The outer walls of the castle are made of polished black volcanic rock, with a smooth and dense surface that glows with a dark luster in the sunlight.
The roof is paved with thick wooden beams and stone slabs, and drainage channels are installed on the edges to prevent rainwater from penetrating into the wall.
The rooms inside the castle are divided into different areas according to their functions - the ground floor is the warehouse and kitchen, the second floor is the meeting hall and study room, and the third floor is Redd's private living space.
Windows are opened on the east and west sides of the building to ensure ventilation and avoid direct sunlight at noon.
No ceremony was held on the day Redd moved into the castle.
He just had the few remaining belongings in the tent moved in, and then sat in the study on the second floor of the castle for half an hour. After confirming the position of the desk and the view of the volcanic barrier outside the window, he officially settled in.
Finally he no longer has to live in a tent or cabin.
After this period of teaching and training from the underground Dragonpit, Ehm has been able to command many Demon Dragon well in their daily work.
Ehm's size and strength are enough to handle most crushing and carrying tasks, and as an adult Titan Demon Dragon, its rank in the Demon Dragon legion is second only to King Ghidorah.
Those ordinary sub-adult Demon Dragon will naturally obey in front of Ehm without any additional pressure or instructions.
The way Ehm directs them is very direct, using short neighs and changes in body orientation to convey information. Those information are received and understood between Demon Dragon through visual and auditory signals.
When Ehm moves in the channel, those Demon Dragon that are carrying stones will actively give up the path and continue to work at the original rhythm after Ehm passes by.
This order can be maintained stably even without Redd present, allowing the underground Dragonpit renovation project to continue to advance at an efficient speed.
King Ghidorah also took time out to continue completing Environmental Modification for Fourteen Flames.
It travels back and forth between volcanoes every day, adjusting those still active craters to a more stable state one by one, while absorbing geothermal and radiant energy to replenish its own consumption.
After King Ghidorah completed the first round of transformation, the activity intensity of Fourteen Flames has dropped significantly. Those craters that once continuously erupted now only emit thin white steam most of the time, and only a few maintain intermittent eruptions, sending dark red light and thick smoke into the sky.
The land around the Valyria city has become more fertile due to the reduction of volcanic ash deposition and the redistribution of geothermal activity. The heat seeping out of the ground the Rift is guided to a more suitable location by King Ghidorah. The temperature and humidity of the soil are maintained within a range suitable for farming.
Those seeds that had been suppressed by Cursed Power for hundreds of years re-germinated in the soil, and tiny buds protruded from the cracks in the dry soil, slowly spreading a new layer of green in the windy and sunny area inside the volcanic barrier.
Daily government affairs and material dispatch were handed over to Douglas.
Dragonstone has Mesalia over there, and Free Cities is in charge of Theora and Marcus.
Redd has not seen the reports from City-States for a long time. The areas that Theora and Marcus are responsible for are running stably. Except for the occasional commands that need to be issued by him, they can handle most matters by themselves.
Mesalia maintains the operation of the intelligence network and the daily management of the island's defense on Dragonstone, while continuing to pay attention to the developments of King's Landing and Westeros.
Douglas is responsible for the reconstruction project, material distribution and port scheduling on Valyrian Peninsula. His craftsmen and captains have become accustomed to checking the task distribution from his board every day.
Almost all the power was delegated to Redd. There were no government affairs that he needed to handle personally, and he became relaxed and relaxed.
Redd was so idle that he began to have tea and tobacco shipped from Free Cities, and prepared a tea set and a copper pipe in the study room of the castle.
Tea comes from the trade routes of the Eastern Continent, and there are not many varieties but the quality is acceptable; tobacco comes from the plantation of Riverlands, and is shipped in sealed clay pots after being dried and baked.
He occasionally drank a pot of tea in the afternoon, or sat by the window and smoked a few pipes, letting the bitter taste of tobacco slowly dissipate in his mouth.
He also asked several dancers from Free Cities to perform regularly in the banquet hall of the castle.
The dancers come from different City-States, wear their own traditional costumes, and perform various styles of dance to the accompaniment of music.
Redd was sitting at the main seat in the banquet hall, drinking tea or drinking wine while watching the dancers spinning and swinging in front of his eyes.
He felt that such days were a bit corrupt, but corruption itself was a way of rest that he arranged for himself without any reason.
At night, he didn't mind having a good chat with the dancers.
The content and form of the conversation depended on personal preferences, and he had never had too many scruples in this regard.
Days like this lasted for a while.
Laena has not left Valyria city yet.
After the visit, she did not return to Volantis as quickly as Redd expected, but continued to stay on the grounds of further understanding the reconstruction progress of Valyria city.
She lives in an independent courtyard near the castle. She walks around the ruins area every day during the day, observing the construction progress, and occasionally talks with craftsmen and soldiers.
At night, she would go back to her own courtyard to rest, not dining with Redd or participating in the entertainment activities in the banquet hall.
Redd doesn't care about her existence, at least not during the day.
But at night, when he wanted to stay in the banquet hall for a while, or wanted to take a dancer to the living space on the third floor, Laena's courtyard was right next to the only way from the banquet hall to the third-floor staircase.
Sometimes she would stand at the entrance of the courtyard, watch Redd pass by, and then say a few short words.
Most of the content of those words was about her request to return Dark Sister.
Dark Sister is the Valyrian steel sword that Redd has always carried with him. It was the trophy captured from Daemon.
The sword has a long and narrow blade, a sharp edge, and just the right weight in his hand. It is the most comfortable sword he has ever used.
After Laena arrived at Valyria City, he quickly noticed the sword on Redd's waist.
She recognized the style and decoration of the sword, and after confirming that it was Daemon's sword, she began to request Redd's return.
Redd clearly refused. He was very comfortable with that sword, not to mention it was his trophy.
Laena did not give up because of his refusal. Instead, he continued to stop him every evening and used various reasons to try to persuade him to change his mind.
She said that the sword was her husband's relic and had special meaning to her; she said that Daemon must have hoped that the sword could return to the family before he died; she said that she could exchange it for other things, including certain interests and promises from House Velaryon.