The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The Dragon Visitation

Mountain looked at Gendry Baratheon, or rather, Gendry Clegane.

Gendry was also Mountain's adopted son.

Beside Gendry, Master Tobho Mott nudged Gendry's back with his elbow, signaling him to be more discerning, insightful, and worldly.

However, Gendry was famously a 'blacksmith,' his personality not much different from his hammer and anvil.

Mountain said, "Gendry, you refuse to marry November?"

"Your Majesty, I don't know November well. Also, I'm not ready yet."

Queen Jeyne smiled and said, "Gendry, you refuse to marry November, but are you unwilling to take her as a handmaiden?"

Queen Jeyne did not address Gendry as Duke, she spoke in a very casual manner, with great affability.

Gendry fell for Queen Jeyne's approach: "Mother, I am willing to have November as my handmaiden."

Jeyne did not address Gendry as Duke in a 'official' manner, so Gendry did not address Jeyne as Queen in a 'official' manner either, but called her Mother.

November bowed to the King, Queen, Daenerys, Princess Myrcella, Duke Hoster, and Holy Woman Jeana one by one, before standing beside Duke Gendry Clegane. November exuded a unique fragrance, and Gendry looked a little awkward, his face flushed.

Jeyne smiled at Mountain, her eyes seeming to say, "See, with a different approach, Gendry accepted."

Mountain glanced at Jeyne and said, "December, stand to my right, as my personal handmaiden and food taster."

"Yes, Your Majesty," December said.

Mountain did not exchange glances with Jeyne and Daenerys, directly announcing December's destination: to stand on either side of him with Ser Jaime, as one of his personal handmaidens.

Queen Jeyne smiled and said, "Your Majesty, December is beautiful, cute, and petite. I have a better place for her."

"I need a handmaiden, Your Majesty," Mountain said solemnly.

Mountain only kept one out of the twelve girls, which didn't seem excessive.

"Your Majesty, my handmaidens are your handmaidens. I already have February and April by my side; our handmaidens are enough."

Mountain silently looked at Jeyne.

Jeyne looked at Mountain with a smile.

Mountain looked at Daenerys, and Daenerys also looked at Mountain in silence. Mountain realized that Jeyne and Daenerys had reached an agreement.

This was a bit difficult!

After a while, Mountain said, "Your Majesty, what do you want December for?"

"Ser Jaime has a younger brother," Jeyne Westerling said solemnly, putting away her smile.

"Yes, Governor Tyrion Lannister," Daenerys's words were like a hammer, nailing Queen Jeyne's words into the wall like a nail, fixing them in place. She looked at Holy Woman Jeana, "Holy Woman Jeana, Earl Hoster, Lord Tyrion Lannister is very remarkable. He used to be the Hand of the King in King's Landing, and then my Hand. He is a very kind and upright person, knowledgeable, intelligent, brave, and fearless. I think it would be best to give December to him as the Governor's wife."

Holy Woman Jeana knew that the Governor's position was very high, the highest official of a city-state. And the Governor's wife, of course, would be a glorious destination for December.

Near the island of Ganra Yanee, there were island nations where the highest leader was not a king, but a governor.

Holy Woman Jeana said, "Your Majesty, Queen Majesty, Queen Daenerys, as long as your opinions are consistent, I congratulate December on having a good destination."

Holy Woman Jeana naturally understood that Queen Jeyne did not want His Majesty the King to take any more concubines. On the island of Ganra Yanee, except for the Holy Woman who practiced monogamy, the rest of the noble men had the custom of having multiple wives.

Mountain said, "Governor Tyrion Lannister is eccentric, has wide interests, and is fond of drinking and good deeds. I don't think his personality is suitable for marriage and having children."

"Then give December to Governor Tyrion as a handmaiden," Jeyne said softly. "Governor Tyrion manages the city-state of Braavos for Your Majesty, and his hard work is commendable. He needs to be rewarded by Your Majesty."

In fact, there were many ways for Mountain to reward his subordinates and courtiers—honor, money, jade, territory, and castles…but rewarding a handmaiden was actually very rare in both old and new customs.

Mountain glanced at Jeyne's eyes again, and then at Daenerys's eyes: "Okay, I agree with Your Majesty's opinion. December, you will stay by my side for now. After our eastern expedition is over, I will send someone to send you to the city-state of Braavos. The Governor of Braavos, Tyrion Lannister, is a very talented man, you will like him."

"Yes, Your Majesty," December replied obediently.

December had a very good figure, slender and slim, standing almost as tall as Jaime. Among the twelve girls, December's figure was the most outstanding, which was also the most important reason why Mountain valued December and wanted to keep her by his side.

December was slender and taller than Queen Jeyne, Daenerys, and Arianne Martell.

*

At the tip of a wedge-shaped piece of land in the far southeast of the known continent of Essos, at the junction of the Jade Sea and the Saffron Straits—there was a port city so vast it exceeded people's imaginations—Asshai.

How big was Asshai?

The area of the city behind the huge, wide walls, was equivalent to the eastern giant city of Qarth, the capital of Westeros, King's Landing, the oldest Oldtown, plus the largest free trade city-state of Volantis—these four cities combined.

Asshai—this was by far the largest known city in the world.

The origins of Asshai were unknown. Even the Asshai'i did not know who built the city. They would say that Asshai had stood here since the beginning of creation, and would continue to exist here until the end of the world.

To the northeast of Asshai was the legendary Shadow Lands. Ghost grass grew luxuriantly in the Shadow Lands, so the Shadow Lands of Asshai were also known as the Ghost Grass Sea.

Ghost grass grew taller than a man on horseback, its stalks as white as white glass. It was a highly aggressive plant that would cover all other grasses and kill them. The Dothraki believed that cursed souls made the ghost grass glow, and that one day the ghost grass would cover all the land in the world.

Ghost grass made it impossible to grow any plants, and of course, any food, on the land of Asshai.

In the Ghost Grass Sea, there was a product that people could not refuse—gold. It was rumored that this gold was cursed, but despite this, the gold from the Asshai Ghost Grass Sea still flowed to all parts of the world: the continent of Westeros, the continent of Essos, and the continent of Sothoryos.

To the west of the giant city of Asshai was the extremely famous Jade Sea. The coast of the Jade Sea was rich in jade.

Asshai's two major commercial pillars: jade and gold.

Jade and gold attracted merchant ships from all over the world to trade here. The Asshai'i had no clothes, but they had gold and jade, so the Asshai'i wore the best silks and satins in the world. Asshai had no food, but they had jade and gold, so the best rice and wheat in the world could be bought in Asshai's markets.

To the north of the Jade Sea was Yi Ti, whose king called himself the God-Emperor. The wine produced in Yi Ti was sold all over the world by sea, as famous as the wines from the Arbor in Westeros. The Yi Ti people wore long tails on their hats, which looked like monkey tails, so the Qartheen called the hat tails monkey tails, called the Yi Ti people monkey men, and called the Yi Ti wine monkey wine.

To the west of the Jade Sea was the Bone Mountains.

Passing through the Bone Mountains to the west, you would arrive at the city of Qarth.

To the south of the Jade Sea was the sea, and across the sea was an unknown continent called Ulthos. Between Ulthos and Asshai was a bay called the Saffron Straits. This was somewhat similar to the bay between the continents of Westeros and Essos—the Narrow Sea.

The second month of the 302nd year of Aegon's Conquest.

Asshai.

The black River Ash flowing through the walls.

Riverside.

A woman with a black scarf wrapped around her head was washing by the river when she was attracted by a faint sound coming from the sky. She looked up at the sky.

The sky was gray, which was the most common weather in Asshai.

There was nothing in the sky.

But the sound came again, this time it was clearer. It was a metal sound that pierced through gold and jade, coming from afar, which was amazing.

It was a strange sound that had never been heard before.

Kyiu!

The sound came again, this time the sound was very loud and clear, filling the space between the sky and the earth, making people's eardrums tingle slightly. The woman who was washing clothes was frightened. She hurriedly picked up the laundry tub, lowered her head, and ran back quickly.

Asshai was a city of magic, and the population living in the city was very small, which was extremely mismatched with the huge area of the city. The water in the black River Ash was highly poisonous and could not be drunk by ordinary people. Without exception, any livestock from outside would die after entering this city.

*

A male warlock looked up at the sky in the top attic of the castle. He saw a huge flying beast in the sky, with golden-red wings and golden-red scales, flying towards the city like a golden-red cloud.

"Dragon!" The male warlock's blue lips opened and closed, making a surprised cry.

The male warlock saw a real dragon for the first time!

And various totems about dragons were all over the stone walls of the castle.

*

In a dark underground, a pair of black eyes looked at the sky through the cracks in the wooden planks. This was a necromancer. His face was hidden in a black hood, only the pair of black eyes shone like black gems.

*

In the sky, the giant dragon flew over the city of Asshai, alarming the residents of the entire city. This huge city had no king, no governor, no duke, and no lord. The tall ancient tower of the Red God R'hllor in the center of the city was the symbol of the highest power here. The tower was inhabited by the followers and believers of the Red God R'hllor. The most famous thing in this tower was a library, which contained the Book of Prophecies of the 'Azor Ahai' reborn prophesied by the Lord of Light R'hllor.

The arrival of the giant dragon also awakened this silent and ancient tall tower. The three high red priests in the tower appeared together on the top of the tower and looked up at the sky. These three high red priests were all senior sisters of Melisandre and Quaithe, and they were also said to be the oldest priests in this city.

Hundreds of red god believers looked at the giant dragon flying over their heads, and their faces showed fanatical joy.

The dragon was considered the highest magical creature created by the Red God R'hllor. It was the son of the Red God in this world, representing the will of the Red God walking in the world.

*

Not long after the giant dragon arrived over the sky, a black dragon also flew over the city, followed by a white dragon, and three beautiful and lively little dragons.

The giant dragon Sheepstealer, the black dragon Drogon, the white dragon Viserion, the little dragon Timaeus, the little dragon Knight, and the little dragon Lady came to Asshai together.

A giant dragon, two large dragons, and three small dragons appeared together over Asshai, causing a collective shock to all the male warlocks, female witches, alchemists, moon singers, red priests, dark sorcerers, necromancers, cloud seers, pyromancers, blood witches, torturers, inquisitor knights, poisoners, priestesses, night stalkers, skinchangers, and the followers of the "Black Goat", "Pale Saint Child" and "Night Lion" in Asshai.

In the city port of Asshai, merchant ships from Ulthos, Leng, Yi Ti, Qarth, Slaver's Bay, Sothoryos and other places were docked. The people on board were very surprised, most of them were seeing a real dragon for the first time.

The legendary dragon suddenly appeared in Asshai, which made the city residents of Asshai uneasy. The only ones who felt excited and happy were probably the high priests and followers of the Red God R'hllor.

Asshai welcomed anyone from all over the world. There were no religious taboos here, which was very similar to the Isle of Gods in Braavos.

On the Isle of Gods in Braavos, you could find almost any temple of any god to worship.

The most diverse and complete range of wizards in the world lived in Asshai. They could freely practice their spells here, without restraint or criticism. If they were willing, they could hold obscene rituals and mate with demons. Shadowbinders and blood witches performed terrifying spells forbidden elsewhere in the dead of night.

However, neither shadowbinders, necromancers, moon singers, nor cloud seers, poisoners, undying warlocks, night stalkers, and skinchangers were a match for the highest magic dragon. And the arrival of the magic dragon also meant that the magical power of Asshai would be invisibly strengthened.

Kyiu!

The giant dragon hovered in the sky, making a earth-shattering dragon roar.

The other dragons echoed.

The dragon's roar was like an invisible giant bell ringing in the sky above the city, and the metal sound filled every space in the city. In this terrible chorus of dragons, the giant dragon flew to the north of Asshai, and the other dragons followed closely behind.

North of Asshai was the Shadow Lands, which was covered with ghost grass. The Shadow Lands was the source of the city's River Ash, and it was said to be the origin of dragons.