Game of Thrones: The Black Dragon King

"You are our liberator, we are grateful to you! We should be grateful to you! But why do you do things that are nothing like the Declaration of Liberty you wrote! Why don't you kill all those slave owners?! Why don't you kill them and instead promote them? Why can't we become officials?! You discriminate against our origins!?..." The strong smell of bad breath, accompanied by spraying saliva, accompanied the incessant questioning.

Reed struggled to control his expression, trying not to let disgust show on his face. Finally, the slave representative stopped talking, and Reed, assuming the speech was over, was about to say, "There's a reason for that, because..."

"You're even protecting the interests of slave owners! You've killed several slave heroes! Those heroes who fought for us slaves, for the freedom of us slaves! Just because they killed a few slave owners! They raped a few slave owners' women! They took a bag of what was originally our wealth!" The slave representative became more and more agitated as he spoke.

"He killed civilians, they didn't own slaves..." Reed explained, but was interrupted again before he could finish his sentence.

"You don't care about us at all, that's the truth! Because you're a hypocrite!" The slave representative spread his hands, turned to look at the many slaves behind him, pointed at Reid, and loudly accused him, "Look! This is the truth! He lied to us! He lied to us!"

Many slaves echoed this sentiment, and even more and more people bared their teeth and hissed, expressing their discontent and hostility.

The crowd in the reception hall became increasingly agitated and out of control.

Reed chuckled coldly, "Fine!" and then gave the order to his telepathic partner.

The dull flapping of the dragon's wings in mid-air brought many people back to their senses.

"Thump!" A loud crash as a massive object hit the ground startled the noisy crowd in the reception hall.

"Hiss!" The dragon's roar shook everyone's eardrums. Then, the entire hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Reed picked at his ear with his little finger and looked again at the many slave representatives in the reception hall. The slave representatives who had been so unrestrained just moments before were now filled with fear, their eyes revealing awe for the dragon.

"Can you listen to me properly now?"

Reid spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the silent hall: "Do you really think freedom is simply removing shackles? Or do you think killing all the slave owners will solve all the problems? Or do you think that becoming officials will allow you to govern this country well? How many of you are truly talented? How many are merely blinded by hatred, thinking only of revenge and plunder?"

The slave representatives bowed their heads in silence. Most of them dared not speak out because of the dragon's oppressive power, while a very few had hesitation and confusion in their eyes.

Reid paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "I did give some former slave owners a new position, but before that, I punished them! Many of you witnessed it! Those who oppressed and tortured slaves were sent to the gallows, and I stripped all slave owners of their wealth, wealth earned through your blood and sweat. But after that, they were free men. They had paid the price for their crimes and should not suffer any further punishment."

"Similarly, I also punished those among you who are called heroes, those who have committed violence and plunder against the innocent, even if they were victims of slavery."

"Whether they are slaves or slave owners, if they do something wrong, I will punish and judge them! Everyone is treated equally before me! If they have ability, I will promote them! If they have merit, I will reward them! If they have made a mistake, I will beat them to a pulp! Do you understand!?"

The slave representatives exchanged bewildered glances. Reed's words struck them like a hammer blow. They began to realize that the man before them was not the simple liberator they had imagined.

"But..." a younger slave representative hesitated, his voice trembling slightly, "How can we trust that you will treat everyone fairly?"

"Step forward! Don't hide in the crowd, let me see you."

Reed's sharp eyes scanned the entire hall, seemingly searching for the young slave representative who had spoken. Under the dragon's intimidation, a short, pale-skinned slave representative had no choice but to steel himself and slowly step out from the crowd to stand before Reed.

"What's your name?" Reed's voice was calm yet firm.

"My light... no! I mean, sir! My name is Moneybag, sir, I am a miser." The young slave representative's voice trembled slightly.

Reid nodded, looking at him. "Moneybags, that's a good question. I rule Meereen and do three things: fairness! Fairness! And fucking fairness!"

"Breaking the shackles that bind you is the first act of justice; now I will give you the second!"

"Can you do math?"

"No, no, sir!" Moneybag's voice trembled even more violently; he clearly hadn't expected Reed to ask such a question so suddenly.

"Be confident, you'll be able to count the money eventually, won't you?" Reed encouraged gently.

The money bag nodded, a hint of confusion in its eyes: "Yes, sir, I know how to count money."

"Let me test you: how many Shining Coins can one Golden Dragon be exchanged for?"

"This is a bit complicated, it's hard to explain."

"It's alright, take your time," Reed coaxed gently.

"The quality of the coins determines the value you get. Ten high-quality gold dragons can be exchanged for 33 gold coins, while ten low-quality ones will only get you 30 or 29. I mean, I'm talking about exchanging gold dragons of different qualities for gold coins of the same quality..."

Reed was somewhat pleasantly surprised; at least the dragon meat understood how to control variables. He then began to consider: "So how do you distinguish between good and bad quality golden dragon meat?"

The young man suddenly became much more confident: "Look at the color, sir! A good golden dragon is shiny and glittering, while a bad golden dragon has a greenish tint. Although they are both gold, it's easy to tell the difference when they are placed together. Also, there's the weight. Even though they are the same size, a good golden dragon will feel heavy in your hand..."

"Money bag, I can tell you have a deep understanding of coins. Tell me, how did you learn that?"

"I grew up in a vault. My childhood entertainment was rolling around in the money chests and building houses out of silver and copper coins. I've seen countless coins: gold coins, Lis gold coins, Volantis silver coins, Braavos copper coins, Westeros gold dragons..."

Seeing the slave becoming increasingly excited, Reed couldn't help but smile, but still interrupted him: "So, is one of these gold coins yours? Have you spent any money on it?"

The youth's excitement froze instantly. He lowered his head, his voice trembling slightly, "No, no, sir, I, I was just guarding them. I never truly owned one..."

"You just told me a lot about currency exchange, which was very useful. If I didn't know these subtle differences, I could easily suffer huge losses in large transactions. I think it's valuable, so I'll give you a silver coin as a reward." Reed said, taking a Valantine silver coin from his pocket and tossing it to the money bag.

Moneybag stared wide-eyed at the silver coin in his hand in disbelief. This was the first time in his life that he had truly owned his own money. Although he had seen far more gold and silver coins than this, this silver coin made him feel distinctly different.

"M-Sir, this, this is for me?"

Reed smiled and nodded. "Yes, purse, you deserve it. You've helped me with your knowledge, and this is the fruit of your labor."

The money bag held the silver coins tightly.

Reed pressed his advantage, continuing, "Similarly, you work day and night in the slave owner's treasury, guarding the valuables, controlling expenditures, and helping your master avoid losses due to inconsistent coinage. I believe that also has value. What do you think?"

The moneybag was stunned. He had never imagined that his guarding work could be considered valuable labor. In his mind, he was merely a slave, the property of his master. Being locked in the money vault guarding the valuables was everything to him; he had never dared to hope for any recognition or reward. He opened his mouth, but found his throat dry and unable to utter a sound.

Reed didn't give him time to react, continuing his barrage: "But you didn't get a single penny, that's not fair to you!"

"Your valuable labor over the years deserves reward, and your freedom, confined by the collar of slavery, deserves compensation. This is my second measure of fairness for you!"

"My lord!" Qian Dai'er finally found his voice, though weak and trembling, it was filled with endless gratitude and shock.

How old are you?

"Sir?" Moneybag looked confused.

"I'm asking you how old you are and when you became a slave."

"He was born a slave, sir! Many people like him don't even know their own birthday, let alone how to keep track of days, sir! He had been a miser for over ten years before your army broke into the slave owner's treasury," an elderly slave representative interjected, his gaze falling on Reed with a hint of respect growing in his eyes. He seemed to have a vague understanding of what Reed was trying to say.

"Then let's calculate based on fifteen years old. That's one silver coin as compensation per year, plus one silver coin as compensation per year!" Reid patted his pockets, realizing he didn't seem to have that many silver coins, and asked somewhat awkwardly, "How many gold dragons are thirty silver coins worth?"

"Three gold coins!" Money Bag immediately responded loudly, then realized that his reaction was too hasty and lowered his head in embarrassment.

"You've calculated very well!" Reed laughed, tossing three gold coins to the money bag, then said, "This is my second measure of fairness for you!"

"Now that you have money, what are your plans?" Reed's words were gentle yet firm, like warm sunlight piercing through the clouds, illuminating every corner of Qianbao's heart.

"My lord, I think... I think..." Qian Dai'er clutched the gold coins in his hand tightly, as if they were treasures he had never possessed in his life. But the poor man had suddenly become rich and couldn't think of what to do with them.

"Meereen has the best olive oil in the world, it's delicious for frying anything. When I first arrived, many people sold it at roadside stalls, you can try it; also, there are many tailor shops on the street, you can also go and make yourself a decent set of clothes; furthermore, soon I will set up some schools to teach people to read and write, of course it will be for a fee, after all, the work of teachers is also valuable, you can pay to learn, and if you learn it I will give you an official position; or find yourself a wife and have a little baby..." Reed described a bunch of visions to the money bag in a conversational tone.

Moneybag's eyes widened, every scene Reed described filled him with longing. Fried food in olive oil—he'd only ever smelled it through a crack in a door; decent clothes? After the slave collar was removed, he was left with only a pair of underpants to cover his shame; as for reading and writing, he didn't even dare to dream of it—that was something only lords were allowed to do; women and children? He'd never even dared to hope for them. In Meereen, beautiful women were either noblewomen or bed slaves, and ordinary-looking female slaves wouldn't be given to ordinary slaves… Lord Reed's words seemed to open a door to a new world for him, behind which lay a radiant scene of freedom.

"But you must also remember to spend money in moderation and not live off your savings. The most important thing for a free person is that you must be able to support yourself. Now I'll give you the third fairness: the right to pursue happiness."

At this point, Reid pointed to the ground beneath his feet: "The vault beneath this pyramid is filled with wealth confiscated from the great families of the past. This money is the blood and sweat that slave owners squeezed from you slaves. Now I need to return it to all slaves, like you, to receive wages and compensation based on the length of your servitude and the work you have done. Are you willing to participate? Use your skills to help everyone and make the distribution of wages and compensation more equitable."

"I do, sir!"

"Look, you've got a job now, that's a great start!" Reed patted Moneybag on the shoulder. "Go to the underground vault later and report to my treasurer Saladin. You'll be his subordinate from now on. You'll also receive one silver coin from the vault as your salary each month, and of course, you can use your talents to choose the best one."

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The slave representatives had been listening intently to Reed and Moneybags' conversation for quite some time, and many of them were filled with complex emotions.

Reed strode up the steps of the audience hall, turned, and looked down at all the slave representatives: "What I said to the moneybag is what I want to say to you all—about fairness, fairness, and fairness!"

"The first justice: break the shackles! Abolish slavery, end all oppression and exploitation here, and ensure that no one can steal or plunder the fruits of another's labor in any way."

"The second principle of fairness is respect for the value of labor! The slavery you have suffered will be compensated with equal pay. Everyone, regardless of status, should be rewarded for their labor. Every effort should be seen, respected, and fairly rewarded. Anyone who violates this principle will be punished!"

"The third form of fairness is the right to pursue happiness. I cannot give you happiness directly, but I can set an example for you: farmers will have their own land, blacksmiths will have their own forges, gladiators can join my army..."

"Anyone with a skill will be given a suitable position or initial capital. Everyone will be able to earn their own living, freely dispose of the fruits of their labor, and pursue a better life through their own efforts!"

"These are my three measures of fairness. Now tell me, are these three measures of fairness fucking fair enough?!"

There was a long silence in the hall, followed by thunderous applause and cheers. Almost every slave's eyes sparkled with a sense of clarity and exhilaration.