Chapter 208 The Settling Silver Dragon
After the banquet, King's Landing temporarily formed a large observation delegation.
It was composed of Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos, envoys from across the Narrow Sea, and several great lords and their heirs from the Seven Kingdoms, such as Lord Rosby and his wife, Lord Tywin Lannister, Lord Steffon Baratheon, Lord Mace Tyrell and his wife, Brandon Stark, and Robert Baratheon. As for Jaime Lannister, he was already Rhaegar Targaryen's squire. Rhaegar led this delegation of great lords to inspect the new developments in King's Landing: the renovated Dragon Guard camp, the black-brick factory north of King's Landing, and the black roads paved all the way to Rosby.
Rhaegar Targaryen had also recruited Richard Lonmouth, who would likewise become his retainer and trusted companion. Rhaegar's four squires were now complete: Myles Mooton, Jon Connington, Jaime Lannister, and Richard Lonmouth. This was the current golden lineup. Perhaps only the Sword of the Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne, was missing, but he had not yet journeyed north to King's Landing.
"This is our Dragonpit Camp. The Dragonpit has been abandoned for a long time, and now it serves excellently as a military garrison," Joffrey Arryn explained to everyone.
However, the area they visited was not the camp's core, merely a section suitable for public inspection. Even so, the guests were astonished. This was not only proof of King's Landing's rapid development but also a display of military power.
Within Dragonpit Camp, banners bearing the red three-headed dragon on black and the black dragon on silver fluttered in the wind. The black-scaled soldiers stood as stern as a forest, full of vitality, their eyes sharp as hawks. Their training was rigorous, their spears gleamed like cold stars, and their longswords shone like polished mirrors. Only an army that had achieved repeated victories could maintain such sharpness and iron discipline.
The members of the delegation seemed thoughtful. A powerful standing army represented concentrated wealth, manpower, and authority. With such military strength, the power of the Iron Throne could not be underestimated. As the defeated party, the Triarchy understood this better than anyone.
After Rhaegar led the delegation through Dragonpit Camp, they proceeded to the black-brick factory.
At the secret factory north of King's Landing, banners bearing the red dragon on black fluttered around the grounds. In the molds upon the earth, large black bricks had already taken shape, revealing beautiful dark textures. Even without witnessing the process, everyone could imagine the tremendous heat and effort involved when the giant black bricks emerged from the furnaces.
The visitors were amazed. Such beautiful and durable bricks clearly exceeded ordinary craftsmanship and were excellent materials for road construction.
"Gentlemen, after leaving the factory, we shall proceed to Duskendale, which is also a very beautiful town."
After departing the black-brick factory, Rhaegar and the delegation traveled east toward Duskendale, not far from King's Landing, to inspect the expansion of the King's Road.
The guests quickly voiced their admiration.
A proper road already stretched across the land from King's Landing to Duskendale.
This was the first major section completed for the time being, while another road would eventually extend toward Harrenhal.
"What a magnificent road!"
"It is practically a man-made wonder!"
The visitors saw a roadway raised roughly half a foot above the surrounding terrain to aid drainage and winter runoff. The Duskendale Road stretched straight across the landscape like an endless black river. Nearly eight meters wide, it bore little resemblance to the muddy tracks of the past. Two or even three wagons could travel side by side without difficulty.
The road surface remained smooth and intact despite constant traffic from horses, carts, and pedestrians.
The delegation observed travelers guiding wagons, driving ox-carts, and walking upon the road, their faces filled with satisfaction. Whenever these common folk saw the approaching nobles and their banners, they respectfully stepped aside. Yet their approval of the road's convenience and reliability was obvious. Many openly praised this new governance as benevolent and wise.
"If this were my previous life, I'd probably qualify as some sort of immortal road-builder of Valyria," Rhaegar thought.
"One! Two! Three!"
"Lower it!"
Beneath the fluttering banners, the sturdy soldiers of the Dragon Guards, together with sailors and laborers from Duskendale, shouted in unison as they positioned the final massive black bricks leading into the town.
The black dragon upon a silver field represented Rhaegar's personal banner.
The blue banner bearing two crossed black warhammers and a white diagonal stripe represented House Rykker, Lords of Duskendale.
As for House Darklyn, which had been almost completely destroyed during the Defiance of Duskendale, its memory was already fading as House Rykker gradually stabilized its rule.
From this moment onward, a grand road would connect King's Landing directly to Duskendale.
Lord Rykker himself had been waiting there for quite some time.
He had gradually secured his family's position, and with the reconstruction of the King's Road, the fortunes of House Rykker were steadily improving. He believed the people of Duskendale would eventually forget the madness of House Darklyn entirely.
Everything still depended upon King's Landing and Prince Rhaegar.
"From now on, you'll never again have a chance to rival King's Landing. Be content as a prosperous port town."
Rhaegar quietly thought this to himself.
Duskendale was indeed a beautiful settlement and arguably the second-largest town in the Crownlands. Such a city belonged firmly under Crown authority.
The town stood beside a harbor, with cobbled streets running through its districts. To the north rose pale cliffs. The road stretched between the coast and limestone hills. Fishing villages dotted the landscape for miles. To the south, a rocky peninsula sheltered ships from the storms of the Narrow Sea.
Overlooking everything stood Dun Fort, the ancestral seat of House Rykker.
Rhaegar proudly demonstrated his low-cost Valyrian-inspired construction techniques and black bricks to Magister Illyrio Mopatis, Lord Rosby, and the rest of the delegation.
Even this low-cost imitation of a Valyrian road left Brandon Stark and the others deeply impressed.
Tywin Lannister, Mace Tyrell, and Lord Rosby were already considering purchases. The Westerlands and the Reach were the wealthiest regions of the Seven Kingdoms and certainly possessed sufficient gold dragons to afford such projects.
Pentos, naturally, was wealthier still.
The route from King's Landing through Rosby to Duskendale had now been fully paved.
The road would undoubtedly increase Duskendale's prosperity while simultaneously deepening its dependence upon King's Landing.
That outcome was entirely expected.
Travel between Duskendale, Driftmark, and Dragonstone would likewise become far easier.
"What a magnificent road. It reminds me of the ancient Valyrian roads."
Magister Illyrio Mopatis spoke with genuine admiration.
As a Pentoshi, Illyrio had seen more remnants of Valyrian infrastructure than most people present. The ancient roads of Valyria had once symbolized the empire's supremacy and were considered wonders of the eastern continent.
To witness a low-cost imitation appearing in Westeros was astonishing.
With an undertaking of this scale, nobody could be certain what other secrets Rhaegar possessed from the legacy of the Dragonlords.
The other great lords entertained similar thoughts but refrained from asking too many questions.
Questions such as how the black bricks were produced or whether magic played a role remained unspoken.
Everyone possessed secrets.
Since Prince Rhaegar chose not to explain, they wisely chose not to inquire.
It was enough to know that Prince Rhaegar had mastered some fragment of Valyrian knowledge.
That alone represented power.
"The remaining bricks will be used for the road from King's Landing to Harrenhal."
Rhaegar explained this calmly.
That had always been part of his original plan.
One route now reached Duskendale.
The second would eventually extend toward Harrenhal, another strategic center capable of raising armies and controlling a crossroads of kingdoms.
Both roads possessed immense military significance.
Duskendale lay close to Dragonstone and Driftmark and could easily summon the Crackclaw Point clans, who remained loyal to House Targaryen.
Rhaegar had considered extending the road all the way to Crackclaw Point, but the peninsula's valleys, pine forests, and marshes made construction extremely difficult.
That project would have to wait.
The next priority was the route toward Harrenhal.
The envoys from the Free Cities secretly felt uneasy.
The earlier assassination attempts had stemmed from fear that Westeros might fully unleash its military and economic potential.
Now that fear seemed increasingly justified.
The roads were appearing.
The dragons were growing.
And perhaps one day the Black Walls of ancient Valyria would return as well.
All were signs of a Dragonlord resurgence.
"What a magnificent project. Prince Rhaegar's black bricks—what price do they command?"
Lord Mace Tyrell finally asked.
He was clearly tempted.
The Reach possessed vast wealth and manpower and could easily undertake a similar project.
Anyone with eyes could see that such roads dramatically increased the influence of major settlements.
Where roads went, people and wealth followed.
To become a truly great lord, one had to build bridges and roads.
Hearing the question, Rhaegar immediately recognized a lucrative opportunity.
The Crownlands projects were effectively being built at discounted rates. Local lords paid fees, but the prices remained reasonable.
If Tywin Lannister or Mace Tyrell wished to purchase black bricks, however, the cost would naturally be higher.
Consolidation remained Rhaegar's current priority.
He possessed many ambitions, but he did not wage war merely for war's sake.
War served politics.
It was an extension of politics.
Without tangible benefits, why would he have bothered confronting the Triarchy?
More importantly, the realm now required internal stabilization.
Rhaegar still needed to oversee the reconstruction of King's Landing, the chain-tower defenses along the Blackwater Rush, the construction of a great bridge across the Blackwater, the development of a new royal district south of the city, and the continued revival of the Valyrian-style road network.
As Master of Municipal Works and Transport, these responsibilities belonged to him.
The envoys from the Free Cities finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It appeared that this dangerous dragon was currently obsessed with infrastructure rather than conquest.
That realization greatly eased their fears.
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