After Tyrion descended from the city walls, he went to the armory. When the doors opened, a musty smell wafted out. Inside were piles of longswords, spears, and bows, but most had already rusted.
"Is this all?" he asked the armory guard in a questioning tone.
The guard was an elderly knight who answered tremulously, "Lord Hand, during King Robert's reign, he never thought to increase spending on weaponry. These weapons are stock left over from the era of The Mad King."
Tyrion said nothing, merely turning to leave with a grim expression.
Next, he went to Flea Bottom, though not to see Hallyne. His experience from the previous night made him want to take a good look at this cesspool of King's Landing.
Narrow streets, muddy ground, dilapidated wooden houses, and the air thick with the stench of excrement and garbage. Children in rags scavenged for food in trash heaps and sewers. This was the first time he had truly looked at this corner of King's Landing.
Seeing him and the guards pass by, the commoners showed no curiosity in their eyes, only numbness and a faint hint of hostility.
Tyrion remembered what his father, Tywin, had once said: "Commoners are like a flock of sheep; they need to be driven by a shepherd and watched by a sheepdog. Never expect them to think for themselves."
Now, looking at this "flock," he suddenly felt his father was right. Between the Targaryens and the Lannisters, whom would these people choose? They didn't care at all who sat on the iron throne; they only cared if they could eat their fill tomorrow. They needed to be driven by him.
He walked to a bread stall and asked, "How much for a loaf of bread?"
The owner was a strong middle-aged man. When he saw Tyrion's dwarven stature and the soldiers behind him, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, and he quickly replied, "Five Copper Stars, my lord."
"Five Copper Stars?" Tyrion frowned and asked, "I remember it used to be only one Copper Star."
The stall owner didn't dare speak further, just lowered his head and continued organizing his stall. Tyrion didn't buy anything either, but left directly and returned to the Tower of the Hand. Only after seeing it for himself could he understand how dire the situation truly was.
He knew the bread stall owner had taken the opportunity to raise prices because grain couldn't be brought into the city. In normal times, it wouldn't have mattered, but with the Targaryens about to arrive, he had to speed up his plans to pacify the commoners.
Over the next few days, Tyrion had almost no rest as he began a frantic reorganization of the city's defenses.
Besides arranging for Podrick to monitor the Alchemists as they secretly transported wildfire to the locations he had designated, he also personally oversaw the conscription of the army and the collection of supplies.
Every man capable of holding a weapon, from fifteen to fifty years old—whether they were originally craftsmen, merchants, or beggars—as long as they could still stand, was issued a weapon. If there weren't enough weapons, they were replaced with farm tools. If farm tools were also insufficient, they were simply given a wooden stick.
In just a few days, the city walls were now crowded with people, packed so densely that they did indeed look somewhat intimidating from a distance. But Tyrion knew these people were useless; as soon as they saw a dragon, they would be scared out of their wits.
In King's Landing, supplies like grain, ironware, and cloth—anything that could be used—were all requisitioned. A unified rationing system was then implemented; only those who joined the army could receive a bit more, while the others were only guaranteed enough to keep from starving.
The requisitioned merchants complained bitterly, but Tyrion didn't care in the slightest; they were, after all, only a minority. He only cared about one thing now: making King's Landing hold out for a few more days.
Viserys stayed at Rosby Castle for three days. With the Lord of Rosby acting as an intermediary, and given the previous fate of Duskendale...
Several nearby great nobles—House Stokeworth of Stokeworth, House Hogg of Sow's Horn, and House Buckwell of Antlers—all agreed to swear fealty to Viserys.
Although the lords of House Hogg and House Buckwell were currently in Tywin's camp in the The Riverlands, they sent word that they would send people to deliver grain and other supplies to Viserys's army.
After receiving the first batch of supplies from Rosby Castle, Viserys's army continued its march toward King's Landing. The minor lords along the way had long since brought people outside their castles to surrender, offering grain and weapons.
After only two days, they arrived outside King's Landing.
Viserys reined in his horse and looked ahead from a high hill. There, the scenery inside King's Landing was clearly visible. The towers of Red Keep, the dome of the Great Sept of Baelor, and the ruins atop Rhaenys's Hill.
Thirteen years. Now, he was back in King's Landing.
"Brother." Rhaenys walked to his side, pointed at the distant Red Keep, and said softly, "Is that Red Keep?"
"Yes." Viserys reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. "That is Red Keep."
Rhaenys gazed at the castle, complex emotions flashing in her violet eyes. She had only vague memories of that place now; she had left when she was three years old, and her mother and brother had died in Red Keep.
Sensing Rhaenys's sadness, Viserys gently patted her shoulder and then leaped onto Ghidorah's back.
"Rhaenys, let's go. We'll first see what has changed in King's Landing."
Ghidorah spread his wings and soared into the sky, flying toward King's Landing. Rhaenys followed closely behind, riding Meraxes by his side. Seeing them leave, the other dragons also chose to follow.
The ten dragons soon reached King's Landing, circling continuously above and letting out bursts of Dragon Roar.
Below, the entire city fell into panic. People on the streets fled frantically, choosing to hide in their houses. Soldiers on the city walls pointed at the sky, shouting and screaming in terror, with no intention of resisting. From the windows of Red Keep, some people peeked out but quickly retracted their heads.
Viserys looked down at the city. Everything was just as it was in his memory, yet different. The city looked more dilapidated, dirtier, and the stench in the air was even stronger.
"Brother." Rhaenys flew to his side, pointed downward, and shouted to him, "Look."
Viserys looked in the direction she was pointing. He saw that on the highest tower of Red Keep, a person was standing quietly, staring up at them in a daze.
That person was short in stature, but even from a high altitude, one could tell his appearance was that of an adult; he was a dwarf.
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