Viserys's face was gloomy, he didn't expect even the youngest, Daeron, to dare defy him.
This undoubtedly made him lose face in front of everyone.
But to be honest, Viserys had already lost much of his standing.
Aegon's high reputation in the Seven Kingdoms wasn't just because he was the eldest son.
He didn't mess around, had no negative rumors, and was generous and kind.
In contrast, the heir Viserys personally appointed,
Rhaenyra received almost no positive evaluation except for being called the "Light of the Kingdom" when she was a child.
She even gave birth to three bastards consecutively after getting married.
This not only made her a "bitch" but also got Viserys labeled as "foolish".
Most nobles in the Seven Kingdoms didn't know what Viserys was thinking.
If they had an excellent eldest son like Aegon, they would have made him the heir and cultivated him properly long ago.
Aegon took Alicent's hand and helped her into the carriage that had been prepared.
"Let's go," Aegon ordered after getting into the carriage.
The coachman cracked his whip and headed towards the port.
Seeing his brother and mother leave, Daeron patted Tessarion.
"Roar!"
Tessarion let out a low growl and flew above the carriage, escorting Aegon and Alicent.
Otto watched his daughter and grandson's retreating figures, a smile playing on his lips, and said to Viserys:
"Your Majesty, we still need to discuss the details of the war with Dorne, let's go back."
Viserys snorted coldly and turned back towards the Red Keep.
Otto walked last, staring at the backs of Viserys, Daemon, and Rhaenyra with a playful look in his eyes.
You want to use Dorne to gain reputation and merit, but have you asked the Hightower Family?
The Hightower Family has cultivated the Reach for many years and is close to Dorne; it's too easy to trip you up.
Otto calculated in his heart, perhaps he could not only trip them up but also use the opportunity to destroy the House Beesbury of Honeyholt.
He had to plan carefully.
Blackwater Bay Port.
Dreamfyre and Vhagar flew low, and many people stopped to look up.
Although the commoners of King's Landing were used to Dragons, the low-altitude flight of such massive creatures as Dreamfyre and Vhagar was still a very shocking sight for them.
After arriving at the port, Aegon waited for a while before Jasper Wilde arrived.
"Sorry, Your Highness, I'm late," Jasper said with an apologetic look.
"You're not late, I just arrived myself not long ago. I'll have to trouble you with the legal work on the Stepstones in the future," Aegon said with a smile.
"It is my honor to be your legal... councilor, Your Highness."
Jasper didn't know what the Round Table meeting was, but he could guess the general idea.
Aegon nodded, stroking his chin. The fleet had successfully set sail, but he always felt like he had forgotten something.
"What's wrong?" Alicent asked.
"I always feel like I've forgotten something."
Aegon frowned deeply.
The ship's hold was filled with supplies desperately needed on Dragonstone.
Helena, Aemond, and Daeron were all there, even Alicent was brought along, so no one was left behind.
As for restoring Hugh's surname, he hadn't found a chance to speak about it yet, but he hadn't forgotten.
"!!"
Aegon suddenly remembered.
"Uh—that old man!"
"Ahem, Mother, do you still remember that old... man who asked me for help when I first came back?"
Alicent breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"I thought you had forgotten something important. Your grandfather has handled it properly."
"Handled..." Aegon's face was a little unnatural. "Is it convenient to tell me how my grandfather handled it?"
Aegon was really afraid that Otto's method was to directly kill the old man and then feed his body to the dogs.
"Don't worry, it's not what you think.
That old man is named Thompson, one of the people taken in by the orphanage you established back then.
To prevent your popularity from becoming too high in King's Landing, Rhaenyra had Viserys cut off funding for the orphanage and the nursing home.
However, it has been restored now, using money from the Hightower Family.
Don't think too much about it; that amount of money is nothing to the Hightower Family, and it can maintain your reputation, it's worth it!"
Aegon's mouth twitched upon hearing this.
Damn it, they are truly talents...
Are Rhaenyra and Viserys even normal people?
Aegon established the orphanage and nursing home to gain popularity and build a reputation as a "people-loving" person.
Instead of establishing new orphanages and nursing homes in their own names to win people's hearts, they turned around and cut off funding for his nursing home and orphanage?
What was the point of this, other than making Rhaenyra's already bad reputation even worse?
"Alas."
Aegon sighed.
He seemed to have overestimated the Black Party; even if he did nothing, the Black Party would dig their own graves and jump in.
But as he thought about it, Aegon suddenly burst out laughing.
He suddenly remembered the popular phrase from his previous life, "scaring yourself."
"What's wrong?" Alicent asked with a worried tone.
"Uh, I'm fine."
Aegon quickly composed himself and his facial expression.
"I just thought of a lot of funny things, it's nothing, I'm fine."
Two days ago, Stepstones.
After layers of scrutiny, Taylor finally met Kraken.
Unfortunately, he was a step too late and couldn't meet Aegon.
"You want peace?"
Kraken looked at Taylor with interest.
Taylor was a bit embarrassed, but quickly adjusted his emotions.
The party actively seeking peace was essentially surrendering; seeking peace was just a way to save face.
"Chief Nekania, considering the overall situation, has decided to sign a peace agreement with Prince Aegon.
As long as you pay 30 million gold dragons in war reparations and cede all islands east of the Stepstones to Tyrosh.
Tyrosh will agree to a ceasefire with Prince Aegon and simultaneously recognize Prince Aegon's rule over the western islands of the Stepstones.
If you cannot produce three million gold dragons, you can also send a Dragonrider to fight for Chief Nekania in Tyrosh.
Chief Nekania will allow you to repay in installments."
Taylor spoke eloquently in front of Kraken and Loren, as if Dragonstone was the side seeking peace.
"Pfft."
Loren was the first to lose control.
Then Kraken couldn't hold back either.
The two looked at each other, then burst into laughter, and even the guards and servants nearby couldn't help but laugh.
Taylor's face gradually turned red.
This was different from the scene he had imagined.
He had imagined stating the conditions first, then slowly negotiating, and finally trying his best to preserve Tyrosh's interests.
He had even envisioned many different reactions from the other side, but he had never imagined they would mock him so brazenly.
Completely enraged, Taylor snapped, "We are negotiating, is this how you treat envoys?"
Seeing that Taylor was already furious, Kraken and Loren stopped laughing.
But seeing Taylor's flushed face, they couldn't maintain their composure again.
Tears of laughter streamed down their faces before Kraken and Loren finally stopped laughing.
"Sorry... sorry, it's just too funny. Alright, let me confirm again, are you really the envoy from Tyrosh?"
Loren still couldn't quite believe it. Did Tyrosh send a clown?
Kraken beckoned to a servant nearby.
"Go arrange a small stool. The envoy from Tyrosh is still standing. Hurry."
The servant nodded, moved a small stool, and placed it behind Taylor.
Taylor was at least six feet tall, but the stool was very small, making it difficult to sit down.
"What do you two mean?" Taylor demanded. "If you just want to humiliate me, then there's no need to talk!"
Kraken and Loren put away their smiles and stopped joking around.
"If you don't want to talk, you can leave. If you want to talk, then sit down and speak. You choose," Loren said indifferently.
Taylor's face was unsightly, his hands trembling with anger.
But thinking of the promise he had made, Taylor still sat down on the small stool with a humiliated look.
He was squeezed into a ball, looking comical and ridiculous.
"That's better."
Loren nodded.
"Our conditions are also very simple."
"First, Tyrosh pays 30 million gold dragons in war reparations and hands over all its territory."
"Second, we will resettle the Tyroshi people centrally, and the Tyroshi people must obey the arrangements unconditionally."
Taylor jumped up upon hearing this.
"Is it fun to play with me?" he asked angrily, questioning Loren.
"No, these are our conditions," Loren said with a serious face.
Kraken nodded in agreement:
"That's right, these are our conditions. If you don't agree, get out. Are you waiting for food?"
"Hahaha!"
The sound of laughter from the crowd rose again.
But to Kraken's surprise, Taylor slowly sat back down again.
Taylor took several deep breaths to control his emotions, finally showing a smile.
"We, Tyrosh, are negotiating with the utmost sincerity, please stop joking, both of you."
"You can really endure."
Loren crossed his legs.
"What do you think we're fighting Tyrosh for?"
"We don't need Tyrosh's recognition, nor do we need Tyrosh's reparations. We want the land, all the land!"
"We have Dragons, five Dragons, four of which are over fifty meters long, bigger than your ships.
"Against Tyrosh, we only need one Dragon to achieve our goal."
Kraken's four short sentences left Taylor heartbroken.
At this moment, Taylor finally understood one thing.
From beginning to end, Tyrosh was just fish on a cutting board in the eyes of Egon Targaryen.
The funny thing was that Tyrosh had already been served at the table, yet they still thought Egon Targaryen only wanted the Stepstones.
Just then, a guard suddenly rushed in.
"Lord Kraken, Lord Loren, something has happened in the east.
The fast ship patrolling in the east sent back a message that a very large fleet is rapidly sailing towards Dragonstone."
Kraken's face changed, and he looked sharply at Taylor.
"Tyrosh has planned well, but you don't think there's no one on Dragonstone just because Your Highness isn't here, do you?"
"Give the order, immediately assemble the able-bodied men on the island and distribute armor and weapons!"
Kraken didn't forget Taylor either.
He directly ordered someone to take Taylor away and lock him up, and specifically instructed the guard not to let Taylor commit suicide.
"You go gather the forces, I'll go to the Dragonpit," Kraken finally said to Loren.
"No problem, be careful. Although Your Highness's Dragons are very smart, Dragons are Dragons after all, not people."
The two had a clear division of labor. Kraken was responsible for going to the Dragonpit to awaken Sunfyre.
Loren was responsible for assembling the able-bodied forces and sending someone to notify Alec to gather the knights on the island. The Hightower Family had provided five thousand sets of armor.
Although they were just the most common lamellar armor, their defensive power was far superior to ordinary leather armor.
Five thousand strong men in armor, no matter where they were placed, would be a very powerful military force, especially with knights and even Dragons cooperating in combat.