Aenar nodded slightly.
"Go."
Aegon turned and stepped onto the stone stairs, heading diagonally upward toward Balerion's dragon nest. From the cave entrance to the nest was nearly 200 meters, and he climbed steadily, one step at a time.
Soon, he was within 100 meters of Balerion.
The dragon seemed to sense this bold human approaching. Its head still rested at the edge of the nest, but its eyes shifted downward, watching Aegon draw closer.
Aegon's gaze met the dragon's vertical pupils. He swallowed hard. The overwhelming pressure from the massive beast made his heart pound, but he didn't stop climbing.
One hundred meters. Seventy. Sixty.
Aegon could feel the temperature around him rise sharply. He wondered to himself, Are all dragons surrounded by such intense heat, or is Balerion unique?
Fifty meters. At that moment, Balerion stirred.
It raised its head, a series of guttural rumbling sounds coming from the folds of its throat.
Aegon hesitated for a moment, then kept moving forward. Forty meters. Thirty…
Balerion seemed irritated by the tiny figure daring to come close. It opened its mouth slightly and stretched its neck toward Aegon. Hanging in the air above the cave, its massive head—about the size of a car—lowered toward him.
Aegon came to a halt.
By now, he had completely forgotten about the so-called bloodline test.
He looked up at Balerion. It was the closest he had ever been to a dragon. His heart pounded like a drum. Slowly, he raised his right hand and reached up toward Balerion...
At the mouth of the cave.
"Aegon actually wants to touch Balerion," Daenys said in surprise.
"At this distance, only the Dragonkeepers who regularly feed him have ever gotten this close," Aenar said, watching the interaction between man and dragon above. "And to make contact with a Royal-class dragon that hasn't formed a mental link... this person might carry the true dragon blood of a Dragonlord."
Gaemon turned to his father in shock. "The Dragonlords from the legends? The ones who could tame entire flocks of dragons?"
Aenar nodded firmly.
"A thousand years ago, one of our Freehold ancestors tamed three dragons at once and formed spiritual bonds with all of them. That kind of person is a bloodline Dragonlord."
...
At the edge of the dragon nest.
Balerion's massive head slowly approached Aegon's outstretched hand. Just as it came within half a meter of his right hand, Balerion suddenly opened its mouth, and searing black flames began to gather in its throat. A wave of heat washed over Aegon, turning his hand bright red.
He turned his head slightly and squinted, speaking in High Valyrian to calm the dragon.
"Easy, Balerion."
"Easy..."
Aegon lowered his right hand and began slowly backing away, continuing to soothe the beast.
Perhaps in response to Aegon's retreat, the dragonfire forming in Balerion's throat gradually faded. It snorted, gave Aegon—now over thirty meters away—a dismissive glance, then retracted its neck back into the nest.
Once Balerion had fully calmed, Aegon took one last, reluctant look at the black dragon before finally turning to walk back toward the cave entrance.
He lifted his right hand to check the burn. The skin had been seared red from the indirect heat, and two small blisters had already formed.
Aegon let out a soft sigh.
As he reached the mouth of the cave, Gaemon walked up with a grin and clapped him on the shoulder. "Not bad, kid."
Aenar gave his approval too. "You passed the test. Your bloodline concentration is just shy of Dragonlord level. You shouldn't have any trouble taming dragons."
"Mm." Aegon pressed his lips together and gave a small nod.
Daenys stepped forward and handed him a bottle, speaking a little shyly. "This is the ointment I use when I get hurt during training." She pointed to the burn on his right hand. "Just apply it directly to the wound."
"Thanks." Aegon smiled at her and took the bottle.
"It's your turn, Gaemon," Aenar said to his son.
"Yes, Father," Gaemon replied and started up the steps.
"Be careful," Daenys reminded him.
Gaemon looked back with a smile. "It's fine. Don't worry."
Aegon opened the bottle and applied the ointment as he watched Gaemon's attempt.
This time, Gaemon walked steadily forward, and Balerion showed no reaction at all. It wasn't until Gaemon was within twenty meters that Balerion let out a threatening growl, opened its mouth, and began gathering dragonfire.
"Balerion! Stop!" Aenar shouted, his expression tense.
Under his master's command in High Valyrian, Balerion ceased his attempt to breathe fire and looked at Aenar with a hint of confusion.
Aegon felt speechless. So Aenar claiming earlier that he couldn't stop the dragon had just been a bluff? Maybe the man had wanted to test his resolve.
Gaemon stopped walking. He knew his test was over.
Judging from the fact that he couldn't get within ten meters of the dragon, his true dragonblood seemed even weaker than Aegon's. That was a tough pill to swallow—but only for a moment. He quickly let it go. He wasn't the kind of person to brood over things.
When Gaemon returned to the cave entrance, Daenys stepped forward and gave him a hug to comfort him.
Aegon took note and thought, These two siblings seem very close—closer than most relatives.
"Gaemon, your bloodline concentration isn't high enough. If a dragon resists when you try to tame it, don't push it," Aenar warned.
"I know, I know," Gaemon said with a carefree laugh.
Then it was Daenys's turn to approach.
She walked toward the dragon nest step by step. To Aegon's surprise, Balerion didn't react to her approach with any hostility. He simply watched her silently, as if observing this bold human with interest. Daenys actually made it all the way to within five meters of Balerion.
After a moment, Balerion seemed to grow weary of the humans' antics. With a light sweep of his enormous tail, he knocked Daenys to the ground.
Then he turned his head away and ignored them completely.
Seeing Balerion's reaction, everyone understood that the bloodline tests were finished.
When Daenys returned, the group began heading back.
...
Targaryen stronghold.
In the study, Aenar had called Aegon in for a private meeting.
A maid had prepared a pot of richly fragrant red tea. After handing the teapot to the steward standing behind Aenar, she exited the study and gently closed the door behind her.
"These days, the Dragonlord families don't just hand out dragon-taming slots directly. There are some behind-the-scenes dealings involved. According to the Freehold's [Dragon-Taming Act], these slots can only be used by blood relatives of the family's main branch."
Aenar spoke slowly, lifting a cup of tea and taking a light sip. The black-clad steward stepped forward, one hand folded elegantly behind his back, and topped off Aenar's cup.
"What do I need to do?" Aegon asked.
Aenar shifted into a more relaxed posture, crossing one leg over the other. Then, with a snap of his fingers, he signaled.
The black-clad steward put down the teapot, pulled a thick, metal-bound tome from the bookshelf, and placed it in front of Aenar.
Aegon sat up straighter, eyeing the strange book with curiosity.
"This is the genealogy of House Targaryen. It only records members of the main bloodline. This kind of record was created for the Dragonlord families by the Bloodmages of the Freehold using blood sorcery. The Valyrian steel cover bears enchanted runes, and once a name is recorded inside, it syncs with the Blood Scrolls kept at the Fourteen Flames.
So, when a true dragonblood signs their name here, they receive the endorsement of a Dragonlord house and gain the right to use a dragon-taming slot."
Aenar flipped the large book open, found a spot, and pointed. "Sign here. We'll list your bloodline under my cousin, who died during an expedition over ten years ago without leaving any heirs. You'll be registered as his posthumous child."
This way, the Lady of House Targaryen won't be suspicious. Not bad. I won't have to return to being Aenar's bastard, but I'll still gain the status of a legitimate son of the main bloodline, Aegon thought. He nodded at Aenar, signaling his agreement.
The black-clad steward handed him a quill, then gently pricked Aegon's finger with a small knife, letting the blood soak into the tip of the quill.
Aegon signed his name at the spot Aenar had indicated.
Ding~
A game notification chimed.
[Congratulations! You've obtained the status of a direct descendant of a Dragonlord family. Normal achievement completed. +100 Destiny Points.]
[You currently have no bloodline descendants. The main storyline cannot be initiated. Please produce offspring as soon as possible.]
Aegon glanced at the system message in the lower-left corner.
The game's main storyline required continuing a noble house for a thousand years. To do this, two conditions had to be met: the house had to be recognized by the world, and the player had to have living bloodline descendants.
If the house still existed but the bloodline died out, the game would instantly end in failure.
If descendants survived but the house was destroyed, it would also end. Both conditions were essential. Now that he had fulfilled the first, he still needed a son or daughter to continue the line.
Aegon closed the system prompt with a thought and pushed the genealogy back to Aenar.
Aenar checked it, then closed the book.
The steward returned it to its place.
Aenar turned to Aegon, his expression serious.
"As you know, because of Daenys's prophecy of doom, the entire Targaryen family is preparing to evacuate the Valyrian Peninsula.
Right now, all dragons within the Freehold are under strict control by the Council of Dragonlords at the Fourteen Flames. Even dragon eggs laid by dragons of the Dragonlord families must be registered and documented one by one.
In this situation, trying to take dragons with us out of Valyria will be extremely difficult.
That's why we must strengthen ourselves as much as possible.
For this Dragon-Taming Tournament, I've prepared maps of dragon lairs for the three of you—each one housing an adult dragon. This way, during the family's future migration, not only can you contribute to the house, but you'll also have the power to protect yourselves."
"I understand," Aegon replied.
Aenar was pleased with Aegon's insight. With the matter settled, he began to rise, ready to leave with him.
"Lord Aenar, there's one more matter I'd like to ask your help with," Aegon said, standing as well.
"Oh?" Aenar raised an eyebrow, then sat back down. "Tell me."
Aegon poured him another cup of tea. "It's like this—my trading guild's cargo ship was lost in a shipwreck. Now the guild's authority has fallen into the hands of four senior managers. I'm worried they might've been bribed by outsiders."
Aenar stroked his chin and sipped his tea.
"You suspect... the shipwreck wasn't an accident?"
"Yes," Aegon said with a nod.
He had only just arrived in this world and hadn't had time to cultivate loyal followers. But the Targaryens were now his allies, and they could be trusted. As a Dragonlord house, their resources and influence made uncovering the truth much easier.
"All right. I'll have someone investigate the shipwreck—and assign others to keep an eye on those four managers," Aenar said, setting down his teacup.
"Thank you," Aegon said gratefully.
"Stay for dinner before you head back. There are many details about the Dragon-Taming Tournament I still need to go over with you."
"All right," Aegon agreed.