"Discover a creature with magic and receive +1 essence."
Aemon took the little black cat, and the panel gave a prompt.
"Meow."
The cat was pinched by the back of its neck, its body bent like a shrimp, and its four claws scratched randomly.
It looked as if it were looking for its mother and milk.
Aemon looked at it again and again and fell in love with it. "Little thing, your good luck has come."
The Shadow Mountain Cat is a powerful predator. The adult size is comparable to that of a tiger or leopard, and it is even crueler.
The only creatures stronger than them are probably the direwolves outside the Great Wall and dragons.
The key is that it can also provide one point of magic essence.
I have decided to adopt it! "Pack up the spoils; it's time to go."
Aemon's mood improved as he stuffed the little black cat into the bag on his waist.
Take it home, raise it well, and it can guard the house too.
"Squeak!"
The next moment, a sharp rat cry broke out.
Aemon's face changed slightly, and he quickly opened the bag to check.
Snowi looked scared, and he took out a silver fork with his little paws and hit the little black cat on the head with it.
"Meow~"
The little black cat meowed weakly when it was hit.
"Snowi, what are you doing?"
Aemon was shocked. He grabbed the rat's head and put it on his shoulder.
Snowi was extremely angry. Tears flashed in his eyes as he gestured with the silver fork.
"As a mouse, how can I live in the same pack as cats?"
"Sorry."
Cold sweat broke out on Aemon's forehead, and he hid the mouse in his collar.
...
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
It was July, midsummer.
Good news: The first palace was built in River Valley and named "Midsummer Hall."
The bad news was that: Aemon waited a month in vain, and none of the characters from the two letters appeared.
At that moment, he was at Midsummer Hall.
Aemon sat by the window, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
How could there be bad news? It was clearly double happiness.
Da da da...
A light footstep approached, and a figure in a black dress entered.
Johanna smiled happily and said, "According to your request, we have finally sold the honeycomb coal to the market in the Arryn Valley."
"How much is it?"
Aemon became interested.
"The initial price is three copper stars per piece, and small vendors are willing to stock up."
"If you do a good job, the price can be even cheaper."
Aemon smiled. "Don't worry about losing money. Just sell the honeycomb coal, and it will eventually end up in the hands of the nobles."
Of course, after a month, I can't be idle.
With the coal mine supply, I can do business.
Honeycomb coal is easy to make. Just mix coal ash with loess and dry it after shaping.
Old people and children captured from the Fire Craftsman Department can produce it.
Besides, he will never starve his prisoners.
Johanna hesitated and said, "But honeycomb coal is hard to light, and it leaves behind coal smoke."
As a specialty of the river valley, it still has some shortcomings.
"Don't worry. These are sold cheaply to civilians."
Aemon knew what was going on and said, "Produce some high-quality honeycomb coal and sell it to King's Landing to make a name for yourself."
In this era, civilians can't afford firewood.
The trees belong to the nobles; it would be strange if you could cut them down to make a fire.
Aemon had originally wanted to sell the coal to the nobles at a high price.
Since the roads in the Riverlands are difficult to travel, he first tested the waters in the Arryn Valley market.
Also, find out how the people make a living in the Arryn Valley and whether it is easy to do business there.
Johanna nodded and said, "There's one more thing. The eight hundred people you asked Sir Gunthor to recruit are ready and training by the Long Lake."
"Let's go take a look."
Refreshed, Aemon stood up and walked out.
Since the capture of 1,500 people from the Pyrotechnics Guild, the population of the Riverlands has increased by half.
However, they are still from the barbaric and unruly mountain clans.
Relying on the dragon and the 150 Valley Knights alone makes it easy to rebel.
Training an elite group of soldiers exclusively for the River Valley could deter them.
Of course, he chose to do both.
With a wave of his hand, he sent them all to Raven Ridge to dig coal.
At the same time, he offered them hope.
If you persist until the completion of River Valley City, you can get rid of your coolie status and be promoted to formal citizen.
The first seventy-four captured Firesmith are the most powerful evidence of this.
Aemon split them up.
Some were assigned to work in the blacksmith shop, while others were assigned to work in the quarry.
They were all paid and treated as formal subjects.
Of the eight hundred recruits mentioned, thirty were Firesmith.
Treat everyone equally and integrate them thoroughly.
Walk out of the Summer Hall.
Aemon habitually observed three thousand young men building the second prince's bedroom behind the Summer Hall.
"The speed is really fast."
"Yes, the materials are top-notch, too."
"Remind Sir Ryan to ship the next batch of materials as soon as possible."
Stepping on the white marble floor, Aemon felt proud.
When a person is proud, they like to look up at the sky.
The sky was clear, and white clouds floated by.
A golden dragon flew through the clouds, its broad wings flapping gently as it moved swiftly through the air.
"Haha, there's another dragon."
Aemon smiled and admired it.
"Hiss!"
The golden dragon flew over the long lake and rushed straight toward him.
Aemon only came to his senses after hearing the dragon's roar and was shocked. "Syrax!?"
"Land, Syrax!"
The golden dragon flew to the top of his head, and a clear girl's voice came from its back.
Syrax's pupils dilated, and he slowly landed on the ground.
Boom!
His hind feet left two shallow claw marks on the foundation, and his wings folded, creating a gust of wind.
"Aemon, long time no see."
Rhaenyra jumped down from the dragon's back, greeting him with a charming smile.
"Rhaenyra, it's really you."
Aemon was stunned.
"Why, you don't welcome me?"
Rhaenyra tilted her head and walked forward, extending her hand.
As she walked, she raised her hand and bit through the leather gloves she was wearing. Her eyes were full of teasing.
As she got closer, she kept pressing forward.
Aemon looked disgusted and pushed her away. "Keep your distance. You stink of dragon."
The other party was wearing a black, scaly dragon-riding suit, showing that he had come with a premeditated plan.
"Don't you have it? Aren't you a dragon?"
Rhaenyra had long been immune to it and held the arm that had pushed her away.
Aemon tried twice but failed to pull it out. He said helplessly, "Aren't you here to choose a husband? Why are you here?"
What's the point of hugging? Don't show off just because you're a little bear.
No wonder people say poor people are generous.
Rhaenyra was unwilling to admit defeat. She stood on tiptoe, whispered in his ear, and said with a smile: "Isn't the person I chose right here?"
As she spoke, her breath, fragrant as an orchid, hit the other person's face.
Aemon fell silent immediately and pursed his lips tightly.
I hate people who play straight.
It would be better if you beat around the bush so he can say a few foul words.
"Why don't you talk? Have you been quiet lately?"
Rhaenyra snorted.
It's not easy to fly from the Riverlands to see him.
You have to use tricks to communicate normally.
"Princess, please."
Aemon squinted and smiled, welcoming her into the Summer Hall.
Rhaenyra looked around, her eyes full of surprise as she calmly stared at the other person.
She's not really stupid.
Aemon is not afraid of his shadow being crooked; anyway, he will not tell the truth.
After the prince and princess left, Johanna, stunned, came back to her senses.
Looking around, she suddenly remembered that there was still a score to be settled.
...
Summer Hall.
Aemon sat on a chair and stared at the silver-haired girl eating and drinking across from him.
Rhaenyra seemed content, slowly chewing fruits and pastries with her small mouth. However, she wasn't eating slowly.
When they entered, the two chatted thoroughly.
Rhaenyra's tour began at the Crown and passed through Harrenhal and Riverrun. She met with the major families in the Riverlands.
She was about to set off for the Golden Tooth and enter the Westerlands to continue her tour.
Occasionally, she overheard her female companion mention that Lady Rhea was looking for a girl from the Vale for her son, and that she had snuck out at night.
"Did you meet her?"
Rhaenyra took a sip of sweet wine and asked casually.
"Who did you meet?"
"Lady Rhea's candidate."
"No, I was stood up again."
Aemon pretended to be regretful, but his eyes sparkled with laughter.
"It's great to have no one urging you to get married!"
Rhaenyra raised her beautiful eyes and calmly said, "Lady Jeyne's eligibility for the Arryn succession has been questioned. Her cousin Arnold Arryn was sent to Runestone City to serve as Lady Rhea's wine steward."
Arnold is the most powerful competitor for the Arryn succession.
At the age of eight, he took the position of the Lord Arryn valley.
Aemon pondered for a moment and murmured, "It turns out that something delayed her."
Otherwise, given her mother's strong character, she should have arranged the marriage long ago.
But why didn't Laena come?
Rhaenyra didn't know what he was thinking and said, "You said you would take me to fight the mountain clans. When will we set off?"
She saw that the mountain clans were working in the valley.
Aemon said, "There's no hurry. Train a group of soldiers first."
He also wanted to attack the High Mountain Clan and capture more people to activate the red card, Iron Wall.
However, there are too many people, and they are difficult to control.
This highlights the importance of a group of elite soldiers.
Once the training is complete, they will be ready to attack the High Mountain Clan and sharpen their blades with blood.
Rhaenyra was stunned and said in confusion, "Then what should I do?"
Aemon looked her over and came up with a good idea. "You can help a little," he suggested.
"Tell me about it."
Rhaenyra asked curiously.
"Follow me," he said.
...
Raven Ridge.
Wagons and oxcarts pulled stones up the rugged mountain road and unloaded them into the river valley.
"Dragon Flame!"
The girl's voice echoed.
Syrax slowly crawled toward a pile of gray-white stones and opened his mouth to spit out dragon flames.
The orange-yellow flames floated in the air with a heavy texture, mixed with gold.
When the stones burned red, the flames stopped.
A group of strong, elderly women from the fire department approached, smashing the cooled stones with wooden sticks and grinding them into quicklime.
Meanwhile, more people dug out a ten-meter-wide, flat foundation. They laid thick gravel in layers and finally poured a mixture of lime, clay, and fine sand on top.
After a series of knocks, the mixture was flattened like mud.
"Well, not bad."
Aemon stepped on it, finding it quite solid.
This is an ancient road paving method, and the mixture is called "three-in-one soil."
It's a combination of lime, clay, and fine sand that becomes extremely hard with continuous beating.
Traditional mortar is also mixed with glutinous rice juice and eggs, which greatly improves its quality.
However, it's too expensive unless you have a lot of money.
"Rhaenyra, you are such a good helper."
Aemon smiled and approached the extraordinary silver-haired girl.
Rhaenyra moved aside and said expressionlessly, "Is this the little favor you mentioned?"
---------------
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