Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

Daenerys had never intended for Xaro to pay the bribes on her behalf, but for someone who claimed to admire her so deeply, he certainly didn't offer to help outright.

The bribe money had to come from Daenerys herself—Xaro only pointed her in the right direction, instructing her whom to approach.

The first step involved Daenerys bringing offerings to the temple of the Qartheen. She arrived with a chestnut filly, a gray-haired wild ox hunted from the outskirts of the Red Waste, and a large black dog purchased from the market.

The Qartheen worshipped a god she had never heard of before: the God of Memory. To show her respect, she offered these sacrifices.

The filly symbolized the contributions of the Dothraki, the ox honored ancient traditions—dating back to when the nomadic Qartheen survived by hunting creatures from the Red Waste before this trade city-state was even established.

As for the black dog, it reflected a unique Qartheen preference, not unlike certain cultures where the taste for dog meat is celebrated.

The temple priest, an elderly woman with hair and skin as pale as snow, was pleased with Daenerys's thoughtful offerings. She informed Daenerys that she could visit the Temple of Memory to seek the "Memories of Time."

Only after further inquiries did Daenerys realize this temple functioned as the Qartheen library. The priests of the temple also served as the city's chroniclers, recording every significant event in Qarth over the centuries.

"Mother of Dragons, your great journey—with your dragons, your Dothraki warriors, crossing the Red Waste to reach Qarth—even your visit to this temple today—has become, or will soon become, part of the God of Memory's records!" the old woman said with a smile.

If it had been the Daenerys of old, she might have had little interest in historical records. But now, she was inwardly ecstatic: Worth it. Totally worth it. Two thousand Qartheen coins well spent!

Outwardly, she had only sacrificed three animals. But the night before, Aggo and four Dothraki warriors had secretly carried two chests of freshly exchanged coins into the priestess's courtyard.

Yes, this was bribery in its truest form. The literal "back door" was through a small alley, leading to the backyard of the priestess's favorite 13-year-old concubine.

Qarth used a type of currency called "star coins," which had been popular since the days of Valyria. These round coins bore a crown on one side and a sinister skull on the other.

Star coins were relatively small, each weighing about one-third of a Westerosi gold dragon. Two thousand star coins were equivalent to roughly 8 million RMB in purchasing power.

In a medieval-like world with far less productivity than modern societies, such a sum was an astronomical amount. No wonder the old priestess treated Daenerys so kindly.

After obtaining a "library card" for the Temple of Memory, Daenerys bribed her way into the office of the Qartheen "Registrar of Records," essentially the city's bureaucratic officials.

Bag after bag of coins disappeared, and Daenerys realized with dismay that half of her hoard of Drogo's gold had already been spent.

She lamented to Xaro, "I'm out of money. All I have left are some antique jewelry pieces from the City of Bones."

But Xaro, cold as ice even in the face of a plea from a stunning beauty, had no intention of opening his purse. Instead, he offered her a dubious idea: "The news that true dragons exist has already spread across the East. More and more people are coming to see you and your dragons. Why not accept their requests for an audience and charge them gifts for the privilege?"

Daenerys thought for a moment. The suggestion wasn't without merit.

Beyond the "zoo admission fees" she might collect, this would further establish her fame and make it widely known in the East that she and her dragons were a reality. This alone could deter certain parties from using underhanded methods against her.

Hadn't she already instructed Jorah to spread rumors of her dragons in the docklands and street taverns for this very reason?

When no one knew of her dragons, she had hidden for as long as possible in Qarth, trying to keep the secret. But once a single outsider learned of her dragons, secrecy became futile.

When no one knew of the dragons' existence, she was at her safest—threat level: one star.

When a few knew of their existence, she was at her most vulnerable—threat level: four stars.

When everyone in the East knew her story, certain individuals would hesitate, and her danger level would drop to three stars.

When the news eventually crossed thousands of miles to Westeros, her threat level would soar again—to five stars, the most dangerous.

But whether only a few knew or all of Qarth was aware, the speed at which the news reached Westeros would not change.

From Qarth to King's Landing, she had roughly two years of buffer time before the news spread fully.

In those two years, her dragons needed to grow, or she needed to establish solid security measures—essentially, build her own power base.

And to do that, she needed money.

Daenerys approved Xaro's plan to establish a "Dragon Zoo."

That very afternoon, Jorah brought a sea captain to her palace's audience hall.

"Your Grace, I present to you a merchant from the Summer Isles," Jorah announced.

The man was a Black sailor, his dark skin gleaming like polished obsidian—black and lustrous.

"Your Majesty, my name is Qhuru Mo, captain of the Laurel Breeze, hailing from High Town in the Summer Isles," he said, bowing deeply. Draped in a cloak of yellow and green feathers, he looked flamboyant, like a resplendent peacock.

"He brings news from King's Landing," Jorah added.

"You've come from King's Landing?" Daenerys asked.

"No, Your Grace. I departed Oldtown six months ago with a shipload of Arbor wine. You've been away from home for so long, and I thought you might miss the taste of your homeland—just as the people of the Seven Kingdoms long for your return," Qhuru replied.

His gift to Daenerys consisted of three barrels of fine Arbor wine. On the Qarth market, they could fetch about four star coins.

A bit stingy, Daenerys thought. But she quickly reminded herself that the captain's business wasn't large; four star coins likely represented a considerable sum to him.

"Thank you for your gift," Daenerys said from her cushioned sofa, nodding graciously at the Summer Islander. "But I'm even more eager to hear the news you bring from the Seven Kingdoms. Ah, it would've been better if you had come directly from King's Landing."

"Your Majesty, King's Landing is embroiled in war. No foreign merchants dare to go there anymore, and even if they did, it would be pointless. Since the usurper's death, King's Landing has fallen into chaos. They can barely feed themselves, let alone trade with others," the captain replied, settling onto a small stool nearby. His tone carried a faint disdain for the current rulers of King's Landing.

"Oldtown is home to the Citadel, where all news from the Seven Kingdoms converges. After all, every noble family has a maester in their service, and all maesters are trained at the Citadel. During my stay in Oldtown, I took every opportunity to gather information about the state of the Seven Kingdoms."

Daenerys found him long-winded and interrupted, "How exactly did the usurper die?"

"He was killed by a monstrous beast," the captain replied.

"I'm asking who conspired to kill him. Surely, you don't believe he truly died under a boar's tusk?" Daenerys said coolly.

Noticing her impatience, the captain of the Laurel Breeze hastened to explain:

"There are indeed many conspiracy theories regarding the king's death.

Currently, the 14-year-old King Joffrey sits on the throne, but everyone knows the Lannisters control the realm.

In taverns, some maesters' apprentices confidently claim that the queen betrayed the king, bore bastards with her brother, and, when exposed, resorted to murdering her royal husband to cover her tracks.

This would explain why the throne has now fully fallen into the hands of the Lannisters.

And it's no surprise that Robert's two brothers fled King's Landing.

Rumors also suggest that the Baratheon brothers are planning to retake King's Landing and crown themselves as kings."

When I left, rumors were already circulating—Duke Renly was planning to ally with House Tyrell of Highgarden to raise a rebellion.

With Highgarden and the Stormlands united, the boy king's position on the throne seems precarious!

Beyond the rumors of the queen murdering the king, there were also whispers that it was the Hand of the King who killed him.

The new king and queen were quick to declare that Eddard Stark had plotted against the king. Some believed it, while others doubted. Word had it that the citizens of King's Landing largely accepted the claim.

"By the gods, I remember the Hand as King Robert's closest friend. How could anyone believe he'd commit treason?"

"Exactly. Even the Others wouldn't believe that Eddard Stark would betray his king. Have the people of King's Landing gone mad? Or are they simply fools?" Jorah nodded in agreement. With conviction, he added, "Even if the Long Summer came, that man wouldn't tarnish his precious honor."

Daenerys chuckled softly, "But didn't Eddard Stark commit treason 15 years ago? To the people of King's Landing, he lost his honor long ago. Losing it again wouldn't matter much."

Jorah immediately shook his head and protested, "That's different, Your Grace. While it's disrespectful to say so, you must understand—King Aerys had executed both his father and brother and openly demanded the North turn him over.

Rebelling against your father was, for him, an act of honor, not a loss of it."

Having spent several months with Daenerys, Jorah had come to understand her temperament. If she had been the Daenerys of old, he wouldn't have dared say such things.

"What of the North? How did they react when Stark was imprisoned?" Jorah asked the captain, his expression tense.

As a Northerner, Jorah's family had long been sworn bannermen to the Starks.

"Word is that the Young Wolf immediately called his banners upon hearing of his father's capture. Roughly 20,000 Northerners have already crossed the Neck, marching south."

"Ah," Jorah sighed, his eyes distant as he murmured, "I wonder how many of my cousins will die this time."

Daenerys, pitying her knight, recalled that Jorah's family had already suffered. Only a little girl named Lyanna remained, the last of his cousins.

"How many children does your aunt have?" Daenerys asked.

"Five—all daughters. The youngest is only about six years old," Jorah replied.

So tragic, Daenerys thought, considering how the family had dwindled. Soon, Jorah's father would also meet his end at Castle Black, a victim of the guest right's violation.

The thought nearly made her want to offer her condolences.

In her mind, she remembered the television adaptation, where many of House Mormont's daughters had been removed to simplify the story.

In the original A Song of Ice and Fire novels, only one Mormont cousin died during the Red Wedding—Jorah's eldest cousin.

There was no need for her to worry about him.

"The Young Wolf—is that Robb Stark?" Jorah asked the Summer Islander.

"Yes, Robb Stark is leading the Northern forces," the captain confirmed.

"He's only 14, isn't he?" Jorah's face darkened. "I've met the boy. He's half a year younger than you, Your Grace—just a budding flower in summer.

How can this possibly end well? That young pup is likely to drag the entire North down with him."

A prophetic statement, Daenerys mused.

"Maybe he's a natural-born leader," she offered, trying to comfort him.

"That makes me even more worried," Jorah replied, rubbing his face with a weary sigh. "If he loses a battle as soon as he crosses the Neck, the Northmen will retreat immediately, and they'll never truly lose in this game of thrones.

For over a thousand years, no army has ever defeated the defenders of the Neck in open combat.

But if that pup gets lucky and wins a battle or two, letting victory go to his head, then the North will be doomed for certain."

(End of Chapter)

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