After reaching Moat Cailin, Lo Quen rode the Blooddancer southward.
As the Blooddancer entered the Crownlands, he deliberately slowed his speed and lowered his altitude, taking in the heartening changes on the ground below.
The vast plains that had once lain desolate from war were now covered in newly reclaimed fields, laid out like a checkerboard.
Countless people, their features clearly different from those of native Westerosi farmers, were busy at work across the fields.
They swung their tools, carefully sowing cold-resistant wheat seeds into the freshly turned soil.
These were immigrants from Yi Ti and Lys who had crossed the Narrow Sea.
Hearing the thunderous beating of wings overhead, they all looked up.
When they saw the enormous dragon, gleaming like a ruby in the sky, their brief shock quickly turned into ecstatic joy.
"It's His Grace!"
"Long live the God-Emperor!"
Cheers in Valyria and the Yi Ti tongue erupted across the fields.
People set aside their work for the moment, waving hats, headscarves, or farming tools as they excitedly bowed toward the sky.
For many of them, especially the Yi Ti settlers, Lo Quen was not merely the king who had conquered the Seven Kingdoms.
He was the "True Dragon God-Emperor" who had rescued them from the wars and poverty of Essos, granting them land and hope.
Such gratitude and loyalty were everywhere in this newly formed frontier settlement.
The Blooddancer seemed to sense the cheers below and answered with a long, resonant dragon roar, stirring an even greater wave of celebration from the crowd.
As they continued south, the mouth of the Blackwater Rush came into view.
The ruins of King's Landing lay sprawled along the riverbanks.
On the northern shore near the estuary, in a relatively intact area, Lo Quen saw new construction already underway.
Earlier, Davos had been appointed Master of Ships of the new regime.
His foremost task was to restore the vitally important port facilities of the Seven Kingdoms.
Lo Quen could see crowds of people measuring land, driving wooden stakes, and hauling stone.
The outline of a new port had already begun to take shape.
With this foundation in place, the future reconstruction of King's Landing would surely proceed far more smoothly.
Of course, behind these resettlement and reconstruction efforts stood the newly appointed Master of Coin, Tyrion Lannister.
Previously, Tyrion had been named by Lo Quen to oversee the restoration of economic production throughout the Seven Kingdoms and to reestablish their capacity for taxation.
...
The Blooddancer's massive form swept over the lush hills and plains of the Stormlands.
At last, the indestructible towers of Storm's End appeared on the horizon.
The dragon descended smoothly onto the plaza before the main keep, kicking up a cloud of dust.
After returning to Storm's End, Lo Quen rested briefly before recounting his astonishing conversation Beyond the Wall with the Three-Eyed Crow to Archmaester Marwyn and Maester Qyburn, leaving both learned men deeply shaken.
"No gods… in this world… there are no gods at all…"
Qyburn murmured to himself.
A gleam of excitement shone in his eyes.
The revelation completely overturned his previous understanding, yet at the same time cleared away some of the lingering confusion surrounding his necromantic research.
Archmaester Marwyn, by contrast, remained far more composed.
He shook his head and countered,
"No, Qyburn. From this perspective, gods may still exist in this world. If the power of those so-called deities truly comes from the black stones that fell from beyond the sky, then those stones themselves…"
He paused briefly, then continued,
"The rules and energies contained within them transcend our understanding. That alone may constitute divinity. They are the true source of power. Those ancient sorcerers were merely fortunate enough to gain access to the black stones' strength."
He turned to Lo Quen, his expression solemn.
"Your Grace, I do recall something about the 'Grey Waste' mentioned by the Old Gods. According to certain records, beyond the Five Walls of Yi Ti, heading east across the terrifying region known as the Land of the Shrykes, one eventually enters the Grey Waste. Legend says that at the border between the Grey Waste and the Land of the Shrykes stands a city older than time itself: K'Dath."
Marwyn's voice carried a note of reverence.
"My former colleague Yandel once said that K'Dath was the first city in the world, yet its reputation is deeply unsettling. Unspeakably evil rituals are said to be held there to satisfy the greed of certain mad gods. Its horrors are so great that even the… non-human inhabitants of the Land of the Shrykes fear it. Of course, all of this is little more than hazy legend. No one can say for certain whether K'Dath truly exists."
Qyburn, hearing this, showed a rare smile.
"Yandel? The maester well-versed in Eastern history and geography, the one who authored The World of A Song of Ice and Fire? If I ever had the chance to travel east, I would very much like to see for myself whether the East he describes is truly as bizarre and fantastical as he claims."
He shook his head and countered,
"No, Qyburn. From this perspective, gods may still exist in this world. If the power of those so-called deities truly comes from the black stones that fell from beyond the sky, then those stones themselves…"
He paused briefly, then continued,
"The rules and energies contained within them transcend our understanding. That alone may constitute divinity. They are the true source of power. Those ancient sorcerers were merely fortunate enough to gain access to the black stones' strength."
He turned to Lo Quen, his expression solemn.
"Your Grace, I do recall something about the 'Grey Waste' mentioned by the Old Gods. According to certain records, beyond the Five Walls of Yi Ti, heading east across the terrifying region known as the Land of the Shrykes, one eventually enters the Grey Waste. Legend says that at the border between the Grey Waste and the Land of the Shrykes stands a city older than time itself: K'Dath."
Marwyn's voice carried a note of reverence.
"My former colleague Yandel once said that K'Dath was the first city in the world, yet its reputation is deeply unsettling. Unspeakably evil rituals are said to be held there to satisfy the greed of certain mad gods. Its horrors are so great that even the… non-human inhabitants of the Land of the Shrykes fear it. Of course, all of this is little more than hazy legend. No one can say for certain whether K'Dath truly exists."
Qyburn, hearing this, showed a rare smile.
"Yandel? The maester well-versed in Eastern history and geography, the one who authored The World of A Song of Ice and Fire? If I ever had the chance to travel east, I would very much like to see for myself whether the East he describes is truly as bizarre and fantastical as he claims."
Marwyn let out a soft chuckle, his face marked by the calm of someone who had seen much of the world.
"Believe me, Qyburn. The East is even more magnificent than what he put to paper, and far more dangerous and strange as well. I once traveled to Asshai, where I saw Shrikefolk being sold. There really are Yi Ti explorers bold enough to cross the Mountains of the Morn, bypass the Five Walls, and venture into the Land of the Shrykes to capture those peculiar creatures. They are half man, half bird, their bodies covered in green scales."
As he spoke, it was as if he had been carried back to those years filled with peril and wonder.
Listening to Marwyn's description of the Shrikefolk, Lo Quen could not help but recall the scaled, clawed mutated creatures he had once seen in the ruins of Valyria. A thoughtful look crossed his face.
"If K'Dath truly exists…"
Lo Quen said slowly,
"then the original impact site of the black stone from beyond the sky is very likely there. That place would be the beginning of everything."
Marwyn nodded in agreement.
"If that is the case, then the rumors of those evil rituals most likely refer to ancient sorcerers performing blood sacrifices to the black stones from beyond the heavens. As for the so-called 'greedy gods,' they were probably the seven tribal leaders who first discovered and made use of the black stones. K'Dath, known as the 'First City of the World,' may truly conceal the ultimate secret behind the origin of magic in this world."
Lo Quen lightly tapped his fingers against the tabletop as he continued his analysis.
"I once heard Chai Yiq mention that the Yellow-Robed Sorcerer of Carcosa was exiled to the Grey Waste by her father because of certain forbidden research. When he returned, he brought back a black stone. Now it seems highly likely that stone came from K'Dath, or at least from the surrounding region. The two black stones currently in our possession probably trace back to the same source."
"Logically, it all fits," Marwyn said with certainty.
"It was the descendants of the Bloodstone Emperor and the Amethyst Empress who carried these black stones from K'Dath across the world over the long course of history. The emperor who founded the Great Empire of the Dawn was most likely a direct descendant of the Lord of Light and the God of Cold. That bloodline and power continued until the era of the Amethyst Empress, when the same tragic fratricide between siblings played out once again.
"This alone confirms what the Three-Eyed Crow said about the destiny of ice and fire.
"That destiny is like a vicious curse, repeating itself again and again through generations of reincarnation or inheritance.
"Even though the bodies of the original sorcerers perished long ago, their powerful wills, bound by obsession, still linger in the world and continue to shape it."