Seeing the small black speck with Viserion, Daario immediately thought of Drogon. He had also faintly glimpsed the moment Drogon snatched a spear and killed a crewman.
Daario had witnessed Drogon's prowess more than once, yet he was still stunned by the dragon's spear-throwing feat.
His shock was quickly replaced by a secret sense of relief. With Drogon here, he wouldn't have to worry about Viserion getting into trouble.
However, his relief was short-lived. After teaching Viserion a lesson and killing the tall crewman, Drogon took to the skies and soared away from Yunkai.
Daario could only watch helplessly as Viserys continued to circle in the sky, terrified that he might be injured again.
After leaving Yunkai and arriving at Astapor, Drogon spotted the wreckage of ships floating on the sea. The city walls were damaged to varying degrees, suggesting it had just endured a major battle.
Scanning the sky, Drogon saw no sign of Rhaego. He took a shallow breath, and a sharp dragon's roar erupted from his small maw. Though not loud, the sound carried for a great distance.
Barely two minutes after the roar, the Green Dragon, Rhaego, flew out from within Astapor. Seeing her swift flight, Drogon finally relaxed. This little dragon sister must not have been seriously injured.
After the battle, Rhaego was just settling in for a well-deserved nap when she heard Drogon's call. The sleepiness vanished instantly, and she flew to him, her mood buoyant.
Landing beside Drogon, Rhaego nudged him with her large head and let out two more cries. The fight was over, and she was ready to claim her reward.
Drogon inspected her body from head to toe. Aside from a few missing scales, there were no obvious injuries. He reached into his backpack, pulled out a handful of honeyed dates and nuts, and tossed them to her.
After devouring the treats, Rhaego stretched out her neck and opened her mouth wide, trying to lick Drogon. He quickly dodged. Rhaego's eating habits were far less refined than his own, and her strong scent was a bit much for him to bear.
This was only possible because it was Rhaego. If it had been Viserion, Drogon wouldn't have let him even *nudge* him. The first time Viserion tried to nuzzle him, he'd nearly been knocked senseless by one of Drogon's claws. After a few such encounters, he'd learned his lesson and never dared to rub up against Drogon again.
When Drogon dodged her affectionate gesture, a flicker of resentment crossed Rhaego's eyes, sending a shiver of disgust down his spine.
Lately, Rhaego had been getting clingier and clingier, which worried him. He couldn't help but wonder if the dragons were entering their mating season.
But they were less than two years old. Even if a dragon's lifespan was a hundred years, two years old would be far too precocious. Most importantly, he didn't feel anything at all!
After patting Rhaego's large head with his small claws to soothe her, Drogon flew back into the city of Astapor with her. He wanted to see how the defense of Astapor was going.
When he and Rhaego arrived outside the pyramid where Daeron was located, Daeron and the High Sparrow, having been informed of Drogon's arrival, came out to greet him.
Both of them knew that Drogon was the Queen's most favored dragon, and also the most powerful, being the only one capable of changing his size.
Although Drogon wasn't officially representing the Queen—his primary purpose likely being to visit the Green Dragon, Rhaego—Daeron and the High Sparrow still dared not treat him with anything less than the utmost respect.
As the two dragons landed before them, Drogon turned his head toward the city walls and lifted his gaze to the sea.
Daeron, having spent little time with Drogon, couldn't decipher his meaning and looked to the High Sparrow for help.
"Drogon is likely asking about the Ghiscari siege," the High Sparrow said to Daeron, knowing that Drogon could understand almost all human speech.
Daeron had been planning to send word of Astapor's situation to Queen Daenerys; Drogon's arrival provided the perfect opportunity to deliver the message.
Since Drogon was interested in the naval battle, Daeron gave him a brief report: "Rhaego destroyed most of the catapults and roasted many of the sailors. The Ghiscari never expected the Queen's dragon to be deployed on the battlefield so soon, and they suffered heavy losses."
After hearing Daeron's report, Drogon concluded that the Ghiscari would not attempt another siege in the short term, unless they found a way to counter the dragon. To be safe, he decided to have Rhaego stationed in Astapor for a few more days to deter the Ghiscari.
After finishing his report, Daeron asked Drogon if he could deliver a message to Daenerys. When Drogon nodded, Daeron took up pen and paper to write a report.
With Daeron's letter tucked into his pack, Drogon prepared to depart. Rhaego reluctantly followed him for over ten kilometers before finally returning to Astapor after Drogon's soothing reassurance.
Instead of flying straight back to Meereen, Drogon first stopped in the grasslands for a feast, gathering a wave of Faith Power before returning to the city.
In Meereen, while the interrogations of the captured Sons of the Harpy continued, Tyrion proposed several solutions to the city's most pressing problem: food.
The highlands outside Meereen were filled with olive groves, vineyards, and wheat fields. Freemen without any other skills could work the land there in exchange for payment.
Meereen was a major producer of wine and fine salt, and these industries could also absorb a portion of the new freemen.
The freemen were allowed to enter and leave Meereen freely, and they could depart with the merchants and nobles who had originally come to buy slaves, accepting their employment. Those who met the requirements for joining the Academy before their departure could still be registered as its students, allowing them to return for further studies at any time.
However, before leaving, they had to sign an employment agreement and receive an advance payment; otherwise, they would not be allowed to depart with the merchants. Those with a specialized skill could continue to serve the Great Master, provided they were paid.
Another major measure proposed by Tyrion was to expand the army through conscription. After the Meereenese Knot and the battles at the other two besieged cities, both the Unsullied and the Second Sons had suffered significant losses, and their forces urgently needed replenishment.
This would not only reasonably solve the food problem for some of the new freemen but also expand Daenerys's army, preparing for the future march on Westeros. Daenerys had only the Unsullied and the Second Sons, and she was just worrying about where to find replacements for her heavy losses. Tyrion's suggestion hit the mark perfectly.
Daenerys immediately instructed Jorah to oversee the conscription. She also notified Daario in Yunkai and Daeron in Astapor to conduct simultaneous conscription. Once the new recruits were gathered, they would be transported to Meereen for training by Jorah, who would henceforth be the commander of the new army.
After the conscription notice was posted, a vast number of young freemen signed up to join the army. Even the children and nephews of slave lords joined the ranks.
However, this was mostly the case for slave lords' relatives who had no right of inheritance and sought to earn merit in the army. They hoped that if Queen Daenerys ever took over Westeros, they could be granted titles and land based on their achievements.
Daenerys was also pleased to see them join. The relatives of slave lords mostly possessed a certain level of knowledge or other skills, making them more valuable to the army than the new freemen.
After handing Daeron's report to Daenerys, Drogon felt extremely uneasy about the Wildlings and White Walkers beyond the Wall. He felt he couldn't rest easy without going to see for himself.
Slaver's Bay had finally settled down, so he planned to make another trip to the Wall to scout the situation.
Bidding a temporary farewell to the Mother of Dragons and Shireen, Drogon flew straight to the Wall.
Three hours later, before even reaching Winterfell, Drogon felt a wave of cold. The temperature was significantly lower than his last trip to the Wall, reminding him of House Stark's words—*Winter is Coming*.
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