Scorched Rock Bay: First Signs of Sulfur Sea Breeze and dragonbreath ore
As wavebreaker ii's bow cut through the morning mist of the Western Sea, Arya leaned against the mast, wiping her valyrian steel dagger. The blade reflected the sea, which glowed with an eerie pale red—not the reflection of the setting sun, but the intermingling colors of steam from submarine hot springs and volcanic rock. Old Ge stood by the helm, his calloused hands repeatedly calibrating the compass, muttering memories of sailing with Balon Greyjoy thirty years ago: "Three more miles ahead is Scorched Rock Bay. Back then, we only dared to anchor outside the bay; the hot springs inside could melt the pitch off a ship's hull."
Illyrio walked to the ship's rail, his dragon-seeking mirror suddenly flaring with an urgent red light. The mirror was aimed directly at an island deep within Scorched Rock Bay. The island resembled a black stone forged by intense fire, its exposed rock face covered in dark red patterns. Smoke curled from the volcano at its peak, and occasionally sparks drifted with the wind, creating tiny bubbles on the sea surface. "It's the reaction from dragonbreath ore," he said, his fingertip tracing the red light on the mirror. "The Citadel records that dragonbreath ore causes the dragon-seeking mirror to emit 'pulsed red light,' and the closer we are to the core, the stronger the reaction."
Bane had already drawn his bow and stood in the crow's nest, his arrow aimed at the woods on the island's west side. "There's smoke from a fire, and a man-made path," his voice carried the sharp edge characteristic of a Northern ranger. "The rocks along the path show signs of wear, indicating frequent use within the last six months—there are natives on the island."
Arya put away her dagger and pulled out Bran's hand-drawn sketch of the Western Isles from her deerskin pouch. Marked on it in charcoal was "Possible first men Ruin Area," which perfectly coincided with the island before them. "Grey Claw, prepare the small boat," she turned to the Unsullied beside her. "You, Illyrio, and I will land first. Lena will bring the holy fire staff and cover our rear. Tommen will bring the first men ancient texts. Old Ge and Bane will stay on the ship to guard the supplies—we need to ascertain the natives' stance; we cannot startle them rashly."
As the small boat rowed towards the beach, Arya noticed the unusually peculiar rocks along the shore: their surface was covered with a layer of pale gold crystals. Scraping off a few fragments with her dragonglass dagger, the dragon-seeking mirror's red light instantly became dazzlingly bright. The patterns refracted by the fragments in the sunlight surprisingly resembled the scales of Drogon. "It's the associated crystal of dragonbreath ore," Illyrio picked up a fragment and brought it to his nose, smelling a faint sulfurous and scorching scent. "The Citadel's 'Treatise on Dragon's Nest Minerals' states that this type of crystal only forms within a hundred meters of a Dragon's Nest. We've found the right place."
Fire Rock Tribe: first men Descendants and Dragon Scale Tokens
Deep within the "Fireleaf Forest" (whose leaves were dark red and whose veins carried warm sap) on the beach, the sound of a reed flute suddenly echoed. As Arya stepped onto the soft volcanic ash ground, she was surrounded by a dozen natives wielding stone spears—they were short and stout, their skin like tanned leather, their hair dyed a dark red similar to the rocks with volcanic ash, and they wore necklaces of sea monster teeth around their waists. The tips of their stone spears were coated with an orange-yellow resin, glistening in the sunlight.
"Outsiders, leave Fire Rock Island!" the native leader, at the forefront, shouted in broken Common Tongue, the tip of his stone spear pointed directly at Illyrio's chest. He wore a palm-sized dragon scale pendant on his chest; the scale was bronze-colored, and though its edges were worn, tiny markings could still be discerned on it—these were first men era dragon-language runes, perfectly matching the illustrations in Tommen's ancient texts.
Arya's dragon-seeking mirror suddenly vibrated violently, its red light resonating with the dragon scale pendant, forming a faint pillar of light. She instinctively pressed down on the mirror, but the leader keenly noticed it: "Why does the 'Fire Mirror' in your hand react to the 'Dragon Heart Scale'?" The "Dragon Heart Scale" he referred to was precisely that dragon scale pendant.
Illyrio slowly raised his hands, signaling no hostility, and at the same time, pulled out a fragment of first men Dragonglass from The Citadel, which he had brought with him—the fragment bore the same runes as the dragon scale pendant. "We have come to find the 'Dragon Sleep Valley,' to fight against the 'Ice Demon' (the cold god) from the North," he deliberately used the first men's term for the Dragon's Nest, his gaze falling on the leader's pendant. "Your Dragon Heart Scale comes from the 'Lord of Flame' (the first men's term for dragons), does it not? The ancient texts say that the Lord of Flame's power can freeze the Ice Demon."
The leader's stone spear lowered slightly, and the natives behind him began to whisper in their tribal language. Tommen seized the opportunity to open 'The first men of the Western Sea' and spread a page before the leader—it was a rock painting depicting the first men and dragons jointly guarding a volcano. The color of the dragon scales and the style of the runes in the rock painting perfectly matched the leader's pendant. "Look here," Tommen pointed to the text below the rock painting, "The first men made a pact with the dragons: the dragons guard the island, and humans guard the Dragon Sleep Valley. Now the Ice Demon is coming, and we need to awaken the power of the Lord of Flame."
The leader stared at the rock painting for a long time, then suddenly turned and said a short phrase in his tribal language to his tribe members, who all lowered their stone spears. He walked up to Arya, his finger gently touching the dragon-seeking mirror: "Ten years ago, after the volcanic eruption, the 'Nest Keepers' of the Dragon Sleep Valley became violent, and we no longer dared to approach. If you can truly awaken the power of the Lord of Flame, I can take you to the Dragon Sleep Valley, but you must promise—not to harm a single blade of grass or a single tree there."
Arya nodded, handing the dragon-seeking mirror to the leader. "We only seek to acquire the power of the Lord of Flame to fight the Ice Demon; we will not harm the island." The leader took the mirror, rubbing its surface with his thumb, and suddenly revealed a complex smile: "My name is Karon, the seventeenth leader of the Fire Rock Tribe. My grandfather said that when the 'Fire Mirror' resonates with the 'Dragon Heart Scale,' it is the moment the Ice Demon descends and the Lord of Flame awakens. You have come at just the right time."
Dragon Sleep Valley: Geothermal Claw Marks and Ancient Dragon Traces
As Karon led the team through the Fireleaf Forest, the air temperature gradually increased, and the ground transitioned from volcanic ash to black volcanic rock. Occasionally, steaming cracks could be seen at their feet, from which a pale red liquid seeped, emitting a sulfurous scent. "Ahead is Dragon Sleep Valley," Karon pointed to a large gap in the valley ahead. "The hot springs in the valley are formed by dragonbreath permeating the earth, and the hottest places can cook sea fish."
Just entering the valley mouth, Arya was shocked by the marks on the cliff—the entire cliff face was covered with giant claw marks, each as thick as an adult's arm. The rock at the edges of the claw marks appeared vitrified from melting, clearly caused by the high temperatures generated when dragon claws scraped against them. Even more surprisingly, several huge dragon scales were embedded in the cliff's crevices, some bronze-colored (consistent with Drogon) and some amber-colored (consistent with Rhaegal), with faint fire patterns still remaining on their surfaces.
"These are traces of an ancient Dragon's Nest!" Illyrio quickly walked to the base of the cliff and used his dragonglass dagger to pry loose a loose amber-colored dragon scale. As soon as the scale detached from the rock face, the dragon-seeking mirror erupted with dazzling red light, and the hot springs in the valley suddenly boiled, spouting water columns with sparks. "The Citadel's records are correct; the energy of a Dragon's Nest affects the surrounding geothermal activity. These hot springs are the result of long-term dragonbreath permeation."
Tommen knelt before the cliff face, rapidly sketching the runes next to the claw marks with charcoal. "These are 'Dragon Sleep Runes,' meaning 'The Lord of Flame rests here.'" He looked up at the center of the valley, where a huge black rock stood, surrounded by hot springs in a circular pattern, like a natural barrier. "The ancient texts say that the entrance to a Dragon's Nest is usually sealed by a 'Dragon-Suppressing Stone,' which requires a specific ritual to open—that black rock is the Dragon-Suppressing Stone."
Bane suddenly raised his bow and arrow, pointing towards the Dragon-Suppressing Stone. "Something is moving." Everyone followed his gaze, only to see several wolf-sized creatures crawling out of a crack in the black stone. Their bodies were covered in dark red scales, their limbs thick, their claws capable of easily tearing through rock, and they breathed pale red tongues of fire, their eyes like two burning coals.
"They are 'Fire Lizards,' descendants of the Nest Keepers," Karon's voice carried reverence. "They are guardians left by the Lord of Flame. Normally, they do not actively attack humans, but if anyone approaches the Dragon-Suppressing Stone, they become extremely aggressive." No sooner had he spoken than a Fire Lizard suddenly lunged at Tommen, its claws radiating a scorching heat.
Grey Claw reacted swiftly, blocking the attack with his dragonglass spears. The moment the spear and claws collided, a hissing sound erupted, and the eerie glow of the dragonglass intertwined with the Fire Lizard's fiery tongue, forming a strange pattern of light. "Use the Holy Fire!" Lena shouted, raising her holy fire staff, and golden holy fire shot towards the Fire Lizard. Surprisingly, as soon as the holy fire touched the lizard's scales, the lizard suddenly stopped its attack, letting out a low growl, and its fiery tongue also receded significantly.
"The holy fire and the Dragon's Nest's flames share the same origin!" Lord Illyrio's eyes lit up, and he had Lena continue to release the holy fire, while slowly walking towards the fire lizard. "They can sense the holy fire's goodwill and don't see us as enemies." He extended his hand, and after a moment of hesitation, the fire lizard finally rubbed its forehead against his palm, as if acknowledging him.
The fire lizard's docility relieved everyone. Karon watched this scene, his eyes full of surprise: "My grandfather said that only those recognized by the Lord of Flame can earn the trust of the nest guardians. You… perhaps you truly are the 'Flame Messengers' of prophecy." He walked to the Dragon Suppressing Stone, pointing at the runes on its surface. "These are dragon language runes, which need to be activated with a 'dragonbreath token' — do you have dragonbreath ore or dragon scales?"
Arya took out the amber dragon scale she had collected from the cliff earlier and handed it to Karon. Karon pressed the dragon scale onto the center of the runes while chanting an obscure tribal prayer. As the prayer sounded, the runes gradually glowed with an orange-red light, and the Dragon Suppressing Stone began to vibrate slightly. A crack spread from the runes, revealing a dark, black opening. The rock walls of the opening were covered with tiny dragon crystal veins, emitting a faint red glow.
"Inside is the core area of the Dragon's Nest." Karon stepped back, his eyes filled with awe. "I cannot go any further. Tribal rules do not permit ordinary people to enter the Dragon Sleep Sacred Land. The nest guardians will lead you in. I wish you luck in finding the power of the Lord of Flame." He took out a bag of "fireproof powder" made from volcanic ash from his Pregnant and handed it to Arya. "Apply this to your clothes. It can withstand the high temperatures inside the cave and prevent burns from dragonbreath energy."
Arya took the fireproof powder and distributed it among the team members. The fire lizard was the first to enter the opening, its claws gently scratching the rock wall, leaving faint red marks as if marking the route. Arya and Lord Illyrio followed closely. As soon as they entered the opening, a warm current rushed towards them. Unlike the sulfurous heat in the valley, this current carried pure dragonbreath energy. The red light of the dragon-seeking mirror reached its peak, almost illuminating the entire cave.
The cave passage spiraled downwards. The rock walls were covered with dragon claw marks and the remnants of torches left by the first men. Small dragon scales and dragon crystal fragments were scattered on the ground. Tommen recorded as they walked: "The dragon scales here are more complete than those on the cliff, likely shed periodically by ancient dragons. The first men collected these scales to make protective tokens."
After about half an hour, the passage suddenly widened, and a huge circular cave appeared ahead. In the center of the cave was a hot spring pool about ten meters in diameter. On a stone platform in the center of the pool, a basketball-sized red crystal floated. Inside the crystal, flames seemed to flow, and the energy it emitted slightly distorted the surrounding air.
"It's the heart of flame!" Tommen's voice trembled with excitement as he flipped to the last page of an ancient book. "The Citadel's 'Study of Dragon's Nest Energy' records that the heart of flame is the core of the Dragon's Nest's energy, formed by the long-term condensation of ancient dragons' dragonbreath. It can increase the temperature of a dragon's dragonflame and even allow dragons to evolve a 'holy fire attribute' — this dragonflame can directly destroy the ice core of the cold god!"
Lord Illyrio walked to the edge of the hot spring pool, clearly feeling the immense energy contained within the heart of flame. As soon as his palm approached the surface of the pool, it was enveloped by a warm current. The old cold injury he had sustained in King's Landing faintly ached, clearly indicating the energy was repelling the cold. "This is what we're looking for," he said, turning to the others. "As long as we can extract the heart of flame's energy and make dragon evolution fluid, Drogon and Rhaegal's dragonflame will be able to break through the cold god's ice barrier."
Lena raised the holy fire staff and slowly brought the holy fire closer to the heart of flame. The moment the golden holy fire touched the crystal's red glow, the heart of flame suddenly burst forth with intense light. The hot spring in the pool boiled, and the water columns it sprayed, carrying sparks, formed a dazzling fire rain on the cave ceiling. "The holy fire can activate the heart of flame's energy," Lena's voice held a hint of fatigue. "But it requires continuous infusion of holy fire to extract the energy, and this process will take at least three days."
Lord Illyrio immediately assigned tasks: "Lena, you are responsible for activating the heart of flame with the holy fire. I will help you rotate for rest to avoid excessive exhaustion. Tommen, you will record the energy fluctuation data, especially the changes in the crystal during the extraction process, to prepare for future mass production of the evolution fluid. Grey Claw and Bane, you will guard the cave entrance and passage to prevent any creatures other than the fire lizards from entering. Arya, you will work with me to map the cave, marking the locations of the dragon crystal veins for subsequent transportation."
For the next three days, the cave was filled with the mingled scent of holy fire and dragonbreath energy. Lena sat by the hot spring pool, the flame at the tip of the holy fire staff continuously infusing into the heart of flame. Fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, and her face gradually paled — the consumption of holy fire was greater than expected. Lord Illyrio rotated with her every two hours, using his own strength to maintain the stability of the holy fire, and their cooperation became increasingly seamless.
Tommen was hunched over parchment, the recorded data filling three sheets: the frequency of the heart of flame's energy fluctuations, the color changes of the extracted liquid, the adsorption rate of the dragon crystal veins to the energy... He discovered that when the holy fire infusion intensity reached its peak, the heart of flame would precipitate a dark red liquid. When this liquid was mixed with dragonblood, its energy stability would significantly increase. "Lord Illyrio," he ran over with his notes, "we can use dragonblood as a stabilizer. This way, the extracted evolution fluid can be preserved longer and will also enhance its adaptability to dragons."
As Arya and Lord Illyrio mapped the cave, they discovered more hidden passages in the rock walls: "These passages lead to different branches of the Dragon's Nest. Some are filled with dragonbreath ore, and some still have traces of the first men's habitation." Arya pointed to a narrow passage. "Inside are pottery jars and bone tools of the first men; perhaps we can find more clues about the Dragon's Nest."
On the evening of the third day, the first bottle of dragon evolution fluid was finally extracted. It was a dark red liquid, contained in a special crystal bottle from The Citadel. Small fire patterns shimmered within the liquid, and it remained warm even at room temperature. Lord Illyrio held the crystal bottle close to the dragon-seeking mirror; the mirror's red light resonated with the liquid's fire patterns, forming a beam of light, proving that it contained pure Dragon's Nest energy. "Enough to allow Drogon and Rhaegal to undergo their initial evolution," he said, carefully putting away the crystal bottle. "We need to return to King's Landing as soon as possible to give the evolution fluid to Daenerys and bring more crystal bottles to extract more energy."
Before leaving the Dragon's Nest, the fire lizard suddenly walked up to Arya and placed a bronze-colored dragon scale in her hand with its claw. The scale was engraved with the same runes as the dragon heart scale, and its edges were still tinged with the faint energy of the heart of flame. Tommen deciphered it, finding that the runes meant "Covenant of Flame, Never Forsake," a promise of alliance from the Dragon's Nest.
Karon saw the team off at the valley entrance. The tribal members behind him held several bags of dragon crystal fragments and fireproof powder: "These are tokens of goodwill from the Fire Rock tribe. The dragon crystals can help you forge weapons, and the fireproof powder will provide protection when you come next time." He watched the wavebreaker ii gradually sail away from Scorched Rock Bay, silently chanting the tribal prayer: "May the Lord of Flame bless you, may the ice demons be consumed by fire, and may Westeros regain peace."
On the ship, Arya held the dragon scale gifted by the fire lizard and looked at the dragon evolution fluid in her hand, her heart full of anticipation: "When Drogon and Rhaegal drink this, their dragonflame will become stronger, and the cold god's ice core will no longer be able to stop us." She turned to look at Lord Illyrio, finding him gazing in the direction of the Western Isles, a hint of lingering attachment in his eyes.
"There are still many secrets here," Lord Illyrio's voice was filled with emotion. "The covenant between the first men and dragons, the origin of the heart of flame, the history of the Fire Rock tribe... After we defeat the cold god, we must return and thoroughly explore this place." He took out a newly drawn map from his Pregnant, on which the location of the Dragon's Nest, the distribution of dragon crystal veins, and the settlements of the Fire Rock tribe were marked. "This map will be key to the alliance's future exploration of the Western Isles."
Old Ge hoisted the sails, and the wavebreaker ii, propelled by the sea breeze, sailed towards King's Landing. The Western Isles at the stern gradually shrunk, finally disappearing where the sea met the sky. But the clues of the Dragon's Nest, the energy of the heart of flame, and the friendship of the Fire Rock tribe had all become important strengths for the alliance against the cold god. Arya stood at the bow, the dragon evolution fluid in her hand glowing red in the setting sun, like a small sun, illuminating the return journey and the future of Westeros in its fight against darkness.