"Is that all?" Daenerys raised an eyebrow. "The Ghiscari have been selling slaves for thousands of years. They've simply never encountered a worthy enemy."
"Two reasons are enough to deter the horse lords from attacking," the old man explained. "And Apostta is located in Slaver's Bay. Meereen and Yunkai might be trade rivals, but they are by no means enemies. The eastern hinterland is almost entirely populated by fellow Ghiscari. The Lhazareen east of the mountains are indeed foreigners, but they are merely 'sheep-people'—completely harmless."
"If..." This time, Daenerys fell silent for a long moment before slowly asking, "If slavery were to vanish, who—besides the Ghiscari—would suffer the greatest losses?"
"Your Highness... what are you planning?" Whitebeard asked, his voice trembling with alarm.
"Me? What could I possibly do?" Daenerys shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. "Anyone involved in the slave trade is guilty. You said it yourself. I just want to know who else in this world is as heinous as I am."
Whitebeard stared at her for a long time, unable to tell if she was joking.
"The entire Great Navigation trade relies on the slave trade as its most vital link. City-states like Qarth, Valantis, and Lys are almost entirely sustained by it. It's not that no one has tried to end slavery before, but..."
The old man sighed helplessly. "Your Highness, the Andals originated in Essos, you know?"
"I've heard they established a kingdom in Andalusia, in the northwest of the continent," Daenerys replied.
The old man nodded. "And what of them now?"
"They seem to have vanished," she said.
"The Andal civilization and the Faith of the Seven, both born in Essos, have all but disappeared from this continent. Yet in Westeros, the Andal culture is the most dominant. I do not know what transpired back then, but it is a fact that the Faith of the Seven is weak here, and yet it is the very faith that adamantly opposes slavery."
He paused before asking, "Do you know how Braavos was founded?"
"When I was in Qarth, an old man—a Juggernaut—told me," Daenerys said. "A group of Valyrian slaves, guided by the Moon Singer, escaped the Dragonlords' pursuit and built a city upon the water at the continent's northwestern tip."
"Exactly. Braavos was built by slaves. As the foremost of the Nine Free Cities, Braavos wields immense power. A hundred years ago, the Sea Lord of Braavos fought Pentos for over a decade to abolish slavery. Pentos lost and promised to end the practice."
"Does Your Highness know if Pentos still has slaves?" Whitebeard asked Daenerys.
"Yes, I saw many servants wearing slave collars at Governor Illyrio's estate."
"So you understand?" The old man smiled bitterly and sighed. "Unless the Seven descend to earth and remain here, slavery will never be abolished. Anyone who dares to even think about it would be making an enemy of the entire world. Even the Braavosi do not truly sympathize with the slaves. They used the abolition of slavery as a slogan for political purposes, fighting for control of the plains upstream of the Rhoyne."
"I see," Daenerys said, suddenly looking up. "Astam, how are your sword skills?"
"What?" The topic had jumped so abruptly that Whitebeard was momentarily stunned.
"I heard that Aegon the Conqueror's two sisters were both powerful knights. Visenya even wielded 'Dark Sister' and saved Aegon's life from an assassin."
Dark Sister was also a Valyrian steel sword, a delicate lady's blade. Its last owner was Bloodraven Brynden Rivers—one of the noble bastards (and half-brother to Daemon Blackfyre).
Aegon IV the Unworthy had severely wronged his descendants. Both ancestral swords of the Targaryen family had been given to bastards, and now both were lost.
"Uh, yes." The old man grew more bewildered as the topic jumped again.
"Do you think my talent compares to Visenya's?"
"Oh, you wish to learn martial arts." This time, the old man understood. He said happily, "I can instruct you. I will definitely train you to become a powerful knight."
As if afraid Daenerys lacked confidence, he added enthusiastically, "Back then, Prince Rhaegar was obsessed with reading from a young age. Many were worried he would become a second Holy Bell. Later, after reading something in a book, he suddenly resolved to become a warrior. He wasn't much older than you are now, but once he trained diligently, he soon became a knight who dominated the tournament grounds."
"What did he read in that book?" Daenerys asked curiously.
"That..." Whitebeard shook his head. "I'm not sure. I only guess it might have been a prophecy, the one about Azor Ahai. Perhaps His Highness the Prince realized his own mission, to... Sigh, I don't know."
*Training in martial arts to slay the White Walkers?*
*Sigh, Big Brother, you're really overthinking this. You're not the warrior from the prophecy at all.*
Hearing that she still had a chance to become a master, Daenerys felt both happy and suddenly hesitant.
If she could only manage to become a third-rate swordsman, then following Whitebeard and becoming a knight wouldn't be so bad—she could just treat it as a way to stay in shape. But if there was a chance to become a first-rate grandmaster, then she couldn't just settle for a mediocre life.
She said, "I think women are better suited to become Water Dancers."
If Westeros was a civilization of knights, then the Nine Free Cities were a civilization of maritime trade and assassins.
The martial artists of the trade cities all followed the path of the assassin, being light and agile, and proficient in stealth and concealment.
Water Dancers were swordsmen of this type, their swordplay swift and lethal, emphasizing fast and elegant movement, stealth, and balance.
Legend had it that the most powerful Water Dancers could fight on the surface of water without creating a single ripple.
Additionally, the strongest and most ruthless woman in *GoT*, Arya (Arya Stark), was a Water Dancer.
A third-rate Water Dancer was no different from a third-rate knight, but if one could reach the first-rate level, women with weaker physical strength were undoubtedly better suited to be Water Dancers.
After Daenerys explained her reasoning, Whitebeard nodded and said, "Your Highness, you have considered this very thoroughly. If you become a Water Dancer, your future achievements will be even greater. But the question is, why are you learning martial arts?"
"Um, to command troops in battle and prevent myself from being assassinated," she said.
"Then you should still become a knight. Water Dancers are offensive assassins; on a chaotic battlefield, a Water Dancer's survivability is lower than that of an ordinary knight, because he wears no armor."
As he spoke, he pointed to Jorah, using him as an example. "The Chief Court Swordsman of Braavos, responsible for protecting the Sea Lord, is the strongest Water Dancer. Without armor, he could defeat ten knights like him and remain completely unscathed—"
"Bullshit!" Jorah roared in fury.
Whitebeard waved a hand to calm him and continued, "But wearing that Valyrian steel armor, Ser Jorah could easily cut down ten Chief Court Swordsmen. On a battlefield, one hundred knights like Ser Jorah in ordinary armor could easily annihilate one hundred Chief Court Swordsmen."
Daenerys understood the old man's point. She thought it over and said, "You said it yourself—the Chief Court Swordsman is responsible for protecting the Sea Lord. Even if I go to war in the future, I will be riding a dragon. Daily defense against assassins is more important."
"I'd say the duty of guarding against assassins is the Kingsguard's responsibility," Whitebeard said, his gaze sweeping over Jorah. "Otherwise," he added dryly, "that Valyrian steel armor would be wasted."
Jorah puffed out his chest and shot the old man a smug look, knowing he still harbored a grudge over losing his right to wear the armor.
*Fair enough,* Daenerys thought. *If Whitebeard had revealed his identity, the armor would certainly be his.*
"Princess," Jorah said, "the Sea Lord needs the insight of a Water Dancer more. They are skilled observers who can spot assassins from afar. You can learn the Way of the Knight first. Later, if you encounter a master Water Dancer, you can learn their techniques. The two are not contradictory."
"Very well," Daenerys agreed. "Tomorrow, I will study swordsmanship with Whitebeard."
The next day, before dawn—around four or five in the morning—Daenerys donned her leather armor, trousers, and riding boots, then headed to the deck to practice with Whitebeard.
There were no specialized stances or strength training. Instead, Whitebeard first helped her adjust her center of gravity, then taught her the standard grip and swing of the sword.
He told her that once she could control her balance while swinging the sword, he would move on to teaching her footwork.
When Daenerys asked if there would be any strength training, the old man told her that she was already doing it by swinging the sword.
At first, she didn't quite understand. But as the sun rose and she had already swung the heavy two-handed sword 300 times, the rivulets of sweat trickling down her thighs into her boots made her realize the old man hadn't been lying.
*This really is strength training.*
*A knight's greatsword is so heavy!*
She finished her morning exercises around eight or nine o'clock. After returning to her room to shower and change, she was eating breakfast when two Apostata men arrived.
They were clerks sent by Krazny to ask if they could appraise Daenerys's assets.
This would allow them to determine her purchasing power.
—Yesterday, Daenerys had asked the slave owner to reserve the Unsullied for her.
Daenerys glanced at Grolai and smiled. "If I were to sell Governor Illyrio's cargo, would he be angry?"
"This..." Blackbeard looked at *The Quiet One* anchored nearby and hesitated. "Don't you already have a ship full of gold, silver, and jewels from Euron?"
"It might not be enough," she replied with a smile.
"How many Unsullied do you intend to buy?!" Blackbeard exclaimed in shock.
"How many? I didn't hear you clearly. That bitch—our good Queen Majesty—wants to sell how many slaves?" Krazni rose in horror, his question directed at the young translator, who also wore a stunned expression.
Today, Daenerys and her retinue once again crossed the red-brick streets, arriving from the Square of Pride.
Krazni's pyramid was built right here, and the Square of Pride served as his "courtyard."
This time, his servants led Daenerys and her group to the garden at the top of the pyramid. It was roughly 150 square meters, with a carpet of green grass and persimmon and apple trees planted around the perimeter. Large, golden-red persimmons and bright red apples hung from the branches, creating a stunningly beautiful scene.
On the north side of the garden was a pool where one could soak and enjoy the view of the harbor.
The same pair of twin breast-feeding girls fanned the slave owner as he sat on a tall wooden chair, leaning against the pool like a throne. Daenerys sat opposite him on a low, two-meter-long soft couch, with Jorah, Whitebeard, Jorgo, and Jiqi standing behind her.
And yes, a maid held a massive cream-colored parasol over her head.
"Master, Her Majesty the Queen wishes to purchase all the Unsullied in Apostta. All of them," the young translator stammered, after receiving a confirming nod from Daenerys.
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