Chapter 170 Secrets Within the Black Wall
Volantis is a City of Tattoos and a City of Class.
Volantis is a multi-headed government with a rotating leadership every year. Sometimes, it is truly unpleasant. Perhaps would rather be king in that poor place, Westeros, than settle for second place in Volantis!
Rhaegar felt that the smell of Volantis was also somewhat unbearable: fishy, floral, elephant dung, along with some sweetness, some robustness, and some decaying, rotten smells—in short, a strange city.
Rhaegar saw the gate beside the Black Wall guarded by a squad of Volantene spearmen. Their helmets were shaped like tiger heads, and green striped tattoos ran across both cheeks beneath the helmets. The Volantene Tiger Cloaks were very proud of their tiger-striped tattoos. Not only the guards, but the prostitutes, carters, and jesters here all wore tattoos.
Rhaegar assessed the combat effectiveness of the Tiger Cloaks. Although many were slaves, they had full muscles and healthy complexions. Because Volantis has developed trade and fertile hinterlands, it actually relies on one main city and three vassal towns, allowing it to support a large standing army. The nutritional status of the Tiger Cloaks looked good. Even if the tiger falls, its prestige remains; the foundation is still there.
Volantis and formed a stark contrast. Volantis is the oldest, while Braavos is the youngest. Volantis is rife with slavery, while Braavos was founded by slaves themselves. Volantis excels in land forces, while Braavos excels in naval forces. The two can be considered evenly matched.
The Magistrates were all in the howdahs atop the elephants. They could not touch the ground for an entire year, appearing extremely noble. Unfortunately, the Dragon was even more noble and mighty than the elephants.
Rhaegar looked down from above at the three Magistrates and their attendants.
"Please, Prince, ride our elephant into the city!" Magistrate Belyo said politely. He had thick eyebrows and large eyes and was the leader of the Elephant Party. Rhaegar heard Marajo say that this man made a fortune through the slave trade and transport business.
"No need! I am still used to riding a dragon!" Rhaegar said. As the dragon flapped its leathery wings, the elephants became somewhat difficult to control. This was dragon might; a dragon could make a hundred lions retreat, let alone elephants.
"What a proud Targaryen!" Magistrate Marajo snorted coldly, his expression showing displeasure. He was the youngest and considered a minority among the Magistrates.
"This Magistrate doesn't seem to like me much." Rhaegar looked at the three elephants and the small fortresses on top of them.
Magistrate Belyo came forward to smooth things over, even though he secretly enjoyed seeing the two disagree. "Our Magistrate Marajo is always fiery. As you wish, Prince! A grand banquet has already been prepared for you in the city of Volantis."
Rhaegar commanded the dragon to soar up until it passed over the Black Wall. Rhaegar could approach Marajo at any time, but not now.
Because the Elephant Party Magistrates were also present, if all the cards were shown, it would lose its meaning.
Rhaegar noticed the atmosphere of decay in Volantis. This City of Fountains and Flowers had begun to slowly wither. The failure of the war during the Century of Blood drastically reduced Volantis's population, and it has yet to fully recover the sight it held centuries ago; many districts have gradually become desolate. Now, the fountains are either dry or have turned into stagnant pools. Although Volantis still appears prosperous, there is a hidden trend of decline, and some desolate districts have even reverted to swampland. Currently, it seems Volantis might not be able to consistently suppress Braavos, as Braavos has always initiated wars cautiously and is not naturally belligerent.
Only those of the "Old Blood" are permitted to reside within the Black Wall; their ancestors can all be traced back to the time of Old Valyria. Unless invited by a resident living inside, foreigners, freedmen, or outsiders are not allowed within the Black Wall. To welcome the esteemed Dragon Prince, the reception naturally had to be held within the Black Wall.
The dinner party was held in the square in front of the three Magistrates' mansions within the Black City—it was a grand event. Even though the dragonlords had had great unpleasantness with the Volantenes during the Century of Blood, they were ultimately both descended from and proud of their Valyrian bloodline.
The dragon now flew high to the top of the Black Wall, which towered like a mountain. Perhaps in ancient times, the dragonlords also rested atop the Black Wall.
Rhaegar also saw many statues of Magistrates in the square; some Magistrates had their heads smashed. During the Century of Blood, Volantis won first but then lost, the Tiger Party collapsed, and the Elephant Party led war-weary citizens to riot, smashing the heads of many Tiger Party Magistrates' statues to retaliate against those who dragged them into the abyss of war.
The three Magistrates spared no expense to win over the Dragon Prince. Moreover, the Volantene nobles were delighted to see the dragon prince of Westeros, especially a young, handsome prince with standard silver hair and purple eyes.
Rhaegar wore magnificent black attire, adorned with rubies shaped like a dragon. The prince's short hair was not tied up. When the silver-haired prince looked back, everyone was irresistibly drawn to him. Everyone saw that handsome face, shining brightly like a newly forged sharp sword, and they saw the glory of the ancient dragonlords.
"A toast to the friendship between Volantis and House Targaryen!"
"Prince Rhaegar has come a long way. Today, the Prince should feel the hospitality of us, Valyria's eldest daughter," Magistrate Belyo said.
"To friendship! Cheers!" Rhaegar raised his cup and clinked it with the three Magistrates. The golden cups collided, filling the air with laughter.
Thousands of guests, thousands of eyes, watched Rhaegar and the Magistrates clink their cups.
Then, amidst laughter and music, everyone began a gluttonous feast. Rhaegar sat at the main seat, sharing a table with the Magistrates. Ivory footstools were placed beneath the feet of the Magistrates, and one was placed beneath his feet too. The Volantenes consistently believed that Magistrates were supremely noble and should not tread upon the ground.
The dishes bloomed like a hundred flowers, but Rhaegar felt that sometimes there were still dietary differences. For example, Volantenes crave sweetness, and most local dishes are sweet, thanks to the large amount of sugar beets grown nearby. This made Rhaegar find it hard to accept. But since the Magistrates had extended such warm invitations, he could only follow local customs.
However, the main courses in Volantis were also rich and colorful, as Volantis is a fertile place with rare delicacies from the waterways. The land meats Rhaegar saw included bacon strips, spiced roast goat, roasted duck, and honey sausages. The aquatic species mainly consisted of fish, shrimp, turtles, and soft-shelled turtles—everything imaginable. There were cod, swordfish, sardines, eels, mussels, clams, giant turtles the size of horses, crabs, huge barracuda, onion and sugar beet roasted fish fillets, and spicy fish stewed in small iron pots, among others.
Rhaegar also saw a plate of fried locusts and high-quality pink roe. Volantis considers these to be gourmet delicacies. Rhaegar thought the fried locusts tasted acceptable, at least they were organic, and he ate them with sliced bread.
The accompanying fruits included oranges, apples, and pears, all fine Volantene varieties, which tasted quite good. Volantene beverages included bitter-sweet black beer, light green Volantene wine, and fruit mead.
"If the Prince had arrived in Volantis during the Magistrate selection, it would have been even livelier. There are mime performances, oratory performances, dance performances, and more—it's a ten-day carnival," a Volantene noble said.
"Then I must choose the time carefully next time!" Rhaegar replied with a smile. He knew how decadent those ten days were; to secure votes, candidates would even have their female slaves sleep with voters—that was Volantis, a place that leaves one speechless.
After the wine had warmed their ears and faces, the magnificent ball began.
Beautiful girls surrounded Rhaegar. Rhaegar looked at these noble girls of Old Valyrian descent! Sometimes he couldn't distinguish their appearances. It wasn't that Rhaegar couldn't tell beauty from ugliness, but truly, the colors of these noble girls couldn't compare to the characters he had seen before.
Many girls harbored pink dreams of becoming a queen. While the wife of a Volantene Magistrate was certainly honorable, that position only lasted a year, whereas the queen's crown of Westeros lasted a lifetime.
Rhaegar danced with them but couldn't remember which girl left the strongest impression. Magistrate Marajo laughed heartily, drinking cup after cup.
The banquet proceeded late into the night with joy and pleasure. It was a ball in an endless night, but the feast would eventually end.
"With fine wine and good food, there must also be beautiful women!" Magistrate Belyo laughed. "Aside from our local Volantene women, we also found virgins skilled in the Seven Sighs from . If the Prince has any needs, please say so."
Rhaegar declined this kind offer and returned to his courtyard room late in the night.
The courtyard was very quiet. Behind the courtyard was the Black Wall, and Rhaegar could look upon its secrets.
The Black Walls are based on fused black stone as the fundamental material, harder than steel. It must have involved dragons breathing fire to fuse the stone, with magic then integrated within.
Rhaegar slowly stroked the Black Wall. This wonder should reappear.
Rhaegar stroked the Black Wall with his hand, stroking slowly, but to no effect.
Finally, flames ignited in his palm. The Black Wall seemed to sense this blue flame and did not resist.
Rhaegar saw a faint black sheen floating above the blue flame—it was the shape of a rune!
End of Chapter 171
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