(Adrian POV)
The ship finally docked at the port of Lys. The city, as seen from the harbour, was beautiful. High walls had been built around it to protect against invasion.
Lys was an island city, and thus, any force hoping to capture it needed a powerful navy. It was not as if Lys was defenceless either. It had a formidable fleet of its own to boast of.
After collecting the commissioned payment from my employer, I stepped off the ship and made my way toward the city gates.
Though I had arrived here as a sellsword, my purpose had now taken a very different turn.
My arrival in this city was for one reason alone. To take it over and make it the foundation of my future endeavours. This was a world I intended to thoroughly enjoy. If I counted my magic, I was nearly invincible here. But I wanted more than just power. I wanted to build something. Something with a legacy. Something people would one day speak of in legends.
And I was not planning to cause a bloodbath to capture the city. No, it would be done subtly and strategically.
Lys was exactly as they said, a city filled with beautiful people. Even the common folk were striking, thanks to their Valyrian blood.
The slaves clearly outnumbered the free citizens, and the majority of these slaves were bed slaves or prostitutes. Though a few seemed to enjoy what might be called a 'decent life' by selling their bodies, the horror and cruelty inflicted on many women was unimaginable.
If a man could pay the right price, he could do anything to a woman. Torture her, bruise her, cut her, or even kill her for his pleasure.
Quite a few women approached me, offering their services, probably because I seemed a bit handsome and might be a better alternative to the uglier customers they were disgusted to serve. I kept ignoring them until I found a small inn and settled into one of its rooms.
I knew a little about the city already. It was ruled by a body of magisters. Rich and powerful nobles. But to truly capture it, I needed to understand everything in detail.
So, the first few days were spent learning the inner workings of the city.
My coins were nearly gone, but after seven days of gathering information, I was ready to proceed with my plans.
The city of Lys, as I already knew, was ruled by a group or council of magisters. There was no fixed rule or criteria to become a magister.
The only thing that mattered was whether you were capable enough to assert your influence over the city's decision making.
In simple terms, you needed to be rich or powerful enough that your decisions could impact the city.
At present, the city had around twenty-five to twenty-eight magisters of real importance who truly controlled its affairs.
Among these magisters, one was elected as the First Magister of the city. He was like a nominal king of the city.
Generally, the person with the most wealth and the largest number of men under his command was chosen as the First Magister.
The city itself had a population of around half a million on the island, with an additional half million living in the disputed lands under Lysene control.
Lys did not have a collective standing army. Instead, each magister maintained his own forces and private army, which together formed the military strength of Lys.
Of these combined forces, roughly half were Unsullied, while the other half were drawn from the local residents.
As for the total military strength, if all the forces of the city were combined, they would amount to around 30,000 men.
Each magister commanded a different number of soldiers. For example, the First Magister had about 2200 men under his command. Of these, around 500 to 600 were typically away, serving as guards for the various trade caravans and ships he might have sent out. A similar proportion applied to the other magisters as well.
Lys also did not have a state or even a dominant religion. People belonging to a lot of different faiths all resided in the city.
All these massive factors of disunity had made my attempt to capture the city much easier. Technically, I had plenty of methods at my disposal, including a lot of magical methods.
And while I was not opposed to using magic, it lacked a certain thrill.
So, I planned to try a more manual approach first, and if that failed, I would improvise.
And when I say manual, do not think I would not use any magic at all. I would simply keep it to a minimum. After all, I was just one man attempting to take over an entire city. Without the magic, in case of any mishap, I would not have been willing to take such a risk.
The sun had just set over Lys, but the streets were far from empty. A city that thrived on selling sexual pleasure only came alive at night.
With a thought, I donned my Invisibility Cloak and made my way toward the centre of the city. My destination? The massive manor of the First Magister of Lys. His name was Iklis.
Covered by the invisibility cloak, I had no trouble at all reaching my target. I weaved through the mansion as if taking a leisurely stroll in the park.
I searched for the First Magister until two guards standing outside a room gave away his location. Most likely his solar.
I could have easily pushed open the door myself, but I did not want to cause any commotion before I at least accomplished my first objective.
Fortunately, I did not have to wait long. A lady arrived carrying a tray filled with food and drinks. As the doors opened for her, I casually walked behind her.
The woman placed the tray on a small table on one side of the room and immediately left the room and the doors were closed behind.
A smile hung over my face as I took a seat opposite to Iklis who was busy in going through certain documents.
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