Chapter 122: The Confidence Behind Their Provocation
Most of the population of New Ghis had originally migrated there from Old Ghis. The city was located on a small island, and merchant ships traveling between the Nine Free Cities and Qarth often stopped there to resupply.
After leaving Meereen, Drogon flew over the land for less than an hour before he spotted the somewhat dilapidated walls of Old Ghis.
Their height and sturdiness were far inferior to the walls of any city in Slaver's Bay. Drogon truly could not understand what gave them the confidence to resist Daenerys's army—and her three dragons.
As soon as Drogon approached Old Ghis, he was spotted by the guards stationed on the walls.
They immediately began shouting for their comrades and officers.
Ever since Old Ghis had rejected Daenerys's demand for submission, the city had strengthened its defenses. But they had not expected that the dragon would arrive before any army appeared.
As Drogon soared above the walls, he unleashed a stream of dark crimson dragonfire.
The soldiers who shot arrows and hurled spears at him were quickly reduced to ashes. Drogon felt no pity for them.
After all, when the Sons of the Harpy had slaughtered Unsullied soldiers and innocent spectators in the arena, they had shown no mercy either.
Drogon flew along the walls, breathing black flames again and again. Wherever the fire touched, the land turned to scorched ruin.
The already fragile walls were burned so badly that it was doubtful they could ever be used again.
The soldiers soon realized that every arrow and spear they launched simply bounced harmlessly off Drogon's scales.
They no longer dared attack.
Instead, they fled in terror.
Anyone who stayed behind would simply die.
After burning down one section of the wall and collapsing a gate tower, Drogon was about to continue when he suddenly noticed a massive bolt streaking toward him.
A scorpion?
Drogon hadn't expected Old Ghis to possess giant ballistae.
No wonder they had repeatedly dared to provoke and attack his dragon-mother. This was clearly the source of their confidence.
Though the bolt flew incredibly fast, that was only from a human perspective.
To Drogon, it was not particularly quick—certainly slower than the speed he used when ambushing Rhaegal and Viserion during training.
He easily avoided the bolt, then observed its trajectory before flying toward the direction from which it had been fired.
The soldiers operating the scorpion panicked when they saw their shot miss. They hurriedly loaded another bolt and fired again.
This time, Drogon did not dodge.
He still didn't fully understand how strong his defenses had become after his transformation.
This was the perfect opportunity to test them.
Adjusting his body slightly, he deliberately turned his back toward the incoming bolt.
Clang!
The massive projectile struck Drogon with a sharp metallic sound before falling harmlessly to the ground.
It had not even pierced his scales.
His body did not move an inch.
The soldiers who had fired the weapon had been ready to cheer when the bolt struck.
But when they saw it bounce off and drop to the ground, they were stunned.
Unable to understand what had happened, they assumed the shot simply lacked enough force.
So they loaded another bolt…
And fired again.
Drogon could easily have destroyed the ballista before they finished reloading.
But he chose not to.
Such a perfect opportunity to test his defenses was far too valuable to waste.
Continuing forward, Drogon flew a short distance closer to the ballista. Hovering in the air, he adjusted his body and deliberately turned his belly toward the incoming bolt.
Clang!
Another sharp metallic sound rang out.
The massive bolt struck him squarely, causing his flying body to stall for only a brief moment before the projectile bounced off and fell to the ground.
The soldiers operating the ballista were completely stunned.
Even at such close range, a direct hit had failed to pierce Drogon's body. Only then did they realize just how terrifying the defensive power of his scales truly was.
Having confirmed the ballista's strength, Drogon stopped testing.
He first incinerated the soldiers operating the weapon with a blast of dragonfire. Then he flew down for a closer inspection.
The ballista's components were extremely worn and outdated.
Drogon suspected that its parts might have been remnants from the ancient Ghiscari Empire's wars against Valyrian dragons, later pieced together into a functioning weapon.
What truly worried him was the possibility that Ghis had developed new ballistae—mass-produced weapons capable of threatening dragons.
If that were the case, Rhaegal and Viserion would be in serious danger.
After confirming the situation, Drogon destroyed the weapon with a single blast of dragonfire.
Then he circled the city's modest walls once more, burning several more ballistae and collapsing two gate towers before finally flying into Old Ghis itself.
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Inside the city, chaos had already erupted.
Seeing the fires spreading along the walls and Drogon's enormous silhouette in the sky, the residents believed that Daenerys had already arrived with her army.
They knew that if the city fell, their lives would not end well.
Panic spread rapidly as people hurriedly gathered their belongings and fled.
Like the cities of Slaver's Bay, Ghis also favored building pyramids—though in truth, it was the cities of Slaver's Bay that had copied the architectural style from Ghis.
Drogon flew over the panicked crowds and headed toward the largest and tallest pyramid in the city.
He unleashed a stream of dragonfire onto its peak.
He had no intention of burning the entire pyramid down with people trapped inside.
Burning the top was simply a warning—to force those inside to flee.
If they chose to remain inside afterward, their deaths would not be his responsibility.
Daenerys's demand for the two Ghiscari cities to submit did not mean they had to surrender their cities outright.
Rather, they were to acknowledge themselves as subjects of Daenerys, becoming tributary cities that offered wealth and resources.
After all, even governing Slaver's Bay alone already kept her overwhelmed.
She had never intended to fully conquer both Ghiscari cities.
But the walls and pyramids of Old Ghis were not hers—so Drogon felt no hesitation burning them.
Unless he caused enough destruction, the nobles of Old Ghis would never understand how terrifying he truly was.
This was the price of believing that a few ballistae meant dragons were no longer a threat.
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Standing atop the pyramid, Drogon waited until most of the people inside had escaped.
Then he circled the structure once.
From top to bottom, he bathed the entire pyramid in black dragonfire.
The massive structure ignited instantly, as if it had been drenched in oil.
Soon the entire pyramid burned like a giant torch visible across the city.
Every resident of Old Ghis saw the blazing inferno.
And atop the flaming pyramid stood the enormous black silhouette of a dragon.
ROOOAAAR!!!
Facing the distant crowds of nobles and citizens staring toward him, Drogon unleashed a thunderous roar that echoed across the entire city.
The roar carried not only dragon's wrath, but also a faint trace of divine power from the radiant divine light within him.
Hearing that roar—filled with fury and warning—the people of Old Ghis felt an overwhelming terror.
Some weaker individuals collapsed to their knees on the spot.
After delivering his warning to the Ghiscari nobles, Drogon turned and flew toward New Ghis, located across the waters on Hahn Island.
According to Daenerys and her advisors, most of the Sons of the Harpy involved in the attack had likely come from there.
The soldiers of New Ghis were far better trained and more heavily equipped than those of Old Ghis.
But before Drogon…
None of that made much difference.
Arriving at New Ghis, he repeated the same strategy.
It merely required a few more blasts of dragonfire.
More stubborn soldiers who resisted were burned alive, and the stronger gate towers were collapsed under his flames.
He also burned one additional massive pyramid, leaving behind only blackened ruins and chaos.
Then Drogon departed, leaving destruction in his wake.
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When he returned to Meereen, Daenerys had already begun mobilizing troops and preparing for war against New Ghis and Old Ghis, while ensuring enough soldiers remained to defend the three cities of Slaver's Bay.