Time passed slowly.
The valley, in need of reconstruction, was gradually getting back on track.
As a prince, Aemon naturally had to lead by example.
He took turns commanding three dragons each day to burn a batch of lime.
The people of the territory had hope and worked very hard.
More than 1,600 people were divided into three groups to perform various tasks.
Thanks to donkey carts and horses, quarrying and coal mining required less manpower, and transporting goods from Green Ridge and Raven Ridge to the interior became easier.
Time passed quickly, and it was mid-June.
...
On this day,
Three thousand young men from Runestone City and people from the surrounding area gathered in an open space at the foot of the mountain.
After one and a half months, the foundation had expanded to 800 meters wide from north to south and 1,200 meters long from east to west, an increase from half a kilometer in length.
The extra length was used to stack building materials.
The material was changed to a mixture of lime, fine sand, and clay, and the foundation was deepened to six meters thick.
It could be deeper, but there is a rock layer underneath.
"Everyone, today the construction of the Prince's Palace officially begins! We invite you to witness the fruits of our hard work during this period!"
Aemon smiled and stood in front of an altar.
Nearly 6,000 pairs of eyes were on His Royal Highness and the altar.
Some people were stunned, trembling slightly.
The altar was covered with a red cloth, but its outline was taking shape.
"The construction of the Prince's Palace represents the continuation of the Targaryen family. This king will worship a founding hero in the valley for generations."
Aemon glanced at the entire audience and suddenly pulled back the red curtain.
In an instant,
A shiny, black dragon skull with a metallic luster appeared, standing majestically in the sun.
The dragon skull was as big as a house.
It had a pair of dragon horns curved backwards from the top of its head, its hollow eye sockets were narrow and long, and its thick dragon teeth were neatly arranged.
Looking at the dark skull, it seemed that everyone could foresee its former beauty.
This was one of the three founding dragons of the Targaryen dynasty:
This was the skull of the first dragon, Meraxes.
"Seven layers of hell!"
"It's a dragon..."
The people of the valley were accustomed to seeing dragons, but
This was the first time they had seen a dragon skull. When they saw Meraxes's skull, their knees turned to jelly.
Lady Rhea was invited and stood in front of the crowd.
Seeing her son carry out the skull of an old dragon caused her face to change slightly. "The king is really willing to give away the skull of Meraxes."
Of course, he was reluctant.
It was Aemon who secretly moved it, and by the time his uncle learned about it, it was already on the boat.
"Quiet!"
Steve shouted, stopping the whispers below.
The people in the hold fell silent instantly, looking at the dragon skull with a hint of fear.
To the people of Westeros, dragons are like gods in the sky: sacred and inviolable.
A dragon skull is like a heavy hammer that shatters fantasy.
Aemon had expected this.
Why didn't the Dornish surrender? They invaded the border all year round.
It was because they had killed a dragon before; therefore, they lacked reverence.
To reduce the impact, he concealed the news of killing the Cannibal and said only that he killed a brutal wild dragon.
He did not mention its name, only saying that he killed an adult dragon.
Destroying the Great Wall was a foolish act.
However, dragon skulls and killing dragons are two different concepts.
"Its name was Meraxes, named after the god of wisdom of ancient Valyria. It was a majestic dragon that founded the Targaryen dynasty with the Conqueror."
Aemon stood firm, opened his arms wide, and said devoutly, "From now on, the valley will worship it and be blessed by the dragon soul!"
Then, he secretly winked at the white knight.
Steve promptly drew his long sword from his waist and knelt on one knee in front of the altar.
Plop! Plop!
Gunthor, William, and Sir Ryan, who had come from afar to lead the prince's camp and 150 knights of the valley, knelt down one after another.
Aemon turned around, knelt on one knee, drew his bronze longsword, and placed both hands on his head.
"Since we have to act, we have to see this through to the end.
The river valley is new territory. It can move forward for a while by relying on interests, but there will always be a time of weakness.
If you want to mobilize people's hearts, faith is often the best choice.
Some people present believe in the Seven Gods and the Old Gods, and uniting them is difficult.
These beliefs cannot be used themselves, so Aemon created his own belief.
It has no name or cult.
Only the skull of a founding dragon is enshrined, elevating the dragon's divinity to new heights. It is
Similar to how people worship their ancestors and hope for their blessings.
"God of Wisdom."
"Blessing of the heroic spirit of the founding dragon..."
..."
Everyone present was shocked, half believing and half doubting His Royal Highness's words. They looked at each other and knelt down.
In their eyes, the Targaryen family is the "people" closest to God.
The words of someone who can control God are extremely credible.
"Interesting."
Lady Rhea crossed her arms, showing no intention of kneeling.
How could she not know what the Targaryens are like?
She has slept with him and given birth.
That's all.
Aemon glanced back and thought he had succeeded halfway.
At that moment, two people emerged from behind the altar.
Johanna wore a black lace dress and hung six old bronze armor pieces on wooden sticks. She stood on the left side of the altar.
Maester Muntor held a bronze shovel and knocked on a clay urn on the right side of the altar.
Boom!
One corner broke open and a blazing fire erupted, sending fist-sized balls of white lime rolling out.
The balls symbolized bronze and fire, respectively.
Seeing this, Aemon thrust his bronze sword into the ground, pointing it down, and shouted, "Start building the new city!"
He kept moving, taking out a red card and putting it on the foundation.
[Palace building]: "Card effect activated. Please name your palace."
Buzz!
The red card shattered instantly, turning into red fireflies that drilled into the solid foundation.
The next second—
An inexplicable wave spread outward from this point like soft ripples on water, faintly emitting a red glow.
Aemon was the closest and felt clearheaded.
It spread to encompass the entire foundation.
Those present only saw a flash before their eyes and felt a warm sensation surge through their bodies; their fatigue from many days dissipated.
Due to the weak effect, they did not think it was mysterious.
They all regarded it as the skull of the "God of Wisdom," Meraxes, being blessed.
"Meraxes!"
Someone put his hands together and bowed devoutly.
Whether the Seven Gods and the Old Gods perform miracles is unknown, but a living dragon is right next to them.
They are all "gods," so why not worship one that is visible but not touchable?
"Hiss—"
From the high mountain dragon's nest, Vermithor jumped down, and his roar echoed through the river valley.
Silver Wing rarely left the dragon's nest, but he soared with his partner today.
"Hiss!"
On the bank of Long Lake, the gray dragon, exhausted, raised his head and flew excitedly into the sky.
He thought it was time to eat.
His Royal Highness was generous and rewarded it with ten big fish every day for its work.
Boom!
Three giant dragons soared in the sky, spewing flames periodically, as if celebrating the start of construction today.
Seeing this, the people present became more determined to worship the "God of Wisdom," Meraxes.
At that moment, Aemon fell into deep thought.
The red card, was fully activated, and a name needed to be given to the palace.
"As a prince's palace, it must be grand enough."
After thinking for a long time about the joy of discovering the river valley, Aemon said seriously, "Let's call it River Valley City."
This would be similar to the Royce family's Runestone City and the Arryn family's Eagle Nest City.
In Westeros, "city" refers to a castle.
His prince's palace was named River Valley City.
Once the outer city walls of Copper Wall and Iron Wall are activated, the city can be called "River Valley Town."
For example, Seagull Town and Old Town.
Soon after the worship ended, the craftsmen carried bricks and stones to start construction.
An old craftsman from the prince's camp asked respectfully, "Your Highness, what is the name of your palace?"
"River Valley City," Aemon replied simply.
The old craftsman chewed on it for a while and then praised it: "It's a good name that fits the territory's characteristics."
Beautiful words don't matter; the most important thing is that it fits reality.
Aemon smiled and nodded.
The old craftsman handed him a blue brick and a shovel and said, "You are the master of River Valley City, and you will lay the first cornerstone."
"Is there such a saying?"
Aemon asked, curiously taking the two items.
The foundation was solid, and the stacking positions were marked with lime. Just follow the lines."
Aemon concentrated.
He dug out a white, greasy mixture of quicklime with a shovel, threw it on the foundation, and smoothed it.
Very good—a good start.
Aemon breathed a sigh of relief, picked up a blue brick, and dropped it onto the mixture.
Press it down firmly and fill it in.
Snap!
His hand slipped, the mixture rubbed out, and the neatly arranged blue bricks tilted at a corner.
Aemon...
Frightened face!
"It shouldn't be like this!"
The old craftsman was stunned for a moment and then comforted him. "Your Highness, the position of the first block is in the will of the gods. You should accept it calmly and be grateful."
He picked up the ash shovel that had slipped from the prince's hands and skillfully laid blue bricks.
The work officially started, and three thousand people rushed in.
Those who moved bricks moved them, and those who poured mud and plaster did so as well.
Skilled stonemasons and tilers took the lead, laying the palace wall along the lime line.
After a long time,
Aemon covered his chest and accepted the reality of his mistake.
River Valley City is 653 meters wide from north to south and 861 meters long from east to west. It covers an area of about 0.56 square kilometers.
It consists of three main halls, six side halls, and large and small auxiliary halls on both sides.
A central line still runs through it from the main gate on the east side to the last main hall.
Its architectural style features pavilions and towers similar to those in free trade city gardens.
The colors are blue bricks and black tiles with accents of red and green.
The foundation stone and floor are elegant and solemn, paved with white marble.
Judging from the blueprints, the palace looks a bit like a cluster of flowers on a white porcelain plate.
Outside the palace complex, a circle of towering walls stands guard against enemies.
For such a large project, bricks are not a problem.
However, the palace where he just laid the bricks is the throne hall, which is located in the middle of the three main halls and will be used for future meetings.
"It still hurts my heart."
Aemon lowered his head so that no one could see his sad expression.
If someone sees that the corner bricks of the throne hall are crooked in the future, it will be difficult to explain.
"Prince, there is a raven for you."
Johanna approached quietly.
"Whose?"
Aemon took a breath, drew his bronze sword, and walked down the foundation.
"Don't delay other people's construction."
Johanna followed behind him, taking small steps, and handed him two letters. "One was left by Lady Rhea just now, and the other is from Miss Laena."
"My mother is gone?"
Aemon reacted, but he hadn't seen his mother.
Johanna said, "Lady Rhea said that if you don't want to communicate with her, you can write her a letter."
"I bet it's not good news."
Suddenly, Aemon had a toothache.
Looking back, three thousand people built the main hall, and in the blink of an eye, they had built its skeleton.
Even the old craftsmen brought out the golden rat beams to measure the position of the hall's load-bearing columns.
The card indicated that the completion time was one year.
Judging from the situation, we will soon be able to live in the River Valley City we created.
"Give me all the letters."
My mood was like a roller coaster, but I found the courage to read the letters.
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