New Ghis was built on a narrow, elongated island that was two kilometers wide and eight kilometers long. At its southern end, the Great Ghis island extended two large pincers, like a crab, cradling the smaller New Ghis island in its center. The waters near the harbor were exceptionally calm.
Hundreds of large sea vessels floated on the blue, mirror-like sea. There were crimson wooden ships, white-painted fast galleys with oars, and large-bellied black merchant ships. Like Daenerys and her companions, many were waiting for the sea breeze to arrive.
"Why don't they calculate the monsoon season accurately and sail with it, like on Earth?" you might ask.
*Heh, in this fantastical world, the seasons themselves are unreliable. How could there be a predictable monsoon?*
Daenerys had been here for nearly half a year, yet she'd only experienced temperature changes based on latitude—colder in the north, warmer in the south—without any sign of seasonal shifts.
In the afternoon, the azure sky and sea merged into a seamless expanse. The green canvas sails on the masts hung limply, like an old grandmother's nipples. In the cool shade at the bow, several people leaned against the railing, chatting as they gazed at the scenery.
When the conversation turned to seasonal changes, Whitebeard told Daenerys that summer hadn't truly ended yet. At least one more year of "Ghost Summer" remained.
Daenerys was intrigued by the concept of "Ghost Summer" and asked the old man to explain.
Before Whitebeard could respond, Jorah interjected, "Northerners understand the changing seasons better than Southerners.
In summer, we can harvest multiple times, providing abundant food. Even the poor don't have to worry about eating or staying warm, so everyone longs for the coming of 'Eternal Summer.'
But long summer days often bring scorching heat and drought.
Especially at the end of a prolonged summer, lasting several years, the weather becomes so oppressive that vast amounts of water evaporate into the sky. This causes the sky to darken and become overcast, and the air fills with moisture. Such a season is called 'Ghost Summer.'
Without a doubt, this summer has lasted eleven years, making it a prolonged summer. But the final year of a prolonged summer is always a Ghost Summer. After Ghost Summer comes a year of autumn, and after that..."
At this point, Jorah's expression turned grave. He sighed, "A prolonged summer is always followed by a prolonged winter, lasting several years. The Long Winter is coming!
With the Lords of Westeros locked in constant war, the peasants have been conscripted as soldiers. We haven't stored any grain for the past two years. When the Long Winter arrives in two more years, who knows how many will die? The South might survive the Long Winter, but the North..."
"Lord Mormont speaks the truth," Whitebeard said, a rare agreement with Jorah. "Before I left the Seven Kingdoms, the Conclave had already dispatched white ravens to all the regions."
Daenerys raised an eyebrow. "White ravens?"
"Oldtown has the Citadel, as you know."
Seeing Daenerys nod, Whitebeard continued, "The changing seasons are vital to the lives of the people of the Seven Kingdoms. Yet neither commoners nor nobles understand climate and celestial phenomena, so they must rely on the Maesters of the Citadel."
The Citadel has a dedicated Celestial Observation Committee that measures the length of daylight each day, observes the movements of constellations, and monitors other celestial objects I'm unfamiliar with.
The committee's data is compiled and sent to the Conclave within the Citadel—the governing body of the Citadel.
Keep in mind, only Archmaesters are eligible to attend Conclave meetings.
Through this data, these most learned and experienced Archmaesters can accurately calculate the transitions between the seasons. They then use white ravens to deliver this information to the seats of power of the great lords.
*That sounds quite advanced!*
Daenerys nodded and asked, "Have the Archmaesters ever made a mistake in their calculations?"
Hearing this, Whitebeard's expression suddenly grew distant, as if her words had stirred a painful memory.
"A false spring," Jorah Mormont grumbled.
Whitebeard closed his eyes for a long moment, then suddenly opened them, the bitterness in his gaze completely gone. He spoke softly, "After summer comes a year of autumn, and after a long winter, a warm spring. Whenever spring arrives, everyone knows the cruel winter has passed and the glorious summer is about to begin.
When the white ravens of the Citadel bring news of spring, the people of the realm use their last reserves of grain for the Spring Festival."
Daenerys nodded, thinking this was probably Westeros's equivalent of the Lunar New Year.
Several summers, one autumn, then several winters—finally, a spring would arrive.
*Hmm, the people of Westeros are so miserable. They only get to celebrate their New Year once a decade.*
Whitebeard continued, "But at the end of winter, the climate can turn treacherous. The weather warms as if spring has come, yet the bitter cold returns. The people can't plant crops or resume production.
The last false spring occurred just before the Usurper's War, about eighteen years ago.
The white ravens of the Conclave arrived in King's Landing. Lord Hoster Tully of Harrenhal, to display his status and celebrate the coming long summer, invited all the knights of the Seven Kingdoms to a grand tournament."
"Your brother, Prince Rhaegar, was a valiant warrior who defeated all his rivals and won the tourney.
Yet he placed the Winter Rose crown, which represents the Queen of Love and Beauty, on the lap of Lyanna of House Stark—Robert Baratheon's betrothed—instead of on the head of his wife, Princess Elia Martell of Dorne.
The scene... *sigh*. I don't need to explain the rest, do I? You can probably guess what happened next."
*Brainless? Lust-driven? True love?*
Daenerys couldn't fathom her half-brother's motives.
In Qidian novels, it's common for the woman to look down on the man and break the engagement—a trope known as the "Marriage Annulment Flow." This world had seen three famous annulment cases, though in each case, it was the man who broke the engagement.
The women didn't shout things like "Thirty years east, thirty years west!" or "Don't look down on a girl just because she's poor," but their formidable families made the scoundrels pay a greater price.
About sixty years ago, Daenerys's grand-uncle, Duncan Targaryen—nicknamed "Little Duncan"—broke his engagement to the daughter of Duke Baratheon to marry Jenny of Oldstones, a commoner.
Prince Duncan wasn't actually short. The nickname "Little Duncan" came about because there was a legendary knight in the Kingsguard at the time called "Tall Duncan," who was exceptionally tall. Tall Duncan was a great knight; even the king had served as his page. Clearly, Prince Duncan was named after him.
Crown Prince Duncan paid with a throne and a sister, and in doing so, planted the seeds for the eventual downfall of House Targaryen.
The First-Generation Breakup Prince had a relatively happy ending. His legendary tale of choosing love over the realm became a favorite of countless bards, earning him the title "Prince of Dragonflies."
Many sheltered maidens became infatuated with the Prince of Dragonflies because of this story, and wildly envious of Jenny of Oldstones.
The Second-Generation Breakup Prince was Daenerys's elder brother, Rhaegar. He didn't actually break off an engagement, as he was already married with two children when he met his true love.
(P.S.: In the *Game of Thrones* TV series, Rhaegar did break off his engagement, secretly having his marriage to Princess Elia of Dorne annulled. Poor Princess Elia never knew she'd been "returned" until her death!)
Rhaegar paid a devastating price: his wife was violated and murdered, his children died tragically, his king father was killed, his family was annihilated, and the Targaryen Dynasty came to an end.
And he himself died too.
The word "tragedy" could not be emphasized enough.
Roughly a year later, the Third-Generation Breakup King would emerge. Robb Stark would fall in love with the daughter of a minor noble, breaking his engagement to the daughter of Lord Frey.
As an aside, the woman who caused King Robb to break his engagement was also named Jane.
The name "Jane" was cursed.
Robb's price was equally immense: his own life, the dream of becoming King in the North, his mother's half-death (revived as a wight), the deaths of countless Northern nobles, and the near-destruction of House Stark.
"The wrong season, the wrong choice—it was the most tragic spring of all!" Whitebeard summarized.
"Attention, crew of the *Seduction*! This is the New Ghis Customs Patrol! Attention, crew of the *Seduction*! This is the New Ghis Customs Patrol!"
The voice came from the sea outside the ship, shouting five times in accented Valyrian. The booming voice carried across dozens of meters, reaching even Daenerys and her group at the bow.
Ser Jorah walked to the ship's railing and peered down for a moment before returning. "A New Ghis Customs Patrol boat has docked beside us. They seem to want to inspect our cargo."
"Why? We haven't even entered the harbor," Daenerys asked, puzzled.
"They checked us last time we stopped here on our way from Pentos to Qarth. Groleo says the Ghis do it to prevent pirate ships from disguising themselves and sneaking into the harbor," Whitebeard explained.
Intrigued, Daenerys led the way to the cargo hold entrance, the others following immediately.
Two Ghis warriors in leather armor and a middle-aged official in dark robes stood there. They were burly, with amber skin, broad noses, and black eyes.
What was most striking was their hair: all three Ghis, soldiers and official alike, had upright, straight hair streaked with black and red.
Not dyed, but naturally two-toned, styled like Sendoh's hair from *Slam Dunk*.
Unfortunately, they lacked Sendoh's good looks, giving the impression of ugly people trying too hard.
The "inspection" was brief—they merely glanced inside to confirm it was truly cargo and not armed personnel—before coming back aboard.
The entire process took less than three minutes.
"So quickly? What are you all checking?" Daenerys asked the officer climbing onto the deck from the ship's hold.
"Ah, you..." The man froze for a moment, then his face lit up. "You're the Mother of Dragons, Queen of the Land of the Setting Sun, Daenerys Targaryen!? I heard you'd bought camels and planned to travel by land. The people of Meereen have been eagerly awaiting a glimpse of dragons day and night!"
They would get their fill of dragons, all right.
Daenerys nodded. "I am Daenerys."
"Oh, I'm Zanak zo Loraq, a special commissioner for the New Ghis Customs," he said, quickly bowing and introducing himself.
"Hello, Mr. Loraq," Daenerys said. "How did you know about my original route?"
The Ghis man waved his hand proudly toward the thousand-plus ships floating on the sea. "New Ghis is the gateway to the Western World. News of a true dragon's arrival spreads like wildfire among the dockworkers."
Once the two New Ghis soldiers and several sailors had also climbed onto the deck, the middle-aged customs officer explained, "Mother of Dragons, you may not be aware, but the Summer Sea has been troubled for the past six months. There have been numerous pirate raids on merchant ships.
Especially in the area of the Sea of Grief near Valyria, some have claimed to see the Red Demon Ship lurking in the mists."
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(End of Chapter)