After leaving the city, they crossed a stone bridge.
The grassland rose and fell, forming typical rolling hills.
The midday sun shone overhead.
Daeren arrived at his fief and ordered Ser Jon and Lord Owen, who had accompanied him, to dismount and rest.
He himself walked to a high point and surveyed the surrounding terrain.
A massive ridge running east to west lay across the land. The uncultivated grasslands were uneven and covered with shrub-like vegetation.
"Not bad."
Daeren nodded as he looked around.
This place lay within the bounds of his fief and was not far from either King's Landing or the East Coast, making travel convenient no matter where he wished to go.
At the same time, there were no settlements nearby.
No one would disturb him.
Leading his horse, Lord Owen hurriedly explained, "Prince, this was once the territory of the Blackfyre Family, but 'Bloodraven' Brynden razed it to the ground."
Daemon Blackfyre had not ruled this territory for long. He had only built a castle here and reclaimed some wasteland.
After the First Blackfyre Rebellion ended, every trace of the Blackfyre Family was erased by "Bloodraven."
Over the past century, few people had paid attention to it.
It was only during the final years of Daeren's grandfather Jaehaerys II's reign that he remembered this royal reserve and relocated some refugees from King's Landing to live self-sufficiently over a dozen miles west of here.
To Daeren, it truly was something his grandfather had left him.
"Wonderful." Daeren was immensely satisfied.
He and Tywin had analyzed the matter before. His father, Aerys, had never intended to grant him a fief and had viewed this land as a disguised form of difficulty.
That was also why its size was astonishing.
To the north it bordered the Blackwater Rush; to the east it extended to the coast; to the south it reached the edge of the Kingswood; and to the west it stretched to the end of the Mander. A vast two thousand square kilometers of land had been tossed to him all at once.
Such a large territory ranked among the notable noble holdings of the Seven Kingdoms.
Advantages: Large area, fertile land.
Disadvantages: Vast land, sparse population, no one to cultivate it.
Without the System Panel, five hundred Gold Dragons would have been a drop in the bucket, nowhere near enough to develop it.
Within Daeren's sight was a patch of hilly land with level terrain and an open view.
A perfect location for a farm.
After some simple preparations, the three of them followed a small path onward.
A moment later.
They came upon an area overgrown with wild grass, thick woods, scattered stones, and fallen logs.
Daeren also spotted a small wooden cabin.
The cabin had clearly been built recently and was hidden among the trees' green shade.
"Prince, this is the temporary residence built according to your wishes."
Lord Owen wiped away his sweat. A man of his age was not suited for climbing mountains.
Seeing that the prince seemed quite pleased with this wilderness, he swallowed the words of warning lodged in his throat. He could only hope the prince was not a purebred Targaryen who had inherited his ancestors' temperament.
A saying was spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms: "Whenever a Targaryen is born, The Seven toss a coin to decide whether he will be great or mad."
The Targaryens of every generation had never lacked either great monarchs or self-willed lunatics.
In his more than forty years of life, he had seen far too many Targaryens who stood at odds with the mundane world.
Daeren was secretly thrilled, though his expression remained calm. "Lord Owen, I will stay here for a few days to familiarize myself with the surroundings. You may return and make your report."
"Uh..."
Owen hesitated for a moment, then relaxed. "Very well, Prince."
Those skilled at flattery were best at currying favor. He mounted his horse and departed at once.
After he left, Daeren found an excuse to send Ser Jon away, creating time to place the farm.
Hoo—
Left alone on the mountain, with the cool breeze brushing his face, Daeren's mind felt unusually clear.
Daeren no longer hesitated. He opened the [Stardew Valley Panel] and clicked to confirm the creation of his farm beneath the five golden-orange words.
[Name: Daeren Targaryen] [Farm Name: Dragon Tongue Farm] [Favorite Thing: CN] [Animal Preference: Dog]
He left the appearance settings below at their defaults, then selected the farm type on the left: [Meadow Farm].
He had rehearsed this in his mind dozens of times already, so his movements were swift.
As for the farm's name, "Dragon Tongue" was the one he liked most after careful consideration.
Based on his personality and the wars, Long Night, and other disasters that might occur in the future, he had originally prepared several names.
Sweet Apple, Abundance, Long Summer...
But in the end, he chose [Dragon Tongue Farm], because he hoped to possess a dragon and reclaim the talents granted by his bloodline.
"A brand-new beginning, come forth."
He clicked confirm.
A soft white light flashed. Daeren gently closed his eyes, and the sound of a wooden mallet tapping like billiard balls reached his ears.
A few seconds later, the sound abruptly stopped.
When Daeren opened his eyes again, the clearing had undergone extremely obvious changes.
First, his small cabin had become somewhat weathered.
A chimney had appeared on its roof, a stack of firewood stood before its door, and patches were visible beneath the windows.
That did not matter.
What was truly miraculous was the change in terrain.
The passage north of the farm had become a dirt road, while a ring of log fencing had appeared around the perimeter, marking out the farm's boundaries.
Daeren lifted his leg over a clump of newly grown Blue Grass. After walking some distance west, he saw that the rock walls on both sides had been hollowed out, forming a dirt passage leading west.
Beside that passage, a rushing waterfall and a wooden Chicken Coop enclosed by fencing had appeared out of nowhere.
The Chicken Coop was completely covered by blue-green grass that reached a person's waist, like a sea of blue and green.
"Excellent, these really are the features of a Meadow Farm."
Before he had time to inspect the farm's full layout, Daeren was completely stunned.
Once a farm type was selected, it could no longer be changed.
As an old farmer deeply versed in this field, he understood the strengths and weaknesses of each of Stardew Valley's eight farms very well.
Standard Farm: The largest Cultivation Area and a regular farm layout.
Hill-top Farm: A small Cultivation Area, but it came with a quarry.
Forest Farm: A small Cultivation Area, but it came with hardwood and foraging resources.
Beach Farm...
Among them, the Meadow Farm added in the 1.6 update was undoubtedly one of the more hardcore farms.
Although its Cultivation Area was only two-thirds that of the Standard Farm, it possessed one irreplaceable advantage.
At the start, it gave him a Chicken Coop and two chicks.
The construction requirements for one Chicken Coop: 4,000 gold, 300 wood, 100 stone.
One chick cost 800 gold to purchase, so two cost 1,600 gold.
Including all requirements and time costs, it would require at least 6,000 to 8,000 gold.
By choosing the Meadow Farm, Daeren had effectively saved 10,000 gold.
He was making a killing.
He just did not know whether the exchange rate between gold and Gold Dragons was linked.
As Daeren searched for the two chicks, he opened the panel.
[Farmer: Daeren Targaryen] Farming: Level 0 Mining: Level 0 Foraging: Level 0 Fishing: Level 0 Combat: Level 0
This was the panel for the five proficiencies, with smaller words and icons below.
Sacrifice Stars: 0 House Upgrades: 0 Mine Floors: 0 Stardrop Collection: 0
At the same time, he saw the familiar calendar, time, weather, and gold in the upper-right corner of the panel.
It displayed Spring, Day 1, Monday, clear weather, 13:32.
Gold: 500.
"Comprehensive. This truly has enormous potential."
Daeren was overjoyed, years of restraint bursting forth all at once.
He could not help but marvel at it.
Beyond the contents above, there was still much more on the panel worth exploring.
Soon, he had figured out most of it.
The inventory, map, crafting, animals, special items—abilities, and collections from the game had all been retained.
Among them, the map currently recorded only the farm's area. Everything outside the farm was covered in fog, so he would likely need to explore it himself.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck..."
Two palm-sized chicks waddled out of the blue-green grass, wings spread at their sides, and walked to the fence.
One was brown and named Grape.
The other was white and named Coconut.
They were the two chicks included with the Chicken Coop.
The chicks would mature in three days and then lay one egg each day.
"Hello, you two."
Daeren's smile reached his eyes as he bent over the fence and stroked the two chicks one by one.
These were no ordinary chicks. They were clearly the foundation of his enterprise.
At that moment, he was certain.
The Red Comet's effect on the continent had indirectly aligned with the panel, and Dragon Tongue Farm would become the greatest production base for Special Crops.
Before you continue