The azure ocean rolled with waves, gently licking the oak hull of the Laughing Lion.
The salty sea breeze swept across the deck, ruffling Liu Qian's sweat-dampened hair.
He hunched his back, gripping the fishing net tightly with hands whose knuckles were white from exertion.
This was the ninth day since he had transmigrated.
He was no longer the college student who played jungle Shyvana and roamed Summoner's Rift from behind a screen.
Instead, he had become Liu Qian, a thirteen-year-old son of a blacksmith from a small town in Yi Ti.
Three months ago, Dothraki horsemen, sweeping through like a locust plague, shattered his home, turning him into a piece of merchandise shuffled through slave markets, until he was finally bought by a Westeros adventurer named Gillian Lannister, becoming the most humble existence on this ship, the Laughing Lion, sailing towards an unknown fate.
Gillian Lannister.
Just that name alone was enough to make Liu Qian's heart sink to the cold seabed.
Having read A Song of Ice and Fire, he naturally knew that this person was Tywin Lannister's younger brother.
Yi Ti, Dothraki horsemen, Volantis, Westeros... Other transmigrators became lords, princes, or knight attendants, but he had become a slave, a young blacksmith from Yi Ti who didn't even know where he'd be tomorrow.
A question with a heavy Volantis accent came from the bow, interrupting Liu Qian's gloomy thoughts.
"Gillian, how much longer until we reach Valyria? We've been sailing on this damned sea for half a month. Is there something wrong with your chart? Bring out the chart and let everyone see what's going on, otherwise, who knows what tricks you're playing!"
The owner of the voice was a thin middle-aged man. Underneath his short, brown curly hair, a hideous rose-red scar diagonally slashed from his forehead to the corner of his left eye, like an ugly centipede.
Those sharp eyes were currently fixed on Gillian on the bow deck.
Gillian Lannister did not answer immediately.
His tall figure stood at the bow, intently gazing at the distant horizon through a Myr spyglass forged from red copper, as if trying to pierce through the azure expanse.
After a moment, he slowly lowered the spyglass, his blue eyes calmly turning to the scar-faced man—Lainede.
"Lainede, the chart is fine. I exchanged over ten years of my life for it, and I won't easily hand it over. If you want to find the treasure, put away your probing and obey my commands, otherwise..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lainede's sullen face: "This ship can be without you at any time."
With that, Gillian did not spare another glance, turning and walking towards the captain's cabin, leaving Lainede standing alone at the bow.
The sea breeze ruffled the hem of his open leather jacket, but it couldn't disperse the gloom and resentment that permeated him.
He stared at Gillian's retreating back, the scar on his face appearing even more twisted in the sunlight.
Liu Qian lowered his eyelids, continuing to mechanically drag the fishing net, as if oblivious to everything.
This was already the seventeenth such confrontation.
Lainede, Gillian's "partner," constantly tried to pry open Gillian's mouth to extract the secret of the chart leading to the Valyrian Ruins.
And Gillian, Tywin Lannister's youngest brother, who had set sail to find his family's lost Valyrian steel sword, lightbringer, and the ruins' treasure, was always exceptionally vigilant.
Liu Qian pondered his memories; he recalled that Gillian's ultimate fate was to disappear into the cursed Sea of Smoke of Valyria... Liu Qian's heart suddenly tightened.
He hadn't even left the Novice Village yet, and he was about to be dragged into a hell-level dungeon like Valyria?
He subconsciously looked around, trying to find a way to escape, but the boundless azure sea held him firmly captive.
Just then, a pure and cold light exploded in the depths of his mind without warning.
System?!
The immense impact caused Liu Qian's body to stiffen abruptly, his breathing stopping.
The surrounding sailors were still chattering, no one noticing the abnormality of the slave boy in the corner.
Liu Qian immersed his entire mind in his consciousness, and the panel, emitting a soft but undeniable white light, clearly appeared:
Host: Liu Qian
Age: 13 (Lifespan limit: 81 years)
Dragon Spirit: 0 (There is a certain probability of obtaining Dragon Spirit from dead magical units)
Magic Power: 0 / 500 (Passively absorbs magic power from the air or actively absorbs magic power from magical items)
Passive Skills:
① Dragon Bloodline (Bloodline Purity: 0.05%. There is a certain probability of obtaining Dragon Spirit from dead magical units. 100 Dragon Spirit = 0.01% Bloodline Purity. Bloodline Purity increases Magic Power limit, lifespan, physique, Dragon Flame power, number of Flame Knights, and number of Dragon Spirit Guards)
② True Dragon Physique (Bloodline Purity increases the physical strength of the True Dragon form)
③ Fire Controller (Bloodline Purity increases fire element affinity and immunity)
Active Skills:
① Dragon Flame Breath (Human form: 1-meter diameter fireball / 5-meter range / consumes 1 Magic Power / second; Dragon form: 5-meter diameter fireball / 25-meter range / consumes 5 Magic Power / second)
② Prairie Fire (Human form: 1-meter diameter Dragon Flame armor / consumes 2 Magic Power / second; Dragon form: 5-meter diameter Flame Domain / consumes 10 Magic Power / second)
③ Dragon Blood Pact (Sign a Dragon Blood Pact with a human, making him an absolutely loyal Flame Knight, bestowing Dragon Blood, reshaping his body. Bloodline Purity increases the number of Dragon Blood Pacts. Flame Knights can revive undead, making them Dragon Spirit Guards. Bloodline Purity increases the number of Dragon Spirit Guards. Current Flame Knights: 1. Cost: 1000 Magic Power / time)
Ultimate Skill:
True Dragon Descent: Transform into a 1-meter long True Dragon. Bloodline Purity increases physique. Cost: 1000 Magic Power to activate, consumes 1 Magic Power / second to maintain.
Dragon! Power!
These two words roared like ancient war horns in the depths of his soul, instantly dispelling the humiliating gloom of being a slave.
However, the cold numbers poured over him like a bucket of seawater: Magic Power: 0 / 500.
Let alone casting skills, he couldn't even ignite a spark now.
That tempting "True Dragon Descent" required a full 1000 points to activate.
Liu Qian felt the thin magic power in the air and the magic pool on the system panel, which hadn't moved at all, and shook his head in frustration.
If he relied on passive absorption of magic power, it would take an eternity.
As for absorbing it from magical items, that was even more ridiculous; a slave, with nothing to his name, didn't even have a decent stick!
And the Dragon Spirit needed to increase Bloodline Purity had to be obtained from dead magical units. Haha, if he could kill magical units, would he still be a slave here?
Bitterness surged into his heart again.
He had a cheat, but the activation conditions were so harsh they were despair-inducing.
Just then!
A heavy, almost insane twisting force suddenly came from the fishing net in his hands.
The force was far greater than the struggle of ordinary fish, instantly dragging the caught-off-guard Liu Qian forward, causing him to stumble and his knees to hit the slippery deck hard.
"Yi Ti brat, didn't you eat enough? Pull harder!"
A bearded sailor next to him, reeking of alcohol, cursed coarsely, while he himself grimaced and added more effort. Several other sailors grumbled and gathered around to help.
The fishing net was laboriously dragged out of the water, bringing with it a splashing sound and a stronger fishy smell.
At the bottom of the net, an unusually large and violently writhing silhouette was clearly visible.
When it was finally pulled onto the deck and exposed to the dazzling sunlight, the surrounding sailors immediately let out a mix of surprised and slightly fearful gasps.
It was a monstrous fish.
Its nearly one-meter-long body was covered in thick, dark green scales, the edges of which gleamed with a metallic, cold luster.
Its head was hideous and terrifying, covered in fine, saw-like sharp teeth, and its two murky yellow eyes resembled cheap glass marbles, bulging and lifeless.
"Seven Hells! What the hell is that thing?!" A young sailor from Westeros turned pale, instinctively stepping back.
"A bastard that crawled out of the Valyrian Sea, uglier than the cheapest whore in Lys!"
The bearded sailor cursed.
Another experienced sailor drew the skinning knife from his waist, cautiously hunched over, and slowly approached the monster, which was still thrashing in its death throes.
Liu Qian's heart pounded wildly.
His gaze was fixed on the monstrous fish's murky yellow eyes, and in the depths of that murkiness, a faint, strange light seemed to flash.
Could this monstrous fish be a magical unit?
As this thought surged into his mind, the cold "Dragon Spirit: 0" on the system panel seemed to ignite.
Just then, the monstrous fish was killed by a sailor's knife, and a hazy ball of light actually appeared on its corpse.
He looked at the crowd around him; the sailors seemed to be completely oblivious to the light ball, as if they couldn't see it.
The light ball floated in the air, shimmering with a faint glow, only staying in the air for a few seconds before drilling into Liu Qian's body.
Dragon Spirit +1... Although it was only 1 point of Dragon Spirit, far from reaching the level to increase Bloodline Purity by 0.01%, a storm surged in Liu Qian's heart.
This monster could actually provide Dragon Spirit?
So that's it!
The system said, "There is a certain probability of obtaining Dragon Spirit from dead magical units," but it didn't necessarily mean he had to kill the magical unit himself.
This discovery was like an open door in the darkness, but it was quickly slammed shut by the iron wall of reality.
Only monsters containing magic power could provide Dragon Spirit, but where were the magical units?
He looked at the monstrous fish's corpse at his feet, then at the distant azure horizon, his whole body tensed.
That was the Valyrian Ruins.
If this monstrous fish, coming from near the cursed land, contained a trace of weak magic power and belonged to the category of "magical units"...
This meant that there should be more magical units to enhance his bloodline within the Valyrian Ruins.
Compared to escaping and drowning in the vast ocean, going to Valyria to improve his bloodline was undoubtedly a tangible path.
On the deck, the sailors were still arguing about whether to cook and eat the monstrous fish or throw it back into the sea.
No one noticed that in the corner, in the depths of the slave boy from Yi Ti's eyes, which had once been filled with numbness and resignation, the flame of hope had ignited for the first time.