Chapter 137: The Legion

Rhaenys' question was soon answered.

The maid in charge of the kitchen hurried over, informing the princess who was now overseeing the affairs of the castle that the kitchen had been burglarized the night before.

The burglar seemed to be extremely hungry, devouring a significant amount of food stored in the kitchen, and not shying away from eating raw, hot or cold dishes.

As the maid relayed this information, the proud black dragon, Balerion, lying atop the cupboard, inexplicably turned its head.

Then the fierce head burrowed beneath its wings, scratching slightly, as if scratching an itch. It soon pulled its head back out.

Unflinching.

Both Princess Rhaenys and Daenerys had already dressed themselves. Daenerys finally realized that her hair and eyebrows had been burned off, causing her to feel a social death and a sense of disbelief.

Although the young girl was still young, she was conscious of her appearance. She adamantly insisted on locking herself in her room until her hair and eyebrows grew back.

Now, Daenerys wore a wide-brimmed hat, with a white veil encircling it. She could see out from within, but it was difficult for others to make out her facial features.

The two girls were sitting on the bed, listening to the tense report from the kitchen maid, exchanging glances and looking at each other.

"This..."

Due to yesterday's fire, everyone's nerves were on edge, fearing another accident.

Hence, the kitchen maid hastily came to report to the princess. Judging by the terrifying amount of food consumed, if a burglar this voracious had entered the castle and was hiding somewhere, it could have serious consequences.

"A burglar?"

"Stealing food?"

"Eating raw without reservation?"

The two princesses listened to the maid's report, exchanged glances, and then both looked up at Balerion lying on top of the cupboard.

The black dragon's expression seemed somewhat unnatural, as if it could understand human speech. It then adjusted its reclining position, staring blankly at a spot on the ceiling.

The room fell silent for a while.

"No wonder my brother's dragon grew so big."

Daenerys looked at Balerion and blinked before finally whispering.

"So it's been stealing food."

Balerion was more than three times the size of Viserion and Rhaegal.

This exaggerated size difference made the other two young dragons somewhat tremble in fear when faced with their big brother, not daring to look directly into its crimson eyes, let alone lie beside it or play with Balerion.

"But... even if it's been stealing food, it shouldn't have grown so big, right?"

Rhaenys, hearing Daenerys' whisper, couldn't help but speak out.

Then she looked down at her own Rhaegal, who appeared like a malnourished puppy, feeling somewhat wronged.

"The gap is too big."

"Did Rhaegal not eat enough yesterday?"

Yesterday, the three young dragons had just hatched, and Rhaenys had asked the kitchen to prepare plenty of beef and mutton for them, fearing they wouldn't be full.

Although these little creatures had just been born, their appetite and teeth were surprisingly good. However, limited by their size, they couldn't eat more even if they wanted to, as they didn't have such a large stomach.

...

In the end, as the two girls rested, the three baby dragons also fell asleep beneath their beds.

However, later on, Balerion somehow managed to sneak out in the middle of the night to feast without making a sound, and he did not bring his two younger brothers with him.

Though the suspected culprit was right in front of her, Rhaenys remained cautious and ordered a quick inspection of the entire castle, instructing the maidservants that there was no need to lock the kitchen door at night anymore.

She was afraid that if Balerion couldn't open the door, he might tear the house apart.

...

While a great fire brought disaster, it also gave birth to blessings.

Andaros witnessed the birth of three baby dragons.

Meanwhile, far away in the ruined city-state of Ghoyan Drohe,

After a night's rest, the Andaros army packed up once more, preparing to break camp and embark on a new day's journey.

"How are the supplies?"

At present, the army's officers were busy writing on paper, while the soldiers below reported on various tasks in a cacophony of voices.

"Where are the people sent to gather resources?"

The tent was filled with noise, reminiscent of a small-town marketplace.

The Andaros army was somewhat different from other city-states or noble armies.

Though the differences were minute and seemingly insignificant, many unique ideas had been silently integrated into their structure.

Firstly, the officers in the army were highly specialized and organized, and their management approach was meticulous without being unwieldy. A large number of positions and ranks allowed soldiers to advance in the ranks, making them more courageous and willing to fight.

Secondly, the division of responsibilities was improved, minimizing conflicts of authority and territory to prevent finger-pointing and blame-shifting.

The person in charge of equipment handled logistics, while the one responsible for food managed meals. Any issues could be directly traced to the person in charge of the respective task.

This was the impact of Viserys.

For example, during the last battle, a significant problem arose with the placement of the caltrops. The Dothraki easily broke through the caltrop lines using ropes, directly infiltrating the front lines and causing heavy casualties.

In the end, after the battle was over,

Viserys, who had fought all day, continued to work late into the night, handling military affairs by lamplight. He discovered the reason for the issue with the caltrops.

It turned out that his messenger had not accurately relayed his orders, neglecting to inform the officers and soldiers responsible for placing the caltrops to bury them in the ground to prevent them from being pulled away with ropes.

An inability to accurately relay a commander's orders within the army was a grave offense, particularly when it led to severe losses on the battlefield. Viserys had no choice but to execute the messenger, making an example of him in front of the entire army as a warning not to be negligent in times of war.

Though Viserys was not skilled in training soldiers, a task Oberyn had always handled, his leadership brought order to the army, significantly increasing its operational efficiency. Combined with Oberyn's training, this resulted in a powerful force.

Subsequently,

The entire Andaros army, under this highly efficient operational model, saved as much time as possible, quickly packing up and dismantling their camp.

Following the direction of their king's sword, they set out towards the location where the red comet had fallen.

...