Chapter 348: The Sea of Sighs

Boom—

A thunderous noise echoed.

The black dragon descended from the sky, landing heavily on the ground. The earth trembled, and a wave of wind and dust rolled out, spreading in all directions.

Depressions and cracks appeared on the ground, and countless towering trees were affected by Balerion's wings, collapsing with a loud crash.

Balerion had been injured in the recent battle above the Sea of Smoke. The dragon's fight was extremely bloody. With Viserys's help, Balerion bit off one of the green dragon's hind legs, but the black dragon himself was also severely wounded, a bloody gash torn open by the other dragon's claws.

Blood was freely spilled over the Sea of Smoke, attracting countless monsters from beneath the smoke, hoping that Balerion would fall from the sky and provide them with a feast.

However, disappointingly for them, Balerion was stronger than they had imagined. The black dragon, carrying a man and a woman on his back, passed through the layers of mist over the Sea of Smoke, flying over the ruined city of Oros near the Sea of Smoke.

This city was once one of the Freehold's cities, but it was devastated in the aftermath of the Doom.

Now, the mist of the Sea of Smoke was raging, seemingly expanding. The mist that used to shroud the sea has now invaded the mainland.

It gradually enveloped this city that connects the continent of Essos, continuously invading deeper into the Land of Long Summer.

Before setting off, Viserys had heard that the people of Elyria and Tyrosh, near Slaver's Bay, had begun to move their families in succession, leaving the city, fearing that they would wake up one day to find themselves enveloped by the mist of the Sea of Smoke, unable to leave.

Now, the black dragon, carrying Viserys and Mia, broke through the mist. The pursuing mutated dragon seemed unable to leave the mist and did not continue to chase them.

They finally arrived in the Land of Long Summer. Then, due to his injuries and excessive blood loss, Balerion finally couldn't hold on and descended from the sky with difficulty.

They fell into a forest at the edge of a vast lake, breaking several towering trees. The violent impact made the dragon's roar even more dull and painful.

The dragon's fall had a huge impact on the small animals living in this forest, who fled from their homes in panic.

"Heh—"

Balerion lay on the ground, breathless and unwilling to move. Sharp teeth still held the flesh and blood of the green dragon. Its breathing was somewhat heavy, and the wounds on its body were shocking, bleeding bright red.

"How is he?"

Mia asked worriedly.

Viserys and she had already jumped off the dragon's back and sat down on the grass nearby.

They were both helpless about the dragon's injuries. After all, they didn't even know how to treat people, let alone dragons.

Viserys and Balerion communicated through their minds, and then Viserys shook his head and said, "Balerion says he'll be fine after some rest."

Dragons have a strong ability to heal themselves. The injuries caused by the green dragon were not very serious. The main problem was that after being injured, Balerion didn't get effective rest and flew for a long time.

This led to the wound not healing, losing too much blood, and finally falling after leaving the Sea of Smoke.

"That's good."

The red-haired girl also breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up and walked to the sparkling lakeside not far away.

Her clothes were already tattered, but the

girl was not fussy. She knelt by the lake, which was full of pebbles of various sizes.

She extended her hands to scoop up a handful of clear lake water, but she didn't drink it directly. Instead, she gently licked it with her tongue, then frowned.

"Salty."

"Where are we?"

She didn't expect the lake water here to be salty, just like seawater.

Now, the sky was beginning to glow, the sun gradually rising from the east. The brilliant sunlight pierced through the clouds, abruptly shining on the earth, casting flickering tree shadows.

Viserys, sitting on the grass, was calming Balerion's emotions. He heard the girl's voice and raised an eyebrow.

"The lake water is salty?"

Then the silver-haired young man stood up and walked to the lakeside, coming to Mia's side. He looked out over the vast lake, then squinted his eyes.

"We might be near the Sea of Sighs now."

If they were to follow the map, their escape route was not the previously planned trajectory.

Instead, they followed Valyria, passed through Tyria, flew over the Sea of Smoke to reach Oros, and then continued to fly forward.

The land beneath their feet should be the legendary Land of Long Summer, which is rarely visited by people.

Since the Doom, the Land of Long Summer was affected, and most of the local residents moved away. The Land of Long Summer became a vast uninhabited area.

This is the Land of Long Summer, and this vast lake is the largest inland sea in the world. There is a narrow waterway at the bottom of the continent that connects to the outer sea, known as the Sea of Sighs.

"So we've escaped to the Sea of Sighs..."

Mia knelt on the pebbly beach of the lake, her expression somewhat dazed.

The morning sunlight shone on the sparkling water, casting a golden glow, reflecting in the girl's eyes.

The fresh air, the fragrance of grass leaves.

"Did we... really escape from there?"

"Yes, we escaped."

Viserys also took a deep breath. The morning sunlight brought a touch of warmth.

Having been in the mist of Valyria, they hadn't felt the warmth of the sun for a long time.

Even though it was only half a month, Viserys felt as if it had been a lifetime.

He truly felt the beauty of life. Being able to see the sun rise every day was the happiest thing.

Indeed, in addition to water and food, sunlight is also essential for human life.

"What's the plan now?"

The two stood by the sparkling lake, and then Viserys turned his head and asked.

The girl kneeling on the pebbly beach let go of the lake water she was holding. Her fair legs were covered in scars. She looked up at Viserys standing beside her.

"Do you remember what you said before..."

The girl spoke softly.

"Of course."

Viserys nodded slightly.

"This is your reward. Whatever you wish for, whatever you want, just say it."

Mia had found five dragon eggs for him. Each dragon egg was priceless.

This was Viserys's promise to her, and he would not go back on his word.

"I heard that respected warriors in Westeros are knighted."

This was part of Andal culture, and Mia didn't know where she had heard it from.

"I want to become a knight!"

The girl said without hesitation. It seemed that she had this answer a long time ago.