Ti: December 31, 2026. 298 AC, December 31.
Today was the first day of Draco's "New Year's Holiday."
The great King Luke had decreed that January 1st would be "New Year's Day," with a four-day national holiday from December 31st to January 3rd — all designated as statutory holidays.
In addition to New Year's Day, Draco had many other statutory holidays, such as "Luke's Birthday," "Dragon Boat Festival," "Labor Day," "Mid-Autumn Festival," "Draco Commoration Day," "Father's Day," and "Mother's Day."
These were all statutory holidays, with the entire territory given ti off.
Everyone in Draco was praising and singing the praises of this great lord… no, he should now be called "His Majesty."
In the morning, King Luke suddenly announced that on the last day of the year, a "Bonfire Night" would be held.
The Draco Grand Plaza would play music throughout the night. The lord's residence would provide unlimited drinks, beverages, and grilled at. All mbers of the Jaqenion Family Guard and their families could attend freely.
King Luke loved his people like his own children and would celebrate with them.
He also allowed ordinary citizens to participate in the outer areas. Everyone could receive three copper coins with their ID.
The news caused the people of Draco to cheer.
They had just had a seven-day holiday, and now New Year's was here again — and they could even "receive money"?
The "military households" once again held their heads high.
The saying "One person joins the army, the whole family is honored" was no joke in Draco.
Military families enjoyed extrely high status in Draco. Not only did they receive tax reductions or refunds, but during every holiday they received gifts from King Luke — rice, flour, grain, oil, cloth, and sotis even cash.
Especially the families of fallen soldiers or ritorious officials, who received solid monthly cash and grain subsidies without fail.
Today's "Bonfire Night" further raised the value of being a "military household."
Unlimited drinks, unlimited beverages, and all-you-can-eat grilled at?
Just hearing about it made people eager.
So who didn't et the requirents were already scheming for a ticket. Especially the young and beautiful girls. Although their families had no father or brother in the army, they could use their beauty to obtain a ticket.
Because they had discovered that the "girlfriends" of family guard mbers were also eligible to attend.
After dark.
People gradually entered.
Young family guard mbers wore sharp and handso military uniforms. Girls dressed up beautifully. Parents and sisters wore their best new clothes.
On the plaza, the speakers played beautiful music.
Rows of long tables were filled with drinks and beverages: beer, cola, Sprite, iced black tea.
Chefs were frantically grilling at, filling the air with delicious aromas.
Cola and Sprite — these two uniquely refreshing, sweet drinks — had recently beco extrely popular in Draco. Not drinking a cup ant you weren't a true citizen of Draco.
The "chilled iced black tea" was considered a "national treasure," and its price on Draco's "black market" had skyrocketed!
People danced around the bonfires, singing and rejoicing. Young boys and girls flirted, sparks flying in their exchanged glances.
On the outer edge of the plaza, dozens of temporary reception points had been set up. Commoners who didn't qualify for the Bonfire Night lined up here to receive their "copper coins." They looked enviously at the lively scene inside the plaza, but at least they had coins — it wasn't a wasted trip.
If a family had many mbers, they could receive a dozen or even twenty copper coins. That was more than enough to eat out and celebrate New Year's themselves.
This night was destined to be an extrely profitable one for Draco's rchants.
In the center of the Grand Plaza stood a massive "bonfire pile," but it had not yet been lit.
The large screens around the plaza were focused on this area.
Suddenly, all the music stopped.
The noisy crowd also fell quiet.
The host's voice rang out. It was a very sweet female voice:
"Hello everyone, I am Maria Arthur, Senior Officer of the Political Departnt. It is my great honor to have been chosen as the host of tonight's Bonfire Night. Thank you, King Luke. Thank you, Lord's Residence…"
After a sweet and moving speech, the host brought the atmosphere of Bonfire Night to its peak.
Then she announced to the crowd:
"Now, please welco the great King Luke! His Majesty will bestow blessings upon everyone in Draco, all the people of the Seven Kingdoms, and all believers of the Seven Gods! At the sa ti, His Majesty will announce a grand mont!"
The lights focused.
On the main platform, a figure slowly rose into the air.
Luke wore his signature crown and imperial robe. The dark xuán-colored robe, embroidered with red dragon patterns, fluttered in the night wind.
His figure was illuminated by the lights, projected into the night sky like a god descending.
His voice, carried through the speakers, reached every corner of Draco:
"People of Jaqenion, believers of the Seven Gods, brothers and sisters gathered here today, my family!"
"Standing on this ancient land, facing the night wind blowing from the God's Eye, a thousand words surge in my heart."
"Today, I stand here not as a ruler upon a throne, but as an ordinary protector of this land, as soone who also looks up at the starry sky with reverence, standing with you."
He paused for a mont, his voice becoming gentler:
"I pray…"
"May next year's Draco be filled with abundant harvests. May the swamps of the Neck no longer flood the crops. May the wheat fields of the Riverlands be golden and full. May the olive trees of Dorne bear heavy fruit…"
"May every child grow up safely. May every mother no longer shed tears for sons far away. May every castle's gates forever open to friends and remain closed to enemies."
"May the rcy of the Seven Gods shine upon every street in King's Landing. May the wisdom of the Seven Gods guard every forest in the North. May the Seven Gods bless every voyage from the Iron Islands. May the flas of the Seven Gods warm every cold long night."
"The prosperity of the people is my wish, and the reason I stand here."
His voice gradually rose:
"Power is not for sitting high upon the Iron Throne looking down on you. Power should be that when you need soone, there is a person who stands up and says: 'I am here.'"
"Tonight, I wish to fulfill an ancient promise with real action."
"You may have heard the legends: the Doom of Valyria, the bond between House Targaryen and dragons. So say the dragons are dead. So say magic has disappeared from this world. Others say those are rely children's stories, no different from the ballads made up by singers."
"But I tell you…"
His voice suddenly rose like thunder:
"I, Luke, am a true Celestial Dragon, and I possess true magic! The bloodline of House Jaqenion is a hundred tis, a thousand tis nobler than that of the Targaryens! The magical bloodline can not only fly, but also release magic, and even hatch dragons!"
As he spoke, he flew through the air.
One lap around the plaza, two laps, three laps.
He reached out and touched the hands of believers who raised them, letting them feel his body heat.
The crowd cried out in shock and cheered:
"King Luke!"
"Son of the Seven Gods!"
"Incarnation of the Seven Gods!"
So lifted infants or children, hoping Luke would touch them so their children could receive divine blessings.
Luke gently stroked the heads of more than a dozen children. Their parents were extrely excited!
Then he flew higher into the air, spreading his hands with palms facing up.
"Magic!"
Hum!
Two balls of fla suddenly appeared in his hands.
Orange-yellow flas danced in his palms.
He tossed the flas into the sky.
Two fireballs flew upward, trailing long tails.
The two fireballs rged together.
First, they ford a dragon.
It was the totem of House Jaqenion — the mightiest divine beast, the "Celestial Dragon"!
A fire dragon more than ten ters long soared through the air.
Head, body, claws, tail… it was incredibly lifelike, shocking everyone.
People in every corner of Draco could watch the performance through the large screens.
Soone cried out: "A dragon! It's a divine dragon! The divine dragon of House Jaqenion, the foremost of the Ten Divine Beasts!"
"The divine dragon from The Celestial Dragon Epic! Seven Gods above, it's real!"
So people fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.
The fire dragon circled in the air a few tis, then changed form.
It beca a fire phoenix.
Those familiar with The Celestial Dragon Epic imdiately shouted: "The Undying Bird! That's the divine beast, the Undying Bird!"
The fire phoenix spread its wings and soared, then transford into a tiger, a turtle, a horse, and various everyday objects.
Finally, the flas gathered together into a large fireball and flew high into the sky.
The next second — Boom!
The fireball exploded.
The entire sky lit up.
It was like the grandest fireworks display!
At the sa ti, massive fireworks launched from a distance.
Next ca a five-minute "fireworks show."
Colorful fireworks blood in the sky, illuminating Draco's night and every upturned face.
The natives of Westeros were once again deeply shocked.
"Magic…"
"It's magic!"
"It really is magic!"
After the fireworks ended, the lights refocused on Luke.
He continued:
"Tonight is another mont of witnessing history!"
"When the moon rises to its highest point, when the tide reaches its fullest, I will light the largest bonfire pile in the center of the plaza."
Three dragon eggs appeared in his hands.
The three dragon eggs floated before him.
Under the high-definition caras, people could clearly see the details and patterns on the eggshells through the large screens.
One giant black egg. One giant cyan egg. One giant white egg.
Three dragon eggs in total!
Luke's voice rang across the plaza:
"Tonight, I will hatch these three dragon eggs!"
The entire crowd erupted.
"Dragons are miraculous creatures with imnse power. They can serve as a powerful force against the Others beyond the Wall! To fight the Others, I, Luke, will unite all forces!"
"I know, you may think I am mad… that only the Dragonlord family of Valyria, House Targaryen, can possess dragons?"
"Wrong!"
His voice thundered like a bolt from the sky:
"I tell you, this is wrong! As the noblest magical bloodline, House Jaqenion can conquer everything! Even dragons must submit at my feet!"
"Please bear witness, all of you. Please bear witness, Seven Gods."
"At dawn, when the flas die out, new life will be born from the dragon eggs in my hands!"
"This is not a miracle. This is the call of the gods, the suppression of bloodlines. It is the greatest blessing the Seven Gods can give to this suffering kingdom: even in the darkest monts, life will still break through its shell, and magic will return to the world. The descendants of House Jaqenion will ride dragons across an unyielding sky, leading the people toward a bright future!"
"So tonight…"
"Please light every lamp and illuminate every street. Please watch the flas and pray for this world."
"By tomorrow's dawn, we will witness together — a new era."
As Luke finished speaking, the giant bonfire pile in the center of the plaza roared to life with blazing flas.
Under the gaze of the entire crowd, Luke descended with the three dragon eggs into the raging inferno.
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