Chapter 246

The Stepstones possess hundreds of islands, large and small, with complex terrain; they have long been a nest for pirates. Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys all claim sovereignty over the Stepstones, and the three daughter city-states have long been engaged in an endless game of truces and wars surrounding the Stepstones and the Disputed Lands.

This is a pirate's paradise, home to pirates from Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh, as well as Ironborn pirates from the Iron Islands, Sistermen pirates from the Three Sisters, and even ocean adventurers from the Summer Islands, the Basilisk Isles, and Ibben.

The old pirate Salladhor Saan is one of them; in Lys, he holds the status of a banker, smuggler, and merchant, but in reality, almost all his wealth is obtained from plundering at sea.

The Stepstones are Salladhor Saan's base of operations; he owns over fifty galleons and, during the War of the Five Kings, once served Stannis, helping Stannis become the maritime hegemon of the Blackwater Bay area.

If the Onion Knight, Ser Davos Seaworth, can persuade the old pirate Salladhor Saan to bring his pirate fleet and join the ranks of the Westeros army, Eddard will have gained an additional maritime force.

The Iron Bitch Helene Pyke, Iron Fleet Commander Victarion, Asha Greyjoy, and others have already led the Iron Islands fleet toward Stave Town in Dorne, and a portion of the Royal Fleet has already gathered at Stave Town. Stave Town is located in eastern Dorne, right next to the Stepstones, and it will become the forward outpost for the Westeros army to attack the Stepstones.

The Iron Bitch Helene Pyke made her name and fortune in the Stepstones; she is very familiar with the Stepstones and can serve as a perfect guide. It is worth mentioning that Helene Pyke was defeated by Salladhor Saan in the Stepstones years ago, which led her to head north to the Stepstones to participate in the Rock King's rebellion. After the rebellion was quelled by Eddard, the Iron Bitch was captured and has served House Stark ever since.

Eddard was reading in his study when the maid Cersei served a glass of golden wine from the Arbor.

Cersei was wearing a grey maid's uniform and remained a sex bomb; after becoming an undead, she possessed blue eyes and exquisite, moon-like skin.

As an undead, Cersei is a walking corpse without self-will, responding only to Eddard's mind control. After she became a maid in the moving castle, many cooks and kitchen helpers took the opportunity to grope and fondle this former Queen Mother who once sat on the Iron Throne and ruled King's Landing with terror. Upon learning of this, Eddard immediately replaced all the servants in the kitchen with women.

Grand Maester Aemon, supported by Sam, arrived at the study, and Cersei walked out, brushing past Grand Maester Aemon.

Grand Maester Aemon frowned, "It is Cersei."

Eddard was somewhat surprised, "Grand Maester Aemon, you are a blind man; why do you know it is Cersei?"

Grand Maester Aemon said, "Your Grace, a blind man's sense of smell is very keen. When Cersei passed by, the air was full of the scent of cold. Cersei was once the Queen and Queen Mother of the Seven Kingdoms in King's Landing, later becoming the Corpse Queen of the Night King, and now she is reduced to a maid for Emperor Eddard."

"Sam read me part of the manuscript by the former Grand Maester Pycelle, 'Corpse Queen Serxi, Undead Sorcerer, and the Terror of King's Landing.' I learned that when Cersei was alive, she was cruel, arrogant, and licentious, but she was a living person then. What is she now?"

Eddard said, "Back in King's Landing, Stannis occupied the Crownlands and the Stormlands and blockaded Blackwater Bay. Reinforcements from the Westerlands for the Lannisters were delayed, and Cersei and her children were trapped in King's Landing. To survive, Cersei accepted the evil power of the undead sorcerer Ogbeta; from that moment on, she began to turn into a Corpse Queen. Of course, at that time, Cersei was not yet fully undead."

"When I executed Cersei and her cruel son Joffrey, the Night King collected her soul and resurrected her Beyond the Wall, and Cersei completely turned into a Corpse Queen. She became the Night King's companion, spreading her legs for the Night King every night."

"Cersei is an undead, and not an undead created by me."

Grand Maester Aemon said, "Your Grace, Cersei is not an undead created by you, yet you accepted her. The Night King took Cersei as his Corpse Queen, and you took Cersei as your maid, just like those Death Knights: the melancholy and handsome Rhaegar Targaryen, the hearty Robert the Death Storm, the wicked Mountain, the cruel and bloodthirsty Goat, and the horse-taming Khal Drogo."

"These are monsters created by the Great Other. We cannot ignore this, nor the will of the Lord of Light, R'hllor, who resurrected the 'Tall' Ser Duncan the Tall, the Dragonfly Prince, Aegon V, and Jenny of Oldstones. They are Lieyan Zhanshi resurrected by fire. And of course, there is Gillian, who is always smiling but is an undead resurrected by a sea god."

"The noble, the cruel, and the kind have all become walking corpses. Their souls cannot rest because the power controlling them has not disappeared. Your Grace, since you can control the undead to work and fight, why not grant these poor people the gift of rest?"

This topic surprised Eddard, "Your brother Aegon V has also been resurrected; I remember you were very happy."

Grand Maester Aemon nodded weakly, the wrinkles on his neck resembling gullies.

"Yes, I have lived over a hundred years, and my relatives have all passed away. Aegon is my favorite brother; being able to reunite with him is a stroke of luck, but also a sorrow. He died in the fire at Summerhall, but was resurrected by the red priestess Melisandre and once reduced to a puppet of the fire demon. After Your Grace defeated the fire demon, you gave him self-awareness, but he remains a puppet because he is forced to participate in endless slaughter and fighting."

"Your Grace, you did not create these undead, yet you inherited the Night King's entire legacy. Now, tens of thousands of undead workers labor in bottomless, pitch-black mines, and other undead work tirelessly in workshops and manors. Death was once a gift that allowed people to stay away from the world and escape pain; now, death is no longer a reason to rest. What is the point of living on as such a walking corpse?"

Eddard said, "Because it can provide a better life for the living. Grand Maester Aemon, many poor people in Westeros are hungry and cold. The wool clothing, minerals, and food produced by the undead for us will ultimately be used by the living."

"You once served the Night's Watch for many years. When the North expanded its manors and fished in the Bay of Ice, the Shivering Sea, and Seal Bay, it provided sufficient food for the Night's Watch. The Black Brothers could eat caviar, fresh shrimp, and venison every day, and every brother of the Night's Watch wore fur coats and covered themselves with wool quilts. This was unimaginable before."

Grand Maester Aemon sighed, "Your Grace, you were the one who helped the Night's Watch improve their food and living conditions back then. At that time, the undead were things the Black Brothers had to resist; they were on the other side of the Wall."

"Without the undead, we can still be well-fed and clothed. The undead are a form of degenerate sorcery. I have communicated with Archmaester Marwyn and even the Green Seer, the Three-Eyed Crow, and everyone agrees that all sorcery has a price; it erodes the human soul."

"Back then, Magic Dragons were clearly a type of magical creature. After the Magic Dragons went extinct, the Targaryen family, in pursuit of them, caused the tragedy at Summerhall. Before that, my brother Aerion Brightflame believed he could turn into a Magic Dragon and, for this, did not hesitate to swallow a jar of Wildfire, which cost him his life."

"A fanatical pursuit of magic will eventually consume humanity and lead it toward degeneration."

Eddard said calmly, "Grand Maester Aemon, I appreciate your advice, but I am not a person like Aerion Brightflame. My magic originates from the elemental power of nature; it is magic that belongs to the earth, the sea, the forest, the rivers, and the brooks."

Grand Maester Aemon said, "However, the fire demon and the Night King clearly do not belong to elemental power."

"I have heard Sam describe how, after Your Grace defeated the fire demon and the Night King, you sealed them into the ancestral Valyrian Steel sword of House Stark, Ice. The fire demon and the Night King are now pendants on the sword Ice. May I see the sword Ice?"

Eddard drew the sword Ice, and cold blue light and scorching red light danced and flowed on the blade. Grand Maester Aemon, guided by Sam, touched the pendants of the Night King and the fire demon.

Grand Maester Aemon murmured, "Your Grace, if we melted this sword and the pendants, would the fire demon and the Night King disappear from this world forever?"

Eddard pondered for a long time, "I don't think so. The Night King is merely a servant of the Great Other, and the Great Other is most adept at capturing souls. If we melt the sword that seals the Night King and the fire demon, it will only allow their souls to escape, and the Great Other will eventually resurrect them."

Grand Maester Aemon said, "The Night King and the fire demon are, after all, a potential threat. Your Grace currently controls the undead, the fire demon, and the Night King; however, once the Great Other has a new agent, and once your mind control fails, these undead, the Night King, the fire demon, and the sea dragon Nagga will all become hidden dangers to Westeros."

Eddard said, "My magical power is increasing every day, and I pray that day will never come."

Grand Maester Aemon said, "The Dragonlords of Valyria clearly thought the same. Back then, there were more and more Magic Dragons in Valyria, and over forty Dragonlord families were playing the game of thrones in Valyria. They were greedy for the prosperity brought by the Magic Dragons, greedy for the wealth created for Valyria by slaves from all over the world and by the magic of sorcerers."

"However, the Fourteen Flames erupted simultaneously, and magma, flames, and thick smoke instantly tore Valyria apart. The sky-high fire burned up the Magic Dragons in the sky and destroyed the castles, palaces, temples, and gardens of the Valyrian Empire—everything. Without a doubt, the Dragonlords' greedy pursuit and endless use of magic led to the destruction of Valyria."

"Your Grace, I heard the High Septon's speech at the Great Sept of Eddard, and I also heard the barefoot Septon, the High Sparrow, preaching in Cobbler's Square. Everyone is singing the praises of Emperor Eddard's great conquests. The High Sparrow claims that Your Grace defeated the Night King and ended the Long Night, while the red priestess Melisandre, the Red Lacquer Mask-wearing Quaithe, and the black-skinned Moqorro are promoting that Your Grace is the reincarnation of Azor Ahai and that you ended the Long Night."

"I think this is simply nonsense. In legend, Azor Ahai wields Lightbringer, while the sword Your Grace uses is Ice, which is the exact opposite of Lightbringer. Your Grace did indeed end the cold winter after defeating the Night King, but the past winter was the shortest winter in recorded history in Westeros."

Eddard agreed, "That was indeed not the Long Night."

According to ancient records, during the Long Night, a generation in Westeros did not see the sun. People were born in the cold and died in the cold. In the long winter, in the ice and snow, kings and swineherds wailed and died alike. In Rhoynar legend, the Rhoyne River was completely frozen during the Long Night.

Grand Maester Aemon said, "Defeating the Night King is certainly gratifying, but celebrating victory before the Long Night has arrived is like the False Spring of the past. We all know what happened during the False Spring. Your Grace, the Long Night may eventually descend upon everyone, and at that time, the Night King, the fire demon, the Death Knights, and the ice dragons could very well turn against you. I hope you remember the threat of the undead and remember the words of House Stark: Winter is Coming."

Eddard said, "Grand Maester Aemon, I will keep your advice in mind."

Sam helped Grand Maester Aemon leave, and after a short while, Archmaester Marwyn walked in.

"Your Grace, Grand Maester Aemon spoke to me earlier. It was the Archmaesters of the Conclave who wrote to Grand Maester Aemon, emphasizing the threat of magic. Poor Aemon, over a hundred years old, and still being used by the bookworms of the Conclave."

"In the world the Citadel is committed to building, there is no place for Magic Dragons, fire demons, or the Night King. They would love for them all to disappear, but if these things were gone, there would be even worse things."

"To think magic is dangerous and to abandon it is too foolish. How is that any different from abandoning swords to seek peace? In the end, this world needs dragons; only with the deterrence of dragons can the stability of order be guaranteed."

Eddard said, "What you say makes a lot of sense, but Grand Maester Aemon's advice is also loyal words that grate on the ear. Recently, I have heard enough hymns, but such words of being prepared for danger in times of peace are rare."

Archmaester Marwyn said, "The benefits brought by magic are clearly visible. Giants and the Children of the Forest are living and working in peace and contentment in Westeros with Your Grace's help. The Children of the Forest have built tree-towns in the Wolfswood and the Kingswood, and the populations of the Children of the Forest and giants have increased."

"As long as Your Grace firmly controls magic and does not abuse it, we can defeat all people and bring benefits to the commoners."

Across Westeros, people are rejoicing for Emperor Eddard's magic castle. After all, this is the first city in the history of Westeros to rule Westeros from the clouds in a flying moving castle. Six Magic Dragons pulled the moving castle from the North to King's Landing, and it is about to head from the North to the Stepstones for a personal expedition to the Stepstones.

In the dragon lair of the moving castle, the Magic Dragons Iron Egg, Fairy, Sun, Windwhisperer, and Greenhand are growing sturdily, and Eddard's Magic Dragons are becoming more numerous.

If necessary, Eddard will also release the ice dragons—over forty ice dragons, blotting out the sky.

In the Vale and the North, more and more giant eagles and griffins are hatching. In the Stormlands, at Griffin's Roost, the home of the Hand of the King, Jon Connington, griffin eggs have also been discovered, and Eddard's raptor legion is further expanding.

A few days later, Eddard's moving castle began to head south, pulled by the six Magic Dragons, and the people of King's Landing lined the streets to see off Emperor Eddard on his personal expedition.

The Young Wolf Robb, the Hand of the King Jon Connington, Tyrion, Stannis, Randyll Tarly, Mathis Rowan, and others will sit in King's Landing and manage the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

Nowadays, the Young Wolf Robb is at the Red Keep's Small Council, known as the Earthly Council, while Emperor Eddard, Daenerys, Jon, Grand Maester Aemon, and others stay in the Moving Castle in the sky, known as the Heavenly Council.

Brienne, Ser Barristan, the Hound, the Knight of Flowers Loras, Prince Oberyn the Red Viper, Domeric, and other fierce warriors have all set out on the expedition.

In addition, there are the commander of the Second Sons, Ben Plumm, the handsome commander of the Stormcrows, Daario Naharis, the commander of the Golden Company, Harry Strickland, and others, as well as Ser Jorah and others. The mercenary companies have long lingered in the Stepstones and the Disputed Lands, and are very familiar with the wars in the Stepstones and the Disputed Lands.

Daario Naharis has always admired Daenerys, and after Daenerys married Jon, Daario Naharis and Ser Jorah were both dejected.

Unlike in the past, many commanders are staying in the Moving Castle for this expedition, looking down at the land and seas of Westeros from the clouds.

Ser Barristan, with his head of white hair, sighed incessantly.

"Having lived this long, one gets to see everything! I have spent my whole life campaigning in the saddle, yet this time I can actually sit on a flying castle to launch an expedition to the Stepstones."

Prince Oberyn the Red Viper said: "Old man, you must learn to adapt. If we speak the truth, you are the commander-in-chief of the Kingsguard Army in King's Landing, and given your advanced age, you should have stayed in King's Landing."

Ser Barristan said: "Lord Randyll Tarly will take my place in commanding the Kingsguard Army. The Stepstones need me. Don't forget, back then, it was I who slew Maelys in the Stepstones, ending the Blackfyre bloodline. That was before I became a member of the Kingsguard, my claim to fame."

The Knight of Flowers Loras teased: "That was over forty years ago, Ser Barristan. Back then you were a young man, but now you are an old man; the battlefield will always belong to the old."

Brienne said calmly: "Fighting alongside the Magic Dragon, we shall surely win!"

At this moment, a row of wild geese swept across the sky, and the Magic Dragon Aegon spat out a mouthful of Dragonfire, roasting the geese, and swallowed them in one gulp.

Whether it was the high-spirited Loras or the still-vigorous Ser Barristan, both realized that in this era of the resurgence of spiritual energy, with the Magic Dragon by their side, the role of the warrior was declining.

Prince Oberyn the Red Viper said: "Once we reach Dorne, you will be able to experience the hospitality of the Dornish. My brother, Prince Doran, will personally lead the Dornish nobles to welcome Emperor Eddard and all of you."

"And my daughters, the Sand Snakes of Dorne, have been looking forward to His Majesty's arrival in Dorne! Lareza is His Majesty's most outstanding foster daughter, no objections, right? If possible, I hope His Majesty will take all the Sand Snakes as his foster daughters."

In other parts of Westeros, people speak of bastards with a hint of contempt, but Dorne is different; it is deeply influenced by Rhoynar customs, with an open social climate, loose women, and little regard for bastards.

Banners fluttered on the Kingsroad, and on the sea, ships from the North, the Vale, the Crownlands, and the Stormlands were heading south.

As day and night alternated and the moon waxed and waned, the Moving Castle began to fly over the Marches. When it passed over Harvest Hall, Ser Barristan proudly introduced the castle of the Selmy House.

"The lands of Harvest Hall are the most fertile in the Marches and have always been the granary of the Stormlands."

The Stonesmen have always been mortal enemies of the Dornish, but now, Ser Barristan, Baron Swann, the Lightning Lord Beric Dondarrion, and others are fighting side by side with Oberyn the Red Viper.

The Red Mountains appeared below; they had reached Dorne. Through Element Power, Eddard smelled the scent of sand, sunlight, chili, and olives in the air of Dorne.

The Red Mountains, which stretch across northern Dorne, block Dorne from the Reach and the Stormlands and serve as the northern barrier of Dorne. To enter Dorne, one can only pass through the Prince's Pass and the Boneway. Historically, countless armies have been buried in the Boneway and the Prince's Pass, and even more armies died in the desert.

Three-quarters of Dorne is desert, and the coastal environment is harsh, filled with reefs and whirlpools. Along the way, villages are hard to find for hundreds of leagues of coastline, and fresh water is even scarcer. Such harsh conditions have led to a lack of good harbors in Dorne, but this has also protected the Dornish from frequent maritime attacks.

Dornish Red is famous far and wide, and Dornish olives are an important oil crop in Westeros. Spicy food, Poison, scorpions, vipers, mud castles, blood oranges, and figs are equally famous.

The Dornish consist of the Salty Dornish who live by the sea—they are of Rhoynar mixed blood, with supple bodies, black hair, and olive skin; the Stony Dornish who live in the mountains, with fair skin and beautiful hair—they are descendants of the First Men and the Andals; and the Sandy Dornish who live in the deserts and river valleys, their skin tanned brown.

Due to its geographical location, Dorne is in the tropics and is less affected by seasonal changes.

Prince Oberyn said: "The Principality of Dorne and the far-off North have many things in common."

The Knight of Flowers Loras said disdainfully: "You're spouting nonsense again. The North and Dorne are so far apart, separated by thousands of mountains and rivers; what could they possibly have in common?"

Prince Oberyn laughed: "Kid, if you were willing to read a few books, you would understand. The North and Dorne, one cold and one hot, one snow and one sand—the history, culture, and customs of these two great ancient kingdoms are vastly different from the rest of Westeros. Compared to the regions between them, both the northern and southern kingdoms have continued their traditions, are sparsely populated, and have never truly been conquered by the Magic Dragon."

"The House Stark of the North peacefully accepted Aegon the Conqueror as their liege lord, while Dorne stubbornly resisted the Magic Dragon of the Targaryens for nearly two hundred years, eventually joining the rule of the Iron Throne through marriage."

The Knight of Flowers Loras said: "But Dorne is under a scorching sun, with endless deserts, harsh, hot, and wild. Even Garth the Greenhand couldn't make the land of Dorne bloom with flowers."

Oberyn said disdainfully: "Garth the Greenhand is a legend of the Reach; in Dorne, people don't even know his name. The Dornish are the earliest humans in Westeros. Back then, the First Men came to Westeros on foot across the land bridge of the Arm of Dorne, and their first stop was Dorne."

Eddard said: "Indeed. Back then, the First Men arrived in Westeros in a steady stream, beginning to fell trees and destroy the forests. To stop the endless wave of First Men migration, the Green Seers of the Children of the Forest gathered together and used Magic to tear apart the Arm of Dorne, forming the Stepstones."

Now, the Stepstones are exactly the next stop Eddard intends to conquer.

Thanks to Mo Zi, Capricorngoldensaint, and tt Tian Tang Bu Hei for the monthly tickets. Thank you for your support!

(End of this chapter)