Spellcasting Gods

As the magical kingdom of Dalaran, it naturally obtained some relevant information through many channels. Zhang Cheng adopted the most direct and simplest method, which was to sacrifice a large number of living humans to revitalize the dead eggs through pain and death.

As for what kind of dragon will eventually hatch, he himself is not very clear.

Morroia, unaware of the dangerous experiment the young man before her was undertaking, gracefully curtsied, lifting her skirt: "Understood! Please rest assured, as long as Beth shows even the slightest sign of regaining her memory, I will handle it personally. Also, my sister Lynise will be returning soon; have you decided what to do with her?"

"Lynne? The woman who caused Jorah Mormont's exile and later escaped to become the concubine of Prince Treig Omeren?" Zhang Cheng's face showed a surprised expression.

“Yes! My sister Lynise is a renowned beauty. Perhaps you could choose not to kill her, but to imprison her. She is more valuable alive than dead,” Morroia suggested, nodding.

“Okay, let me know when she arrives in Oldtown. I’m also very interested to see how beautiful this woman who made Jorah Mormont fall in love at first sight is. Oh, by the way, go to the dungeon and bring over a few more Ironborn prisoners. If I want the dragon eggs to hatch, I’ll need to sacrifice more.” After saying that, Zhang Cheng ignored Morroya and focused all his attention on checking the condition of the dragon eggs.

After all, this was his first attempt at using extremely dangerous necromancy, and he didn't want to create an uncontrollable, terrifying monster...

Chapter 0223 Birth

Without a doubt, as a Dalaran mage, necromancy was never Zhang Cheng's forte. To be precise, he had never even practiced it before, possessing only a small amount of theoretical knowledge from books.

In particular, transforming a dead egg into a new life form requires not only extremely high magical skill, but also the willingness to bear enormous unknown risks.

However, for him, this was a rare opportunity to gain experience. At least in Azeroth and on Magic Earth, conducting necromancy experiments of this scale would definitely result in being wanted and hunted down.

With intense anticipation, he began a ruthless massacre of prisoners. In just a few days, hundreds of Ironborn and pirates were sacrificed, and the gruesome, dried-up corpses piled up like mountains.

But for some reason, even though the life force emanating from the dragon egg was growing stronger and stronger, there was absolutely no sign of it hatching...

"Strange, why hasn't it transformed yet? Did I do something wrong?" Zhang Cheng muttered to himself, frowning, while gently stroking the eggshell surrounded by a large amount of black mist.

Due to the large number of sacrifices, the terrifying aura of death within the dragon egg has begun to overflow. Any ordinary person who gets close will likely have their body invaded by the energy instantly, resulting in serious illness or even death on the spot and being transformed into an undead creature.

Clearly, he had no way to consult the materials or ask the archmage of Dalaran. All he could do was wait patiently and pray that he hadn't misremembered any of the steps described in the book.

A day passed, and the dragon egg still hadn't hatched...

Three days have passed, and the dragon egg has not hatched...

A week has passed, and the dragon egg still hasn't hatched...

Half a month has passed, and the dragon egg is still in a state of being neither alive nor dead...

At this moment, the intense aura of death emanating from the dragon egg began to send a chill down Zhang Cheng's spine. The originally silvery-gray eggshell had long since turned pure black under the influence of energy, and its surface was densely covered with demonic patterns symbolizing death. It was as if a terrifying life form was being conceived within that black mist.

Just as he was becoming unsure if things were getting a little out of his control, Morroia suddenly pushed open the door and burst in.

This utterly twisted and morbid woman glanced with lingering fear at the mountain of desiccated corpses on the ground, then quickly approached and cautiously said, "Master, bad news. There are no more living prisoners in our dungeon. Also, my sister Lynise has just arrived at the port, but she didn't come back alone; she brought with her the Trade Prince Treig Omeren and an entire fleet."

"Oh? A fleet? What does she want to do?" Zhang Cheng pursed his lips, revealing a dangerous smile.

“I think… she’s probably here for the inheritance.” Moroya looked up, a cruel smile also appearing on her face.

Perhaps in the eyes of many, the trading prince Trevor Ormeren is a formidable opponent. His wealth, fleet, mercenaries, and slaves are in no way inferior to any of the great nobles of Westeros.

But in Zhang Cheng's eyes, the trade prince Treig Omeren was nothing more than a stronger ant, whom he could crush with a flick of his finger.

But he didn't quite understand what gave the other party the courage to set foot in the old town to support his beloved concubine.

Could it be that Trevor Omeren is unaware that in the face of dragons, any fleet or army is as fragile as paper?

Or does this guy have some other purpose?

Of course, it's also possible that the other side is truly foolish, just like the slave owners in Slaver's Bay, who actually believed they could defeat Daenerys, who possessed three dragons, on the battlefield.

If that's the case, Zhang Cheng wouldn't mind teaching the other party a lesson, and incidentally conquering Ries to check if there's anything he needs in Trigger Omeren's treasury.

Having figured this out, he temporarily put aside his resentment that the dragon eggs hadn't hatched yet, turned around and walked towards the exit, intending to see just how beautiful Lynise was that Jorah Mormont couldn't forget.

Seeing this, Morroia quickly followed, not wanting to stay in the gloomy and terrifying basement for even a second longer.

But less than a minute after the two left, the dragon egg, which had been silent all along, suddenly made a cracking sound. Then, several cracks appeared on the surface of the shell, and a wrinkled, silver-gray hatchling emerged from it.

Unlike ordinary dragons, its eyes have no pupils, or even eyeballs; instead, they have only two points of cold, white light. And what it spews from its mouth into the azure sky is not sparks, but a stench of decay and death.

With no heartbeat, no body temperature, and no intelligence, this newborn little creature was driven entirely by instinct, lunging directly at a shriveled corpse and opening its mouth to suck forcefully.

A silvery-white, semi-transparent soul was forcibly sucked out, its face contorted in pain, becoming food for the fledgling dragon to grow.

Following closely behind the second, third, fourth...

In less than half an hour, it had devoured hundreds of souls in the basement, and its size had rapidly expanded from the size of a dinner plate to the size of a truck. It then lay on the ground and slowly fell into a deep sleep.

It goes without saying that it needs some time to digest its meal after having just eaten a large meal.

Kuro Kerba, who was resting at the top of the tower, seemed to sense the threat. He suddenly opened his eyes, swished his tail restlessly, and kept spewing golden sparks from his nostrils.

However, this anxiety came quickly and went quickly.

Once it realized the threat came from the bottom of the towering tower, it quickly quieted down.

It knew that this was where its master conducted magical experiments, and since its master hadn't asked it to help, it meant the situation was under control and there was no need to worry too much.

Thus, without anyone noticing, the first undead creature in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire was likely born on the lowest level of the Tower of Triumph, and even survived the most dangerous initial stage.

No one knows what this means, nor does anyone understand how disruptive its birth is or what impact it will have on the future.

As the instigator, Zhang Cheng was completely unaware that his dangerous creation had already hatched, and was sitting in the living room sizing up Lynise Hightower, who had come from afar.

It must be said that despite her serious personality flaws, she is indeed very beautiful, with long blonde hair, snow-white skin, and a delicate, feminine charm. No wonder she was able to win over both Jorah Mormont and Trevor Ormeren.

Right now, this woman is wearing a purple silk robe, a popular style in the Free City, which exposes large swaths of alluring skin on her chest and back, showcasing her curvaceous figure.

Her man, Prince Treig Omeren, seemed completely unconcerned about his woman being admired by other men. He stepped forward first, placed one hand on his chest, and bowed deeply: "It is a great honor to meet you, Earl Mason. You know, even on the other side of the sea, we have heard stories and legends about you."

Chapter 0224 News from Afar

"Oh? My legend?" Zhang Cheng stared into the other person's eyes with great interest.

As the saying goes, one must have something in mind when one gives a gift. For a dignified trade prince to adopt such a humble attitude upon first meeting him, he certainly wasn't there out of boredom to curry favor. Moreover, judging from their almost humble demeanor, they didn't seem to be there to cause trouble.

“That’s right! Whether it’s the story of defeating numerous powerful opponents to become the champion in the tournament, or the story of destroying Stannis’s proud cavalry in the Battle of Blackwater River, it has been spread throughout the entire Eastern Continent through the songs of poets. Many young people regard you as an idol, while girls regard you as their dream lover…” Lindsey Hightower took over the topic with a soft and delicate voice.

Her affectionate eyes seemed to be hinting at something, leaving much to the imagination.

Unfortunately, this subtle seduction was clearly ineffective against Zhang Cheng. He didn't even glance at Lynise, and instead lowered his voice to say to the Trade Prince, "Treig Omeren, you have five minutes to explain what's going on with the fleet anchored in the bay. If you can't provide a satisfactory explanation within five minutes, then I will order the dragons to attack. Now begin, I'm listening."

Without any pretense, Zhang Cheng replaced the endless probing with a blatant threat.

Lynise Hightower clearly didn't expect that there could be men in this world who could ignore her beauty, or rather, who wouldn't even bother to acknowledge it.

Just as her smile froze on her face, Trigger Omeren gave his beloved concubine a reassuring look and explained in a serious tone, “Your Excellency, please do not misunderstand. I am not here to advocate for the Hightoar family. On the contrary, I am here to plead for your mercy and protection. Perhaps you are unaware, but a man who calls himself the Dragon King has already conquered Slaver's Bay, most of the Free Trade City-States, and over a dozen Dothraki tribes, and his army has swelled to nearly 100,000 men. Most terrifyingly, he also controls ten living dragons!”

"Ten dragons?!" Zhang Cheng's pupils suddenly contracted.

Not long ago, he had received news from Daenerys that Erik had just seized several major cities in Slaver's Bay and taken control of Rhaegal, Viserion, and Drogon, which at most consisted of only three dragons and a few thousand Unsullied.

In the blink of an eye, this guy rapidly expanded outwards from Slave Bay, increasing not only his army tenfold but also the number of dragons to ten.

Clearly, Eric had found many dragon eggs scattered across the Eastern Continent through war plunder, and subsequently successfully hatched seven of them that were still alive.

At this rate, it's only a matter of time before a swarm of dragons, blotting out the sky, sweeps across the old town.

Trigger Ormeren undoubtedly noticed the wariness in Zhang Cheng's eyes and quickly added, "Yes, Your Excellency, a full ten dragons. In fact, three days before I set sail, their warships had already left port and headed towards Rhys. Rhys must have been completely conquered by now. If nothing unexpected happens, the Dragon King will soon lead an unprecedented army to Westeros, and you are the only one who has a chance to defeat him."

"The entire eastern part of the continent of Essos has fallen? They really are ambitious..." Zhang Cheng pursed his lips and sighed with a half-smile.

Although he had long understood that someone with Eric's personality would never be content with the status quo once he gained power, it was still somewhat unexpected that he would recklessly conquer vast tracts of land beyond his management capabilities through violence.

After all, conquest and plunder are one thing, while maintaining stable rule is another.

He didn't believe that the extremely backward public transportation system and the severe lack of a centralized national government in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire were capable of maintaining a vast empire.

Generally speaking, the faster a country expands without effective management, the faster it will collapse.

However, Eric, who came from a commoner background, clearly did not understand this principle. He simply believed that the larger the land and army he controlled, the stronger he was and the better he could complete the tasks assigned by his master.

Realizing his opponent's thoughts, Zhang Cheng showed no concern whatsoever. Instead, he responded with a relaxed expression: "Alright, I admit the information you brought is somewhat useful, but it's impossible to gain my protection based on that alone. You'll have to pay an extra price."

“Of course! I am willing to offer you half of my ships, servants, mercenaries, and wealth in exchange for your mercy. In addition, all my daughters and concubines, including Lynise, may be taken whichever one you fancy; it would be their honor to serve a hero like you.” Treig Omeren offered his terms without hesitation.

It must be said that he truly possessed extraordinary courage, choosing to give up half of his wealth without hesitation.

Only in this way can one ensure the safety of their life and the remaining half of their property.

In any case, a runaway trade prince is definitely a piece of meat in the eyes of many people. Once the first person rushes up to take the first bite, the rest will swarm in like sharks smelling blood, and no amount of guards will help.

“You’re very smart, and I like dealing with smart people. But please remember, don’t be too smart. If I find out you’re up to something, then…” Zhang Cheng deliberately dragged out the word, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.

Treig Omeron immediately nodded vigorously and assured him, "I understand! Please rest assured, I never risk my life."

“Very good! Go, hand over half of your fortune to Morroya, and then your people can go ashore. As for Lynise, you can keep her for yourself. I have no interest in such extravagant and vain women. In my eyes, she's not even as good as a hunting dog. At least a hunting dog will rush to its master's aid when he's in danger, but she chose to betray him because her husband couldn't provide a good life.” Zhang Cheng said sarcastically, his face expressionless.

“My lord, you are too harsh. Lynise is nothing more than a concubine, a plaything to amuse yourself. Would you care about the betrayal of a plaything? No, absolutely not. So why not relax and enjoy yourself? Just two days ago, Lynise begged me to help her take over Old Town. Guess what my answer was?” Treig Omeren asked in a playful tone.

Zhang Cheng glanced at Linness, whose face was growing increasingly pale, and asked with a half-smile, "What is it?"

"Hahahaha! I answered her with my actions! It was a fierce battle! Afterwards, she couldn't even stand up, let alone remember what she had asked for. See, this is how I deal with women, you can definitely try it." Treig Omeren spread his arms and laughed unrestrainedly.

Amid the laughter, Lynise Hightower froze, completely unprepared for what had been agreed upon...

Chapter 0225 The Dragon of Death

Watching Trevor Omeren's slightly overweight figure disappear at the end of the corridor, Morroia, who had remained silent, quickly approached and whispered a reminder: "Master, I suggest you be careful. Although I don't think he poses any fatal threat, this guy is definitely not as simple as he seems."

"Relax. Whatever his plans or intentions may be, they are not important to me. Don't forget, this is the Old Town. Even I need your name to maintain my rule, so as long as I keep an eye on your young and beautiful sister, he can't cause any trouble. If our dear Prince of Trade really wants to play some tricks like colluding with outsiders, I will gladly accept his remaining half of the property."

When Zhang Cheng said these words, he made no attempt to avoid letting Lynise Hightower, who was left in the living room, hear them; in fact, he deliberately let her hear them.

In his eyes, intelligent people are never a threat, because intelligent people know when to compromise and when to back down, but fools are different, especially fools who like to be self-righteous...

"My dear Lynnes, what do you think I should do with you?" Morroia, understanding the implication, immediately turned her gaze to her sister.

"Sister, you're not planning to get rid of me, are you? Don't forget, I share the same surname as you, Hightar!" Linis shouted sharply.

She originally thought that with her beauty, she could easily win over the young man in front of her, get rid of the old and ugly trade prince, and return to a life of luxury where she could squander money at will.

The cruel reality was that she not only failed to win over anyone, but was also discarded by Trey Omeren as trash.

Moroya reached out and gently stroked her sister's smooth, delicate chin, shaking her head with a cold smile: "No, Lynise, you're wrong. I abandoned the Hightoar surname long ago, but my master still needs it to complete some plans. But don't worry, I won't kill you, because you still have value to me."

"What...what do you want to do!" Lynise asked, her voice trembling.

"Sorry, you're just a pawn, not worthy to know your master's plans." With that, Moroya took out a bottle of potion, pinched her sister's mouth shut, and poured it down her throat without saying a word.

Before Lynise could even react to what was happening, everything went black, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, falling into a deep coma.