Chapter 96: Editorial Rights
Although Meereen had already conducted preliminary registration for the Academy, the number of people arriving today was still considerable—most of them from outside the city.
There were even applicants from Yunkai and Astapor. Many of these had already registered locally, but upon hearing that Meereen's Academy would be officially established first—and that branch academies in Yunkai and Astapor would only follow once Meereen's operations were fully on track—they chose not to wait and came directly to Meereen.
The official founding date of the Academy had been announced half a month earlier, and many of those present today had traveled specifically for this occasion.
Most applicants for the governance discipline were nobles or relatives of former slave masters. Having prior experience managing family affairs, they found it easier to adapt to the study of administration and statecraft.
At the registration site, five desks were set up, corresponding to the Academy's five disciplines. Each desk was overseen by its respective director.
However, the directors were not working alone. Students who had already been accepted into the Academy had also come to assist with welcoming and registering new applicants.
The medical discipline was temporarily overseen by the physician Donne—the same doctor who had earlier attempted to apply medicine to Drogon's wound.
At one of the desks, the painter Huntley was working with visible enthusiasm, registering a young artist in his early twenties.
He had not expected the painting discipline to be officially launched so early. By his understanding, it was not originally scheduled to open on the day of the Academy's founding.
Only later did he learn that the early opening was due to the urgent need for illustrations in the textbooks being compiled by other disciplines. Diagrams, sketches, and visual references were essential, making painters indispensable.
Yet what truly excited Huntley was something else entirely.
According to Queen Daenerys's close advisor, Missandei, the Queen attached great importance to the compilation of textbooks and treated every discipline with equal seriousness.
Not only would the authors' names be clearly recorded in these books, but the names of participating painters would also appear in the credits—as illustrators.
The thought that his name and family name would be preserved within printed works, passed down to future generations, was enough to make Huntley's heart race with excitement.
He had done illustration work for books before, but it had always been simple commission labor—paid a modest fee, with no thought ever given to having his name printed in the book itself.
Now, with the Queen's Academy established, not only did administrators, instructors, and illustrators receive generous compensation, but their names would also be preserved for posterity. It was something neither he nor his father nor his grandfather—also painters—had ever dared to imagine.
Healer Donne was no less excited. When Missandei invited him to compile a medical textbook for training novice healers, he had never imagined that his skills would one day be worthy of authorship. To prepare for this task, he even enrolled in Missandei's language course to improve his command of the Common Tongue.
Tyrion did not personally sit at the registration desk. Instead, he delegated the task to a young man from Yunkai, the son of a Wise Master.
According to the student—named Darcy—his father strongly opposed his decision to come to Meereen and join the Academy. Darcy had come in secret, without his father's knowledge.
Tyrion found such independence and initiative admirable. After testing Darcy's knowledge, he was even more pleased—among the noble-born and former slave-master youths, Darcy's learning stood out as exceptional.
Shireen, despite her young age, was just as busy. As the head of the history discipline, she was responsible for drafting the curriculum, teaching classes, studying governance under Tyrion, and learning Valyrian languages from Missandei.
After spending some time with her, Tyrion discovered that Shireen was not only deeply versed in history but also possessed remarkable talent in administration. She had formally taken him as her mentor and begun studying governance under his guidance.
Unlike the other department heads, Missandei was not stationed at the language registration desk. Instead, she continued preparing classrooms for instruction.
When she first learned that Queen Daenerys intended to establish an Academy, Missandei sought out translators who had once studied languages alongside her or had served slave masters in the past. She informed them of the Academy's creation and invited them to teach or further their studies there.
All who received her invitation were overjoyed—and deeply envious of Missandei for having encountered such a great queen. They held her in the highest respect; a translator fluent in nineteen languages was something they had scarcely heard of. Only after meeting her did they truly understand that her appointment as head of languages was fully deserved.
At that moment, Missandei was directing students to carry desks, chairs, and supplies into the classrooms when a familiar black board caught her eye once more.
This was a simple teaching tool she had commissioned at Daenerys's request. Written on with white chalk, the letters were large enough for all students to see. When finished, the board could be wiped clean with a cloth and reused—simple, efficient, and practical.
The students carrying the boards were curious about their purpose. After one bold student asked, they learned how the boards were meant to be used. During a break, they tested the white chalk themselves and were immediately impressed, marveling at the ingenuity behind the design.
After registration began, Daenerys checked Drogon's leg once more, making him walk a few steps to ensure it did not affect his movement. Despite her concern, all she could do was pray that the wound would heal quickly and leave no lasting harm.
The long, exhausting day of the Academy's founding ceremony did not conclude until sunset. Daenerys gathered everyone together to hear reports on the preparations.
Most departments were fully ready; what remained was arranging the newly registered students. Daenerys decided that formal instruction would begin in three days, with each department head setting their own schedules.
As the brief meeting was drawing to a close, Barristan noticed Daenerys's signal. He retrieved a scroll from his person, walked over, and handed it to Tyrion.
Seeing the heaviness in Barristan's expression, Tyrion accepted the scroll with confusion. Moments later, he read the news of his father Tywin's death.
He could hardly believe it. Tywin Lannister—always vigorous, unbending, absolute—was gone.
Tyrion's feelings toward his father were more bitterness than affection. He had once tried desperately to prove his worth, only to be met with cold stares and sharp mockery. Not long ago, Tywin and Cersei had even sought his death.
And now—Tyrion lived, while Tywin was dead.
He did not know whether to feel hatred or laughter.
After a long silence, Tyrion remembered there was another death reported in the letter. Judging by Jorah's curious glance, he clearly had not seen it.
Tyrion read the remaining lines, then quietly walked over and handed the scroll to Jorah.
Jorah had been wondering what could have caused such reactions from both Barristan and Tyrion. As he read, shock flashed across his face—then anger—before finally giving way to silence.