Chapter 129: An Unknown Fleet
After watching Viserion struggle desperately to dodge the bolts, Rhaegal almost wished she could bury her head in the sand and refuse to come out.
But she knew that even if she did, her cold-hearted elder brother would drag her out anyway.
When she flew up into the sky, Rhaegal immediately became just as tense as Viserion had been earlier, staring intently at the two ballistae on the ground.
Under Daenerys's orders, the ballistae began firing slowly. The rate of fire wasn't too fast, allowing Rhaegal to dodge without panicking.
Only gradually did the firing speed increase.
After several rounds of consecutive evasions, Rhaegal began to feel the same exhaustion that Viserion had experienced.
When Drogon predicted that an attack would only cause a minor graze, he didn't intervene. He only stepped in when a bolt might cause serious injury.
More than ten minutes later, Rhaegal's training session finally ended after she had suffered two small wounds.
Watching from the ground, Daenerys finally relaxed her tightly strung nerves.
To reward the three dragons, she personally roasted several large pieces of meat for them.
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Today, the ships, tribute, and soldiers sent by Ghis had finally arrived in Meereen.
Along with them came several important members of the Sons of the Harpy.
After feeding the dragons a few pieces of roasted meat, Daenerys hurried toward the harbor, where Tyrion and the others were already overseeing the reception of goods and personnel.
The harbor of Meereen was the busiest port in all of Slaver's Bay. Every day countless goods and merchants passed through it.
But today it was even more crowded than usual.
After all, one hundred ships and five thousand soldiers from Ghis had just arrived.
Because the soldiers were to be incorporated into Meereen's forces, the city was on high alert.
Everyone feared that the Ghiscari nobles might attempt a false surrender.
However, after seeing the grim expressions on the faces of both the nobles escorting the ships and the soldiers being transferred to Meereen's army—faces that looked as if they had just attended a funeral—Daenerys and her council stopped worrying about deception.
Unless their acting was truly extraordinary.
The five thousand soldiers were quickly reorganized.
Most were placed under Jorah's command, while a smaller portion was assigned to Grey Worm.
Those assigned to Grey Worm could not be integrated into the ranks of the Unsullied, as their fighting styles were completely different.
Instead, Grey Worm formed them into a separate unit under his temporary command. Once they proved themselves trustworthy, further arrangements could be made.
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Thanks to Drogon's timely arrival during the arena attack, the casualties among spectators had not been too severe.
Afterward, Daenerys personally compensated those who had suffered losses.
Combined with Drogon's terrifying display of power, the destruction of the Sons of the Harpy, and the complete submission of Ghis, the attack ultimately had little negative impact on Meereen's economy.
In fact, it had the opposite effect.
Foreign merchants and nobles who had come to watch the arena games witnessed Drogon's overwhelming strength and Queen Daenerys's firm rule firsthand.
Instead of damaging Meereen's reputation, the incident became unexpectedly effective publicity.
Slave masters who had previously been waiting on the sidelines—hoping the Sons of the Harpy might drive Daenerys out of Slaver's Bay—finally abandoned those hopes and pledged their loyalty to her.
To demonstrate their sincerity, they donated large numbers of books and funds to the academy.
There was even a small surge in new enrollments, most of them the sons and relatives of former slave-owning families.
Seeing the opportunity, Daenerys announced the establishment of branch academies in Yunkai and Astapor, further expanding the influence of the academy.
With the Sons of the Harpy eliminated and Ghis subdued, Daenerys felt that all of Slaver's Bay had changed.
Even the sea seemed clearer somehow.
At last, she and her council could devote their energy fully to governing the region.
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With the threats of both the Sons of the Harpy and Ghis removed, Daren, a former follower of Daenerys's brother Rhaegar, was finally able to leave Astapor and come to Meereen.
While serving as a politics instructor at the academy, he also began exchanging ideas on governance with Tyrion Lannister.
When Daenerys eventually left Slaver's Bay for Westeros, Daren would likely oversee the administration of the entire region.
Now was the time for him to become thoroughly familiar with its governance.
Back in Astapor, when Rhaegal had helped repel the Ghiscari attack, Daren had already witnessed the effectiveness of Daenerys's new policies firsthand.
Daren, once a loyal follower of Prince Rhaegar, felt deeply gratified.
When he had served Rhaegar in the past, he had believed the prince to be one of the most promising heirs in the entire history of House Targaryen.
Unfortunately, Rhaegar had died young during Robert's Rebellion, cutting short what might have been a brilliant reign.
During his years wandering through Slaver's Bay, Daren gradually began hearing rumors about Rhaegar's younger sister—Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons.
He observed from afar for some time before finally deciding to pledge his loyalty to her.
Yet he had never imagined that Daenerys would bring him so many surprises.
Privately, he could not help but marvel at her father, King Aerys II, the so-called Mad King.
Though Aerys himself had lost his mind and succumbed to the long-standing madness of the Targaryen bloodline, he had still fathered two remarkably capable children.
After assisting Daenerys in implementing several reforms, and with the Sons of the Harpy destroyed and Ghis brought to heel, Daren finally arrived in Meereen.
There, he personally witnessed something extraordinary—
Another temple of learning, rivaling even the Citadel of Westeros.
When he saw the academy's pyramid filled with students of every background—young men and women of different classes and skin tones, all entering and leaving with bright determination on their faces—Daren could not stop the tears that filled his eyes.
He had never imagined that this wandering, worn-out body of his would live to see such a flourishing scene.
And the one who had made it possible was none other than a member of the Targaryen house he had served all his life.
After discussions with Tyrion Lannister, who oversaw administrative affairs, Daren was invited to serve as a politics instructor, passing on the knowledge he had accumulated throughout his lifetime.
Though he and Tyrion shared broadly similar political ideals, their perspectives differed enough that each brought unique insights.
Even students who had already attended Tyrion's lectures could gain valuable new understanding from Daren's teachings.
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Outside the walls of Meereen, more than half of the fertile black soil fields had already been cultivated by newly freed citizens.
Given the favorable climate of Slaver's Bay, the first harvest would arrive in only a few months.
Trade across the sea, once disrupted by war, was gradually recovering.
Although the region had lost its largest industry—the slave trade—the freed population now contributed to many other sectors of Meereen's economy.
Production of refined salt, wine, and minerals had increased dramatically.
Vast groves of olive trees, fruit orchards, and other crops, once abandoned by the slave masters, were being replanted thanks to the large number of available workers.
Tensions between former slave masters and newly freed citizens were slowly easing under the combined pressure of legal reforms and strict enforcement.
Although occasional conflicts still occurred, serious incidents resulting in casualties had become rare.
After the arena attack, the confidence of the former slave masters had collapsed even further.
They no longer treated the former slaves with the same arrogant superiority as before.
Some newly freed citizens—those with intelligence and determination—had already earned their first fortunes.
This made the former slave masters even less willing to underestimate those who had once cowered before them in fear.
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Several days later, just as Slaver's Bay seemed to be entering a period of peace, Daenerys suddenly received a report from Daario Naharis.
A massive fleet had been sighted on the waters of Slaver's Bay.
From a distance, there appeared to be at least several hundred large ships.
A fleet of that size—especially if filled with soldiers—was already enough to threaten Meereen itself.
Yet despite her familiarity with the surrounding regions, Daenerys could not think of any power capable of assembling such a force.
When Tyrion and the other council members heard the news, they immediately abandoned their work and rushed to the city walls.
As soon as word spread that a large fleet was approaching, Yara Greyjoy also hurried to the battlements.
Her face grew grim as she stared at the dense mass of ships drawing ever closer.
Deep down, she already had a suspicion about who they might belong to.