Game of Thrones: The Black Dragon King

"I really don't understand? You can easily get tens or even hundreds of thousands of gold coins, but you don't take a single one. Instead, you're arguing with me and that guy Pardara over such a small amount of money! You're a dragon king, don't you feel ashamed?" O'Ilis looked at Reid, who was sorting through the gold coins. In front of him was a box of standard 30,000 gold coins, as well as O'Ilis's escort fee for this trip, 2,000 gold dragons.

"I keep my word! I do what I promise others, and I do what others promise me," Reed replied. Ordinary people can't understand the compulsion to complete side quests.

"What if the other party can't do that?"

"I helped him do it."

O'Neill shook his head and smiled helplessly. He had long been familiar with this guy's stubbornness and principles. Although he didn't fully understand Reed's insistence, he respected his friend's decision.

"Alright, since you insist, I won't say anything more. But if there's another chance like this next time, remember to call me. I won't be as foolish as you," O'Ellis said half-jokingly.

Reed pursed his lips; he knew the fat man was joking. He swept the counted coins into the box and locked it. "Next time, for sure."

Reed waved.

Six strong men laboriously carried the box full of gold coins back to the camp.

"The people of Meereen didn't give you any trouble, did they?" Reid asked rather abruptly.

The fat man paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Eat and drink well. Aside from not being allowed to leave the house, is there anything else?"

"Really not?" Reed gave O'Neill a deep look.

"Well, I'm a Pentos merchant; they can't force me!"

Reed shrugged, but the outcome was already good, and asking himself any further questions would be going too far, so he simply skipped over the details.

"Are you ready for your space journey?"

"You're letting me ride in this?" Oylis exclaimed in surprise, looking at the simple carriage in front of him.

The so-called carriage wasn't quite what it seemed; there were no horses. The four wheels had been removed, and the base had been reinforced. The fortune the fat man had earned during his six months away from home had been forcibly converted into gold and silver by the slave owners of Meereen by Reid. After being packed into boxes, the boxes were tightly bound with rope netting. At the very top was a recess shaped like a person lying horizontally. Four thick ropes passed through the original wheel axle slots and tied a huge knot in the ceiling.

Reed patted the side panel of the carriage and said confidently, "I specially reserved this space for you, making sure you lie down comfortably and safely. This is much faster than riding a horse; I'll get you home in three days!"

Although O'Neill found the strange vehicle fascinating, he couldn't help but complain, "This thing looks like a mobile coffin."

"Only something used to hold a dead person can be called a coffin; you're a pig!"

O'Neill shook his head helplessly, but still carefully lay down in the groove as Reed instructed. Reed began adjusting the ropes to ensure everything was secure. Once he had done this, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Have a pleasant journey," Reed said, then disappeared from O'Ellis's sight.

Oylis stared blankly at the blue sky. In an instant, a pair of enormous claws descended from the sky, grabbed the knot on his head, and lifted him into the blue sky.

······

Three days later, at Reed's manor, or rather, the small castle, outside Pentos. After Night Fury tossed the carriage to the ground as lightly as possible, Oilles, struggling to her feet, began a long, grumbling complaint, like a wronged woman.

"This is torture! I'm falling apart!" he grumbled, brushing the dust off his clothes. "I'd rather risk being robbed of my underwear by centaurs and cross the entire continent than endure another journey like this..."

Aside from absolute safety, this journey was utterly worthless. No one could threaten the dragons flying high in the sky, but the experience in Oelris was far from pleasant. For three days straight, he was confined to a small space, experiencing frequent feelings of weightlessness and gravitational pull, drinking in the cold wind, eating dry rations, vomiting, and holding in his bowels and bladder... Meanwhile, his supine position meant he missed all the beautiful scenery of the sky and the earth. The only striking sight was the legs of a male dragon.

The three-day journey had actually left traces of fat loss on the fat man's dirty face.

Reid simply shrugged, clearly unimpressed by Oelris's complaints. Having crossed half of Essos safely and arrived home without incident at breakneck speed, what more could he want?

The men left behind in the manor rushed toward the black dragon that had landed.

"Alright, shut up. Safety is more valuable than gold," Reed said, directing the servants to unload the valuables from the carriage. O'Neill reluctantly shut his mouth; he knew Reed was right, even though he would have preferred other modes of travel.

Are there still cows in the pen?

"Ninety-four head of cattle are in stock, and there are thirty calves," the steward replied.

"Bring over twenty of the fattest ones!" Reed pressed his forehead against the Night Fury's massive dragon head, stroking it incessantly with both hands.

Before leaving the outskirts of the dense forest, Reed fed his companion fifty fat sheep. Then, for two days straight, the Night Fury traveled without eating or drinking, its mind telling it it was going to starve.

The Night Fury's eyes gleamed with anticipation, and its massive body trembled slightly as Reid stroked it.

"We need a bull! Bring it here alive," Reed ordered.

Oyllis watched all this from the side. Although he didn't know much about dragons' habits, he could feel the Night Fury's desire for food. The big guy's eyes were already drooling as he stared at him... Suddenly realizing what he was thinking, Oyllis shuddered and quickly shook his head.

A hundred paces away, the massive bull that had been led there could smell the danger. The dragon's distinctive sulfurous odor, its imposing, hill-like size, and its terrifyingly sharp teeth, unique to carnivores, made the bull struggle fiercely. No matter how much the servants pulled on its nose ring, it refused to take a single step forward. The servants who were in front were even knocked to the ground by the raging bull.

Night Fury's nostrils flared slightly, its keen sense of smell instantly catching the scent of food. Its massive dragon head turned, its eyes fixed on the herd of cattle led by the servants, and it began to grunt and gurgle. Its enormous claws dug deep furrows in the ground, revealing its impatient eagerness. Reed waved his hand, and the servants quickly stepped back, giving Night Fury ample space.

"Let's eat, buddies!"

With a deep roar, the Night Fury pounced on the herd of cattle, spewing out dragonfire that burned all the live prey in front of it to a crisp. Then it picked up one of the cattle, snapped its bones in a few bites, and swallowed it whole, the entire cow sliding smoothly down its throat into its esophagus.

Oelris watched all this, utterly stunned. Although he personally loathed this flight, he had to admit that having such a powerful dragon as a means of transportation, with its safety and efficiency, was invaluable for such a high-risk trade journey.

Reid waved his hand, dispersing the dust kicked up by the Night Fury's movements, and said to O'Ellis, "Take a shower and change your clothes first. Should I arrange for a team to take you home? Or should you stay here for a couple of days?"

"Going home. I haven't seen Sophie and little Alexie for almost half a year. The wealth I've earned this time is enough for me to live a comfortable life for the next ten years or so. There's no need to take any more risks," O'Neill replied, his voice revealing a hint of weariness, but also a longing for the future.

Only those with nothing to lose will risk their lives, while those with wealth tend to choose stability and long-term goals.

Having traversed half of Essos, losing only an eye was considered lucky. The trading cities, bandits, centaurs, and dragons encountered along the way were enough to boast about for the rest of his life.

The fat man had already begun planning how to use the money, including improving his family's living conditions, raising his children, and investing in some stable, long-term businesses.

Reid nodded in understanding; a shrewd businessman knows how to find a balance between risk and safety.

Before leaving Oelris, Reid specially packed the exquisite dagger he had obtained from Meereen into a gift box, intending to give it to his son as a reward for his patience during this unpleasant journey.

"I will make sure little Alexios cherishes this gift," Oelris said sincerely. Playing around is fine, but don't joke about the Dragon King's friendship. He was initially hired as a mercenary leader simply because of his good reputation; who would have thought he was actually a descendant of the Valyrian Dragon King, here to experience life, a powerful dragon knight who had ridden a massive dragon to burn nearly a thousand Unsullied?

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, with the wealth he has gained this time and the friendship with the Dragon Rider, he will have more advantages and choices in business and other aspects in the future, securing a stable life for himself in his later years.

"I won't keep you any longer. Have a safe journey, my old friend."

After seeing Oilles off, and looking at the Night Fury curled up in a circle and fast asleep not far away, having eaten his fill, and at the figures of people starting to appear outside the manor looking around, Reed knew that his peaceful life was over.

Whether in Westeros or Essos, dragons and dragon riders are always the center of attention.

No matter how slow the carriages and horses were, there were still carrier pigeons and ravens, which could not stop the spread and fermentation of important events between city-states and neighboring countries.

Who knows how much trouble a dragon family outside of the Targaryens could cause in Essos and even the world of A Song of Ice and Fire? But since the world has already been stirred up, let's make the commotion even bigger!

Often, before a project even starts, you need to make the PowerPoint presentation look good, and it's best to also have a splendid entrance, so as to attract investment.

In the business world, this is called advertising and promotion; in political maneuvering, it's called seizing the initiative.

But no matter what, even if it takes all the means, Red wants his dragons to be seen as a force of justice in the world, not a symbol of fear and war.

On the parchment he bought for ten gold dragons in the streets of Meereen, Rhett scribbled furiously. On the newly written parchment was this passage: "I hold these truths to be self-evident, that mankind are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."