Chapter 44

Long before the plan for his budding empire in Sothyorsos began to take shape in his mind, he knew of some clever minds who were pioneers in their respective fields. People who knew no limits, but were always testing them and looking for ways to push progress forward.

Vaylria has been doing this for thousands of years and has always managed to stay one step ahead of the known world in terms of technology.

The key word here is known, as no one knew what unknown continents were out there that haven't been explored yet, but many were sure that there were more.

But since he started in Sothyorsos, or rather since he set his mind to it, he went to many places to look for even more talented people who could help him with his project. Some he went to talk to in person, some not.

Kaelarys may have a huge dragon, a lot of wealth and influence, and a knack for magic, but unfortunately, that's not all you need to push something like Azorath forward, let alone when you're trying to bring ideas into the world that didn't exist before.

One of those ideas, though not far from what the people of Westeros, Essos, Sothoryos, or Ulthos already knew, but still an upgrade or a new version of what was already there, was a ship.

A ship, as simple as that sounds.

The Ironborn from the Iron Islands of Westeros prefer longships as they are narrow, fast and maneuverable, ideal for raids along the coast. They can be propelled by both oars and sails and have a shallow draft, so they can sail in shallow water and land quickly.

However, most warships are war galleys. These are large warships that were mainly found in the fleets of the great houses of Westeros or in the fleets of the Valyrians.

They have several decks with oarsmen and are equipped with catapults and other siege weapons. These ships are used for open naval warfare and the siege of coastal towns.

Then there were the dromons. These are heavy warships found in the waters of Essos and Westeros. These ships tend to be larger and slower than longships, but better armed and more heavily armored, making them a better choice for large naval battles.

Of course, there were also a variety of merchant ships such as caravels, barges, riverboats and a few others, but these were irrelevant to him for the time being.

If the escort ships were strong enough, the quality of the merchant ships was relatively negligible. Of course, this only applied as long as the merchant ships also had escorts.

But he wanted stronger ships both for the fleet he wanted to build up and for future trade in the Far East either way.

Also, he did not have to provide the ships for trade at the moment, as Aerarro Qoheros took care of the ships, but the day might come in the future when House Qoheros would no longer be able or willing to take on this task.

Should House Qoheros, for whatever reason, decide to no longer trade with him, he would be in a predicament he would never want to be in.

"Do you think that's feasible?" Kaelarys asked Xandor Relmar of House Relmar. House Relmar is a house from Vaylria, much like the Harkonnen. They are a noble house and therefore had something to their name, but they were not dragonriders and therefore lesser nobility in the eyes of the 40 families of the blood.

But no one said it publicly, that would be political suicide, not to mention that the other nobles were powerful too. They had their own trade and good relations in other cities or kingdoms, but they needed each other.

Without the Dragonriders, Vaylria would not be the undisputed power it was, and without the other nobles, there would be many unfilled positions and numerous difficulties. Not to mention the fact that the other noble houses were much more numerous.

Nevertheless, in the millennia since Vaylria was founded, there have never been any problems between the dragon-riding and non-dragon-riding noble families. 

Occasionally between two families, but never to such an extent that conflicts arose between the two noble classes as a whole.

But one hand washes the other, as they say.

"Possibly," Xandor replied, looking at the plans in front of him. "If you don't mind me asking, who drew the plans?"

"My humble self. Why, is there a problem?" he replied. Although he diligently pursued his hobby as an artist, he wasn't really gifted when it came to the finer details.

"Let's put it this way, there's ... Room for improvement," Xandor admitted, turning the plans before his eyes to get different angles.

"So unusably mediocre, or you can recognize anything from it moderate?" Kaelarys inquired, his eyebrows raised as he waited eagerly for the answer.

"The second," Xandor spoke.

Kaelarys hummed to himself, satisfied that his work had at least made a small contribution.

He could have brought Xandor here directly and made him do all the work while he provided only the idea, but he wanted to try it himself.

If he needed someone else to do everything for him, he couldn't live with himself.

The ship he wanted to build was a flagship that would not be built in the modern world until the 18th century. Of course, he didn't have the knowledge at his fingertips, as he had never been a ship fanatic.

But he had enough time to think and had an idea of what it should look like, drew up a rough plan, and with several clever minds tinkering with it, it should be possible to build something nearly as good.

And magic is one factor that could add a little more ... momentum.

"How long do you think it will take?" he asked Xandor after giving him a few more minutes to look over the plans.

Xandor placed the plans on the table in front of him and rubbed his hand against his forehead as he thought deeply. "Months, no doubt," he replied, and it was a time he had expected, but one could dream.

"Not only do you want to build something completely new, but in a place that isn't suitable for the construction. Azorath may have a steadily growing harbor, but it doesn't yet have a shipyard even remotely capable of building a ship of this size, let alone developing one. And no offense, but the drawings aren't exactly a masterpiece either and are rather vague." Xandor pointed out and they were all valid points.

It would take Azorath many more years to get it anywhere near what he envisioned and a shipyard was not something that was a priority for him in the first three years of construction, nor was it something that anyone else in his position would prioritize.

"Fine," Kaelarys said, "then so be it. I will support you with whatever you need. I will also provide you with personal bodyguards while you are here."

Not that Xandor was in need of bodyguards, but Kaelarys was not naive. The bodyguards would be his Warborn and they are absolutely loyal to him.

If Xandor showed even a hint of treachery, he would pay dearly, and from the look Xandor gave him, he knew the reason for the bodyguards as well as Kaelarys did.

"As you wish. "Xandor nodded slightly.

---

It was later in the evening when he was lying in bed with his wife Seraphine. They were both naked, and while only the blanket covered his private parts and he leaned against the edge of the bed, Seraphine lay firmly and securely under the covers.

Only one leg protruded from the comforter and would normally peek over the edge of the bed if the bed wasn't so unusually large.

They have been married for three weeks now and if Seraphine continues to be so eager, he won't be surprised if she gets pregnant soon. 

If she isn't already.

But he could easily understand her. She was sixteen and hadn't even had the chance to taste the pleasures of the flesh, while her friends all had a child and some were even expecting their second.

She had very little experience of her own, aside from what Lysandra had taught her. She was curious and wanted to try everything there was, and he was the last person to deny her that.

Seraphine, Lysandra and he had agreed that he would marry Lysandra if Seraphine had a child, which meant he had another wedding to attend soon.

Seraphine was the second child of the Head of House Baelaeron, and although they both belonged to the same House, it was more proper for his and Seraphine's child to be the next heir or heiress to the House.

Besides, it might seem strange to the outside world for him to marry another woman so soon after his marriage when his first wife wasn't even with child.

Still, he wished he only had one wedding with them both. It would have saved him time and given him more time on Azorath, but you don't get everything you wish for.

After thinking for a few minutes, he decided to sleep with his wife. He cuddled up to Seraphine, put his arms around her and fell asleep.

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Well, I wanted to relax a bit, but now I have already written two chapters.

But there will probably come a time when I really need to relax a bit. Not only for myself, but also because I have to research the whole timeline and everything that happens after the Doom properly, so as not to screw it up royally.

Be sure to leave a review if you like it, and see ya.

Yours,

Jasonenrick!