Oldtown
This was the first high-quality port Roman had seized, and it held immense strategic significance for House Whent.
Even though it was not far from Rosby, Roman still renovated and expanded Oldtown extensively.
The port itself was remodeled by architects from Westeros, who dug basins, drained channels, and built dry docks. Shipbuilders were recruited from across the realm—even from the Eastern Continent.
Beyond the port, the environment of Oldtown itself was greatly improved. The prosperity brought by the harbor attracted a large number of commoners seeking a better life.
In current Westeros, House Whent's territories held every advantage: those wealthier were not as safe, and those safer were far too impoverished.
Moreover, Harrenhal's policies had, to a certain extent, broken the rigid class structure. The downward flow of wealth left the smallfolk with more disposable income. With Roman also controlling the production lines for porcelain and glass, merchants naturally flocked to his lands.
The salty sea breeze blew from Blackwater Bay into Duskwood City. Workers guided cargo ships while chasing away massive flocks of seabirds, and constables worked hard to catch smugglers and those operating outside regulations.
Inside a manor in the town, Fili looked at the garment before her with sparkling eyes.
"Lord Roman, can I really have this treasure?"
"It is merely an undershirt made from my scales. Just wear it. You are always by my side, and with this, you will be a bit safer."
Roman had mostly regained his human form by now, and most of the scales on his body had fallen off. However, he naturally did not want to waste such fine material, so he had used the scales to craft a literal piece of "scale armor."
These scales were cool and snug against the skin, giving a smooth touch like silk. Yet when subjected to a massive impact, they would suddenly tighten, becoming a hard, rigid barrier that ordinary weapons could not penetrate.
Even a ballista bolt could only knock the wearer back; it could not cause any effective damage.
Fili excitedly shed her outer clothes until only a thin white inner shirt remained. She slipped on the scale armor, and the scales clung to the girl's body like living things, perfectly outlining her slender figure.
The girl admired herself in the mirror from every angle, deeply shocked by these weightless scales. Then she lunged into Roman's arms.
"Thank you, Lord Roman! Wearing these scales feels like being held by you. I won't have to fear arrows anymore!"
Roman smiled gently. "Then you must still be careful of poisons and other hidden methods. Assassins in Westeros never appear before you openly. Do not let your guard down."
Fili wrapped her arms around Roman's neck and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Then she noticed the map nearby.
"Lord Roman, are you going to Tengshi Town?"
"Yes. Tengshi Town is an important stronghold in the Reach; it is their supply center. Now that House Tyrell has restored the food supply to King's Landing, they will soon begin massing troops again. I don't want to make it so easy for them."
Roman gently stroked the corner of Fili's eye. "It is time for us to move. We'll take the ravens this time and do some proper scouting first."
Tengshi Town
A large number of Reach troops had gathered here, bringing tension to this once peaceful small town.
The local residents looked at these soldiers and recalled the Dance of the Dragons from history. Back then, Tengshi Town had been far larger and more prosperous than it was now.
But everything had been ruined by two traitorous dragonriders of the Blacks. They had ridden their dragons and burned down the vast majority of the town's buildings. Subsequently, Tengshi Town was brutally sacked by the Greens stationed outside the walls.
That brutal sacking—one of the few of its kind in the history of Westeros—had prevented Tengshi Town from recovering its former prosperity even to this day.
And now, with troops stationed here again and the opponent possessing a dragon, bad memories instantly clouded the minds of the townsfolk.
"The Hean Family has a dragon! Are we going to experience the history from the books all over again?"
"I heard the Hean Family's troops have already taken control of the Blackwater Rush and are attacking the Reach. Should we escape while we can?"
To the current residents, neither the Hean Family nor the nobles of the Reach could be fully trusted.
One could even say the local Reach army was more dangerous. After all, rumors said Roman at least did not bully commoners, but these Reach nobles cared little for such things.
Besides basic taxes, the residents of Tengshi Town had to endure heavy corvée labor. The noble lords claimed these were the necessary costs to protect them from the attacks of the "Riverlands demons."
The people did not know who was right or wrong. They only hoped their houses would not be seized and that they could keep some surplus grain for themselves.
In a modest civilian house, a woman was cooking soup, sawing through hard black bread before tossing the pieces into the broth to soften.
She looked around the room, which had few pieces of furniture left, and the despair in her heart grew heavier with each passing day.
Lately the children had been complaining of hunger, yet her husband was dragged away every day to serve the army.
Last time, her husband had refused the soldiers' demands because of the busy farming season. He had been beaten severely, and their family's grain had been stolen.
A dark cloud loomed over their fragile family, making it hard to breathe.
At that moment, the husband walked in. His clothes were extremely tattered, covered in dirt, tears, and mold spots.
The man glanced at his wife and children, then went back outside to look around. Once he was sure it was safe, he immediately pulled his wife aside.
"What is it? What happened?"
Husband: "After we finish eating, a merchant caravan will arrive. I know one of the men. Our whole family will get on the wagon and leave together!"
The woman was baffled by this sudden decision. "Why? We're staying here just fine. Why do we have to leave?"
"Fine?!" The man's voice rose sharply before dropping to a whisper, as if afraid of being overheard.
"Look at us. Does this look like a life? Since the war came, we've given money and grain, and in the end we're forced to work for them. Now our farmland is gradually going to waste."
The man rolled up his sleeves, revealing various scars on his arms—abrasions from labor and marks from being whipped.
"We can't survive like this anymore. If we follow that caravan north, we can cross the Blackwater Rush and enter the Hean Family's territory. With our family's skills, we'll definitely live better there than we do now!"
The woman held her husband's palm with heartache. Looking up, she saw the man's bloodshot eyes and darkened face, and her heart could not bear it.
"But… is the Hean Family's territory really as full of opportunity as people say? What if it's even worse once we get there?"
The husband did not offer his wife much of an explanation. Instead, he pulled out a blue-glazed bone china cup.
"Do you remember Lame John? His son came to see us the other day—that boy who used to slack off and often ate at our house."
"He just gave me this thing. He said Ser Roman of Harrenhal is vigorously recruiting all kinds of talent, especially veteran farmers for cultivation. He told me to get there quickly, or there won't be a chance once the fighting starts."
One might find many angles to argue against the man's words, but the luxury item in his hand could not be denied. The world, after all, is material.
After a young lad went to the Hean Family's territory, he could casually pull out porcelain that even the minor nobles here rarely possessed.
Looking at their bare-walled house, the woman's doubts vanished in an instant, replaced by a sense of indignation.
"If that family can live a good life, why can't we?"
The couple looked at each other and reached a consensus instantly. They began preparing dinner and packing their few belongings, getting ready for the upcoming escape.
Such situations were appearing commonly in Tengshi Town, and indeed all along the borders of the Reach.
The ravens stood on the eaves, watching these people with great interest.