"Wait a moment." Just as Dani was about to lead her followers away, Grazdan, adorned in pearl tassels, reached out to stop her. "We are delighted to have concluded this grand transaction today. A celebration will be held at the Great Arena. Mother of Dragons, please join us. The Astapori will present their most spectacular performances for you."
"Now?" Dani asked.
"The Great Arena is located right behind my Pyramid, and it is also my property," Grazdan declared proudly. "If we go down now, we can immediately begin watching the duels."
In truth, Dani had no desire to go. She knew all too well how bloody and cruel slave duels were. However, the Good Master had extended an invitation, and refusing it would seem out of place.
*In the slave trade, every participant is guilty.*
But just like a flour deal in a movie—if the seller offers you a taste and you claim you never use that stuff, the deal is likely over. That's why undercover cops go along with the customs.
"Very well," Dani nodded in agreement.
Immediately, a servant rushed to the upper garden, vigorously waving a red flag. The Good Masters, without a moment's delay, were assisted into their palanquins by their attendants and descended from the Pyramid through the back gate.
Dani had no palanquin, and the Good Masters had made no provision for one for her.
She followed the Good Masters down the stone steps, along with Jorah, Whitebeard, and the others.
As they descended the Pyramid, Dani found herself increasingly impressed by the ingenuity of the Gith's design. The staircases alone were a marvel, with several distinct systems for entering and exiting.
Each of the Pyramid's four faces had a set of stairs for climbing. Inside, a circular system of stone stairs wound its way up and down, connecting every room in the tower and linking to the entrances of the four external staircases.
Because of its circular design, the internal staircase was far gentler than the external ones. Being carried down in a palanquin felt almost like gliding across flat ground.
As she descended the spiral stairs, Dani passed spacious, well-lit stone rooms where white-haired, white-bearded old scholars were teaching Grazdan's children.
She caught the savory aromas wafting from the stone kitchens, where the chefs' shouts fell silent the moment the Good Masters arrived. Busy weavers, catching sight of the Good Masters' procession passing their doors, paused their work and knelt, kowtowing to the ground. She passed wine cellars, slave training rooms...
Each descent of the Good Masters from the Pyramid was like a king inspecting his domain.
They had ruled their little kingdom like this for one year after another, and now it had already been over five thousand years!
Perhaps their reign would continue for ten thousand, a hundred thousand, maybe even more.
As Grazdan had said, the Great Arena was located right behind his family's pyramid. The Astapor city gate, the Square of Punishment, the Great Pyramid, and the Arena all lay along a single central axis.
The magnificent Pyramid soared into the clouds, while the massive Arena was carved into the ground—a bowl-shaped pit surrounded by tiers of red-brick spectator seating.
A hidden underground stone path connected the Pyramid to the Arena's main platform. It was spacious enough for an elephant to pass through, flanked by stone chambers with iron bars. Inside these chambers were the "expendables" used for the duels: slaves, gladiators, lions, giants, and wolf packs.
"Hahaha! Once I find a Shadow Priest to hatch the dragon, I'll build a dragon's lair right here," the Good Masters ahead laughed, completely ignoring Dani and her group as they fantasized about the future.
"A fire-dragon eating people would be a magnificent sight," another Good Master chimed in.
"Ahem. Even if you hatch a dragon, have you considered how you'll control it?" Euron asked, his voice booming in Valyrian as he wore a sinister smile.
"If you don't court death, you won't die. If you do, you're as good as dead. If you're not afraid to die, then keep trying," Dani murmured, her voice a low, grinding hiss.
The Good Masters ahead were too far away to hear her words or see her lips move, but Euron's voice carried clearly down the passage. Their laughter and chatter died instantly.
After exchanging glances, their "old friend" Kraznys spoke. "Ser Euron, what is it you wish to say?"
Feeling the sharp edge pressed against his lower back, Euron rubbed his nose and grinned roguishly. "I wanted to tell you all that you should make a trip to the Valyrian Ruins as soon as possible. There are secrets there for controlling dragons, as well as countless dragon eggs. If possible, we could even collaborate."
"Euron, you have no place speaking here," Dani snapped, her loud voice cutting him off and forcibly ending the topic.
When the Good Masters turned back and continued walking, Dani made a subtle gesture for Ago to withdraw the arakh pressed against Euron's back.
Euron reached back to touch his waist, then smiled as he saw a smear of crimson on his fingertips. "Your Majesty, tomorrow I will be a free man."
"That's tomorrow's concern. Today, right now, you'll behave," Dani said coolly.
"Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha! Hoo-ha!"
Blinding daylight streamed into the tunnel from the exit, accompanied by a thunderous roar of "Hoo-ha!"
In the half-hour since the Good Masters and Dani had descended from the Pyramid, the Great Arena had already filled with Gith, their black-and-red hair standing on end.
Compared to a modern basketball or soccer stadium, this Great Arena wasn't very large. Dani estimated it held no more than 3,000 spectators.
The dueling ground below was a circular patch of dirt, 50 meters in diameter. In its center stood a burly, muscular man.
Wearing only a white cloth wrapped around his waist, he waved his arms and bellowed "Hoo-ha!" over and over, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
The eight Good Masters had fixed seats at the very top of the grandstand.
Though Dani was an honored guest, she was only given a wooden chair on the red-brick steps one level below. Euron sat beside her. Jorah, Whitebeard, and the others didn't even have seats.
"The Gith are truly arrogant!" Jorah grumbled behind Dani. "We shouldn't have come here."
"The host invited us. How could we refuse?" Dani sighed, soothing him. "Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. It's almost noon; the duel will be over soon."
"It won't be over soon, Mistress," Misande said. "The Good Masters eat their lunch, and even dinner, in the arena. Often, the duels last until dark."
"Sigh, we really shouldn't have come," Dani muttered, her expression blank.
Suddenly, the boisterous shouts died down, and the arena fell silent. The muscular men retreated into the tunnel, and a middle-aged man in a yellow toga emerged, followed by a group of slaves.
The slaves swiftly erected three wooden crosses in the center of the arena, then bound three four- or five-year-old girls, their faces masks of confusion, to the crosses.
Three more slaves approached, each carrying a large clay jar. They poured the thick liquid inside over the girls' heads.
Two of the white girls began to wail. The bronze-skinned horse-girl merely stared for a moment before opening her gap-toothed mouth, greedily lapping up the brown liquid that trickled down her lips. Her face radiated a look of sheer satisfaction and joy.
Before long, a cloying, stinking, sweet-and-savory stench wafted toward Dani.
"Great Children of the Harpy, today's appetizer is 'Love of the Hungry Bear.' Three slaves have been coated—one in honey, one in fresh human blood, and one in rotting fish and shrimp. Now, our great bear, Bruto, will choose his favorite. Tell me, which one do you think Mr. Hungry Bear will pick first?"
The host gestured wildly toward the animal pens across the arena, backing away down the corridor as he bellowed, "And now, please welcome our ten-day-starved giant bear, Bruto XXVIII!"
*Roar!*
The sound wave rippled through the crowd, silencing the cheering Gith.
The iron gate had only been raised halfway when the three-meter-tall black bear burst through the gap, its immense strength warping the bars—each as thick as an arm—as it squeezed out.
*Thump, thump, thump.* The bear charged on all fours, kicking up a cloud of red dust from the dirt floor.
Without a moment's hesitation, it lunged straight for the Centaur girl, who was still licking honey from her skin.
*Crunch!*
The bear's maw, as wide as a washbasin, snapped shut. It bit down as if through a stalk of sugarcane, and juices dripped from its furry muzzle.
"Blargh!" Dani collapsed to the ground, vomiting, snot and tears streaming down her face.
"Heh heh heh, the Westerosi bitch is terrified," Euron chuckled to the Good Master beside him.
"Khaleesi, are you alright?" a centaur girl asked, steadying Dani as Jorah and Whitebeard watched her with concern.
"I'm... I'm fine," Dani murmured, remaining crouched on the ground.
Euron watched the bear devour three stalks of sugarcane with relish, then turned to Grazdan. "Good Master, this show is entertaining, but it lacks a certain... *thrill*."
He grinned. "I've always enjoyed gladiatorial combat. The sea voyages get so dull, you know? I used to lure sharks with blood, then throw an equal number of sailors overboard—each with a single curved sword and a blood-soaked garment. Now *that* was a spectacle."
Grazdan, his chin adorned with pearl tassels, drew a sharp breath. He stroked his own fat chin thoughtfully. "Impressive, impressive. The very thought is exhilarating. It almost makes me want to build an arena on the water. But surely, you'd run out of sailors if you kept that up!"
"Ha! Have you forgotten my trade?" Euron waved a hand dismissively. "For us Ironborn, everything on the sea is ours for the taking—treasure, women, men. As long as we're 'thrifty' with our raids, we'll never run short of 'gladiators'."
"Euron, say one more word, and I'll send you down there to put on a show for everyone yourself." Dani stood up and slapped him across his scabbed face.
The lazy smile in Euron's blue right eye turned vicious. Dani stared coldly at him. "Try to flinch, try to resist, and I'll chop off one of your hands."
Then, under Euron's venom-dripping glare, she slapped him seven or eight more times. *Smack, smack, smack.*
Her own hand was red from the blows. The scabs on Euron's face broke, and bloody fluid seeped out.
Throughout the entire ordeal, the Good Masters were laughing and pointing from the sidelines.
Only after Dani had vented her anger and returned to her seat did Kraznys smile at the blood-streaked Euron. "Actually, we have some truly thrilling acts. The 'Love of the Hungry Bear' was just an appetizer. Next up is—"
"The Big Bear and the Little Girl!" the announcer's roar drowned out the Good Master's words. "Next, let's see if the giant bear Bruto can live up to his name. Please welcome our fiercest, most vicious little bitch—"
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