Jorah was right, completing Daenerys' "three-stage water retrieval" task would add several times the physical labor for both the first and second batches of water-retrieving knights.
Whether digging deep pits in the hard, sandy ground or transporting water back and forth to the Khalasar, the knights' rest time was greatly reduced, and the time they spent working to their limits under the scorching sun increased, perhaps
"This is my tribe, whether old, weak, sick, or disabled, they are all my subjects, and I have the responsibility and obligation to protect the safety of each person's life," Daenerys insisted.
"But what about your warriors? They might die of exhaustion on the road to find water."Dany hesitated for only a moment before regaining her solemn expression. "A warrior dying in service to the people is the most glorious and noble end."
"Service to the people?"
Jorah was taken aback. It was the first time he'd heard such a thing. It seemed to make some sense, at least more than two idiots getting full and hacking each other to death with knives.
But he didn't care at all about the lives or honor of the Dothraki. He only wanted to make the most advantageous plans for his princess.Jorah gritted his teeth and whispered, "Your Highness, your method of obtaining water is excellent. If it were just you and those 80 elite warriors, we could certainly leave the wasteland unscathed. Perhaps..."
His eyes were dark and unfathomable, his voice with an indescribable coldness, "Perhaps while they sleep, we take the supplies and leave quietly. A hundred survivors are better than the complete collapse of the Khalasar.
You have gold. Once we reach a coastal city, you can buy a ship to any of the Free Cities, or quietly buy an estate and wait for the dragons to grow."Dany shook her head and sighed, "Ser, I am their Khaleesi, please don't say such things again."
"Ah, very well," Ser Jorah's expression shifted from solemn to relaxed, perhaps with the indifference of someone who has completely given up, "Princess, you must prepare yourself. The people will likely begin to die off soon. You are not a god, you cannot help everyone."
"How much further is left, approximately?" Dany asked anxiously.
"Three-quarters, at least two-thirds, and that's if we continue to travel in a straight line, but in reality, we detoured because of the riverbed." Jorah said uncertainly.At this moment, Daenerys also understood that a crisis was imminent.
The further they went into the Red Waste, the more the water sources decreased in a geometric progression. Today, the water supply was almost at its limit, so tomorrow...
"We should abandon a batch of old horses," Daenerys decided.
Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration and said with a smile, "I almost forgot the most important water source."
"Where?" Jorah asked in surprise.
"Never mind, it's not time yet," she waved her hand and smiled.
Of course, it's urine!
How many times has Bear Grylls drunk urine?Drinking urine was nothing for that man at the top of the food chain; I remember the most outrageous time, he even guzzled turtle blood until he was screaming.
--Turtle blood is too fishy and foul, you'll throw up if you drink it, but the large intestine can absorb the water from the blood.
It's a little disgusting, but it's nothing compared to saving your life.
If it really comes down to a crisis, horse blood enemas are definitely worth a try. Anyway, Dany is a Khaleesi, she'll never be the one lacking water.
Thinking of this, Dany's gaze towards Jorah became strange.
"What is it?"Big Bear felt a chill crawl from the back of his neck to his tailbone.
"No," Dany said, turning her gaze away and heading towards her tent. "I'm going to train the dragons."
Dany, carrying a bamboo basket, had just lifted the leather flap of her tent when she saw Afanti riding an old horse, "clop-clop," stopping in front of her tent.
"Khaleesi, Watson is dying, he's going to die!" he shouted anxiously.
"Alas, I know," Dany sighed, preparing to leave.
Afanti hurriedly asked, "Khaleesi, what are the arrangements for Watson's funeral?"Dany stopped, puzzled. "He's from Volantis, I don't know their customs. Why don't you ask him?"
"He wants cremation and grave goods. I can't decide, so I came to ask for your instructions," Avanti said quickly.
Now Dany understood. In this resource-scarce plain, charcoal was mostly used to filter sewage. Even roasting horse meat was done in large communal pots to save firewood.
And grave goods...
Dany had no choice but to follow Avanti to his squad of ten, carrying her three dragons on her back.Although Ma Min's tent was small, it housed three or four people, so there wasn't much need for furniture; just enough space to lay out blankets, straw mats, and sleeping bags.
When they saw Daenerys arrive, the other two old men greeted her with a "hello" and then discreetly withdrew, leaving them the space.
Hearing Daenerys's questions about the funeral rites, the toothless old man said with difficulty, "The Volantene nobility are descended from the ancient Freehold of Valyria. Like your Targaryen family, they favor cremation. I was just a slave born on the banks of the Rhoyne, and by rights should choose river burial or earth burial, but... cough, cough, cough..."The old man coughed for a while, a look of longing on his aged face. "But, my Haggo was a Khal, like Khal Drogo, he was a great Dothraki warrior, who eventually rode his fiery warhorse into the night lands of the Horse God, I think... cough, cough, cough."
Daenerys said with pity, "Say no more, I understand. I have already removed your slave collar, you are no longer a slave but a Dothraki, I will bury you according to Dothraki customs, the Horse God will accept you."
Hearing this, the old man was both excited and worried.His spine arching in a convulsive spasm, he struggled to raise himself, looking at Daenerys with hopeful blue eyes, repeatedly asking, "Is it true, is it really possible? Will the Horse God allow me to enter the Night Lands? But I..."
Daenerys's eyes flickered, and she said seriously, "You've seen the comet in the sky, you understand its meaning, right?"
The old man was puzzled, barely nodding, "I've heard of it, it's Drogo and his bloodriders leading five hundred warriors, oh, and your little Khal, staining the sky with blood."
Staining the sky with blood, my ass. Daenerys's mood soured instantly, but she couldn't resent the dying old man in front of her.So, she glared fiercely at Afanti next to her, mentally adding his name to her little black book.
Yeah, he must be the one spreading rumors.
"Here's what we'll do. You ride the fiery warhorse to meet the Khals in the sky first. When we escape this danger, and the Khals lead the warriors into the Night Lands, they'll take you with them along the way. Drogo is the greatest Khal, the Horse God would never stop his men." Dany said, making it all up to comfort him.
"That's wonderful!" The old man seemed to have a thousand pounds lifted off his shoulders, his hunched body collapsing heavily back onto the straw mat.Daenerys had barely breathed a sigh of relief when old Watson sprang back to life like a zombie, grabbing Daenerys's wrist tightly, and said uncertainly, "But Drogo doesn't know me, will he accept me?"
"Well," Daenerys grimaced and thought for a moment, then said happily, "It doesn't matter, when I cremate you, I'll shout to the Drogo in the sky, asking him to take you in. He's always watching us, he'll definitely hear."
"Oh, that's great." The old man released Daenerys's hand and lay straight back down.
Daenerys put her hands on her knees and slowly straightened her back, but couldn't quite manage it.The old man seemed too weak to sit up, and could only clutch at Daenerys's trouser leg, holding on tightly.
"What's wrong?" Dany knelt down, taking his withered hand in hers.
"Khaleesi, you are a good person. I am leaving, unable to serve you and repay your kindness. Only my life's work is recorded in..." Old Watson craned his neck, looking around, and after a long while, he tremblingly raised his right hand, pointing to a worn, brown leather pouch in the corner of the tent. "There is a handwritten book bound in parchment, recording my life's work. I give it to you, Khaleesi."
A life's work?Daenerys hadn't forgotten the man's profession. Although the five Spring Tease techniques passed down from ancient Valyria could be considered a cultural heritage—in medieval Europe, exquisite erotic art could be passed down as heirlooms for centuries.
But she was the Mother of Dragons, with a bright future ahead of her, and she had no desire to promote that particular skill!
Avanti had been inexplicably glared at by the Khaleesi earlier and had been feeling uneasy ever since, wondering what he had done wrong or where he had fallen short.Seeing an opportunity to perform, without waiting for Daenerys to instruct him, he quickly and nimbly went to the corner, untied the leather wrapping, and pulled out a gray sheepskin book the size of an A4 paper and as thick as a Xinhua dictionary.
Looking at the "bible" handed to her, Daenerys glared fiercely at the "inconspicuous" Avatar.
Avatar was so frightened that his hand trembled, and the thick book fell to the ground with a "thud."
His eyes widened, as if he was about to despair.
The book fell at Daenerys' feet, and the pages flipped open. She leaned over to take a look, and sure enough, the first thing she saw was a suggestive picture.Either painted or a charcoal sketch.
It was a movement that would be considered difficult even for a gymnast, accompanied by Valyrian text, densely packed and seemingly annotated in great detail.
She quickly slammed the book shut with a "thwack," cleared her throat, and said, "I accept your gift, thank you."
Old Watson nodded, catching sight of the white dragon crawling from the bamboo basket to Daenerys' ear. A spark of keenness flashed in his dimming, cloudy eyes, and he gasped, "Khaleesi, this book is the culmination of over 60 years of my effort. I had hoped..."It is only now that I realize it was made for you, and only you can make the best use of it."
Dany was so embarrassed and angry that if it had been someone else or a different situation, she would have punched him.
This old geezer is so wicked, to think of me like that!
She didn't want to stay a moment longer, so she mumbled a few words and got up to leave with the thick parchment book.
"Hey, wait a minute," the blue-eyed old man's claw-like, withered hand grabbed the strap of Dany's sandal, "Khaleesi, I almost forgot, there's also a sacrifice!""I haven't forgotten. Your horse was unruly and threw you from its back. Wait a moment, I'll help you choose a gentler one to kill and bury with you.
If you need it, I'll also prepare a bag of gold medals and a scimitar and bow and arrow to match a warrior." Daenerys quickly made the promise.
"Tha—" The old man didn't finish the word "thank," his head tilted, his hand loosened, and he passed away.
A happy and expectant expression froze on his shriveled, sweet-potato-jerky-like old face.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
"Game of Thrones: Dragon Prince"
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"The Game of Thrones Upgrade System"
"Game of Thrones: Lannister Kingdom"
"Game of Thrones: Godzilla vs. Dragons"
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"Game of Thrones The Glory of a Knight"
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" Game of Thrones: From the Elden Lord to the Young Wolf"
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(End Chapter)