The remaining thirty to forty warships of the Joint Fleet were slowly sailing towards Mi Jie Island in neat formation.
Not a single warship attempted to escape during the voyage, as the three Dragons circling in the sky had already burned many fools who tried to flee.
When Jacaerys landed, carrying a firmly bound transcendent captive in one hand.
Rudy had already led nearly two thousand five hundred Unsullied in a neat military formation, along with nearly a hundred Valyrian soldiers, waiting on the coast of Mi Jie Island.
"Your Majesty, I failed in my duty this time, please punish me severely!"
Rudy, looking haggard, immediately knelt on one knee and loudly pleaded guilty as soon as he saw Jacaerys.
Jacaerys did not tell Rudy to get up, but raised his chin, signaling him to explain the matter clearly.
"Firstly, when I went to Astapor this time, I originally intended to buy from other masters who raised Unsullied.
But the master Grazdan mo Nakloz, who had previously deducted our fees, I don't know if he learned the news from Tyrosh and Myr.
He preemptively bought all the Unsullied from the hands of other masters in Astapor.
So I had no choice but to trade with him again.
But this scumbag directly doubled the price of thirty Golden Dragons per Unsullied!
Coupled with the similarly increased fees, the wealth of nearly two hundred and seventy thousand Golden Dragons I carried ultimately only purchased four thousand one hundred Unsullied.
Your Majesty, please rest assured, I swear, I will definitely offer Grazdan's head and all his wealth to you!"
"Hmm, continue."
"Then, during the return voyage from Slaver's Bay, we actually encountered scout ships of the Joint Fleet in the waters of Lys in the Sunset Sea.
But because the scout ships I sent out did not discover the movements of the enemy's main fleet, I didn't take it seriously at the time.
Upon returning to Lanak Island and learning that you had led troops back to the Seven Kingdoms, I was too eager to head north, so I did not follow your instructions to send out scout ships in advance.
As a result... as a result, we were ambushed by the enemy fleet near Bloodstone Island.
We sacrificed over sixteen hundred Unsullied to break out of the ambush, and then barely managed to land on Mi Jie Island and hold out until you arrived with your Dragon!"
Bang!
As soon as Rudy finished speaking, Jacaerys abruptly kicked him three to four meters away.
Rudy, with blood spilling from his mouth, quickly got up and silently knelt before Jacaerys again.
"Rudy, do you know where you went wrong?"
"Sacrificing so many Unsullied in vain and wasting your wealth."
Bang!
Another kick, this time Rudy rolled five to six meters away.
Even though Jacaerys controlled his strength, he struggled for a while this time before getting up, then crawled back using both hands and feet.
"Where did you go wrong?"
When Jacaerys asked the question again in a calm tone.
Rudy, with blood constantly spilling from his mouth, immediately felt immense pressure.
Just as he was about to answer that it was because he wasn't assertive enough in Astapor, a sentence Stone had once said flashed through his mind.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately replied: "I did not strictly follow Your Majesty's orders!"
Upon hearing this, Jacaerys slowly said: "I have always been clear about rewards and punishments!
Rudy, you wandered for several months and brought back Unsullied for me, which is meritorious. When we return to King's Landing, I will naturally reward you.
But do you really think sacrificing sixteen hundred Unsullied who are not good at naval warfare could break through the enemy's encirclement?
They were deliberately leaving you to lure me here!
From the first time I met you fourteen, I demanded that you must strictly carry out my orders.
You forgot, that is the mistake!
These two kicks are your punishment. My strength is not light, go find a Scholar on the island for treatment."
"As you command!"
This punishment was deeply etched in Rudy's heart. Upon receiving the order, he immediately walked quickly towards the garrison fortress on Mi Jie Island.
After entrusting the task of incorporating the captives and warships to a Valyrian officer, Jacaerys also strode towards the garrison fortress.
And the three Dragons in the sky followed closely, circling above his head.
Bang, bang!
Familiar with the way, he arrived at the most luxurious Lord's room in the garrison fortress. Jacaerys casually threw the two captives he had been carrying onto the ground.
Ugh!
The masked woman who had been knocked unconscious by a punch let out a soft groan from the pain, seemingly about to wake up.
Jacaerys ignored her and instead turned to Melisandre, who was looking at him with hatred, and said: "Have you considered it?
Will you voluntarily hand over your necklace and tell me how to use it, or will you make me take it by force and then find every possible way to torment you?"
Hearing Jacaerys's words, Melisandre subconsciously reached to touch the necklace around her neck.
It was a hexagonal gold necklace inlaid with a large ruby.
If observed closely enough, one could find a large number of unknown runes inscribed on the surface of the hexagonal necklace.
In the original show, Melisandre lived for at least several hundred years relying on this ruby necklace.
Jacaerys now possessed the supreme power of the Seven Kingdoms and countless beauties and wealth.
He naturally wanted to figure out the specific usage of this item so that he could become a long-lived being and build his own immortal dynasty.
The reason he didn't forcefully seize it on the ship just now was because he recalled the scene where Melisandre turned to dust after finally taking off her necklace.
What if she died, and the ruby necklace he got was useless? That would be very troublesome!
"Give up on that idea! Minion of the Otherworldly God.
This is a divine artifact bestowed upon me by the Lord of Light. Even if you forcibly take it, you won't be able to use it!"
Seeing that Jacaerys seemed to genuinely know the power of her necklace, Melisandre spoke, attempting to dispel his idea of forcibly taking it.
Jacaerys naturally wouldn't believe her nonsense and immediately stepped forward, planning to take it by force.
He had already prepared for the worst.
If he couldn't use it after taking it, he would then overturn all the Red Temples in Essos, and he would surely find a Red Priest who knew how to use it.
"Wait, what she said is true.
This magical artifact has been subjected to a divine grace ritual, and only devout followers of the Lord of Light can use it."
Eira the Mage, who was lying on the side, suddenly spoke, causing Jacaerys to temporarily stop his actions.
"Continue."
"But I did not sense magic on your body, so what you actually want is just the Life Gem inlaid on this magical artifact.
I can help you remove it and reactivate it.
How about it? I offer this as a condition for my freedom, do you agree?"
"Hmm? You want to make a deal with me?
Didn't you hear her call me a minion of the Evil God?"
Upon hearing this, Jacaerys looked at the masked woman with interest.
"I don't care about true gods or evil gods, I only want to explore the ultimate truth of magic.
So I cannot die, no, at least not before I have glimpsed the truth!"
Eira the Mage's words portrayed herself as a mage obsessed with the truth of magic.
Jacaerys didn't know if it was true or false, but if he believed her, it would at least provide another path for him to become a long-lived being.
"Oh no, quickly protect the Life Gem!"
Eira the Mage suddenly cried out in alarm. It turned out that Melisandre, hearing her trading with the minion of the Evil God, immediately reached out, wanting to destroy her ruby necklace.
Snap!
Jacaerys had already rushed in front of Melisandre just now.
Upon hearing the cry, he immediately turned and brutally broke both of her hands with his own hands.
Then he yanked the ruby necklace from Melisandre's neck.
"Ah! Give back my Lord's grace to me..."
Melisandre, having lost her ruby necklace, let out a cry. She waved her limp, broken hands and approached Jacaerys, trying to get her necklace back.
But within these short ten breaths, Melisandre's originally quite beautiful appearance rapidly aged, and her full, plump body instantly withered like a deflating balloon.
"Quickly give me the magical artifact, I need to remove the Life Gem as soon as possible.
If she dies, the divine grace ritual will destroy the entire magical artifact!"
Hearing Eira the Mage's words, Jacaerys pondered for a moment and then tossed the ruby necklace in his hand to her.
This masked woman's magic was very strange and powerful.
But at this distance, he had enough confidence to kill her before she could make a move.
If she truly valued her life as much as she claimed, she would never take risks easily.
***
After catching the ruby necklace with her right hand, Eira the Mage immediately began chanting in a murmur.
And the unknown runes inscribed on the hexagonal necklace immediately glowed with bursts of red light, as if resisting her.
Eira the Mage's body began to tremble as she did her best to suppress the red light on the necklace.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she used her free left hand to remove the white mask from her face and then threw it heavily onto the ground.
Crack!
As the white mask shattered, wisps of faint, translucent mist quickly merged into Eira the Mage's body.
After losing the mask, Ela, revealing a stunningly beautiful face, her eyes suddenly brightened.
She actually forced the bursts of red light back into the unknown runes of the hexagonal necklace.
Opportunity knocks!
Eira the Mage quickly extended her left hand, took off the ruby, and then quickly discarded the remaining hexagonal necklace.
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
Without Eira the Mage's suppression, the red light of the hexagonal necklace flared up again, becoming increasingly intense.
Finally, with a sudden flash, the entire hexagonal necklace began to decay rapidly.
"My Lord..."
At the same time, the white-haired, shriveled Melisandre let out a low roar towards the sky.
Then her entire body rapidly decayed like the hexagonal necklace, eventually turning into a pile of black and gray dust.
Jacaerys glanced at the vanished Melisandre, then fixed his gaze on Eira the Mage's face.
He saw that the black hood of her robe covered most of her brown long hair, and her large, watery eyes were full of relief.
Beads of sweat dripped down her stunningly delicate face with her rapid breathing, creating a unique kind of allure.
"Whew, I didn't expect the divine grace R'hllor bestowed upon this Red Priestess to be so strong.
Something big almost happened.
Alas, my magical artifact! What a loss, a huge loss!"
Eira the Mage's voice before must have been disguised by some magic, sounding like an old woman.
And now, whether it was because her magic was exhausted or not, her voice, as clear as a silver bell, perfectly matched her appearance.
"Hey! Are you sure this so-called Life Gem can still be used now?"
After admiring Eira the Mage's appearance, Jacaerys looked at the most important item, the Life Gem.
But this gem, which was previously as red as blood, now looked dull and gray, like a Stone picked up from the roadside.
"My name isn't Hey! My name is Aisamerian Carchia Jagonra.
If you find my name too long, you can call me Ela."
Eira the Mage first retorted Jacaerys's address irritably, then replied,
"When this Life Gem was removed, the divine grace ritual absorbed the 'life force' within it.
So as long as you infuse it with life force in conjunction with a ritual, it can be reactivated."
"Infuse life force? I don't understand your magical terms, can you explain it in a way I can understand?"
Upon hearing this, Jacaerys frowned, completely unaware of what "life force" referred to.
Eira the Mage shook her head upon hearing this and began to explain to this magic novice: "The name Life Gem sounds quite normal.
But it was actually created by powerful and terrifying blood mages.
And these repulsive blood mages are best at blood magic.
So, infusing life force means pouring a large amount of fresh blood onto its surface, allowing it to absorb it and reactivate the blood magic within!"
"How much is a large amount of fresh blood?"
Hearing Jacaerys's question, Eira the Mage first looked him up and down for a while,
Then replied with a slightly sarcastic tone: "To become a Life Gem of the same level as before, it would require the blood of at least one hundred thousand people.
That's not difficult for you, is it?
The evil Dragon who slaughtered over two hundred thousand people and destroyed Tyrosh!"
But unexpectedly, Jacaerys didn't care at all. He nodded directly and said: "One hundred thousand people? It's indeed not difficult.
And it just so happens that I am about to launch a war.
Last question, why did you choose to help me just now?"
"I said it just now, I don't want to die, and I want to exchange this for my freedom!"
Hearing Ela repeat the reason from just now, Jacaerys shook his head and said: "Perhaps that's part of the reason, but I can sense that it's not the whole story."
"I... I want to constantly break through and reach the pinnacle of magic.
Therefore, I need a large amount of materials containing rich magical power.
And Dragons are the top-tier magical creatures in this world!
When I heard that the Red Temple's mission this time would involve facing Dragons, I immediately agreed.
Because whether it was helping R'hllor's side kill Dragons and Dragonriders to obtain materials.
Or helping the Dragon's side eliminate the enemy, it was the same to me.
Besides activating the Life Gem, I can also help you as much as possible.
But please allow me to take some Dragon blood regularly, I can guarantee that I won't harm your Dragons."
Ela was silent for a few minutes upon hearing this, then stated her true purpose in a very sincere tone.
The usually cautious Jacaerys naturally wouldn't fully believe what she said, but his face showed an expression of complete trust,
He extended his right hand towards Ela: "Deal!
If you do well, besides Dragon blood, I can also provide you with other Dragon materials!"
"Really?"
Ela was full of pleasant surprise upon hearing this, and immediately extended her right hand to shake Jacaerys's hand.
"Alright, we will return to King's Landing now to prepare for activating the Life Gem!"
"King's Landing? You plan to activate the Life Gem in Westeros?
By the way, you just said you were preparing to launch a war, where are you going to attack?"
Jacaerys smiled slightly upon hearing this, turned to look southwest of Mi Jie Island, and replied: "Dorne!"