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#359 - Chapter 93: Journey to the West (I)

Daenerys was deeply satisfied with all these achievements, but a persistent obsession lingered in her heart – the Iron Throne. She knew that to successfully ascend the Iron Throne, she needed sufficient strength and many loyal supporters. Therefore, she began to plan ahead, actively preparing to lead her invincible army to Westeros and engage in a life-or-death contest with other contenders for the Iron Throne.

While she was waiting, Daario and several of her Bloodriders suddenly returned, bringing news that Liu Yuan had changed his marching route. Accompanying them was Drogon, who had been brought back by Leviathan. He looked a bit miserable, clearly having suffered some beatings. When Drogon saw Daenerys, he buried his big head in her arms, complaining about his grievances.

It turned out that Liu Yuan believed it would be too time-consuming to bring the Dothraki cavalry to Meereen and then transport them by sea to Westeros. The long sea voyage would not only be difficult for the Dothraki to endure, but the horses would also be unable to withstand it.

Therefore, he decided to lead the Dothraki cavalry overland, traversing the Dothraki Sea along the ancient Valyrian road to Pentos. Using that as a base, it would only take two days to cross the Narrow Sea, allowing the Dothraki cavalry to enter the battle more quickly.

Liu Yuan sent Daario to report to Daenerys, asking her to lead a portion of the army by sea and meet him in Pentos. As for whether the Pentos magisters would allow it? No one considered their wishes, and no one cared whether they allowed it or not. After a moment of thought, Daenerys resolutely made a bold decision: to personally lead forty percent of the army to Westeros and join forces with Liu Yuan! However, her goal was not just to meet Liu Yuan, but to seize Dragonstone, just like her ancestors, and use it as a base.

In the north of Essos, there was also an ancient Valyrian road. This road bore the vicissitudes of time and witnessed the changes of eras. However, the erosion of time had faded its former glory, leaving only ruins and desolation. For hundreds of years, due to the long-term lack of maintenance and repair, the stone-paved road surface had become broken and dilapidated, and its once-prominent name had gradually faded and disappeared from people's memories. Today, people call it the 'Steel Road,' simply because it connects the Forest of Qohor in the west with the trade hub east of the Bones Mountains in the east.

Liu Yuan commanded the Dothraki army, advancing straight along the Sarne River valley. This area was densely covered with rivers and streams, and the land was fertile and rich, making it an ideal place for farming and grazing. For the nomadic Dothraki, it was an indispensable granary. Scattered across this vast land were many other groups. Some were descendants of slaves left behind by the Dothraki, who had toiled here for generations; others were the native inhabitants of this land – the 'Tall Men'.

They had once established an incredibly powerful and prosperous semi-agricultural and semi-nomadic grassland empire – the 'Kingdom of Sarnor,' which ruled this vast land. The Kingdom of Sarnor was actually a relatively loose political alliance composed of many different city-states. Although called a kingdom, each city-state actually had its own king (about forty in total).

It is said that the city of Qohor was originally built to facilitate trade with the Kingdom of Sarnor. In its heyday, the Kingdom of Sarnor not only successfully drove the Qartheen out of the north of the continent but also destroyed the Qartheen city-states along the Shivering Sea, forcing them to begin a life of exile to the southeast. The current Qarth is the descendants of those exiled ancient Qartheen, as well as a new nation gradually formed through integration with other ethnic groups during their escape.

In addition, the Kingdom of Sarnor had twice allied with the Valyrians in the Ghiscari Wars to jointly fight against the then-ascendant Ghiscari Empire. By the Fourth Ghiscari War, the originally hostile city-states chose to join corresponding camps according to their own interests. Besides, the Kingdom of Sarnor had also repeatedly engaged in fierce battles with the Dothraki who invaded the eastern border region.

Despite the brilliant civilization of Sarnor, in the bloody century after the Doom, this grassland kingdom was destroyed by the Dothraki in less than a hundred years, and most of the surviving Tall Men were reduced to slaves. Its demise actually stemmed from internal strife. After the Doom, the Dothraki poured into the west with iron and fire, beginning to occupy the grasslands of the Dothraki Sea.

The remaining Sarnori city-states were gradually wiped out, and the Bleeding Years were about to come to an end, with Sarys being the last Sarnori city-state to be captured.

The once prosperous and powerful Tall Men, with a population of millions, now have only one stronghold with less than 20,000 residents – Saath. The other descendants of the Tall Men are regarded as slaves and lambs by the Dothraki.

The army made a brief stop at Vaes Leqosh, a ruined city that once belonged to the Kingdom of Sarnor. Its ancient name, Gornath, has been forgotten by time, and only the Dothraki name 'City of Rats' is still in circulation. The city is located near an ancient canal and salt lake, where many survivors have settled, earning a living by fishing and salt production. The Dothraki are not cruel to these residents, but they come regularly to demand tribute.

Suddenly, the arrival of the Dothraki army terrified the local residents. In the ruins of the palace of Vaes Leqosh, Liu Yuan met the trembling local elders. He accepted the tribute they offered, a unique fabric similar to silk, woven from the spider silk spun by giant spiders unique to the local forests.

This spider silk fabric was soft and smooth, shimmering faintly in the sunlight. Its texture was like velvet, making it incredibly amazing. Liu Yuan carefully examined the fabric, and a sense of curiosity welled up in his heart. He imagined how this magical spider silk was collected and processed, and how the locals mastered this skill.

The elders explained to Liu Yuan: "These large spiders only live in the depths of the forests near the Sarne River Delta. They are huge and weave incredibly strong webs. To obtain the spider silk, we must risk our lives to enter the forest, carefully avoiding the attacks of the large spiders. Then, we bring the collected spider silk back to the village, and after a complicated manual process, we can weave it into exquisite fabric."

Liu Yuan developed a strong interest in this unique fabric. He discovered that the spider silk had extremely high toughness and even a certain degree of fire resistance. This surprising discovery made him realize that this spider silk fabric might have extremely high value in military applications. Moreover, according to the records of the Citadel, the mounts of the early Others were actually ice spiders! Looking at the images in the illustrated book and comparing them with the spiders in front of him, Liu Yuan was surprised to find that they had extremely similar characteristics.

Therefore, Liu Yuan decided to personally venture into the forest to explore these mysterious large spiders and try to bring them into his inner world to enrich the biological resources within. At the same time, Liu Yuan also noticed the great potential contained in Vaes Leqosh, this ruined city.