Back to Mine Lake.
As they walked and talked, Daeren came to understand Elisha better.
He came from House Thorne, though he was only a cadet branch member.
He possessed excellent martial skills, yet had nowhere to put them to use.
Daeren asked, "Ser, are you skilled with a sword?"
Elisha froze, instinctively glancing at the sword hilt clenched in his hand.
From the very beginning, Daeren had noticed that the other man had kept one hand tightly around the hilt, never letting go.
The web between his thumb and forefinger was covered in calluses, and his index finger bore the marks of years spent drawing a bow.
It proved that all of his value lay in his own abilities.
"Yes, Prince."
Elisha's answer was firm.
As a member of a cadet branch, he was not as miserable as a commoner or a bastard, but he had still seen plenty of coldness and cruelty in the world.
He despised those noble-born wastrels and firmly believed that titles had to be earned by one's own hand.
From Daeren's performance in the Trial by Combat and the position he was about to assume, he could see that the prince had a promising future and was someone worth serving loyally.
For a chance to meet Prince Daeren,
he had sold his only warhorse and spent all his savings bribing Lord Owen.
Daeren did not disappoint him. "I am about to take office as Deputy Commander of the City Watch. I intend to restore order to King's Landing, but I lack capable men."
"Elisha Thorne, you pride yourself on your martial skill. Are you willing to serve the realm?"
Thud!
Elisha immediately dropped to one knee, unfastened his sword, and raised it with both hands. In a deep voice, he said, "Let the Seven Above bear witness. Elisha Thorne is willing to become the sharp sword in your hand and sweep away every obstacle before you."
"Good!"
Daeren took the sword, drew it, and laid the blade flat across Elisha's shoulders and the crown of his head.
He accepted the man's oath of loyalty.
From this day onward, Elisha would be his first sworn knight besides his guardian knight, Ser Jon.
Daeren helped him to his feet personally, then asked directly, "Ser, how much do you know about Life Force?"
Still flushed with excitement,
Elisha's face stiffened. Ashamed, he said, "I once tried to awaken Life Force, but without the aid of Special Crops, I was never able to succeed."
Even the most ordinary Special Crop could be driven up to more than a hundred Gold Dragons by noble lords.
It was not something he could ever get his hands on.
"I see."
Daeren gave a slight nod. "Go find Ser Jon later. He will give you some supplements to help you awaken Life Force."
"Prince!?"
Elisha could hardly believe it.
Anything capable of helping someone awaken Life Force had to be a Special Crop.
The prince was being so generous.
Daeren waved a hand. "Do not look at me like that. Whether you can awaken Life Force depends on your own potential. If you lack the ability, there is only so much help I can offer."
Daeren was willing to lend Elisha a hand.
The fact that he had fought until the very last moment in the chaotic battle for the city defenses proved his loyalty.
His position as an instructor at Castle Black showed that his combat ability was no mere trifle.
He had the potential to become a top-tier knight.
As the saying went, a thousand gold to buy a horse's bones.
Elisha was the first person to follow him. Helping him awaken Life Force would also encourage more people to set aside their concerns and join Daeren.
Elisha left with a heart full of excitement.
He could not stop thinking that this decision had been incomparably correct.
Ser Jon soon arrived.
Daeren took out the newly caught largemouth bass and told him to deliver it to Elisha.
One ordinary-quality largemouth bass was worth one Strawberry Seed.
Yet ten Strawberry Seeds could not buy a knight of unwavering loyalty.
"Prince, isn't this too precious?"
Holding the largemouth bass, Ser Jon could not help trying to persuade him.
Every Special Crop and Gatherable in the prince's possession contained no small amount of Life Force.
A fresh river bass more than half a meter long—he did not dare imagine how much Life Force its flesh contained.
"He is the first. We cannot be stingy."
Daeren baited his hook and cast his line again. "Bring Lord Owen over later. I'll cook a pot of fish soup for us to share."
A ruler could not favor one person over another.
There were few people under his command, so harmony was paramount.
Ser Jon nodded helplessly, privately thinking that that "Thorne" fellow had truly lucked out.
Mine Lake fell quiet again.
Daeren gathered his thoughts and began making plans for the changes in King's Landing.
The position of Deputy Commander of the City Watch would be easy enough to handle.
Lord Manly Stockworth was a loyal servant of the Royal Family. He was steady by nature and knew when to advance and when to retreat, so he would not make things difficult for Daeren.
As long as Daeren showed goodwill, he would gain the man's support.
As for those unruly Gold Cloaks below, he only needed to beat them into submission.
"The Grand Maester's position is vacant..."
Daeren pondered silently.
The office of Grand Maester was important, yet also somewhat dispensable.
It had little authority, but it could offer advice to the King privately.
Quite a few Grand Maesters throughout history had been backed by powerful nobles and fed slanderous counsel to the King.
Rather than leave such a position unattended and wait for the Citadel to send someone to fill it, it would be better to place one of his own people there.
"Maester Harvey... no, he is too young."
Daeren shook his head.
Harvey lacked seniority, and the two of them were not particularly close.
After a moment, inspiration struck Daeren, and he thought of an old man who was perfectly suited for the role.
Elisha's arrival had given him the idea.
Far away at The Wall, there was another blood relative.
His great-grandfather Aegon V's third elder brother, Scholar Aemon Targaryen of Castle Black.
Daeren should have called him Great-Uncle.
At the beginning of the original story, Scholar Aemon was already a centenarian.
But now, he was only eighty-two.
Not only in Westeros, but even in Daeren's previous life, eighty-two was an impressively advanced age.
The late Pycelle had been quite old, yet he was only sixty-four.
But Daeren knew that Scholar Aemon was in good health and still had another seventeen or eighteen years to live.
If he could invite him back to King's Landing, he would undoubtedly be the best candidate for Grand Maester.
At that age, no one could make use of him anymore.
If anyone could, it would only be me and the family who need you.
Daeren sighed inwardly.
Scholar Aemon was entirely capable of returning to King's Landing and becoming Grand Maester.
In the original story, House Targaryen had been destroyed, and he could do nothing from faraway The Wall, enduring unimaginable torment.
When he heard of Daenerys and her dragons, he had been on the verge of death from a cold.
He said, "Sam, Daenerys is our hope. Go to the Citadel and tell them. Make them understand that they must send a maester to find her, advise her, teach her, and protect her."
"All these years, I have lingered in this world, waiting and watching, but when Dawn arrives, I am already too old."
"I am dying, Sam."
Once, he awoke weeping and said, "The Dragon Has Three Heads."
He lamented, "But I am old and frail, unable to become one of them. I should be with her, guiding her, but this body of mine... it is truly no longer capable."
It was not difficult to see that he remained deeply bound to House Targaryen.
But at that time, he had been too old.
At the age of one hundred and two, coupled with the ravages of illness, he had not had long to live.
He regretted being unable to aid his grandniece Daenerys and contribute one final measure of strength to the family.
"Perhaps I should go to sea and bring him back."
Daeren considered it deeply.
There was something he had deliberately avoided mentioning.
The Long Night and the White Walkers more than a decade from now.
The time was still too distant, and with Dragon Tongue Farm, he did not feel afraid.
But it was still necessary to unite every force that could be united.
Brynden, the "Three-Eyed Crow."
Or perhaps he should call him Brynden "Bloodraven."
Daeren was certain that the dream in Shayani's room that night had not been so simple.
The next day, he had taken over materials left behind after Brynden "Bloodraven" dismantled something, and found the Dragon Egg hidden among them.
That could not have been a coincidence.
Brynden "Bloodraven" had noticed him and tried to draw his attention.
Daeren did not want to provoke him.
But Bloodraven possessed something of great value to Daeren.
One of House Targaryen's two lost ancestral swords.
—Dark Sister.
If he went to The Wall, he might be able to recover Dark Sister.
"But Bloodraven is dangerous, and the Three-Eyed Crow is even more vicious."
Daeren frowned.
Reason told him that without absolute certainty, he must never make contact rashly.
"But getting a ship is necessary."
Daeren changed his train of thought.
Repairing a ship, setting sail, and developing Ginger Island.
It was one of Stardew Valley's most important gameplay elements.
Sooner or later, he would have to go to sea, find a place like Ginger Island, and expand his Cultivation Area.
"Then could Dragonstone be Ginger Island?"
Daeren let his imagination run wild.
Rhaegar truly was cold-hearted. He had delayed replying to Daeren for so long.
Did Dragon Mountain have Dragon Eggs or not?
If Rhaegar still did not reply, then once Daeren finished the work at hand, he would have to visit the island himself.
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