Chapter 262: Dragon Army Plan
Underground Base, Bolton Lands
POV of Domeric Bolton
It was much better to be able to form an unbreakable bond with three dragons instead of one, but it still wasn't enough for Domeric's plans.
Domeric aimed to have a dragon army. And he had actually found a solution for this, but that solution had nothing to do with the ritual before him.
Another downside was that the Dragonlord Ritual was immensely powerful, and he was not sure if he would be able to perform another ritual for a decade after this one. But it was necessary.
The Dragonlord Ritual would not only allow Domeric to bond with dragons, but it would also significantly expand his magical reserves.
While it wouldn't affect the hierarchical level of his magic like the Elemental Moon Cores, large reserves were always a good thing for Domeric.
Furthermore, thanks to Merlin's Sapphire Necklace, his magical reserves increased to 11 times his current size. This meant that every increase in his reserves would have an 11-fold effect.
If he wanted to bring an end to the Long Night once and for all, then he would not just need to become stronger but also must have been able to use his magic for a long time. And he was piling all his hopes on his magical stamina improvement in this one ritual.
To give him the stamina required to combat all the White Walkers, their wights, and the Night King.
He drew the runes for a few hours before he couldn't continue due to the increasing back pain.
He put down the brush and the ink and went to the other room where all the dragon eggs were being incubated.
There, at the center of the incubation room, was a dragon egg that was much larger than all the other eggs.
A runic array had been drawn in the center of the largest Incubation Chamber, which was attached to seven other dragon eggs that were starting to look more and more pale with each growing day.
The ritual allowed his Dragon Egg to take the life force from the other dragon eggs and increase its own power and strength.
This was Domeric's plan, which he hoped would allow him to amass a Dragon Army.
After studying numerous Valyrian scriptures and books, he learned that a few elite families ritually sacrificed other eggs to a single egg before hatching.
The best ritual he could find in the scriptures suggested that a maximum of three eggs could be sacrificed to a single egg, but with some effort, even if it was hard, Domeric managed to increase this number to seven.
Dragons born from eggs that were strengthened by other eggs were both larger and stronger than their peers.
But more importantly, these dragons had the power to dominate and subdue weaker dragons. It was possible to raise a dragon to become a Dragon King, the highest position of power within the dragon hierarchy.
This was likely why only certain prominent families in Valyria were able to maintain their positions at the top.
Therefore, if Domeric could bond with a maximum of three dragons, he planned to make these dragons powerful enough to dominate other dragons and build a dragon army out of them.
And this dragon would be at the head of that army. The only dragon Domeric would raise was the seven-egg-sacrificed dragon. This dragon would be the most powerful and most enormous one in history, surpassing even Balerion.
Domeric wouldn't sacrifice seven eggs even for the two other dragons he would bond with. He would sacrifice six eggs for them. This way, there would be no conflict over which one would be their leader.
He put his hands above the large black egg and started pouring his magic inside it.
This would help the dragon become even stronger in the magical sense, as well as get the dragon to see him as his father, even if the Dragonlord Ritual didn't work.
After half an hour, he had poured all his magic inside the dragon egg and was feeling a little magically exhausted.
But there was no time to rest just yet. Before he could relax and begin exploring the System's interface and features, he had one more task to attend to.
Replacing Sansa with her replacement and taking her to the Dreadfort.
He closed the Incubation Room, apparated out of the Underground Base, and appeared in the middle of the Dreadfort and took in the large amount of ambient magic around the area.
There was once a time when the ambient magic in this area couldn't even be compared to the ambient energy in Winterfell, and he would have to wait a whole day to recharge himself.
Since then, he had planted thousands of Heart trees in and around Dreadfort, which increased the magic in the area to such a degree that he was now able to recharge himself in only five minutes.
Even though he now had a Magical Core within his body that could generate magic, it still wouldn't be possible to replenish his reserves in a normal environment in that amount of time.
After all, with Merlin's Sapphire, he had 11 times the normal reserves now.
Once he was done, he apparated away and went back to his room in Dreadfort, where Lyra was waiting for him.
When Domeric arrived in his room, he saw Lyra sitting on his bed, waiting for him. Standing next to her was a figure in a hooded black cloak, whose face and body were hidden from view.
When she saw Domeric arrive, Lyra rose to her feet and bowed to him. Unlike her previous behavior, Lyra was no longer dressed to tempt him, and Domeric was grateful for that.
"Welcome, my lord," Lyra said.
"I assume everything is ready," Domeric said.
"Indeed, my lord. Number 19 here is one of the Imposter Mannequins specially trained for the Gemini Project. It has already taken on Sansa's appearance, having merged with the strand of hair you delivered earlier. Number 19 will be temporarily housed in Winterfell until Lady Sansa arrives at Dreadfort and transfers her memories to another Imposter Mannequin that will take her place permanently." Lyra explained.
After Lyra's explanation, Domeric turned to Imposter Mannequin, who would replace Sansa. Mannequin was still wrapped in a cloak, her face and body hidden from view.
Well... If Sansa Stark were seen at Dreadfort, it would be a problem even if she weren't the genuine Sansa. So, Domeric had arranged for his own room to be the meeting place.
Sansa's replacement with an Imposter Mannequin and coming to the Dreadfort was a risky business, and it had to be done without anyone knowing.
"Do you know what you have to do?" Domeric asked Mannequin.
At this, Mannequin lowered her hood, uncovered her face, and then bowed to Domeric. "Yes, master."
If Domeric hadn't come up with this plan himself and didn't sense the Mannequin's magical nature, he would have definitely thought it was Sansa, just from appearances alone.
Domeric walked over to "Sansa", held out his hand to her, and said, "Good. While you're at Winterfell, try to keep a low profile. You'll just have to get by until the other Mannequin arrives to take your place. Now take my hand. We're going to Winterfell."
"Yes, master," Mannequin said and took Domeric's hand.
"I'll see you soon, Lyra. Once Sansa gets here, you take care of the rest. I still have other things to do." Domeric said.
"As you wish, my lord," Lyra said, and then Domeric and Sansa disappeared from the room.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.263: Gemini Project in Action
Ch.264: System Interface
Ch.265: System Features - I