"Sigh!"
In the spring of 99 AC, inside the volcanic forge on Phoenix Island, the largest island in the Stepstones, four-year-old Attia Phoenix gazed at the rolling lava with deep melancholy and muttered to himself, "Did I transmigrate? Or did I awaken my past life's memories?"
Attia had only recently begun to slowly awaken memories of his past life. It was then that he was startled to realize he had been reborn into the world of *A Song of Ice and Fire*.
Moreover, his mother was a female pirate leader who had never appeared in the books or TV series—Gaia Phoenix (formerly Lydia Evans).
According to Maester Farwon, who taught him his lessons, his mother and her subordinates had come to the Stepstones, chasing a red comet. With fifteen highly skilled and well-equipped personal guards, Gaia and her group easily swept away the pirate dens here, becoming the new rulers of the Stepstones.
Unlike previous pirate leaders, her subordinates were all capable individuals. The fifteen guards were exceptional, each one comparable to the most elite knights in Westeros. Under their training, the once scattered pirates of the Stepstones had become a renowned elite force.
Although outsiders still called them pirates, since Gaia took control, they had not engaged in any plundering. Even the tolls collected from passing merchant ships were half of what they used to be. After a few years, the Stepstones were no longer a feared pirate haven.
This was mainly because Gaia was not short on money, nor did she lack means to earn it. Even her personal maids were formidable individuals with unique skills.
Charlotte (formerly Channa) excelled at porcelain making and pottery. Her Phoenix Workshop is now the most famous porcelain workshop on both sides of the Narrow Sea. Porcelain is one of the most stable financial sources for the Stepstones, bringing in at least tens of thousands of gold dragons in profit each month.
Joel excelled at weaving, tailoring, and farming. Even on a barren island like the Stepstones, he managed to direct the former pirates to cultivate vast areas of pasture and fruit trees within a few years. The textile technology of Westeros and the Free Cities was directly outclassed by technology from Eastmoor. Therefore, the Stepstones had become the new textile center on the Narrow Sea. By exporting high-grade silk, the Stepstones earn at least two to three hundred thousand gold dragons in profit annually.
As for the former pirates of the Stepstones, those who were extremely wicked were turned into farm fertilizer and buried in the soil, while the rest were given new arrangements by Gaia. The 300 most skilled individuals, under the training of the 15 guards, have now been trained into elite warriors. The remaining less qualified ones became serfs under Joel. Those with strength either became salt workers or blacksmiths.
Gaia's wet nurse, Lady Cook, was not only an amazing cook but also skilled at making various seasonings. Under her guidance, utilizing the natural advantages of the Stepstones, over a dozen large salt fields were built on the small, unproductive islands. To save manpower, they also utilized windmill technology from Eastmoor. The Stepstones, long subjected to strong winds, found it much easier to transport seawater with these advanced windmills. They also used these windmills to draw seawater to higher ground, which, after filtration and rapid cooling in large porcelain vessels, not only separated out sea salt but also collected a significant amount of fresh water. While this fresh water wasn't great for drinking, it was excellent for irrigating crops and feeding livestock.
The maid, Miles , was not only beautiful but also proficient in various musical instruments. She now helps Gaia manage the Phoenix Manors in King's Landing, Tyrosh, Myr, Oldtown, Pentos, and other locations. Phoenix Manor is a lavish establishment combining accommodation, entertainment, and dining. As soon as it appeared, it was sought after by nobles from various regions, who often spent lavishly there. Through Phoenix Manor, Gaia not only gained enormous wealth but also successfully established her own system of secret guards.
The changes in the Stepstones had naturally attracted the attention of other powers long ago. However, in 96 AC, when Volantis launched a strong offensive to occupy the Disputed Lands, Gaia led her more than 300 Phoenix Guards and thirty new warships to help the alliance of Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr achieve victory, showcasing her strength at the same time. This immediately made other powers abandon their ill intentions towards the Stepstones.
What's more, Gaia had even captivated Prince Daemon, the Targaryen Family's Dragon Knight, and bore him a son, Attia. Daemon also put in a lot of effort to legitimately marry Gaia. However, due to Gaia's background, the Royal Family firmly opposed it, and eventually directly arranged for Daemon to marry Lady Rhea Royce of Runestone. Gaia, with her proud nature, seeing how unwelcoming the Targaryen Royal Family was towards her, decisively drew a line with Daemon, even though she was already pregnant at the time. However, everyone knew that Daemon valued loyalty and was ruthless towards his enemies. Therefore, almost no one dared to provoke the current Stepstones.
Although Gaia and Daemon broke up, she did not prevent Attia from being close to Daemon. From the time Attia was one month old, Daemon often carried him, soaring through the skies on the back of the giant dragon Caraxes. Daemon tried multiple times to secure a dragon egg for Attia but never succeeded. Once, he even directly broke into the Dragonpit and stole one, but unfortunately, his father, Prince Baelon, riding Vhagar, snatched it back. This made Daemon feel even more indebted to Attia, so he would bring many gifts every time he came to see him. Even though Attia was only four years old, his personal vault had already accumulated tens of thousands of gold dragons.
After awakening his past life's memories, Attia became even more obsessed with money. He sold all the extravagant but impractical clothes, toys, and other valuable items from his private vault, which earned him over thirty thousand more gold dragons.
"Young Master Attia~"
"Aren't you hot?!"
Attia's male servant, Locke, shouted loudly from the entrance of the forge. He truly didn't understand why his young master liked to stay so close to that terrifying lava. Even though he was still twenty or thirty meters away from it, he felt his face being scorched with a stinging pain. Even the blacksmith masters in the forge could only work from a distance of over ten meters.
Attia waved his hand, signaling him not to disturb him. He wasn't an idiot; if he couldn't stand it, would he still be here tormenting himself?!
Attia also didn't know why he was so heat-resistant in this life. Perhaps it was the Targaryen bloodline in him at work?
"Could I also be an Unburnt?!"
Thinking this, Attia couldn't help but slowly move his hand closer to the churning lava.
"Young Master~" Locke's ear-splitting, self-destructive voice made Attia's hand tremble involuntarily with fright, and in a moment of distraction, he was scalded by the hot lava. As intense pain struck, Attia instinctively recoiled, accidentally cutting his arm on a stone. A large amount of blood immediately flowed into the churning lava pool.