The Eminence in GOT-Chapter 17: Notes of the Captain of the Beast King, Part 2 - Far North and Rich East

Chapter 17 - Notes of the Captain of the Beast King, Part 2 - Far North and Rich East

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01.01.275

Tirosh

On the first day of the 275th year of Aegon's conquest, Lady Fortune finally turned to face me instead of sirloin.

We had found the right slave trader.

Caso the Third Leg was found in one of the cheapest brothels in the city, where he'd spent nearly a week drinking up all the profits from the last raid. His companions had long ago set sail for the Summer Isles in search of new prey, but he had been forgotten. So he went on a bender.

So he responded positively to my offer to show me the place and the sight of golden Valar twirling between his fingers.

That same day my ships, loaded with iron, groats, cloth, and all the other crap they often sell to wildlings, set sail for the far North.

09.01.275

Narrow Sea

Now it was clear why this freak, mistakenly born human, was called "Third Leg". He was such a lustful creature that when all the women on the ship turned him down (and some stomped his balls off), he started molesting Sigrid.

An eight-year-old girl!!!

When I saw this I immediately, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the upper deck where most of the sailors were, and after telling her what the rotten thing wanted to do, beat her into a bloody mess.

Broke his nose first.

Then he knocked out all his teeth.

Then he carefully counted all the bones in the body with his fists.

And then kicked him with his feet, finally crushing the "reason" for his nickname, depriving this world of such a rotten seed.

Afterward, with the help of Joen and Robin, he was cured, of course-how to go without a guide-but he was forbidden to walk around the ship.

14.01.275

Lands beyond the Wall, Oleniy Rog River

The lands beyond the Wall... a wild and vast and legendary place in its own right. Lying just north of the Great Wall of Ice, it stretches north and northwest in an endless line. This bleak and cold land beyond the edge of the world, where there are no cities, no roads, no lords, no laws, greeted us with snowfall and icy winds.

From what Caso said, the area we landed on was called the Enchanted Forest. It was a huge forest, mostly coniferous, though not infrequently hardwoods, such as chartreuse and broadleaf, whose wood was worth its weight in silver in the markets of Essos, the size of the Wolf's Wood or the King's Wood. The forest was home to rare settlements of wildlings living in the forest glades and along the banks of rivers and streams, and its thicket hid ancient animals long extinct in the rest of Westeros, such as direwolves, polar bears, dusky cats, and mammoths.

Caso himself traded mostly with one of the Wildling settlements living a few days' journey from the coast, and knew the way well. So we left the ships in the care of half of the Highlanders and woodsmen, who knew the habits of the locals, and set off with the caravan.

17.01.275

Lands Beyond the Wall, White Bone Clan Settlement

Nothing interesting happened during the three days' journey to the settlement of one of the few local tribes trading with the "worshippers". The fires built at the campsites easily drove away the local inhabitants, and the picture of two hundred frozen and angry men's faces, who did not part with their weapons even at night, told very eloquently what would happen to those who would dare to attack.

Oberyn was shivering like the last leaf in the wind, wrapped in all available skins and, having asked me for strong moonshine, was constantly drinking. He was not used to such temperatures.

The village of the White Bone Clan was... unimpressive.

Two dozen small houses, with sheep and goat pens around them, a few wells and, most surprisingly, latrines.

They weren't Wildlings so much as they knew not to shit in their homes (unlike most of the townsfolk of the Seven Kingdoms).

The huts themselves were made of unplastered stone, roughly stitched together and covered with turf, and their windows were covered with frayed leathers that had obvious tanning cracks in them.

According to our guide this is one of the richest settlements in the land, for most of the natives live in "snowdrifts" or huts.

The locals met us not too friendly. Several times they wanted to provoke us, insulted us in every possible way, but when their chief demanded to give all our goods for one lute wolf skin, I just couldn't stand it.

I challenged them to a fight and slaughtered them on the spot. A steel axe and armor against a rusty iron sword, with the seal of the Night's Watch, and leather clothing just doesn't cut it.

The fight was completely official, so there were no claims against me. And the chief's heir became silk, easily agreeing to all my demands. The tribe received the entire cargo of iron tools, cloth, grain, and other snacks, in exchange for all the skins of direwolves and dusky cats that were in the village. Also the new chief promised to get from neighboring tribes skins and tusks of mammoths, furs of polar bears, horns of narwhals and "tears of the sun" - the local name for amber. And we must not forget the hunting parties that went on the hunt for live goods.

All that remained was to wait and pray for their success.

026.01.275

Lands beyond the Wall, Oleniy Rog River

The prey proved to be plentiful. Although some of the local groups had not returned from the dangerous hunt, the remaining ones had brought quite a good catch.

Three male direwolves, two dusky cats, one polar bear, and most surprisingly, one furry mammoth. According to the wildlings, almost all of the remaining herds of mammoths have long been herded and guarded by the giants for meat, milk, hides, and bones from which they make their weapons. This mammoth was very young and accidentally broke away from his herd while wandering south. Where it was found by local hunters.

The surprise of the northerners, ironborn and the rest of the crew when they first saw this primitive wonder was incredibly great. Oberyn's eyes nearly popped out of his orbits.

The most interesting thing is that after that the number of devout believers on my ships increased dramatically. Apparently, having learned that one of the legends was true, the sailors decided that other myths, such as the Old Gods or the Gray King, were even more true.

Another bonus was the puppy. A simple dog puppy, traded by one of the spearwomen from a tribe of Pomors who had migrated from the Empty Shore. According to the locals, there are tribes living on the Bold Coast who ride on sledge carts made of walrus bone, harnessing ferocious dogs the size of lute wolves, and breed reindeer as big as bears. Even among the wildlings they were considered savages, and their women were sometimes more dangerous than their men. And one of these pups came to me.

I'll have to make a visit to the Cold Shore in the future. Hand lute wolves...interesting idea.

Toward the end of the day, having finally loaded the last of our "purchases" onto the ships, we set sail south. The deserts of Giskar and the Slaver's Bay await us, places where my savings will double, if not triple.

05.02.275

Narrow Sea, near Braavos

Everything has limits. Including my patience.

So our guide - Caso Now Two Legs - went to feed the fish at the bottom of the Narrow Sea, with ballast tied to his feet. An attempted rape by one of the women on the ship and a tongue too long to speak kept him from going unpunished.

11.03.275

Meereen

One of the three great slave trading cities, along with Astapor and Yunkai, greeted my ships with the screams of slaves and the stench of its harbor.

A descendant of the ancient Empire of Giskar, the only state in history that could stand on equal footing against the Valyrian Freehold. It is said that it was because of the connection to this ancient state that the symbol of Meereen was the Giscar harpy that adorned the tallest pyramids in the city.

When I first learned about the Gulf of Slave Traders, its cities and how the locals live, I couldn't understand how it was possible. Astapor is understandable - the Unsullied have always been highly valued in the Free Cities and the I-Tii Empire, going for 300 gold dragons apiece, at a relatively low cost to train and outfit them.

But Yunkai and Meereen... The former is famous for its sex slaves, no matter their gender or age. There, boys and girls are taught from childhood "the way of the seven sighs and sixteen pleasure positions." A brothel city. But in the Free Cities, there is Lys, a city famous for its pillow houses no worse than Yunkai, and the courtesans there are often... not as worn-out a "commodity" as the Yunkai slaves who are raped from childhood.

Meereen is a different story. The main income of this city was the tax from the Fighting Pits, ancient Giscarian arenas used for gladiatorial fights and the herding of beasts. They represented a round arena deepened into the ground, with rows of seats hollowed out right in the ground. No matter how spectacular the fights in these pits were, most of the spectators were Myerinians themselves. If money was coming into the city, it was coming in very slowly.

The answer came quickly - it was only necessary to stop and question one of the free citizens in the main market, located in the center of the city. It turned out that in addition to training gladiators, who were highly valued in all the other cities of Giskar, parts of the Free Cities, Quarta, Lenga and the Basilisk Islands, Meereen was the main supplier of food to all the other cities of the bay. All thanks to the Skahazadhan River flowing in the north of the city. It originates in the southern lands of the Dothraki Sea, flows southwest, and empties into the Bay of Slavers, passing through the Red Wasteland and Lhazar along the way.

Like the Egyptian Nile, this river was the only source of water in the surrounding desert, giving the city the ability to farm normally. Vegetables, fruits and grains could not be grown here, but the local linen fields, olive groves and vineyards were famous for their rich harvests and quality products.

From the same talkative man, who introduced himself as Grazdan zo Galar, a member of the Galar clan, one of the families of the Great Lords of Meereen, I learned of another reason why the Dothraki are not publicized to anyone: they are an aggressive nation, accustomed to the habits of the Dothraki. This aggressive nation, not accustomed to cultivating the land on its own and preferring to rob its neighbors, mainly the long-suffering Lhazar, in the course of endless horse raids, has in the person of Meereen the main partner in the sale of loot. After all, the Dothraki value horses and their wild nomadic freedom above all else. Why do they need silks looted from caravans traveling the Silk Road? Why do they need plows and scythes from Lhazar? Why do they need whale or manatee skins obtained in Ibben? They don't.

And all this they give almost for nothing (according to the locals) to Meereen, which has learned very well to profit from exotics.

But about Yunkai... It turns out that this city is completely dependent on purchases from the I-Ti Empire. With their population going over two hundred million (on the background of the same Westeros, where according to the last census of Jeyheiris the Peacemaker lives only 30), thousands of professional prostitutes and prostitutes, every year supplied to the Golden Empire, look like a drop in the ocean.

Such are the kitty pies.

But with a new acquaintance I've had good luck. Perhaps through him it will be possible to reach the families of the Great Lords who control the Fighting Pits.

16.03.275

Meereen

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The new acquaintance turned out to be a very interesting person.

Gazdan zo Galar was not only a member and head of the Golar family, he was also a successful businessman (in the local manner). He bought young girls from Lhazar and Sarnor, taught them weaving skills in his home, and gave them jobs embroidering fabrics and carpets that were sold to other cities in the bay at a very good markup. He was still very generous by local standards, taking "only" 90% of the profits from the weavers and leaving them with a tenth. By comparison, the rest of the slaves in the city, except for the gladiators, had no money of their own at all.

So when I offered to buy him unique and, one could say, legendary furs, Gazdan almost kissed me on the spot. Then there followed a long and heated debate about the size of the mountain of gold that the Giskarian had to give me for the skins of a lute wolf, a dusky cat, a polar bear, and a mammoth. Each of us wanted to screw the other; Gazdan by my ignorance of how much he wanted to sell the hides for after dressing and processing, and me by the price I was getting them for.

In the end, after arguing all day and coming to nothing, we simply decided to say what profit each of us would make and to set a price based on that. So the honorable Giskarets fell into the astral when he found out that I got these valuables for a couple of crappy swords and ringlets (worth only 500 silver deer), and I was picking up my jaw from the floor for a long time, realizing that these pelts on the local market cost at least!!! eight thousand gold marks. Or to put it another way, twelve thousand gold dragons. Having come to our senses, having burst out laughing and looking at each other in a new way, we agreed to divide the profit equally and in honor of such a good deal even to become money brothers - a form of twinning among merchants, when two merchants informally agree on mutual assistance and friendly relations.

So I made my first friend in Essos, with whom I had very strong ties - mutually beneficial cooperation and Gazdan's cousin, who visited him on the third day of my team's stay at the Golar's, and very quickly became my mistress.

The first and not the last.

Galazza Galar, who had given him the place of head of the family a few years ago, and had decided to become a Grace in the local Temple of Grace, often visited her cousin and naturally became acquainted with me. A twenty-five year old girl with exotic Giskar beauty and wearing red robes symbolizing her obedience in the pleasure gardens, I immediately took a liking to her erudition and skills in bed. Though what else would one expect from a temple prostitute.

Now the only thing I could do was wait. Gazdan had promised to talk to the Loraks, Kandaks, and Uhles who ran most of the Battle Pits and to talk about Trial Day, a trial run when exotic beasts brought in are unleashed on a specially trained team of chasers and later, to the faces and applause of the spectators, the purchase price is negotiated.

23.03.275

Trader's Bay, Cedar Island.

Meereen left behind a strange impression.

The performance on the Day of Trial went much better than expected. Specially fed with human meat (although initially I thought it was special food for animals, but when I found out what was added to the meat I beat up the jerk who sold it to me) and having not eaten for a few days, the direwolves and polar bear tore the bestiaries (gladiators specializing in animals) to the British flag, further staining the red sands of the arena with blood. But best of all was the dusky cat. He just played with those three hunters, first scratching out their eyes and damaging their tendons, and then began to gradually finish them off. He strangled the last survivor with his tail, as if for the amusement of the crowd!

The crowd was delighted. As were the great gentlemen.

As a result, three chests full of gold, pearls and precious stones appeared on my ship. But the most valuable acquisition was a permit. A permit to trade in the Golden Empire of I-Ti, which only the Loraks possessed, and who exchanged it for a mammoth, which had become one of the symbols of their house's wealth and power. Everyone was happy - the Loraks could always get a lot of these papers, because one of their daughters was the third wife of one of the princes in the Eastern Empire, and I, who got the mammoth for only a few dozen gold pieces and knew very well what could happen to me if my ships arrived in the Golden Empire without this paper.

So loaded with narwhal horns, amber, olive oil, carpets and linen fabrics bought at a discount from Gazdan, my ships set off towards the Jade Gate Strait. The Golden Empire was waiting for me.

08.04.275

The Golden Empire of I-Ti, Yin

The capital of the Golden Empire, the largest port in the world, located on the shores of the Jade Sea, greeted us with the shouts and smells of a giant harbor.

Yin was considered the richest and grandest city in all of Essos. This place is the oldest and most densely populated area in the entire empire. At least that's what an interpreter slave rented for fifty gold pieces in Quarth said. According to the slave, judging by the color of his skin, who was born in Lhazar, this empire has been ruled by the Gray, Indigo, and Pearl-White Emperor dynasties for generations, and the Azure Emperors currently occupy the Phoenix throne.

Unfortunately to achieve much in the Golden Empire did not come to fruition. Yes, many local rich people, when they heard about the legendary "tears of the phoenix" and "horns of Ludun", began to almost auction, buying amber and narwhal horns almost the weight of pure gold. So for a week of trading, even taking into account the deductions of local customs, the profit was fabulous. But that was the end of it. The local aristocracy perceived the outsiders as unwashed (in a sense, it is true - in Westeros, and especially in the North, not too fond of washing) monkeys, who by some misunderstanding had found such treasures and sold them for mere pennies (again, according to the locals). After all, the horns of narwhal-ludun, according to the legends of the I-Tian Empire, are the main ingredient of the elixir bao-tsze-shan, or according to the Andalian - a potion of vitality, prolonging the life span of a person. And "phoenix tears" or amber was one of the attributes of the ruling dynasty and was considered one of the best gifts at the imperial court.

So after selling off the olive oil and linen fabrics, I filled all the holds with expensive silks, velvets, incense, small mirrors, ivory and spices unique to the Golden Empire. It all took almost half of the gold I had received, but imagining the price it would sell for in the West made my hands shake with excitement.

Two weeks later my ships, rounding, with the help of Volkan and Sigrid, who had gotten wind of their cargo and the pirate squadrons hunting them, left the waters of the Jade Sea and headed towards Qarth. Braavos awaited us, with its rich markets and huge shipyards, where my ship would soon be ready.

P.S. Oberyn did it again. He got Piper, Robin, Joen, Rick and Dick to "scout" this city. As a result, I had to bribe the local guards to get them out of the casemates where they'd gone after blowing all the money they'd taken. Plus, I had to hire a local doctor separately - these idiots at some point got into a brothel that didn't have a license. They all ended up with some local sore that I just didn't know how to treat.

They wouldn't be able to look at women for a month - the effect of these drugs is such that even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be able to get it up. I even bought a few doses from the doctor, just in case, for a Dornish man.

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