Chapter 219: Robbery

"You've come to Lys as well, hmm? Seeking to free yourself?" Dany withdrew her dragon's presence and looked at Humphrey with a peculiar expression.

"No, I've come seeking help," Humphrey glanced at her in awe before quickly lowering his head and speaking honestly. "After Duke Tywin's death, King Balon, no longer deterred, broke his prior agreement to 'only march north and not south.' First, he raided Lannisport, then took the Shield Islands.

From the Mander River basin below Highgarden to Oldtown in Whispering Bay, and up to the Redwyne Strait north of the Arbor—Ironborn are everywhere.

For Oldtown, for the realm, I came to Lys alone to seek help from my dishonorable sister."

"Where is Earl Paxter? His Arbor fleet is the strongest in the Seven Kingdoms," Barristan couldn't help but ask.

Westeros had five major naval fleets: the Lannisport Fleet, the Redwyne Fleet of the Arbor, the Royal Fleet of Dragonstone, the White Harbor Fleet of the North, and the Iron Fleet of the Iron Islands.

The White Harbor Fleet could be dismissed immediately—House Stark neither supported nor had the funds to develop a navy.

For generations, House Manderly's fleet was only used to fight pirates; it had almost no capacity for large-scale naval warfare.

During the Mad King Aerys' reign, the Dragonstone Fleet was the most formidable.

Then came Robert's Rebellion—when King's Landing fell, the vast royal navy escorted the pregnant Queen Rhaella and young Viserys to Dragonstone.

As Robert gradually unified the realm, the Seven Kingdoms' fleets gathered under Stannis' command to encircle Dragonstone. The Targaryen fleet was already considering surrendering to King's Landing.

But that night, Daenerys was born—'Stormborn' was no empty title. An unprecedented storm obliterated both fleets, sending hundreds of warships to the ocean's depths.

From then on, the Dragonstone Fleet was reduced to a second-rate force, while the Iron Fleet of the Iron Islands became the strongest.

But Balon Greyjoy was bent on self-destruction, launching a rebellion five years into Robert's reign.

At the outset of the war, he successfully ambushed and burned the Lannister Fleet while it was docked in the harbor.

But no matter how strong, one island couldn't stand against the Seven Kingdoms. In the end, Stannis led the royal fleet to crush the Iron Fleet and teach the Greyjoys a lesson. (Stannis, as Lord of Dragonstone, commanded the royal navy—essentially the rebuilt Dragonstone Fleet.)

The Greyjoy Rebellion left two fleets crippled—the Lannisters suffered the worst, taking over a decade to recover. Even then, they could only defend Lannisport, not launch an offensive.

Thus, the Dragonstone Fleet reclaimed its position as the most powerful.

But soon after, the War of the Four Kings broke out, and Tyrion burned the Dragonstone Fleet to ashes with wildfire.

Through all the upheavals over the past few decades, the Redwyne Fleet had kept to itself, quietly growing stronger. Now, it had become the most powerful navy in the realm.

Logically speaking, even if the Iron Islands had rebuilt their Iron Fleet over the past decade, they shouldn't have been able to bully the Reach so easily.

"After the War of the Four Kings, Stannis withdrew to Dragonstone and even hired a pirate fleet from across the strait. With Blackwater Bay blockaded and trade to King's Landing nearly cut off, the Iron Throne spent millions of gold dragons building a new royal fleet while calling in Earl Paxter's Arbor fleet for assistance."

And so, the Arbor Fleet was dragged into the conflict.

Dany sighed inwardly.

Humphrey continued, "The Arbor Fleet regained control of Blackwater Bay, restoring trade to King's Landing. But Dragonstone is a fortress—hard to assault, easy to defend. To minimize losses—since, after all, Blackwater Bay belongs to King's Landing, not the Arbor—Earl Paxter adopted a slow siege tactic, hoping to starve out Dragonstone. However…"

"Alas, the Ironborn came in full force, Dragonstone remains untaken, and the Arbor Fleet is trapped in Blackwater Bay. I had no choice but to seek outside help!"

"I'm afraid the Lyseni can't help you," Dany sneered. "They sent their entire fleet—two hundred longships—to Volantis."

"I only arrived in Lys yesterday afternoon," Humphrey looked at his courtesan sister with hopeful eyes. "How many warships can Tregar send to help me?"

"Not a single one. Tregar favors me, yes, but he isn't a fool. No one would take on a risk without any benefit." Linny shook her head.

"The Reach has wealth! We can pay him!" Humphrey insisted.

"Too risky, too little reward—far less profitable than trade." Linny still refused.

"Oldtown is home to your father, your siblings, and countless relatives and friends!" Humphrey said angrily.

"Hmph, and yet everyone in Oldtown calls me a whore behind my back." She sneered coldly, then sighed. "At another time, I might have been able to persuade him. But with the allied forces about to set out, even if he wanted to help, he couldn't.

After all, we're talking about the Iron Fleet—over a hundred longships. Sending ten or even twenty ships wouldn't make a difference."

Seeing Humphrey turn his expectant gaze toward her, Dany shrugged and asked, "Didn't you hear? The allied forces are about to set out. And their target—the one those hundreds, even thousands of warships are sailing against—is me!"

"Your Majesty, you will return to Westeros, won't you?" Humphrey asked.

"A Targaryen always repays their debts! Once my dragons have fully grown, once I defeat the allied forces, once I take Volantis, Lys, and Qarth—perhaps even Tyrosh and Myr—once I have an army of a million horsemen and a hundred dragons, only then will I consider crossing the sea back to Westeros.

At this moment, or even within the next ten years, I will not set foot in the Seven Kingdoms." Dany said coldly.

The two Hightowers gaped in stunned silence, kneeling there as they stared at Dany like she was insane.

Truly her father's daughter—the Mad King Aerys' blood ran deep.

But this madness had come far too quickly.

Iris only began to awaken the "Mad King" bloodline after ruling as a wise monarch for more than a decade.

"Gulp." Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Humphrey hesitated before asking, "Your Majesty, the Dragon Queen, putting everything else aside… where did you get a hundred dragons?"

"Clap!" Dany clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Now that's the right question! Hurry up—bring out the dragon eggs, the Valyrian steel weapons, the secret sorceries, the magical artifacts… bring everything out!"

"What for?" Lynesse asked blankly.

"Robbery!!!!"

"R-Robbery???" The two pairs of identical blue eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Poor House Hightower siblings—their worldview was utterly shattered at this moment.

"Didn't I say it before? I came to Lys for two things: to kill the prince and to take the Black Tower," Dany said matter-of-factly.

"But—but you're a queen!" Humphrey cried out in disbelief.

Dany shot him a sidelong glance and asked, "Kid, have you never participated in a tourney before?"

"I'm not a kid! I'm two years older than you!" Humphrey flushed red and shouted, "Besides, my idol is the fearless Barristan Selmy. He started competing in tourneys at eleven! Last time in Brightwater Keep, I even defeated Ser Mark Mullendore!"

Sorry to tell you, but your idol is a robber now too— and a repeat offender at that!

Dany cast a sidelong glance at the White Knight, who shifted uncomfortably, and said, "Since you've participated in tourneys, then you should know—losers must surrender their armor, sword, and horse.

"Now, you have lost. Are you willing to hand over your Valyrian steel armor, weapons, and the finest steed in the world?"

By the Seven!

Can she really twist the rules like this? Valyrian steel armor, Valyrian steel swords… and the finest steed in the world—a dragon?

What the f—!

A thousand curses stormed through Humphrey's mind, but only one thought remained: I need to get home and warn Father immediately! House Hightower and Oldtown must reconsider their stance. The Dragon Queen may have the blood of madness, but her shamelessness more than makes up for her insanity.

There's no choice—shamelessness is strength!

After a long moment, Lynesse finally snapped out of her shock and shook her head repeatedly. "No, there's nothing here."

"But this is the Black Tower, a fortress of Valyrian nobility!" Dany emphasized.

"Forget the dragon eggs—I already snatched one in Volantis—but not even a single Valyrian steel sword?"

"Your Majesty, Tregar was not a descendant of Valyrian high nobility. He bought this tower from an impoverished old noble family," Lynesse explained.

"And the swords? Didn't he buy any swords?"

"I don't know. That was over a hundred years ago. But there really aren't any Valyrian steel swords here." Lynesse raised her hand and solemnly swore, "I swear on my father's name—everything I said is true."

Dany turned to Barristan. The old knight was now highly skilled in such matters and would never overlook anything suspicious inside the palace.

"Nothing," he confirmed with a shake of his head.

Dany stared at Lynesse and said coldly, "I can't leave empty-handed. Since we're fellow countrymen, I can spare your lives, but you must tell me which families have valuable treasures and where the trade princes are gathering in large numbers."

"I—"

"Hmm?" Dany's voice rose as her dragon's soul seemed to stir within her.

"I… I'll talk!" Lynesse collapsed to the ground, utterly defeated.

Half an hour later, the crimson dragonflame flowed like liquid fire, engulfing Prince Tregar's towering Black Tower. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, and the roaring flames painted the heavens red.

Before long, nearly half the city was in an uproar.

"The Mother of Dragons is here! The Mother of Dragons is killing people! The Mother of Dragons—sob sob sob…"

Lady Lynesse, surrounded by her attendants, wept loudly.

Her brother, Ser Humphrey Hightower, stood stained with blood, gripping his sword but refusing to fall. With a steely expression, he addressed the gathered crowd, "The Mother of Dragons seems very familiar with Lys. She immediately inquired why Prince Tregar was not home.

"She wants revenge on Lys because it is an ally of the coalition.

"My sister, blinded by love, refused to betray the prince's whereabouts. As a result, she nearly lost her life to the Mother of Dragons. Fortunately, that woman did not realize I was inside the Black Tower.

"When she was distracted, I quietly opened my chamber door and struck from behind…

"I know ambushing a woman is unchivalrous, but for my sister's sake, I had no choice!

"Unfortunately…"

Sigh.

"Alas, my swordsmanship was still slightly inferior to hers. Though I managed to protect my sister, the others… sigh… even kind old Steward DeBroune…"

At this, Ser Hightower's eyes reddened, and tears rolled down his face.

The nobles and wealthy merchants who had gathered from the pleasure gardens were simultaneously shocked and terrified. They murmured words of comfort to the poor siblings while anxiously scanning their surroundings for any sign of dragons.

But the sky was a murky iron-blue, revealing nothing.

"Ah! The Palace of Ecstasy is on fire!"

Suddenly, someone shouted. The crowd turned as one, their gazes locking onto a towering inferno rising thirty or forty meters into the sky from a palace near the city center. Even from two or three kilometers away, they could see the waves of flames rolling skyward.

"Oh no! The princes are inside the Palace of Ecstasy!"

(End of chapter)

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