Game of Thrones: I am Dothraki, not a barbarian

Chapter 123 A Flexible Assassination List
Arya almost let it slip, and in her shock, she accidentally bit her tongue, crying out "Ouch!" as she covered her mouth.

Rahalo stared at her, making her feel uneasy.

That was too dangerous; she almost told him she was from House Stark.

Joffrey, Cersei, Joffrey, Cersei.
She thought silently in her mind.

She temporarily removed Lahalo from the assassination list, a list she read aloud every night before bed to remind herself that one day she would kill everyone on it.

Although Laharo is a bastard, at least he gave her food and shelter, and she would use him against the Lannisters later.

We must not make this mistake again.

What if Laharo knew she was Arya Stark, the daughter of his enemy?

Kill her? Take her hostage? Or sell her to the Lannisters?

Arya swallowed hard, wiped her hands on her clothes, and just as she was racking her brains trying to figure out how to answer, Jiku strode in.

He was a blood-pledged guard of Rahallo, tall and fierce, with a chest covered in scars. Every time Arya saw him, she would unconsciously shrink back.

“Kao,” he said, “the messenger is ready.”

Rahalo stretched, sat up from the couch, picked up a rolled-up letter from the table, and handed it to Giku. It was sealed with wax and had no markings.

“Send it to King’s Landing and give it to Littlefinger.”

Arya had intended to sneak away, but upon hearing the words "King's Landing" and "Littlefinger," she suddenly froze.

She grabbed a piece of cloth and pretended to clean up the pomegranate seeds on the ground, but her ears perked up.

Rahalo said to Jiku, "Littlefinger needs this information. The lions and wolves are too peaceful right now. We need to find them something to do."

Arya felt a chill creep up her back.

The lion is a Lannister, the wolf is a Stark, and this Dothraki is plotting against the North and against her family!
Her hand instinctively reached for her waist, where a sewing needle used to be tucked, but now it was empty.

She bit her lower lip and silently recited the new list in her mind:

Laharo, Joffrey, Cersei…

Laharo, Joffrey, Cersei!

This time, she put Lahalo's name at the very beginning!

“Kao, someone wants to see you,” Jiku added.

"Who?"

"He is the moneylender of the Braavos Iron Bank, named Tetsu Nestorus."

"Take him to the reception hall, I'll be there shortly."

Arya remembered her father mentioning the Iron Bank, the largest bank in the world, where no one—king, nobleman, or merchant—could refuse their demands.

King Robert borrowed millions of gold dragons from the Iron Treasury during his lifetime. She only knew that it was a lot of money, but she had no idea exactly how much it was.

Arya followed behind Rahalo through the corridor, sticking her tongue out fiercely at his retreating back.

Strangely, although she put Lahalo back on her kill list, she didn't seem to hate him as much.

He is kind to everyone around him.

Let's start killing from the end of the list and work our way up!
In the reception hall, a tall, thin, and haggard man stood waiting, his long legs as slender as a heron's.

He had a narrow, long face with a thin goatee that almost reached his waist. He wore a three-tiered brimless hat made of purple felt and a dark purple robe with a stiff false collar and white sable fur trim.

People dressed similarly had visited him when his father was still the King's man.

“I am Tetsu Nestos, a humble servant of the Iron Treasury of Braavos.”

“Lord Nestos,” Rahalo nodded slightly, “what wind blew the moneylenders of Braavos to Pentos?”

Techo Nestos stroked his long beard, gave an elegant bow, and spoke with a heavy Braavos accent. "Lord Káo, I have come with the wind, and I hope I will not return against it."

Lahallo sat on a high chair in the center of the hall, beckoning a servant to bring him a glass of Summer Red. Tetsu sat on a slightly lower seat to his right, while Arya took the opportunity to retreat to a corner.

"What business does the Iron Treasury have with me?" Rahalo asked directly.

Taichu slowly sipped his red wine, a slight smile appearing on his face.

"Lord Kao, I'll get straight to the point. We need to discuss the iron ore you're mining in Godorho."

What's there to discuss about my iron ore?

“That iron mine, well,” Taichu paused, “I’m afraid there are some issues with its ownership.”

"What's the problem?" Rahalo's voice turned noticeably cold.

Taichu took out a roll of parchment from his sleeve, unfolded it, and pointed to the text and seals on it.

"This is the land deed of Pauline Copta, the former governor of Pentos. He mortgaged the area to the Iron Bank as collateral for a huge loan."

"and then?"

“Then,” Techu said calmly, “Lord Kopta has unfortunately passed away. His loan has not yet been repaid, and according to the contract, this land should rightfully belong to the Iron Treasury.”

The hall was silent.

Arya held her breath; she could feel the atmosphere suddenly become tense.

Korahalo suddenly burst into laughter.
"That land has been the Dothraki's pasture since ancient times. Now that iron ore has been discovered, you come here and tell me that land is yours?"

“The contract does not lie, Lord Kao,” Techu said calmly. “That land does not belong to you, but to the Iron Treasury.”

"Whoever it is, as long as they secretly sign an agreement with you behind the back of the landowner, the land becomes yours?"

"Lord Kao, land ownership isn't determined by who uses it, but by who issues the title deed first,"

Taichu slowly put away the parchment. "Even the king must abide by the rules of the Iron Treasury."

"So, what do you want?" Rahalo laughed again.

Taichu returned a polite smile, "Iron Treasury understands the reality. You have already invested a lot of money in the mine, and we are not unreasonable people."

"what do you mean?"

"You can continue mining, but you will need to pay rent to the Iron Treasury. That is, twenty percent of the monthly output."

"Twenty percent?"

“Please don’t misunderstand,” Taichu said. “What I meant was that you can keep twenty percent.”

Of course, if you have any questions about this, you can file a complaint with Tiejinku, and we will reply to you within fifteen business days.

“Heh,” Rajalo waved his hand, “Show him out!”

Taichu stood up and straightened his magnificent robes. "Lord Kao, it would be very unwise of you to refuse the Iron Bank's goodwill. The Iron Bank has many ways to protect its interests."

Arya watched this scene in surprise, and couldn't help but think of Joffrey.

When she played with the butcher's apprentice Micah, Joffrey wore a smile similar to Tetsu's, which was truly disgusting.

Micah was killed by Joffrey simply because he was a civilian.

The blond prince felt he could decide the life and death of others at will, as if Micah were just an insignificant little animal.

She hated this injustice.

Even if Lahalo is an enemy.

(End of this chapter)