In the early morning hours.
Aegon was still reviewing the plan over and over again.
"Not resting yet?"
Helena's voice came from behind him, her gentle little hand lightly massaging Aegon's temples.
"Ah, I'm not tired yet. Why aren't you resting either?"
Aegon held Helena's hand and pulled her into his embrace.
"I just had a dream. A snowstorm that blotted out the sky came from the north, and from the south came endless grey figures. Aegon, I'm a little scared, especially of the grey figures from the south. There were corpses spread all over the mountains and fields beneath their feet."
Gently stroking Helena's little hand.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here for you." Aegon comforted softly. "Did you see what those grey figures from the south were?"
"No." Helena snuggled into Aegon's embrace. "I didn't see clearly, I'm sorry."
"It's fine if you didn't see clearly."
Before long, Helena's steady breathing could be heard.
Aegon carefully picked up the sleeping Helena and walked upstairs.
After settling Helena, Aegon returned to his room and found a copy of "A History of the Strange and Mysterious World".
He could understand the snowstorm from the north that blotted out the sky; the Others had existed for thousands of years, perhaps even longer.
He didn't know if the Night King would awaken early, but even if he did, Aegon wasn't afraid.
The unknown was the most terrifying thing. The grey figures from the south were certainly not the Shark-Arm Dornishmen.
Aegon wanted to see if he could find any clues in the book.
When the first ray of sunlight appeared, Aegon still hadn't found any clues.
The only similarity was with patients suffering from greyscale.
But that was clearly impossible; greyscale was a fatal disease.
After spending a sleepless night racking his brain, Aegon was also a bit tired.
He asked a servant to prepare a simple breakfast, and planned to take a short nap for half an hour after eating.
There were still heavy state affairs waiting for him to handle today.
North District.
The originally barren land had been revitalized with vibrant life. Dozens of small wooden houses were neatly arranged.
Not far away, large areas of reclaimed farmland had been planted with rye and barley.
Inside the large mess hall, which was drafty in places, nearly a hundred people were lining up to receive a full day's food and fresh water for their families.
"My lord, could you give us an extra egg? My wife is about to give birth, I can pay for it!"
At the supply distribution window, a man pleaded softly.
The knight distributing the supplies' mouth twitched as he looked at the few copper pennies in the man's hand.
"I understand how you feel, but rules are rules. If you want to buy eggs, you can discuss it with others."
The knight in charge of distributing supplies kindly reminded him.
Eggs were only supplied once every ten days, and it was difficult to buy eggs with the money the man had.
The man didn't want to miss the opportunity, so after thanking him, he started looking around to discuss with others.
The supply of materials in all settlements in the North District was very tight.
East District.
Unlike the tight situation in the North District, the East District had more sufficient supplies and was a priority supply area.
Those living in the East District were the families of navy soldiers and some knights' families.
After migrating from Westeros to Dragonstone, they received the resettlement gold dragons that Aegon had promised.
Many families had never seen so much money in their lives.
Even after settling everything, they still had surplus money, and quite a bit of it.
Moreover, the farm tools and seeds for the tenants in the North District were "borrowed" and had to be returned after three months.
In contrast, in the East District, all farm tools and seeds belonged to the residents themselves, and besides the necessary taxes, the rest was surplus.
In the early morning, the thin mist dispersed.
Alec started working with dark circles under his eyes.
Clearly, staying up late yesterday had put a considerable burden on him.
"Make sure the foundation is solid! The fertilizer plant is crucial for food production, it's of utmost importance. Be serious about it!"
Alec personally supervised the construction of the fertilizer plant.
Even in the Reach, the most fertile land in the Seven Kingdoms, the yield of rye per acre was only about 150 pounds.
And according to Aegon, if there was enough fertilizer, the wheat yield per acre on the Stepstones could Reach over 180 pounds!
A wheat yield of over 180 pounds per acre, Alec couldn't even imagine it.
But he believed Aegon, and therefore attached extraordinary importance to the construction of the fertilizer plant.
Alec forced himself to stay awake until a guard came running over.
"My lord, something has happened at the waste disposal plant. Please go and take a look." The guard said softly.
"What's wrong with the waste disposal plant *again*?" Alec's sleepiness vanished instantly.
The waste disposal plant was the foundation for the normal operation of the fertilizer plant. If there was a problem with the waste disposal plant, then there would be no need to continue building the fertilizer plant.
"Quick, take me to see it." Alec said anxiously.
The guard nodded quickly and led the way.
When Alec followed the guard to the site of the incident, he was immediately dumbfounded.
"Gods above..."
Alec looked at the scene before him with a face full of shock and disbelief.
After a moment, he finally reacted and quickly shouted, "Stop digging! Stop digging!"
Jumping into the large pit, Alec came before the dark skeleton and carefully examined it.
Even though only a small part was exposed, Alec could confirm that this was a Dragon skeleton!
"Quick, quickly send someone to inform Your Highness! Tell him that dragon bones have been found in the East District!"
Inside the main house.
Aegon, who had just lain down not long ago, was woken up by Aemond.
Aemond was holding a sandwich filled with bacon, fried egg, and honey sauce.
"Aemond, you better have something important to say, otherwise you won't be sleeping tonight."
Aemond's heart sank, but he quickly recovered and said hurriedly:
"Brother, it seems a Dragon skeleton has been found in the East District. Ser Aric wants you to go and take a look."
"What did you say? Dragon bones?"
Hearing this, Aegon suddenly sat up from the bed.
"How big is the skeleton?" he asked quickly.
"I don't know! Wouldn't you know if you go and see?" Aemond took a large bite of his sandwich.
Aegon didn't waste any more words, got dressed, mounted Sunfyre, and flew towards the East District.
Before long, Sunfyre appeared over the East District.
From Sunfyre's perspective, Aegon quickly spotted the large pit where the dragon bones were dug out.
Many guards were gathered around, making it hard not to notice.
"Hiss-roar!"
Sunfyre let out a dragon roar and slowly landed on the open ground beside the large pit.
Alec quickly stepped forward to greet him.
"Your Highness, you've finally arrived."
"Mm, how big is the Dragon skeleton?" Aegon nodded and asked.
"It's very big. I've seen Balerion's skull before, and this skeleton underground should be similar in size to Balerion,"
"perhaps even a bit larger."
"That big?"
Aegon's reaction was exactly the same as Alec's when he first saw the skeleton, shocked and disbelieving.
Reaching the edge of the large pit, the Dragon skeleton in the pit had just revealed its snout.
Based solely on the snout, Aegon could determine that this Dragon was definitely larger than Balerion when it was alive.
Leaping down, Aegon touched the dark dragon bone, the corners of his lips curving upwards.
"Dragonstone truly lives up to its name. Give the order: cordon off the area within a five-hundred-meter radius immediately and arrange for trustworthy people to excavate."
Dragon bone contains a large amount of iron, is dark in color, as tough as steel, yet lighter and more elastic.
Dragonbone bows are highly sought after because their range far exceeds that of ordinary wooden bows.
If Aegon could obtain a Dragon skeleton larger than Balerion,
then he would gain an elite corps of archers numbering several hundred who could inflict long-range damage on enemies!
As for sending it back to King's Landing or keeping it as a collection, Aegon didn't even consider it.
The current Aegon wished he could take the skeletons of Meleys and Balerion to forge dragonbone bows to strengthen his military power.
On the third day after the Dragon skeleton was discovered.
Inside the main house.
Aegon was writing furiously, with a letter from his mother Alicent on his right side.
He never expected that Viserys would actually have Rhaenyra and Daemon's wedding held on the same day as his and Helena's engagement feast.
Sometimes he wanted to pry open Viserys's head to see what was inside.
Helena entered the study carrying fruit, peeled a translucent grape, and put it into Aegon's mouth.
"With Aemond and Daeron gone, it's so quiet I'm a little unaccustomed to it," Helena said with a smile.
"To be precise, only Daeron would keep chattering."
Aegon stretched, pulled Helena into his arms, and kissed Helena's round, smooth little face.
"I just received a letter from Mother. Rhaenyra and Daemon's wedding is to be held together with our engagement feast."
Helena, who had been leaning in Aegon's embrace, suddenly sat up straight.
"To be held together?" Helena frowned slightly. "I don't like Rhaenyra, she's always malicious towards you."
"She is a thief who, by virtue of Father's favor, stole the power that rightfully belonged to me."
"She is afraid of me, afraid that the true heir to the Iron Throne will reclaim everything that belongs to him."
As Aegon spoke, the corners of his mouth curved upwards, showing no anger, but full of disdain for Rhaenyra.
"Of course, my Aegon is the most excellent and youngest king!"
Helena cupped Aegon's cheeks and placed a gentle kiss on Aegon's forehead.
"Since Father requires the engagement feast and wedding to be held on the same day, then let's show Father who the true master of the Iron Throne is!"