Redd breathed a sigh of relief and conveyed his appreciation and comfort to King Ghidorah through his thoughts.
He walked towards the coast and looked at the gradually calming sea with scattered remains of the giant beast floating on it, as well as the direction in which Tormund disappeared in the distance, with deep eyes.
Tormund ran away, but the summoned Naga descendant was killed by King Ghidorah.
Part of Daemon's secret was exposed, and the rift between House Velaryon and Targaryen deepened.
And the secret hidden by Stepstones seems to have only revealed the tip of the iceberg.
"Mysaria," Redd ordered, "record everything that happened here, including the detailed characteristics of the giant beast, the battle process, and... what Prince Daemon said about his dragon.
In addition, when the sea calms down a bit, send people to salvage some samples of the remains of the giant beasts, especially horn, blood and... possible special organs.
Our 'friends' at Braavos should be very interested in these."
"Yes, Master." Mysaria responded immediately.
Redd looked at the frightened Corlys fleet in the distance, which was gathering the remaining defeated troops, as well as Bloodstone Island's own troops and Daemon's subordinates who had also suffered heavy losses and had low morale.
This anti-bandit operation could be said to be a complete failure - the target escaped, the fleet suffered heavy losses, and unexpected terrifying creatures were introduced.
But for Redd personally, the harvest is huge.
He got key information about Daemon and "Caraxes", saw (and had King Ghidorah kill) the legendary creature,
We further understood the trump cards and contradictions of the various forces in Westeros, and also obtained extremely precious "research samples" from deep-sea behemoths.
"It's time to go back." Redd looked in the direction of King's Landing, with a new plan in mind.
This Stepstones turmoil will never subside.
On the contrary, it may be like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, causing greater waves in King's Landing and Seven Kingdoms.
And he was ready for the next round of the game.
The sea breeze carries the thick salty smell of gunpowder smoke, blood and marine life, blowing against the broken Bloodstone Island coast.
The movement in the direction of Gray Gallows Island has subsided, and only one or two dull sounds can be heard occasionally, which seem to be the sound of the mountain further sliding or the wreckage sinking.
Gray Gallows Island, which was once listed as one of the two main islands of Stepstones along with Bloodstone Island, has now become "shorter" in everyone's sight, and its outline is blurred.
The coastline is fragmented, and large areas are submerged in seawater or covered with sliding rocks and sand. It is indeed more like a large subsidiary island.
Mysaria took the order and left, taking the few surviving and relatively calm Dragon King fleet officers and soldiers, they began to search along the Bloodstone Island coastline and nearby relatively calm waters.
They need to find survivors, and more importantly, find ships that can still sail - whether they belong to the Dragon King fleet, the Driftmark fleet, or the wreckage of the pirates that have been broken up.
The scene was miserable and chaotic.
Floating ship fragments, broken canvas, scattered cargo and personal belongings can be seen everywhere, occasionally mixed with white-soaked corpses.
Occasionally, faint calls for help or moans can be heard coming from under a floating board or from a rock gap. The rescue work is difficult and slow.
Redd stood on a higher rock, overlooking all this, with a calm expression.
His loss of hundreds of warships and thousands of sailors and soldiers was a pity, but for the huge eastern power he controlled, it was still within the acceptable range.
The death of Corlys Velaryon, the clan leader nicknamed Sea Snake, is of much greater significance.
Master of Ships, Driftmark Earl, the nominal supreme commander of the Kingdom's navy, died in the "unexpected" disaster caused by this "bandit suppression" operation.
Although this "accident" was caused by the Naga descendant summoned by Tormund and King Ghidorah's battle with it,
But tracing back to the root cause, it was King Viserys's suspicion, Daemon's greed, Corlys's own sway, and Tormund's despair.
And Redd himself only added fuel to the flames at the right time, and eventually became a witness (and part of the participants) of "clearing the battlefield".
Once Corlys dies, House Velaryon will fall into huge turmoil and a power vacuum.
As the nominal heir, can Laenor shoulder the heavy responsibility of Driftmark and the navy?
How will Princess Rhaenys react? Will Daemon take the opportunity to intervene?
How will Viserys and Otto of King's Landing treat this family that has lost its core leader but still controls three dragons and a huge fleet?
All of this will have a profound impact on the situation of Westeros.
And Redd can gain more benefits from it, or... bury deeper chess pieces.
In the distance, Daemon is personally supervising the two surviving followers to treat the wounds of "Caraxes".
His face was still ugly, but in addition to fear, there was also a hint of indescribable gloom and thinking in his eyes.
He lost some ships and personnel, and his dragon was also injured, but the accidental death of Corlys, maybe... for him, it may not be all bad things?
At least, House Velaryon's fleet has temporarily lost its most powerful controller.
"Master." Mysaria returned. His body was stained with some sea water and mud, but his expression was still capable.
"After a preliminary inventory, we found about twenty ships nearby that were damaged to varying degrees but could still sail, mainly smaller clippers and long ships in our Dragon King fleet and Driftmark fleet.
Large battleships... were basically destroyed.
There are about three hundred survivors, half of whom are ours, and the rest are people of Prince Driftmark and...Daemon.
Corlys Earl's flagship 'Sea Snake'... has not been found and may have sunk or completely disintegrated.
Currently, there is no trace of Corlys Earl or the senior officers around him. The hope of survival... is slim."
Redd nodded. This result was within his expectation.
With that level of energy impact and huge waves, the main force of the fleet located near the coast of Gray Gallows Island has an extremely low probability of survival.
"Gather all those who can still move, repair available ships, and collect fresh water and available supplies."
Redd ordered, "We will rest here overnight and return early tomorrow morning."
"Return? Return to King's Landing?" Mysaria asked.
"No, let's go back to Dragonstone first." Redd looked to the northeast, "We need to rest and replenish our losses.
Moreover, some news needs to be 'digested' before deciding how to report it to King's Landing."
He couldn't just go back to King's Landing in disgrace and with heavy losses.
He needs time to integrate information, assess losses, and formulate next strategies.