Game of Thrones: The Black Dragon King

Early in the morning, Reed was woken up by Ouilis's commotion: "Have you heard? The Daznak family's pyramid was robbed by a group of masked bandits last night. More than two hundred Unsullied were killed, and the main branch of the family was almost burned to death. The most shocking thing is that the dragon that appeared in the arena yesterday has come out and is breathing fire and eating people everywhere..."

After waking up from his drunken stupor, Red, desperately thirsty, was only concerned with finding water.

"Yesterday, that guy Pardara was bragging about how much money he had in his basement—400 million gold coins! The whole of Meereen was in an uproar, and the city guards were on high alert, searching everywhere. Guess how much they lost? I bet they lost at least half of it..." The fat man chattered excitedly, as if it were his money that had been lost.

He gulped down a large jug of cooled boiled water mixed with wine, quenching his burning thirst, before finally having a chance to answer O'Neill's question: "Why didn't you just say it was all of it?"

"I heard the bandits numbered around a thousand, and the city guards swore they would protect them. But less than half of them escaped, and they didn't even have any carriages. How many of them could they possibly take with them?"

"All of it! At least 400 million gold coins! The Great Pyramid's vault has been ransacked by these thieves!" An angry voice rang out as Pardara lifted the curtain and entered, followed by eight slaves carrying a chest that Reid recognized.

"This adds up to at least £12. How did you manage that?" Reed asked, striking a pose of disbelief to complete the performance.

"I don't know!" Pardara waved her hand in embarrassment and then stared straight at Reid.

Feeling a little uneasy under his gaze, Reed awkwardly said, "Get to the point!"

Now it was Pardara's turn to look uncomfortable. He stammered, "I'm sorry, my friend. The grand spectacle of the Great Arena yesterday made me too excited, and I forgot to be polite. Even when facing different ideas, friends should still respect each other. I..."

Yesterday he acted all high and mighty, like a know-it-all, but today he has to beg for favors. What goes around comes around!

But Reed wasn't exactly a saint either. Pardara's pathetic state was largely due to what he'd done the night before. Now, the speaker felt awkward, and the listener felt awkward too. So Reed waved his hand, breaking the awkward conversation.

"I'm a mercenary leader. The most likely thing you need from me is just one thing: manpower, right?"

"Yes, yes, the reward will definitely satisfy you. Last night's losses are not crippling for the Daznak family's wealth. We..."

"I'm sorry, I cannot accept your employment."

Pardara said anxiously, "Why? If my rudeness yesterday caused you to hold a grudge, the gift I brought today will definitely make you feel better..."

"I'm sorry, friend, it has nothing to do with that. It's just that I've already signed a contract with O'Ellis, and I can't accept any more jobs until I've escorted him through this trade. It's a matter of business integrity, please understand," Reed said sincerely.

"You haven't heard my price yet..."

"This isn't about money."

"Don't worry, I won't assign you tasks beyond your capabilities. Many people did die last night, but that damned 'Longwing Dragon' has been taken care of by our people!"

"The Black Dragon Clan will faithfully fulfill its contract once it has been signed; my word is my bond!"

"·····"

After a long silence, O'Neill said, "Perhaps you could consider my suggestion?"

"Shut up! The return sea voyage won't be so peaceful. Monsters from the Smoke Sea, bandits from the Three Daughters Kingdom, pirates from the Stone Steps Islands, and those Iron People—they're specifically looking for fat, chubby guys like you returning laden with spoils!"

"Even though you're scolding me, your concern for me is still quite touching." Oylis pursed his lips. "But then again, you should also consider the current situation, shouldn't you? We still have quite a few horses and goods to ship. A hundred or so guards in the city would be enough, but with everyone in Meereen in this state of panic, it will take even longer. Most of your men are idle. If you ask me, why not earn some extra money? That way, you'll gain friends and reduce our delays—a win-win situation."

"We have already signed a contract..."

"Of course! Of course!" O'Neill immediately interrupted Reid's hesitation: "As long as I, as the original employer, agree, along with a supplementary contract and appropriate commissions and compensation, it won't damage your reputation at all."

"..." Reed shrugged. "I have no objection." Although he really wanted to refuse, refusing any further would seem too deliberate.

I remember a wise man giving me advice on what to do after becoming rich overnight. The most important piece of advice was not to rush to spend money, but to act as if nothing had happened and continue living your life as before for a while. Reed decided to give it a try.

"Hahaha~! My dear Pardara, it's a pleasure to work with you again. So let's talk about the topic of the golden cutie..." O'Ilis extended an invitation to Pardara with a smug look.

……

Strength determines a person's vision and courage. When he wasn't wealthy and still had to struggle for a few thousand gold coins, Reed wanted to treat every client like his own father or mother, making sure they were comfortable and attentive to their needs.

But once the million golden dragons were deposited into his system account, allowing him to acquire dragons and an elite army of tens of thousands at any time, Reid no longer looked down on those low-paying and troublesome little jobs.

His original plan was to fulfill the contract with Eurythmus, take a good rest, and then find an opportunity to acquire a territory and enjoy the decadent life of a medieval lord who never left his home. Now, however, he had to spend his days in the wilderness with Pardara, this lazy and unyielding slave owner.

"Where have we caught up to?" Pardara scratched his newly grown stubble and asked wearily. Five days had left this pampered slave owner's son, who was used to traveling by sedan chair, exhausted both physically and mentally. He ate dry rations, drank cold water, and slept in the open fields. Due to the long journey on horseback, the skin on the inside of his thighs was chafed raw and bloody.

Reed pulled out a map, pretended to look at it for a while, and replied impatiently, "We'll reach Kaiser Pass in another day."

"Do you think we can still catch up with these thieves?"

"My advice is to give up! We've been chasing them for five days and haven't found a single hair. The longer this drags on, the less hope there is. Last night we were catching fish in a pond, now we're looking for a needle in a haystack. Once they're out of the Kaisai Pass, they have countless escape routes. This small force simply can't cover them."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not really taking the pursuit seriously?"

"Your feeling is right. On one hand, I'm not the one who suffers the loss, and on the other hand, I'm just a mercenary leader who does things for money. With a fixed salary, I'm not thinking about making the job perfect, but about how to do as little work as possible."

"In the past, I would have the overseer give slaves who were lazy and uncooperative a good beating; but now, I'm going to use sweet words and gold to coax you into working," Pardala said through gritted teeth.

"In business, you should know what a seller's market is. Besides, why are you so furious? Has this loss crippled your Daznak family?"

"It's not that bad yet!" Pardara said angrily.

"Then why are you so angry?"

"This has nothing to do with money! Nothing to do with it, you understand? In six months! At most a year, the family's assets will fill the treasury again! This is a matter of prestige and reputation. A bunch of nameless thieves brazenly robbed us in the heavily guarded city of Meereen. They didn't rob the Karal family, they didn't rob Graza, Hazaka... they just robbed us, and they ransacked our most heavily guarded vault. How will others view us? How will they view the first great family of Meereen..."

"For the sake of money, I'll give you some honest advice," Reed interrupted Pardara's rambling. "Since your family's losses haven't reached the point of being crippling, don't pursue the matter so openly. It will backfire and make others think you've really suffered an unbearable loss. The wisest choice is to remain outwardly calm and covertly investigate, keeping your intentions hidden."

"..."

Under normal circumstances, cavalry on a forced march can cover twice the distance of infantry on foot in a day. Based on the mileage, they should have been able to catch up. However, the advance team, consisting of more than 300 cavalrymen, 100 mounted supervisors, and dozens of hunting dogs, ran for five days without encountering a single thing. On the first day, the hunting dogs still barked, but on the second day, without the source of their scent, they became like headless flies, running around aimlessly in the wilderness.

After fleeing for a day towards Kaiser Pass, Reed disbanded the remnants of the army that had escaped that night. The soldiers' weapons and armor vanished into thin air, and they reverted to their former appearance as refugees, disappearing from the spot and returning to their consciousness space.

Therefore, this pursuit was destined to be fruitless, since the pursuers and the fleeing party were in cahoots. For the sake of disguise, Reed continued to play camping games with Pardara in a convincing manner.

Finally, on the eighth day, Pardara couldn't take it anymore. In addition to the fatigue of the journey, they also encountered a small group of Dothraki.

……

On the dusty trade route, a group of travelers slowly made their way towards Meereen. Of the original four hundred cavalrymen, only three hundred remained. Reid's group was relatively unscathed, but many of the city's garrison cavalry and mounted overseers behind them were wounded, many of their horses were trembling, and a few men in cavalry uniforms were leading their horses on foot.

Eight days of forced marches, coupled with a small-scale battle with the Dothraki at the end, had left these warhorses exhausted. If they weren't properly fed and rested, they would probably be ruined.

Fortunately, there was no need for a forced march on the return journey. After catching up with the lagging infantry, everyone slowed down. Pardara even bought the manor owner's sedan chair and sedan chair slave with gold coins when they passed a plantation.

The man lay sprawled on the sedan chair, looking utterly pathetic, while a female slave carefully applied herbal ointment to his bloodied and mangled genitals.