Chapter 243: Dragon Riding

For Pentos, the other end of the Dothraki Sea seemed like the end of the world. They never imagined that seven Khals had gathered there, rallying nearly a hundred thousand Dothraki, preparing to cross the Dothraki Sea and launch a formidable expedition against Pentos. They sought to avenge their 'friends' and incidentally divide the rich city-state among themselves.

However, two of the seven Khals withdrew from the negotiations midway and did not plan to participate, even when offered attractive benefits. Nevertheless, even with Khal Ogo and Khal Jomo choosing to leave, there were still five Khals left in this gluttonous feast, commanding a Dothraki army of nearly eighty thousand.

The remaining five Khals swore on the Mother of Mountains, witnessed by the stars above. Eighty thousand Dothraki set off in a mighty march towards the western world.

Meanwhile, in Pentos, Viserys was completely unaware. He did not know that nearly eighty thousand Dothraki were marching towards Pentos with him as their target, from the distant 'Womb of the World' lake. At present, he was practicing dragon riding.

On a desolate piece of land about four or five miles outside the city of Pentos, where the weeds underfoot were withered and a winding stream was not far away, Balerion's massive body lay on the ground. His enormous wings spread out, and his nostrils exhaled a large amount of white mist, even carrying the smell of sulfur and saltpeter.

Balerion shook his head again, exhaling white mist with a dull sound. His massive head tilted slightly, his crimson eyes glanced at Viserys, who was studying how to climb up, and blinked lightly, a look of contempt in his eyes.

He had been lying here for a long time, feeling a bit numb in his hind legs, yet Viserys was still studying how to climb up. However, this was not entirely Viserys' fault. After all, it was his first time riding a dragon, and he had no experience. Moreover, Balerion's scales were too sharp and could easily tear his clothes.

The only thing that went smoothly was that Balerion's body temperature was said to be very high, perhaps hot enough to cook an egg. But Viserys, who had awakened the purest Targaryen bloodline, felt the lava flowing in the gaps of Balerion's scales as merely a cup of warm water emitting heat.

"Enough."

Viserys gritted his teeth, disregarding the sharp scales on Balerion's body. He grabbed the gap in the scales with one hand, then carefully climbed up using his drooping wings as support, finally succeeding in climbing onto Balerion's back.

Balerion's breathing was heavy, his body gently rising and falling with each breath. When Viserys climbed onto his back, it felt like he was stepping on a moving mountain of flesh.

"Wait a moment, I haven't settled yet."

Viserys was experiencing for the first time what it felt like to be this high up. The wild wind at this height blew his hair, and he squinted his eyes slightly, then found a relatively flat place on Balerion's back and sat down.

This place was at the junction of the dragon's neck and spine, a slightly recessed area that was just right for a person to sit and could effectively hold him in place. At the same time, there were protruding horns on the scales on both sides, which looked extremely sharp. Viserys could hold onto these two protruding horns to stabilize his body when riding the dragon.

"Okay!"

After settling down, Vis

erys finally took a deep breath. The biting cold wind blew his hair, but he could still keep his eyes open. After reaching the extraordinary realm, it seemed that every aspect of his body had been enhanced.

Moreover, when Viserys sat on Balerion's back, he suddenly had a strange feeling, as if his connection with Balerion had strengthened. This might have something to do with the black mist.

Viserys had asked the other two girls, Rhaenys and the green dragon Rhaegal, Daenerys and the white dragon Viserion, and none of them had such a wonderful connection. They simply relied on familiarity and gradually explored the dragon's habits and temperament.

This kind of emotional cultivation had to be mutual. The dragons might also be trying to befriend them, so everything became much simpler.

However, the connection between Viserys and Balerion was even simpler, with the black mist serving as their medium of communication. When Balerion was still an egg, the black mist was injected into the egg through a dragon dream. After Balerion hatched, Viserys had this wonderful connection with him.

It was more like a kind of telepathy. Viserys could know what Balerion was thinking, and Balerion could also know Viserys' thoughts.

Finally, Viserys made comprehensive preparations.

"Let's fly."

Viserys thought silently in his heart.

Balerion, as if sensing Viserys' thoughts, turned his head and looked at him with his crimson eyes. Then he let out a deep, ancient roar.

Balerion's wings spread, stirring up a wild wind, sweeping up the withered grass and fallen leaves on the ground. Then he ran forward a few steps, and with a sudden force from his hind legs, the massive dragon's body soared into the sky.

Viserys sat on Balerion's back, his hands tightly gripping the protruding scales on the dragon's back. He then felt the raging wind slapping his cheeks, his entire body rushing towards the sky at a steep angle.

"Holy shit!"

"This is so thrilling!"

Viserys tried hard to open his eyes, feeling the wild wind blowing his hair, and couldn't help but swear. However, Balerion, feeling Viserys' thoughts, not only did not slow down but instead increased the speed of his wing flaps.

With wings spanning more than ten meters, stirring up the air, carrying the massive body, Balerion, with Viserys on his back, accelerated towards the sky. The massive figure was like a black and gold meteor. The passing caravans on the ground all heard the earth-shaking dragon roar from not far away.

Then they looked up and saw a sight they would never forget in their lives. They stood dumbfounded, looking up at the massive figure sweeping across the sky. The guards' horses were scared and wanted to run away, while the pack horses carrying goods simply collapsed on the dirt road.

Viserys, sitting on the dragon's back, got over the initial chaos. He had to admit that he was a bit panicked when they first took off, and Balerion even mocked him for it. But once they were in the sky and things had stabilized, Viserys' heart also calmed down a lot.

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