With the five hundred Unicorn warrior group led by the Dax brothers, no matter how vicious the bandits were, they could only obediently become laborers here.
Otherwise, they would not only suffer physical pain but also go hungry, and some of the most heinous ones were even fed to mastiffs.
Currently, the population on Dreamfire Island has exceeded five thousand, but over four thousand of them are young adult males.
Therefore, many women who were exiled here, not wanting to endure the hardship of labor, started engaging in the flesh trade.
Although the laborers exiled here were penniless, if they performed well and passed an assessment, they would receive a formal job.
Although the pay was not much, they could still save a good amount of copper stars each month.
Especially those chosen to work at the salt fields, and those who already had a skill, quickly accumulated several silver deers after arriving on the island.
And with refined sea salt as a hard currency, more merchants have been coming to Dreamfire Island recently.
Thus, brothels on Dreamfire Island sprung up like mushrooms after rain.
Even pirates from the Three Daughters Kingdom and the Stepstones would frequent this place during lulls in their fighting.
With the arrival of the Long Night and Winter, more and more people committed crimes to fill their stomachs, and the jails of various families were almost full.
Even if they were sent to The Wall according to the tradition of the Seven Kingdoms, it was difficult to proceed due to the harsh weather.
Thanks to the long summer of the past decade, most families had accumulated a good amount of food reserves.
Therefore, other kingdoms were still relatively stable in the short term; although local unrest occurred from time to time, overall, it was within a controllable range.
With King Jaehaerys's personal tutelage, Viserys also became proficient in handling state affairs.
It was obvious to discerning people that the Old King intended to pass his throne to Viserys.
This naturally made Princess Rhaenys and Sea Snake Corlys very displeased.
However, with the kingdom facing a crisis, they found it difficult to act out.
Princess Rhaenys, in a fit of pique, returned directly to Tide Head Island.
"It seems His Majesty the King has made his decision; he is preparing to support Viserys's ascension."
Sea Snake Corlys Velaryon and his wife, Princess Rhaenys, sat in front of the fireplace, complaining with resentment.
"Moreover, the Minister of Maritime Affairs has always been held by House Velaryon, but now he has directly given it to the Redwyne Family.
It seems he is determined not to give our House Velaryon any face."
Rhaenys stared at the flickering flames in the fireplace, gently swirling the dragonflame wine glass in her hand, and said dismissively,
"The Iron Throne belongs to the Targaryen Family, and the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms would rather turn the kingdom into scorched earth than wish for a woman to sit on the throne."
"Now that the Long Night and Winter have arrived simultaneously, instead of worrying about these things, why don't you think about how to lead House Velaryon through this crisis!"
Sea Snake Corlys finished the dragonflame wine in his glass and looked out at the island through the French window.
"Our Tide Head Island doesn't look like it's plunged into the Long Night.
Although the sky is much darker, it's always stormy here anyway, so it doesn't seem to have much of an impact on us."
"The wealth of House Velaryon is enough for us to live in the castle for several lifetimes."
Hearing her husband say this, Rhaenys smiled, looked at him, and shook her head, saying,
"You are a great patriarch; House Velaryon has achieved unprecedented glory because of you.
But you have never truly cared about the Seven Kingdoms; do you think such a Sea Snake Corlys can truly bear the weight of the Iron Throne?"
"Also, Sea Smoke has been gone for several months and has not returned.
Now the weather has become so bad, which is truly unfavorable for House Velaryon."
Like Princess Rhaenys and her husband, within various noble castles across Westeros, in front of warm fireplaces, the lords and noblewomen sat with their families.
Their lives seemed unaffected by this.
The castle gates were shut, and abundant supplies could allow them to safely endure for ten or even eight years without issue.
In their eyes, the common folk were like crops; as long as they weren't completely wiped out, they would recover once the weather improved.
To be on the safe side, King Jaehaerys, in addition to sending a fleet to the East Continent to purchase food, also dispatched Viserys and Daemon, riding dragons and accompanied by hundreds of Gold Cloaks, to The Reach and the Stormlands, major grain-producing regions, to collect grain and the Long Night tax after stabilizing the situation.
Facing two dragons, no noble dared to resist, so the grain collection and taxation proceeded very smoothly.
A continuous flow of grain and golden dragons began to be transported to King's Landing.
In a blink of an eye, three months were about to pass.
In the Red Keep in King's Landing, the increasingly hunched King Jaehaerys looked at the thick snow covering the city from his balcony, while stroking Urax, who had grown to over three meters, and muttered to himself,
"It's almost three months, and Daenerys still hasn't returned.
She must have found something good again and is enjoying herself too much to think of home.
She doesn't even consider how long and difficult three months are for an old man like me, who could pass away at any moment."
"If she doesn't come back soon, she'll miss her brother's birth."
Saying this, the Old King reached out and caught a few snowflakes.
"However, this weather is indeed very strange.
The Long Night and Winter have been established for three months, but the temperature hasn't dropped much."
At this time, inside Dragonstone, Viserys was slowly strolling hand in hand with his wife, Aemma, in Aegon's Garden.
Herbalist and Maester Tigris were accompanying them throughout, as Aemma's due date was approaching, and she could give birth at any moment.
Although her body had no major problems after half a year of conditioning, and during these six months, Herbalist and Maester Tigris had delivered no less than two hundred pregnant women, accumulating much new experience.
There had even been several cases of C-sections; although the children were saved, those pregnant women, even if they miraculously survived, became somewhat frail.
If they were noblewomen, with good recuperation, there was a chance of recovery, but the poor would not live much longer.
"Why hasn't Daenerys returned for several months?"
"This child is getting wilder and wilder now; before, she only caused trouble on Dragonstone, but now I guess she doesn't even bother to come home."
"Viserys, shouldn't we consider finding her a fiancé?
How can this go on?"
Aemma's words made Viserys's nose tingle.
Although his weight had recovered a bit in the past two months, he still looked somewhat thin, but he was much more handsome than before.
"Now that the Long Night and Winter have arrived simultaneously, that child is clever, and His Majesty the King cannot do without her.
As a princess of the kingdom, this is her responsibility.
We should be proud and honored of her; I am very fortunate to have such an excellent daughter..."
Here, Viserys's voice became choked, so he quickly turned his head, wiped his moist eyes, and said,
"Let's go back to the room; the wind outside is too strong, it makes me uncomfortable."
"Is it?!"
Aemma looked around and said,
"Although it snows heavily every day, I don't feel it's that cold."
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