章 162: Chapter 161: The Devil's Land
Viserys exhaled softly after absorbing the black mist.
He then began to carefully examine the various items placed in the bronze box.
Creak...
He first took out the bronze candelabrum from the box.
The candelabrum showed signs of tarnish, indicating that it had likely been around for many years.
However, there was nothing else remarkable about it.
Viserys weighed the candelabrum in his hand for a moment before setting it aside.
He continued to take out other items from the bronze box. There were many small, broken items within, not just the ones he had seen initially. Most were damaged artifacts.
Although Viserys was no expert, he could tell that these items had likely been around for an unknown number of years.
Among them, he spent a long time studying a faceless female stone sculpture he had pulled out.
This was because, among all the artifacts, she bore the most black mist.
"Who is this woman?" Viserys asked, staring intently at the sculpture with his pale purple eyes.
Due to the 'Wrath of the Gods,' Valyria experienced a terrible catastrophe. This once-powerful civilization and its people were torn apart, with many of their precious records lost to history.
It was also difficult for those outside Valyria to fully reconstruct the civilization's true appearance. Even the records of House Targaryen were not very comprehensive.
Many records were lost during several upheavals over the centuries, including the Dance of the Dragons. After the Usurper's War, the Targaryens had even lost the Iron Throne, and the Red Keep had been plundered by Lannister soldiers.
Although many records were still stored on Dragonstone, many rare volumes were lost in the chaos of war. As a result, Viserys could not fully reconstruct Valyria's history, even after reading many books.
However, as Viserys held the faceless stone sculpture, he had an intuition that this woman might have played a very important role in Valyrian civilization.
He felt that the sculpture resembled a smaller version of the statues found in the Sept of the Seven Gods.
"Could this be another statue of a god?" Viserys ventured a bold guess, fiddling with the sculpture before placing it with the other broken items.
"Based on Gillyan Lannister's background, these artifacts must be from the Valyrian civilization era."
At eighteen, Gillyan Lannister had set sail on the Laughing Lion from Lannisport to Volantis, seeking both the lost ancestral weapon 'Brightroar' and the secrets of Valyria's ruins, hoping to uncover the lost civilization.
"I wonder where Gillyan got these items. Did he find a way into the Valyrian ruins?"
Viserys pondered for a moment but soon shook his head.
"That's unlikely."
Now, the ruins of Valyria were known as the 'Devil's Land.' Few who entered this territory returned alive, and those who did often mysteriously succumbed to strange diseases and died.
Perhaps he had hidden his true abilities too well, but aside from a cunning plan that momentarily impressed Viserys, he had not sensed that the 'Maester' possessed such capabilities.
...
However.
Everyone has a secret in their heart. Viserys's secret was his true identity and the dark mist.
As for Gerion, without inheritance rights and overshadowed by his older brother's fame, he had to bravely step forward to make a name for himself.
Thus, his biggest secret was his experience exploring the ruins of Valyria.
Viserys guessed that Gerion might not have even told his older brother Tywin Lannister about it.
Viserys then gathered the stone statue and the other broken items together and reached into the bottom of the chest.
Finally, he pulled out a thick roll of parchment, wrapped around a thin diary. It seemed that Gerion indeed had a habit of keeping a journal.
"What is this?"
Viserys unrolled the parchment in his hand, but after just one glance, his expression froze, and he seemed unable to believe his own eyes.
"This…can't be."
"Did I really guess correctly?"
Now, in Viserys's hands, the parchment displayed a map-like drawing, marked with reefs, hidden forts, every tiny island, and sailing routes. Many locations were highlighted in red, while others were crossed out.
"Is this a map to the ruins of Valyria?!"
Viserys, unable to control his emotions, abruptly stood up from his chair, startling the guards around him. They didn't know what the king had seen to make him so agitated.
Viserys had never expected that his casual guess would be right - Gerion Lannister seemed to have actually visited the ruins of Valyria.
Moreover, he had returned safely and drawn a map to the Valyrian ruins.
"Is this for real?"
Viserys felt his spirits lift instantly, and his eyes became bright and sharp.
The ruins of Valyria held astonishing treasures.
Every once in a while, stories about exploring the Valyrian ruins and returning safely with valuable items to make a fortune spread throughout Essos.
The protagonists of these stories were usually destitute outlaws who, relying on their daring, managed to leave the Valyrian ruins unscathed.
They then gained incredible wealth and status, becoming wealthy merchants or even Magisters and princes of city-states and so on...
Viserys had heard countless versions of such stories, with new ones emerging periodically.
Perhaps Gerion, at eighteen, had heard such a story and then resolved to come to Volantis, ready to venture into this 'Land of Demons'.
But...was Gerion also one of the lucky few who could escape unscathed?
If this parchment map was genuine, it indeed represented an immeasurable fortune.
An unknown number of people would go mad for it - dragon eggs, Valyrian steel swords, armor, and various treasures.
Even Viserys, who had seen great wealth, couldn't help but feel his heart race at the prospect of such treasure, wanting to give it a try.
"Calm down."
However, in the end, Viserys managed to suppress his inner impulses.
Because he knew that this seemingly easily attainable fortune wouldn't be so simple to obtain.
On that cursed land, there were even things that could injure Balerion the Black Dread at the height of his power.
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