A few days later, the weather in the river valley was clear.
Raven Ridge was barren, with thousands of laborers mining coal. Along the road in the valley, stretching for dozens of miles, Green Ridge was digging large and small pits to plant pine and cypress seedlings.
By the Long Lake, groups of black swans played in the emerald green water, catching fish and shrimp. Nearby, large tracts of land had been reclaimed, and farmers were bent over, cultivating and sowing spring seeds.
On the west side of Long Lake, a pier jutted out from the water. Riverdale Town sat here, its two high white walls resembling inverted sea bowls.
Hiss—
A huge, dark green monster crawled toward the wall. Its broad back surpassed the battlements, and a low, thunderous roar squeezed out of its throat. It was irritable and shook its dragon head impatiently.
"Quiet, Vhagar." Laena said, trying to calm it.
Vhagar fell to the ground with a thud, his jaw hanging low, and hot air came out of his nostrils. Laena's eyes were gentle and full of concern as she reached out to rub its rough scales. Vhagar was old, big, and had a bad temper. Like a grumpy old lady, he needed coaxing from the younger generation.
Roar! His vertical pupils filled with arrogance as he slowly closed his heavy eyelids.
Lonely Mountain
Halfway up, deep in the dragon's nest, the dark cave was filled with sticky lumps of dragon dung that emitted a foul, sulfuric smell. Aemon frowned and walked around the piles. The wide cave entrance was made of rocks that had melted and solidified again, absorbing the warm light from the outside world.
Ring!
Aemon held a bronze bell in his palm. Above the dragon's nest, a ray of light shone onto a piece of soil from the top, illuminating a bronze sacred tree that looked like an ornament.
"After more than a year, the second bronze bell has been produced." Aemon breathed a sigh of relief.
The sacred tree had three branches, each bearing a bronze disc, a bird, and a bell. Each branch had three bronze leaves with lifelike veins. The last time, the bronze bell had "matured" and fallen off, leaving only leaves on one branch of the sacred tree. Today, Aemon found that the bronze bell had grown again and was ready to be picked. This bronze bell did not ring, so Aemon took it.
"The bronze sacred tree is extraordinary. It reminded me of last time." Aemon touched his chin, thinking this was profound. Assuming that the bronze sacred tree had a "spirit," or more precisely, the "instinctive reaction" of a living thing, it meant it had a need for growth. Giving it a bronze bell showed its value.
"What does the bronze sacred tree eat?" Aemon stood at the entrance of the cave and looked down at the city below. From the hints in his dream, it was easy to guess that it was a kind of belief. Bronze belief fed the bronze sacred tree.
At that moment, in Riverdale, there were four urban areas: east, west, south, and north, and shops had appeared on the streets. In places with heavy traffic, there were dragon statues carved from black dragonstone. To enhance the residents' fear of dragons, His Royal Highness had placed these sculptures. But where did the dragonstone statues come from? They were moved from the Stone Drum Tower on Dragonstone Island. Dragonstone Island was Rhaenyra's fiefdom, and Rhaenyra's things were His Royal Highness's things.
"Bronze faith, things of the ancestors," Aemon said, smacking his lips. "Why do I feel like I'm being asked to be a charlatan and trick the people into believing?"
It was impossible to believe in one god exclusively. If you couldn't be loyal, then just be a scumbag. After a while, he would bring Sister Martha from Runestone City to build a Seven Gods temple. There were many vacancies in the side and auxiliary halls of Riverdale City. He would move Meraxes's skull in and arrange it like Balerion's to accept offerings. He would have the Painted Dogs and Firesmiths spread the word so the mountain clans in the territory wouldn't forget the bronze faith. 'Isn't that how the Dragon Lords played during the Old Valyrian period?'
Aemon turned and stared at the sacred bronze tree, thinking, "I've given you a chance; don't waste it." Bronze bells contained magic and were special materials. As his subjects' faith increased, the sacred bronze tree would produce more bronze bells. The more materials he had for forging iron, the better.
Hiss!
Suddenly, a silver dragon shadow passed through the blue sky, roaring loudly. Aemon looked out and said, "Seasmoke is still beautiful."
"It's time to go." 'I hope the bronze sacred tree grows taller next time. The bronze birds and discs are somewhat useful.'
Riverdale City
Hiss!
Seasmoke slowly landed with her wings folded, raising a gust of wind. A dragon's appearance changed with age. Seasmoke was about twenty years old and the first of four generations of dragons to hatch. Its entire body was covered in light silver scales, and its dorsal fin and wing membrane were silver-white and shone brightly in the sun. Its dragon head was very domineering, with three pairs of gray-white dragon horns bent backward. It was more than 20 meters long and could be called a giant dragon.
"Laenor!" Laena said, coming from the Hall of Plenty in the back.
Bang! Laenor jumped off the dragon's back, his silver-gold, curly hair trembling slightly.
Hiss— Seasmoke crawled down, pressing her long neck down. Joffrey, Laenor's lover, turned pale and climbed down tremblingly.
"Did you bring people with you?" Laena asked unhappily.
"Good afternoon, Miss Laena," Joffrey said, holding back his anger and greeting her, covering his mouth with his hands.
Facing his sister's questioning gaze, Laenor's handsome face showed embarrassment, and he scratched his head.
Hiss!
A huge, topaz-colored dragon flew from afar. Its majestic body smashed through a few white clouds and landed quickly and violently.
Boom!
The dragon's huge body landed, and its smooth scales looked like gold foil in the sun.
"Go play," Rhaenyra said, wearing a black dragon-riding suit. She jumped off the dragon's back and bit off her leather gloves with a smile.
Hiss— Syrax's vertical pupils flashed with intimacy as he followed Rhaenyra like a big dog, his thick dragon tail swinging back and forth.
Rhaenyra smiled even more beautifully, and her steps became lighter. After half a year of searching the mountains for bandits and fighting alongside the dragon, their relationship had improved rapidly. Syrax had escaped the confines of the dragon cave and grown rapidly. He was more than 17 or 18 meters long and could eat a sheep in the valley in one bite.
"Your Highness," Laenor said, greeting her respectfully.
Rhaenyra rolled her eyes and ignored him. "Damn, go away!"
The next day
In the early morning, the sky was filled with mist.
Boom! The cool mist was torn apart violently, and a huge monster rushed upward to a height of thousands of meters. In the sunlight, its bronze scales shone brightly.
Aemon rode on the dragon's back and took a deep breath.
Roar! Vormithor's cold, bronze-bright pupils narrowed, and his strong body swayed gently. From time to time, he stretched out his huge, brown dragon wings to speed up. As soon as he appeared, the Lonely Mountain was shrouded in shadow. He soon flew away, heading toward the Eyrie in the Vale of Arryn.
Boom! At the foot of the Lonely Mountain, Vhagar took off and slowly flew over the towering mountains. His body resembled an oasis mountain, exuding an unstoppable sense of oppression.
Two adult dragons, one in front and one behind, compared their sizes. Vhagar was over 130 meters long with wings so wide that they covered the sky and sun. He raised his head to the clouds as he chased.
Hiss— Vormithor glanced down arrogantly, maintaining his speed without rushing. His body was over 100 meters long, reaching nearly 110 meters. His body was more robust, covered in bronze scales that shone with a metallic luster and covered his tight muscles. Compared to the older Vhagar, he looked like a young man in his prime.
"Hurry up, Vormithor," Aemon said, patting the dragon's back and smiling. He had received an invitation to the Eyrie. Mother Rhea had set out early and was likely at the Blood Gate by now. She brought a lot of guards. Gunthor led three hundred Vale knights, and Holden Redford of the Red Fort led one hundred. Black Rose Hall was built to replace the burned Iron Oak Castle. This was a good opportunity to ask for an explanation. Holden was going to visit his sister in hopes of arranging a marriage. Marrying a Lady was tempting.
It was close to noon, and the sun was shining brightly.
Blood Gate
The Royce family arrived and obtained a pass after being questioned by the Knights of the Blood Gate. Lady Rhea rode a flaming red warhorse and walked in front of her vassals. She was not someone who liked to visit friends. However, Lady Jeyne was interested in finding a husband. As the strongest vassal of the Arryn family, the Royces had to be present.
"I hope everything goes well, and that we don't cause any trouble." Lady Rhea pulled the reins and looked around.
"Cousin, we are almost at the Moon Gate," Gerald Royce said, riding up on horseback and smiling charmingly.
"Use the honorific title for me, cousin," Lady Rhea said, glancing at him with mild disdain. After being cold for so long, she looked at people as if they were dogs.
Gerald was stunned for a moment and replied awkwardly, "Yes, Madam Rhea."
"One more thing," Madam Rhea said, retracting her gaze. "I'm not blind."
Gerald: ...
"I am so ashamed that I will find a crack in the ground to hide in."
Gunthor, William, Ser Ryan, and the others trailed behind, trying not to laugh out loud. Madam Rhea looked back expressionlessly. They all stood up straight and pretended to be serious. Madam Rhea snorted coldly and looked up at the sky. She had a feeling that this trip to the Eyrie would not be simple. She had full confidence in her son.
Boom!
Just in time, a gust of wind whistled and cast a shadow over the earth. The Blood Gate Knight looked up, his eyes widening immediately. Two enormous dragons, each over a hundred meters long, emerged from the clouds and flew over the Blood Gate, which had stood for thousands of years.
Hiss!
Hiss...
Before his heart could settle, two more dragons flew in from the distance. One was topaz, and the other was light silver. They chased each other as if competing, ignoring the Blood Gate on the cliff.
"Gods!" The Knight of the Bloody Gate sighed, nearly dropping his jaw.
"Lift off, Vormithor!" Aemon pulled the saddle rope and drove the dragon upward. After passing the Bloody Gate, the path to the Eyrie narrowed and became steep all the way to the top of the Moon Mountains. Along the way were the Gates of the Moon, Stonehold, Snowfork, and Skyfort.
"Are those the Gates of the Moon?" Aemon leaned out and saw a majestic castle built into the side of the mountain. The Gates of the Moon were the original fortress of the Arryn family. It was later abandoned when the more dangerous Eyrie was built. However, the Gates of the Moon still belonged to the Arryn family, who sent people from their lesser-known branches to guard it. Every winter, the Arryns moved to the Gates of the Moon to escape the cold.
Hiss— Vormithor roared, raised his head, and rushed up the Giant's Lance, which rises thousands of feet high and circles the top of the Moon Mountains. That sounded high, but the altitude was only about 1,500 meters. For an adult dragon, this was only the most common soaring altitude.
The Eyrie was a cluster of seven slender white towers closely connected by gorgeous white marble walls. It truly embodied the spirit of an eagle building a nest atop a mountain.
Boom!
Vormithor landed with a bang in the back garden of the Eyrie. Aemon untied the chain around his waist and shuddered in the cold wind. He wasn't imitating Queen Visenya, who had landed in the back garden to shock the "orphans and widows" of the Eyrie. The Eyrie was simply too small. The castles of the guardian families of the Seven Realms, such as Highgarden and Casterly Rock, were larger than the Eyrie, not to mention the castles of ordinary nobles. The Lord's castle had a pitifully small area. There were seven towers in total, and at most, 500 people could fit inside. It was not as big as the main hall in Riverdale.
Roar! Vormithor snorted heavily, blowing hot air onto the flowerbed and causing large areas of flowers and plants to dry and wilt.
"Don't mess up!" Aemon slapped his forehead; his head ached. "They only have a few flowers and plants, and you ruined them all in one go."
Vormithor glanced at the driver, waiting for him to climb down from the dragon's back and flap his wide brown wings to fly into the air. They had to leave.
"Land, Vhagar!" Laena arrived soon after, driving the old dragon to land in the same place. The back garden was not small, but there was no open space.
Hiss... Syrax and Seasmoke flapped their wings vigorously and chose a place to land. The two young dragons were small enough to lie under the wall.
"This is the Eyrie, and this is my first time here," Laenor said with a smile, looking around curiously.
Aemon shrugged, indicating that it was his first time there as well.
"I've been here twice, but I'm still amazed by how steep the Eyrie is," Rhaenyra said, panting lightly, feeling tired. The Eyrie stands atop a 1,500-meter-high mountain, higher than Syrax usually flies. The human body couldn't handle that.
Aemon offered his hand and looked at Laenor again. Laenor shook her head, not seeing the same thing. She had long been accustomed to the pressure of high altitudes. Aemon smiled helplessly, thinking to himself: 'Whenever something significant occurred in Westeros, the Arryn family found themselves in a state of "orphans and widows," slacking off the entire time. Could the Eyrie have been built too high, causing altitude sickness?'
In less than half an hour, Jeyne Arryn led people to the back garden, where they saw three curled-up dragons from a distance. Aemon and the others stayed at a stone table. All four people had silver hair and purple eyes and exuded a noble temperament.
"Your Highness." Jeyne walked over and slightly raised her skirt to salute.
"You're welcome, cousin." Rhaenyra smiled slightly. The two were distantly related by blood. Jeyne's father was Queen Aemma's half-brother. Jeyne's grandfather was Rhaenyra's grandfather.
"Welcome to the Eyrie. The Arryn family is honored." Jeyne was very polite and saluted Aemon. Since Laena's siblings were not princesses or princes, they took the initiative to salute the duchess. Jeyne responded to each of them with a formal smile. She invited everyone to enter the main tower.
Aemon was very active. He had only briefly seen Jeyne Arryn before, but today, he officially met her. His first impression was not good. Jeyne was not unattractive. Apart from her high cheekbones and thin lips, she was an eighty-point classical beauty. However, her brown eyes were full of hostility and vigilance. She looked at Rhaenyra with the softness of a cousin. However, it was not the same when she looked at other people. When she looked at Aemon, especially, she wanted to strip him naked and look at him as if he were an extremely evil criminal.
"You are so good at judging people!" Aemon was furious.
Maiden Tower
The easternmost White Tower had an interior hall for entertaining guests and discussing important matters. Aemon stood at the door and told the Eyrie guards, "My mother is at the foot of the mountain and will be up soon."
"Don't worry, Prince. I will send someone to greet her." Jeyne walked in front and heard a faint response.
Aemon thanked him and looked around. He told Jeyne that he was looking for a guard who simply couldn't stand his cold temperament. No wonder Daemon was foul-mouthed. Women in the Vale could be really unpleasant.
Bang!
The wooden door closed, and the temperature rose instantly. The hall was full of people—all nobles from the Vale. Their voices were noisy. As Aemon entered, the noise stopped abruptly. Hundreds of nobles sat on the benches and all looked over and stared at the handsome prince. Some observed, some scrutinized. More often than not, they were repelled and hostile.
---------------
You can read +100 advance chapters on my Patreon
Patreon(.)com/izan24
•TIER 1 you'll get +15 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
•TIER 2 you'll get +40 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
•TIER 3 you'll get +60 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
•TIER 4 you'll get +100 ADVANCE CHAPTERS