The Slaver's Bay region was once a place of favorable weather, but after the Doom of Valyria centuries ago, it was said that waves over a hundred meters high swept through the area. Since then, the climate has become erratic, with no clear distinction between the four seasons, only a dry season and a rainy season.
During the dry season, rivers run dry and plants wither, resembling a scorching desert. When the rainy season arrives, the entire region transforms into a lush, green world within a matter of days, with both plants and animals growing at an accelerated rate.
Wright had stayed in Volantis for a while, not indulging in leisure but rather spending each day reading books and seeking advice from others to learn about the language and culture of Slaver's Bay.
This was the first region conquered after the rise of the Valyrian Empire. The ancient Ghiscari Empire stood no chance against the swarms of dragons and was easily defeated. The remnants of the Ghiscari fled to an island and established New Ghis City, but the proud Valyrian Empire soon abandoned them. After the Doom, old powers began to rise again, colliding with one another, and the languages became complex and ever-changing.
This region didn't belong to the Nine Free Cities, and Volantis had long been in a standoff with the cities to the west, only buying slaves from here before. After Wright stabilized the Stepstone Archipelago, delineating disputed lands and holding off pressure from the city of Meereen, Volantis, at his request, began infiltrating Slaver's Bay with their intelligence network.
Wright's primary goal in Slaver's Bay was to kill dragons; secondary was to eliminate the remaining Targaryens, and lastly, to dismantle the Golden Company. All of these, however, hinged on finding the right targets.
Wright arranged for a large slave master's team to accompany him, blending in as one of them. His new identity was also that of a slave master. The group consisted of three men, three women, and Wright, making seven in total, with the rest being slaves. Together, they formed a team of over a hundred people.
There was a straight road, the Valyrian Road, between Volantis and Meereen, but due to the Doom, parts of it were damaged, and many mutated people, affected by toxic mists, roamed the area. However, with Wright's presence, these obstacles weren't an issue, and the group reached Meereen without trouble.
Berricio Stangoni, a pure-blood Valyrian with platinum blonde hair and purple eyes, in his thirties, was the official leader of this caravan. He wore a golden necklace with a black dragon-shaped pendant hidden beneath his clothing.
The group dismounted the carriage, and the slaves unloaded seven litters from the cargo carts, positioning them at an angle to allow the passengers to sit.
"My lord Wright, once we enter the city, I shall address you by your name only," Berricio said as he settled into his litter.
"Mmm, as long as you don't use my last name," Wright responded, adjusting himself in the litter, uncomfortable with how soft the cushions were; they wobbled too much. Volantis's slave masters, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy this type of ride. The strong slaves had been trained to rock the litters rhythmically without tossing anyone off.
Looking at Wright, who seemed stiff and on the verge of leaping out of the litter, Berricio remarked, "You are a slave master now. In the city, you must always sit in a litter and wear a face of enjoyment."
Wright grasped the armrests, reclining back, "This is worse than sitting on a dragon's head!"
"Hahaha."
From the other litter, three veiled girls laughed. These girls, also pure-blood Valyrians with silver-golden hair and purple eyes, were seven and six years old, hailing from three of Volantis's prominent families—Pennymion, Stangoni, and Visama. Two of them were the daughters of the current rulers.
It was not Volantis's tradition to send daughters to serve other lords as handmaids, yet these three families had inexplicably decided to send their daughters as Wright's handmaids. Although Wright had refused, the girls insisted on following, and he had reluctantly accepted, allowing them to assist him with minor tasks.
"Let's enter the city. I must say, the efficiency of Meereen's guards is quite low! They have to both inspect people and collect taxes at the city gates. Tyroshians handle such matters in their warehouses," Wright commented.
"They've been doing it this way for centuries, never changing," Berricio replied.
The most prominent building in Meereen was the Great Pyramid, about 250 meters tall, an impressive structure. There were also twenty smaller pyramids scattered around the city. These were modeled after the pyramids of the ancient Ghiscari Empire and were used as residences, but Wright saw them more as tombs.
As the group entered the city, the architecture resembled that of ancient Egypt—grayish-yellow stone buildings, with painted walls in various colors and scattered palm trees.
They were received by the Pahl family, one of the twenty Great Masters of Meereen. Their family pyramid was constructed from pink and white bricks, and their attire followed the same color scheme.
Inside the pyramid, the family patriarch, who was the city's defense commander, was away on business. Instead, they were greeted by his heir, Oznak Zoh Pahl, who arranged for the group to change into Meereen's distinctive attire.
It was the dry season, and the sun was scorching. The residents of Meereen wore clothing from the Ghiscari Empire called toka, and Wright and the others adapted to local customs.
The men's attire consisted of a long, loose white cloth that wrapped around the body, with the two corners tied under the armpits and looped over the shoulders, secured at the chest with a golden clasp. They could also hang tassels or other decorations. Footwear was brown leather sandals. Wright found it troublesome and didn't wear any decorations, only a white long cloth hood. Women's clothing included an additional veil.
The tight-fitting attire and the exposure of his thick legs made Wright feel a bit uneasy. He walked in small, hesitant steps toward the banquet hall inside the pyramid.
The banquet was light on meat, offering mostly a variety of fruits, which in the hot climate of Meereen was the highest standard of hospitality. The hall was decorated with various tapestries, and the floor was covered in thick woolen blankets. Everyone had already taken their seats, and when Oznak Zoh Pahl, the heir of the Pahl family, saw Wright enter, he stood up and bowed respectfully. "Lord Wright!"
"Hm?" Wright, standing behind Berricio, was surprised by the greeting. He looked at Berricio.
"The Pahl family is our closest commercial partner in the city," Berricio explained. "After the dragons appeared, they have been seeking an opportunity to meet Lord Wright."
They seek something from me. Wright decided not to hold back. "I'll call you Oznak. Sit and speak."
Oznak was a strong young man with amber-colored skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. His family was martial, with many male members of the Pahl family holding important military positions in Meereen.
Wright sat on a cushion, and the three young girls also sat beside him, peeling fruits to help.
"I've admired Lord Wright for a long time. To finally meet you today, you truly are impressive!" Oznak started praising before Wright had even taken a bite of his food.
Wright looked at him. "Oznak, it seems you know something about me. Actually, I've also learned a bit about Meereen before coming here. Is your family in trouble?"
"This…" Oznak didn't expect Wright to be so direct. Weren't they supposed to exchange pleasantries first?
Berricio intervened. "Oznak, Lord Wright is a powerful mage. Don't beat around the bush in front of a mage. Speak plainly."
"Here's the situation, Lord Wright. Meereen has always been governed by twenty Great Masters, the most powerful slave lords. But recently, the Loraq family wants to change this. Hizdahr zo Loraq wants to become the King of Meereen!"
Wright raised an eyebrow. "Don't the other nineteen Great Masters oppose this?"
"At first, we did," Oznak replied. "But Loraq is the most powerful family. They have many relatives in other cities, and several Great Masters have already secretly sworn allegiance to him. The key is that Hizdahr zo Loraq is married to Daenerys Targaryen, and she has two dragons."
Wright stroked his chin. Daenerys married so young and already urged her husband to claim the throne of Meereen? At her age and experience, she shouldn't have thought of such things alone—there must be powerful figures backing her.
"And then? You came to me, hoping I can use my dragon to deal with his two dragons?"
Oznak replied, "The dragons fly in the sky and can breathe fire. Our crossbows can only be mounted on the city walls, and the dragons can fly right outside my family's pyramid windows. On behalf of the Pahl family, I beg you to assist us, Lord Wright."
Wright raised an eyebrow. "What's in it for me?"
Oznak responded, "Gold, slaves, and women."
"Beside Slaves, that i don't want, don't I already have those in abundance?" Wright smiled and shook his head. If he used a transmutation spell to turn iron into silver and then into gold, he might scare Oznak half to death.
Oznak stood up, walked in front of Wright, and waved for his maidservants to leave. "Aside from that, there's the loyalty of the Pahl family!"
"Do you have a map of your family's lands? Bring it out and look carefully. I'm in the Stepstone Archipelago, far from Meereen. Your loyalty won't be of much use to me." Wright wasn't yet desperate enough to be a high-ranking mercenary.
Oznak stood awkwardly. The three young maidservants had finished peeling the fruit, cutting it into small pieces and offering it to Wright.
Berricio approached with a smile. "Oznak, Lord Wright is the Lord of Tyrosh. You can think of him as a lord of one of the Nine Free Cities, and he's also the younger brother of the King of Westeros. His other two brothers are powerful Lord as well. If you want Lord Wright's help, you'll need to show some sincerity."
Oznak's face twisted into a wry smile. "I can't decide on that yet. I'll need to consult with my father and several uncles before I can give Lord Wright a proper response."
"We are guests, and you are the host. Even if this matter doesn't work out, I will still offer some other assistance. But may I ask, does Daenerys and her husband currently reside in the city?" Wright's magical perception had expanded to nearly 300 meters, and after entering the city, he opened his senses, finding no magical fluctuations nor any sign of the two dragons.
Oznak responded, "They went north two months ago. Some say they went to find the Dothraki, hoping to ally with them to march south to Meereen and make Daenerys the Queen of Meereen."
Wright took a sip of wine. "The slave cities in the south are full of their relatives, and now the Dothraki are coming from the north. The remaining Great Masters don't have much time left."
"Even if a war breaks out, the walls of Meereen are still tall and sturdy. We can hold out. But he also has soldiers inside the city, not to mention the dragons attacking from the sky." Oznak, sitting in front of Wright, took a drink as well.
Wright asked, "How big are Daenerys's two dragons?"
Oznak thought for a moment. "Dragons grow much faster than livestock. Two months ago, when I saw them, the black one was about as long as two horses from head to tail, and the white one wasn't much smaller."
Considering their body length, their tails and necks would take up most of it. Even if they grew for another two months, Drogon, the black dragon, wouldn't be rideable yet. Wright thought to himself that he could probably defeat the black dragon with just his fists.
"Lord Wright?" Oznak called, bringing Wright back to the present.
"Do you have any news about the Golden Company?" Wright asked.
"The Golden Company?" Oznak seemed confused. "There are many mercenary groups active in Meereen, but I haven't seen the Golden Company fly its banner."
The Golden Company had spread unfavorable rumors about Wright for years, seemingly out of hatred, but their motives were much larger.
Whenever something significant happened in the Nine Free Cities, they seemed to pin the blame on Wright. Some of it was true, like using transmutation magic to trick the Volantene people with silver coins and killing the first Sealord. However, these were carried out in secret, and the Tyroshi massacre, under the Golden Company's propaganda, almost brought the truth to light.
Then there were absurd rumors, like stealing the Tyroshi Lord's golden toilet, the Butcher of Ny Sar, hundreds of illegitimate children in Meereen, the murder of children in Norvos, and plundering the Dothraki. These were all complete fabrications.
But behind these events, there were victims—those who had suffered losses always needed someone to take revenge on, or somewhere to vent their anger. Under the Golden Company's propaganda, Wright became their target.
The Golden Company was controlled by Aegon Targaryen, whose hatred of Wright was also linked to his hatred of the Baratheon family. Both groups had similar goals. Over the years, many nobles in the Nine Free Cities had secretly allied to form an organization opposing the Baratheons. The group's symbol was a black background and a stag's skull with a crown written "usurper" in it.
Wright spoke, "Oznak, I'm pleased that your family wishes to pledge loyalty to me, but you must show sincerity. I'm not just a mercenary. Help me gather information in Meereen—news about the Golden Company and Daenerys. I will be staying in the city for some time, and you can discuss it with your family."
"Rest assured, Lord Wright. Whether my elders agree or not, my family can still gather information. From now on, I'll be responsible for delivering it to you."
Oznak bowed to Wright.
That night, Wright stood on the balcony at the top of the pyramid, feeling the evening breeze. Oznak, without his attendants, came alone to find him.
"Lord Wright, after discussing with my father and uncles, we've decided to show you our sincerity."
Oznak handed Wright a golden mask.
He didn't speak of loyalty, but instead revealed an important secret, showing that the Pahl family also harbored significant ambitions.
The mask was strange, with two spiraled horns on the head and a unique decorative pattern on the forehead.
"We, the families that oppose Hizdahr zo Loraq becoming king, have privately formed an alliance called the Sons of the Harpy. Besides the original creators, the identities of the other members are kept secret. Every meeting requires a mask. Lord Wright, you can wear this mask to attend a gathering. You might hear some good news."
Wright took the mask and placed it on his face, silently staring at the distant pyramid without speaking.