Pentos, one of the nine Free Trade Cities, is also the closest city on the other side of the sea to King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.
Due to its geographical advantage, it is naturally very suitable for doing business with various towns in Westeros. Therefore, trade activities are very prosperous, and a large number of merchant ships can be seen coming in and out of the harbor area.
Some bold merchants even want to follow the road to the endless grasslands to sell ironware, pottery, salt, wine, cloth and other daily necessities to the Dothraki nomads at high prices, and then buy a large number of cheap horses when they return.
Follow livestock.
As long as there are no accidental losses or robberies along the way, you can often make astonishing profits from just one trip back and forth.
After all, everyone knows that since Pentos suffered successive defeats in the war with its northern neighbor Braavos, its military power has been strictly restricted in the armistice treaty.
For example, you are not allowed to own more than twenty battleships, hire mercenaries, enter into contracts with free mercenary groups, or maintain any troops beyond the city guard.
Although the city has extremely majestic and huge walls, it is still considered by most people to be the most vulnerable of all trading city-states.
In desperation, the supreme ruler here, the Governor, could only change his original attitude and spent a long time establishing friendly and good relations with the Dothraki horse kings, constantly giving away gifts including women, materials, gold and silver, and luxury goods.
Wait for something to ensure that the other party will not easily cross the border and rob you.
All caravans departing from Pentos will usually be treated relatively well by the Dothraki tribe. At least they don't have to worry about the other party plundering them and then killing them or using them as slaves.
Likewise, this intimate relationship can be transformed into a powerful military deterrent when necessary.
No one who is close to the continent of Essos does not know how powerful the Dothraki cavalry are in combat and destructive power. Even the continent of Westeros across the sea is afraid of these barbaric and primitive guys.
.
The most important thing is that their numbers are endless, and victory cannot be won by just a few wars, and no one has the ability to go deep into the grasslands to kill them all.
Even if all the city-states unite to fight a full-scale war, the finances will be completely destroyed if they can't last long.
What's more, the Free Trade City was originally a political regime established by a group of profit-seeking businessmen. How could it possibly use all the wealth it had finally accumulated to fight a protracted war with no victory in sight?
In particular, the current governor of Pentos, Illyrio Mopatis, who climbed up from the bottom of society, went to the point of losing even the slightest bit of dignity in order to please the most powerful horse king on the grassland, Drogo Khal.
degree.
Right now, he is planning to give Daenerys Targaryen, who is under his protection, as a gift to the other party.
Although at the beginning, this old, fat man was deeply attracted by the beauty of the young "Dragon Mother", and even had the idea that many men with normal sexual orientation would have, that is, to take it as his own.
But he soon discovered that due to more than ten years of wandering, avoiding pursuit, and the beating and scolding of his brother Viserys, the character of this subjugated princess was timid and cowardly, and she was not himself at all.
Favorite type.
As for the act of giving Daenerys to Drogo, how much was due to his own interests, and how much was the instruction of his former friend "The Eight-clawed Spider" Varys in King's Landing across the sea?
It’s unknown.
At least in the eyes of Governor Illyrio, Viserys, who has an irritable personality, is very ambitious and cannot see the form at all, is definitely not a qualified king, let alone follow his ancestor Aegon I and launch a cross-sea expedition.
Return to the Iron Throne.
After all, the last bloodlines of these two Targaryen families have lost their most important support, which is the overlord-level creature that once soared in the sky and silenced the Seven Kingdoms, daring not to have the slightest idea of ​​resistance - the dragon.p>
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but cast his eyes on the three "fossilized dragon eggs" in the box not far away that he spent a lot of money to buy.
Dragon!
The most powerful and awe-inspiring magical beast in the world.
More than 300 years ago, Aegon I, who only had a very small number of ferra to support his army, successfully conquered the continent of Westeros with the help of three dragons and established the first unified dynasty in that land (at least on the surface). At the same time,
Also won a heavy crown for the Targaryen family.
"Oh - if only I could hatch all these eggs."
Illyrio stretched out his hand and gently stroked the uneven surface like scales on the outside of the dragon egg, his tone full of strong desire to obtain this magical beast.
Of course, he is not the only one who thinks this way. Anyone who is a little ambitious would not want to have his own dragon.
Just as the Governor of Pentos was staring at the dragon egg, he suddenly heard a very strange voice coming from his ear.
"Do you want to hatch these dragon eggs? If so, I can help you a little."
Instantly!
Illyrio raised his head suddenly and saw a young man with black hair and black eyes appearing in his room at some point. The guards, servants and slaves guarding the door continued to stand stupidly as if they had not seen anything.
In place.
Especially the favored female slaves, their eyes and expressions are particularly dull, which is completely different from their usual behavior of trying all kinds of ways to seduce and please themselves.
Yes!
Although Pentos and its northern neighbor Braavos lost the war and nominally abolished slavery and the slave trade under the pressure of the other party, in reality it was just a change of soup without changing the medicine.
More than 10,000 so-called "free people" had to serve their masters for life because they owed debts they could not repay.
As for the remuneration for labor, it is so low that it cannot even guarantee the most basic survival, so we can only continue to borrow debts from the master.
In this way, the debt will continue to grow day after day, year after year. If you cannot repay it yourself, your descendants will continue to repay it, eventually forming a very stable lower class that will never stand up.
"Who are you? How did you get in?"
Illyrio stepped back very vigilantly and grabbed a luxurious scimitar inlaid with gems and gold on the cabinet.
No need to ask, he knew that he regarded the uninvited Zuo Si as an assassin sent by the enemy to assassinate him, and even imagined a huge conspiracy in a few seconds, and all the guards, servants and slaves were bribed
.
You must know that in the Free Trade City, things like killing political opponents to seize power through assassination and bribery often happen.
"Relax, Mr. Governor, I'm not here to kill you. No one in this world can afford to hire me as an assassin. Now please answer the question I just asked. Do you really want to hatch these dragon eggs?"
Zuo Si smiled half-heartedly and repeated the question he just asked.
Because at such a close distance, he could clearly feel that the three dormant dragon eggs were beginning to wake up and become active as he appeared.
Obviously, whether dragons in this world are born or grow, they need very abundant magical energy in the surrounding environment.
Otherwise, the dragon will become smaller and smaller and more deformed, just like the Targaryen family did in the middle and late periods of their reign, and eventually completely lose the ability to reproduce and go extinct.
Combined with the current extremely thin magical energy in the surrounding environment, it can be basically inferred that there may be some kind of ebb and flow pattern similar to a "magic tide" in this world.
When the "magic tide" comes, the entire world will be filled with powerful magical energy, allowing dragons, ghosts, wizards, magic, and even the so-called "miracles" to revive and last for a period of time.
When the tide recedes, the magical energy in the environment begins to slowly dissipate, until dragons, ghosts, wizards, magic and miracles all become "ancient legends" and "bedside stories" used to scare children.
However, it is still unknown what specifically causes this phenomenon, how its periodicity is related to the weird seasons and climate changes, and what role the red comet plays in it.
The only thing that is certain is that we are on the verge of a "magic tide" erupting. The entire world is like a volcano about to erupt, accumulating a huge energy that cannot be described in words.
But Zuo Si obviously does not intend to conduct too in-depth investigation and excavation here. Instead, he intends to directly let in the tens of thousands of extremely destructive players from the Floating City of Plantia and let them carry out their actions on the so-called prophecy and destiny.
Unbridled destruction.
See if we can force out the possible masterminds behind the scenes, such as the Red God, the Cold God, the God of Thousand Faces, the Drowned God, etc. who have shown extraordinary power.
If these guys really exist and dare to show their faces, he will ruthlessly use his cards to kill them.
It would be better if there was no nature, just let the players play freely, completely smash the original social structure, and then establish a new rule, while using it as a source of rear and soul.
By then, the Phoenix God Benu will be introduced to replace those messy belief systems, and Zuo Si will be able to create a new soul well in this world and provide himself with a steady supply of energy.
Governor Illyrio obviously does not know how dangerous and terrifying the young man he is facing at this moment is.
After hearing that the other party was not here to commit an assassination, his originally tense expression relaxed a little, but he still did not put down the weapon in his hand. Instead, he kept using his eyes to signal the guards at the door to come in and protect him.
It's a pity that the guard didn't respond at all to this, and still stood motionless.
Seeing this scene, Zuo Si immediately smiled and explained: "Don't waste your efforts. Those people under your command have been controlled by magic. Unless they get my order, they will just excrete directly even if they can't hold back and want to go to the toilet."
In the pants."
"Magic... magic? You are a wizard from Qarth!"
Illyrio's pupils suddenly dilated, contracted, and then dilated again, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably due to shock and fear.
As the governor of the Free Trade City of Pentos, it is naturally impossible for him not to know that there is a barren land called the Red Wasteland in the far east of the Dothraki Steppe.
On the southernmost peninsula of the Red Wasteland, in the middle of the strait connecting the Summer Sea and the Jade Sea, stands the world-famous giant port city of Qarth, as well as the men who live in this city's "Immortal Palace".
Witch.
This group of aliens with pale skin and blue lips are currently the only group that can be 100% certain to possess the power of "magic".
To be continued...