Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 182 In the Storm
Because of the arrival of Willas and Marwyn, Viserys' plan to go to the Stormlands was delayed for a while.

After making arrangements for Marwyn, Viserys had someone take him, in a disguised form, to the southern frontier as soon as possible. He knew that he could not wait any longer.

Viserys had already arranged a team of Stormlands men in the Stormlands, consisting of the Wilder family of Rainhouse, the Eshmond family of Greenstone, the Mettling family of Mistwood, the Davos family of Cape Wrath, and the free rider scouts sent by Viserys. They formed an investigation team of about 200 people composed of knights and guards from various castles who were good at field searches. There were also two accompanying maesters in the team, a team responsible for searching for the crew of the Golden Company's lost ships, and town managers in the coastal areas being investigated. Hunters who were familiar with the geography of various places in the northern rainforest were also summoned.

At Viserys' request, this team had gathered on the coast near Rain House City and was heading towards the fishing village in the north of the rain forest. They were led by Scott, the scout who had seen humans sacrificed to the evil god, to find the evil fishing village. Viserys assembled this team in the name of clearing the evil god sacrifices in the evil fishing village in the rain forest and finding out the disaster situation along the coast of the rain forest.

After all, the king had summoned all the lords around the rain forest to investigate the disaster in the Stormland Rain Forest. They should contribute money and effort to this operation. Especially Rain House City and Fog Forest City, they were the lords who suffered the most. Many towns and knights in their territories were destroyed by the floods caused by the continuous rain for many days. Many small towns were flooded, a large number of residents and livestock died or disappeared, and the cultivated land and forest land for growing fruits and cash crops were completely swallowed up by the floods and muddy water.

Many survivors could only venture to larger towns, or seek refuge with relatives, or live a miserable life with temporary relief from nobles in various places. This rainy season seemed to have no end at all. As a result, many areas were completely shut down. The rainforest was fertile and could be considered a grain-producing area with a large population in the Storm Land. The victims of the disaster gathered more and more in the towns that were not affected by the disaster. If things went wrong, riots might break out.

Another point is that in addition to the fishing villages discovered by Scott, there are also many rumors among the affected residents. It is said that some victims found a large number of fish stranded on the shore in some open, uninhabited seas and estuaries. Rumor has it that in those places, there is no need to go out to sea to fish, and there is no need for fishing boats. Just picking up fish on the coast can be enough for everyone to survive.

People even thought of the story of the "little fish" the king had told them, but they never thought it was true. They could see countless stranded fish on the coast. But the victims would not throw the fish back into the sea, but pick them up and make them into dried fish and fish meat.

As a result, many disaster victims gathered in the places where the rumors happened.

However, due to the incessant rain and the pressure of town management, the knights and guards of the castles in various places did not go out to investigate, and no one took these rumors seriously.

Until the King, the Warden of Stormlands, issued an order to form an investigation team.

"Dragon!"

"Your Majesty is here."

Through the rain, the observation post saw the king riding a dragon appear above the temporary camp.

The nominal commander of this team was Sir Mund Wilder, the younger brother of Count Caspar Wilder, the lord of Rain House City, and a highly respected old knight.

Because Viserys's scout "Scott, the survivor of the terrible fishing village" had previously discovered the fishing village where the cult was worshipping sacrifices within the jurisdiction of Rain House City, this raid on the fishing village will be commanded by Sir Mond.

Ser Mond had witnessed the power of the king's dragon on the battlefield when he had marched with Stannis. Now, seeing the king riding a dragon under the leaden sky, he felt deeply the importance the king attached to this matter. He dared not neglect it. When he heard the report from the sentry, he immediately walked out of the rain-soaked tent.

He did not hear the roar and flapping of the dragon's wings, but instead heard the incessant sound of rain hitting the tent, the rumbling of thunder, the howling of the wind, and the surging sea in the distance like the roar of a giant beast.

The king's three-headed dragon emerged from the rainstorm, and under the thunder and lightning, it looked like a tall god.

It was raining heavily at this time. Sir Mond took off his helmet. The rain made his head hurt. The wind and rain made it difficult for him to open his eyes. He shouted loudly: "Your Majesty!"

The old knight licked his thick lips nervously. He arrived at the designated location about half a day later than the marching plan ordered by the king. The rain in the rain forest has been long and continuous these days, and many unexpected things have happened during his march. Marching in the rain is difficult in itself, not to mention that the team encountered muddy and collapsed roads just a dozen miles out of Yuwu City. The fields were flooded and it was difficult to identify the pits and the original roads. Many small rivers that were originally tributaries swelled, forcing them to take a detour.

Many places that used to be traversable on horseback now require one to dismount and lead the horse.

Because the storm made the sea uneasy, the logistical supplies originally planned to be carried by ship had to be transported overland in the rain. Food, fodder, and supplies had to be strictly guarded against being soaked by the rain.

The cavalry journey, which was originally scheduled for two days, was delayed for half a day.

The king rode on the dragon and slowly flapped his wings to land on the large open space specially reserved for the camp. The huge dragon body blocked the strong wind from the sea for the people who came to greet the camp. The king did not get off the dragon, but only asked: "How far is it from here to the fishing village?"

Viserys was not an unsympathetic person, and he watched the old knight, the standard-bearing officer, and the soldiers from various teams come out in the rain to greet them. He also saw the flags of the tents being soaked in water and hanging on the poles, like many drowned cats.

The storm in this place was greater than Viserys had imagined, and the whole world seemed to have turned gray in the heavy rain.

Even Viserys wanted to hide in the tent at this moment to avoid the rain.

Sir Mond responded loudly: "According to Scott, the man you sent, there are still five or six leagues to go. I have sent scouts to search along the coastline. I believe we will find the fishing village soon."

Strangely enough, the fishing village that Scott mentioned was not in the records of Rain House City. Even the manager of this area did not know that there was such a village. Only a few fishermen and hunters confirmed that there were indeed several semi-savage fishing villages far away from the town.

Savages and half-savages exist even in the Stormlands. Most of these so-called half-savages are farmers, fishermen, and freemen who have fled to remote mountains and forests or coasts to avoid taxes and corvee labor.

If they had not been found to be using humans for evil sacrifices, and the king had attached great importance to this matter, in most cases, as long as they did not become bandits who robbed the lords' territories, the lords would probably not extend their hands to such far places. These places were too remote, and even if they were brought under management, they would not be able to collect any taxes.

"Let the troops take shelter from the rain and rest until the scouts come back to see if the rain has subsided. Then we can decide how to surround and control the people in the fishing village." Viserys gave new orders, and then said, "I'll go take a look at the situation."

As he spoke, without waiting for Ser Mond's response, Viserys flapped his wings and took off, disappearing into the rain in a moment.

Sir Mond looked solemn and tried to calm down. As a commander, he had no experience in cooperating with dragon knights, so he could only take one step at a time. Even if he was dealing with unarmed fishermen, on such a rainy day, the rain curtain under the storm was like a thick fog, and visibility was only a few dozen steps away.

The biggest threat to this march was actually the storm. If the storm in Shipbreaker Bay turned into a hurricane, the team might suffer serious losses. Originally, many people, including Sir Mond, could not understand why they had to march in the storm to deal with a small fishing village under the threat of an autumn storm.

But the king's attention to it made many people feel uneasy. The rain in Stormland was indeed very strange. Many old people, including Lord Casper, the lord of Rain House City who was over 60 years old, said that they had never seen such strange rain in their lives. The drizzle continued for several months without any sign of stopping.

Many people thought of the few brief sunny days after the Red Woman's sacrifice during their stay at Storm's End. After the Red Woman left, even the drizzle in Storm's End turned into heavy rain.

Then there was the king's magical powers, and the rumors of White Walkers brought back from Braavos.

All these disturbing information put together would make people imagine a terrifying scene, revealing that the rain in the storm might represent some terrible situation. So this incident made Sir Mond feel great pressure. Sir Mond did not want any accidents.

Many people had similar ideas to Sir Mond when they braved the storm to deal with a small fishing village. Many experienced knights suggested to the lord to wait until the rain stopped or the rain was lighter before sending out troops, but the king's order was that no matter what the weather was, the army must assemble at the designated time and arrive at the designated location.

As it turned out, the rain showed no sign of stopping.

The king issued the order before his wedding to gather the rainforest knights who had been sent back to the territory. The order to start the march was brought by the raven after the king returned from Braavos. Today, the king met with the survey team here. Calculating the time, nearly two weeks have passed. But the heavy rain has not stopped in the days when the troops gathered, met in Rain House City, and approached the fishing village. Instead, it has become heavier.

Sir Mond had no choice but to take it seriously. This time, Sir Mond basically considered it as dealing with bandits who had gathered to cause chaos, taking into account the possible force and resistance of the fishermen, and being cautious everywhere.

As for Viserys, he flew from Storm's End to Rainhouse, then searched along the coastline before he caught up with the team.

The coastline north of the rain forest is long and vast, with countless fishing villages along the coastline, and some houses are built in the dense forests, in the cracks of the coastal cliffs, and in the shade. It is difficult for Viserys to determine the correct location of the village based on the general description of the frightened scout Scott, especially Scott's impression of the fishing village is at night.

The scout himself must lead the way.

It would be a waste of time to ask Viserys to turn into a dragon and search each village one by one. Moreover, without witnesses to identify them, Viserys could not be sure which village's fishermen were cultists.

In fact, Viserys had consciously been paying attention to the coastline as he flew all the way here. But the rain was so heavy that it covered large tracts of the coastline like fog. Viserys couldn't see the coastline clearly unless he landed close to it.

To be honest, this is very abnormal.

Even though Viserys's knowledge of climate was limited to the weather forecast before the journey, he knew that it was extremely abnormal for such an area of ​​sea and coastline north of Shipbreaker Bay to be covered by storms at the same time.

Viserys had been chasing all the way from Rainhouse City along the coastline, and had seen that many roads had been washed away by the rising rivers. Those rivers were not big rivers originally, but some mountain streams or small rivers in the fields, but after a long rainy season, they became violent and turbulent.

Even several fishing villages and coastal villages a few miles away from Yuwu City were flooded. The wind and rain blew down countless houses, and the residents had to relocate.

It is said that the rain has not stopped for nearly two months. In the previous period, it was continuous drizzle with intermittent rain. In the past two weeks, the drizzle turned into heavy rain, as if it would never stop.

Considering the long rainy season, Viserys doubted that the fishing village Scott mentioned still existed.

So as soon as he saw the military camp, Viserys wanted to find out what was going on.

Knowing that the scouts he sent out had not returned yet, he could not sit still and wait.

Viserys flew close to the ground along the coastline in the rain. To his right, the lingering storm beat against the surging sea. This wide sea area was the famous Shipbreaker Bay.

The sound of waves in the storm is deep and powerful, as if it merges with the sound of heavy rain hitting the shore, like the roar of a giant beast.

Viserys was filled with doubt.

"A storm breaks out in a broken ship."

He remembered Patchface's song.

As far as Viserys could see, the gray rain curtain seemed to occupy the entire world. Even with his dragon eyes, the visibility was only about a hundred meters.

If he were searching alone, Viserys doubted that in such a storm he would be unable to do more than fly low and aimlessly along the coast, with no idea when he would find anything.

a moment.

Viserys smelled a strange odor among the mud in the rain and the salty sea.

Viserys felt uneasy, and there was a sinister atmosphere in the air of the coastline, the mud and the beach. Viserys first saw some stranded broken planks appearing as far as he could see on the coast. He flapped his wings and continued forward, and then he smelled the stench of decay in the rain.

Then Viserys saw the endless muddy beach on the coast under the rain, with large bodies of fish and some indescribable marine animals exposed.

The smell of fish and rotting flesh was so overwhelming that Viserys almost wanted to vomit.

The merciless rain poured down, slapping the stinking carcasses. The scenery on the road became monotonous, and Viserys could only see the vast black sea in the rain and the endless schools of fish carcasses on the muddy beach.

This stretch of coastline, strewn with dead seafood, was about half a league long. Viserys endured the discomfort and flew all the way to the end of the coast.

This is a small bay that is sheltered from the wind. In the open area of ​​the bay is a black fishing village. Many thatched houses have collapsed and seem to have been abandoned. The ground of the fishing village is covered with a kind of black swamp that emits a foul smell.

The storm poured down on the fishing village filled with these dark swamps, carrying this strange black mud along the exit of the fishing village into the sea.

Here Viserys saw the scouts sent by Ser Mond, their mouths and noses covered with sackcloth, watching from afar on the hills and ridges outside the fishing village. They had no doubt seen the king as he rode up on his dragon, and they appeared one after another, waving banners that were limp in the rain.

Viserys's eyes followed the terrain of the fishing village and looked towards the canyon in the crevice of a high hill not far from the open area where the fishing village was located. There were many natural caves visible to the naked eye, and the black mud that was all over the ground where the fishing village was located was flowing out continuously from there.

(End of this chapter)