#93Chapter 93 Homecoming
[Death of Platon Shanks]
Golden dragon breath appeared on the bank of the Riverrun.
"The vitality has become extremely weak, and it's time to stop!"
[King's Recovery]
"The gold on the eggshell has become more intense. It seems that this method is really effective."
Dragon Egg:...
[Death of Platon Shanks]
...
...
After repeating this process of breathing and healing many times, Robb felt that his mental power had been almost drained.
Maybe because there were too many prayers released in a short period of time, the recovery speed of mental power has become slower now.
And Robb also found that in the last few cycles, the golden luster on the dragon egg was attached less and less, and it almost didn't change in the end.
"It seems that we can't rush it. After all, using the environment to change the attributes of the dragon can't be done overnight."
Robb put away the dragon egg and prepared to end today's hatching plan.
I don't know if it's an illusion, Robb seems to be able to feel that the dragon egg in his hand actually exudes a will of wanting to cry but not tears.
Robb smiled: "This is just the beginning. I died countless times before, and I have to do this today. We will have to hatch every day in the future."
Back in the study, Robb found a cushion and put the dragon egg on it.
Under his careful care, Robb still has great expectations for it.
——
Robb has been hatching dragon eggs in Riverrun these days while preparing for marriage.
After Catelyn came back from Winterfell, her temperament changed a lot. It may be because Robb has been developing very well recently, or it may be because she finally saw Ned's ashes and completely accepted the reality.
Now Catelyn has been very skilled in her work as a foreign minister, and Robb's burden has been reduced a lot.
For her son's wedding, Catelyn went to Highgarden again, but this time she was more confident than last time.
After returning, Catelyn found Robb.
Catelyn said with emotion: "The food from Highgarden has been loaded on board. Your fleet and Redwyne's fleet are responsible for transportation. Finally, there won't be corpses everywhere in the North this winter." She looked at her son and felt proud. Who would have thought that the child who was waving a wooden sword and juggling two years ago has become a man with extraordinary demeanor and a reputation that shocked the entire continent? And he has done something that no previous king of the North has done. Lead every northerner to spend a prosperous winter. Robb was not thinking about these things. He held his head with both hands and leaned back in his chair: "Fleet, I now have two fleets, and the organization of the navy must be standardized... But the army has not been figured out yet, it's really a headache..." Catelyn continued: "Highgarden learned that your position as Minister of the Sea is still vacant. Didn't Earl Redwyne declare his allegiance to you? They hope to support Earl Redwyne to become the Minister of the Sea." Obviously, Highgarden also wanted to find a place in Robb's royal meeting. Robb thought for a moment: "We can't ignore White Harbor, but the Redwyne fleet is coming to me with its troops, and we can't let them down."
Catelin asked: "Should we let both of us serve as maritime ministers, like your recruiting minister?"
Robb rejected the proposal: "Greatjon has a good relationship with the Karstarks, but Lord Redwyne and the Manderlys don't have such a good relationship, but I have a better idea."
"I plan to promote a member of the Manderlys to work under you."
Catelin asked in confusion: "You let the Manderlys also be in charge of diplomacy? It's not a ministerial position, and they may feel that they are not valued."
Robb explained: "The Manderlys are in White Harbor, and to the west is the Essos continent. I want them to be responsible for diplomacy with the Essos continent. However, this diplomacy may require a little violence..."
In Robb's conception, when he unified the Westeros continent, there would be no need to conquer the Essos continent.
Because the two sides are too far apart, even if Robb conquers a large area of territory, the ministers sent there will soon set up their own houses. This is the inevitable development of history.
Therefore, Robb is not going to rule the continent of Essos, but he will plunder the resources of the continent of Essos.
Support the subordinate countries, build xx land, upgrade the industry of the continent of Westeros, use force as a guarantee, and plunder resources through dumping.
This can also help the backward areas to develop.
At this time, the official in charge of diplomacy with the continent of Essos is a very important position.
Coupled with the geographical advantages and trade advantages of White Harbor itself, the Manderly family will definitely be quite satisfied with Robb's arrangement.
After listening to Robb's simple explanation, Catelyn was still a little confused. The historical period she was in made it impossible for her to understand the rules.
But she could understand one thing: as long as Robb's strength is stronger, he can plunder more resources in the continent of Essos to supply himself, and the Manderly family, as the middle link, can also get a lot of benefits in this process.
Robb finally made the decision: "Let Lord Redwyne be the Minister of the Navy. He has experience in training large-scale navies. The Manderly family should focus on trade." Catelyn nodded. She would not interfere with her son's decision now. The king needed advice, not orders.
"Also, you said before that you would give an island to your future wife. Have you thought about it?"
Robb smiled slightly: "Of course, Fairy Island. This name just fits my wife, the queen of the kingdom."
Catelin asked: "What about the Iron Islands? How are you going to arrange these islands? Who do you want to give them to?"
Robb shook his head: "I don't plan to give the Iron Islands to anyone. I want to bring the Iron Islands under the name of the kingdom."
Catelin didn't understand what her son meant: "Do you want to give it to yourself? That's fine. With your current prestige, no one will have any objections..."
"Not to me, but to this kingdom. The Iron Islands will become a trade transit point between the North and the Reach, and the hub of this route. All the income from its output will not be given to me or any vassal. These income will belong to my kingdom."
Catelin vaguely grasped a clue : "But is there any difference between this and giving it to you?"
"Of course there is a difference," Robb explained, "all its income belongs to the kingdom, so it truly belongs to the kingdom. I can send people to manage it, and I can set up one or two positions at will. How long the governor manages depends on my mood."
Catelin was silent for a moment: "So, in the final analysis, you still gave the Iron Islands to yourself, because it does not belong to anyone, only to this kingdom."
Seeing that Catelyn touched a deeper level, Robb admitted: "That's right. At that time, the specifications and structure of the entire Iron Islands will also change. The manager of each island will no longer be appointed by the governor, but appointed by the king's signature order."
"The vassal of the vassal is still your vassal. You are going to bring the entire Westeros under your control."
Catelin looked at her son and discovered for the first time that there was a huge ambition hidden in this body.
Robb did not deny: "Aegon I unified Westeros, but he was only a nominal king, and his control over other vassals was too weak. I want to change this ridiculous situation. The title of king is a bit old, and it's time to change the title to call the master of this continent."
Robb's idea is very clear now. After unifying the continent of Westeros, he will become the first emperor of the entire continent.
Then, with the resources of Essos to support himself, the entire Essos continent will regard Robb's empire as a holy place, and all cities will be honored to be canonized by Robb!
Just like the Celestial Empire and Rome in his previous life, Robb wants to be the one who pushes the wheel of history forward!
Now that his position is very stable, the next thing to do is to get rid of Tywin, the old lion.
At the same time, the Manderly family can also be sent to negotiate with the Essos continent.
Step by step, the goal will be closer and closer.
Catelyn worriedly said, "It will be difficult for you to do this. They will not give up the golden dragon in their hands. Those who oppose you will turn you into a mad king."
Robb smiled confidently: "Only losers will become mad kings. If they succeed, they will call me the first Stark the Great."
Catelin was speechless. She saw her son's ambition. As a mother, she was worried and proud.
After a long time, Catelyn said with relief: "Go ahead, I won't oppose you. This is your career and your life. I hope you can remember that your family will support you no matter what."
——
Beep beep.
After the two finished talking, the door of the study was knocked, and the voice of the wolf guard outside came: "Your Majesty, we found your sister, and a very ugly man."
Catelin and Robb looked at each other, and they soon realized who the wolf guard was talking about: Arya Stark.
Catelin suddenly opened the door: "Where is it? Take me there!"
The wolf guard did not move and looked at Robb.
Robb waved his hand: "Go."
Perhaps because of the blood connection, Robb also felt a little joy.
Robb and Catelyn came to the hall of Riverrun, where there were two figures, one big and one small. The big one was sitting on the table, eating voraciously.
The small one had short hair and looked like a tomboy, looking around anxiously.
When the small figure saw Catelyn brought by the Wolf Guard, her face was instantly filled with tears, and the pain of wandering all the way was instantly released.
Arya jumped off the bench and ran to her mother's arms.
The two hugged and cried, because they were too sad, they couldn't say a word, and they choked and cried.
Robb saw this scene, walked up and touched Arya's head: "It's good to be back."
When the huge figure on the side saw Robb, he immediately stopped what he was doing, stood up vigilantly, and showed a wary look on his face.
Robb glanced at him, recognized him from his height and the scar on his face, and asked casually, "The Hound?"