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"All clear!"
A young guardsman, clad in armor engraved with the three-headed dragon sigil, stepped forward to the bow of the ship.
He saluted Jacaerys, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and reported,
"Prince Jacaerys, we have completed a thorough search of the entire vessel. No suspicious items were found. The captain has personally verified the identities of every sailor on board—all of them are familiar faces."
"Well done, Stone."
Jacaerys nodded in approval before issuing his next command.
"Now Go inform the captain to alter our course. During the subsequent voyage, your squad and Rudy's squad will rotate shifts for the watch."
"Understood!"
Jacaerys had structured his fourteen sworn guards in the same manner as the Kingsguard, dividing them into two squads of seven men each.
Among them, the most outstanding warriors—Stone and Rudy—were appointed as captains of their respective squads.
Rhaenyra was strict in words but soft at heart.
Though she had insisted that Jacaerys take full responsibility for equipping his men—covering the costs of their armor and weapons—she had, in truth, prepared everything for him in secret.
Before their departure that morning, a group of attendants had delivered the entire set of equipment to Jacaerys' chambers.
By current market value, a set of well-crafted armor and weapons cost at least two thousand silver stags (roughly ten gold dragons).
It was, in a way, a cruel irony—The price of a single set of armor and weapons was equivalent to the lives of two hundred common folk children.
As a prince, Jacaerys had some pocket money, but on his own, there was no way he could have afforded such military provisions.
Originally, his plan had been to "borrow" resources from Lord Corlys Velaryon.
Now that the armor and weapons had been taken care of, Jacaerys intended to ask for other favors when the time was right.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as he finished giving orders, Vermax swooped down again, circling above the flat-bottomed ship.
Out of habit, Jacaerys opened his status panel.
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◇◆────────────────◆◇
[Pet Name: Vermax]
[Owner: Jacaerys Velaryon]
Length: meters
Weight: kilograms
Pet Trait Slots: 2/2
Pet Traits: Gluttonous (Green): +20% Appetite, +20% Growth Rate, Agile (Green): +20% Dexterity
Current Trait Points: 2,498
◇◆────────────────◆◇
---
Over the past six years, Vermax had accumulated nearly 4,500 trait points simply by eating.
Then, at the end of 121 AC, the trait panel had undergone a new change—It became possible to spend 1,000 trait points to upgrade a White (Common) trait into a Green (Uncommon) trait.
Jacaerys had not hesitated for even a moment.
He had immediately upgraded "Gluttonous", increasing Vermax's growth speed.
And the decision had proven to be the right one—Vermax was now growing at a rate far surpassing Arrax.
The two dragons had hatched just a year apart, yet Vermax was now twice the size of Arrax.
This stark difference had startled the dragonkeepers of Dragonstone's Dragonmont, prompting them to send ravens to King's Landing, seeking answers from the dragonkeepers of the Dragonpit.
Even so, Vermax was still far too young compared to Vhagar.
According to his past life's memories, King Viserys had only two years left before he would succumb to illness.
Simply accumulating trait points through feeding alone would never be enough to bring about a true transformation in Vermax.
This was precisely why Jacaerys had been so determined to leave Dragonstone—To venture out and harvest trait points by any means necessary.
And as for where he intended to harvest them?
Naturally, it was the Stepstones—a battlefield rife with conflict and chaotic power struggles.
---
Just as Jacaerys was lost in thought, a slim figure with beautiful silver hair emerged from below deck and strode swiftly toward the bow.
It was Baela.
"Jace, I heard we're not going to Driftmark?"
"That's right," Jacaerys replied, glancing at his lovely betrothed before telling her the truth.
"Grandfather Corlys has been waging war in the Stepstones for four years now. We're going to help him."
Unlike her elegant and reserved sister, Baela had an intense passion for combat and dragons.
At his words, she immediately cheered and jumped for joy:
"That's fantastic! Even though I won't get to see Grandmother Rhaenys and Rhaena... Actually fighting in a real war? That's so thrilling! It's just a shame that Moondancer is still too small... Otherwise, I could ride her into battle and burn our enemies to ashes!"
Jacaerys smirked at her enthusiasm and replied,
"It's not that simple. Even when Father rode Caraxes, he couldn't burn them all. In the end, he only won by using a false surrender."
At that, Baela's expression immediately soured.
"A false surrender? Hmph! I hate those sneaky tricks! War should be fought head-on, fair and square!"
Hearing this, the upright Baela immediately sneered at the way her father won.
Her blunt honesty made Jacaerys chuckle internally.
Such a simple ruse, and she calls it a devious scheme?
This mindset was exactly why he was confident about stepping into the mess of the Stepstones.
The so-called "schemes" of Westeros were laughable compared to the centuries of strategy and deception in Japanese history.
Forget the Go Rin no Sho (The Book of Five Rings) or Heike Monogatari—
Even basic historical tales like Ikedaya Jiken (the Ikedaya Incident) or the strategies of Oda Nobunaga were leagues ahead of Westerosi trickery.
Once he arrived at the Stepstones and assessed the situation, it would be his time to display his military prowess!
---
Under ideal conditions, the voyage from Dragonstone to the Stepstones would take roughly half a month.
However, unpredictable winds and currents, combined with Jacaerys' planned stops at castle such as Stonehelm, Mistwood, and Rain House, extend the journey.
The voyage took nearly a full month.
It couldn't be helped. Every seven days, Jacaerys had to send a raven letter back to Dragonstone.
Aside from the few specially trained ravens that could be carried personally, only these noble castles had access to raven post stations.
The noble families along the route were incredibly welcoming to the eldest son of Princess Rhaenyra, the heir apparent.
Although Jacaerys had developed something of a bad reputation, his noble Targaryen blood ensured that his reputation was easily overlooked.
Had it not been for his betrothed Baela, who accompanied him at all times, there surely would have been noblewomen knocking at his door in the middle of the night.
After all, betrothals in Westeros were not binding marriages and could be broken at will.
Furthermore, there was the precedent of Aegon the Conqueror, who had married two wives.
In this regard, Jacaerys had no qualms. As long as a woman met his aesthetic standards, he was more than willing to welcome her.
However, his body had not yet fully matured.
Moreover, after having been exposed to so many beautiful women in his past life, his taste had become quite particular.
To meet his standards, a woman's beauty had to be on the level of Baela—only then could she be considered worthy of his attention.
If it weren't for Baela's early stage of womanhood, she might have long since been taken as his lover.
But let's get back to the matter at hand!
On the 28th day after leaving Dragonstone, Jacaerys and his company finally arrived in the northern seas of the Stepstones.
It seemed that Daemon had preemptively sent a raven to alert the Stepstones of their arrival.
Ten large warships, flying the silver seahorse banner, patrolled the northern waters, waiting to greet Jacaerys and his party.
With a splash, the Sea Snake, a ship over 100 meters long adorned with a sea serpent statue at the bow, approached.
Upon meeting, Jacaerys and Baela immediately embraced Lord Corlys warmly.
"It's been seven years. You've both grown into fine young men and women. But how could you be so reckless? This is not a place for you to be!"
Looking at his grandson and granddaughter, Lord Corlys Velaryon, whose once youthful appearance had been replaced with the visible effects of years of war, scolded them affectionately.
"Grandfather, didn't you once say we could ask for anything we needed?"
Jacaerys, smiling, responded before continuing,
"I can help you win this war. But I need your trust and full support!"
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[IMAGE]
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[Chapter End's]
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