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Chapter 118: Daenerys' Dominion
🕑 Added 2024-12-29 10:57:51 +0000 UTCAfter dinner, Josh arranged for Carter to be driven home while he returned to his estate in the countryside.
Although the meal had greatly improved their relationship, Josh knew better than to entertain any fanciful ideas of a romantic advance. Peggy Carter's firm nature left little room for such illusions.
There had been rumors, though unconfirmed, that Howard Stark had once tried to steal a kiss from Carter during the celebration of Germany's unconditional surrender in Europe. The result? Carter reportedly punched him straight into the Thames, nearly drowning him. Josh, wise enough to avoid such embarrassment, had no intention of testing those waters. (TL/N: Thames is a River's Name)
"Sir, a telegram from the President of the United States, Roosevelt has been re-elected!" Josh was told by his butler the moment he returned to the mansion.
Due to disruptions caused by the war and attempts by the Council to tamper with the election, the results had been delayed. However, the Council's interference had ultimately failed, and Roosevelt had secured another term.
"Still," Josh thought, "history could repeat itself and this tough talking president could suffer a cerebral hemorrhage, just like before."
"Vito, send a telegram to Tommy and have him pay a visit to Mr. Leibler. If possible, ask him to develop a closer relationship with Vice President Truman during this time," Josh instructed his butler after a moment's thought.
Prior to the election results, Josh had refrained from contacting Truman. Truman wasn't a presidential candidate, just Roosevelt's running mate. In the U.S. system, the vice president only assumes the presidency if the president is incapacitated or resigns.
If the Council's interference had succeeded and Roosevelt had lost, building a relationship with Truman would have been a wasted effort. So Josh and the Council had previously focused their support on Roosevelt's opponent, New York Governor Thomas Dewey.
Now that Roosevelt had been re-elected, it became important to make a connection with Truman, the new Vice President. Although Josh couldn't approach Truman personally while he was stationed in Europe, he could rely on John, the shrewd representative of the Chicago Consortium, to handle the matter. Even if John didn't fully understand Josh's intentions, he was unlikely to ignore the request. (TL/N: A group of companies that work closely together for a particular purpose)
As for the Council, their plans against Roosevelt were already in motion. Josh had no need to burden herself with further involvement.
"Understood, boss!" Vito acknowledged and left immediately to send the telegram.
Josh retreated to his study alone and activated the system.
Soon Daenerys' face appeared on the screen. She sat on the Iron Throne, the ultimate symbol of power in Westeros, but her expression was grim.
"Things not going well on the battlefield?" Josh asked cautiously, noticing her expression.
When Josh's system was activated early last year, the timeline in the Game of Thrones world coincided with 301 AC—Daenerys was preparing to return to Westeros.
However, with access to the system, she postponed her invasion and instead used the time to consolidate her rule over Slaver's Bay and build up her forces. It wasn't until earlier this year that she finally landed on Dragonstone.
By then, the various factions in Westeros, with the exception of Cersei, had already formed an alliance under Jon Snow's leadership to defend the Wall against the Night King.
The news of Daenerys' arrival sent ripples of fear through the allied forces. Jon Snow, displaying his characteristic courage and determination, visited Dragonstone with the corpse of a White Walker in tow. His goal was to persuade Daenerys to join their cause and march north to confront the undead threat.
At first, Daenerys was far from convinced.
"If you want me to mobilize my forces, you must first pledge your allegiance to me."
Jon Snow, now Lord of Winterfell and leader of the allied forces, naturally refused such terms.
This stalemate continued for some time.
However, Daenerys' two advisors, Tyrion and Varys, once again used their persuasive talents to convince her—arguing that the White Walkers were in many ways a threat to all of humanity. Moreover, allowing the Allied forces to fight on the front lines while she took control of the continent from behind would indeed undermine her public image.
Though Josh had previously reminded Daenerys that she did not need to worry about such matters with her current military strength, she still decided to venture north.
She made a pact with the allied lords, if her contribution to defeating the White Walker army proved to be the greatest, they would pledge their loyalty to her as queen.
Following Josh's advice, Daenerys had an ace up her sleeve. While her Unsullied forces wielded rifles, she hid the recently acquired Italian artillery provided by her trade with Josh.
In addition, as Josh had suggested, her three dragons were equipped with armor forged from a lightweight yet highly resilient titanium alloy, a technological marvel crafted by Yuri. Even their wings were protected, with specially treated dinosaur hide plates attached in a way that wouldn't hinder their flight.
—The dragons' only vulnerable spots had always been their soft underbellies and wings.
With such a double layer of defense, Josh didn't know what to say if the Night King's ice spear or the Westerosi scorpions still managed to kill the dragons.
It was this extra protection that allowed the dragons to unleash their full power against the White Walker army.
Even the Night King was at a loss and wisely chose to retreat-as an immortal being, he had already been alive for a thousand years; returning to the shadows for another millennium meant little to him. After all, in terms of lifespan, dragons paled in comparison to the White Walkers, not to mention Daenerys, a mere mortal.
In the face of her victory, the imposing presence of her three armored dragons, and the unparalleled strength of the Unsullied, the allied lords reluctantly accepted Daenerys as their queen.
With the White Walker army defeated and her rule recognized, Daenerys' next goal was clear, march on King's Landing and exact revenge on her nemesis, Cersei.
By this time, Cersei, much like her counterpart in the original timeline, had hired the Golden Company and captured her trusted advisor Missandei during a surprise attack on Daenerys' fleet—though Daenerys herself was not present.
Negotiations began, but Cersei refused to surrender and eventually executed Missandei.
What happened next was predictable, Daenerys unleashed her fury, razed the city to the ground, took King's Landing, and ascended the Iron Throne.
This time, however, Jon Snow, with his distant relationship with Daenerys and his preoccupation with managing the postwar remnants in the North, did not end up killing her.
Still, Daenerys' brutal sacking of the city shocked all of Westeros.
The same lords who had recently sworn fealty to her immediately turned to Jon Snow and rallied under his banner to form the Anti-Targaryen Alliance.
It was this conflict that Josh inquired about.
Given Daenerys' immense power, defeating the Anti-Targaryen Alliance should have been an inevitability.
"No, I've already won, and it was a decisive victory!" Daenerys replied, shaking her head. "My forces are now advancing on the remaining territories, and the unification of Westeros is only a matter of time."
"In that case, shouldn't you be celebrating?" Josh asked.
Indeed, with three armored dragons, hundreds of cannons, thousands of rifles, and an abundance of ammunition, how could she not conquer Westeros? Although it was called a continent, it was barely larger than Western Europe.
