glass candles
Although the Archmaesters of the Citadel had modest living conditions, the core area occupied a vast space. It took Steward Vaglam and many Archmaesters over an hour to give Princess Daenerys a rough tour of the inner chambers.
"I heard from Tigris Scholar that Your Highness has loved to learn since childhood and is now well-read. You even researched many novel inventions in White Sheep Town. I wonder if Your Highness would consider emulating Queen Alesha and giving a lecture at the Citadel?!"
Steward Vaglam, who had accompanied her throughout, found Princess Daenerys to be quite approachable, so he suggested.
Daenerys responded with a smile,
"That's certainly not a problem, but those are not my inventions. At most, I just had some sudden inspirations based on the wisdom of my predecessors!"
"Moreover, those are just some small clever tricks of mine. When you don't know the profound principles behind them, you might find them magical, but once explained, there's nothing to them."
"The more I read, the more I understand one truth: the most important force that can drive and support a kingdom and enable a race to continuously develop is knowledge."
"In the history of the Seven Kingdoms, the Citadel has borne the heavy responsibility of knowledge transmission. Therefore, if the Seven Kingdoms are to become better, the development of the Citadel is crucial!"
As the Steward of the Citadel, Vaglam naturally understood the profound meaning in Daenerys's words, and immediately looked at Earl Hightower with a puzzled expression.
And Earl Hightower, who had long ago signed a military order with Daenerys, naturally would not easily let go of this opportunity,
"Your Highness is absolutely right. The role of the Citadel in the Seven Kingdoms is well-known to all. If it can truly be further promoted and developed, that would, of course, be a great thing!"
Steward Vaglam's confusion deepened upon hearing Earl Hightower's words.
"It seems I am truly old! I can't keep up with either of your thoughts at all."
Daenerys smiled slightly and said,
"Steward Vaglam, to allow the Citadel to play an even greater role, we must, of course, quickly expand and strengthen it!"
"As for strengthening it, that cannot be achieved overnight, but quickly expanding the Citadel is much easier!"
At this moment, Wigg, who had been following silently, interjected coldly,
"You don't mean to open a new Citadel in King's Landing, do you?!"
Daenerys quickly shook her head with a smile,
"Not at all!"
"I merely suggest establishing branch campuses of the Citadel in King's Landing and Holy Flame Island. When the time is ripe, it wouldn't be impossible to establish branches in all major cities of the Seven Kingdoms!"
When Wigg heard Daenerys speak such childish words, the anger that had accumulated in his heart immediately dissipated by more than half.
"In terms of pure childishness, you are indeed just like your grandmother!"
Daenerys ignored the muddled Wigg and smiled directly at Steward Vaglam, asking,
"Does Your Grace also think this idea is unfeasible?"
Vaglam nodded seriously and said,
"Establishing a Citadel is entirely different from building a castle or opening a shop. The Citadel has been established for thousands of years, yet even now, besides the Archmaesters who serve the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, the total number of Archmaesters and scholars in the Citadel is only two or three hundred."
"From this, it is clear how difficult it is to cultivate a qualified Archmaester. And if we were to build a Citadel branch, the cost would actually be the least of our problems. A qualified teaching team and educational resources are the most thorny issues."
"Otherwise, Archmaesters would not be so scarce throughout Westeros!"
As they spoke, the group arrived in front of a room covered in strange runes.
"Your Highness, this room is where the glass candles are stored. Every Assistant Scholar must spend a night in this room before becoming an Archmaester, and only if they pass can they officially become a full Archmaester of the Citadel."
A bald, blind Archmaester wearing a chain of Valyrian steel stepped forward and continued to introduce Daenerys,
"Your Highness, it is said that a thousand years ago, before the Doom of Valyria befell, four glass candles were brought from Valyria to the Citadel. They are one green and three black, all long and twisted, but it is unknown if all of them are like this."
"It is said that if one can light a glass candle, it emits an uncomfortable bright light and causes strange changes in the surrounding colors. White becomes bright like falling snow, yellow shines like pure gold, red turns into flame, and black is so deep that it is mistaken for a void in the world."
"The night before every Assistant Scholar swears to become an Archmaester, they must keep vigil in the cellar without any light, with only an obsidian candle. He must spend the night in darkness, unless he can light that candle."
"This is to admonish the newly appointed Archmaesters that even if one is full of knowledge, one is not omnipotent."
After he finished speaking, Steward Vaglam introduced him to Daenerys,
"Your Highness, this is Archmaester Galvin, specializing in occultism!"
"Hello, Archmaester Galvin!"
Daenerys had now recalled that the bald Archmaester in front of her was the one she had seen in the illusion when Urax was hatching.
"The chain you wear is Valyrian steel, isn't it? Did you forge it yourself?"
Although Archmaester Galvin's eyes were now almost completely blind, when the Valyrian steel chain he wore was mentioned, his eyes still gleamed with brilliance,
"Yes, Your Highness! To become a qualified Archmaester, forging one's own metal chain with specific properties is an essential skill! Because I specialize in occultism, I succeeded in forging this Valyrian chain after many attempts."
"Can you also light the glass candles?"
Taking advantage of Archmaester Galvin being engrossed in his proud achievement, Daenerys suddenly asked.
"Alas!"
Mentioning the glass candles, Archmaester Galvin seemed to fall into an unpleasant memory.
"I did light the glass candles, but the moment I lit them, my eyes lost their light forever."
"So… alas, let's not talk about it!"
"Only knowledge is our truth for exploring this world!"
Daenerys also echoed,
"Indeed! Astronomy can let us know the changes in seasons in advance; metallurgy and forging can allow us to master more advanced tools and improve production efficiency; medicine can cure diseases and save lives; these knowledge indeed seem more useful than the ethereal occultism."
Hearing Daenerys say this, these old stubborn Archmaesters of the Citadel all immediately showed satisfied smiles.
"Therefore, Archmaesters, making the Citadel bigger and stronger is your important mission! A good poor person only needs to worry about how to fill their stomach, but a good scholar cannot just immerse themselves in the ocean of knowledge. Instead, they should devote their lives to promoting knowledge; that is the truth!"
"The Citadel has a thousand-year history, but it has not expanded for a long time, and many ancient pieces of knowledge have begun to continuously be lost. Perhaps you really should change your way of thinking. I hope you do not become the sinners of history and the Citadel!"
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