14. 01 .276
Western Lands, Lannysport
The visit of the lion family went just fine. The future "golden trinity" left almost fifteen thousand gold pieces of pure profit in my coffers, and Tigett Lannister, for one interesting piece of news, that Ghiscari sailors who accidentally sailed too close to the shores of Valyria and miraculously survived, according to them, saw the remains of a long-decayed fleet with a golden lion on its sides, agreed to escort a small caravan to my house. Five thousand gold dragons, spices, silk, weapons, rare foals from Essos, and a bunch of other goods, along with an accompanying letter, were a gift and an apology to my parents, brother, and sisters for my long absence.
But I personally could not go there — one stupid promise I had made to myself stood in the way. Until I became a lord and acquired my own land, I would not show myself to my family. Thank the gods, I would not have to wait long. Two more years of wandering and careful preparation, and I would get what I wanted.
Soon we will sail from Lannisport, leaving Rick and Dick there with my assignment for them, and head north. Bear Island and the Cold Coast awaited us.
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Styly Coast, Ledyanaya River
If I used to think that wild people lived primitively, now I take my words back. The walrus people fully lived up to their name — their homes, more like tents, were made of walrus tusks and deer skins, and they themselves did not even know iron.
But we quickly found what to take from them. The walrus people mainly hunt walruses and breed reindeer and dogs the size of ponies. And while it is more profitable to buy the former in Skagos or from the Ambers, the latter...
The giant deer fully lived up to their name, surpassing in size even those beauties that live in the forests of the Stormlands and are the symbol of House Baratheon. Their skins and antlers, highly prized by craftsmen, will fetch a good price in King's Landing and any other city in Westeros. It is useless to take them to Essos — there, they simply do not know the value of these goods, surely considering them cheap trinkets.
The dogs were a separate conversation altogether. With their size reaching up to my chest, their tough gray fur that even an arrow couldn't always pierce, and their giant fangs, they scared the shit out of the entire crew.
Donnel, a former wild man who moved to Bear Island and settled there with his family, agreed to be our guide and translator. He told us that because of these dogs, the locals don't even have their own warriors. These dogs kill their main enemies, the cannibals who live further north, for fun.
Right now, they're useless — if I sell them anywhere in Westeros or Essos, they'll just breed them really fast and sell them. And I don't want that at all. They'll be way more useful to us in the future.
So, having loaded the ships to the brim with deer antlers and skins, walrus tusks, meat and hides, and even a few dozen small fawns (a delightful sight), which the maesters at the Citadel and the ladies of the realm will gladly buy for experiments and as pets.
18. 0 2,276
Old Town
The prediction came true—all the goods were swept off the shelves in a matter of moments. The shortage of everything I brought to the markets and my budding reputation as a successful trader played their part.
There was even a minor scandal over the fawns when several Archmasters from the Citadel, acting as former "senior colleagues and teachers," demanded that they be given away for free. But they were sent to places so remote that the sun never shines there. The little beauties, along with advice on how to care for them and what to feed them, were sold to little Linesse Hightower, who was absolutely delighted with them.
After that, having stocked up on ironware from the Hightowers, honey from Bisbury, and grain from the Malledors, we set off further, to the Summer Islands.
01. 0 3.276
Summer Islands, Ebony Head
After all, Oberin's example is very contagious. Otherwise, I can't explain why the hell I went with him to the Temple of Mother Earth in my right mind. Of course, it was interesting to see the local sights, especially the three-meter-tall, completely golden statue of the local priestess, and the local temple prostitutes were amazingly beautiful (I couldn't help myself — my hormones are still raging), but running across the city with my bare ass (although no one paid much attention to us — most of the locals, regardless of gender, wear only a small loincloth because of the heat) from the angry temple guards was not very pleasant.
Thank God it happened after we had sold all our goods, bought new ones, and replenished our supplies, and the crew, hearing our cries (mostly swear words) about immediate departure from the other end of the city, quickly set sail for the harbor exit. The summer sea fully lived up to its name, and a short swim naked had no effect on our health, unlike our pursuers, whose legs were shot by the foresters.
As was tradition, Oberin was beaten again and tied to the mast, with orders not to let him near women for a month. To all his cries and indignation that I had also taken part in the revelry, there was one simple answer: the captain cannot punish the captain.
Although even without punishment, the Dornishman was unlikely to enjoy the company of women for a very long time. The next destination was the kingdom of Omber.
12. 0 3.276
A narrow sea, somewhere in the Steps Archipelago
Damn pirates. They surrounded us and wanted to hunt us down like game. But once again, the presence of the wargs saved us. Finding the weakest point in the ambush and easily breaking through it, my ships broke out of the encirclement.
In the process, we captured one of the sailors from the pirate ships, who turned out to be the first mate, and after a brief vivisection consisting of slowly removing his scalp, he told us that among the new sailors hired in the Summer Islands, there was a rat who had betrayed my ships to one of the local "lords."
The traitor was found and thrown into the sea with his head shoved up his own ass, and I had to change course — the Shadow's Edge, based in Pentos, is certainly no match for the Faceless Men of Braavos or the Merciful of Qatay, and is not as well known, but for a good price, they will not only kill this pirate lord, but also rape him first.
09. 0 4.276
The Kingdom of Omber, capital of Omashu
The peaceful and prosperous kingdom of Omber is located in the north of Essos, northeast of the now-destroyed kingdom of Sarnor and west of the kingdom of Ifekevron, better known as Ibben. While the great Sarnor, home of the tall people, fell resisting the hordes of the Dothraki khals Mongo and Moro, the kingdom of Omber chose to pay tribute with grain, gems, and young maidens, which were abundant in these lands.
In general, there are no cities as such in Omber. Even their capital, Omashu, is a giant village with its own port and docks, stretching for tens of kilometers. The only fortresses here are the towers of the feudal lords — a kind of analogue of the castles of the Seven Kingdoms, represented by a single tall tower and a small extension to it. The most they are capable of is defending against small bands of robbers and rebellious peasants.
Against this backdrop, the country's main attraction and monument looked wild.
The guardians of the Omber Sea.
Giant statues of warriors armed with spears and shields were located all along the coast of this country. And when I say giant, I am not exaggerating in the slightest — the average height of each "guard" was thirty meters, towering over the local fields and plains like real mountains.
According to Omber legends and traditions, they have stood here since the Great Sea War, which took place 150 dkhiv ago. If we convert this to a more understandable calendar, it comes to six thousand years.
I was shocked when I heard these figures. Six thousand years... When I asked how these statues had not yet collapsed under the influence of corrosion and sea winds, the locals just tapped their fingers on their temples and looked at me as if I were an idiot. According to them, no one except the priests responsible for each statue could approach the guardians, let alone touch them.
There is only one conclusion, my dear diary: magic. Damn Martinov magic, allowing the existence of 200-meter ice walls, a veritable branch of hell on earth, indestructible thousand-year-old statues that looked as if they had been built a few years ago, and giant swamps inhabited by creatures that not even every sick-minded pervert could dream up.
Feeling irritated by this slightly distorted view of the world, I didn't even bother to ask what this Great Sea War was that made the locals fear the sea like fire and regard all sailors as lunatics.
In the end, we sailed away from Omber with our holds filled with gems and jewelry made by Omber craftsmen, ambergris, whale baleen and skin, and rare incense. At the same time, I even made a profit — this kingdom has always had a skewed female population, and they were very eager to buy soft green wine, colorful feathers, and beautiful pearl jewelry.
27. 0 4.276
Braavos
Hello Braavos, long time no see.
Every time I arrive in this city, I get the strong feeling that I shouldn't stay here.
Repair and clean the ships, replenish supplies, and visit the Iron Bank once again, whose representatives already welcome me like family. This is not surprising — after all, every time I bring them sums that they would otherwise receive from other deposits in several weeks.
They have even asked me several times, unobtrusively (actually, not really), to sell my ships and trade routes and then join one of the trading houses as a chief accountant or branch manager. And they didn't even hint (who am I kidding — such hints were every other word) that if I refused, they could quietly kill me in a back alley and seize all my ships as "unexpected" debt. But the stamped paper with trade patronage from Braavos, Volantis, Meereen, Qarth, King's Landing, Oldtown, Lannisport, and Inis sharply cooled the heads of even the most obtuse.
As long as I bring profit to the merchant guilds of these cities, I am as well protected as most aristocrats — for depriving them of their goose that lays golden eggs, merchants will tear anyone apart.
13 . 0 5 .276
Mir
As last time, my visit to Mir was not particularly memorable — sell goods purchased in Omber, buy grain and various iron trinkets, such as knives, hammers, nails, and set off on a journey to the far northwest.
29. 0 5.276
Konung's House, Skagos
The longer I live, the more I realize that most people never learn anything.
Once again, we were greeted with stone arrows and wooden clubs. Although this time, two of the attackers had decent swords. As it turned out later, these were the very ones I had traded for the unicorns.
The rest of the story repeated itself completely — the Skagos got a supply of grain and iron trinkets necessary to survive the winter, my holds were replenished with leather, furs, amber, whale baleen, and eight unicorns, and Oberyn again climbed into the local chieftain's house and threw an orgy.
Maghanar didn't even get upset when I gave him a nice chain mail shirt as an apology. It's true what they say — everything has its price.
And it seemed to me that among the children hiding in their homes, I noticed someone with skin that was too dark. When we return next time, we'll have to check it out.
11. 0 6.276
Isthmus, shore of Past Bay
The northern marshes and their inhabitants welcomed us in their own friendly way — the stomach of the lion-lizard contained only one sailor from among the Giskars, who did not believe the stories about the swamp and decided to stray from the path, where he was devoured, and five sick sailors from the summer crew, who were too susceptible to the local contagion.
Compared to last time, when Joen, Robin, and I had to treat and nurse a quarter of the crew, this was indeed a stroke of luck.
The lake dwellers gladly exchanged grain and other foodstuffs for poisons and various extracts, which would fetch a fabulous price in Lise. They did not forget about the lion-dragons, with whom there were certain difficulties — as soon as they smelled the unicorns, they seemed to go mad, beginning to rampage and bang against the walls. We had to keep them separate, delaying for several days to rearrange the cages.
27. 0 6.276
Lis
Lis, a city of debauchery and vice, fully deserving of its reputation. Famous for its exquisite cuisine, expensive incense, and the most beautiful and affordable prostitutes in the world, this city had the best climate in the entire western oikoumene and was originally intended as a vacation spot for the Valyrians, who did not like to deny themselves anything.
And what a lecture Oberyn gave me about the local priestesses of love and pleasure, without any regard for the presence of Obara and the other children (for which he later received a slap from me). According to him, thousands of "pillow houses" and pleasure gardens have been built all over Lys, attracting thousands of travelers from all over Westeros and Essos. Love in Lys is considered an art, and skilled concubines who are knowledgeable in their craft are highly valued here. This is greatly helped by the fact that the Lysenians are a very beautiful people, with fair skin, almost white "flaxen" hair, and blue eyes. Plus, there are quite a few people here with Valyrian features, similar to those of the royal dynasty or the inhabitants of the Black Wall. They say that this is precisely why there are many clients from the nobility of the Seven Kingdoms and wealthy Volantene merchants — many want to sleep with girls who look like queens and unapproachable aristocrats.
But I was interested in other people. Lis is notorious for its poisoners and alchemists—it is here that sinister poisons such as the suffocator and Liss's tears are made, from which there is no salvation except for a rare antidote. It was they who bought up all the herbs and poisons from the Isthmus for huge sums of money, even giving a list of what to bring them next time. Arrogant vermin.
We stayed in the city for almost a week — I spent too long searching for my entire team in the city's brothels and too long dragging Oberyn, who had barricaded himself in the most expensive one and flatly refused to leave, out of there. In the end, I paid one of the prostitutes extra to slip the prince an interesting infusion in his wine, and the pale-as-death Dornishman returned to the ship as quickly as possible.
I will only say that he ceased to be impotent only after a week and resented me twice as long, trying to secretly poison me with the same mixture. Unsuccessfully.
I myself did not go to brothels in Lis — there was too much work, and the letter from that beautiful prostitute from Volantis somehow took away all desire. I liked her. Next time I'm at Alcaro's brothel, I'll buy her out. She's not right for me as a wife, but she's quite right as a friend and a good lover.
19. 0 7.276
Qarth
I love this city. Purely as a merchant. I don't like its people, mired in vice and passion. I don't like its rulers, unwilling to develop their domain and bogged down in their petty intrigues. I don't like the craftsmen, who have long since lost sight of the great goal of CREATING and BUILDING, replaced by a long pedigree and the goal of securing everything most precious and selling it.
But as a merchant, I loved this city. The part of the goods that I planned to sell here was snapped up in no time. I even had to organize a kind of auction, where pure-blooded, wealthy townspeople and members of trade guilds competed for lionfish and sea otter fur.
And soon, after the auction ended, having bribed the chief customs officer of the Jade Gate with a piece of beautiful amber with a butterfly embedded inside, we were allowed to pass into the Jade Sea. The Yi-Ti Empire awaited us.
19.0 7.276
Yi-Ti, Yin
As before, our stay in the Golden Empire didn't last long. We sold our wares, stocked up on local curiosities, and set sail.
The only joy in this routine was a visit to the auction house, where they finally fulfilled my order. According to them, a battle had recently taken place between the Witch King and the 16th Azure Emperor, Bu Jian, in the Dawn Mountains. During the battle, the ancient but small Fairy clan was completely exterminated, and all their property was stolen. A small portion ended up in the hands of the auction house.
I was very pleased, even though I had to pay almost forty thousand gold dragons for it, but the future prospects covered all the costs.
And now, instead of Norvos, my ships have set course for Qohor. The voyage will be long, but well rewarding.
22.0 8.276
Volantis
This time, we stayed in town for a long time. We needed to sell some of the I-tian goods, buy local ones, learn the intricacies of river travel, and finally, hire guides who knew how to navigate Kroyane and Kinzhalnoye Lake without loss.
Alkaro was very helpful with all this; I had to linger in his brothel not only for the sake of that courtesan but also for the negotiations. Belroy had business of his own in Qohor and asked me to smuggle several of his men there. Refusing him was impossible—one word from him and I would never be able to enter the port of Volantis again.
03 . 0 9.276
Ruins of Ar Noah
The voyage was difficult. Near Sorrows, we nearly lost some of our crews when monsters that had once been men began falling from the Bridge of Dreams—the largest stone bridge I've ever seen.
Stone people.
Howling like ghosts, covered in skin like dried clay, they were terrifying just by their appearance. Only my paranoia and common sense saved us all, telling even the most humble cabin boy to don armor and wrap himself in rags so that only his eyes were visible. That's what saved us.
But on Dagger Lake, an ambush was expected. Dozens of small vessels appeared on the horizon in a matter of minutes. But I wouldn't be me if I weren't prepared. Thanks to Sigrid and Volkan, we knew in advance where the pirates would emerge from and poured specially prepared barrels of oil and petroleum there. The robbers went up in flames. True, we then had to wait for the fire on the water to die down before we could proceed.
And now we find ourselves in the ruins of the beautiful Rhoynar city of Ar Noya, built entirely of green marble and destroyed during the wars with Valyria. Now these ruins were controlled by the fleet of Qohor, protecting the waters of Koyna from the pirates of Dagger Lake and serving as a sort of customs house.
After looking at the papers, making sure we weren't pirates, and checking the ships for unwanted guests and goods (Belroy's men were hidden in a small opening between the keel and the lower deck), they let us proceed further north.
The mysterious and dark Kvohor was waiting for us.
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Qohor
For the first time in this world, I was disappointed by what I saw. Many in Westeros and Essos described Qohor as a city of sorcerers, not much inferior to Asshai, where rain falls constantly and crowds of fanatics roam the streets, sacrificing anyone left and right to the Black Goat.
But the reality was far from expected. Even after detailed study, Qohor wasn't much different from the other Free Cities except for its size (it was not much smaller than Volantis) and the Unsullied patrolling the city, who traditionally served as guards.
So I stayed in the city only long enough until the goods from Yi-Ti (when the locals found out where the goods came from, they almost stole my ships for souvenirs) and Volantis were sold out and local goods were purchased: tapestries of incredibly fine workmanship, not inferior to Myrish ones, but given away for a much lower price, and weapons and armor, with the brand of the city's blacksmiths, incredibly valuable in other cities.
And while I was at it, one of the founding families of blacksmiths fulfilled my order, asking a much lower price than I'd expected—only four thousand gold. Apparently, the opportunity to work in their specialty was more important to them than money.
So, after a week and a half, we left Kvohor, leaving several people there to carry out my instructions.
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Volantis
This time, the visit to the city was not particularly memorable - the crews replenished their supplies, Oberyn and I stayed briefly at Taragos's estate, watched a fight between little Nymeria and the no longer so little Obara, I personally gave the latter a slap in the face for offending the little ones, and then I rested a little in that brothel.
That courtesan finally refused to tell me her name. According to her, the time had not yet come. I didn't understand the hint, but my life experience (dash intuition) suggested a universal solution: forget it. No man has ever understood women, and trying to be the first is a lost cause. Human nerves take too long to recover.
15.10.276
King's Landing
This visit to the capital of the Seven Kingdoms brought only two joys. First, my small fleet was joined by three more xebecs, ordered from the Oldtown shipyards almost ten months ago. Now, in addition to the Beast King, the Purple Rhino, the Black Panther, and the White Tiger, it includes the Crimson Lion, the Turquoise Dolphin, and the Pink Flamingo. Seven ships in total. Oberyn, of course, laughed at the last name, but quickly got a thumping from the tambourine and shut up. My ships—I call them what I want.
Later, when the question of choosing captains arose, I couldn't resist and appointed Oberyn as the last captain, giving him old Grog as his first mate—an old sea dog who was effectively steering the ship in place of the Dornish prince, who was no stranger to seafaring. But his face was worth it. How I laughed when I saw that expression of utter incomprehension and resentment on the face of a man who had been wanting to captain a ship with a menacing and intimidating name for a year and a half, and who had ended up captaining the Pink Flamingo.
This nickname stuck with him for a long time.
The second piece of news concerned our Dornish Casanova again. He had become a father for the third time. Tyene Send, a tiny, airy bundle of joy, with a shock of blond hair and innocent blue eyes, was born to the very same septa Oberyn had seduced during our last visit to the city.
I told him right away that a six-month-old infant, no matter how carefully they cared for her, wouldn't survive on the ship, and something had to be done with her. As a result, Tyene, torn from her mother, who had almost immediately departed for the Quiet Isle to atone for her sins, was sent along with a wet nurse and a hired guard to Sunspear, to Doran Martell. His wife, according to Oberyn, had given birth to a daughter a year ago. She would be able to look after Tyene.
After the capital, having loaded the holds, we headed North, on another visit to the lands beyond the Wall.
***
The entire next year was spent on trading trips and travels. I visited the wall twice more, trading food, iron, and other small items with the wildlings for hides, bones (once I even found a whole giant's skeleton), amber, the tusks of various animals, and live direwolves, ghost cats, polar bears, and woolly mammoths. All of this was worth its weight in gold in Meereen, Qarth, Pharos, and Azabad.
And from these cities, local goods in the form of silks, incense, mirrors, spices, oils and paints, unique even for the Free Cities, were transported to the west, where they were turned into gold, settling in my chests.
Essentially, I invented a local Golden Triangle. First, iron, food, and other valuables necessary for life in the harsh lands were transported to Skagos, the Isthmus, or the Wall, where they were exchanged for unique animals and goods. Then, all of this was sent east, to the wealthy trading cities, where it was exchanged for luxury goods.
Although, when I spoke of the Golden Triangle, I exaggerated a bit (and whoever I'm lying to, I greatly exaggerated). This route worked only thanks to three factors: exclusivity and rare curiosities, which were gradually ceasing to be so due to market saturation; my foresight, which consisted of buying only males, making breeding the beasts impossible; and, most importantly, wargs. Only thanks to Volkan, Sigrid, and another boy picked up in the fort on my third visit there, my ships avoided dozens of pirate ambushes and pursuits, hundreds of violent storms and gales, and thousands of other situations that threatened our complete destruction. For example, many of my sailors bragged in taverns that they'd circumnavigated Valyria eighteen times without losing a single ship, while other sailors merely laughed at them as the most ridiculous buffoons, or twirled their fingers at their temples, looking at them as if they were the most idiotic.
But everything comes to an end—in four years of endless sailing, I've visited every country in the existing ecumene, with the exception of the islands of Ibben and Leng, the underground N'gai, the wild Mossovia, and the mysterious Asshai. And that was more than enough. I'm tired.
Oberyn was also tired, having had his fill of adventures. He said he'd accomplished his main goal—to see the world and sleep with every woman (and man) in existence—and now he wants to go home. To his native Dorne, to his older brother and sister, to his little daughter and niece, whom he desperately longs to see.
And I agreed with him. All the preparations were already complete, and the final step remained—a conversation with Prince Doran Martell of Dorne.
So, having dropped into Volantis and picked up three-year-old Nymeria there (and not having seen that courtesan who, according to Alkaro, could not come out to me due to health reasons), my squadron, loaded with the most expensive goods from all over the Magical East, set off for Sunspear.