Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

At dawn the next day, Dany personally toured the entirety of White Cloud City and began to regret slaughtering all the lambs too hastily.

The resources here were incredibly abundant, enough for them to settle down permanently.

Almost every street and large courtyard had at least one well, and the water in them had not dried up.

This made sense—if her water-gathering teams could draw water from shallow pits barely a meter or two deep, then wells over ten meters deep would naturally be full.

In the courtyards, clusters of devil grass grew in the gaps between the stone slabs, enough to support the breeding of horses and lambs.

Unfortunately, the lambs were all gone.

Horses weren't ideal livestock for meat. Slaughtering them for food wasn't cost-effective.

After completing a rough inspection of the city, Dany immediately initiated large-scale construction projects.

The elderly were tasked with clearing weeds in the orchards and harvesting fruit for the khalasar's daily needs.

The sturdy women, under the leadership of Ser Jorah, began tidying up the abandoned palace. The palace had enough rooms to house all the horsemen.

The elderly men were assigned to care for the horses, repair saddles, bridles, stirrups, and horseshoes.

Dany herself led the Bloodriders and horsemen warriors to demolish the low houses in the city's slums. The surplus bricks and stones were used to repair the palace, while the cleared land, stripped of its stone foundations, was plowed by the horses to expose the soil.

Next, Dany organized the khalasar to gather large amounts of firewood and grass from outside the city. These were spread over the freshly plowed fields and burned for a full day and night.

Then, the land was plowed a second time, mixing the ash evenly into the soil. Selected large-grain barley seeds were sown into the ground.

In this world, where summers could last over a decade, the concept of spring planting and autumn harvesting didn't apply. If planting was restricted to spring and harvesting to autumn, humanity would starve during the endless summers.

As long as there was available land and it wasn't winter, crops could be planted at any time.

The same applied to fruit. There were no "spring peaches" or "autumn pears." On a single fruit tree, one could simultaneously see fruits that on Earth would only appear in different seasons.

Turnips, one of the staple foods in this world, were a constant companion for Dany's khalasar. At this point, the shriveled turnips were cut into chunks, sprouted in damp cloth, and then transplanted.

In addition to their staple turnips and barley, they also discovered sugar beets, onions, garlic, blackberries, mint, and peppers in White Cloud City's gardens.

Non-edible flowers and plants in the gardens were pulled out to feed the horses, and the freed-up land was replanted with crops.

Even the children were kept busy. They wandered through the intricate alleys and leaped across window sills, scavenging ancient bronze tools, rusty iron pots, and weapons.

Among the khalasar were elders skilled in blacksmithing. These men had once been Drogo's slaves but had been abandoned by the likes of Bonos and Jhago when they became too old to swing a hammer.

Dany selected four of the least capable horsemen warriors and reassigned them as blacksmiths.

"We are proud horse warriors! Born to kill or be killed! We cannot do the work of slaves," they protested, their faces flushed with indignation.

Dany resisted the urge to mock them. Without killing, they were only destined to be killed themselves.

With their meager skills, what else could they do but help others practice swordsmanship?

"Who says blacksmiths can't kill?" Dany snapped, her tone stern and righteous as she began to weave a tale. "Do you know who I am? I am the Princess of Dragonstone, born in the storm. I was once the daughter of the King of the Sunset Lands. My brother Rhaegar was no weaker than any khal, but he died at the hands of a usurper.

"That man, Robert Baratheon, killed my brother and stole the throne that belonged to my father and brother. He was as mighty as the greatest khal."

The four horsemen listened in confusion. They knew, of course, about their khaleesi's lineage—that she was the last princess of a fallen dynasty. It was the reason Khal Drogo had married her.

"Khaleesi, I don't understand," one of them murmured.

"Oh, that usurper Robert Baratheon," Dany said wistfully, gazing skyward at a forty-five-degree angle, her voice tinged with melancholy. "He was a man as strong as Khal Drogo—and he was a blacksmith!"

"Cough, cough…" Ser Jorah choked on his own saliva.

"I'm just trying to tell you that even if you learn the craft of blacksmithing, you can still become a great warrior," Dany concluded.

"But that usurper, the Khal of the Sunset Lands, was he really a blacksmith?" a horseman asked skeptically.

Dany's expression grew serious as she turned to Jorah. "Ser Jorah, in the name of the Seven and the Old Gods, tell them—what weapon did the Usurper use?"

"A warhammer," the big bear said dryly.

"You hear that?" Dany's sharp gaze swept over the horsemen. "Now think for yourselves—can a warhammer smash a skull?"

"The Usurper didn't strike your brother's head," Jorah added awkwardly. "He hit his chest. The red dragon of rubies on his armor shattered, scattering jewels along the riverbank. That place, where Prince Rhaegar fell, is now called the Ruby Ford."

"You've seen Ser Jorah's iron armor yourselves," Dany said, spreading her hands as she surveyed the blank expressions of the horsemen. "Your arakhs can't even scratch it. Yet Rhaegar's dragon-forged armor, far stronger, was smashed to pieces by a warhammer. What does that tell you? It tells you blacksmithing has a bright future!"

"Now, are you willing to learn from the master blacksmiths?" she asked.

"I am, Khaleesi! I want to become a blacksmith too," said her Bloodrider, Jhogo, brimming with enthusiasm.

Dany shot him a look.

Soon, the four new blacksmith apprentices began their training under the guidance of the elder craftsmen, re-smelting and reforging the collected metal scraps.

Not long after, some of the khalasar's children discovered a batch of scrolls in a stone house. Dany eagerly rushed over, but her excitement quickly turned to disappointment. The passage of time had degraded the scrolls. Aside from the first page, the remaining pages had fused together, crumbling into powder at the slightest touch.

However, she did find one significant treasure in what appeared to be a library: a map.

Although the writing and illustrations were faded and the sheepskin nearly decayed, Dany managed to discern her current location.

At the center of the map was White Cloud City.

To the west lay a range of mountains, and beyond them, three cities were marked. Dany deciphered the name of one, written in High Valyrian: Meereen.

To the east was another mountain range, with the sea beyond.

The most valuable information lay to the south of White Cloud City. Directly south was another sea, though without a scale, it was impossible to judge the exact distance. Based on the relative positions of White Cloud City and the Lhazar River, the city appeared to be roughly equidistant from the river and the southern coast.

Dany estimated that her group had traveled about 500 to 600 kilometers over five days, though not in a straight line, and their starting point wasn't exactly at the river.

From her calculations, heading another 600 kilometers south would likely bring them to the coast—a promising prospect.

The second piece of good news was that within 100 kilometers southwest of White Cloud City, there were two more cities marked on the map, similar to White Cloud City and also located in the Red Wastes.

These cities, like White Cloud City, seemed to have turned into desolate ruins over the centuries. As the map indicated, a river had once connected the Lhazar River to White Cloud City and the other two cities. That river was now completely gone.

Dany couldn't help but think she'd gained two new "farmlands." For the second time, she regretted slaughtering all the lambs too soon. If White Cloud City could serve as farmland while the other two cities were developed into pastures, the setup would have been perfect!

Reality proved her optimism premature.

The next day, knights sent out following Dany's directions did indeed find the second and third cities.

Just like White Cloud City, they were walled in white stone, with white towers and white buildings. Aside from being smaller in scale, they were nearly identical.

Jhogo, who had led the group to scout the city, reported back to her, "Khaleesi, the nearest city is too strange. There's a circle of iron spears with red rust stuck into the ground outside its walls. Skulls hang from the spear tips.

"When the breeze blows, I can hear them laughing—'hahaha.' It's the sinister laughter of demons. I didn't dare enter."

Dany was speechless. You're aware the wind was blowing, aren't you?

Demon laughter? If there were real demons, they'd be laughing mockingly at how cowardly you horsemen are.

Sensing the displeasure on her face, Jhogo hurriedly pulled a dark iron bracelet from his pouch. It shimmered faintly, and at its center was a fiery red opal the size of a thumb.

The opal was naturally radiant and uncut.

"Khaleesi, look at this. I found it in the second White City."

"It's just an opal. It's not worth much," Dany said, shaking her head.

"How could it not be valuable?" Jorah asked, puzzled. Taking the bracelet from Jhogo's hand, he inspected it with a practiced eye. "This opal is fiery, naturally flawless, and uncut. It's quite large too. In the Free Cities, it would fetch at least five gold coins. If the gem were removed and set into an intricately designed bracelet by a skilled jeweler, its value could double."

As he spoke, Jorah's tone became tinged with melancholy, and his rugged, bearded face softened, a bittersweet mix of emotions washing over him.

"How does a grown man know so much about women's jewelry?" Dany asked, deliberately steering the conversation to uncover his story.

Jorah glanced around at the curious horsemen staring at him, hesitating to answer.

Dany shifted her focus to her Bloodriders. "Rakharo, Aggo, select three warriors each, along with two elder horsemasters and two women skilled at gathering food. Each person takes three horses, enough provisions, and water.

"Head to the third White City to the southwest and use it as a base. Explore areas one day's ride south, southwest, and southeast.

"Your targets are threefold: ruins of towns, animals, and any signs of humans.

"Remember, your safety is the top priority. If you encounter unfamiliar animals, don't try to hunt them. Just note their appearance and location.

"If you encounter people…"

"Should we try to make contact?" she asked Jorah for advice.

Jorah pondered for a moment. "Work in pairs. One approaches to make contact, while the other returns to report."

Dany nodded. "Do it that way," she instructed the horsemen.

Turning to Jhogo, who had just returned from the third White City, she said, "Blood of my blood, though this place seems deserted, others might find their way here just as we have.

"I want you to lead two groups of ten to repair the city gates.

"We lack sturdy timber, so there's no need to rebuild wooden gates. Instead, pile stones in the gateway, leaving just enough space for a single cart to pass through. Then—"

Then build a small barbican behind the gate.

But horsemen didn't understand what a barbican was, and Dany knew explaining it to Jhogo wouldn't help.

"This will do for now."

After her Bloodriders and the horsemen left, Jorah hesitated before asking, "Your Grace, what are your plans for the future? Do you intend to live here forever?"

(End of Chapter)

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