Early the next morning.
Ministers Qarlton Chelsted and Lucerys Velaryon urgently came to see Daeron.
"Prince, you are being foolish!" Qarlton was beside himself with anxiety.
He had heard that the Prince intended to go to Harrenhal and came immediately to dissuade him.
Lucerys shared the same sentiment. "House Whent cannot be trusted."
Nobles were complicated creatures.
Back in the day, King Aerys II hadn't listened to advice and went to Duskendale with only one Kingsguard, resulting in his imprisonment for half a year.
They couldn't watch the Prince repeat the same mistake.
Daeron was prepared and replied calmly, "I will bring the newly recruited Dragonguard and one of the dragons. I will not follow in my father's footsteps."
Facing difficulties and seizing opportunities within them was his style.
If Lord Whent truly harbored ill intentions, then Harrenhal would get a fresh taste of dragonfire.
It would be a good chance to refresh the Seven Kingdoms' understanding of exactly what a "hatchling" could do.
"Prince, please reconsider!" Qarlton pleaded, refusing to give up.
The King was a lost cause.
These Small Council ministers could only pin their hopes on Prince Daeron. Playing it safe was the most pragmatic approach.
Daeron remained unmoved.
Seeing this, Lucerys pondered for a moment before saying, "Lord Celtigar of Claw Isle sent me a letter. Prince Rhaegar has summoned him, ostensibly to discuss important matters."
"Adrian Celtigar? That old crab?"
Qarlton's expression changed instantly.
It was common knowledge that when House Targaryen migrated to Dragonstone, they brought two Valyrian noble families with them: House Velaryon of Driftmark and House Celtigar of Claw Isle.
Once upon a time, the seats of Master of Ships and Master of Coin on the Small Council were practically reserved for these two families.
During the Dance of the Dragons, the Lord Celtigar of that time even served as Master of Coin for the "Half-Year Queen," Rhaenyra.
Later, however, House Celtigar lost its eligibility for the Small Council. They holed up on Claw Isle, isolated and stagnant.
The reason Qarlton turned pale at the mention of the "crab" was simple: "Adrian is a greedy, loathsome old crab. He drags his feet even on port taxes. Why would he send you news for free?"
He despised the old crab utterly.
Daeron nodded secretly.
"Prince, Lord Adrian is indeed insatiably greedy; you wouldn't like him," Lucerys said, badmouthing his old friend first before continuing. "However, he did not respond to Prince Rhaegar's summons, and he suspects Rhaegar has ulterior motives."
Daeron understood.
It seemed Rhaegar was already contacting his vassals to prepare for the Tourney at Harrenhal.
"If I don't go, I'll miss the opportunity."
Daeron was determined to go.
Seeing their persuasion was useless, the two ministers had no choice but to agree.
---
Noon
Daeron went to the Mud Gate to see his mother, Rhaella, off.
Queen Rhaella was beautiful, with a graceful and noble bearing. Her silver-gold hair fell smoothly, and her purple eyes were cold, seemingly always hiding unhappiness.
She was a classic ice beauty.
Daeron and Shaena were there to bid their mother farewell. Daeron had arranged the Gold Cloak escort. After hesitating for a moment, he said:
"Keep in touch."
His words were dry.
Rhaella glanced at her son and said calmly, "Your brother has returned."
Equally sparing with her words.
Thud!
Daeron kicked the gangplank into place, sending his mother onto the ship. He wasn't going to accept her coldness.
Rhaella didn't care about her son's attitude. She gave a slight wave to her daughter and turned to enter the cabin.
"She still doesn't love us," Shaena said, looking away to examine the small ring on her pale finger.
The golden ring, set with a gem, emitted a faint halo of light.
It was a real ring.
Daeron's voice dripped with venom. "It's not that she doesn't love us. It's that she pours her hatred for Father onto me."
"Mmh."
Shaena agreed.
Both siblings were in a bad mood and didn't want to linger at the Mud Gate.
Daeron extended an invitation. "Want to go to the farm?"
Shaena: "Let's go."
---
Skree-onk—!
The three young dragons soared over the farm. Seeming to sense the upcoming journey, they were full of energy, chasing and playing with each other.
Shaena sat quietly by the coop, watching the ducklings take to the water.
There were two of them, swimming back and forth in the stream below the waterfall.
Daeron watched for a while, then put the milk he had saved over the last few days into the Cheese Press.
On one side of the cabin.
A square working area had been paved with stone floors. Neatly arranged on it were Mayonnaise Machines, Cheese Presses, Furnaces, and Lightning Rods.
He had managed the farm quite well.
Opening his panel, it looked quite impressive.
> [Farmer: Daeron Targaryen]
> Farming: Level 8 (Tiller)
> Mining: Level 7 (Miner)
> Foraging: Level 7 (Forester)
> Fishing: Level 10 (Angler, Pirate)
> Combat: Level 6 (Fighter)
>
>
As the levels of his five skills increased, various professions and crafting recipes were unlocked.
The most important ones were Fishing and Combat.
The Level 10 Fishing profession [Pirate] increased the chance of finding treasure chests.
The Level 5 Combat profession [Fighter] increased all attack damage by 10% and added +15 HP.
One provided extra income from fishing, and the other directly enhanced his survivability.
+15 HP!
Daeron remembered when he unlocked [Fighter]. A strong wave of heat had surged through his body, significantly improving his physical fitness. Strength, agility, resilience, reaction speed... everything was boosted across the board.
In a one-on-one fight, he was evenly matched with Ser Jon Connington.
Within thirty moves, Barristan Selmy couldn't take him down.
Daeron was only 11 years old.
People said Rhaegar was a superb warrior who had defeated Barristan and Arthur Dayne in single combat?
Daeron admitted Rhaegar's combat ability was high.
But Rhaegar was 21.
All his victories were won in tourneys.
In a real offline duel, it was impossible for him to beat two legendary Kingsguard knights. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been smashed to death by Robert's hammer.
After finishing his work.
Daeron lit a campfire and cooked right there.
Shaena was deft and skillful. Not only was she good with needlework, but her cooking skills were also excellent.
Two fried eggs and a bowl of pumpkin porridge made for a simple dinner.
She had been visiting the farm often lately.
Daeron asked, "Is Cersei still pestering you?"
Shaena didn't speak, just sipped the sweet porridge from her bowl.
Ever since Daeron rejected Tywin.
Cersei had been like an agitated wild cat, pestering Shaena incessantly, talking about how wonderful and handsome her brother Jaime was.
It was as if marrying Shaena off would somehow make Daeron belong to her.
It was getting late.
Shaena didn't leave; she stayed at the farm.
She slept on the bed, and Daeron slept by the fireplace.
The siblings were used to it.
"We leave in two days. I still need to prepare a few things," Daeron calculated silently.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shaena sleeping on her side on the bed. Her soft hand rested on her abdomen, emitting a gentle glow.
The source was the golden ring on her index finger.
> [Small Glow Ring]
> Description: Emits a constant light.
> Effect: Dispels darkness, brings warmth.
It was an item dropped from a crate in the mines, quite practical.
Daeron had wanted to give her a Crystal Dagger for self-defense. She refused and chose the small ring instead.
"Every piece of equipment seems to have unusual effects."
Daeron toyed with the two rings on his hands.
A gold ring with a crescent moon on his left hand, and a black ring with a red shell on his right.
> [Lucky Ring]
> Description: Symbol of the moon.
> Effect: Luck +1.
> [Crabshell Ring]
> Description: Made from an enchanted crab shell.
> Effect: Defense +5.
"With these two rings, I'm safe."
Daeron took his safety seriously.
The Crabshell Ring was a monster slayer reward for killing 60 Rock Crabs in the mines. Its effect was simple and crude: maxing out defense.
Note: Defense refers specifically to the ability to withstand external damage.
He also had a pair of [Cinderclown Shoes] rewarded from a chest on Level 80 of the mines.
> [Cinderclown Shoes]
> Effect: Defense +3, Immunity +3.
Without even using the Neptune's Greatsword, his daily Defense was as high as 8 points.
Immunity offered resistance against stun, poison, and curses, while also slightly boosting mental fortitude.
With these combined, Daeron had no fear of most assassinations or poisons.
"If I can find an item with high Immunity stats, maybe I could cure Father's madness," Daeron thought, struck by a sudden inspiration.