Game of Thrones: The Bronze and Fire Lord.

Chapter 327 Kohol's Blacksmith, The Reforging of "Red Rain"
It was Benedict who spoke. The little girl was very excited and immediately spotted a shop piled with dragon-shaped stone carvings.

"Don't run around."

Aemon, expressionless, rebuked him in the Dothraki language.

If I weren't so bothered, I really wouldn't want to bring a few little burdens with me when I go out.

They had planned to travel light with Renella, but the twins entangled them just before they left, with Jack also trying to sneak in.

Ultimately, Rhaenyra chose to stay in the town to care for Aegon, who was bedridden.

Xiao Jie and the twins are going, so Gaimeng will take them along too.

Little Egan didn't go; with his melancholic nature, he preferred nature to the city and also preferred to be closer to Damon.

“I’ll watch over her.”

Helena, her face smeared with black paint, pursed her lips and came out wearing an animal skin skirt and straw sandals, taking the twins' little hands in hers.

Immon remained silent for a moment, unwilling to say anything more.

Helena and Imond, who managed to sneak away together, were no pushovers either, and relentlessly followed.

The reason is quite good: Amond's Valyrian steel sword "Red Rain" needs to be reforged and repaired by the city's blacksmith.

“Father, the statues here are really beautiful. Let’s get one for our great-uncle.”

Despite being held back, Benedict Cumberbatch couldn't shake her lively nature, pointing her little finger at the dragon-shaped stone sculpture in the shop.

Imon glanced at it, not paying much attention at first, but stopped in his tracks after seeing it.

The shop was a blacksmith shop, with a furnace and a quenching pool at the entrance.

Under a waterproof tarpaulin supported by bamboo poles, several inconspicuous black stone sculptures were casually piled up.

With its dark, oily sheen, Imon immediately recognized it as being made of dragonstone.

Dragonstone carvings are not uncommon, especially among the Targaryen family.

The main streets of King's Landing and the stone drum towers on Dragonstone are filled with numerous dragon sculptures, mostly in various dragon shapes.

The dragon stone carvings in this blacksmith shop included two or three dragons of varying sizes, as well as some monster shapes such as the Sphinx.

"puff!"

A lean, shirtless old blacksmith was forging spear tips at the door. After the spear tips came out of the forge, he sprayed a mouthful of water onto the red spear tips to quench them.

Aemon frowned as he looked at it.

What kind of haphazard quenching method is this? Spraying water mist onto the reddish embryo can easily cause uneven heating and cooling, and the spearhead will soon crack and break after being fired.

Then, the old blacksmith put the spearhead back into the furnace and casually took out a handful of powder from the front pocket of his apron and sprinkled it in.

"Hey, the sound of Zila is right."

Eamon let out a soft "hmm," his ears hearing the crisp, clear sound of the flames being rekindled in the furnace, and the white smoke rising from the furnace carrying a faint, pungent odor, clearly indicating the addition of advanced technology and ruthless techniques.

Bah! It's because it contains some incredibly profound secret recipe.

"Your Highness, this is the blacksmith shop you're looking for. If you pay enough, they can forge you some good weapons."

Harlow whispered the message, but his eyes darted around, showing a very wary nature.

Imon nodded, already guessing that this blacksmith shop was extraordinary.

After thinking for a moment, he gave a look to Imond, who was pulling on his braid and was not used to the Dothraki attire.

"How much would it cost to reforge or repair a damaged Valyrian steel sword?"

Imond immediately became honest and went up to the old blacksmith to ask.

"..."

The old blacksmith frowned and glanced at it, his lips moving as if he were saying something. Then he used his tongs to pick out the red-hot spear tip, and while hammering it, he turned around and cursed.

"Ruben, come out and serve the guests."

This time, Aemon heard it clearly. It was speaking High Valyrian, with a very pure accent and a deep, hoarse voice, like a broken bellows that had been used for decades.

"Yes, master."

A dark-skinned, muscular young man walked out of the shop. He was of average appearance, somewhat introverted, and spoke Common Tongue.

Judging from the few remaining silver hairs on the old blacksmith's bald head, the other party should be a Valyrian.

Thanks to the past glory of ancient Valyria and the fact that High Valyrian is more prevalent on the continent of Essos, many Valyrians with the ability to make a living speak High Valyrian and look down on other languages.

It is therefore necessary to have an apprentice who is fluent in the common language.

"Greetings, gentlemen... guests of the Dothraki."

Apprentice Ruben spoke haltingly, especially when he saw Harlow, who looked like a giant bear, and several fierce Dothraki riders; he was so frightened that he could barely speak.

In the eastern continent, the Dothraki symbolize savagery and danger.

Although Dothraki sometimes come and go from the free trade city-states, they mostly come to extort money and are very unfriendly to the residents.

“Our leader wants to see your master. Go and appease that brat.”

Harold spoke on his behalf, and his words were vulgar and rude, banishing the apprentice Ruben to Imond's side.

Actually, that's not wrong.

Kohol was a city-state with a slave system. Apprentices were servants bought by craftsmen and had no human rights or wages.

For commoners and noble merchants, the hooded priests in the temple were, in a sense, their masters.

The entire city-state was ruled by religious beliefs. Head-covering sacrifices involved offering live animals such as cattle and horses, and also involved sacrificing criminals with knives.

During special times, even the city's elite are not immune and must sacrifice their children.

Aemon had heard from Westeros nobles more than once that Corhol was also known as the "City of Mages," where divination, blood magic, and necromancy were prevalent.

It's definitely a medieval dark style.

Imon watched the old blacksmith intently working, without saying a word to disturb him, patiently observing to see which of his skills was superior.

Soon, the finished product was completed.

The old blacksmith carefully placed his work down, then, panting heavily, picked up a tattered rag to wipe his sweat.

“Master, they want to reforge the Valyrian steel sword… I think it needs to be reforged.”

Apprentice Ruben, not daring to make the decision, approached the old blacksmith, his eyes revealing his wavering judgment.

"Valirian steel sword?"

A glint of light flashed in the eyes of the old blacksmith, Almo Benz, and a second expression, besides numbness, finally appeared on his aged face.

Valyrian steel weapons have always been precious, each one carefully preserved by its owner and rarely displayed.

For a blacksmith, especially one with "skill," taking on a job making a Valyrian steel weapon is undoubtedly a test of his craft.

However, the group of Dothraki brought out Valyrian steel swords…

Aemon strode forward, his expression calm and composed, and spoke in High Valyrian: "Can you reforge a Valyrian steel sword?"

...The King's Landing.

The Red Castle, the King's bedroom.

"A bunch of disobedient bastards who are always causing me trouble."

Viserys coughed violently, but even that couldn't stop him from cursing angrily.

On a whim, his nephew Imon set off for Kohor.

The two had discussed this before; Kohol might possess the Dragonstone Secret Technique, and they were determined to reclaim it if given the chance.

However, news soon followed that Helena had gone missing and Aegon had deserted his post.

Viserys was furious and confused when news came from the Reach that Amond had abandoned his fiefdom on his ugly mud dragon.

"It's all Aegon's fault! He must have kidnapped my younger brother and sister!"

Viserys grew angrier the more he thought about it. He was frustrated with his dissolute and depraved eldest son, and worried that something might happen to his three siblings.

"Are you sure it really is Aegon, and not Aemond?"

Alison, used to her husband's complaints, asked him a rather speechless question.

Putting aside her understanding of Imond, even considering the speed of the news transmission, the news of Imond's departure from the Reach arrived almost simultaneously with Helena's disappearance.

Dragons are much faster than ravens.

Aemond must have planned this all along, flying to King's Landing to take Helena away, and then tricking the restless Aegon into sharing the consequences.

Poor Aegon, he was treated like a dog by his own brother.

Allison sighed, feeling helpless at her eldest son's lack of ambition, and raised her hand to rub her temples.

"is it?"

Viserys was taken aback when he heard this, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense.

Allison remained silent, only repeatedly rubbing her brow.

Ever since Viserys stopped attending royal councils under the pretext of illness, he has become increasingly fond of playing with stone figurines, drinking, and banquets, completely forgetting that he is still the king of a country.

Maybe this is the joy of giving up.

"By the way, the raven has been sent back from Baiyuan City."

Viserys' eyes lit up, and he shared his joy: "Aemon has somehow acquired two more giants, and they're currently wielding hoes and tilling the land in the Reach. Isn't that interesting?"

The people under his rule are mostly giants, and they obediently farm to support themselves.

How will the nobles of the seven kingdoms discuss this matter?

Would he be called "King of Giants," "Hero of Giants," "Great Viserys"...?

"Oh!" Allison slapped her forehead, utterly speechless: "Viserys, aren't you afraid that the giants will cause trouble? Don't forget that the giants and the Children of the Forest were once enemies of mankind, terrible and dangerous creatures."

"Heh, can a giant defeat a dragon?"

Viserys chuckled, then, fearing his wife's anger, emphasized, "They are men recruited by Aemon."

Hearing this, even though Alison was worried, she couldn't say anything more.

Westeros is no longer the Westeros of the past; the current Westeros is full of all sorts of magical and new things.

From the Conquerors' Wars of the 19th century, when dragons appeared on the continent, to the Dragon Valley formed after the Lonely Mountain split open, and the Arm of Dorne emerging from the water after the Stone Steps Islands were submerged...

Even if more giants appear, it doesn't seem like it's unacceptable.

"Don't worry too much, the children are all brave dragon knights."

Viserys was joking.

"They didn't join the Dragon Knights, and even Aegon was still two years shy of adulthood."

Allison habitually retorted.

Viserys wasn't annoyed and laughed, "Looking on the bright side, they'll definitely become dragon knights in the future, creating a better and more powerful dragon era."

This is a dream he has always longed to come true.

Allison remained silent upon hearing this, but her heart was with Aemon, hoping he could take good care of Aegon and the others.

"You know, right? Amond found a Valyrian steel sword during the war; it belonged to the Drow family of the Iron Islands..."

Viserys was about to show off, and explain what Amond was going to do.

Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door, and Sir Harold's voice came from outside: "Your Majesty, a Pentos ship has docked at Mudgate, and a delegation calling themselves the Cohort Envoys have disembarked."

"Ok?"

Viserys was taken aback, his brows furrowing deeply.

……

Meanwhile, Aemon successfully hired the old blacksmith Almor to reforge the Valyrian steel sword "Red Rain" for Aemon.

Seemingly because the "skills" were not to be passed on to outsiders, Almor summoned two or three middle-aged and elderly blacksmiths from the city. They were all senior blacksmiths with white hair or purple eyes and Valyrian ancestry, and they entered a forge to work secretly.

Apprentice Ruben was sidelined and awkwardly served the guests.

Aemon smiled kindly, and unwittingly extracted a lot of useful information from him.

For example, the consul who sparked the rebellion also had Valyrian blood. Popular rumors say that his ancestor was just a shepherd, while others say he was a prostitute, or even the illegitimate son of a temple saint...

They differ, but they all point to the same thing.

This governor was a tough man who had been a mercenary in his youth before becoming a devout follower of the Black Goat in his old age, bringing much benefit to the residents of Kohol.

"Was the dragon stone statue in the shop made by your master?"

Immon reassured the timid Reuben with seemingly ordinary questions.

Apprentice Ruben shook his head: "No, Master Almo really likes dragonstone statues and antiques from ancient Valyria. Those statues were all bought from other places."

Aemon nodded, without any doubt.

Those dragon stone statues were old, not newly made, and an old blacksmith with such skills wouldn't easily reveal them.

"Ruben, take the guests to the backyard. A regular customer will be picking up his order this afternoon."

Just then, Almo's hoarse voice came from the forge, sounding like he was annoyed by Imon's inquiring behavior, or perhaps simply ordering the apprentice around.

Aymon's eyes flashed, and he followed Ruben to the backyard. After Ruben left, he had a piece of fire ore and a bronze bell in his hand.

If you want the Dragonstone Secrets or even the craft of reforging Valyrian steel, you can't force it; you have to entice it with benefits.

The best way is to find out how many blacksmiths with "skill" like Almor are there, and bring them all back to King's Landing.

These are all veteran craftsmen who have mastered intangible cultural heritage.

They are a special group of people who possess Valyrian blood, speak only Higher Valyrian, and are firmly committed to being Valyrians.

Imon really wanted to recruit them.

(End of this chapter)