Chapter 41
Dany didn't think about asking Xaro to help her with the money, but the guy kept on saying that he loved her, yet he didn't offer to help.
Dany had use her own money, and he is only responsible for instructing her who to ask.
1st Step, Dany arrives at the Temple of Memory with a burgundy filly, a grey bison hunted from the borders of the Red Waste, and a big black dog bought from the bazaar.
The Qartheen have a Temple of Memory she's never heard of, but she must make a sacrifice to the temples Priest.
The little filly represents the devotion of the Dothraki. The bison is an ancient custom. It is said that the primordial milk men lived by hunting the creatures of the Red Waste before the Free Cities were established.
Well, the closer the Red Waste is to the center, the hotter the temperature and the harsher the environment. The plains by the sea are still rich in water resources, and a large number of wild animals and plants survive.
As for the black dog… oddly enough Qartheen, like the Chinese, have a taste for dog meat.
The Priest was very satisfied with Dany's sacrifices, the old milk man with snow-white hair and skin told Dany that she could come to Temple of Memory to seek the memory of time if needed.
Dany asked in detail before she realized that this is also the library of Qarth, and the Priest of the Temple of Memory is also the historian of the city.
In the last ages, they recorded every major event that occurred in Qarth.
"Mother of Dragons, you and your dragons, your Dothraki Warriors, your great deeds across the plains of purgatory to Qarth, and even your visit to the temple today, has been or will be written here!" The old man said with a smile.
If it was the original Daenerys, she might not have the slightest interest in books that recorded history, but at this time Dany was screaming in her heart: It's worth it, it's worth the 2,000 Gold Honors! They are fully returned!
Well, on the surface, she only gave away three beasts, but last night, Aggo brought four Dothraki and two boxes of newly exchanged Gold Honors into the backyard of the old mans mistress.
Well, they really had to go through the back door, from the back door that opens in the alley, into the backyard of the mansion of the 13-year-old mistress that Old Priest currently loves.
Qarth uses the Gold Honor, which has been popular since the Old Valyria period, a round currency with a crown on the front and a hideous skull on the back.
Gold Honor's size is relatively small, and an Honor is only one third the weight of a Golden Dragon.
Two thousand pieces are about…2,000*4,000=8 million renminbi purchasing power. (Around 1.1 Million USD.)
This time is equivalent to the Middle Ages, and the productivity is far less than that of modern day systems. 2,000 Gold Honor is definitely a huge sum of money.
In this way, you can understand why the old priest is so kind to Dany.
After getting the "borrowing card" from the Temple of Memory, the second backdoor Dany took was Qarth's "Keeper of the Long List", that is, the city's public administrative official.
Sacks of Gold Dragons are sent out, and Dany suddenly finds that half of Drogo's gold that she had stashed is used up.
She told Xaro sadly. "I have no money, only some antique jewelry excavated from the City of Bones."
Faced with the plea of a beauty, Xaro's heart was as cold as ice, and he had no idea of paying out of his own pocket. Instead, he gave her a bad idea: the news that there Dragons in the world has spread all over the East, and more and more dragon seekers have came to visit. There are countless people in Qarth who want to see you and your dragon now, so accept their requests and ask for a gift from everyone who meets you.
Dany thought about it, it was in her favor.
Not counting say how many "Zoo tickets" she can get, just spread her reputation and let her and her dragons become known to everyone in the East, then some people will dare to try and use the most direct and vicious means.
Isn't it also for this purpose that she asked Jorah to spread the news of dragons in the quayside and street pubs?
When everyone didn't know she had dragons, she would rather hide in Whitecloud for a long time and try not to let the news leak out, but as long as there is an outsider who knows this information about her and the dragons, the plan of hiding will be completely shattered.
When no one knew about the birth of the dragons, she was the safest, with a threat index of one star; When a few people knew that Dragons were born again, she was in the most danger, with a threat index of four stars; After everyone knows her story, some people will have reservations, and her danger will be reduced, and her threat index is three stars; when the news crosses tens of thousands of kilometers and enters Westeros in the extreme western lands, the danger will increase again. With a threat index soaring to the most dangerous five stars.
But whether it's known to a few, or to all of the Qartheen, the speed at the message that she has dragon's getting into Westeros will not change.
With the distance from Qarth to King's Landing, she has a buffer period of about two years due to the speed of news.
Either her dragons will grow up within the next two years, or Dany will have complete security within two years, commonly known as 'building her forces'.
Then she needs money.
Dany agreed to Xaro's plans for a "dragon zoo".
Jorah took a captain to her palace drawing room that afternoon.
"Her Highness, I bring you a sea merchant from Summer Isles."
It was a black man, with dark skin like polished obsidian, swarthy, and shining.
"Your Highness, my name is Quhuru Mo, Captain of 'Cinnamon Wind', from Tall Trees Town, Summer Isles." The black man in the cloak of yellow and green feathers, dressed like a flowered peacock, bowed down and introduced himself .
"He brings you news of King's Landing." Jorah said.
"Are you from King's Landing?" Dany asked.
"No, I set off from Oldtown half a year ago with a full ship of Arbor wines. You've been away from home for a long time, and you must miss your hometown, just as the Seven Kingdoms miss you," Quhuru said.
The gift he gave Dany was 3 barrels of fine wine, which could be exchanged for 4 Gold Honors if they were sold at the Qarth market.
It's a bit stingy!
However, she quickly realized that the captain's business was not big, and the four Gold Honors were already quite a fortune for him.
"Thank you for the gift." Dany nods to the Summer Isles Captian, sitting on the cushioned sofa, "I'm looking forward to your news of Seven Kingdoms, alas, It'd be even better if you were from King's Landing."
"Your Majesty, King's Landing is facing a war, and no foreign merchants dare to go there, and it's useless to go there. After the Usurper's death, King's Landing is in chaos, they can't even support themselves, where can they sell us goods?"
The black captain sat on the small stool below, and his language was quite dismissive of the current ruler of King's Landing means.
"Oldtown has a Citadel, where news from the Seven Kingdoms converges, after all every noble has a Maester for it, and all Maesters come from the Citadel. During my stay in Oldtown, I've been asking a lot about the current form of the Seven Kingdoms."
Dany felt that he was a bit long-winded and asked directly: "How did the Usurper die?"
"By a wild boar."
"I wonder who conspired to kill him, you wouldn't really believe he died under the tusks of a boar?" Dany indifferently said.
Seemingly aware of Dany's impatient look, the captain of Cinnamon Wind said very quickly: "There are indeed many conspiracy theories circulating about the cause of the King's death.
Nowadays 14-year-old King Joffrey ascends the throne, but it is known that politics is in the hands of House Lannister.
An Acolyte in the tavern solemnly vowed to say that the Queen betrayed the King, and she also had her way with her younger brother, giving birth to incestuous seed. She then took the risk of murdering her country's King, and her Husband because of her deeds.
In this way, the throne completely fell into the hands of the Lannisters.
It is not difficult to understand why Robert's two brothers ran away from King's Landing.
The rumors also say that the Baratheon brothers intend to counterattack King's Landing and become King.
As I was leaving, there was a rumor—Duke Renly intends to unite with Highgarden House Tyrell to rebel.
Highgarden and Stormlands, the young King's seat is very unstable!
In addition to the rumors that the Queen murdered the King, some people say it is the Kings Hand whom killed the King.
The new King and the Queen immediately claimed that Eddard Stark had murdered his King. Some believe, some doubt, but most of the citizens of King's Landing believed it.
Gods above, I clearly remember the Kings Hand is King Robert's best friend, how could anyone think he is treasonous?"
"Yes, others don't believe Eddard Stark is treasonous, King's Landing people are crazy, or stupid?" Jorah nods in agreement, saying with certainty, "Even if the Long Summer comes, that guy won't sully his precious honor."
"Ha, Didn't Eddard Stark treason once 15 years ago? For the people of King's Landing, he has already lost his honor, and it would be fine to lose it again." Dany laughed.
Jorah immediately shook his head and shouted: "That's different, Her Highness, although it's very disrespectful, but you have to understand that his Majesty Aerys killed his father and brother in a row, and bluntly wanted the North people too hand him over.
The fact that he rebelled against your father is an honor, not a loss of it."
He also got along with Dany for a few months and knew who she was. If it was the original Daenerys, Jorah would never have said such a thing.
"How did the North react after Stark went to prison?" Jorah asked the captain nervously again.
He's from the North, and his family is Stark's bannermen.
"It is said that as soon as the father was arrested, the Young Wolf gathered bannermen to prepare an army. About 20,000 northerners crossed the Neck and went south to kill."
"oh!" Jorah sighed and murmured with lost eyes, "I don't know how many of my cousins will die this time."
It seems that there is only one little girl named Lyanna left, Dany looking at her Knight with pity asked. "How many children does your aunt have?"
"Five, all five are daughters, and the youngest is only about six years old." Jorah said.
Oh, what a miserable fate, only six-years-old!
It won't be long before his father will be trampled on by the guest right and will die tragically in Craster's Keep.
Thinking of this, Dany was about to tell him to not mourn.
This is also because she only watched the television drama, and the director deleted a lot of House Mormont's daughters in order to simplify the characters, and in the original book of "Song of Ice and Fire", only Jorah's Aunt died in the Red Wedding.
So, she doesn't have to worry about him at all.
"The Young Wolf is Robb Stark?" She asked the black captain.
"Yes, Robb Stark is the Commander."
"He's only 14, right?" Jorah's expression darkened, "I've seen that kid, he's younger than Her Highness by more than half a year, he's as tender as a flower in Summer.
How can this be good? That boy will probably take the entire North people with him!"
Alas, It is God's prophecy!
"Maybe he's naturally gifted?" Dany reassured him.
"Then I should be more worried." Jorah rubbed his face and said faithfully: "If he loses the battle as soon as he leaves the Neck, the North will immediately withdraw from the Neck, then they will fall in this Game of Thrones.
In over 10,000 years, no army has ever defeated the Neck's defenders head-on.
If that kid gets some dumb luck, after one or two victories, spirits will be lifted, and then the North is really finished."