Aemon opened two letters.
He frowned slightly when he read the first one.
After reading the second, his eyebrows nearly met in the middle.
"What happened?"
Johanna silently admired the prince's flexible eyebrows.
"Read it yourself."
Aemon handed her the letter, his mood very complicated.
The first letter was from Laena. She congratulated him on the development of the river valley and said she would come in a few days to congratulate him in person.
As the saying goes, no one comes to the temple for no reason.
The bad woman's sudden visit must mean she has bad intentions.
The second letter was from her mother, Lady Rhea.
It contained only two sentences.
The girl she selected from the valley was already in place and would visit in a few days.
She ordered him to wash up and wait; otherwise, Runestone City would cut off logistical support.
"Lady Rhea is forcing you to submit."
Johanna was extremely surprised, and her voice grew quieter.
It was tactful, clearly urging marriage.
She used the despicable method of "cutting off pocket money" that every parent has used.
It's true that the River Valley machine is starting up and can't run without logistical support.
"Mom will do anything."
Aemon shook his head.
Johanna hesitated. "Then you and Runestone City..."
"Don't pay attention to it."
Aemon said calmly, "Every son experiences separation from his parents. Only by breaking free from the shackles can he soar."
He hadn't been able to count on his parents since he was a child.
"That's just a candidate for marriage. You don't have to do it," Johanna said.
Johanna said.
"The people of the Valley are like sheep. How can they accompany the dragon?"
Aemon said seriously with contempt. "I can't decide who gave birth to me, nor can I decide who I'll give birth to."
"In between, though, I can decide who to marry!"
Cutting off logistical support is really bad, but so what? There's a dragon under the crotch, and the River Valley is underfoot.
Even if his inheritance rights to Runestone City are canceled, the cut-off of Runestone City's funding is just a pain in the fur for him.
"You are the legitimate heir of Runestone City."
Johanna said softly, like a mosquito.
Aemon said, "Forget Runestone City. I am one of the heirs to the Iron Throne."
The valley is just a stepping stone.
If he wishes, he is qualified to sit on the Iron Throne.
"If she wants to coerce me, let her try."
Aemon turned and walked away, calmly saying, "I saw this trick when I was a child, but I am not a child anymore."
Dusk.
It was getting darker, and the workday was coming to an end.
Aemon walked out of Raven Hill and encountered the Firesmith who had emerged from the coal mine. They resembled the Summer Islanders.
"Your Highness!"
Led by the old man, the Firesmith hurriedly knelt down.
Two months of labor reform had greatly reduced the barbarity of the mountain clans, and they were becoming reasonable one by one.
Aemon looked down and asked, "The tribesmen you sent to surrender have not returned. How do you explain it?"
"They don't want to surrender."
The old man buried his head, guessing what the tribesmen were thinking.
They were abandoned.
"Lead me to them, and make them surrender to the dragon,"
Aemon said calmly.
After careful consideration, he decided to attack the surrounding mountain clans.
Runestone City had cut off its logistical support, which amounted to little more than food and money.
He had amassed a small fortune, and he still had more than half of the 100,000 gold dragons.
The 3,000 young, strong men of Runestone City did not require payment; they primarily cared for the 1,800 people in the valley who burned lime and quarried stones.
The average monthly expenditure was 960 gold dragons.
According to the one-year completion deadline for River Valley City, the budget was 13,000 gold dragons.
The money was enough.
However, he wanted to build more than just River Valley City; he also wanted to build a city to promote trade.
To connect the Arryn Valley with Runestone City, he had to pave an east-west highway.
This would require doubling the population and subsequently increasing expenses.
The best way to increase the population and save money was to absorb the mountain clans.
He could beat them and capture them as laborers.
Providing food would be enough, not money.
"Don't say you can't find your people," Aemon said lightly.
Aemon said lightly.
The old man hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, we can lead the way for His Royal Highness."
The Firesmith believe in fire and are famous for having many blacksmiths.
There are giant dragons in the valley that are the true embodiment of fire.
If the Firesmith join them, His Royal Highness will definitely be treated favorably.
They may even become the blacksmith clan he has always dreamed of.
Aemon smiled and said, "I'll wait for you by the Long Lake tomorrow morning."
It's better to fight early than late.
The next day:
At dawn, construction had already begun in River Valley City.
One hundred and fifty knights in the valley wore armor and guarded the lake early on.
The Firesmith sent ten people to act as guides.
"Hiss—"
Suddenly, a dragon roared from the high mountain, and a bronze dragon leaped out.
Its broad brown wings spread out, covering half of the lake.
"Hiss!"
Another silver-gray dragon, slightly smaller in size, followed closely behind and made a sharp cry while flying.
Gunthor looked up and waved his two-part flag high in the air. "Follow the prince and conquer the mountain clans!"
He grabbed the reins with his big hands and rode out on his horse.
Boom!
The knights of the valley followed the two flags on their horses, determined to succeed.
The River Valley stretched 300 miles from north to south, with many hidden places among the mountains.
The Firesmith stronghold was in the mountains south of Green Ridge.
The army marched 150 miles, crossed the Green Ridge, where stones were mined, and arrived at an inconspicuous valley to the south.
"Stop," Gunthor ordered.
Gunthor ordered, observing the surrounding environment.
The valley was remote, with low, tree-covered peaks on three sides, and looked like wilderness.
Gunthor did not act rashly but waited for the prince's order.
At the same time,
A sacrificial ceremony was about to be held in the valley.
Firesmith with flame tattoos on their skin built a bonfire and placed bronze objects and beast carcasses on it.
More than a thousand people gathered, including men, women, and children of all ages.
They formed a large circle and danced wildly.
Several pillars were tied to the bonfire.
"Let us go! You will provoke a giant dragon!"
The dragon's flames will burn us to death..."
Several Firesmith were tied to the pillars and shouted in fear.
They were the ones who were sent to surrender.
"Tell them to shut up."
Gagu, the chief of the Firesmith, was a tall, strong man wearing a horned helmet.
His men stepped forward and swung the hammer handle, knocking the traitor unconscious.
Gagu raised a torch and sneered.
Half of his face looked burned by flames; it was hideous and terrifying.
According to Firesmith tradition, the greater the scar of someone who dared to use flames, the higher their status.
"There is no giant dragon; they are all liars."
Gagu had a bad temper.
When he first heard the news, he was so scared that he couldn't sleep for a month.
But the dragon never came.
To be on the safe side, Gagu moved the stronghold several times and hid in the most secluded garrison.
Still, the dragon didn't come!
"Light the fire and offer the souls of these traitors to the God of Fire!"
Gagu threw out a torch and ordered the others to follow suit.
At that moment, in the sky above.
A shadow passed over the sun, and a strong wind mixed with the smell of copper gradually rose and grew stronger.
"Hiss—"
Vermithor dived down from the clouds. His brown wings covered the entire valley as he spat out a bright copper dragon flame.
A loud explosion sounded.
The dragon flame rolled like copper water, knocking down the tower of the stronghold and igniting a fire. It poured like water, creating a golden line.
Gagu turned around immediately and was shocked.
He saw a bronze dragon soaring over the valley and spewing magma-like flames from its huge dragon mouth.
"Dragon flame!"
Aemon lay on the dragon's back, looking coldly on.
"Hiss—"
Vermithor roared, his cruel eyes glaring, and flames erupted continuously from his mouth.
Since he had conquered, death was inevitable.
Boom! Boom!
After just one encounter, the dragon flames had ignited most of the mountain stronghold and turned the valley into a huge furnace.
"It's a dragon!"
"Run away!"
The people of the Firesmith tribe, stunned by the traitor's words, fled without hesitation.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Aemon looked down from a high place and said coldly, "Dragon flame, Vormithor!"
He had just seen the reason for the sacrifice.
They didn't believe the dragon would come, so he let them experience blood and fire.
"Hiss!"
The Silver Wing hovered in the air, reflecting the cold light. It grabbed a fleeing person mid-flight and threw him into the air.
The dragon's mouth opened and ate him.
"No, no, no!"
Gagu's psychological defenses collapsed, and he picked up a cast-iron war hammer to protect himself.
It would have been better if he hadn't shouted, but shouting brought destruction.
"Hiss—"
Vermithor swooped down. A mouthful of dragon flames rushed along the sacrificial bonfire and swallowed up the frightened Gagu.
There was a sizzling puff of white smoke, and the man burned to a crisp.
The bonfire exploded, blowing several Pyrotechnics members unconscious.
Rumble!
Chaos erupted throughout the valley, and the knights filed in from the entrance.
"No!"
"It's the Prince..."
The Firesmith were frightened and unable to mount an effective resistance, blocking the entrance to the valley and unable to leave.
Some people tried to escape through the mountain path but became the Silver Wing's meal.
Aemon glanced at the dragon as it plowed through the crowd.
Crush!
It should be a one-sided massacre.
At noon, the sun was shining.
The valley was in ruins, and buildings burned and emitted black smoke.
"Roar!"
Vermithor lay on the ground, chewing charcoal to replenish his strength.
Silver Wing flew low in the sky, having already eaten his fill.
"How many are left?"
Aemon asked.
Gunthor ordered his men to guard the captives and said in a gruff voice, "There are less than 1,500 people left. The rest died in the chaos."
"Take them all back,"
Aemon said.
The Firesmith had started with more than 2,300 people, so losing only 1,500 was not bad.
Gunthor was highly motivated and ordered the Pyrotechnics leading the way to act as representatives.
Having witnessed the dragon's horror, the survivors had no desire for revenge.
They all knelt on the ground and swore allegiance.
Since Aemon had nothing to do, he patrolled the valley.
The knights of the valley were divided into two groups: fifty of them plundered the Firesmith' assets.
From gold and silver utensils to food and animal skins, the loot was all rare.
"Hey, look at that big black panther!"
Aemon walked to the remains of the campfire and saw a three-meter-long, striped black panther.
It must be one of the sacrifices.
As they got closer, Aemon was stunned. "No, it looks like a cat."
It had a sturdy body, black fur with stripes, and four claws as sharp as steel knives.
"Isn't this a Shadow Mountain cat?"
Aemon suddenly realized and remembered the story the old maester had told him when he was a child.
The weight of a Shadow Mountain Cat is comparable to that of a man-eating giant monkey.
"Prince, we found a baby beast."
A knight from the Valley approached, holding a black kitten in his hand.
The kitten was the size of a palm, and its eyes were not yet open.
It looked like it had been born recently.
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