Chapter 198: Dany’s Divine Skill—Three Gods Return to the Cave

"The Valyrians want to hatch dragons too? Could it be…" Dany pointed at the Shadowbinder in surprise. "Could it be that the Archon invited Grand Sorcerer Tamm to hatch dragons in Valyria?"

"Yes!" The Moonsinger gazed in awe at the Shadowbinder, whose back had unconsciously straightened. With a sigh, she added, "Only Grand Sorcerer Tamm is worthy of participating in such a grand event."

Dany couldn't help but recall the witch—uh, the Dragonmother—who had swindled hundreds of thousands of golden coins from the Great Master.

If she couldn't even tell real dragon eggs from fake ones, wasn't she just a fraud?

Hmm, a petty sorcerer fools the common folk, while a big one becomes a distinguished guest of the elite. One successful con can sustain them for a decade, leaving their victims in ruins.

"But does Valyria even have dragon eggs?" Dany asked curiously.

"What do you think? If they didn't, why would they invite the esteemed Shadowbinder?" The Moonsinger shrugged.

"There are way too many dragon eggs in this world!" Dany clicked her tongue. "The Mother of Dragons hatched four eggs, there's a Dragonmother in New Ghis hatching another, I've heard the Qohorik royal family has two, and now even Valyria has some."

"I feel like a new era is about to dawn," the Shadowbinder said in a complicated tone.

Would the Long Night, a once-in-ten-thousand-years event, count as a new era?

While they conversed, Lisbon and the old mage returned, both looking satisfied.

Soon after, the Moonsinger and the male sorcerer joined in, exchanging spells, magical materials, and books. The Shadowbinder even traded a ruby for half a pound of ghostgrass seeds from the male sorcerer.

According to Tamm, that ruby could store a single use of an anti-poison spell.

"I once had a sapphire anti-poison necklace, but it didn't seem to work," Dany said doubtfully.

"Do you understand the principle behind anti-poison magic?" the Shadowbinder countered.

"You just wear it, and it automatically detoxifies you?"

The Shadowbinder shook his head. "You must foresee the poisoning the night before, identify the specific poison, and then either prepare an antidote or cast a detoxification spell to store in the ruby. The next day, you'll be immune to that poison."

Dany nodded secretly. What Tamm described was nearly identical to what the Faceless Men had said before.

"That's completely useless! I might as well just carry an antidote with me," she said, frustrated.

"Often, you don't even get the chance to drink an antidote," the Shadowbinder shook his head. "Besides, think about it: in one scenario, you collapse, writhing on the ground, struggling to reach into your pocket for a vial—pathetically fighting for your life like a dying stray dog.

In another, you sit there with a mysterious smile, everything under control, watching as your enemy unknowingly eats the poisoned food.

Which one strikes more fear into your foes? Which one better fits the image of a noble, elegant, and mysteriously powerful sorcerer?"

Dany had no words to refute that.

"Well then, let's move on to the third—"

"Wait a minute!" Dany interrupted the Shadowbinder, stepping forward. "I want to trade something too."

"You have talent, but your talent lies in the future, not the present," the Shadowbinder frowned.

"I have my own skills—both in deception and self-protection," Dany said confidently, touching her nose.

"Self-protection techniques? Fine, but you'll have to demonstrate first. I'll give you a fair and objective skill rating," the Shadowbinder nodded.

A skill in deception, huh? Magic wasn't required for that. The five "professionals" present would surely understand and appreciate it.

Dany rolled up her sleeves and boldly declared, "Give me two bowls and three dice."

Lisbon, though confused, handed over his porcelain bowls and dice.

Dany crouched on the ground, placing the three dice neatly in front of her while setting the bowls beside them, open side up.

After thinking for a moment, she looked up at the five curious onlookers and asked, "Can someone lend me a magic wand?"

"A magic wand? What's that?"

"Just any stick will do."

"No sticks, but will a spoon work?" The old black man pulled a long-handled wooden spoon from his pocket—the same one he used for scooping firepaste.

"That'll do."

Dany took the spoon and pointed at the three dice. "You all see them clearly, right?"

"Yes," the five nodded in unison.

"Alright, here we go! This spell is called 'Three Gods Return to the Cave.'"

"Why not Seven Gods? Don't you believe in the Seven?" the Moonsinger asked curiously.

"Let's master the Three Gods first," Dany said with a sly smile.

She loudly declared, "Watch closely. Cover them with the bowls!"

The first time, she moved swiftly. The others didn't think much of it—it was just a simple covering action, nothing fancy.

"The second bowl, covering the leftmost die. Now, you all see it, right? There's a die under each of the two bowls, and one left in the middle. Is that correct?"

"Yes," the old mage nodded.

"That's simple; we all see it. Get on with it," Lisbon said impatiently.

Dany nodded, picked up the middle die with two fingers, held it in her left hand, then tapped the left bowl with the wooden spoon in her right hand while chanting in a language they didn't understand:

"Mamie Mamie Hong, Ghost Hand King bless me, let your disciple make a living in this otherworld and carry forward the divine art of Three Immortals Returning to the Cave!"

"Shu—go!"

This part was in High Valyrian, so the others understood.

The five extraordinary spellcasters stared at her with the same expression one might use for a fool.

Finally, the Moonsinger couldn't hold back and asked, "What… are you doing?"

Dany waved her hand dismissively, then pointed at the left bowl. "Now, guess how many dice are under it?"

Lisbon crossed his arms, mocking, "Do you take us for blind fools? Of course, there's only one."

"And the rest of you?"

"One," the other four echoed together.

"Sigh… watch closely." Dany shook her head in exaggerated disappointment, then lightly lifted the left bowl.

"Uh… Uh… Uh… Uh… Uh—?!"

The five of them gasped, eyes bulging, their jaws dropping so wide they could nearly fit their fists inside.

"Th-this... what kind of sorcery is this? Aren't you a priest of the Seven Gods? Could it be that even the priests of the Seven Gods possess mysterious powers?" The young fire mage stammered.

Dany shrugged, then covered the bowl on the left. She tapped the bottom of the right bowl with a wooden spoon and asked, "How many dice are inside?"

"One."

"Two."

The five people gave two different answers.

"Watch closely." Dany lifted the right porcelain bowl, revealing an empty floor beneath it.

"Uh... uh... uh..." The five extraordinary individuals were dumbfounded.

Dany smiled faintly, then covered the right porcelain bowl again. She tapped the left bowl with the wooden spoon and pointed at it, asking, "How many dice are inside?"

"This..." The five of them exchanged glances, confusion evident in their eyes.

"Oh, come on. This is just a skill demonstration. I'm not tricking you—cough, cough—I didn't even ask you to place a bet, so why be so nervous? Just say whatever comes to mind." Dany encouraged them.

"Three! It must be three!" The Moonlit Oracle gritted his teeth.

"Yes, three dice!" The fire mage and the warlock nodded in agreement.

The Shadowbinder hesitated for a moment before also nodding, "The dice from the right bowl must have teleported into the left bowl, so there should be three."

Haha, even teleportation? No wonder they're all top figures in the supernatural world!

Dany calmly lifted the left porcelain bowl.

"WHAT?!"

Seeing the empty gray stone floor beneath, the five mages looked utterly bewildered.

She covered the left bowl again and tapped the right porcelain bowl with the wooden spoon. "How many?"

"Three!"

She lifted the bowl—only one die.

She covered the right bowl, tapped the left porcelain bowl. "How many?"

"Two."

She lifted the bowl—three dice.

"How many?"

"How many?"

Dany's movements of covering and revealing the bowls became faster and faster. The questions came quicker and quicker. The five grand mages looked increasingly confused, their minds growing more and more muddled.

Gradually, it felt like an illusion was forming before their eyes—only a wooden spoon, two porcelain bowls, and an endless echo: "How many? How many? How many? How many?"

Seeing that they were on the verge of breaking down, Dany tossed the wooden spoon aside, stood up, and turned to the Shadowbinder. "What level?"

"Two... dice." The Grand Mage Tam replied blankly.

"I mean, what level is my protective technique?!" Dany's mouth twitched.

"Ah... is it over?" The Shadowbinder snapped back to reality, blinked a few times, and his eyes gradually cleared. "What did you say?"

Dany repeated the question with a blank expression.

"Oh! Definitely level one. The highest level." The Shadowbinder affirmed.

A skill that can even deceive mages—ordinary people wouldn't stand a chance.

Or perhaps... this wasn't just trickery?

"Are you sure this isn't some kind of sorcery?" The Shadowbinder asked.

"Think whatever you want. I'm only offering this as a protective technique—"

"I'll trade with you!" The young fire mage's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at Dany. "I'll exchange my core technique for yours—Blood Dragon Frenzy!"

"This..." Dany frowned. The name Blood Dragon Frenzy sounded impressive, but it didn't seem very useful. If possible, she would rather have Borgba's Fire Escape technique.

She could already imagine an awe-inspiring scene: In the palace fire pit, flames would suddenly erupt. The Dragon Queen would leap into the air like a celestial being, stepping on fire as she landed at the pool's edge, while Illy and Kiki gazed at her in reverence.

Seeing the hesitation on her face, Lisbon quickly added, "You were in the hall earlier. You saw me summon flames out of thin air to burn that ugly dwarf."

"My fire control technique doesn't just manipulate existing flames—it can even command fire elements in nature! By gathering fire elements together, I can ignite anything."

"But you struggled just to set the dwarf's beard on fire, didn't you?" Dany doubted his words.

The young fire mage's face turned red as he hurriedly explained, "I lack the cultivation level! But it's said that Blood Dragon Frenzy originates from ancient Valyria—it's a grand mage's ultimate technique."

"Lisbon, you can't just say whatever you want." The Shadowbinder could no longer remain silent.

Even though she thought highly of the fire mage as a promising junior, as an official arbitrator, Tam would not allow him to deceive a newcomer to the supernatural world.

"Valyrian grand mage techniques—who besides them could even use them?" She said seriously.

"I..." The young fire mage's expression shifted rapidly. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and whispered, "My inheritance comes from an old noble within the Black Walls. I can't reveal their name, but I swear on the Grand Mage's title that they belong to one of the Fourteen Flame Peaks."

The old shadowbinder's expression turned thoughtful. His gaze toward the young man carried both envy and deeply concealed jealousy. "No wonder you're so desperate for Priestess Lyra's Three Gods Return to the Cave. That wastrel must have plenty of secret techniques left to sell, huh?"

Without a doubt, Three Gods Return to the Cave was practically a money-making cheat. It had nearly a perfect success rate.

Even better, the rules were simple—so simple that anyone could understand them at a glance. Naturally, plenty of people would fall for it.

In short, by mastering Three Gods Return to the Cave, Lisbon could amass wealth in a short period, then trade that wealth for even more secret techniques from some wastrel within the Black Walls.

Valyrian secret techniques!

Countless people risked their lives exploring the ruins of Valyria just to uncover the secrets of its lost civilization.

(End of Chapter)

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