Chapter 295: “Dragon” ying n


    ver’s Bay.


    Astapor.


    The Colosseum.


    A group of boys, sticky with foodstuffs, stood trembling in front of a massive brown bear. The bear, with its long snout twitching, seemed to be sniffing them out.


    "I really don''t see what you three get out of this bet. You’re all called Grazdan, and no matter who wins or loses, this arena will still be called the ‘Grazdan diatorial Arena’ next month," said Kraznys, a ‘Wise Master’ dressed in a green toga, his voice dripping with mockery. He looked at the three men bickering beside him, each one eager for the oue of their twisted game.


    The Colosseum was a yground for the ve owners. They would stage brutal spectacles, pitting girls against bulls, or children coated in honey and syrup against wild animals. The owner of the ve child devoured first would win the right to name the arena for the next month. The more grotesque the match, the more the crowd of ve masters cheered.


    Today, the children had been smeared with sweet, sticky mixtures, meticulously prepared to tantalize the bear, which was already ravenous. The creature''s jaws dripped with saliva, the foul stench of fish on its breath. It didn’t doubt that all the children were tempting, but it couldn’t decide which one to eat first.


    Its eyes narrowed as it noticed one child drenched in syrup—a vor it liked. Just as it was about to lunge, another boy caught its attention, his head smeared with honey and jam. The bear’s nose red in delight; this one suited its taste even more.


    With a roar, the bear made its decision and charged. How could a child of only six or seven possibly outrun a beast nearly two meters tall? In an instant, the bear’s massive paw mmed into the boy, sending him crashing to the ground. Pain shot through his small frame, his bones aching from the impact.


    The bear sniffed all over the boy''s body, searching for the perfect spot to sink its teeth into. With a savage growl, it bit into the soft flesh of the boy’s thigh, its rough tongue scraping away skin.


    "Aaah! It hurts—brother! I’m in pain!" the child cried, too weak to struggle as the bear pressed him to the ground, its enormous weight easily overpowering the frail boy.


    "Eat the candy, Leaf! Candy will make the pain go away!" shouted another boy nearby, his voice trembling as he watched his brother suffer.


    "Haha! I win!"ughed a bearded Wise Master. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as the bear tore into his ve child—the first to be eaten.


    Next month, the arena would bear his name: the Grazdan Fighting Arena.


    The man with a pointed Beard nced at the other two men with a smug expression. Despite sharing the same name, each of them had distinct characteristics. In addition to his sharp beard, one of the men was somewhat plump, while the other stood half a head taller than the rest. They had arrivedte, so the trio can be known as "Pointed Beard," "Tall," and "Fat."


    In the original tale, Mother of Dragons'' Unsullied army hadrgelye from dealings with men like these.


    After the gruesome spectacle with the brown bear, the group turned their attention to more pressing matters.


    "Are we really going to do something about Viserys? Even Drogo couldn’t defeat him," The tall one asked, his caution showing as he voiced his fear of Viserys'' growing power.


    "The Warlocks will assist us. Once we control him and his sister, his dragons will be a ''wild dragons,''" replied Kraznys, dressed in green robes, his voice dripping with confidence.


    "As long as the Unsullied we control remain tempting to him, and while his dragon is still young, this is ver''s Bay''sst chance!" Kraznys insisted, his eyes narrowing.


    The four of them—among the most powerful men in Astapor—saw no other option. They intended to use Viserys'' uing purchase of Unsullied as an opportunity to eliminate him. It wasn’t just the Wise Masters of Astapor who felt this way; the Great Masters of Meereen and the Good Masters of Yunkai were equally displeased with Viserys’ policies in the Free Cities.


    For years, the Free Cities had been thergest market for the exports of ver’s Bay. Though Viserys had not outright abolished very, his intent to do so was bing increasingly clear. His policies aimed to chip away at the foundation of the ve trade.


    First, Viserys raised the cost of ve ownership. He imposed higher tariffs on ves and required ve owners to improve the living conditions of those in chains.


    As a result, wealthy citizens in the “Kingdom of Four Daughters” began to prefer hiring free people, leading to a sharp decline in the ve market. Under his influence, even the ve traders who once captured and sold ves sought new careers. The Dothraki, once frequent suppliers of fresh ves, had ceased their raids, and even the Golden Company—known for its mercenary work—no longer engaged in the trade.


    The supply of new ves dwindled, and the export of vebor from ver''s Bay plummeted. If things continued in this direction, the economy of ver’s Bay would soon copse. Viserys had banned ve fighting in all the Free Cities except Vntis, leaving Meereen—once teeming with diators and swordsmen—without a market. The Great Masters and Wise Masters watched helplessly as they fed their ves, knowing those same ves no longer brought in profits.


    The leaders of ver’s Bay cried out in frustration. In their eyes, Viserys was destroying their way of life. Thus, the Great Masters, Wise Masters, and Good Masters of ver’s Bay conspired toy a trap for him, hoping to rid themselves of the Targaryen threat once and for all.


    The first step was to <em>measure the resources of ver''s Bay</em> and win over the Dragonlord. They not only had to focus on Viserys but also ensure that his subordinates and guards were softened with bribes—<em>sugar-coated bullets</em>, as they called them. Their goal was simple:pletely disarm Viserys and his army, weakening his defenses little by little. After all, despite his impressive leadership, he had only about a thousand or two men. ver''s Bay could easily afford to treat these people well.


    The second step was to lure Viserys to Qarth. By then, his forces would be dulled by luxury and indulgence, theirbat readiness sapped. The Warlocks of Qarth were tasked with eliminating both Viserys and Daenerys. Once the siblings were dead, the n was to divide their dragons among themselves. With that, the restoration of the Old Empire of Ghis would be within reach.


    "In the past, I had maybe 2,000 trained Unsullied and about 1,200 in training. Do you know how much stock I have now?" Kraznys, irritated, straightened his green robe as he posed the question.


    The pointed beard man didn’t know the exact answer, but based on his own situation, he could guess.


    "I''ve got 4,000 trained Unsullied right now! And another 2,500 in training! Do you have any idea how much food these soldiers consume daily?" Kraznys fumed, casting a nce at the child being mauled by the bear.


    "Viserys must die!" The fat Grazdan dered, his voice filled with certainty.


    "It would be even better if we could capture his dragon and use it for ourselves," The pointed beard man added wistfully.


    Long ago, the entirety of ver''s Bay had been under the rule of the Old Empire of Ghis. Whether they were called the Wise Masters, the Great Masters, or the Good Masters, they all descended from the Ghis. However, due to theirck of dragons, the Old Empire lost every war against the Valyrian Freehold, ultimately being reduced to ashes under the fire of Valyria’s dragons.


    Now, every ver in ver’s Bay dreamed of having a dragon of their own. It was this very longing that had made Daenerys’ acquisition of a dragon so effortless in the original storyline—these masters would have given anything for one.


    "How many Unsullied do we have in total?" The tall Grazdan asked.


    "Eighteen thousand trained, and another seven thousand still in training," replied the pointed beard Grazdan, the number far exceeding what had once been the norm.


    In the original story, Daenerys had acquired 8,000 trained Unsullied and 5,000 more in training. But now, they had amassed much more.


    "The problem is, we don’t know when Viserys ising," Kraznys said with irritation. "He said six months, but the time’s up, and still no word!"


    The entire group shared in their dissatisfaction over Viserys’ failure to show up on time.


    "Send someone to hurry up the envoy, Regis. If that doesn’t work, we’ll send a ship ourselves!"