Chapter 230: Doubts
Daenerys accepted Hal's half-sale, half-gift without further argument.
A small estate was enough to offset, at least in part, the discourtesy he had shown her outside the gates of Qarth all those years ago.
Seeing that she had agreed, Hal immediately waddled off, barking orders at his servants to pack as quickly as possible and vacate the property for its new owner.
He took only his personal belongings.
Everything else that could remain was left behind for Daenerys.
He even had the furniture in the reception hall and the two main bedrooms replaced with brand-new furnishings before leaving.
Once the estate's largest courtyard had been completely cleared, Rhaegal finally descended from the sky.
Even this spacious courtyard was only just large enough for her to spread her wings halfway.
Had Drogon landed here in his full-grown form, most of his wings would likely have stretched across the surrounding rooftops.
Looking at the courtyard, now almost entirely occupied by Rhaegal's massive body, Daenerys couldn't help recalling the day she had rushed back in panic after hearing Qartheen soldiers were attacking the estate.
Instead of finding disaster...
She had discovered Drogon and his siblings lazily sunbathing in the courtyard.
Now, in the blink of an eye, all three dragons had grown to such incredible sizes.
None of the worries she had once carried about raising them had come to pass.
On the contrary, Drogon had brought her one miracle after another.
The first time she came to Qarth, she had merely been a guest, borrowing a few rooms within this estate.
Now...
The entire property belonged to her.
Nostalgia was only one reason she had purchased it.
More importantly, she needed a secure foothold in Qarth.
Beyond this city lay the long road east toward Asshai, where there were likely no other major settlements.
As for what awaited them in Asshai itself...
That remained completely unknown.
Having a dependable base here was therefore essential.
Before departing, Hal also left behind two maids and several servants to maintain the estate.
Not long after the two maids had finished cleaning the reception hall and preparing the bedrooms, news of Daenerys's arrival spread throughout the city.
Members of Qarth's royal families and the remaining Pureborn soon began arriving one after another.
Their thoughts were much the same as Hal's.
Although Daenerys had brought only two dragons and showed no signs of attacking Qarth, none of them dared relax.
They had all witnessed Drogon's colossal form soaring above the city with their own eyes.
They had also heard countless stories of his past deeds.
Even without an army...
With only Daenerys and Drogon, Qarth could still be forced into submission.
Now they deeply regretted their shortsightedness years ago.
Back then, they had failed to properly receive the impoverished Mother of Dragons.
Instead, they had pressured her into leaving Qarth.
If Daenerys chose to use that grievance as justification for conquering the city now...
None of them could honestly claim they had any grounds to resist.
Now, one after another, Qarth's nobles came calling.
Officially, they claimed they had come simply to pay their respects to Daenerys.
In reality, they were offering expensive gifts as an apology for how she had been treated years ago.
Though the number of gifts wasn't particularly large, each one was exceptionally valuable.
There were pearls of remarkable size and perfect luster, brilliantly polished gemstones, the finest spices and silks, collections of aged wines, and one Pureborn noble even offered to give Daenerys an even grander estate, claiming the one she had purchased was far too modest.
Standing nearby, Hal nearly kicked the man who had always delighted in opposing him.
At the same time, he began worrying that the estate he had practically given away now seemed insignificant compared to everyone else's lavish offerings.
Quietly, he began wondering what additional gift he could present to Daenerys.
Daenerys did not accept everything placed before her.
Instead, she carefully selected only a handful of rare and truly precious items.
She was no longer the young queen who had first arrived in Qarth, desperate to collect every gift she could simply to feed her khalasar.
She also declined the royal family's invitation to a grand welcoming banquet.
She had no desire to spend her time entertaining enthusiastic Pureborn nobles and wealthy merchants.
After spending a single night in Qarth, they packed away the gifts—adding yet more weight to Rhaegal's luggage—and departed once again the following morning, continuing east.
A little over an hour after leaving the city, an immense mountain range stretching endlessly across the horizon appeared before them.
The Bone Mountains.
The tallest and longest mountain range in the known world, it nearly split the continent of Essos in two.
Even the Red Waste came to an end at its towering slopes.
Landing before the mountains, Daenerys pulled a thick white winter coat from her pack, wrapped herself in a gray scarf, and changed into warmer clothing.
Against the snowy backdrop, her rosy cheeks and fair complexion looked especially beautiful.
Gazing at the snow-covered peaks sparkling beneath the sunlight, she eagerly urged Drogon toward the summit.
Battling the freezing winds high above the clouds, Drogon slowly landed atop one of the mountain's highest peaks.
Using his outstretched wing as a staircase, Daenerys carefully descended onto a summit that had likely remained untouched for thousands of years.
Standing there, overlooking the endless mountain range, she felt a sense of grandeur beyond anything even the Wall could inspire.
"Ahhh—!"
She spread her arms wide and shouted into the icy wind with all her strength.
BOOM!
Almost immediately, a thunderous roar echoed across the mountains.
Startled, Daenerys felt the peak beneath her feet tremble ever so slightly.
Looking down, she watched the thin layer of snow near the cliff edge slowly begin sliding downhill.
Farther away, thicker snowfields succumbed to the vibration and gravity, breaking loose one after another.
The avalanche rapidly gathered speed, carrying countless tons of snow down the mountainside while enormous clouds of white powder billowed into the sky.
"So magnificent..."
Listening to the deafening rumble and watching the cascading avalanche sweep down the mountains, Daenerys couldn't help but marvel.
[What fearless ignorance...]
Watching her excitement, Drogon couldn't resist teasing her inwardly.
"Hmph!"
Hearing his sarcastic remark, Daenerys glanced up at his enormous dragon head and snorted.
Of course she knew it had been her shout that triggered the avalanche.
Had she done the same thing halfway up the mountain instead of standing safely on the summit, she could easily have been buried alive beneath the snow.
Drogon was obviously laughing at her lack of common sense.
Ignoring him, she continued admiring the avalanche until it crashed into the valley below, throwing up towering curtains of snow more than a dozen meters high.
"Drogon, let's try that mountain to the north next!"
Still not satisfied, she clearly wanted to shout again.
Since he had finally brought her out on a proper journey, Drogon wasn't in any hurry to press onward.
He decided to let her enjoy herself.
Spreading his wings, he allowed Daenerys to climb back onto his back before flying toward the next peak.
Beside them, Rhaegal finally recovered from staring at the avalanche in astonishment and hurried after them, still carrying the heavy packs strapped to her back.
After visiting two more mountaintops, Daenerys was finally satisfied.
Wrapping her coat tightly against the cold, she let Drogon carry her farther east.
Beyond the mountains, no cities appeared.
Instead, an immense chasm stretched across the land as far as the eye could see.
Its depths vanished into darkness.
To the north lay endless grasslands.
To the south stretched a barren gray wasteland.
Following this astonishing natural wonder, Drogon flew for nearly an hour before finally reaching the end of the great rift.
Throughout the entire journey, they saw not a single trace of human life.
Had Daenerys not known Asshai still lay farther east, she might have believed no people existed beyond this point at all.
Seated upon Drogon's back, confusion continued to grow within her.
Several days earlier, Drogon had announced that he intended to travel to Asshai.
When she had asked why, he had simply brushed the question aside.
Later, she secretly searched through every record she could find concerning the city.
All the books described Asshai as an eerie, unnatural place.
Its water could not be drunk.
Its land could not be cultivated.
If not for its vast wealth of gold and precious gems, merchants would never willingly travel there.
She simply couldn't understand why Drogon insisted on crossing half the world to reach such a place.
After leaving the great chasm behind and flying onward for some time, an enormous city slowly emerged on the horizon before the two dragons.