Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

The next morning, Dany continued her sword training with the old man, practicing the standard slashing motion 300 times. The elderly man told her that although her movements could be considered correct, they hadn't yet become second nature. As long as she still considered herself a warrior, she would need to train every day.

After washing up and having a hearty breakfast, Dani removed her loose training clothes and changed into a painted leather vest, silk shorts, horsehair leg straps, and riding sandals.

A bronze medal belt was fastened around her slim waist, and a maid braided a whip for her, attaching two small silver bells at the end. One bell symbolized her victory over the demigod immortals at the Hall of the Immortal, while the other represented Yoren's contribution.

The battle against Yoren had been far more dangerous and brutal than her victory at the Hall of the Immortal. Adding a bell for that battle, Dani felt no guilt.

Today, she would ride her small silver horse to the Punishment Square. Once the morning trade was completed, she would likely leave Astapor by noon.

Argos and Rakalo, the two Blood Pact Guards, rode ahead, each holding a large flag. The green-and-black dragon flag fluttered in the wind.

At this moment, Dani did not use the Targaryen family's three-headed dragon flag. The black dragon was her "personal" mount, and the green symbolized the endless grassy plains.

Riding behind them was Dani on her silver horse, with Bevos choosing to walk, jogging along her left side. Misan was on a small mare to Dani's right, while the old man rode a tall dragon horse beside Misan. Jorah Mormont brought up the rear.

Around them, more than twenty mounted warriors, their scimitars at their sides and longbows slung on their saddles, followed closely. Their moon-gate hairstyles caused onlookers to point and whisper.

Behind the warriors was a long procession of carts—177 in total—carrying treasures such as gold, silver, gemstones, and jade. There were six large bundles of tiger pelts, 300 bolts of silk from foreign lands, over a thousand jars of saffron, myrrh, pepper, curry, and cardamom, and eighty barrels of ink in three colors: red, black, and green.

Also included were a barrel of pitted olives filled with worms, twelve barrels of pickled cave fish, exquisite bronze items, seventeen ivory eyes, and a cart of books from the Jade Sea kingdoms.

In addition to these precious foreign items, there were dozens of carts filled with black rice and wine, the most common goods in the great seafaring trade. These were not as valuable and were used to balance the load in the carts.

The long procession stretched for nearly a mile, causing a stir in the red-brick marketplace. Dani did not send any guards for the carts; they had already been counted and verified at the docks, and their ownership was primarily with the great benefactors. Astapor was entirely safe.

Eight of the benefactors, along with their children and wives, stood at the top of the last step of the trapezoidal pyramid, looking down at Dani as she approached from the far end of the square.

The Punishment Square was filled with the Unsullied, lined up in neat rows, motionless, resembling wooden sticks stuck firmly into the ground.

There were a total of 8,600 fully trained Unsullied, each wearing a lightning rod helmet. Another 5,000 were bare-headed, armed only with spears and short swords, having completed only part of their training.

Among them, the youngest were just children, no more than five or six years old, their faces still innocent.

Even without full training, they stood just as straight as the fully trained ones, eyes fixed ahead, motionless.

Dani led the way, riding through the ranks of the Unsullied, and stopped in front of the pyramid. She dismounted and took two boxes from her saddle, placing them at the foot of the steps where the benefactors stood.

Yoren also dismounted and walked over to open the boxes. The first contained a map, the very one Yoren had drawn himself.

The second box contained a thick woolen blanket, atop which sat a rusty bronze dragon egg.

Yoren examined the dragon egg carefully, confirming its weight and feel, before placing it down and nodding at the benefactors. "Yes, it is the dragon egg stolen from me."

"It is my spoils of war!" Dani corrected.

"The dragon egg of the Valyrian king now belongs to Astapor!" Grasdhan said with a smile.

"Then we must first complete the transaction," Dani said coolly.

At this point, a scribe quickly climbed the steps and handed over the goods list to the benefactors.

Seeing that everything was accounted for, Grasdhan said seriously, "Complete the final task, then we can conclude the transaction."

"What task?" Dani's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained calm.

"You swear that the bronze dragon egg is viable and can hatch a dragon," the slave master demanded loudly.

Dani felt a sense of relief and declared in a strong voice, "By the honor of the Valyrian descendants and the Targaryen family, by my identity as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, I swear that the bronze dragon egg I obtained from Yoren is viable, and in my hands, it will surely hatch a dragon."

She then raised an eyebrow and warned the slave master, "I am the Mother of Dragons, having activated the ancient Valyrian bloodline, so with the right price, I have a very high chance of hatching a small bronze dragon. However, if you wish to hatch a full-grown dragon, you must seek shadow priests, preferably a true dragon descendant, or a Valyrian noble."

"We also have Valyrian blood," Grasdhan muttered.

This was true. From Quirss to the Slaver's Bay, and from Volantis to all the other trading city-states except Braavos, the upper nobility had Valyrian blood, as those who had ruled these free cities were pure-blooded Valyrian nobles.

The Dragon Kings, who possessed dragons, lived in the capital of Valyria, while lesser nobles or branch families without dragons were spread across the land.

After the Great Doom, it was the lower-ranking nobles and their descendants who survived.

Among them, the rulers of Volantis had the purest bloodline, even surpassing that of the Targaryens.

This was because the Targaryens, over the following 400 years, had intermarried with many other families, while the Volantene nobility remained numerous, with a large enough population to form a closed and conservative genetic system.

"I have already sworn an oath and given the necessary warnings. Can we proceed with the transaction now?" Dany asked.

"Once the transaction is complete, will Ser Euron be free?" Grazdan asked, seemingly bringing up an unrelated topic.

But Dany understood—dragon eggs were precious, yet the sea chart was worth ten, even a hundred times more.

Valyria ruled the world for 5,000 years. How much wealth could it have accumulated?

Unimaginable.

Some speculate that its gold and silver surpass the combined wealth of the entire world today.

How did Valyria maintain its dominance for 5,000 years?

Dragons and magic.

Real dragons. Real magic.

In the 400 years following the Doom, how many adventurers attempted to cross the Smoking Sea, hoping to reach Valyria in search of treasure and lost knowledge?

Countless.

In One Piece, Roger's single phrase—"Do you want my treasure?"—launched the Great Pirate Era.

But compared to Valyria, Roger's treasure wasn't even a speck of dust.

Unfortunately, in all these years, only one person has ever returned from the ruins of Valyria—Euron Greyjoy.

Though he didn't bring back much treasure, he didn't return empty-handed either. The key factor was that Silence was a narrow longship, not a merchant vessel or a great warship, so its cargo space was limited. Even so, Euron came back fully loaded.

If Grolay's Saidurion had made it safely back from Valyria, the wealth it carried could have bought all of Astapor—perhaps even the entire Slaver's Bay.

The sea chart was undeniably valuable, but the Good Masters were even more interested in having an experienced captain like Euron lead the way.

To be honest, if Euron were a little more honest and somewhat loyal to Dany, she would have considered keeping him.

But if an experienced navigator had ill intentions and deliberately led you into a trap, the danger would be far greater than if a novice simply fumbled their way through.

In Dany's mind, Euron was completely untrustworthy. So, regrettably, she had to abandon the idea of having him guide the way.

"I have promised that once we return to land, Euron and his crew will be set free," Dany nodded, looking at the grinning Crow's Eye. "Once we leave the gates of Astapor, you can go wherever you please. However, I still advise you to travel with me.

This is Slaver's Bay, and you're wanted in dozens of city-states. You wouldn't want to be caught and sold as a slave."

"I know, but I desire true freedom even more," Euron replied casually.

"Suit yourself."

Hearing their conversation, Grazdan smiled in satisfaction. At his signal, "old friend" Kraznys quickly descended the steps, approached Dany, and raised a whip high above his head, declaring loudly, "The Good Masters say—deal!"

"Deal!" echoed Grazdan from the high steps, his pearl-studded tassels swaying.

"Deal!"

"Deal!"

All eight Good Masters called out "deal" in unison. The Unsullied and the gathered Ghiscari onlookers all saw it. They all heard it.

"Deal," Dany nodded and waved a hand. The mounted men standing behind the treasure and cargo chests stepped aside one by one.

Then, she took the whip—called The Harpy's Claw—from Kraznys' hands.

The handle, 30 centimeters long, was finely carved from black dragonbone, with gold inlays at both ends. One end bore a golden woman's head, her mouth lined with ivory fangs; the other end was attached to eight long leather strands, each tipped with a gilded harpy claw.

It had a firm weight in her grip—but the authority it represented was even heavier. The control of 13,600 Unsullied.

Like a deed of ownership.

As Kraznys eagerly unrolled the sea chart, Dany mounted her silver mare, stood in the stirrups, and raised The Harpy's Claw high above her head. Silently, she rode in a slow circle around the square.

Finally, in deliberately halting, newly learned High Valyrian, she shouted, "You belong to me now! People of the Mother of Dragons—all of you! Form ranks, five per row, and follow me to a new world, a new future!"

Dany led the way, followed by the Unsullied in perfect formation, five per row, stretching in a long column for three to four kilometers.

After glancing through the sea chart, Kraznys smirked and turned to Euron. "That whore must've practiced those few words all night. Not bad—those eunuchs understood her."

Euron opened his mouth, tempted to say, She's a true Valyrian heir, and she spent over a decade living in the Free Cities. Why wouldn't she know High Valyrian?

But not far away, Whitebeard stood holding a large chest, watching him like a hawk.

Crow's Eye rubbed his nose and murmured, "Interested in a little partnership?"

"That is exactly what I seek!" A flash of greed gleamed in Kraznys' eyes.

"Then, until we meet again," Crow's Eye smiled, his blue right eye exuding a warmth that made him seem almost trustworthy.

"Euron, your crew is waiting outside the city gates. Hurry up and go," the old man said coldly.

Euron nodded, mounted his horse, and galloped away.

Whitebeard turned back to the slave trader and said, "Queen Daenerys has sent a gift for the Good Masters."

(End of Chapter)

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