The next day, early in the morning:
Aemon got up feeling refreshed and went to the dining hall with the help of the maid.
In a good mood, he thought everything looked good.
"Your Highness, will you really not reconsider?"
Lord Barkin asked earnestly as he scooped up a spoonful of fresh soup.
Seagull Town needs a dragon rider to take charge.
"No, I..."
Aemon wasn't paying attention and was about to refuse.
Laena, sitting next to him, raised her hand and gently pinched his fingertips.
Startled, Aemon turned to look at her.
Everyone in the audience noticed this scene, not only him.
Laena was calm and whispered, "Aemon, it is an honor for your father, Daemon, to attack the Three Women's Kingdom, and you are his heir."
"You can ignore it, but you can't not ask."
Aemon understood the hidden meaning and changed the subject. "River Valley Town is temporarily unable to withdraw. If they come to cause trouble again, I can lend a helping hand."
"With your help, the Three Women's Kingdom will surely be defeated."
Lord Barkin hurriedly flattered him.
Aemon frowned slightly, pondering the art of language.
The pirates of the Three Women's Kingdom had plundered the Gorge Sea, affecting River Valley Town.
He denied helping outright, but there was suspicion that he was sitting back and enjoying the fruits of his labor.
By positioning himself as foreign aid, he was able to move forward and backward freely.
"Don't drink milk all the time. Try soup occasionally."
Laena pushed over half a bowl of fresh soup, tilted her head, and stared into his eyes.
"Slimy?"
Aemon glanced at the porcelain bowl containing cream of mushroom soup.
"Try it; it tastes different."
Laena encouraged him with her eyes and took away the cup of milk in front of him.
Aemon frowned deeper, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and stuffed it into his mouth. He swallowed it with a distorted face.
His Royal Highness is very picky about food and refuses to try new foods.
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
Laena's lips curled up slightly as she slowly drank half a cup of milk.
It's not okay to refuse new things.
Unable to tolerate disturbances from the outside world, she could only stay in the countryside and play by herself.
"It tastes bad, but my mother taught me not to waste food."
Aemon calmed down. He picked up the mushroom soup, drank it all, picked up the napkin, and wiped his mouth elegantly. Then, he said: "My mouth is full of cream. Rhaenyra will definitely like it."
Laena was slightly startled, and inexplicable emotions flashed in her beautiful eyes.
Mentioning another woman in front of a woman is tantamount to provoking a war.
"You should drink more milk."
Aemon glanced at her with a meaningful expression.
After that, he stood up and left the table.
Laena frowned and lowered her head so her toes wouldn't be seen.
Self-doubt arose.
Is it really necessary?
"Ahem."
Ser Harold cleared his throat twice and said seriously, "His Royal Highness is leaving. I will go see him off."
As a Kingsguard, this move is impeccable.
Before leaving, he observed Laena's expression sharply with a pair of old eyes.
From their conversation and intimate behavior just now, it's clear that something unusual is going on.
He was very worried about the king and the princess.
It's not a good sign. It's better to nip it in the bud as soon as possible.
...
At noon.
The two dragons flew out of Seagull Town and circled the Stone Islands. They roared at each other and then went their separate ways. Lanar went back to Driftmark Island to report.
"Fly, Vormithor!"
Aemon commanded the bronze dragon to fly back to the river valley.
The purpose of the trip was achieved.
They retrieved the seized goods, plus considerable compensation.
The only flaw was that Lanar couldn't say goodbye properly.
Laena has too many bad intentions and always wants to play with men.
Such a mature woman is full of charm and makes people want to conquer her.
Thinking back to last night's confrontation,
Aemon's head was spinning, and he couldn't figure out if he had gained or lost.
For a long time.
"Hiss—"
Vermithor raised his head and roared. His huge body flew over Dale Town, blocking the sun from the hardworking young men below.
Aemon looked down.
Two and a half months after Rhaenyra left, the valley had undergone earth-shattering changes.
First, the road between Raven Ridge and Lonely Mountain was paved.
One section was fifty miles long and the other was thirty.
Then, the rugged mountain roads on the east and west sides were opened up, connecting the Vale of Arryn and the East Cape.
After much discussion, Dale Town was chosen as the starting point for connecting the two sections of the valley road.
This way, there would be no need to worry about traveling.
"Hiss—"
Vermithor circled around the Lonely Mountain.
At the foot of the mountain,
Dale City resembled a white jade capital with three main halls standing tall and majestic palace walls in order.
The side and auxiliary halls on the left and right were being built one after another.
It won't be long before it is completely finished.
Under Dale City,
Two thick blue brick walls rose slowly.
The outer wall is three meters high and eight and a half meters thick at the bottom, while the inner wall is one meter high and ten meters thick at the bottom.
A residential area for residents is planned between the two walls.
At first glance, it looks like a city.
There are very few cities with walls, you know.
Of the five major ports in Westeros, only the capital, King's Landing, has a solid wall.
Seagull Town is relatively well-defended, with a half-meter-high white wall.
The other ports are almost undefended.
"Now that we have a city, we should develop agriculture and commerce."
Standing on the shoulders of giants, Aemon knew exactly what to do next.
"Land!"
He patted the bronze scales, signaling to Vermithor to put him down.
...
River Valley Town.
Aemon walked through the city walls and went to the city center.
Thousands of young men were busy laying heavy bluestone slabs on the sand, planning the streets, and building houses.
The experienced old craftsmen had planned drainage systems in advance and arranged for people to dig canals.
Everything was in good order and progressing well.
Along the way, we also saw a blacksmith and a tailor shop.
"Prince, you are back."
A well-proportioned, red-haired figure walked out of a stone house.
"Why are you here?"
Aemon asked curiously.
Jansif bowed and chuckled. "I found some women who can sew. I asked them to do some embroidery work and asked someone to sell it at the market in the Arryn Valley."
The stone house behind her served as a temporary workshop.
Aemon suddenly realized: "Then you have done a great deed, and they should all be grateful to you."
The young and strong work, and the strong women cultivate the land.
Some thin women and those who care for the elderly and children have become a burden to their families.
With an additional source of income, they can stand up straight within their families.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Jansif's smile was contagious. She said, "It was General Manager Johanna's inspiration. She opened a tailor shop, a grain shop, a hotel, and a brothel in the eastern, western, southern, and northern districts."
The general manager of internal affairs is involved in some basic livelihood industries.
This adds a lot of vitality to the empty River Valley Town.
It is worthy of admiration.
"It's different every day."
Aemon couldn't help but sigh.
The Valley Road is unobstructed. Sooner or later, a large number of merchants will flock to River Valley Town and turn it into the main city of the valley.
"What's the situation in Seagull Town?"
Jansif asked.
"Not good. The port is completely closed."
Aemon walked toward the Blacksmith Guild, intending to pick something up.
Jansif asked worriedly, "What are your plans?"
He knew how important maritime transportation was to River Valley Town.
Aemon's eyes flashed and he suddenly asked, "How much do you know about Lord Waywood of Iron Oak City?"
"I heard that he is not a generous person."
Jansif answered every question.
Aemon said, "Iron Oak City is home to the largest freshwater lake in the valley. The lake has the same origin as Long Lake. Lord Waywood should have a small transport ship."
As far as Aemon knew, the Long Lake had been drained from the Gorge Sea into the inland sea.
It was divided into two.
The water flowing south formed the Long Lake, while the water flowing north formed the freshwater lake on which Iron Oak City sits.
Both lakes can be sailed when the climate is warm.
Jansif organized her thoughts and tactfully said: "Lord Waywood is notoriously stingy and likes to use his daughters for political marriages. He won't help easily."
"I can pay a certain amount of money."
Aemon insisted.
At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder why Lord Waywood had such a bad reputation.
Jansif shook her head. "If you want to go to Iron Oak City, I suggest you bring more soldiers to strengthen your position."
"He dares to attack me?"
Aemon was shocked.
"No, no, no."
Jansif waved her hands repeatedly and emphasized, "Lord Waywood has an irritable personality and likes to swear. He's a bit like Ser Gunthor."
In the noble circle, swearing is despised.
It also easily provokes disputes.
"Is that so?"
Aemon was disappointed.
Jansif asked, "What are you disappointed about?
"What are you disappointed about?"
As they walked and chatted, he learned a lot of gossip about the valley's nobles.
When they arrived at the Blacksmith Guild, Aemon asked them to wait and went inside to get something.
Jansif was not in a hurry and waited quietly.
It took less than two minutes.
Aemon came out wearing a silver necklace.
Jansif could tell at a glance, with his sharp eyes, that the necklace was the one His Royal Highness often wore.
It was inlaid with a sapphire, and he always wore it.
"Beep!"
Aemon picked up the black whistle on the necklace and blew it.
The whistle sounded sharp and piercing, echoing for a long time.
The sound was loud and distinctive.
Jansif covered her ears, but the sound wave interference was too strong.
"Hiss!"
Suddenly, a young, light gray-white dragon flew through the sky, looking for the sound of the whistle.
"Beep!"
Aemon had excellent lung capacity and blew the whistle across half of the valley town.
Lonely Mountain, Dragon's Nest.
A silver-gray dragon lay in a cave. He vaguely heard the noisy whistle and slowly opened his vertical pupils.
"Hiss—"
Vermithor was right next to the dragon's nest and flew out with his partner, Silverwing.
In an instant, three dragons circled the sky.
"Beep!"
Aemon's face flushed red as he began to whistle at a certain frequency.
The gray shadow turned over the dragon's head and landed on the rocks at the foot of the mountain.
"Hiss!"
Silverwing soared low in the sky, his pupils fixed on the silver-haired figure blowing the whistle. He held back the urge to spit dragon flames.
Vermithor flew beside him and pulled his partner back into the sky.
This scene alarmed the people of River Valley Town.
Seeing the two dragons flying side by side, they put down their work and prayed devoutly with their hands clasped together.
They worshiped the living dragons more than the old gods and the seven gods.
"Beep~"
After a while, the whistle stopped abruptly.
Aemon took a deep breath and set down the dragon-bone whistle he had polished and used to tame dragons.
"Hiss!"
The gray dragon flapped its wings curiously and jumped over.
Its nose flared as it sniffed the silver-haired boy and the dragon-bone whistle repeatedly.
"Fish thief, you seem to have grown a bit."
Aemon teased, stroking the dragon's head gently.
Almost half a year had passed since the migration to the valley.
Gray Shadow's body length increased from six to eight meters initially, and recently, it grew to nine and a half meters, almost reaching the ten-meter mark.
Young dragons usually grow faster, which helps them quickly pass through infancy.
However, Gray Shadow's growth rate is closely related to his diet.
"Hiss!"
Gray Shadow shook his head and dodged the silver-haired boy's attempt to rub him. He took two steps back.
He is a dragon of high status and cannot be touched by anyone.
"Stingy."
Aemon rolled his eyes as he looked at Vermithor and Silverwing flying in the sky.
He wanted to summon Gray Shadow to test the dragon bone whistle's effectiveness.
Silver Wing's ability to fly out of Lonely Mountain was a pleasant surprise.
It has been proven that dragons are sensitive to sound and can distinguish certain things.
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