Early the next morning.
Daeron was urgently visited by Lords Colton and Luthor.
"Prince, you are being foolish!"
Colton was impatient.
He had heard that the Prince intended to go to Harrenhal and immediately came to dissuade him.
Luthor agreed, saying, "House Rivers cannot be trusted."
Nobility is a complex matter.
Back then, His Majesty Aerys ignored advice and took a single Kingsguard to Duskendale, where he was imprisoned for half a year.
They could not stand by and watch the Prince repeat the same mistake.
Daeron was prepared and said steadily, "I will bring the newly recruited Dragon Guards and a young dragon; I will not follow in my father's footsteps."
Seizing opportunities from difficulties was his consistent way of doing things.
If Lord Haran truly intended him harm, then Harrenhal would experience Dragonfire once again.
It would be the perfect time to refresh the Seven Kingdoms' nobility's perception of young dragons.
Colton wouldn't listen: "Prince, please reconsider!"
The King could no longer be relied upon.
These ministers of the Small Council could only pin their hopes on Prince Daeron.
Seeking stability was the most practical course.
Daeron did not change his mind.
Seeing this, Luthor mused, "Lord Celtigar of Crab Island has written to me, saying Prince Rhaegar has summoned him, suspecting they are discussing matters of great importance."
"Adrian Celtigar, that old crab?"
Colton's expression immediately changed.
As everyone knows, when the Targaryens migrated to Dragonstone, they brought two valyrian noble houses with them.
The Velaryons of Driftmark and the Celtigars of Crab Island.
Once upon a time, the positions of master of ships and master of coin on the Small Council were the private domains of these two houses.
During the Dance of the Dragons, the then Lord Celtigar served as the master of coin on the Small Council for the 'Half-Year Queen,' Rhaenyra.
Later, House Celtigar lost its eligibility to join the Small Council.
They stayed on Crab Island, keeping to themselves.
The reason Colton's face soured at the mention of the 'crab' was because: "Adrian is just a greedy and annoying old crab who even procrastinates on port taxes. Would he send you news for free?"
He looked down on the old crab in every possible way.
Daeron nodded secretly.
"Prince, Lord Adrian is indeed insatiably greedy; you would not like him."
Luthor spoke ill of his old friend first before adding, "However, he has not responded to Prince Rhaegar and suspects the Prince is plotting something."
Daeron understood.
It seemed Rhaegar was already contacting vassals to prepare for the Tourney at Harrenhal.
"If I don't go, I'll be missing an opportunity."
Daeron was determined to go.
The two ministers' persuasion was useless, and they could only agree... Noon.
Daeron went to the Mud Gate to see his mother, Rhaella, off onto her ship.
Queen Rhaella was beautiful, with an elegant and noble aura.
Her silver-gold hair fell smoothly, and her purple eyes were cold, as if always hiding some displeasure.
She was a classic cold beauty.
Daeron and Shae saw their mother off. The former arranged for Gold Cloaks to guard her, hesitated for a moment, and said:
"Keep in touch."
It was dry and blunt.
Rhaella glanced at her son and said calmly, "Your brother has returned."
She was equally sparing with her words.
Thud!
Daeron lifted the gangplank leading to the deck and sent his mother onto the ship, refusing to accept any more cold words.
Rhaella didn't care about her son's attitude. She gave a slight wave to her daughter and turned to enter the cabin.
"She still doesn't love us."
Shae looked away, focusing on the small ring on her slender finger.
It was a golden ring, its inlaid gemstone emitting a faint glow.
This ring was truly a ring.
Daeron's words were venomous: "It's not that she doesn't love us; she's taking out her hatred for Father on me."
"Yeah."
Shae agreed.
The siblings were in a bad mood and didn't want to linger at the Mud Gate.
Daeron invited her: "Going to the farm?"
Shae: "Yes."
..."Screee—!"
Three young dragons flew over the farm. Seemingly aware of the upcoming journey, they were all high-spirited, chasing and playing with each other.
Shae sat by the Chicken Coop, quietly watching the little ducks enter the water.
There were two of them, swimming back and forth in the stream below the waterfall.
Daeron watched for a while before putting the milk accumulated over several days into the cheese press.
Beside the small house.
A square working area was paved with stone flooring, with a mayonnaise machine, cheese press, furnace, and lightning rod neatly arranged on top.
He had managed the farm quite well.
Opening the interface, it looked quite impressive.
[Farmer: Daeron Targaryen]
Farming: Level 8 (Farmer)
Mining: Level 7 (Miner)
Foraging: Level 7 (Forester)
Fishing: Level 10 (Fisher, Pirate)
Combat: Level 6 (Fighter)
As the levels of the five skills increased, their respective professions and craftable items were unlocked one after another.
Among them, the most important aspects were Fishing and Combat.
The Level 10 Fishing profession [Pirate] increases the chance of finding treasure chests.
The Level 5 Combat profession [Fighter] grants +10% attack damage and +15 health.
One provides extra income from fishing, while the other directly enhances his survivability.
15 health points!
Daeron still remembered that when he unlocked [Fighter], a powerful surge of heat flowed through his body, and his physical fitness improved significantly.
Strength, agility, durability, reaction speed... and so on, were all improved across the board.
In a one-on-one fight, Ser Jon was evenly matched with him.
Barristan could not defeat him within thirty moves.
Daeron was only 11 years old this year.
You say Rhaegar's martial arts are superb and he defeated Barristan and Arthur Dayne in single combat?
Daeron admitted that Rhaegar's combat prowess was high.
But Rhaegar was already 21 years old.
All his victories were won at tourneys.
In a real one-on-one duel, it would be impossible for him to defeat two legendary Kingsguard.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been smashed to death by Robert's warhammer.
After finishing his work.
Daeron lit a campfire and cooked on the spot.
Shae was skillful; she was not only good at needlework but also a great cook.
Two fried eggs and a bowl of pumpkin porridge; dinner was simple.
Lately, she had been visiting the farm frequently.
Daeron asked, "Is Cersei still pestering you?"
Shae said nothing, taking a small sip of the sweet porridge in her bowl.
Ever since Daeron rejected Tywin.
Cersei was like a provoked wildcat, frantically pestering Shae, describing how good and handsome her brother Jaime was.
As if once Shae was married off, Daeron would belong to her.
It grew late.
Shae did not leave and stayed at the farm.
She slept on the bed, while Daeron slept by the fireplace.
The siblings were used to it.
"Leaving in two days, I still need a bit more preparation."
Daeron calculated silently.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Shae sleeping on her side on the bed, her soft hand resting on her belly emitting a faint, soft light.
The light source was the golden ring on her index finger.
Small Glow Ring: "A ring that emits a faint light."
Its effect was to dispel darkness and bring warmth.
It was also an item dropped from a wooden crate in the mines, a fairly practical one.
Daeron had originally wanted to give her a crystal dagger for self-defense.
The latter refused and chose a small ring instead.
"Every piece of equipment seems to have an extraordinary effect."
Daeron fiddled with the two rings on his fingers.
A golden crescent ring on his left hand and a black, red-shelled ring on his right.
lucky ring: "A symbol of the moon, Luck +1."
Crab Shell Ring: "Crafted from enchanted crabshell, Defense +5."
"With these two rings, I'll be safe and sound."
Daeron placed great importance on his own safety.
The Crab Shell Ring was a reward for killing 60 Rock Crabs in the mines. Its effect was simple and blunt: it maximized defense.
Note: "Defense specifically refers to the ability to withstand external damage."
He also had a pair of Firewalker Boots, a treasure chest reward from the 80th floor of the mines.
Firewalker Boots: "Defense +3, Immunity +3."
Without using the neptune greatsword, his daily defense was as high as 8 points.
Immunity negates things like dizziness, poisoning, and curses, and also provides a certain boost to mental strength.
With both combined, Daeron feared neither most assassinations nor poisonings.
"If I can find an item with high immunity attributes, maybe I can cure Father's madness."
A flash of inspiration struck Daeron.