Game of Thrones: The Black Dragon King

Meereen Wharf.

Giovanni Lechini bought three servings of fried onions from a frying stall. This street food, which involves peeling onions, cutting them into lotus flower shapes, coating them in batter and egg, frying them in olive oil until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and then sprinkling them with spice powder, unexpectedly suited his taste.

After his attempt to die failed, the Black Dragon King forbade him to leave Meereen, but did not excessively restrict his freedom. Now, he spends his days wandering the streets, eating and drinking, and recording his observations, which has become his daily routine recently.

Although the Black Dragon King claimed victory in the war and thwarted the Giscali coalition's shameless sneak attack, in reality, the city's food supply did not improve.

For example, the fried onions in front of him cost no more than five copper coins in total, including all the ingredients and labor. Yet Giovanni paid a silver coin for three servings of the same fried onions. Although it was the lowest denomination coin in his purse, he never bothered to ask for change.

The two guards sent by the Black Dragon King, ostensibly for protection but actually for surveillance, unceremoniously took the other two portions of fried onions handed to them by the fried food vendor and began to chew them heartily.

The crisp, crackling sounds and satisfied sucking made the dockworkers leaning against the wall waiting for work swallow hard. There were no merchant ships coming and going at the dock; Yunkai and Astapo had jointly blockaded Slaver's Bay, and these poor bastards hadn't had any work for a long time.

Although Giovanni was mentally prepared, knowing that these were the Black Dragon King's henchmen and difficult to bribe, he did not expect that these guys would be so shameless.

The first time they offered a bribe, they took all the benefits but gave nothing in return. The second time was the same. They showed no sign of softening their stance. Just when Giovanni was about to give up and cut his losses, these guys actually started soliciting bribes again, demanding that he continue to receive benefits according to the previous practice.

Indeed, the kind of person you are determines the kind of dog you raise.

"Are we going to the tavern again today, sir?" one of the halberdiers asked expectantly.

"Go away!" Giovanni said irritably.

Giovanni wasn't just wandering aimlessly. He would observe the number of young people on the streets, and while shopping, he would pretend to chat but subtly inquire about price levels. Sometimes he would climb a pyramid under the pretext of sightseeing to gaze into the distance, or go to the docks to feed seagulls bread, or haggle with blacksmiths, and he even found great interest in watching missionaries of different faiths arguing on the street. Of course, what he enjoyed most was listening to the drunkards cursing the Black Dragon King in the taverns.

Giovanni would leave at dawn and return to the inn at dusk, carefully closing the door and drawing the curtains.

"More than half of them are unemployed, doing jobs that are dispensable. Rather than making a living, it is more like a form of relief. There is no effective economic cycle, and taxation is out of the question."

"The city's food supply is also a mystery. Whenever famine approaches, some food is distributed to keep the starving people half-dead. It's enough to live on, but if you want to eat something better, you have to pay five to ten times the price."

"Furthermore, the overland trade routes to the east have been blocked, and I have not seen any Lazarin or Qars people on the streets of Meereen."

"Is there any further information?"

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency, I have done everything I could."

"All the confusion points to a fog-shrouded area—Kai's City. Without going there to see for yourself, you won't be able to untangle this mess."

"But that place is an absolute no-go zone; all the caravans, scouts, and agents sent there never returned."

……

In the dungeon of the Great Pyramid, a masked assassin handed the Caliph new eavesdropping records.

With copper mines and copperware being the company's most prized products after slaves and olive oil, Meereen could easily produce long copper pipes for eavesdropping. The inn where Giovanni stayed had eavesdropping pipes embedded in all four walls, connecting to a secret chamber deep underground.

"Still no contact with any suspicious persons?" The Caliph scanned the list quickly.

"No, perhaps it's the guards behind him that prevented him from making any rash moves?"

"If there's no overt surveillance at all, he'll realize there's something wrong."

The Caliph had compiled the information he had overheard, along with the intelligence he had previously gathered, into a thick stack.

This dishonest fellow, seemingly just strolling around, was actually gathering information through observation and casual conversation, before returning to the post station to discuss and summarize it with the real person in charge of the mission behind the scenes.

To date, they have collected information on a wide range of factors, including population composition, troop strength, food supply, tax collection, city defenses, number of warships and merchant ships, scale of blacksmith workshops, Meereen's policies and regulations, public reaction to government decrees, distribution of religious forces within the city, and the degree of public acceptance of the monarchy.

Of the ten city-state envoys, nine were part-time spies, and the remaining one was a pure spy. Individually, these intelligence reports wouldn't be considered secret, but once compiled and analyzed, they were enough to fully outline Meereen's war potential.

"How about we restrict his movements? His Majesty's original intention was to pull out the radish and bring out the mud, to use him to lure out those hidden harpy sons, but if we let him continue to spy like this, he will soon strip Meereen bare."

The Caliph smiled coldly and casually placed the stack of parchment aside. "The son of the harpy betrayed more details than he had ever learned. In the end, the former masters of this city often knew its weaknesses better than we did."

"Or, perhaps we could capture the real mastermind? We're sure to get what we want out of him."

"Do you want to alert the enemy? Tell them we have means to monitor them? Force them to abandon their positions and cut off their supply lines?"

"I'm sorry, sir."

"The best place for these exposed discs is not a prison cell, but to become a hand we extend into the enemy's ranks. The value generated by effectively misleading and utilizing them is a hundred times greater than directly arresting them. Continue to monitor, while also appropriately increasing our clumsy overt actions, so that the other side doesn't think we're just sitting around doing nothing."

"Yes, sir!"

……

In the study of the Great Pyramid, Reid, accompanied by Saladin, received his fifth newly recruited high-ranking lord, Archbishop Martin Luther.

Other high-ranking lords can be recruited directly from the Lord's Hall by spending a fixed number of gold dragons, but this one is different. You have to unlock the building first. After Reid spent 10 gold dragons to build a cathedral, and after meeting the prerequisites, you can spend 30 gold dragons to recruit him.

To be on the safe side, the cathedral, which would become the future headquarters of the state church, was placed in Kaiser City by Reid, which is also the reason why Martin traveled so far.

"The Seven Gods faith is an extremely wise choice," Martin said first, his tone calm and resolute. "Its doctrines are moralized and legalized, deeply integrated into daily life and the legal system. Its religious theories are comprehensive, and its scriptures are numerous, making it arguably the most mature religious system. To be honest, if other religions didn't possess magic, miracles, or happen to cater to the interests and needs of specific groups, they would be no match for the Seven Gods faith."

"Are you sure?" Reid waved the heavy Bible of the Seven Gods in his hand, a hint of doubt on his face. "Apart from the virtues and functions represented by one god and seven persons, most of the book is just absurd little stories. If you don't read the first seven chapters, you can read it as anecdotes or horror stories."

"In fact, behind every seemingly absurd little story lies a dark, cruel, and bloody ancient history. The development of religious beliefs certainly has a positive significance for a group, but it does not bring only good things. Blood sacrifices, indiscriminate killing, promiscuity, tyranny, plagues, extravagance, hedonism, cruelty, depravity... all these dark aspects are the marks left by primitive religions as they have come from the dark and barbaric era."

Martin paused, then smiled and said, "You can think of the following stories as examples. When you interpret these examples using the doctrines of the first seven chapters, you will receive great warnings and admonitions. If you combine this with the virtues of other deities and religious beliefs during the period when the Seven Gods faith was born, and their magical methods that far exceeded the comprehension of ordinary people, you will understand it even better. The Seven Gods used a non-existent deity to construct a protective umbrella for ordinary people."

"What satisfies me most is that among all the deities, only the seven gods are depicted as human. We can even boldly speculate that rather than seven gods descending to earth to save the Andals, it's more accurate to say that seven wise men were born among the Andals, using seven noble virtues to establish order and morality in the human world. They guided the people towards a brighter future with the faint light of civilization." Martin's expression turned wistful as he said this. "I wish I could witness that era firsthand."

"That's why I recommend the Seven Gods. Among all religious doctrines, theirs is the most moderate, and also the most orderly and morally progressive," Saladin interjected at the opportune moment.

"Are you sure? You probably haven't experienced the unique products of the Seven Gods faith yet, have you? Sons of Warriors, Poverty Gatherings, Religious Inquisitions..."

"Ahem, even the most perfect truths and doctrines are ultimately just silent words written on paper. Whether their effectiveness can be manifested ultimately depends on people to spread and practice them. But people are the most uncontrollable beings, and sometimes they are inevitably misinterpreted and exploited by those who scheme and are ambitious," Saladin said in a deep voice, trying to salvage the situation.

"Like us right now?"

Martin stroked his beard and said, "How to prevent religion from being exploited by ambitious people is another matter for discussion."

"Your suggestion?"

"The conflict between divine and secular power stems from the separation of religion and politics. We can completely unite religion and politics. You are both the secular monarch and the spiritual leader of all believers. You will be able to command a large following and your authority will be strengthened like never before."

"You haven't even taken office yet, and you're already thinking about vying for power?" Reed turned to look at Saladin, then at Martin.

"After all, we're both worth 300,000 gold dragons, so it's only natural that neither of us would give in to the other."

"No, it's four hundred thousand! Have you forgotten about the church we had to go through?"

"Shut up, all of you! I refuse!"

"Why?" the two Ding asked in unison.

"There is no truth that never goes out of style. Whether it is a decree or a doctrine, it must be constantly adjusted according to the changing circumstances. I am the one who says what is appropriate and I am also the one who says what is inappropriate. If I have to do everything myself, where is the authority of the monarch? Besides, if you act as a buffer in front, the ruled who suffer collateral damage will not pass the pressure directly onto me."

"The king eats the feast, the prime minister defecates..." Saladin looked at Reid with a somewhat helpless expression.

"So we are your mouthpiece, your shield, and the scapegoat you throw out to quell public anger when necessary." Martin's expression was equally helpless.

"That's the duty of a subject. I'll take care of the big picture, and you'll take care of the practicalities. Any questions?" Reed said with a smile. The art of leadership is figuring out how to get subordinates to do the work while taking the blame.

"..."

"..."

"Very well, then I'd like to hear your reforms to the Seven Gods' doctrine. Do they meet my expectations?"

Martin pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "The old Seven Gods served the Andar tribe; the new Seven Gods shall serve your empire."

Reed nodded: "Tell me your specific plan."

Martin straightened up, his expression solemn, and his tone became clear and articulate: "First, rewrite the Seven Gods Bible. Delete content that is vague, ambiguous, or easily misleading. Add explanations and annotations to make the doctrines clearer and easier to understand, guiding people towards observing etiquette, obeying the law, and being loyal to their family, country, and monarch. Retain the image of the seven gods, but weaken their divine authority and strengthen their moral symbolism."

"Second, restructure the church's organizational system. The archbishop will be appointed directly by you, the church will pay taxes to the national treasury, clergy will be registered, and interference in secular disputes or private acceptance of donations or alms will be strictly prohibited."

"Third, standardize sacrificial rites. Simplify cumbersome and extravagant ceremonies, prohibit excessive lavishness, and combine sacrifices with agricultural activities, military service, and the preaching of the law, so that the church can become a tool for educating the people and maintaining order."

"Fourth, clarify the core doctrine—the seven gods protect the empire, and the king upholds the will of the gods. Firmly bind your legitimacy to the belief in the seven gods, so that the people both revere the gods and are loyal to the throne."

"Fifth, establish an armed clergy, theological debates, and religious inquisitions. Eradicate heretical beliefs and sever the tentacles of evil gods reaching out to humanity... There are some things that cannot be done directly by you; it is more appropriate for the church to do them."

"Are armed clerics literate? Could they be appointed as low-level officials?" Reed suddenly became interested.

"You're overthinking it. They might know a little bit of the doctrine, but they're mostly just roughnecks who wield clubs and various blunt weapons to kill people. You can think of them as the Holy Hand of the Seven Gods Church. The spread of doctrine and religious coverage still depend on churches and priests."

"Twenty-five thousand gold dragons per dragon? That's too expensive!"

"It includes a main hall, tower, cemetery, and monks' quarters. It also comes with its own missionary staff. It can satisfy the religious needs of 5 people in the surrounding area. You get what you pay for."

"Alright..."

Saladin nodded slightly: "In this way, the Church becomes the empire's hand reaching out to the people, winning their hearts without threatening royal power."

Reed leaned back in his chair and smiled faintly: "Good."

"Besides, the church needs a name, right?"

"How about Protestantism?"

"Therefore, in order to distinguish ourselves from the Andal people's traditional belief in the seven gods, our Protestantism also needs a new symbol."

"Shorten the long star rays representing the Father and the Stranger, making each star ray of equal length, to form a continuous, one-stroke graphic."

"Very symbolic."