In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
A huge bronze dragon rushed out of the valley and flew over Crab Bay towards Essos on the other side of the strait.
Boom!
The huge dragon's body broke through the wind resistance, and a silver-haired figure sat still on its back.
"Ah! The vacation is over."
Aemond stretched lazily, protesting going out to work.
In just half a month, he and Jensif threw an engagement party and entertained guests from the Vale in Runestone City. Despite his mother's objections, he sent her and Jensif to Riverrun together. A change of place brings a change of mood.
"Hoo!"
Suddenly, a small, pale, grayish-white wild dragon leaped out, chasing the bronze dragon's tail. It flapped its wings and disappeared into the shattered clouds along the way.
It was the wild dragon—Grey Ghost.
Aemond glanced back and couldn't help but chuckle.
As usual, he had taken some time to climb the Lonely Mountain to check on the progress of the Bronze Sacred Tree. It had yielded no special fruits. Silverwing, on the other hand, was rather lazy and reluctant to leave the lair when he returned. Grey Ghost was young and full of curiosity. Seeing him ride Vermithor out, Grey Ghost trailed far behind.
"Perfect! Leave a dragon for Myr," Aemond had an idea. Having an additional dragon would significantly deter and inspire the newly surrendered Myr.
"Hoohoo!"
Vermithor moved at a brisk pace and quickly soared over the gorge.
Aemond gently patted the dragon's scales, thrusting his hips forward and sliding his upper body back. He closed his eyes and took a nap. Dozing off on a dragon in the sky felt so comfortable.
Myr
Three days later, the weather was clear and slightly muggy.
A man and two dragons entered Myr Bay and soon spotted the large city-state on the coast.
Boom!
Vermithor flapped his wings suddenly, speeding across the calm bay, his pupils cold and indifferent.
"Has the wall been repaired?"
Aemond leaned over to observe, letting out a soft sigh.
Behind the harbor, the section of the wall that had collapsed in the wildfire had been repaired; its white walls were now covered with bricks and stone. Unlike the old grayish-white walls, the newly repaired section was pure white, like jade. It was striking and refreshing in its monotony.
Vermithor crossed the wall and entered the city.
Aemond took one last look and spotted a fleet of warships anchored in the harbor. The few new warships were apparently well-maintained.
"It seems everything is progressing smoothly."
After more than two weeks away, Myr had changed for the better—a rare sight.
Not long after, Vermithor folded his wings, and the shadow of half the city-state faded, causing a small commotion.
Temporary Residence.
Aemond walked through the gates and saw Unsullied patrols in black armor everywhere.
"Your Majesty!"
"Welcome home, Your Majesty."
Grey Worm and Diana greeted him warmly as he entered the magnificent castle. Having not seen each other for a month, the two new ministers had missed the prince day and night.
"Thank you for your hard work," Aemond smiled faintly and ascended the stairs with the two of them by his side.
"How's it going?" he asked briefly as they walked.
Diana smiled politely and replied, "Miss Johanna has run the city-state well. She even opened a Myrish Bank. I heard she's saved quite a bit of money. Everything is thriving."
"What about you?" Aemond looked at Grey Worm.
Grey Worm puffed out his chest and said solemnly, "The Unsullied have taken control of the city's order. Ser Coin has enlisted a group of Gulltown sailors and Second Sons to establish an initial Myrish Navy of 500 men."
Aemond suddenly realized this. The fleet in the harbor was Coin's doing. This was good.
Besides its invincible dragons, the strength of Old Valyria was due to the powerful navy trained by the Sea Families, which was capable of navigating the vast seas. Wherever the dragons struck, the navy took possession. A perfect match!
Grey Worm then shared some intelligence. Most importantly, a group of Myrish mercenaries was roaming the Disputed Lands, attempting to retake Myr and harassing cities. Robb, who was leading the Second Sons, was currently fending off the rebels in the Disputed Lands. But the results were limited.
Aemond frowned. Eliminating this group of Myrish mercenaries seemed to be a priority.
The three of them walked and chatted until they reached the Council Chamber, which was nestled behind vast, floor-to-ceiling windows. The door was open, revealing a slender figure in a black gauze dress seated at the back of the oval table.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Diana smiled as she deliberately knocked on the door.
Johanna looked up, instantly delighted. "Your Highness," she exclaimed, dropping the half-finished report and clicking in her black high heels with red soles.
"How's your job as butler?" Aemond asked with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, a rich rose scent filled his nostrils, and white lotus arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
"You're finally back." Johanna stood on her tiptoes, threw herself into Aemond's arms, and rubbed her face against his.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Aemond pried her arms open, halting the attack. He was pure and innocent; how could he casually cuddle with a beautiful older sister?
"If you won't let me replenish my energy, then you'll handle the rest of the government affairs." Undeterred, Johanna cupped her breasts in her arms.
Aemond: 🤦♂️ One shouldn't seek hardship.
Aemond proactively opened his arms and embraced her soft, fragrant body.
"That's more than enough," Johanna hummed charmingly, grasping the hem of Aemond's skirt with her bare hands and squeezing it firmly against her. She and Laena were the same age, both voluptuous older sisters. She was so confident in her physical superiority that she was bewildered by Aemond's fragrance.
Aemond felt dizzy with his chin resting on the black swan's white neck, silently enjoying its beauty.
Of all the courtiers, Johanna was the most special. Initially, she was a companion trained by his mother to be responsible for his daily needs. Later, she followed him to the Vale and took charge of government affairs and intelligence. To avoid poisoning, Johanna prepared his meals every day. If there was anyone he trusted more than anyone else, it would be her.
"All right, you've passed."
After hugging him for a long time, Johanna withdrew her hands contentedly and smoothed the slightly wrinkled gauze skirt. The black gauze was thin, covering the key parts, while the rest of his white skin could be seen faintly. Hugging him felt like flesh to flesh.
Aemond opened his eyes, and a faint rose scent lingered at the tip of his nose. Johanna had had feelings for him for a long time. Laena stopped him once, and then she died down. Judging from today's situation, it seemed that the same thing would happen again.
"Come on, what are you afraid of?" Johanna turned around and said with a smile, "Our prince just got married in Runestone City, and he's in the prime of his life."
Aemond's expression was strange. He felt attracted to the other person's achievements. However, that would be too disrespectful to his own dignity. It was too much to be so successful that he threatened the master.
Sitting at the conference table, Diana attentively poured wine.
Discussing serious matters, Johanna regained her composure and said, "The Unsullied and the Second Sons can't use their navy right now. I propose forming a 2,000-man city garrison."
"No problem," Aemond nodded in agreement. A newly liberated city-state needed more troops.
"We'll use liberated young slaves as personnel and assign some Second Sons knights as commanders," Johanna added.
When discussing the Second Sons, Robb's campaign to eliminate the rebellious Myr mercenaries must be mentioned.
"Could some of the Unsullied be mobilized to support Robb?" Johanna inquired.
"No need," Aemond said sternly. "The Unsullied are infantry; they're better at defending than pursuing. I will take care of them myself."
The Myrish mercenaries sound weak. But, in reality, they are not to be underestimated. The previous Aemond was killed by Myrish mercenaries.
Before the fall of Myr, the city split into two factions. Half fled with the Tyroshi mercenaries. Speaking of whom, the pirates of the Triarchy have not disappeared. After being repelled by Myr, the Tyroshi mercenaries headed north to the Fjords, likely en route to Braavos, plundering along the way. All of the Myr mercenaries in the city were killed. Some of those who remained joined the Tyroshi, while others plundered and burned throughout the Disputed Lands. Lys had the smallest army, which Daemon decimated. Some escaped and fled to the Summer Sea, either to Sunspear or Volantis.
In order to prevent the Triarchy pirates from resurfacing, they must be eradicated as soon as possible.
Seeing that Aemond was about to lead the charge himself, Johanna smiled softly, her worries fading. Nothing carries more authority than a dragon.
Soon, the discussion turned to livelihood issues.
Johanna sighed softly and rubbed her brow. "The slaves have been freed, and Myr is overpopulated."
"This..." Aemond was stunned.
Myr originally had only 300,000 civilians, but now there are four times as many slaves. That's a total of 1.7 million people. That doesn't even include the 300,000 living on the manors and farms in the disputed lands outside the cities. That brings the total to over two million.
"That's a bit much," Aemond pondered, searching for a solution.
Johanna continued, "The slaves have been freed. Without the support of their owners, finding work and food will be difficult." It's a huge problem! She had solved a lot of them. Under Aemond's leadership, she recruited slaves engaged in crafts, winemaking, and farming. They were paid every three days according to their assigned duties. The pay wasn't much—just enough to support their families.
But what about the remaining slaves? The gladiators in the arena, the slave girls in the brothels, the old and young slaves, for example. There was simply no way to deal with them all at once.
"Select 200,000 men, women, and children, and relocate them back to the Vale," Aemond suddenly thought.
"Relocate people?" Johanna was stunned.
She needed to think carefully. Dale was built to King's Landing specifications and could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. It boasted fertile land, proximity to copper and coal mines, and the ability to burn and sell lime, ensuring a sustainable population. However, after several years of development, Dale's population had fallen below 100,000. In fact, it was less than 70,000 or 80,000 people. Most of them were surrendered mountain clans.
"Relocate 200,000 men, and it'll be like a blood transfusion for Dale," Aemond firmly decided.
Myr and the Vale faced each other across the sea; their cultures and histories were vastly different. The best way to get along was to integrate. The Myrmen were a distinct race with dark hair and skin and a relatively small stature. They were not as tall as the First Men and lacked the Andals' aristocratic air, the Rhoynar's toughness, or the Ghis's shrewdness. However, the Myr were inventive. Two hundred thousand migrated back to the Vale and assimilated with the Myrish people. Later, Gulltown would also recruit people from the Vale to trade and settle in Myr. They shared what they had.
Moreover, Aemond had a primary goal: The Bronze Tree on the Lonely Mountain! The growth of the Bronze Tree required the Bronze Faith. Dale had the most mountain clans of the ancestors, but not enough to sustain the tree. They could move a group of Myrish people there and trick them into believing in dragons and bronze. Kill two birds with one stone!
"That's an idea. Dale is so large, and with so few people, it would be too deserted." Johanna agreed at first, then became worried. "But 200,000 people is still a drop in the bucket for Myr." Besides, migration wouldn't be easy.
"The Disputed Lands are fertile. Why worry about them not being able to support the people?" Aemond asked.
Johanna was speechless. The Disputed Lands were vast, comparable in size to the entire Reach and half of the Stormlands. Furthermore, the warm climate and fertile land were ideal for farming. The former Triarchy engaged in bloody battles over the Disputed Lands every few years. Volantis would occasionally intervene.
"Migrate! Move the surplus population to the Disputed Lands," Aemond said with a smile, opening his mind. "Tyrosh and Lys are still recuperating, and landing across the Great Sea won't be possible for a while. We still have the final say in the disputed lands."
He chose Myr because it is a coastal city-state, offering better control over the disputed lands than Tyrosh and Lys.
Johanna wholeheartedly agreed. Myr truly couldn't support so many free men.
Afterward, they discussed the migration and remaining population in detail. Time ticked by. The sun was about to set.
Finally, the two reached an agreement. Myr had immense potential. Given King's Landing's size, 500,000 people could easily support the newcomers. The disputed lands already had 300,000 people around the city. These people wouldn't move. Two hundred thousand would be relocated to Dale with ships leaving from Gulltown. Although the Battle of the Great Sea had concluded, pirates from the Triarchy continued to wreak havoc. Gulltown doesn't have much business, so it's just the right size to accommodate the relocated population. The three distributions above will relocate a million people.
The remaining million will be moved out of the city in batches and spread out to the disputed lands to cultivate the land and build a new city.
Aemond decided to build a new city. The Sea Serpents and Daemon were not pushovers; sooner or later, they would set their sights on the disputed lands. He wanted to carve out a large enough piece of fertile land for Myr to permanently own. The new city would be built along the border of the land. It didn't need to be too big—just enough to accommodate 100,000 people. The other two cities, and even Volantis, would serve as the first line of defense against the enemy.
The discussion was over. Johanna took up her pen and wrote down everything that needed to be implemented.
"You go ahead." Aemond stood up, ready to go to dinner.
"Wait a minute," Johanna called out to him.
She pulled out a page from the folder with a blueprint on it. Aemond looked closely and saw that it was of a classical castle.
"Myr welcomes a new king, and a palace is essential," she explained.
Johanna smiled. "We'll choose a site west of the city, adjacent to Myr Bay, and build a new palace."
After learning this, Aemond had to admit—He was shamefully tempted. His Royal Highness loved farming and building houses.
"How about calling this new palace the Emerald City?" Johanna put down her pen and paper, walked around the conference table, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"The Isle of Tarth has an excellent marble mine. Earl Cameron sent word the other day that a new type of white marble with deep emerald green veins has been mined."
"A palace built with this marble will add a dark green hue to the grayish-white walls after weathering." Quite a sight!
"Ahem." Aemond cleared his throat twice to hide his excitement, his face stern. "Let's do it this way and start construction as soon as possible." He wanted a new palace; he wanted a spectacle.
"Okay, but it'll require mobilizing a hundred thousand people, and that's going to be expensive," Johanna warned carefully.
"That's all right," Aemond said cheerfully. "Construction isn't something you'll build overnight. Just think of it as providing jobs for a hundred thousand people."
Johanna smiled and returned to her desk. She knew Aemond would agree. He was a greedy little brother who was easily manipulated.
Aemond left.
Grey Worm approached and said sternly, "Your Majesty, Ser Robb has replied. He discovered that a Myrish mercenary force destroyed the town."
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