Dragonstone Island was formed from undersea volcanic eruptions, where magma cooled and solidified into rock, gradually accumulating into shape.
The Targaryen castle was built atop volcanic rock known as "Dragonmount."
To this day, the volcano is ninety-nine percent dormant. Only the hot spring between the castle's rear garden and the Dragonpit continues to bubble up large clouds of white steam each day—proof that the undersea volcano is not entirely dead.
"By comparing temperatures throughout the castle, I suspect this hot spring is the closest point to the volcano's core," Marwyn said, his lips stained red from acid grass leaves, his expression uneasy yet excited.
Gurgle, gurgle...
The hot spring, shaped like a leaf and spanning thirty feet square, sat at the base of the hill. Steam bubbles constantly rose from its grayish-blue waters, flooding the glass garden with heat.
Even in the dead of winter, when the world outside was locked in ice, the garden remained lush with blooming flowers and trees heavy with fruit.
"Careful, it's very hot!" Old Crab suddenly cried out in warning.
It was because the Dragon Queen had squatted by the spring's edge, rolled up her sleeve, and dipped a snowy-white arm into the boiling water.
Splash! Her small hand stirred up a handful of water, but no cry of pain came from the Queen.
Old Crab was stunned. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Her arm had only turned slightly red—far from the look of being boiled.
"What's going on?" Bronn asked in bewilderment.
Old Crab suddenly understood and exclaimed excitedly, "True dragon blood! This is the purest form of true dragon blood!"
Marwyn was also surprised, but he already knew the Dragon Queen was no ordinary person. He wasn't concerned about her heat-resistant arm. Instead, his focus had been on her expression the entire time.
When he saw her frown in contemplation, he asked anxiously, "Well? Is the geothermal magic here sufficient?"
"It is," Dany replied with a nod.
"Excellent!" Marwyn twisted his thick bull neck in excitement.
Old Crab, watching her face, asked curiously, "You don't seem entirely satisfied?"
"I thought Dragonmount was merely a dead volcano, but I was wrong. It's not dead—it's just dormant. Three hundred meters underground, there's a massive concentration of fire element strong enough to blow Dragonstone off the map," Dany said gravely.
She hadn't dipped her hand into the spring just to show off, but to sense the fire elements overflowing from the water.
With Drogon's demigod dragon soul merged into her, her powerful spirit followed the fire element downward—deeper and deeper—tracing it back to the source: the volcano beneath the spring.
This, too, was a form of sorcery.
In the book Constructing the Magi-Net, which Marwyn had brought from the Citadel's archives, there was a complete system for creating magic crystal nodes. It included techniques such as tracking fire elements, locating volcanoes, luring magma flows, and extracting fire-elemental magic from the lava.
All of these sorceries could only be performed by those who had mastered the perfect Grand Sorcerer's meditation technique—and only if they possessed sufficient magical power.
In simple terms, only Valyrian grand sorcerers could forge the Magi-Net.
That's why the Valyrians never feared this nation-shaking technology leaking to others.
Even if someone else got their hands on it, they couldn't use it.
Just moments ago, Dany had used the "fire element tracking" spell to fully survey the volcanic structure beneath Dragonstone.
According to Constructing the Magi-Net, and based on the fire-element richness of the magma layer beneath the spring, she concluded that Dragonmount was a small-scale active volcano.
Yes, in Valyrian terms, a volcano capable of blowing Dragonstone into the sea was still considered small-scale.
But when you think about it, the Fourteen Flames of Valyria—
Fourteen volcanoes—had shattered an entire continent spanning a thousand miles.
By comparison, Dragonmount really was tiny.
"Then should we still build a magic node here? Aside from communication, it doesn't seem to have much use. The Valyrian catastrophe is still fresh in memory—I don't want Dragonstone to meet the same fate!" Old Crab said with concern.
Marwyn quickly responded, "It's not just for communication. Magic crystals can amplify a mage's power tenfold, even a hundredfold. Anything a glass candle can do, they can do a hundred times more efficiently!"
The magic node wasn't just some "fantasy internet."
The internet transmits digital signals—magic nodes transmit raw magical power.
They can draw endless magic from the magma veins below, which can be used to power massive magical endeavors—like constructing blackstone castles or paving the Valyrian roads.
Think about it. On Earth, even a mega-infrastructure nation like China needs an average of 30 million yuan to build just one kilometer of highway.
Granted, comparing prices isn't helpful, but it shows just how costly such construction is.
Yet in a world whose productivity barely matches medieval Europe, the Valyrians built over 30,000 kilometers of indestructible stone roads.
And if they wanted, they could've built even more.
That thirty thousand kilometers was enough to connect several inland city-states across the continent of Essos.
Coastal cities like Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh traveled by sea anyway and didn't need roads.
The Valyrians could build roads—but they couldn't build cars to drive on them. Sea routes remained faster and easier.
No exaggeration—Earth's most advanced highways weren't even worthy to shine the Valyrian roads' shoes. The Valyrian roads had stood for over 6,000 years without maintenance, yet not a single corner had crumbled. Every edge remained sharp and precise.
How much magical energy would such megaprojects require?
Even 300 dragons wouldn't be enough.
The only option was to draw endless power from the magma deep underground.
At this moment, the Dragon Queen was also planning to construct a magic crystal tower on Dragonstone, drawing magical energy from the volcano for communication purposes.
She still didn't know how to forge Valyrian black stone.
"In theory, the volcano won't erupt without warning," Dany said thoughtfully. "I've carefully studied the section on volcano monitoring in Magical Web Architecture.
Beneath the node where the magic crystal tower will be built, there's an extremely intricate sealing formation. The fluctuations of magma within the volcano are also constantly displayed in the magic web."
"I understand what you're saying, but it's also a fact that Valyria was destroyed in the Doom," said Old Crab.
Dany's eyes flashed, and she said in a deep voice, "I'm becoming increasingly convinced that the Doom wasn't a natural disaster."
Seeing the determination on the queen's face, Old Crab sighed. "Whether it was natural or not, if it happened once, it could happen again."
"Relax. I won't draw large amounts of magical energy from the magma. Look—fire elements are constantly seeping from the hot spring. I'll also lower the crystal tower's output and only absorb the dispersed magic, just enough to maintain communication through the web," Dany said with a reassuring smile.
"Oh, as long as you've got it under control." Old Crab let out a breath, somewhat relieved.
Of course I have it under control. I don't live on Dragonstone. If the volcano truly erupts, how would it possibly affect Slaver's Bay, which lies thousands of miles away?
"All of you, step back," she said, turning to Marwyn, Brawn, and the others.
Dany herself also stepped back five meters, took a deep breath, and began chanting Valyrian incantations. Her spiritual force delved into the depths of the volcano, stirring the fire elements within the magma.
It felt as easy as getting dressed or eating for an adult.
Her spirit quickly took control of the fire elements and efficiently converted them into her own fire sorcery.
In that moment, Dany felt like a god.
She could split the earth's crust, hurl the entire island into the sky—
Whoosh—
The frenzy faded from her eyes. Dany exhaled deeply, dispelling the distracting thoughts caused by the sudden surge of power and regaining her usual icy calm.
Rumble, rumble!The ground began to tremble slightly, and rocks on the Dragon's Den Hills rolled noisily.
"Ah! An earthquake!" Old Crab grabbed onto a nearby pine beam and shouted in fear.
Gurgle, gurgle—hiss, hiss, hiss—
The water in the hot spring exploded upward, and the white steam instantly multiplied tenfold, forming a near-sky-piercing column of vapor.
Visibly, the water level began to drop.
"The volcano's erupting! The underground volcano is about to blow!" Brawn turned pale with fright, trembling all over.
Marwyn, however, was uncommonly excited. He loudly reassured everyone, "Don't panic! This is the queen's magic. She's channeling the magma to build a magical conduit.
To extract magic from the lava for the crystal tower, we must open a path to the volcanic vent. It's the same principle as digging a well for water."
The logic made sense, but no ordinary well-digging caused such commotion.
Hiss hiss hiss—ssss!
In just ten minutes, the hot spring had completely evaporated. At the bottom, where the spring once surged, the water flow had stopped—replaced by faint yellow flames three feet tall.
Then, the Dragon Queen recited another incantation to calm the turbulent magma underground.
Finally, she sealed the surface of the magma layer, completely isolating the fire elements, and withdrew her spiritual power.
"All done. Brawn, while it's still hot, get some men to pour cold seawater in," she instructed.
Then Dany turned to Marwyn and said, "Tell Brawn how to dig the pit. Ideally, it should be about 250 meters deep.
You'll come across a volcanic vent with a radius of about 30 centimeters. That's where the foundation of the crystal tower should be laid."
"A volcanic vent? Shouldn't Dragonmount's vent be over there?" Old Crab pointed toward the direction of the dungeon tower.
That was the tallest peak on Dragonstone and also where it connected to the Dragonmount mines.
Dany followed his gaze and looked at the towering stone tower. "Yes, the volcanic vent is beneath the dungeon tower. It's been sealed off by a 400-meter-thick rock layer, which is why we've always believed Dragonmount was extinct.
The spring below merely connected to the volcano via a small fissure.
Now I've widened that fissure and sealed off the passage to the sea, creating a very small volcanic vent."
"A small vent is good. Small means safe," Old Crab nodded repeatedly.
While Brawn led the digging crew, Dany didn't remain idle.
The construction of a magic crystal tower was indeed similar to digging a water well—though not one that uses buckets, but rather the pressure wells found in rural households.
A pressure well has a long pipe that extends deep underground, and the magic crystal tower likewise required a conduit reaching down into the magma layer.
The surface was 300 meters above the magma layer. If Brawn dug 250 meters, Dany needed to forge a 50-meter-long energy conduit.
The main material for the conduit was dragonglass.
Dragonglass was perhaps one of the best magical conductors in the world.
Fortunately, Dragonstone had a vast reserve of dragonglass. Combined with magical materials Marwyn had imported from Myr, Dany was able to forge a 50-meter-long, wrist-thick energy conduit using molds—all in a single afternoon.
Hmm… Pure dragonglass was too brittle. At 50 meters, it wouldn't even support its own weight.
But with the addition of other materials and the engraving of magical runes, the conduit became much sturdier.
However, by that time, Brawn's pit was only five meters deep.
(End of Chapter)
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