Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

The fire that destroyed the Hall of the Undying inevitably caused a huge uproar in Qarth.

Although Dany had successfully deflected blame at the time with a lie no one could refute, rumors about dragons and her involvement quickly spread through the city, gaining momentum.

"Though I don't like that warlock, that hall has existed for millennia. If your dragon could burn it down, today it's the Hall of Dust, but who can say tomorrow it won't be a market, and the day after that, perhaps the great Thousand Halls? Dragons are too dangerous, too uncontrollable. They should be killed while still young." Some with hidden motives spoke out.

"But I heard it was the Undying who burned down their own ruined hall. I think the Dragonmother has a point. It's better to develop a few streets and collect rent than to leave the land empty. Maybe the Undying finally came to their senses?" Others countered.

"Whether it's the dragon or the Undying's magic, it's all dangerous. At the very least, the dragon should leave Qarth."

The next afternoon, Xaro, deeply worried, told Dany that Pyat Pree was gathering other warlocks to plot against her.

Dany immediately replied, "I'll leave Qarth the day after tomorrow."

Xaro lowered his head, grasped her hand, and kissed her fingers. With a sincere tone, he said, "You should leave, and do so quickly. The sooner, the better.

"But my queen, you won't be alone.

You saw the darkness in the Hall of Dust, but my dreams are full of light. I dream of a warm, peaceful jade sea, with a cruise ship drifting slowly in the breeze.

You lie happily on a soft couch, basking in sunlight, sipping delicious coconut juice, smiling as our children play with seagulls on the deck."

Ugh, you shameless old fool, you really know how to fantasize.

"Alas, it's a shame we must part ways. You will sail east to the jade sea, and I'll ride my camel westward. We may never see each other again!" Dany teased, all while subtly rubbing her hand against the blanket under her.

"Come with me to the jade sea. Give me a son and make my dream come true, my beloved star of heaven!"

Xaro, resembling a plump merchant, spoke in the tone of a romantic hero, quoting lines from a melodramatic romance.

This was more repulsive than any spitting.

Spit can be wiped away quietly, but words heard in the ear can't be easily forgotten. Not only can they not be forgotten, but they might also become an eternal nightmare.

"Sorry, Xaro, you're a good man, but my goal lies to the west," Dany said sadly.

This time, the merchant's face turned pale as he received the "good person card."

His voice cold, he said, "Then go. Leave quickly."

Dany hesitated, momentarily stunned by his sudden shift in attitude. Then she responded, "I'm already packing. I'll leave the day after tomorrow."

"You're untrustworthy and have played with my feelings," Xaro said, staring coldly at her. "Return my things."

Play with your feelings? I didn't even consider you as a backup, and I've rejected you every time!

Dany wasn't happy. She suppressed her anger and replied grimly, "What things? I haven't taken anything of yours."

She muttered to herself, Don't you dare say it's your feelings that I've taken. If you do, I'll kick you twice before I get disgusted enough to leave.

Fortunately, Xaro was colder and more shameless than she had imagined.

"The magic amethyst I gave you, the ox cart, the thousand jade toy soldiers, the silk from Yiti..."

Xaro listed everything off in excruciating detail for a full three minutes. Many of the items Dany had already forgotten, but he remembered them all.

Dany stood there dumbfounded for a long while before realizing that she had encountered the worst kind of man.

Even couples who break up to divide assets don't act this cruel.

They weren't even a couple, and yet after realizing his guest had no further use to him, Xaro demanded the gifts he had given her back?!!!

He shouldn't be called Xaro anymore—he should be called Jerk-ro!

Xaro should move to modern society, where there are plenty of shameless women who like to keep backups. He would certainly find happiness there.

And even the most skilled "bad women" can't compare to him in his own realm. After all the bad women are defeated, the remaining men will be happy!

"Everything else is fine, but the silk has already been made into clothing. What now?" Dany asked reluctantly.

"Don't you have money? Pay me in coins," Xaro replied coldly. "Starting tonight, you and your barbarian crew can handle your own food. The house stays for only two more days."

At least he didn't ask her to pay for the meals and accommodations from the past few days.

In the afternoon, Jorah, accompanied by the Dothraki, went to the market for supplies. Dany took the opportunity to rest. She placed a reclining chair under the ginkgo tree by the courtyard fountain, lying comfortably on it. While nibbling on a crispy, sweet persimmon, she enjoyed the gentle "massage" of fish swimming around her calves and toes.

"Sigh, these decadent days are numbered. Soon enough..."

As she idly pondered, the sound of metal clanking drew closer.

It was Jorah Mormont.

In preparation for any unexpected events in these final days, he had donned his iron armor again.

"Your Highness, Illyrio sent someone to fetch you."

His expression was serious, his brow furrowed. An unexpected visitor wasn't something he greeted with joy.

"Illyrio? Pentos is an entire continent away from Qarth. How does he know I'm here?" Dany asked in surprise.

"I don't know. They're waiting at the front gates. You'll have to ask them yourself," Jorah shook his head.

Dany didn't immediately let the guests enter; instead, she focused on Jorah's mood. "You don't seem very welcoming of them?"

"They've specifically come for the dragons. If even Illyrio from Pentos knows you have dragons..."

Jorah hesitated, concern creeping into his voice. "Pentos and King's Landing are separated by the Narrow Sea, and unlike other oceans, the Narrow Sea is not vast—it's just over 500 kilometers wide. If the people of Pentos can make it to Qarth, then so can assassins from King's Landing."

"That's true." Dany nodded, though her expression was not as grave as Jorah had expected.

She continued slowly, "Our original plan was to take the land route, head west to Astapor to purchase a batch of Unsullied, then head north. When everyone thinks we're going to turn toward Slaver's Bay and continue west, we'll do the opposite and head east, retreating into the old trading routes.

In a siege, one thousand Unsullied would be enough to withstand ten thousand soldiers, and the area around Whitecloud City could never support such a large army."

Whitecloud City only had our own people. As long as we sealed the gates, a hundred Faceless Men wouldn't be able to harm me—they wouldn't even be able to get in."

At this moment, Dany wasn't willing to risk making a big scene. She hadn't yet felt the full horrors of the slaves' plight, and she wasn't considering tricking the slavers like she had in the original story with Dany's deceit to kill the slave master of Astapor.

Attacking the cities of Slaver's Bay and killing cruel masters was fine, but not through deception. Otherwise, no matter how noble the goal, the name "Daenerys Targaryen" would be permanently tarnished in this world!

That scoundrel Xaro, so eager to get the dragons, had never once thought about betraying his word and forcing Dany.

He was clearly gay, yet he subjected himself to fawning over Dany, as though trying to win the affections of another man. Who could tolerate that?

The Qarthian royal family was the same—they took gold and silver according to tradition but didn't send camel riders to kill Dany and her people to steal the dragons.

The Qarthian royals were so greedy for wealth, yet didn't they see the dragons as valuable? Surely they were worth more than a few thousand golden coins?

Pyat Pree, the warlock, hated Dany but desperately wanted the dragons. His methods, however, stayed within the bounds of acceptable behavior.

When Pyat, Xaro, and Qyxie—the three dragon seekers—extended their invitations to Dany, they had already established a universal trust relationship, or, as the Westerlanders would say, a guest-right relationship, where they were entitled to the rights of guests.

If such people could maintain their word, could Dany not do the same?

Thus, Dany's plan was conservative, focused solely on buying time until the dragons grew.

Jorah was by no means her most trusted confidant—he wasn't as loyal as the Brotherhood Without Banners—but he was undoubtedly her best strategist.

Dany outlined the plan for him, leaving the detailed execution to him. He had far more experience in marching and warfare than she did.

"Ah, how unfortunate," she thought.

Jorah Mormont was like Zhang Fei at most, but she ended up using him as if he were Zhuge Liang.

"Your Highness, Illyrio has sent three great ships," Jorah's voice drifted into her ears.

"He's certainly learned everything about us," Dany said sarcastically. "He could fit all my little cards into his wallet."

Jorah replied thoughtfully, "Not just your cards, my lady. He's a merchant, and merchants never make unprofitable deals. When the three ships arrive, they'll be filled with the finest goods from the Western Continent, and on the return journey, they'll carry enough to break even."

Dany caught on to his underlying meaning.

"So?"

"In theory, you'll become the temporary owner of those three ships," Jorah said, his eyes gleaming. "We still need to go to Astapor, travel by ship, buy around 3,000 Unsullied, and then no one will be able to harm you easily."

Dany had been holding a persimmon for a while without taking a bite. The part she had bitten into had turned brown in the air. She tossed it to the wall, pondering. "Let's decide after we meet with the person in charge."

She didn't return to the stifling great hall. Instead, she had Doria prepare two more loungers by the fountain in the courtyard and stocked them with drinks and fruit.

When the guests arrived with Ago, they found the young woman standing by the water, her hair tied back, wearing a painted vest on top and loose silk shorts (like beach shorts) on the bottom. Her pristine white feet were bare, and she smiled, extending her hand in invitation.

The heat in the air seemed to dissipate with her presence.

The leader of the group was a burly man, close to 2 meters tall, with deep brown skin.

Sweat gleamed off his bald head, and he wore only a tight studded leather vest. His yellow pants were soaked with sweat, with visible stains, and a long curved arak blade was strapped to his waist.

Although he was overweight, he wasn't flabby. His arms were like thick oak trunks, and his protruding belly had a solid, muscular feel.

(End of Chapter)

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