Game of Thrones: The Black Dragon King

Meereen, south of the Kaisai Pass.

The Kaiser Mountains enclose a vast plain, forming a natural river valley. A tributary of the Skazadan River originates at the point where the mountains meet deep within this valley, dividing the plain into six irregular sections.

The valley has only two entrances: the northern one is close to the Kaiser Pass, about 1 league wide (a unit of length in the Ice and Fire world, approximately 4.5 to 5.5 kilometers), and the southern exit is close to Zarasi, about 1.5 leagues wide. Blocking these two gaps would form a natural giant city.

This was Reed's planned troop production base. Its geographical location was militarily easy to defend, and as a logistical base, it offered a safe and stable production environment—truly a godsend.

The valley is surrounded by mountains, with only two exits that are easy to defend and difficult to attack. He plans to use the natural barriers here to build two impregnable military fortresses, making the valley a crucial foothold for future conquests.

Reed is undergoing major construction.

To build a large army, one must first expand the population cap. To expand the population cap, one must build housing on a massive scale; construct large-scale wheat farms, apple orchards, pastures, hop farms, mills, bakeries, and breweries; and simultaneously, based on the population base, establish an appropriate number of fire tanks, drinking wells, churches, statues, fountains, gardens, flags, taverns, children's playgrounds, as well as prisons, gallows, public display cages, and various instruments of torture; and also determine taxes and food rations within the range of the people's ability and psychological tolerance.

Only in this way can a sufficient number of basic population be obtained, and this basic population will maintain the operation of newly built functional buildings such as mines, quarries, logging camps, bow and arrow workshops, spear-making workshops, armor workshops, and blacksmith shops, thereby producing various materials to support themselves and a large army.

Only in this way can Reed successfully expand the population cap and mass-produce troops to strengthen his power.

The development of a territory’s population, agriculture, animal husbandry, mining, handicrafts, commerce, and military is a systematic cycle that complements each other. When this cycle expands, any damage to any part can be quickly repaired by the cycle.

At that time, Reed gained the power to crush his opponents.

In short, this is a massive and complex systemic project that requires meticulous planning and organization from Reed. It necessitates ensuring the smooth progress of each stage of construction while also considering the rational allocation and utilization of resources. Furthermore, Reed needs a large quantity of raw materials to efficiently complete these construction tasks.

To get rich, start by felling trees. Groups of loggers, dressed in red shorts and carrying heavy axes, entered the forest, felled trees, hauled them back to the logging camp to be processed into planks, and then carried them back to the storage area. Under Reid's planning, these planks were rapidly transformed into houses, workshops, warehouses, and various other facilities.

Stone is also an indispensable resource. Quarry workers toil under the scorching sun, using pickaxes to hammer away at the hard rocks, breaking them into building blocks. These blocks are then transported back to the storage area by oxen-drawn carts.

"So, half timber and half stone, filling your storage area, is that right?" The system merchant, dressed in a silk robe, with ten large gold rings on his hand, a fat head and big ears, a potbelly, and a benevolent face, said in a kind tone.

"Yes!" Reed replied irritably.

"So, 14,300 golden dragons, what a great deal!" The merchant clasped his hands together, excitedly pondering the matter.

"This is fifty percent more expensive than before! Aren't you going to explain?" Reed glared at the businessman and slammed his hand on the table.

Recruiting dragons cost 1 million gold dragons, leaving 100. Hizdala sent approximately 33 gold dragons worth of Radiant Gold as ransom for the Valyrian steel sword "Harpie's Claw," and Neptune symbolically gave 40 gold dragons. Adding what he earned from trading and subtracting what he spent on recent territory development, Reid had less than 50 gold dragons left. Money was going to disappear so quickly; he now wished he could split every single gold dragon in half, hence his meticulous spending.

"The price of this product is affected by supply and demand. When supply exceeds demand, the price becomes low, and vice versa..."

"Shut up! It's not your place to lecture me on political economy. You're a systemic businessman; whatever goods you need, you can conjure them up in a flash. What kind of goods do you lack?"

The merchant chuckled, his face crinkling like a blooming chrysanthemum: "You don't know, but that whoosh also requires energy. Where does that energy come from? Of course, it comes from this!" As he spoke, he stretched out his finger and gestured vividly in front of Reid.

"This energy cannot disappear or be created out of thin air; it can only be transformed from one form to another..."

"Take the money and get out!"

"Yes, sir!"

The merchant bowed quickly, his smile widening, as if the argument had never happened. The gold coin balance on the system panel was instantly reduced by the agreed amount, and an equivalent amount of wood and stone appeared abruptly in the storage area. The surrounding residents, accustomed to this, found it completely unsurprising.

As Reid watched the merchant's departing figure, he couldn't help but shake his head. Although it required money and supplies, and the law of conservation of energy meant that supply would affect prices, the system was truly reliable as his greatest asset.

As long as gold coins are added to the system balance and corresponding resources are added to the storage area, various buildings with different functions will instantly appear on the ground according to your command.

A peasant woman will suddenly appear inside the completed house, quickly become pregnant, soon carry a baby, and soon children will be running around everywhere. Soon, refugees will gather around a stove to cook and wait to serve you in front of the lord's hall in the consciousness space.

These main young and middle-aged people were quickly converted into workers as production-functional buildings appeared, producing various materials for Reed.

Alternatively, within barracks buildings, players can convert them into elite soldiers with extensive combat experience by consuming gold coins and weapons.

Reid sighed, turned, and headed towards the storage area to examine the timber and stone he had just acquired. These resources were crucial for the development of the territory; whether it was building houses, constructing walls, forging weapons, or training soldiers, they were indispensable.

As time went on, the valley gradually became more vibrant. Thanks to the system's speed boost, the initial accumulation of capital, and the oases, copper mines, iron mines, and abundant stone resources within the valley, Reid's blueprint was steadily being realized.

Residential areas appeared one after another, along with various workshops, churches, hospitals, and taverns; sturdy towers rose from the ground; sections of city walls soared into the clouds; farms and ranches sprang up; mines and quarries appeared...

Looking down from above, the natural greenery recedes, while human-made structures expand and spread, creating a bustling yet orderly scene across the valley. Standing on high ground, overlooking this gradually prospering land, Reed is filled with pride and anticipation.

This place will become an important foothold for him to conquer the world, and also the starting point for him to realize his dreams.

In ancient times, monarchs loved to climb high and look out, either to see the spectacular sight of countless craftsmen and laborers bustling about on construction sites, or to see the thousands of well-arranged houses and bustling crowds in the city; or to see the majestic and solemn army in formation. In short, it was that feeling of ruling the world. Rhett experienced it, and it was really exhilarating.

But soon, an unusual situation came into his view.

Among the thousands of green dots marking friendly units, a small dot marking an enemy is moving towards the high ground at a considerable speed along an irregular path.

Reed reached out his hand, and his attendant behind him discreetly handed him a Milton lens.

Through the Milton lens, Reed could clearly see that it was an ordinary farmer, his face hidden behind the basket of apples he was holding in front of him.

As Reed passed an alleyway, his view was obstructed by buildings, but on the system interface, a green dot marking friendly units disappeared. When the small dot marking enemies reappeared in his field of vision, Reed saw a lumberjack carrying planks.

The Faceless Ones? That can't be right. Aquaman has already paid for my attack on Slave Bay, so why is the Black and White House still accepting my orders?

Reid was filled with doubt, quickly piecing together the various possibilities in his mind. Could it be that this assassination attempt by the Faceless Ones wasn't on the orders of King Braavos, but rather the work of a private employer? Or was it a deliberate ruse set up by an adversary to disrupt his plans?

His eyes were slightly cold, and his fingers tapped lightly on the stone railing beside him, producing a rhythmic sound. The guards behind him immediately stood at attention and fell silent, afraid of disturbing their lord's thoughts.

Reed pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled. Since he was already here, he might as well stay. The fact that new buildings were appearing one after another in the valley in an instant, that wheat fields could be harvested in two weeks, and that children were growing up in a month or two was something that should not be known to outsiders.

Perfect timing, let's test the strength of the legendary Faceless One.

With a thought, assassins dressed in black, their faces covered, and equipped with ropes, grappling hooks, and short knives appeared continuously in the mercenary camp.

They dispersed silently, hiding in the shadows, waiting for Reed's command to launch their attack like phantoms.

Reid raised the Mill Lens again, carefully observing the enemy who kept changing identities. Now, the other person had become an ordinary dairy farmer, carrying a stack of cheese and walking silently, seemingly unaware that he had become the target of everyone's hatred.

A cold smile crept onto Reed's lips. The hidden assassins, upon receiving the order, leaped out of their hiding places like awakened demons and pounced on the dairy farmer.

However, just as the assassins were about to succeed, the herdsman seemed to sense the danger. An explosion followed, and a thick, choking fog enveloped the spot where the herdsman had been standing. When the smoke cleared, the herdsman had vanished without a trace.

Reid's gaze sharpened; the Faceless One was indeed not to be underestimated!