MTLNOVEL Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Deal Struck
Valyrian steel is enigmatic—ordinary people may never encounter it in a lifetime. Yet, even someone unacquainted with its legends can instinctively identify a genuine Valyrian steel weapon. Its unparalleled hardness and near-indestructibility make it unmistakable; a single strike against an iron weapon reveals its authenticity.
Kraznys was no ordinary man. He didn't need to strike anything with a blade to verify it. As he approached to examine Jorah's helmet up close, feeling its weight and texture, he quickly concluded: this was the real deal.
Even the Targaryens only possessed two Valyrian steel swords, not armor. However, a group of minor Valyrian nobles in Volantis had survived the Doom. Though they were not dragonlords, they still owned various Valyrian steel weapons, including one or two sets of armor.
But Kraznys was certain: Jorah's armor was not one of those.
More importantly, Valyrian steel armor is so rare and distinctive that anyone well-versed in such relics could easily differentiate between them.
A flash of fiery greed appeared in Kraznys's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. Reclining on the large wooden chair by the pool, he said casually, "Give me that armor, and you may take all the Unsullied in Astapor who lack their… seed."
"Don't even think about it! This armor—" Jorah's face flushed with anger as he roared at the slaver. Then, as though pleading, he looked toward Daenerys, his reluctance unmistakable.
Daenerys patted his arm and sighed with resignation. Turning to the slaver, she said, "Aside from the armor, Euron also found a dragon egg in the governor's mansion in Tolos. The mansion once belonged to a dragonlord, and both the egg and the armor were his treasures. I noticed the egg still retains some vitality. However—"
She hesitated briefly before continuing with a sigh, "I already have three dragons. I can sell you the dragon egg."
"Tolos? A dragon egg?" Kraznys rubbed his ample chin, muttering, "Tolos is one of the most prosperous cities outside Valyria. Assigning a dragonlord as governor makes sense.
"That red devil is incredibly lucky—crossing the Smoking Sea and finding a dragonlord's mansion. Hmph, no, it's probably this harlot queen who's truly lucky."
Then, in a low growl to his interpreter, he added, "Tell her, a single dragon egg isn't worth a thousand Unsullied. I don't believe the mansion only contained armor and an egg. I want more—much more."
After hearing the girl's translation, Daenerys shrugged and said, "Before I hatched my dragons, dragon eggs were mere ornaments. But now, with magic surging back into the world, a living dragon egg represents a living dragon.
"Does a true dragon only merit a thousand eunuch soldiers? Or is the esteemed Good Master ignorant of the magic resurgence?"
"I know about it! Those damned priests of R'hllor won't shut up about it. They claim it's due to their god's awakening," the portly slaver replied with a complex expression. "Kohor recently even had a religious uprising. A faction of R'hllor worshippers, empowered by new sorceries, tried to burn the statues of the Black Goat."
He snorted derisively. "Fools. All they ever do is burn things. I hear a red priestess went to Westeros and even had the Seven's statues on Dragonstone destroyed and burned."
The dominant faith in Kohor is the worship of the Black Goat, while R'hllor remains a minority faith.
"They burned the Seven's statues?" Barristan paid no attention to Kohor's religious politics. His brows furrowed, hearing of the red priestess dismantling the Seven's statues on Dragonstone.
"Stannis has gone mad. That priestess must have bewitched him," Jorah sighed. "He's doomed—first to fall in the War of the Five Kings. Even Aegon, with three dragons, had to convert to the Faith of the Seven. What does Stannis think he's doing?"
The Valyrians had their own gods—Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes were among their divine names. The Targaryens, as descendants of Valyria, had worshipped these gods for generations.
To integrate with the Andals, Aegon had made significant concessions.
But Daenerys recalled the visions shown to her in the House of the Undying. The Valyrian high priests hinted that their ancestors had grown unsatisfied with ruling the mortal plane. They had sought to ascend to the realm of the gods, sealing R'hllor and creating their own deities—Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes, semi-divine beings.
When Valyria fell in the Doom, these gods likely perished as well. Aegon's shift in faith might have delivered a final blow—severing their connection to mortal worship entirely.
Wait, something didn't add up!
The Targaryens' dragons—Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes—had been immortalized in song and story across Westeros for generations. Could that...
She shook her head with a wry smile. Most of what she knew about the gods came from the Valyrian high priests. Their accounts were incomplete and unreliable. The mysteries of the divine were too distant to warrant her concern.
Yet her expression was misinterpreted by those around her. They thought she was mourning the loss and desecration of her family's ancestral faith.
"Stannis's blasphemy will be punished," Barristan said softly, trying to comfort her. "When you sit upon the Iron Throne, you can have the High Septon sanctify new statues for Dragonstone."
"Perhaps Stannis is already dead," Jorah added in an attempt to console her.
Daenerys mentally rolled her eyes. You're overthinking things. Forget the statues of the Seven—if Stannis dug up the Targaryen ancestral graves, I wouldn't even flinch.
Besides, Stannis wouldn't die so soon. Apart from Balon Greyjoy's sneaky schemes, there were four kings publicly vying for the throne: Joffrey the "Lion in Stag's Skin," Robb Stark, the "Third-Time Jilted Fiancé," Stannis Baratheon, and Renly Baratheon, the "Baratheon Black Sheep."
At first glance, Stannis seemed doomed to fall first due to his extreme measures. However, his foreign ally—the Red Priestess—was undeniably powerful, with centuries of magical expertise, making her arguably the most skilled sorceress in Game of Thrones.
By the time Mad King 2.0 Joffrey, Heartbroken Robb, Renly, and even Balon Greyjoy met their ends, Stannis would still be alive and well.
"This incessant Westerosi gossip!" The plump slaver, who had initiated the conversation, now grew impatient. He grumbled at his translator, "Ask that harlot queen—are we here to buy Unsullied or not? I don't care about magic surges. A dragon egg isn't worth a dragon unless she can hatch it for me."
"Your Grace, the Good Master doesn't believe he can hatch a dragon himself. Perhaps… could you hatch it for him?" the translator asked tactfully.
"Hatching a dragon comes at a heavy price—one I cannot bear," Daenerys replied, shaking her head bitterly.
The translator relayed this response. "Master, the Queen of Westeros seems deeply sorrowful. She's unwilling to pay the cost to hatch a dragon for you."
The slaver's interest was piqued. With a broad grin, he asked, "Then how did she hatch her dragons? What price did the harlot pay?"
"I'm not entirely certain," Daenerys replied, her sorrowful expression deepening. "A shadowbinder from Asshai told me that life must pay for life. The birth of each dragon required the death of a close blood relative. Their souls were exchanged from the realm of the dead for the dragon spirits.
"That's why my dragons are like my own children. I cannot give them up."
The slaver murmured, "Life for life? That sounds familiar... like the doctrine of the Lord of Shadows, R'hllor."
Daenerys nodded, continuing, "The shadowbinder's words seemed credible. Many believe my black dragon is Balerion reborn, resurrected from the realm of the dead."
"Does it really resemble him so closely?" the slaver asked, intrigued.
"You can ask my companions if you doubt me."
Indeed, both Jorah and Barristan had remarked on how Drogon seemed like Balerion reborn. Jorah had said it often, and after seeing Drogon hunt whales, Barristan was convinced as well.
After confirming their unanimous opinion, the slaver speculated, "Was that shadowbinder a priestess of the Shadow Lord—R'hllor?"
"Miri Maz Duur certainly seemed capable of commanding shadow demons," Daenerys replied with a nod.
"That's it! R'hllor is dual-natured—light casts shadows. The Lord of Light is also the God of Shadows and Fire," the slaver said, stroking his fat chin thoughtfully. His voice grew quieter, his eyes brighter, as though formulating a plan.
Finally, he grinned and told the translator, "Inform the little queen that if she can prove the dragon egg is real, I'm willing to convince the other Good Masters to trade 3,000 Unsullied for it."
"I heard there are over 8,000 Unsullied in Astapor. All your wealth combined with the dragon egg only buys 7,100 of them," Daenerys interjected. "But if I give the Good Masters a safe route to the ruins of Valyria, could I purchase the rest of the eunuchs?"
"You claim it's a safe route?" The slaver raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"Not entirely safe," Daenerys admitted with a shake of her head. "Since I know Euron Greyjoy successfully explored Tolos, I wanted to try my luck. In exchange for his freedom, I obtained a sea chart from him."
"Ah, I see," Kraznys laughed, then muttered to the translator, "This little harlot is clever but not clever enough. Sea charts can be faked. She'd be better off letting that red devil lead the way."
As the translator opened her mouth to relay his words, the slaver suddenly bellowed, "Shut up, you idiot! The more people who split the treasures and secrets of Valyria, the less there is for me.
"Tell that harlot I'll convene the Good Masters tomorrow to discuss the matter. If the red devil can personally confirm the sea route, then I'll agree to her terms."
(P.S.: At this point in Westeros, the War of the Five Kings is underway. Balon Greyjoy, perhaps having learned from his disastrous defeat ten years earlier, is cautiously targeting the edges of the North, avoiding the more prosperous regions in the South, such as Lannister lands, Highgarden, and Oldtown.
Joffrey, while bearing the Baratheon name, is essentially a Lannister in everything but name. The Baratheon sigil is a stag, while the Lannister sigil is a lion, and the Stark sigil is a wolf.)
(End of Chapter)
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