Chapter 160: The Dragonlord's Dream of the Great River
Rhaegar took off from the Velvet Hills again, both the Silver Dragon and Rhaegar having eaten their fill.
Rhaegar once again saw the beautiful Valyrian Road, like a pretty ribbon between forests and valleys.
The Silver Dragon soared high in the sky, circling and flying, its leathery wings flapping like thunder. Since the Khals left the Rhoyne River, peace had returned here.
The land was vast, and the beautiful scenery before him filled Rhaegar with joy.
The low Velvet Hills undulated, covering the land like an irregular pot. Endless long skies and clouds, lush green forests and low hills, babbling rivers, and new green growth stretched as far as the eye could see. Even though Rhaegar would one day possess the vast lands of the Seven Kingdoms, from the Wall to the Arbor, the beauty before him was truly unforgettable.
In all honesty, Rhaegar felt that the Pentos plains and the Velvet Hills, and even Andalos, were sparsely populated. Such fertile land, comparable only to the Riverlands and the Reach within the Seven Kingdoms, was unfortunately underpopulated, a true waste. The biggest problem lay with the Dothraki Khals; every time those Khals crossed the Rhoyne River and ventured west, they caused immense panic here, and over time, the population became very sparse. The Khals were fond of burning, killing, and plundering; "zero-dollar shopping" was perfectly normal in their eyes, a right of the strong.
"This is too desolate!" Rhaegar saw the ruins of Qohor from the sky, his first impression being one of desolation.
"How many rise and fall through the ages! The vast, endless river rolls on! On the Eastern Continent, how many nations have risen and fallen? Andals, Rhoynar, Ghis, Old Valyria." Rhaegar saw the ruins of an ancient town, beside a gently flowing green river, with low hills nearby. This city was never a large one, only famous for its beauty. Originally, the town was a dance of verdant green and blooming flowers, crisscrossed by canals and fountains. Until the Silver Dragon descended, until war completely engulfed the town.
The Valyrian Dragonlords, the first chosen on the continent of Essos. The Old Valyria city-state only advanced westward to Dragonstone, without disturbing Westeros, but on Essos, they were tyrannical and violent for thousands of years. The Dragonlords' ancestors left behind quite a reputation; in addition to their advanced technology, they also had a notorious reputation. A bad name is still a name, and it counts as influence.
Compared to the terror of the Dragonlords, the current Dothraki Khals are merely younger siblings. Khals only occasionally destroy city-states or towns, while Dragonlords actually destroyed empires. The Valyrian Dragonlords primarily brought down two major civilizations: one was Old Ghis, destroyed in five great wars. After Ghis fell, the Valyrians sowed every inch of its land with salt, sulfur, and dead bones to prevent any survivors from returning. The second was the Rhoyne River civilization, the beautiful civilization built by the Rhoynar people along the river. During and after the great Rhoynar exodus, the Valyrian Dragonlords destroyed many Rhoynar cities, including Ny Sar, Ar Noy, and Chroyane. If most of the Andals hadn't fled quickly, migrating to Westeros, their fate might have been just as tragic.
The river near the town of Qohor is called the Little Rhoyne. It's not actually small; perhaps the smallest branch of the Trident is twice its width, and its flow is faster than this river. However, this river can only be considered the upper reaches of the Rhoyne; the lower Rhoyne is immensely wide. The Mother Rhoyne is formed by the confluence of the upper branches of the Rhoyne, flowing southeast of the Qohor ruins. From there, the Rhoyne continues to extend southward, with tributaries such as the Noyne joining to increase the main channel's flow. The mouth of the Rhoyne is a huge delta, where Volantis is located.
The Silver Dragon landed on the town ruins. As far as Rhaegar could see, it was desolate and dilapidated. Thousands of years later, all beauty had been destroyed. The beautiful Pearl of the Rhoynar, today only remnants of mountains and water remained. This was not just the fate of one town, but the fate of all Rhoynar towns. Those towns famous for their fountains, orchards, and canals were now just crumbling ruins.
The canals of Qohor town were filled only with reeds and mud, and the stagnant pools in the fountain basins had become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and flies. Scattered fragments of temples and palaces lay everywhere, with only gnarled old willow trees growing more luxuriantly on the desolate riverbanks. Following the Valyrian Road, the road suddenly ended amidst scattered willow groves, emerging from the thicket to reveal an ancient stone pier, half-submerged in water, with tall brown wild grasses almost completely burying it. Occasionally, people still set sail from here, using small boats to navigate the narrow streams and sandbars. Because there was still a lot of silt in the river channel, no one came to widen it.
Following the Little Rhoyne, one could sail all the way to Volantis. This was a shortcut used when pirates were rampant in the Stepstones, but it also carried certain dangers.
"Although it's dilapidated and not large, this is my foothold. My base on the Eastern Continent!" Rhaegar thought. Crossing nations to scheme for distant lands was difficult, and for an exclave like Qohor, careful planning was needed.
The Rhoyne was now in chaos. Since the fall of the Rhoynar, no unified power had been able to control the entire river. Relatively speaking, the dilapidated small town of Qohor, hidden upstream and closer to Pentos and Andalos, was more suitable as a foothold, and there was no news of curses or plagues here. The situation on the Great River was clear now: the Free City of Norvos controlled the upper stretches; Volantis dominated the lower Rhoyne; and river pirates were most common in the middle reaches. They were entrenched in the no-man's-land, with many small islands where most thieves were holed up in secret caves and hidden fortresses.
Near Qohor, Rhaegar already felt the call of the Rhoyne, and Water Magic was cheering. This was the blessing of the Mother Rhoyne for those with its blood. If Water Magic were used here, its power would exceed normal circumstances.
People still lived in the ruins of Qohor town; locals had even cleared small vegetable gardens among the wild grasses. Hearing the roar of the ancient Valyrian Silver Dragon and the wind stirred by its leathery wings, most of them quickly fled back to their usual caves. Only a few brave ones stood in the sun, staring at the passersby with dull, indifferent eyes.
The residents of Qohor did not know which ethnic group they belonged to, but they were all scantily clad and thin, a result of long-term malnutrition. The locals made wailing sounds, looking at the silver-haired Dragonlord before them.
Several naked children, with mud up to their knees, looked at Rhaegar.
"Since I've come here, I might as well do something good for you first!" Rhaegar looked at the dilapidated scene and commanded the Silver Dragon to ascend. The most urgent task was to disinfect Qohor; places where mosquitoes and flies bred were likely to bring plagues and diseases.
The might of the Silver Dragon terrified all animals; the buzzing mosquitoes and flies scattered. The Silver Dragon's roar was louder than a hundred male lions.
"Dragonflame!" Rhaegar commanded.
"Boom!" The Silver Dragon was the first to spew a fireball, launching it into the black water of the fountain pools. The black, foul-smelling stagnant water began to evaporate, and all the fountain pools were scorched dry by the dragonflame.
Silver fireballs descended, making thunderous sounds, and many suns appeared in the sky.
The locals watched the dragon's shadow dancing in the sky, terrified. Everyone fled; humans inherently have a fear of fire and dragons.
But the town's area was indeed small, and flames rose everywhere, drying up the stagnant water with dragonflame. If flies and mosquitoes were to return, they might have nowhere to land.
Rhaegar commanded the Silver Dragon and landed back in the dilapidated town.
The small river curved and flowed south. Rhaegar stood on the ruins of Qohor, filled with emotion. Since the Rhoynar left, the prosperous scenes were no more.
The bolder locals emerged and knelt before Rhaegar, expressing their gratitude. They didn't know where the silver-haired, purple-eyed figure came from, but they knew he was a good person. The flies and mosquitoes rising from the stagnant water were disgusting and would bring many diseases in the summer.
"Mother Rhoyne, I also have your blood! Are you also longing for revival? Mother Rhoyne, please grant me strength, let you be reborn, let the Rhoyne civilization revive." Rhaegar murmured to himself.
Rhaegar drew Orphan-Maker and cut down the tangled brown wild grasses.
To make the Great River passable again, I will make the Great River beautiful again—this is Rhaegar's dream of the Great River!
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