Game of Thrones: The Red Dragon Lord.

Chapter 125: Speculations about Volantis
On the way back to the manor, Gavin's thoughts were always occupied by the actions of Volantis. As the oldest slave-owning free trade city-state, Volantis, despite having experienced many defeats in the long river of history, is undoubtedly still the most powerful city-state in the southwest of Essos.

For hundreds of years, it had been constantly at war with Tyrosh, Myr, and Lys, and despite being outnumbered alone, it showed no sign of weakness, forcing the three kingdoms to form a three-city alliance to resist together in order to maintain balance.

However, after a series of wars and setbacks, Volantis, ruled by the Elephant Party, became more cautious and did not launch large-scale foreign invasions for hundreds of years. But now, Gavin's act of destroying Lys broke the balance that had been maintained for a hundred years, causing Volantis to once again think of seizing the disputed land.

Myr and Tyrosh both elected merchants to govern, and their city-state armies consisted of a small number of slave soldiers and organized mercenary groups. This made their combat effectiveness largely depend on the hired mercenary groups. However, the characteristics of mercenaries themselves aroused suspicion and vigilance from the city-state rulers, and the mercenaries had no loyalty at all, so their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.

The difference is that the Tiger Cloak Army of Volantis is composed of regular slave soldiers and is large in number. Compared with the Kingdom of the Three Daughters, the Tiger Cloak Army is loyal to the ruler of Volantis, and is more powerful in both equipment and combat effectiveness.

Once Volantis decides to seize the disputed land, the first to bear the brunt of the impact will inevitably be Gavin, whose foundation is not yet solid.

Moreover, Gavin couldn't help wondering whether Volantis had reached other agreements with Myr or Tyrosh. After all, both of them were once ruled by the dragon king of Valyria. Now that Gavin had seized one of the nine major trading cities, it must have aroused the vigilance of other city-states and their concerns about Gavin's rise. It was not impossible for them to put aside their hatred and unite their interests to face the outside world.

Daenerys, who was standing by, looked at Gavin who was lost in thought and held his hand tightly. Gavin sensed something and turned his head to Daenerys, smiled slightly, patted her hand gently, and comforted her softly: "Don't worry, dear, the situation may not be as bad as you think. Let's make a decision after we arrive in Lys to check the specific situation. You go and arrange the itinerary. Let Brienne accompany you to Lys this time. I can feel more at ease with her protection."

Daenerys nodded slightly and responded, "As long as you are by my side, I am not afraid of anything. I thought that if I took Brienne with me, it would take a month to reach Lys by boat."

Gavin smiled and said, "It's okay. Chiying is now strong enough to carry three or four people. We can ride the dragon and go much faster."

After hearing this, Daenerys' eyes flashed with anticipation, and she said, "When can my Viserion ride?"

Viserion, who was standing by, heard his name and looked at his master curiously.

Gavin stroked Viserion's head and thought for a moment before saying, "It should be soon. The young dragon grows very fast. In another six months, I will be able to take you to the sky."

After hearing this, Daenerys smiled and said, "Then I'll go tell Brienne to get ready." Gavin nodded with a smile, and then Daenerys turned and left, walking briskly to find her knight. Seeing this, Viserion also broke free from Gavin and flew towards his master.

Brienne stood in the open field, wearing solid armor and the famous Valyrian steel sword, Dark Sister, hanging at her waist. She looked up at the giant beast in front of her, and although it was not the first time she saw it, she still swallowed involuntarily.

At this time, Chiying's body was huge and majestic, and its length had reached an astonishing 35 meters. Its golden scales shone brightly under the sunlight, and each scale was like a carefully crafted metal shield, tough and gorgeous.

Chiying's body is strong and powerful, with clear muscle lines, as if it contains endless power. Its wings are broad and thick, and when spread out, they are like dark clouds covering the sky and the sun. The veins on them are clearly visible, demonstrating its powerful flying ability. Its sharp claws are like hooks, deeply embedded in the ground, as if it can set off a bloody storm with just a slight wave.

Its head was huge and ferocious, with sharp fangs sticking out of its mouth, giving off a chilling aura. Its eyes were like burning fireballs, revealing majesty and violence that made people dare not look at it. Its tail was thick and slender, and when it swung, it brought gusts of wind, as if it could easily smash anything that blocked it. At this moment, Brienne no longer had the excitement she had just had yesterday when she learned that she could ride a dragon. Looking at such a majestic beast in front of her, she couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion in her heart.

No wonder the Targaryen family was able to rule Westeros with the help of dragons. Anyone who saw such a huge creature up close would be filled with fear and awe.

Moreover, dragons undoubtedly have absolute dominance on the battlefield. The flames they breathe out can instantly reduce the enemy to ashes. Their unparalleled power and majesty make everyone tremble.

This dragon is not just a creature, but also a symbol of power and strength, which makes people deeply in awe.

Just as Brienne was shocked, Gavin and Daenerys, fully equipped, were already walking towards her from a distance.

Daenerys couldn't help laughing when she saw Brienne's expression, and Gavin saw the way Brienne looked at Blazing Shadow and smiled and reminded her, "Remember to fasten the chains that bind your body, and hold on to the dragon saddle tightly during takeoff and landing."

Brienne respectfully saluted as a knight and said, "Thank you for your reminder, my lord. I will pay attention to it."

Gavin nodded, then led the two men onto the dragon's back.

As soon as Brienne stepped onto the dragon's back and sat down, Scorching Shadow, sensing something, felt uncomfortable. He turned his huge head to its back and stared straight at Brienne on it.

Brienne turned her head to look at the Blazing Shadow, and was suddenly filled with fear. Cold sweat broke out all over her body, and her heart was in her throat.

Gavin hurriedly stroked Chiying to comfort him, whispering in High Valyrian. After a long while, Chiying slowly turned his head under Gavin's comfort.

Gavin saw this and then explained: "The dragon only recognizes one master. Only the master can ride on its back. Others must be brought on the dragon's back by the master to be accepted by the dragon."

Then, without waiting for a reply, Gavin patted Chiying's neck. Chiying let out a loud dragon roar, suddenly spread his wings, and flapped them vigorously. A strong airflow swept around in an instant.

As Chiying's body slowly rose into the air, the scenery below gradually became smaller. The three of them rode on Chiying and flew into the distance, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

(End of this chapter)