Several swineherds were so frightened by the charging dragons that they sat down on the ground.
In their extreme fear, they could only open their mouths in despair, unable to utter a sound.
Meanwhile, the plump black pigs frantically rushed into the woods, but Meraxes, being agile, quickly caught up to them.
Pinkish-purple Dragonflame poured out, instantly roasting a dozen of the plump pigs that were leading the charge.
Just as the black pigs were about to scatter and flee, Little Balerion and the others had already surrounded them from three directions.
Three slightly different orange Dragonflame bursts rushed into the pig herd from three directions, roasting them in the blink of an eye amidst the pigs' ear-piercing squeals.
At this moment, Dreamfyre also slowly descended, and the dark blue Dragonflame instantly engulfed all the black pigs that had narrowly escaped.
Daenerys took out three gold coins and handed them to Vada, saying, "Give these gold coins to those swineherds; it should be enough to compensate them for their losses."
Under the scorching of the Dragonflame, the plump black pigs were instantly roasted to a crispy exterior and tender interior.
A rich aroma instantly permeated the edge of the forest.
Meraxes and the others began to devour their food ravenously.
It was clear that they preferred the taste of plump pigs to goats.
Even the smallest Meraxes could swallow an entire plump pig in a few bites.
Little Balerion and the others had grown considerably in the past few months, so they could finish an entire plump pig in two or three bites.
Dreamfyre, however, could eat one in a single bite, appearing quite graceful while eating!
By the time Marquis Royce Boton arrived at the edge of the forest with his family and vassal retainers, Dreamfyre and the others had already devoured all the plump pigs.
However, this only made Dreamfyre and the others about seventy to eighty percent full.
After consuming those ice corpses this time, it seemed Dreamfyre and the others' appetites had grown even larger.
Especially Meraxes, who seemed to be growing visibly larger every day.
Marquis Bolton had a neatly shaven face, smooth skin, and an ordinary appearance; while not handsome, he wasn't ugly either.
Years of military life had left him without scars, and despite being in his forties, there were few wrinkles on his face, showing little trace of time.
His lips were extremely thin, almost forming a line when pressed together.
In short, Royce Boton's face had a kind of unaffected composure and calmness, expressing both anger and joy in the same manner.
The most striking feature was his unusually pale, strange eyes, deeper than milk, lighter than rock, like ice.
Daenerys wondered if Royce Boton had ever cried in his life, and if so, whether tears or ice flowed.
"Greetings, Your Royal Highness!"
"Knowing that Your Royal Highness would honor Dreadfort with your presence these past few days, Dreadfort has prepared fine food and wine.
We have also prepared plenty of skinned beef, horse meat, lamb, and pork, enough for the adult dragons to consume."
Marquis Royce Boton spoke softly, his voice very low, so Daenerys had to concentrate fully to hear him.
"Then I shall trouble Marquis Royce!"
Accompanied by the crowd, Daenerys walked with them to Dreadfort.
Rather than a castle, it looked more like a massive and sturdy fortress.
On the thick and towering city walls, there were no less than a hundred giant ballistas, and below the walls, oil barrels and arrows were piled high.
This showed how abundant the Bolton Family's strategic material reserves were.
Especially the main gate of Dreadfort, which surprisingly had two layers and was entirely covered in steel.
With the current level of weaponry in this world, it would indeed be very difficult to breach.
There were many servants in Dreadfort, but hardly any sound could be heard.
Their movements were all cautious and precise, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
"Cough, cough~"
Although Royce Boton's only legitimate son, Rogar, was already fourteen or fifteen years old, his face was extremely pale, and his eye sockets were somewhat bluish, clearly indicating poor health.
However, his appearance was much more handsome compared to other members of the Bolton Family.
"Vada, later, pour a cup of dragonflame wine for Young Master Rogar; it will make him feel much more comfortable."
Daenerys immediately instructed Vada with concern.
"Yes!"
Out of courtesy, Daenerys prepared some gifts when visiting each castle, and dragonflame wine was an essential item.
After drinking the dragonflame wine, Rogar's complexion visibly brightened.
This finally brought a hint of excitement to Royce Boton's perpetually icy face.
"Holy Flame Island's dragonflame wine is now famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Dreadfort also purchased some from White Harbor, but it didn't seem to have such an effect, did it?"
Daenerys explained, "The dragonflame wine brought this time is truly named targaryen family dragonflame; it is exclusively for the royal family and is not circulated in the market."
"So that's it, targaryen family dragonflame?
No wonder it has such efficacy."
Royce Boton returned to his calm demeanor and said, "Rogar has been frail since childhood, and Archmaesters have used countless methods, but with little effect.
I never thought this dragonflame wine would be even more effective than the Archmaesters' potions."
"Your Royal Highness, I wonder..."
Royce Boton paused here, feeling quite awkward.
He knew that the royal family's exclusive wine could only be obtained during royal events or as a reward from the King.
Since the Bolton Family had no dealings with the royal family, it was naturally difficult to acquire.
Daenerys naturally understood the Marquis Bolton's unspoken meaning and explained, "The brewing conditions for targaryen family dragonflame are simply too stringent.
Besides needing the help of dragons, it also requires hot spring water emerging from volcanoes and various precious materials that can only be grown near volcanoes."
"After all, Holy Flame Island is only so small, so the annual output is truly limited.
I can personally give a bottle to Young Master Rogar, but more than that would be truly difficult, because now both His Majesty the King and several royal family members cannot do without it daily."
"It's a pity; if only the scale of Holy Flame Island's volcano could be larger.
Then more could be brewed."
"Volcano?
Hot springs?"
Royce Boton immediately thought of the Lonely Mountain Range to the north of his family's territory.
Although only half of it was within the Bolton Family's territory, there were many volcanic hot springs inside.
The Bolton Family relied on the hot springs flowing from the Lonely Mountain for heating.
So he proposed to Daenerys, "Your Royal Highness, to the north of the Bolton Family's territory is the Lonely Mountain Range, where hot spring resources are very abundant.
Although only half of it is within the Bolton Family's unit, its area is much larger than Holy Flame Island."
"I wonder if Your Highness has any intention of cooperation?"
Daenerys took a small sip of the golden wine in her hand and said, "Your proposal, Marquis, is indeed very appealing to me.
However, hot springs alone are not enough; we also need to see if those necessary materials and the special barley cultivated on Holy Flame Island can be grown near the volcano.
This would require a lot of effort, and the initial investment would be very large."
"When I went to Last Hearth, I also passed through the Lonely Mountain Range, and the conditions there do meet the requirements.
If the entire Lonely Mountain and the East Bank of Long Lake could be integrated, then it would indeed be feasible."
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"