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At first glance, this special reward trait seemed no different from Hardened Skin, offering a similar boost to defensive attributes.
However, the Iron-Walled Strategist trait had a crucial distinction—it explicitly provided protection for its master.
Jacaerys' heart pounded with excitement at the realization. Having narrowly survived an assassination attempt by the Faceless Men, he couldn't afford to take his safety lightly.
And who was Vermex's master? None other than Jacaerys Velaryon himself!
But just how formidable was the 10% increase in defense that Vermex granted him?
CLANG!
Without hesitation, Jacaerys drew the short blade from his waist—the very same one he had used to blind Aemond. He raised it, preparing to slash the unarmored back of his left hand.
Yet, just as the blade was about to descend, his hand froze mid-motion.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he reopened his trait panel and spent 1,000 points to upgrade Iron-Walled Strategist to green quality.
Only then did Jacaerys nod in satisfaction.
Applying a gentler force this time, he brought the blade down upon the back of his hand.
CLANG!
The instant the sharp blade made contact, a dim, dark green phantom flickered into existence—only to vanish in the blink of an eye.
A crisp metallic clang echoed as the short blade was forcefully repelled.
Was that... dragon scales?
Had he not been watching closely, he might have missed it entirely—that fleeting dark green shimmer, an illusionary scale, like a miniature version of Vermex's own.
Not enough force. Let's try again!
This time, instead of the light touch from before, Jacaerys put seventy percent of his strength into the strike and slashed once more.
CLANG!
The dragon scale phantom reappeared, but this time, it failed to fully deflect the short blade.
The force of the strike was greatly diminished, yet the blade still managed to scrape across the back of Jacaerys' hand, leaving behind a shallow cut.
The wound was so minor that it reminded him of a paper cut—the kind one might get from handling A4 paper while making photocopies in his previous life.
"Blades can barely harm me, and even piercing attacks would be significantly weakened. And if I add armor on top of this… even a close-range crossbow shot might wound me, but it wouldn't be enough to kill me!
This special reward trait is truly extraordinary!"
Having tested his newfound defenses firsthand, Jacaerys grinned in delight.
Iron-Walled Strategist might have been useless to Vermex, but for him, it was an epic-level enhancement.
If he had possessed this trait during the assassination attempt on Bloodstone, he wouldn't have needed Baela to take a blade for him.
He would have been able to catch the blade with his bare hands!
And if Iron-Walled Strategist could be upgraded even further… then perhaps, one day, he might withstand a ballista bolt with nothing but his human body.
Of course, for now, green quality was more than sufficient.
The remaining trait points had to be used to enhance Vermex.
After careful consideration, Jacaerys allocated the remaining 10,000 points into upgrading Gluttonous.
The battle today—the burning of the city—had made one thing clear: despite being in his growth stage, Vermex still lacked size and stamina for prolonged combat.
Accelerating his growth was now the highest priority.
After spending 26,000 entry points, Vermex's status panel was as follows:
◇◆────────────────◆◇
[Companion Name]: Vermex
[Master]: Jacaerys Velaryon
[Length]: 14.23 meters
[Weight]: 6,422.68 kilograms
[Pet Trait Slots]: 5/5
[Trait Quality (Upgradeable)]:
Gluttonous (Blue): +50% food intake, +50% growth speed.
Agile (Green): +20% agility.
Dragon Slayer (Green): +20% damage against dragon-type creatures.
Hardened Skin (Green): +20% defense.
Iron-Walled Strategist (Green): +20% defense for the master.
[Remaining Trait Points]: 8,882
◇◆────────────────◆◇
At first glance, upgrading Gluttony to blue quality seemed like a simple boost—raising both food intake and growth speed from +20% to +50%.
But in reality, these percentages were calculated based on Vermex's current physical attributes.
Back when his growth boost had only been 20%, he had gained just 10 meters over six years—a mere 1.7 meters per year on average.
Yet, after arriving at the Stepstones, in just two months, he had already grown 0.4 meters.
Now, with the growth boost increased to 50%, his appetite would expand dramatically, accelerating his growth rate even further.
FLAP! FLAP!
Lost in analyzing the trait panel, Jacaerys hadn't noticed the passage of time.
By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, Vermex was already approaching today's final destination—Tyrosh.
As one of the Nine Free Cities, Tyrosh was home to several hundred thousand people and was built on an island three times the size of Bloodstone.
From the skies above, Jacaerys could see the elite naval fleets encircling the island, their warships forming a dense defensive blockade.
Atop Tyrosh's city walls, siege weapons stood in a near-impenetrable formation—catapults, scorpions, ballistae, all lined up in overwhelming numbers.
Even if Vermex had been at his peak, reducing this city to ashes in a single attack would have been a daunting task. Now, exhausted as he was, it was nearly impossible.
After all, Tyrosh was no mere town like Pryr—it was a fortified stronghold of considerable might.
Yet whether or not he could truly lay waste to the city was not the most important matter.
What mattered was the display of power!
With that in mind, Jacaerys guided Vermex into a steep freefall, plummeting toward Tyrosh like a black meteor.
At the very last moment—just as he was about to collide with one of the city gates—
He unfurled Vermex's wings.
And then—
ROOOOAAR!!!
A blazing torrent of dragonfire erupted, scorching everything in its wake.
—FWOOSH!—
The searing orange-red flames consumed the battlements, the guards, and their siege weapons in an instant.
The fortress gates burned, bathed in unrelenting dragonfire.
But Jacaerys did not linger.
Before the defenders could recover and retaliate with scorpions and ballistae, he guided Vermex into a swift ascent, soaring away with effortless grace.
Yet—he did not leave.
Instead, he descended, touching down just beyond the range of Tyrosh's siege weapons—close enough to be seen, yet untouchable.
There, he neither advanced nor withdrew.
He simply stood his ground, waiting in absolute silence.
Roughly half an hour passed.
The flames atop the city gate had long since been extinguished, leaving behind blackened stone and the stench of charred flesh.
At last, a group of Tyroshi officials arrived on horseback, their hair and beards dyed in flamboyant, multicolored hues.
Faced with their polite attempts at negotiation, Jacaerys remained firm and unyielding, getting straight to the point:
"I am Jacaerys Velaryon! Tell Archon Pachek to retrieve the antidote for manticore venom from the Black and White House at the fastest possible speed and deliver it to me.
If not, I will burn one Tyroshi village or island every single day.
And no ship belonging to Tyrosh shall pass through the Stepstones!
Now—get out of my sight!"
The officials dared not utter a single word in protest. They turned their horses at once and fled back into the city, thoroughly shaken.
Jacaerys then settled in to wait.
During the waiting period, his mind meticulously sorted through the intelligence he had gathered.
Three factions had played a role in the assassination attempt on Bloodstone—Archon Pachek of Tyrosh,Prince Qoren of Dorne, and Queen Alicent along with her father, Otto Hightower, in King's Landing.
The motives of Alicent and Otto were straightforward—one wished him dead, while the other sought to leave him gravely wounded.
However, the intentions of Archon Pachek and Prince Qoren were far more intricate.
The Faceless Man assassin could assume any appearance at will, so why had he specifically chosen to impersonate Ser Rickard during the attack?
One obvious reason was that it provided an ideal opportunity to get close to Jacaerys.
But the true objective was likely far more insidious—to plunge the Seven Kingdoms into civil war.
Had the plan succeeded, and the White Cloak sent by Alicent had slain Rhaenyra's eldest son in public, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
King Viserys was already too feeble to rule, and even in his prime, he would have struggled to suppress the conflict that would have erupted between the two factions.
A civil war within the Seven Kingdoms would have inevitably drawn House Velaryon into the fray.
And once that happened, the Stepstones would have been all but abandoned without a fight.
Pachek and Qoren would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to expand their influence.
Tyrosh might even use the opportunity to extend its influence into Westeros.
As for Dorne, this could have been the perfect moment to formally reclaim its status as an independent kingdom.
Until now, Jacaerys's impression of House Martell had been shaped solely by the Red Viper from his past life's memories.
But now, it was clear—this Prince Qoren was a man of intelligence, ambition, and boldness.
---
Another half-hour passed.
At last, the same Tyroshi officials returned, leading a procession of slaves burdened with large chests.
Alongside the antidote for manticore venom, they carried crates brimming with gold, silver, and precious jewels—Archon Pachek's offerings of apology to Jacaerys.
Yet Jacaerys did not so much as glance at the wealth.
He took only the antidote, turned without a word, and soared into the skies.
Burning Pryr Town had merely been the interest he had extracted from Pachek.
The true reckoning with Tyrosh would come later—through his growing alliance with the Triarch of Volantis.
When the time came, the riches of Tyrosh would be his to claim at will.
Now… it was time to settle accounts with Alicent and Prince Qoren.
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[Chapter End's]
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