Under Tyrion's guidance, Aegon found an Old Mine Foreman in the city who had previously managed gold mines for the Lannister, and after "retiring," moved to King's Landing with his children to enjoy his later years. After saying many good words, Aegon persuaded him to accompany him to Dragonstone to provide advice on Dragonglass mining.
With everything ready, nearing noon on the third day after arriving in King's Landing, amidst the slightly salty sea breeze, Aegon, the Old Mine Foreman, and his youngest son boarded the boat rented the day before, embarking on the journey to Dragonstone, the ancestral home of the former ruling Targaryen Family.
...
Dragonstone is located at the mouth of Blackwater Bay. Traveling there from King's Landing is directly downstream, but due to the sea breeze blowing towards the land during the day, the boat's speed remained slow. The situation only improved after the sun began to set and the wind direction reversed, allowing the boat to sail smoothly with the wind and current.
The distance between the starting point and the destination was over a hundred miles, and before dark, they had only covered less than a third. This night would certainly be spent on the boat. Fortunately, the boat's speed after dark far exceeded that during the day, and the owner had also arranged for sailors to take night shifts to control the boat, so they weren't worried about wasting too much time on the way. Early the next morning, when Aegon was awakened by the combined effects of shaking, light, and the crew's shouts, the boat had already entered Dragonstone's harbor and was attempting to dock.
***
Just one look at "Dragonstone Harbor" from the deck was enough to understand why Stannis Baratheon harbored such resentment towards his elder brother for granting him this fiefdom. Rather than a harbor, it was more like a small fishing village, appearing desolate compared to the bustling port of King's Landing. The sailboat Aegon was on was actually the only moving object in the harbor at that moment.
Aegon often said that the The Wall was a terrible place, but in reality, this assessment was heavily subjective. Now that he had left there and come to the South, he naturally couldn't complain like a resentful woman anymore. The Gift owned by the Night's Watch... honestly, the land was fertile and the produce abundant; it was just remote, dangerous, and had slightly low temperatures, which was why few people were willing to cultivate there. But Dragonstone, a place formed by volcanic eruptions, where there was nothing but stones, truly deserved the word "terrible."
The small fishing village had at most a hundred or so people. And as Aegon knew, besides this village and the castle where the Lord resided on Dragonstone, there was only the military port where the Dragonstone fleet was anchored. This meant that the direct subjects Stannis had were limited to this one small fishing village.
In such a dilapidated place, relying solely on fishing would be barely enough to support a knight, let alone a Lord?
Of course, the Lord of Dragonstone theoretically also governed the lords of the Narrow Sea. The problem was that these so-called "lords of the Narrow Sea" were actually just many small island owners, and their total population combined did not exceed a hundred thousand. How could this possibly be enough to provide a Lord with a substantial army, expenses, and pomp?
It is said that Robert Baratheon was disheartened after losing Lyanna Stark back then and intended to remain unmarried for life and pass the throne to his younger brother Stannis. If the rumors were true, there would have been no problem in him naming his heir the Lord of Dragonstone according to the Targaryen tradition. But the fact was, later Robert not only married under Jon Arryn's arrangement but also had higher-priority heirs—Joffrey Baratheon and Tommen Baratheon.
A Lord of Dragonstone who could not inherit the throne, who would value that? After Robert's "sons" were born, Stannis more than once demanded his authority over the Stormlands from his brother. From an outsider's perspective, it could be said to be both a reasonable and logical request... but whether Robert was too lazy to bother or had other intentions, the matter was never resolved in the end.
Renly Baratheon, who was a mere child with no contribution during the War of the Usurper, ultimately inherited Storm's End and commanded the ancestral lands of House Baratheon, the Stormlands. In contrast, Stannis, a great contributor to the war's victory, whose contribution was no less than Eddard Stark's, by holding the city and tying down the main force of the royalist army from Highgarden for a year during the War of the Usurper, was sent to this godforsaken place. No matter how magnanimous a person was, he couldn't endure this, could he?
Well, saying Dragonstone was godforsaken was unfair to it; there actually were birds. As Aegon stepped off the boat onto the land of Dragonstone, he saw countless seabirds flying in and out of their nests on the cliff face by the coast. Just the birds in his sight were probably more numerous than all the people on the island combined. To be precise, Dragonstone was a terrible place where only birds shit.
...
As the boat docked, a sparse group of fishing village residents quickly gathered around, asking if they needed accommodation and food. Dragonstone itself was strategically located at the mouth of the Blackwater River, an excellent geographical position. However, because it was too close to King's Landing, countless ships passed by without stopping every day. It was rare for someone to disembark here, so they naturally received attentive treatment.
Aegon didn't want to waste time. He rented three horses, found a guide, and headed directly for the castle without stopping. The castle was built on the highest point of the island and was quite large. From a distance, it looked grand and magnificent, but up close, it was covered in moss, clearly long neglected. At the castle gate, there were only two listless guards watching, one of whom only stood up from a corner when he saw people arriving. This dilapidated and desolate appearance deepened Aegon's sympathy for Stannis...
A guard went inside to announce Aegon and the others' arrival, but Stannis was not like Eddard Stark, willing to personally receive a mere Night's Watchman. About ten minutes later, a young man rode out from the castle, claiming he had been sent to guide the visitors. Aegon hadn't intended to meet the Lord of Dragonstone anyway and was content with the arrangement. So, after some casual conversation, they left the castle gate and began the survey and selection of the Dragonglass mining site.
***
"An ancient mine left behind?" The guide listened to Aegon's description, sat on his horse, thought for a moment, and replied, "It seems there really is one. I've been inside before, but there was nothing there except some scribbles on the stone The Walls."
Scribbles on the stone The Walls? Aegon's heart leaped with joy. Wasn't this exactly the place he was looking for? Although Stannis was putting on airs and didn't even invite him into the castle, the guide he sent was competent. Aegon couldn't help but gain a little more goodwill towards Robert's meticulous younger brother.
"Where is it? Take us to see it."
"It's on the southernmost part of the island, a bit far. I don't know if we can get back before dark..." The guide hesitated slightly.
"Thank you for your trouble. Let's go now. When we get back, I'll treat you to a big meal." Aegon still had some money in his pocket, so he naturally spoke with confidence. How high could the cost of living be on this dilapidated island?
"It's not really trouble... it's just that the roads on the island are difficult to travel after dark." Hearing Aegon say that, the young man became a bit shy. He nodded, "Then let's go. We'll try to get back early, but it's best if we go to the village first to get some torches."
...
After being blown by the sea breeze for several hours, Aegon stood at the entrance of the ancient mine that only appeared at the very end of the original plot, where Jon Snow took his Daenerys to visit. Without a local guide, this place would indeed be hard to find.
Lighting torches, the guide led Aegon and the Old Mine Foreman and his son inside.
Inside the pitch-black cave, there was truly nothing. There were indeed some murals left on the The Walls, but for Aegon, who had seen the birth of the Night King from a god's-eye view on a computer screen and had personally killed White Walkers, it was highly likely that he wouldn't be able to get any valuable information from them.
Things went smoother than expected. This was it!
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