The Valyrian Ruins are located roughly in the center of the continent of Essos, if the parts east of Asshai are excluded.
The distance for Viserys traveling from the Stepstones is roughly the same as for the Qartheen departing from Qarth.
However, relatively speaking, the Qartheen would be safer, as that region is not as chaotic as the Stepstones and the Disputed Lands.
Viserys and the dragon climbed into the shadows behind the ruins, observing this group of strange visitors.
Viserys saw the bizarrely shaped Undying, two old fogies from Qarth, and the army of Unsullied they brought with them.
Due to long-term consumption of Nightshade, they had spent too much time on drugs.
The skin of the Undying appeared a bloated deep purple-blue, while their lips and nails were even bluer, almost black. Even the whites of their eyes were blue.
They were once a Warlock organization renowned in the East, but now they were decayed and fallen.
Though called a Warlock organization, the House of the Undying occasionally had witches as well.
Legend has it that Warlocks possessed great power, but in recent times they had achieved almost nothing.
Warlocks were like the Alchemists' Guild of the Seven Kingdoms; their power and glory were gradually fading.
Even so, while some in Qarth inwardly despised Warlocks and lowered their voices when speaking of them, the entire East still feared their power and wisdom.
Although many said the Warlocks lied about having great power, there was still some fear, and few dared to offend them.
Given the prestige of the Warlocks, it was not impossible to assemble a fleet.
The Undying were about to die of old age; before decaying, they had hidden in the House of the Undying, not daring to come out.
From this perspective, it was normal for two or three Undying to take a desperate risk.
However, this adventure party was destined to hardly survive; it was already a miracle they had reached this place.
The Silver wine and Living heart carried by the Undying would not last long; the Undying were too old.
The adventuring party could only choose the Unsullied; mercenaries and slaves were unwilling to enter the Narrow Sea, and the Unsullied's pain tolerance was superior to that of ordinary people.
The leading Undying looked at the beating heart in his box—a human heart, decayed and swollen, bruised in color, but still alive.
It beat, and with every pulse, it emitted a deep vibrato and radiated a wave of deep blue light.
"The heart of a legendary Great Warlock, not in the House of the Undying, but accompanying us on an adventure in the Narrow Sea. We have no choice; we do not want to die like this, so we offer our own hearts as well," the second Undying lamented.
"Should I wait, or should I kill?" Viserys thought, deciding to watch patiently a bit longer.
The Undying also discovered the towering dragon bones between heaven and earth, vast and overbearing.
A mix of joy and sorrow appeared on the Undying's face. "The ancient, ancient terrifying dragon of the dragonlords. Where the dragon died, there is also the palace of the Blood Warlocks. But it is not a real dragon; I want a dragon. Dragon is blood, dragon is fire."
"If not a True Dragon, the currently existing Targaryen royalty are also descendants of blood and fire. Unfortunately, they are now among the Andalos."
The more Viserys listened, the more ridiculous it became; these Undying had finally gone mad.
Filled with fear of impending death and a thirst for life, the Undying set their sights on the dragon and the House Targaryen.
Long ago, people viewed the Dragonlord Family as gods; even now, they were believed to have the blood of ancient gods, different from mortals.
No wonder when Daenerys visited the House of the Undying, the Undying first confused her with illusions and finally tried to drain her life.
Viserys rubbed the ring on his hand; the Undying were certainly doomed.
It had always been Viserys looting gold from others; for someone to dare target him was a path to death.
There was a fundamental conflict between Viserys and the Warlocks of Qarth; the Undying were greedy for the vitality of a descendant of the dragonlords and had to be killed.
Even as Qartheen, given the future land trade routes, the two sides could only be enemies.
The two Undying greedily looked at the beating, withered heart. "The heart of a legendary Great Warlock... but in this land of blood and fire, I cannot last much longer. Go quickly to this Warlock's palace and search for dragon eggs or other life-sustaining substances."
"As you command, My Lord, Great Warlock." Several Unsullied indifferently drew their weapons and walked toward the collapsed tower.
The Unsullied searched around the palace, but of course, it was worthless; Viserys had already stripped it bare.
Secular gold and silver were useless to the Undying, and Qarth itself was famous for its immense wealth.
"Warlock books, dragon eggs, potions, experimental subjects! Is there nothing?" the Undying asked frantically.
"Nothing," the Unsullied said with certainty. "The beasts of the Blood Warlocks fled long ago when the tower broke. As for the things inside, someone has been here and left nothing of value."
"Who is it? Who is that thief?" the leading Undying cursed. "Stole my things."
"My Lord, we landed eighty Unsullied, but now less than half remain, perhaps even fewer than thirty... At this rate, all our men will die here," the Unsullied commander suggested in a low voice. "We should go back."
"Then they will call me a cowardly Warlock."
"No, you will be a great adventurer of the East," the Unsullied shook his head.
"No, I want blood and fire to let my life continue," the Undying hissed, then took the blue Nightshade and began to drink.
The Nightshade was like rotting meat mixed with ink, utterly disgusting, but it indeed contained magical power.
"There is a dragon," the two Undying wept with joy, rambling incoherently. "I see a True Dragon, golden-red flames flowing nearby. As long as I see the dragon, I can live again."
The heart in the box beat violently, as if the Warlocks were praying for a spell.
To let this heart find the dragon's trail and enlighten the Warlocks.
The Unsullied remained indifferent and silent, thinking the Undying had gone mad.
However, next came the appearance of shadows in the air, a fusion of heat and the scent of sulfur.
A magnificent golden dragon appeared in the sky, accompanied by a temporary pause in people's heartbeats; this very moment stopped for the dragon.
Smoke billowed from the dragon's maw, followed by fire.
"Dragonflame!" A golden-red dragon shadow appeared as Viserys gave the command.
Blazing Dragonflame descended upon them, and the leading Undying began to be engulfed in fire.
"Run! It's a dragon!"
"The dragon is here!"
"How are there still living people?"
The second Undying, seeing the dragon appear in the sky, immediately snatched the beating heart from the box and stood far away.
The first Undying shouted and cursed in a long-lost language, his shrill voice like thin paper.
His flesh cracked like parchment, and his bones were like withered wood soaked in oil.
The Undying gesticulated wildly as he was consumed by fire; stumbling, tumbling, and twisting, he held up a burning hand, his fingers bright as torches.
The dragon circled in the sky as Viserys looked down at the party of Undying.
The second Undying's mouth went dry as he watched his first companion die a miserable death.
He was finally convinced that a dragon and a Dragon Rider had truly been revived in these ruins.
The heart beat, and beat.
The second Undying's face became youthful, as if time were flowing backward, returning him to youth and beauty.
The Undying wore a luxurious robe made of ermine, ruby-colored velvet, and cloth-of-gold.
The dragon's Dragonflame was being prepared; Viserys was certain he was seeing an illusion—the Warlocks of Qarth only had these few tricks.
As soon as the heart was burned to ash, this Warlock would return to his original withered, dying state.
"Viserys Targaryen, welcome to join us. We are the Undying of Qarth, and our banquet is the Eternal Banquet," the Undying sang out. "We have waited for you for a long time."
The Undying dared not make any more large movements, offering instead words of praise.
Sunfyre let out an impatient roar; the dragon was an eye that pierces illusions, a killer of lies.
Viserys found that the bruised, swollen heart was beating fiercely, as if it were drawing him into an ancient, desolate memory.
Viserys's ring and bracelet also emitted a burning sensation, keeping him conscious.