Dragonstone had been constructed using the ancient Valyrian techniques of fused stonework, a lost craft destroyed alongside the Doom of Valyria itself.
Because of this, Dragonstone remained utterly unique among the castles of Westeros.
Whether for raising castles, forging roads, or shaping towers, Valyrian fused stone was unquestionably far beyond the abilities of modern masons.
Even in Essos, the surviving Valyrian roads had endured for thousands of years without crumbling, remaining smooth and sturdy despite endless wars and passing centuries.
After moving permanently into Dragonstone Castle, Daniella often dreamed of the castle’s original construction.
Within those dreams, she witnessed dragonfire melting stone like wax while strange black substances were mixed into the molten rock.
Over time, Daniella began suspecting that she had inherited the prophetic dream abilities occasionally found within House Targaryen.
Thus, whenever the dreams appeared again, she deliberately paid attention to the methods used by the ancient Valyrians.
Little by little, she gradually understood part of the underlying principles.
The core of Valyrian fused stonework relied heavily upon dragonfire and certain substances produced by dragons themselves.
After successfully bonding with Dreamfyre, Daniella immediately began experimenting.
She attempted to imitate the ancient Valyrian roads while constructing streets within White Sheep Town.
Although the results were still far inferior to true Valyrian fused stone, the black stone roads she created were already considered miraculous by the standards of Westeros.
As a result, Daniella personally selected a group of skilled craftsmen and masons to assist her in developing improved methods for producing black dragonstone.
At present, the artificial dragonstone they produced remained relatively rough and crude.
However, after polishing and shaping by masons, it was already highly suitable for roads, walls, and buildings.
Daniella firmly believed that through repeated experiments, true Valyrian-level stonework could eventually be recreated.
Under her careful planning, White Sheep Town had expanded considerably over the years.
Wide black stone streets crossed the town in neat patterns, while orderly stone houses lined both sides of the roads.
Using nearby volcanic hot springs, Daniella also ordered the construction of public bathhouses, underground drainage systems, and primitive sewage channels.
She specifically recruited elderly and disabled refugees from King’s Landing to manage waste collection and sewage disposal throughout the town.
After proper fermentation together with dragon dung and volcanic ash, those materials became excellent fertilizer.
The farmlands surrounding White Sheep Town had now expanded to nearly ten thousand mu of fertile soil.
Because Dragonstone’s volcanic climate allowed two harvests each year, Daniella spent more than a decade continuously improving seeds and farming methods.
Combined with dragon fertilizer, the resulting crop yields had already reached astonishing levels.
Last season alone, the barley harvest reached nearly one hundred and eighty kilograms per mu.
In this world, where many fields barely produced a fraction of that amount, such yields were practically miraculous.
The smallfolk of White Sheep Town firmly believed these blessings came from Princess Daniella herself.
Many among them even regarded her as the mortal incarnation of the Maiden of the Seven.
Although her reputation was not as famous as Princess Rhaenyra’s title of the Realm’s Delight, Daniella’s popularity among commoners was undoubtedly far more genuine.
Because New Dragonstone Island belonged entirely to her personal domain, Daniella possessed complete authority over local taxation.
She only collected forty percent of grain harvests as rent and taxes.
As a result, the people of White Sheep Town had lived unusually prosperous lives over the past two years.
The settlement became increasingly lively with each passing season.
Blacksmiths, carpenters, weavers, and craftsmen gradually gathered there, causing trade and handicrafts to flourish.
Dragonstone Castle itself was built entirely from colossal black fused stone.
Its towers were carved in the likeness of dragons, while grotesque dragon gargoyles lined the battlements and walls.
Almost every aspect of the castle’s architecture revolved around dragons.
Smaller dragon carvings decorated doorways and corridors.
Dragon claws protruding from walls served as torch holders.
Massive stone wings concealed armories and smithing chambers.
Dragon tails curved into bridges, staircases, and vaulted arches.
Yet despite its magnificence, Dragonstone carried a constant scent of salt, sulfur, smoke, and volcanic heat.
Its overall atmosphere was dim and oppressive.
Compared to the bright castles of mainland Westeros, Dragonstone resembled a military fortress more than a noble residence.
Perhaps that had always been its original purpose.
After all, Dragonstone was established by the Valyrian Freehold as a western outpost before the Doom destroyed their empire.
The Stone Drum served as the primary keep of Dragonstone Castle.
Whenever storms approached from the Narrow Sea, strange rumbling sounds echoed through its ancient walls, giving the tower its name.
The enormous black stone structure inspired awe in nearly everyone who entered.
Beneath the keep lay the castle dungeons.
The prison cells were unbearably hot, damp, and suffocating, making imprisonment there an especially miserable experience.
Like much of Dragonstone, the Stone Drum contained countless hidden passages and secret stairways.
The largest concealed passage stretched directly toward the heart of the Dragonmont through a massive arched bridge hidden within the mountain itself.
In ancient times, Targaryen dragonriders used this route to reach their dragons before flying directly from the volcano.
At the summit of the Stone Drum rested the Painted Table Chamber.
The circular hall contained four tall narrow windows facing east, west, south, and north.
At its center stood the legendary Painted Table.
The enormous table was carved from a single massive piece of wood and shaped into a detailed map of Westeros.
Aegon the Conqueror had once used it to plan his invasion of the Seven Kingdoms.
The Painted Table stretched more than seventeen meters long, with its widest point spanning nearly half that distance.
The section representing Dragonstone aligned perfectly with a raised stone seat known as the Dragonstone Throne, allowing whoever sat there to overlook the entire realm carved across the table.
Because sunlight entered freely from all directions, the Painted Table Chamber remained the brightest location in all of Dragonstone Castle.
Daniella often brought her maids there while listening to Maester Gerardys lecture on history and politics.
The hall itself was designed in the shape of a dragon lying upon the earth, and visitors entered through its open jaws.
Nearby kitchens resembled a dragon curled into itself.
Aegon’s Garden stretched along the eastern and southern sections near the Painted Table Chamber, overlooking the Narrow Sea.
The scenery there was especially beautiful.
The gardens carried the pleasant scent of pine trees while towering black-trunked trees rose around winding paths.
Wild roses and thorny shrubs grew freely among the rocks, while cranberries spread across the damp soil.
After Daniella discovered the miraculous properties of dragon fertilizer, the gardens flourished more brilliantly than ever before.
Naturally, this secret remained known only to the Dragonkeepers and a handful of trusted servants.
Since the Dragonkeepers rarely communicated with outsiders, Daniella effectively possessed an exclusive monopoly over the technique.
The Dragon Tower was among the most magnificent towers within the castle.
At its peak stood a giant dragon sculpture with jaws raised toward the sky in arrogant defiance.
The tower was traditionally reserved for important noble guests, and only great lords or members of the royal family were permitted to stay there.
The Sea Dragon Tower stood facing the sea itself.
The tower resembled a sleeping stone dragon curled beside the cliffs.
Below the rookery and raven cages were chambers used by maesters stationed on Dragonstone.
Its stairways were narrow, steep, and winding.
Descending from the Sea Dragon Tower, one passed through halls lined with portraits of Targaryen kings and queens, crossed beneath giant dragon-head archways, passed through black iron gates, and finally climbed upward toward the Painted Table Chamber.
Within Dragonstone’s sept stood statues of the Seven Gods.
The Father had been entirely gilded in gold.
The Mother wore rich silk robes.
Pearls adorned the eyes of the Crone.
The Stranger was depicted as a half-dragon figure cloaked in shadow.
The Warrior wore armor styled after ancient Targaryen kings.
The Maiden’s face was said to have been modeled after Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, sister-wife of Aegon the Conqueror.
Even the Smith possessed silver-gold hair and purple eyes like a Valyrian.
The statues themselves had been carved long ago from the masts of the ships that carried House Targaryen across the Narrow Sea before the Doom of Valyria.
Over centuries, they had been repeatedly painted, gilded, silvered, and adorned with precious jewels.
Several altars and stained-glass windows also stood within the sept.
According to legend, Aegon the Conqueror prayed there the night before setting sail to conquer Westeros.
Daniella personally found the story doubtful.
Historically, Aegon only formally embraced the Faith of the Seven after reaching Oldtown during the Conquest.
Therefore, the sept itself was most likely built afterward.
Still, people in this world loved attaching divine significance to their families and achievements.
And unlike her previous world, gods in this world might actually exist.
Dragonstone would remain Daniella’s foundation for a very long time.
Because of this, she secretly resolved to develop it properly.
Only then would she possess enough strength to protect both herself and the dragons of House Targaryen.
Whenever Daniella remembered the fate of the dragons during the future Dance of the Dragons, her heart became deeply unsettled.
In truth, the emergence of New Dragonstone Island had greatly expanded the territory available to her.
After personally surveying the land over the past several years, Daniella estimated that the cultivable farmland alone exceeded five hundred thousand mu.
The surrounding hillsides, grasslands, and tidal flats suitable for pasture, orchards, flowers, and forests likely surpassed one million mu in total.
Even the still-active volcano itself contained countless valuable mineral resources waiting to be developed.
Daniella already possessed many rough ideas for future plans.
However, most could not yet be implemented immediately.
For now, she could only proceed step by step.
At present, Daniella still considered herself to be in the learning stage.
In truth, even after nearly two decades, she still had not completely integrated into this world.
Her identity as a Targaryen princess limited the people she could freely interact with.
At the same time, the values and habits shaped by her previous life remained difficult to erase entirely.
Especially the deeply rooted instinct for farming and development inherited from her past life made it impossible for Daniella to simply stand above the clouds like the nobles of Westeros and treat common people as insignificant creatures beneath her feet.