章 170: Chapter 169: Tobho Mott
A cold wind blew southward from the distant lands of eternal winter, breaking through the mighty Wall, crossing mountains, rivers, and seas with heavy steps.
Suddenly, a heavy snowfall began.
Yet, far away in Essos, there was no hint of the cold, let alone the sight of snowflakes unseen for years.
Under the vast azure sky, a gentle breeze accompanied the white clouds, and Viserys rode, clad in armor.
Adorned with a snowy white fur cloak, a black three-headed dragon emblem, and a sword hanging at his waist, he rode atop a white warhorse.
Since acquiring the Heart of a Fallen Star, Viserys had been researching how to forge it into a weapon, but the best blacksmiths in Essos couldn't forge the mysterious stone.
So, Viserys had no choice but to wait patiently while seeking a master blacksmith capable of melting the Heart of a Fallen Star.
The world's best craftsmen were said to be in Qohor, who held the secret of reforging Valyrian steel. However, the Qohorik guarded this knowledge strictly, and anyone caught trying to pry into their secrets would be punished.
Viserys couldn't simply invite a Qohorik master blacksmith to help him, nor could he trust them with the precious Heart of a Fallen Star.
Eventually, one of his followers, a wandering knight who had once heard of the 'true dragon' and crossed the seas to pledge his allegiance, offered advice.
He told Viserys about a blacksmith shop in King's Landing, located atop Visenya's Hill on the Street of Steel, where a master weaponsmith named Tobho Mott worked. His craftsmanship was said to be superb.
The wandering knight had once commissioned a longsword from Tobho Mott, who had mentioned at the time that he had studied forging in Qohor and knew the secrets of Valyrian steel and its spells.
The wandering knight then took the sword from his waist and handed it to Viserys to examine.
Upon closer inspection, Viserys found that Tobho's craftsmanship indeed seemed better than that of the blacksmiths in Essos.
Thus, Viserys immediately dispatched men to King's Landing to secretly 'invite' the master blacksmith.
After such a long wait, the master blacksmith had finally been brought across the sea.
At the moment, Viserys stood atop a hill on his horse, surrounded by a dozen knights on horseback.
Then, suddenly.
Whoosh—
A desolate, melodious sound rang out above everyone's heads.
A massive shadow was cast on the ground, covering the knights below, before swiftly soaring into the distance.
Viserys' warhorse remained relatively calm, only slightly startled and snorting uneasily.
The horses of the knights surrounding Viserys were nearly scared senseless, their legs giving way as they shivered and collapsed to the ground.
Roar—
A loud dragon roar echoed from afar, accompanied by intense flames. It seemed Balerion had found its prey.
Tobho Mott, the master blacksmith from King's Landing who was being escorted over, had not seen the figure streaking across the sky. He had only heard the terrifying roar, which left his legs feeling numb and unsteady. He required the support of the soldiers beside him to remain standing.
This was the awe-inspiring presence of a creature at the top of the food chain, just as the roar of a tiger or lion would make one's heart tremble with fear, dragons were on a whole other level.
"What...what is that sound?"
Beads of cold sweat rolled down Tobho Mott's bald head as his pale beard and voice trembled. He turned to the soldier supporting him and asked.
"Of course, it's a dragon."
The soldier holding the old man replied impatiently.
He couldn't see how this fellow could be a master blacksmith. Even the boy who had come with him seemed to have more courage.
Could this nearly bald man be a fraud?
The soldier looked up and down at the renowned blacksmith from King's Landing with suspicion.
Beside them was a black-haired, wide-eyed boy who had also been frightened by the piercing, terrifying roar and almost ran away.
However, seeing that the surrounding soldiers remained calm, his inner unease gradually subsided.
In his naive mind, since the people around him weren't afraid, there was no reason for him to be afraid either.
After all, he had no noble bloodline and only his own wretched life to worry about. Why should he be afraid if others weren't?
So, the black-haired boy gathered his courage, lifted his head, and tried to locate the source of the sound.
At that moment, they were finally brought before Viserys.
Viserys was currently watching Balerion, the black dragon, hunt in the distance, his hand shading his eyes from the sun.
For some unknown reason, Balerion's growth rate was much more terrifying than that of his siblings.
After a few months, Rhaegal and Viserion had indeed grown quite a bit, but they were still somewhat clumsy, mastering their flying skills.
However, Balerion was not only three times larger than them, but he had also grown to be the length of a fully-grown Dothraki warhorse. Including his tail, he reached an astonishing four meters.
Moreover, he could hunt on his own with great skill. Sometimes, when he wanted seafood, he could fly all the way to the coast of Andalos and dive into the sea to catch fish.
Because of his frequent appearances, many people knew there was a dragon in Andalos now, but this news couldn't be kept secret anyway.
Although Balerion was growing rapidly, Viserys hadn't tried riding him yet. Even with a strong mental connection to the dragon, it took great courage to sit on its back.
After all, once you're up there, coming back down would likely require several roast oxen to accomplish.
Viserys was currently focused on building a bond with Balerion, who hadn't passed his juvenile stage. Riding the dragon could wait for a while.
...
"Your Grace, the person has been brought."
"This is Master Tobho Mott, the blacksmith from King's Landing."
The soldier led Tobho Mott to Viserys and introduced him.
Viserys withdrew his gaze from the distant scene and realized his guest had arrived.
Holding the reins with one hand, he looked up and down at the master blacksmith, then lightly patted the saddle and dismounted.
"Welcome to Andalos."
"Master Tobho Mott."
...
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