Gaemon let out a long, satisfied breath as he gazed down at the salt pans now humming with life.
He had thrown every scrap of his energy into the works, racing the calendar to finish before the prime drying season of the third through sixth moons. The first phase was finally complete. From here on, all he had to do was expand steadily, and that river of gold would stay firmly in his grasp.
He took one last sweeping look across the glittering white fields, then swung back into Bahamut's saddle. The salt works were on track. As long as the plans were followed, the wealth would only grow.
Today the platinum dragon carried him on a slow, lazy circuit over the entire domain. Even though most of the manpower and resources had gone into the salt industry, the rest of Wendwater Fief had not stood still.
From the air, Gaemon had come to summarize his lands in one neat phrase: "Three hills frame the plains, one river and three streams feed the tidal sea."
He had divided the fief into five distinct economic zones based on terrain:
The Wendwater Delta Plains (northern zone, around the river mouth, 25% of the domain).
Vast tidal flats, salt marshes, sandbars, and rich alluvial soil. The river split into a dozen branching channels before meeting Blackwater Bay, creating a maze of wetlands teeming with shellfish, crabs, and every kind of seabird. Perfect for fishing, salt-making, and reed harvesting for paper and weaving. This would be the heart of his coastal economy.
The drawbacks were obvious: low-lying land barely five feet above sea level, prone to flooding and storm surges, saline soil in places, soft ground that swallowed foundations, and clouds of mosquitoes that carried fever.
The Central River Valley (middle zone, along both banks of the main Wendwater, another 25%).
This was the true breadbasket. Fertile floodplains deposited by centuries of river silt. Gentle slopes, rich black soil ideal for wheat, barley, beans, and orchards. Natural levees already formed by centuries of flooding only needed reinforcing to hold back seasonal rises. The river itself teemed with freshwater fish, untouched for generations.
This zone would become the agricultural and administrative core of the domain, and the future site of his main city.
The Limestone Hills and Forest Region (western zone, 20% of the domain), closest to King's Landing.
Rolling limestone hills covered in dense temperate forest offered excellent building stone and high-quality timber—oak and elm perfect for shipbuilding. Gaemon suspected natural caves might exist here, useful as warehouses or hidden strongholds. The open grasslands between hills were ideal for grazing cattle and sheep, making this the primary zone for forestry, quarrying, hunting, and fur production.
The Eastern Highlands (eastern zone).
Older, gentler mountains bordering Massey's Hook. From their heights one could survey the entire domain. Mountain valleys and streams offered good conditions for highland livestock and vineyards. Gaemon had already instructed Vaegon to recruit skilled mining masters from the Citadel. If iron, tin, or other ores were found, this region would become the heavy industrial heart of the fief.
The Southern Border Highlands and Forest (10% of the domain).
Elevated plateau and ancient woodland forming the frontier with the Stormlands, touching House Errol's Haystack Hall and House Buckler's Coppergate. This zone sat near the Kingsroad, making it the ideal gateway for overland trade. The dense pine and fir forests here were perfect for logging and as a transport hub.
Flying high above on Bahamut, Gaemon studied the land below with a strategist's eye.
Snowsalt Town was already running smoothly. Manors and villages along the river were slowly taking shape. Only the shipbuilding industry—something he had placed great early hope in—was still in its infancy.
Although the shipyard was located inland, the Wendwater was wide and deep enough for any vessel currently sailing the known world. Braavosi warships, even the massive three-hundred-oar galleys of Volantis, could navigate its waters easily.
Yet right now, Master Erik's yard could only produce small fishing boats and the longships favored by the Ironborn—simple vessels.
After a long discussion with the master shipwright, Gaemon had come to a sobering realization: building true ocean-going trading ships required far more than just timber and skilled carpenters. It demanded an entire supporting industrial system—proper ropes, sails, iron fittings, pitch, tar, advanced tools, and trained crews.
It was far more complicated than he had initially imagined.
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