Game of Thrones: I am Dothraki, not a barbarian

Chapter 139 Kaozeko
Along the banks of the Saen River, wild grasses lay low, and the ground was cracked like a spider web by the scorching sun.

Located east of Pentos and south of the Trembling Sea, this area is separated from the northern Dothraki Sea and the territory of the Free Cities by the Saen River, which acts as a natural barrier.

The rising steam from the parched land caused the dark Kohor Forest in the distance to distort and sway.

Throughout the entire Saen River basin, Dzeko's name inspired fear in all who heard of him.

He had 20,000 elite warriors under his command. The five tribes of Kadoc united to deal with the threat of Zheko, and had an army of 30,000, but they still suffered more defeats than victories.

Today, Dzeko organized a hunt to hunt Heraca, who lives on the edge of the Kohor Forest.

This white lion is seen by the Dothraki as a symbol of power and honor, and a khal who can hunt down Heracles will earn the respect of the other khals.

Dzeko's physique was almost comparable to Drogo's; sitting on horseback, he resembled a small mountain, and his arms were almost as thick as an average person's thigh.

"Kao! There are signs of prey to the west!" A scout turned around and reported loudly.

Zheko raised his Yarak scimitar, signaling the large group of men to turn west with him. The three hundred knights quickly changed direction, like a black storm, drawing a semicircle in the valley, raising billowing dust behind them.

Besides Heracles, Zeko also wanted to hunt a few "Little Valyrians," a type of silverback monkey found in the Kohol Forest. These monkeys have silvery-white fur and large purple eyes and are known as "Little Valyrians" because of their distinctive Valyrian racial characteristics.

Whether in the northern port of Iban or the southern basilisk islands, wealthy merchants were willing to exchange a whole bag of gold coins for a silverback monkey as a pet, believing that stroking its fur would bring good luck.

So the lemurs weren't so lucky; the silverbacks that were sold would soon lose all their fur.

Even more precious is the Shadow Lynx, a ferocious beast that lives deep in the hills and is said to be able to transform into a wisp of smoke at night and sneak into enemy tents.

Although this is just a legend, the Shadow Lynx's pelt does indeed fetch a high price in the Free Cities, and if thieves wear it, they can even sneak into anyone's mansion without being detected.

The hunt lasted three days. Dzeko single-handedly killed a young Heraka, and his riders also successfully rounded up a Shadow Lynx.

As the sun set, they returned to camp and held a grand feast to celebrate the successful hunt.

Just then, a small team came from the north and gradually approached the camp.

The leader was a tall, thin man with long legs, a thin goatee that almost reached his waist, and wore a three-tiered brimless hat made of purple felt, as well as a dark purple robe with a stiff false collar and white sable fur trim.

“Great Zhekokao,” the thin man bowed deeply, “I am Techo Nestos of the Iron Bank, and I have come here specifically to pay my respects to you.”

Zheko sat by the campfire, chewing heartily on the crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside roasted Heracles meat.

“I know,” Zheko grinned, revealing his bloodied teeth. “Did you bring the gold coins?”

“Great Khao,” Techo Nestos said respectfully, “I have brought all three thousand golden dragons that the Iron Treasury promised. I urge you to set off immediately for the Golden Fields to deal with Laharo.”

Upon hearing the name "Rahalo," a fierce fighting spirit flashed in Dzeko's eyes.

In less than a year since his rise to power, Lahalo's fame has spread throughout the Grass Sea, and he is showing signs of surpassing the other Khals, making him a thorn in the side of many Khals.

“Rahalo…”

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Zheko's lips. "Why is your Iron Bank targeting him?"

“Lahalo has undermined the Iron Bank’s interests in Pentos,” Techu glanced cautiously at Zheko, “and he is preparing to expand eastward, which will threaten your territory sooner or later.”

After a moment of contemplation, Zheko's gaze fell on a giant man behind Taichu.

The man was burly, his skin glowing bronze in the firelight, and his smooth bald head reflecting glimmers of light.

He had an extremely long Arak scimitar tucked into his large yellow bellyband, and other than that, he wore only a ridiculously small studded vest that revealed his scarred chest and abdomen.

“Who’s that?” Zheko asked, pointing at the giant. “His name is Bevos,” Techo introduced. “In the Meereen arena, people call him Bevos the Strongman. He has never lost.”

Iron Treasury was wealthy and had capable subordinates. This time, he specially brought Bevos out to show off his power and not let a barbarian from the grasslands look down on him.

Beves was once a slave of Illyrio, the governor of Pentos. When Illyrio died, he was escorting debt collectors to Braavos. When news of Illyrio's death arrived, he was bought by the Iron Bank and became their bodyguard.

Bevos strode forward, patted his scarred belly, and grinned maliciously, "Before I kill someone, I always give my opponent a chance. I'll slash at me first. Just do the math, and you'll know how many people this burly Bevos has killed."

"You want to challenge me?"

Dzeko slowly stood up. Although he was a head shorter than Bevos, his aura was even more imposing.

“I just want to see if all the Dothraki are as fierce as the legends say,” Bevos said with disdain. “Perhaps you can try leaving a new scar on my stomach.”

The warriors immediately began cursing and throwing down their food, gripping their scimitars. But Dzeko raised his hand, signaling them to stay put, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Okay, let's play."

Bevos drew his Arak scimitar, assuming a fighting stance. "Come on, give me your most powerful strike!"

Bevos may look clumsy and rough, but he's not stupid enough to take a knife from Dzeko head-on.

Dzeko drew his scimitar and charged forward at an incredible speed!

Just as Bevos raised his scimitar to parry, Dzeko suddenly changed direction, the scimitar tracing an incredible arc and passing through the gap under Bevos's armpit.

In an instant, the battle was over.

Bevos stood frozen in place, a look of shock on his face, as a red line appeared on his stomach, followed by a gush of blood.

The scimitar fell to the ground, and his hands futilely covered his stomach, but all sorts of filth inside him still gushed out, bringing with it a foul stench.

The next second, Bevos' massive body crashed to the ground and never moved again.

Taichu took a few steps back in terror, his face turning deathly pale.

Meanwhile, Zheko remained calm, wiping the blood off his scimitar as if he had only done a trivial matter.

The warriors were the same; as if nothing had happened, they remained calm, chatting and laughing amongst themselves, and devouring the food in front of them.

“Now, let’s talk about the price.” Zheko’s voice wasn’t loud, but it already carried a chilling murderous intent. “Lahalo stole a million gold coins from Westeros, and the Iron Bank thinks they can get rid of me with three thousand gold coins?”

Taichu was terrified, his knees buckled, and he knelt down with a thud.

"Great, great, magnificent Khalil! More money! The Iron Treasury will definitely increase its money!"

Zheko sat back down on the ground, refusing to look at Bevos and Techu again, and tore off a large piece of Heraka flesh, blood dripping down his beard.

"Tell the Iron Treasury that I can accept this mission. However, I need 30,000 gold dragons, not 3,000."

"This……"

Thormo Frega was Tetsu's master, and he knew that his master spent his own money on these things. Dzeko asked for ten times that amount, and he wouldn't be able to explain himself when he got back.

“Forty thousand,” Zheko interrupted him. “If you say another word, I’ll raise it to fifty thousand and add your life to the list.”

Taichu crawled on his hands and knees, kowtowing until his forehead touched the ground. "Yes, sir, great Khao. The Iron Treasury will grant your request."

(End of this chapter)