Three months had passed, and more than half of the Dorne Grand Canal had been excavated. The completed western section was already fully usable.
Thanks to the increasingly abundant rainfall in the Red Mountains, the desert around the canal had received much-needed nourishment. A swath of land extending more than ten kilometers from its banks had already taken on a mantle of green.
Such an enormous undertaking had progressed so smoothly largely thanks to the great dragons Rafa and Vhagar.
Their enormous bodies and razor-sharp claws were far more efficient than any tool. Before them, both boulders and mineral veins could be torn apart with ease.
Once the laborers piled the earth and sand the dragons excavated into shape, the dragons fired it directly into sturdy, glasslike embankments.
These dragonstone embankments were not only incredibly strong but also eliminated a great deal of manual labor, greatly reducing the canal's construction costs.
Meanwhile, the allied armies of the Reach and the Stormlands, along with the many veteran laborers they had brought, had not been idle either.
Their task was relatively easy, however. They only had to plant saplings along both banks of the canal.
Never before in human history had humans and dragons worked together on such a massive project. As word spread, many people flocked there to see it for themselves.
The roads through the Boneway and Prince's Pass were now perfectly safe, and quite a few nobles set out with their families' local specialties. Along the way, they not only earned money but also broadened their horizons.
This also drew more and more refugees and free folk to settle there. After all, land and homes were provided free of charge. Anyone willing to work could immediately enjoy a life with plenty to eat and wear.
This, too, was almost