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From a distance, Grey Gallows Island's dock appeared to be in ruins, with no ships in sight, giving the area a desolate and abandoned feel.
However, the island itself—second in size only to Bloodstone Island within the Stepstones—was densely populated. When it came to defense, Grey Gallows Island was arguably the most formidable in the Stepstones. There was only one entrance to the island, with all other areas surrounded by towering cliffs.
The trebuchets and ballistae perched on the cliffs by the entrance stood out, their massive mechanical structures seemingly ready to deliver a lethal blow to any enemy that dared approach.
Any ship that ventured too close would be sunk by the huge stones hurled from the trebuchets before it could even dock. These powerful defenses had prevented Black Shark Erl from ever taking the island.
Gavin stood at the bow of the Belleris, his hands resting on the railing, his gaze fixed intently on the distant Grey Gallows Island. His brow furrowed as he fell into deep thought. The sea breeze ruffled his hair, but it couldn't dispel the gravity of his expression.
"This is indeed a tough nut to crack," he murmured. "A direct assault is out of the question. Although the newly modified triple-bow ballistas have enough range to target the trebuchets on the cliffs, exchanging fire with them is clearly not a wise move. And with so many defensive structures in place, the fleet can't even approach. It looks like a sneak attack is the only way."
His mind raced through various tactics, evaluating their feasibility. "At night, I could send small boats to quietly land on the island. If we can land 30 Blood Dragon Guards, we should be able to control or destroy the trebuchets and ballistae on the cliffs. Once that's done, the enemy will be like a toothless tiger, and my fleet will be able to land easily." As he thought of this, a faint smile crept across his lips, as if victory were already within his grasp.
Gavin turned and made his way to the second deck. His expression was serious as he gave an order to a nearby soldier: "Order the fleet to turn around!"
At his command, the entire fleet swiftly responded, beginning to slowly turn northwest, their destination set for Bloodstone Island.
Gavin's gaze remained fixed ahead as his mind was already made up. Upon returning to Bloodstone Island, his top priority would be to continue restructuring his army.
Although he publicly claimed to command 70 warships, in reality, fewer than half of them were fit for use.
The pirates he had recently recruited still made him uneasy, but fortunately, after some careful restructuring over time, the situation had improved, and they were now at least capable of participating in battles.
Through the recruitment of pirates and men from Bloodstone Island, Gavin had successfully raised an army of 1,500 men. Fortunately, most of these soldiers were sailors or had long been accustomed to working with ships; otherwise, such a force wouldn't have been enough to mobilize all of his available warships.
After a day of sailing, Gavin returned to Bloodstone Island.
As soon as he stepped onto the dock, Gavin received word that a messenger from Dorne had arrived and was waiting at the Lord's Manor.
In the meeting hall, Gavin received the messenger.
The messenger respectfully bowed before Gavin and handed over a letter from Prince Doran.
Gavin carefully read the letter, a satisfied expression crossing his face. The letter stated that Dorne was willing to tentatively resume trade routes and expressed gratitude for Gavin's killing of Black Shark Erl.
It also mentioned that an envoy would soon be sent to meet with Gavin in person to discuss the restoration of trade, with everything likely proceeding according to the old terms.
Gavin smiled at the messenger and said, "Please convey to Prince Doran that I look forward to further cooperation with Dorne. I welcome the arrival of the envoy, and Bloodstone Island will be well-prepared to receive your representative."
The messenger bowed again, assuring Gavin that the message would be delivered. Gavin then ordered that the messenger be treated with the utmost hospitality.
After the messenger left, Gavin made his way alone to the vault located beneath the Lord's Manor.
Upon Gavin's arrival, two Blood Dragon Guards immediately stepped forward to open the massive doors for him.
Inside the vault, countless crates filled with golden dragons were neatly stacked in the corners, along with a vast array of precious items, including jewels, pearls, and spices.
Gavin had previously done an inventory; including his past acquisitions and his personal wealth, the total amount of gold dragons stored on Bloodstone Island was now as high as 300,000. This didn't even account for the jewelry, artifacts, and other treasures. Gavin, however, did not pay attention to these items but instead walked deeper into the vault.
In the inner chamber, an enormous and complete dragon skeleton was neatly arranged. Nearby were three more crates filled with fragments of dragon bone, some of which Gavin had discovered after taking Bloodstone Island, while the rest had been acquired through merchant ships over the past period.
As he gazed at the dragon bones, Gavin still felt they were insufficient. Dragon bones were exceedingly difficult to acquire. Though there were quite a few in the vault, only a small portion still retained magical power. The rest had already been absorbed by Gavin, and the remaining bones could only provide him with a meager 2 more points of energy.
As for Valyrian steel weapons, there was still no sign of them.
"Perhaps I'll gather them slowly over time. Having control over such a vast trade route should eventually yield results," Gavin thought to himself, feeling somewhat helpless.
Sitting down on a throne nearby, he placed his hand on the dragon bone and began absorbing its magical power. As he did so, he opened the system panel.
◇◆────────────────◆◇
Host: Gavin Belleris
Age: 15
Bloodline: Bloodfire Dragonborn (Development 33%): The bloodline of Valyrian Dragonlords granting mastery over Dragons and fire, in the early stages of awakening.
Dominion: 33/33 (Your subordinates can be upgraded through the panel)
32 Basic-level Blood Dragon Guards (Blood magic puppets created using the Dragonborn bloodline, can be upgraded twice)
1 Intermediate-level Blood Dragon Guard (A blood magic puppet that has been upgraded once, can be upgraded once more)
Skills: Fire Manipulation (Master), Swordsmanship (Master), Flameblade (Master), Archery (Master), Spear (Master)
Energy Points: 24 (Automatically absorbs magic from the surroundings, can also actively absorb magic.)
◇◆────────────────◆◇
Gavin's heart fluttered slightly as he looked at the 24 energy points displayed on the panel. However, He was torn between increasing his bloodline development or enhancing the strength of his Blood Dragon Guards.
For now, the strength of his Blood Dragon Guards was sufficient, and increasing his bloodline development would improve both his Dominion capabilities and physical constitution.
Considering that he would eventually venture into Belleris's Dragon's Lair, Gavin decided to focus on advancing his bloodline first, intending to improve the Blood Dragon Guards later once he had surplus energy points.
He then allocated all his energy points to bloodline development. As the development progressed, Gavin felt his body growing stronger, and his control over fire became even more refined.
After increasing his bloodline development to 51%, he noticed a distinct change. Once the development surpassed 50%, it now required 2 points to increase by 1%.
He wondered if this trend would continue at 60%, 70%, or 80%, and if the energy points required for further advancement would also increase.
With this thought in mind, Gavin decided to use the remaining 5 points to improve his Blood Dragon Guards, as he had yet to test the power of the higher-level Blood Dragon Guards.
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[Chapter End's]
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