Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: Farming Begins

The next morning, after Dany personally walked through every corner of White Cloud City, she silently regretted having slaughtered all the lambs so soon.The city's resources were abundant—more than enough for them to settle here indefinitely. Nearly every street and courtyard contained at least one well, and the water never ran dry. As expected, Dany's water teams could draw water from shallow earthen pits a meter or two deep, while the stone wells, some over ten meters deep, were naturally filled.Between the stone slabs in the courtyards, tufts of devil grass had taken root, enough to sustain the horses and, if necessary, allow lambs to breed. Unfortunately, all the lambs had already been killed. Horses were far less suitable as food animals, and slaughtering them for meat was hardly cost-effective.After completing a comprehensive tour of the city, Dany immediately began organizing construction and restoration. Old women cleared the orchards, gathering fruit for the Karls' daily needs. Strong women, under the guidance of Ser Jorah, renovated the abandoned palace, which had ample space to house all the horsemen. Old men fed the horses and repaired saddles, bridles, stirrups, and horseshoes.Dany personally led her bloodriders and centaurs to demolish the low-slung houses of the city's slums. The bricks and stones were salvaged to repair the palace. Vacant ground was cleared of stone foundations, and the bare earth was plowed by horses, turning it into workable farmland.Later, Dany led a group beyond the city walls to gather firewood and remove weeds. They spread the collected material over the freshly tilled earth and burned it for a full day and night. After the fire died, the ground was plowed a second time, mixing wood ash and soil evenly. Large, selected grains of wheat were sprinkled into the soil, ready for planting.In a world where summer lasted for over a decade, the concept of sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn no longer applied. If humans were bound to Earth's seasonal cycles, over a decade of continuous summers, humanity would have starved. Here, as long as the land was free and winter had not arrived, crops could be planted at any time.Likewise, fruits were not confined to Earth's seasonal schedule. Peaches could appear beside pears on the same tree, ripe and abundant. Turnips were a staple of their diet, and Dany's kal-l-s always carried seeds. Shrunken turnips were cut into pieces, covered with damp cloth to germinate seedlings, and later transplanted.Besides turnips and barley, they discovered beets, onions, garlic, blackberries, mint, peppercorns, and other plants scattered through White Cloud City's gardens. Inedible plants were removed to feed the horses, while the remaining space was used to cultivate food. Children wandered the alleys and windowsills, searching for ancient bronze artifacts, rusted iron pots, and forgotten weapons.Among the khals were elderly men who knew blacksmithing. Once slaves under Khal Drogo, they had been abandoned by the new khals, Bono and Jako, as too old to lift a hammer. Dany selected four centaurs with the weakest combat skills and assigned them to become blacksmiths."We are great mounted warriors, born to kill and be killed, not to be slaves," they protested, faces flushed in indignation.Dany smiled faintly. "You won't kill. You'll only be killed if you refuse to adapt. With your skills, what good are you other than helping others hone their swordsmanship?""Who says blacksmiths can't kill?" Dany continued, frowning and speaking with mock righteous indignation. "Do you know who I am? Princess of Dragonstone, Stormborn. Daughter of the King of the Sunset Continent. My brother, Rhaegar, was as strong as any Khal except Drogo, yet he was killed by a usurper—Robert Baratheon. That man seized my father's throne and murdered my brother, a man nearly as powerful as Khal Drogo himself."The four centaurs were momentarily confused, though they knew her story. She was their Khaleesi, the last princess, the reason Khal Drogo had taken her as his bride."Khaleesi, I don't understand," one centaur admitted softly.Dany gazed at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle and spoke with solemnity, "That usurper, Robert Baratheon… he was no blacksmith. But if he had been, it would not have mattered. A hammer can crush a man's chest, even when clad in red dragonmail."Ser Jorah cleared his throat nervously, unsure whether to interject."I merely want to show you that even learning the blacksmith's trade can make you a formidable warrior," Dany concluded."But was that usurper truly a blacksmith?" the centaur asked skeptically.Dany glanced at Jorah. "Ser, in the name of the Seven and the Old Gods, tell them—what weapon did the usurper wield?""A hammer," Jorah said dryly."Do you hear that?" Dany pointed sharply. "Think for yourselves. Can a hammer blow to the head kill?""The usurper struck your brother's chest. The red dragon on his armor, adorned with rubies, was shattered, and the rubies spilled onto the riverbank. Later, the place where Prince Rhaegar fell became known as Ruby Shoal," Jorah added."You've seen Ser Jorah's iron armor. An arakh wouldn't have pierced it, yet a hammer shattered even the strongest dragonmail," Dany said, surveying the stunned horsemen. "This means blacksmithing holds immense potential.""Now, do you wish to learn from a master blacksmith?" she asked finally."I do, Khaleesi! I want to be a blacksmith too," Jhogo exclaimed eagerly.Dany met his gaze. Soon, the four apprentice blacksmiths, under the guidance of the master, began reforging the collected artifacts.Not long after, the horsemen discovered a collection of scrolls in a stone hut. Dany rushed over, heart racing with anticipation. Unfortunately, time had rendered most of the pages illegible. Only the first page remained intact; the rest would crumble to dust if touched.Yet she made a significant discovery: a map, presumably of the city's library. Though faded and nearly decayed, the parchment revealed the city's location and surrounding geography.White Cloud was at the map's center. To the west lay mountains and, further beyond, three cities, one of which she recognized: Meereen, in Old Valyrian. Eastward were also mountains, and beyond them, the sea.Most valuable were the lands south of White Cloud. Directly south lay the ocean, though without a standard scale, exact distances were uncertain. The best estimate came from the distance to the Rhaza River: White Cloud was roughly midway between the river and the southern sea.Dany's group had traveled five days, covering approximately 500 to 600 kilometers—not in a straight line, and not starting from the Rhaza River. She estimated another 600 kilometers south would bring them to the coast. This was good news.Even better, within a hundred kilometers southwest of White Cloud, two more cities awaited—once thriving, now likely abandoned like White Cloud. The map suggested a river once ran from the Laza River basin through these cities, though it had long since dried.Dany regretted again killing all the lambs too early. White Cloud could have been a farm, with the other two cities serving as pastures—a perfect arrangement for long-term settlement.The next day, knights dispatched under Dany's orders confirmed the second and third white cities. Like White Cloud, their walls, towers, and buildings gleamed white. Though smaller, their structure and style mirrored White Cloud precisely.Jhogo reported the nearest city was eerie. "Khaleesi, a ring of rusty iron spears, skulls dangling from their tips, pierce the walls. When the wind blows, I hear their mocking laughter—a devil's grin. I dare not enter."Dany stared, momentarily speechless. Wind blows, she thought. And the devil's grin? If devils existed, surely they would laugh at centaurs being cowardly.Jhogo, sensing Khaleesi's displeasure, pulled a gleaming black iron bracelet from his pocket. A fiery red, uncut opal, the size of a thumb, glimmered at its center."Khaleesi, I found it in the Second White City."Dany shook her head. "Just an opal. Worthless.""How can it be worthless?" Jorah asked, taking the bracelet. "This opal is fiery red, translucent, and naturally uncut. It's sizable—worth at least five gold pieces in the Free Federation. Set in gold by a skilled silversmith, its value could easily double."His voice grew melancholic, his face marked by a blend of sweet and painful memories.Dany, curious, asked, "How can you, a grown man, be so familiar with women's jewelry?"Jorah glanced at the centaurs staring at him and hesitated, saying nothing.Dany then turned to her bloodriders. "Rakharo, Aggo, each of you select three warriors, two old horse herders, and two women who gather food. Each group will have three horses, carrying sufficient supplies. Go to the Third White City southwest. Use it as a base and search for places within a day's ride in the south, southwest, and southeast directions.There are three search targets: town ruins, animals, and possible humans. Remember, your safety is the most important. If you encounter animals you don't know, do not attempt to hunt them. Just observe and record their appearance and location.If you meet people…""Can you try to contact them?" she asked the veteran Jorah.Jorah considered for a moment. "Two people in a group. One to communicate, the other to report back."Dany nodded. "Then let's do it."