, its juice dripping and filling his mouth with sweetness.

"This is the swan I personally caught and cooked for you. How does it taste?" A beautiful blonde woman sat beside Wright, asking him.

The woman wore a luxurious gown embroidered with a golden lion, her curvaceous figure accentuated by the outfit. Her golden hair, styled in an elegant updo, marked her as a married woman, but Wright didn't seem to care as he placed his hand on her head, messing with her golden locks. "Stop flattering me, just say what you want."

"Really, in front of everyone?" Nymeria, who was seated beside them, kicked Wright under the table. "Rosamund is too shy, I bet she's asking about the promised gift you've still not given her."

The blonde woman was Wright's fourth direct disciple, Rosamund Lannister. Today was the third day after her wedding to Willen Lannister. The group was seated at the tournament platform outside Lannister Port.

It was now the lunch break. King Renly, the newlywed Willen, and other older nobles had gone into the city for their meals, while the younger ones still wandered around the tournament grounds. Wright and his family had stayed behind with Rosamund to eat, and there were no guards, only a few maidservants holding trays of food.

"Haha, I gave you a wedding gift the other day, didn't I?" Wright acted like he didn't know.

"When I turned ten, you promised me a gift when I get married. Where is it?" Rosamund's eyes started to well with tears.

She had kept the promise Wright made when she was a child in her heart, no matter the value of the gift. It was a promise from her most respected teacher, and now that it was unfulfilled, Rosamund felt immense sadness.

"I also heard about it, you heartless one, you even want to go back on your promise to your little disciple! Don't cry, Rosamund," Nymeria said as she pulled out a handkerchief from her chest, gently wiping the tears from Rosamund's face.

"Still calling her 'little Rosamund' after she's married?" Wright complained before turning to Rosamund. "Be careful, Nymeria might be planning something with your body!"

Hearing this, Nymeria immediately hugged Rosamund tightly. "I'm just that type, what are you going to do about it?"

Wright had no way to stop Nymeria from defending Rosamund. "I can give the best gift. Besides the magic I've developed specifically for you, there are also Valyrian steel weapons. Your gift was already made a long time ago."

Nymeria was puzzled. "Then why didn't you give it to Rosamund at the wedding?"

"Don't blame me, blame Sauron! He said he'd hold onto it for now and would deliver it to Rosamund himself. How was I supposed to know he still hasn't given it to her?" Wright stood up and walked out of the awning, looking around at the sky, pointing toward the forest. "There! In the sky!"

Rosamund and Nymeria followed him outside, shielding their eyes from the sun as they looked into the distance.

Amidst a few clouds in the sky, three figures were moving swiftly. The red and golden dragons were attacking a black dragon at the same time.

The young dragons were extremely agile in the sky, twisting and turning freely, sometimes soaring above the clouds, sometimes folding their wings and diving rapidly. The red and golden dragons occasionally spewed dragonfire at the black dragon, while they sometimes clashed together, using their claws and sharp teeth to rip at each other while plummeting.

On their backs, three small figures were busy too. Ice, lightning, and fire magic continuously shot from their hands at the opposing dragons. The smaller spells caused the dragons to twitch, while the powerful ones made the flying dragons veer off course. The spells that missed left long trails in the air, flying far into the distance.

"Sauron's gift to you is on that black dragon." Wright pointed at the black dragon.

On the black dragon's back, Sauron was holding a staff that gleamed gold in the sunlight. It was too far to see clearly, but it looked like a magic wand.

The three dragons were the same age, with little difference in strength. Sauron and the black dragon, facing two opponents, naturally received more attacks. Sauron occasionally pressed his wand against the black dragon's back, and golden magic poured out from the staff, enveloping the black dragon. Its wounds healed instantly, which was why he could withstand attacks from both his sister and brother.

As for Odahviing, its massive body lay on top of a small hill in the distance. It preferred to sleep rather than participate in the kids' boring brawl.

"Is that healing magic?" Rosamund asked.

Wright had already created dozens of Valyrian steel weapons, auctioning off one each year and giving a few away. But whether it was a longsword or a wand, all of them were enchanted with offensive magic. People didn't like spending a large sum on something that could only heal; if you wanted healing, just drink a potion.

"Don't underestimate any type of magic, especially healing magic! Go sit down, they'll probably keep fighting for a while." Wright wasn't concerned about the safety of the three children; they often practiced like this.

Nymeria, returning to her seat, sighed. "I really envy them. They're so young, yet they can fight using magic in the sky."

"Yeah, at their age, I needed to rest for a month after casting a spell. I didn't even ride a dragon until I was almost twenty." Wright himself envied the children.

After the break, when the nobles and merchants returned to the tournament grounds, the noise and bustle resumed.

The three dragons landed outside the tournament area, and Lannister guards quickly surrounded them, keeping people from getting too close. The three children ran toward the main platform.

King Renly sat in the high seat. On his right was Jaime, who had a dazed look on his face as he stared at his feet. On his left was the newlywed Willen Lannister.

"So, how is it? Is it useful?" Seeing Sauron running up to the platform with a golden staff in hand, Prince Lyonel hurriedly pulled him aside to ask.

"Very useful! It's a shame you have to attend all these banquets. Otherwise, we could have had a proper duel." Sauron knew Lyonel envied his freedom to move around.