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Chapter 102 - Chapter 102: Slave Trade

Chapter 102: Slave Trade

"Actually, it's not a significant trouble," Talobane said after a moment of careful deliberation. "I need you to help me deal with a few people."

"Assassination?" Ian's brow furrowed. *So much for 'not a big trouble.'*

"Oh, no, no," Talobane waved his hand quickly. "Well, perhaps it could be considered an assassination, but not the kind you're thinking of. The targets are just a small band of street thugs. You could find them and deal with them easily enough."

"That's all?"

"That's it. Simple, is it not?"

"Tell me the details," Ian said, not believing a word. "I'm curious what kind of street thugs could cause a merchant like you so much grief."

"Their leader is called 'Spearbreaker' Silva. He and his men are active around the pier district of Pentos. He has about ten men under his command, and their combat prowess is not to be underestimated."

"A small band of street thugs," Ian repeated sarcastically. "Or a team of mercenaries?" He heard the system prompt in his mind, signaling that an optional mission had been triggered, but he ignored it for the moment.

"Ah, yes. You would be right to understand it that way."

"Mr. Talobane!" Ian fought the urge to slap the man. "If you genuinely want us to solve your problem, you shouldn't be hiding things from us."

"Yes, he is a mercenary," Talobane conceded, "but he is also a street thug. He has always operated in the port of Pentos, making a living by helping the great men of the city solve their various problems."

"So, you are now a problem that some great man needs solved?"

"Oh! You exaggerate. That is not the case. Absolutely not," Talobane denied hastily.

"Fine," Ian said, leaning forward. "Whether they are mercenaries or street thugs, as a member of Illyrio's own Chamber of Commerce, why would you worry about such a trivial matter? You previously offered us a reward of one hundred gold dragons. For that kind of money, you could easily hire a company of a hundred men to solve this problem for you. Yet you chose us. Why?"

"That's because I…" Talobane started to say that he was simply taking pity on them, offering a chance to get the invitation, but he stopped. He remembered that he had offered no such charity when Ian had left disappointed before; they had only returned because they had discovered his true purpose.

"I see two possibilities," Ian continued, holding up his fingers. "First, 'Spearbreaker' Silva's company is extraordinarily dangerous, and you can't find any other mercenaries willing to deal with them. But I find that highly unlikely." He scoffed. "In Westeros, common soldiers are willing to hunt the 'Hound' Sandor Clegane for a hundred silver stags. Are the men of Pentos so lacking in courage?"

"As long as the price is right, there's no risk a mercenary won't take. That leads me to the second, more likely possibility: the power behind 'Spearbreaker' is so great that the mercenaries of Pentos dare not offend him. Or, at the very least, no one in this city dares offend the man he currently serves." A mocking smile played on Ian's lips. "In other words, we are right back where we started. You, Mr. Talobane, are a problem that some great man needs solved."

Talobane was silent for several seconds before speaking again. "The situation is this: I have a smuggling ship. By my calculations, it will be entering the port this week, but my warehouse is being watched by that damned 'Spearbreaker,' so…"

"Who employs the Spearbreaker?" Ian asked, cutting him off before he could spin another tale.

By now, Ian had already decided to walk away. Talobane's story was a mess of half-truths and outright lies, flashing like a warning beacon that a massive secret lay hidden beneath his request. Ian had no desire to offend some powerful figure in Pentos before he'd even had a chance to meet Illyrio. According to the histories, it would be another two months before Daenerys and the Khal left the city. He needed to keep his head down until then.

"Employer? There is no employer. This is his own doing. He means to take advantage of me."

"So 'Spearbreaker' is a street thug who also makes a living in anti-smuggling, is that it?"

"Well…"

"Do we look that stupid?"

"Since you insist on being so dishonest, I believe our cooperation is at an end," Ian said, rising to his feet.

Talobane shot up as well, but then seemed to remember he was supposed to be in a position of power and slowly sat back down.

"You need an invitation to Magister Illyrio's banquet," Talobane said, his voice firm. "I must remind you that this month's banquet has been moved forward to Serion's Day, which is the day after tomorrow. If you think you can acquire an invitation from somewhere else in a day and a half, then by all means, be my guest."

"And who told you that we must see Magister Illyrio so urgently?" Ian retorted. "Until the horse king arrives in Pentos, we have plenty of time to find a way to see the Magister." He turned to leave.

Ian's words were both a bluff and the truth. Though he didn't have a concrete plan at the moment, he truly wasn't in a rush. As long as he remained in Pentos with Daeron's 'key' in his possession, was it really possible he would never get a chance to meet Illyrio? He had sought out Talobane's 'friend' to save himself a headache, not to walk into a bigger one.

"Wait!" Talobane finally called out. "I can tell you more, but you must first promise to help me solve this."

Ian continued walking toward the door, not even glancing back.

"Fine! I will tell you the truth first, and then you can decide whether to help. Is that acceptable?"

Hearing this, Ian paused. He was willing to listen, at least. The final decision was still his.

He had not expected, however, that Talobane seemed to have exhausted his imagination for lies. The words that came next landed with the weight of chains.

"My ship is a slave ship," Talobane said bluntly.

"A slaver." The word caught in Ian's throat. He finally understood. He understood why a member of Illyrio's Chamber of Commerce couldn't resolve a simple matter of 'smuggling.' The cargo he was smuggling was human.

"That's right." Talobane saw the shock on Ian's face and began to explain. "Pentos officially abolished slavery after its defeat by Braavos, but in truth, the demand for slaves among the upper echelons of society remains as high as ever. The nobles merely remove the collars from their slaves and pretend to make them free citizens, while at the same time saddling them with enormous debts they could never repay in their lifetimes."

"Because of the ban, the profits from the slave trade in Pentos are much higher than in the cities of the Daughters. While conducting our normal trade, we sometimes bring back a batch of 'fine goods' when passing through Slaver's Bay. The bed slaves of Yunkai are especially sought after. They are proficient in the seven sighs and the sixteen positions of pleasure, making them very popular among the nobles of Pentos."

"If the private slave trade is an open secret," Ian interrupted, "then why are you so worried about your ship?"

"Because of partisanship."

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