Chapter 425: Dragon Essence

Chapter 425: Dragon Essence

Rhaegar's gaze was intense, piercing through Aemond, who couldn't meet his eyes.

Helaena, calmly curling her fingers in her hair, stated, "He wants a castle."

"Huh?" Aemond was taken aback.

Helaena's blunt words hung in the air, and she silently looked away.

Rhaegar was on the verge of laughing in anger, "Worthy of being my younger brother, so perceptive."

With control over the Triarchy and the Stepstones Islands, the lower half of the Narrow Sea was securely in Targaryen hands. Nas Island in the Stormlands and Stonehelm in Cape Wrath were strategic points within this route.

Aemond, panicked and at a loss for words, stammered, "No, I was just thinking."

Bang!

Rhaegar raised his hand and smacked Aemond on the head. The sound was sharp and clear.

Aemond winced in pain, covering his head and shrinking back.

Helaena glanced at him, then chose to ignore it. He deserved the beating.

Rhaegar grabbed Aemond's ear, his anger palpable. "If you want a castle, you can talk to me. My father and I haven't treated you so badly that you need to resort to trickery. You're really making the royal family proud."

"Ouch! Ouch!" Aemond was pulled up on his tiptoes, not daring to resist.

Aegon had grown up being whacked by their elder brother, and Aemond vividly remembered those experiences. The worst was when Rhaegar terrorized Aegon by hanging him on the gallows for everyone to see.

"You're really something!" Rhaegar shook him repeatedly, as if he were carrying a chicken.

Of the three younger brothers, Rhaegar thought the most highly of Aemond. He admired the boy's boldness in taming a dragon, seeing in him the same spirit he had had as a child. How could he be so calculating?

Helaena couldn't maintain her expression and turned her back, her words cutting, "If you want a castle, you have to pay the price."

"Sister! ~" Aemond's voice was tearful as he begged for help.

He was only 10 years old, and being handled like this was overwhelming.

Helaena inclined her head, pretending not to hear.

"Don't scream!" Rhaegar growled.

He now wanted to beat this troublesome brother to a pulp. Aemond was really good at getting into trouble!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Rhaegar's smile was cold and ruthless. "Let me ask you, who do you expect to clean up your mess when you delay the occupation of the Stormlands and kill House Swann?"

Alicent? Otto?

Aemond trembled, not daring to cry out in pain. He knew his mother and grandfather weren't capable of handling the massive trouble he'd caused.

Rhaegar's smile widened, his arm swinging as he shook Aemond. "If you can't answer, you're expecting Father and me to clean up after you. What a beautiful thought!"

"I was wrong," Aemond whimpered, closing his eyes in apology. He hadn't thought things through. He assumed that once House Swann was gone and the Dornish were driven away, Stonehelm would be his for the taking.

Bang!

Rhaegar raised his leg and kicked, causing Aemond to stumble. "Get lost, there'll be consequences for you!"

"Yes," Aemond responded, grateful for the reprieve. Whimpering, he ran off. "I'll get Olyvar Yronwood back."

Rhaegar shouted, "Get lost!" Aemond didn't dare to look back. Covering his red, swollen, and bloodied ears, he ran away as fast as he could.

"Idiot," Helaena muttered, her heart aching a little. Aegon had always been foolish, and now Aemond seemed infected.

"Isn't that the same for you?" Rhaegar reached out, messing up Helaena's hair.

Helaena's eyes watered, her pink lips pouted, silently accusing: After scolding him, will you scold me too?

Helaena's eyes sparkled as she whispered, "Is this for me?"

Rhaegar was amused, "Keep it safe. It's degrading to keep wearing imitations."

He suddenly remembered he had given Rhaenyra a Valyrian steel necklace while Helaena had only an imitation. At that time, it was still Erryk who paid for it, costing one and a half gold dragons.

Helaena raised a smile and innocently asked, "What will you use if you give this to me?"

"Good question. I have a better one," Rhaegar said, pulling out the space necklace from under his collar and waving it around conspicuously.

The necklace had more space and was easier to carry. Helaena looked at it and realized it was Valyrian steel with a somewhat nice appearance.

She raised a small white hand, admiring the space bracelet and necklace, feeling very happy.

Rhaegar chuckled. With the space necklace, the role of the bracelet was reduced. But a storage tool was still precious. He originally wanted to give it to Rhaenyra as a first gift for the birth of her twins. But stumbling upon Helaena still wearing the imitation bracelet, he didn't want to favor one over the other.

"It's so pretty."

Helaena, as if she had been given the most precious treasure, admired the bracelet for a while. Then, she discreetly replaced the imitation bracelet with the space bracelet.

Rhaegar noticed her actions but didn't say anything. Instead, he took out a piece of broken dragon scale from the necklace.

Helaena's eyes widened in fascination. The dragon scale, even though half-mutilated, was still palm-sized. Dreamfyre's complete scales were only about the size of a palm. The original owner of this tattered dragon scale must have been larger than Vhagar and Cannibal.

Rhaegar pondered for a moment and then made up his mind. "Cut your finger and drop a drop of blood on it."

He had a hunch that the Fourteen Flames Remnant might activate some sort of relic tied to the dragons. With Rhaenyra pregnant and unable to go into battle, Helaena was more suitable to activate this relic.

Zira-

Without hesitation, Helaena took the tattered dragon scale and cut a slit in her finger. Blood oozed out, staining the surface of the dragon scale.

Rhaegar admired her decisiveness.

"Here you go, brother."

Helaena sipped her injured finger and handed back the tattered dragon scale. Rhaegar did the same, cutting his finger, and let the crimson beads of blood drip onto the scale. The two different types of blood flowed together, blending and seeping into the dragon scale.

In the next second, the dragon scale bloomed with bright red light.

"Congratulations, the Fourteen Flames Remnant have been activated. You have obtained..."

[Dragon Essence]

Grade: Legendary (Red)

Effect: Enhances the growth speed of a dragon (only up to adult dragons)

Evaluation: "The size of a dragon grows with age, and one dragon lived to be three hundred years old."

The tattered dragon scale underwent a metamorphosis, transforming into a complete scale covered in strange inscriptions. Uncontrolled by Rhaegar, it lightly landed on top of Helaena's head with a snap.

"Ahh~" Helaena grunted.

Rhaegar's eyes were full of helplessness as he looked at Helaena, who had scrunched up her face, and then at the bronze scales on her skull.

Flipping through the font of the system panel, he could only think, "Foolishness has its blessings."

"How did it turn out like this?" Helaena rubbed her head and removed the bronze scales that had smashed into her.

Rhaegar explained, "It's good stuff. Feed it to Dreamfyre."

The column of effects was clearly described: suitable only up to adult dragons.

Cannibal was around 90 years old, with a body size of more than 170 years old, comparable to Vhagar had long been an adult dragon. Feeding it to Dreamfyre, who was of a suitable age and slightly inferior in size, was just right.

It would quickly raise an adult giant dragon.