Chapter 104: The Butcher

Before setting out, Dany had given the Unsullied clear orders—only three types of people could be killed:

 - Those older than twelve,

 - Ghiscari wearing the tokar robe,

 - Anyone who attacked the Unsullied, including strong women or slaves who had slaughtered children.

Most Ghiscari who wore the tokar were involved in the slave trade.

Ordinary Ghiscari, even free citizens who qualified to wear the robe, only did so on important occasions.

After all, in daily life, they had to work and provide for their families.

If anyone dared to attack the Unsullied, even a child could be killed on the spot.

Dany hadn't forgotten that a nine-year-old wretch once killed a three-meter-tall giant bear in a one-on-one fight with just a short sword.

This was another world, not Earth. Even on Earth, there were children who could handle an AK-47 like pros—though, not just battle-hardened elementary schoolers addicted to online shooters.

As Dany entered the city, the Unsullied stationed at the eastern gate followed her inside.

She then met with Jorah and Captain Groleo at the Plaza of Pride.

Jorah had led 3,000 Unsullied in the assault on the eastern gate, while Groleo commanded 600 Unsullied and several hundred sailors to blockade the harbor with four ships.

Of course, Blackbeard had only managed this with the help of the dragons.

The first wave of attack came from the sea—Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion struck the harbor, setting fire to the sails and rigging of every ship at the docks, whether they belonged to slavers or merchants.

Afterward, Rhaegal and Viserion circled above the waters, serving as a deterrent.

"Your Highness, we have taken the entire city of Astapor—except for the pyramid," Grey Worm and Jorah reported to Dany.

"What are the casualties on both sides?" she asked.

"Over thirty Unsullied were wounded, but none died. More than two thousand slaves perished, and over six thousand Ghiscari were killed. These are not final numbers, as we don't yet know the situation inside the pyramid," Jorah said.

"The Ghiscari fought so poorly?" Dany frowned.

"There were only five hundred Ghiscari guards—the rest were unarmed civilians. Apart from the slave traders in tokar robes, many women and children…"

Jorah sighed helplessly, his voice heavy. "The city's slaves almost lost control—many ordinary Ghiscari families were slaughtered.

Of the two thousand dead slaves, fewer than five hundred died in actual combat. The Unsullied killed most of the rest, while a smaller portion died in Ghiscari homes."

"We did our best, Your Highness," Whitebeard said, noticing Dany's displeased expression.

Jorah nodded. "Arstan is right. Fifteen years ago, Tywin's sack of King's Landing was ten times worse than this."

"I understand," Dany said simply and began organizing the aftermath.

"Grey Worm, the Unsullied performed exceptionally well."

"Thank you for your praise," Grey Worm said, his granite-like face showing a trace of satisfaction.

"Next, gather all slaves who participated in the battle at the Square of Punishment. Then, split your forces—excluding the wounded—into two groups. Three thousand will form fifty-man patrol teams to secure the streets. The remaining two thousand will clean up the dead.

The slaves' bodies will be brought here—I will hold a mass cremation for them.

The Ghiscari bodies will be piled in the Plaza of Pride. Their families may come to claim them and bury them according to Ghiscari customs, but they must be recorded in a registry."

"As you command!" Grey Worm saluted and left.

Dany turned to Jorah. "Your three thousand Unsullied will continue surrounding the pyramid—no need to attack yet."

"As you command."

"Groleo, you will continue commanding six hundred Unsullied. First, search the docks—find out which ships belong to slavers and which to merchants. Then, classify the merchants' cargo—ordinary goods, luxury items, and slaves..."

"This..." Blackbeard Groleo hesitated. "Inspecting merchants' goods is somewhat against protocol. Astapor's harbor is open—there's no smuggling or tax evasion."

"I will not allow any ship to leave with slaves aboard. Do you understand?" Dany said sternly.

"But why conduct a full inspection of the cargo?" the old sailor asked, puzzled.

"Did my dragons not burn their ships?" Dany asked.

"All ships at the docks lost their sails and rigging in the fire," Groleo confirmed.

"Exactly!" Dany shrugged. "If we don't verify their cargo, how will I compensate them?"

"Oh, you intend to compensate innocent merchants for their losses?" Groleo suddenly understood, his gaze toward Dany carrying even more respect.

With everything arranged, Dany turned toward the pyramid belonging to the Grazdan family. Her gaze was firm.

"In two days, we must take that pyramid."

The pyramid was not only the residence of the Great Masters but also their supply depot—eighty percent of the city's grain was stored inside.

Just as she finished speaking, the entrance of the pyramid's first level opened, and a white-robed old man stepped out.

"Don't kill me! I'm not Ghiscari—I am a slave as well!" The elderly man, dressed in an elegant white robe, raised his hands in surrender.

He spoke twice, once in the Common Tongue and once in High Valyrian.

The Unsullied guarding the entrance stepped aside, allowing Dany to approach on her silver mare.

"Who do you represent?" she asked in Valyrian, stopping seven or eight meters from the old man.

The man knelt and bowed his head.

"I am Ethan, a scholar who once served the Great Master. Now, I speak on behalf of Cleon in negotiations with the Mother of Dragons."

Before setting out, Dany had already given strict orders to the Unsullied: they were only allowed to kill three types of people—Ghis men over the age of twelve wearing tokars, anyone who attacked the Unsullied, and strong women or slave enforcers who had slaughtered children.

Most Ghis men who wore tokars were involved in the slave trade.

Ordinary Ghis citizens, even free men who were entitled to wear the tokar, usually only wore such cumbersome clothing on special occasions.

After all, in their daily lives, they had to work and support their families.

If anyone dared to attack the Unsullied, even a child, they could be executed on the spot.

Dany hadn't forgotten that a nine-year-old girl from the brothels had once killed a three-meter-tall bear in a one-on-one fight with just a short sword.

This was another world, not Earth. Even on Earth, there were children proficient in handling AK-47s—though, not the kind of kids obsessed with battle royale games.

When Dany entered the city, the Unsullied stationed at the East Gate followed her inside.

She then met with Jorah and Captain Groleo at Pride Plaza.

Jorah led 3,000 Unsullied to attack the East Gate, while Groleo, with 600 Unsullied and several hundred sailors, used four ships to blockade the docks.

Of course, Blackbeard's success in this operation was largely thanks to the dragons.

The first wave of the attack came from the sea—Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion swooped down upon the harbor, burning the sails and rigging of every ship docked there, regardless of whether they belonged to slavers or merchants.

Rhaegal and Viserion continued to circle over the waters, serving as a deterrent.

"Your Highness, except for the pyramid, we have taken control of all of Astapor," Grey Worm and Jorah reported to Dany.

"What are the casualty numbers on both sides?" Dany asked.

"Over thirty Unsullied were wounded, but none died. The slaves suffered over 2,000 casualties, while more than 6,000 Ghis men were killed. These numbers aren't final, as we still don't know what's happening inside the pyramid," Jorah said.

"The Ghis men were that weak?" Dany frowned.

"There were only 500 Ghis guards. The rest were unarmed civilians. Besides the slaver nobility in tokars, many women and children..."

Jorah sighed helplessly, his voice heavy. "The city's slaves went completely out of control. Many ordinary Ghis families were wiped out.

Of those 2,000 dead slaves, fewer than 500 died in actual combat. Most were killed by the Unsullied after the battle, while a smaller number died in the homes of the Ghis men."

"We did our best, Your Highness," Ser Barristan spoke up when he saw Dany's expression darken.

Jorah nodded. "Barristan is right. Fifteen years ago, Tywin's sack of King's Landing was ten times worse than this."

"I understand," Dany replied and began arranging the aftermath.

"Grey Worm, the Unsullied performed excellently."

"Thank you for your praise," Grey Worm said, his granite-like face showing a hint of satisfaction.

"Next, gather all the slaves who participated in the battle and bring them to Punishment Square. Then, split your forces—aside from the wounded, have 3,000 Unsullied form 50-man patrol units to maintain order, while 2,000 handle the bodies of the dead.

Move the slaves' bodies here—I will oversee their cremation.

Pile the Ghis corpses in Pride Plaza. Their families may come to claim them and bury them according to Ghis customs, but they must register the details."

"As you command!" Grey Worm saluted and left.

Dany turned to Jorah. "Your 3,000 Unsullied will continue to surround the pyramid. Do not attack."

"Understood."

"Groleo, keep commanding the 600 Unsullied. First, search the docks—find out which ships belong to slavers and which belong to traders. After that, categorize the merchants' goods—common trade goods, luxury items, and slaves…"

"Uh…" Blackbeard Groleo hesitated. "Inspecting merchants' goods like this is a bit… improper. Astapor's port is open—there's no smuggling or tax evasion here."

"I will not allow any ships to leave with slaves onboard. Do you understand?" Dany said sternly.

"But do we really need to inspect all their goods?" the old sailor asked, confused.

"Did my dragons burn their ships?" Dany asked.

"The sails and rigging of every ship in the harbor have been burned," Groleo confirmed.

"Then it's quite simple!" Dany shrugged. "If we don't check the cargo, how can I compensate them?"

"Oh! You actually plan to compensate the innocent merchants!" Groleo suddenly understood, looking at Dany with newfound respect.

After making all the arrangements, Dany turned toward the pyramid owned by Grazdan's family. Her gaze was firm.

"We must take this pyramid within two days."

The pyramid wasn't just the residence of the Great Masters—it was also their storage facility. Eighty percent of the city's grain was kept inside.

Just as she finished speaking, an elderly man in fine white robes emerged from the pyramid's first-level entrance.

"Don't kill me! I'm not a Ghis! I'm a slave, too!" The white-robed elder raised his hands and shouted.

He repeated his plea in both the Common Tongue and High Valyrian.

The Unsullied standing guard at the entrance parted to make way, allowing Dany to approach on her silver mare.

"Who do you represent?" Dany asked in Valyrian, stopping seven or eight meters away.

The elder knelt and bowed. "I am Ethan, a scholar who once served the Great Masters. I now speak on behalf of Lord Cleon in negotiations with the Mother of Dragons."

"Rise, Ethan."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The elder stood smoothly and gracefully.

Even his kneeling was elegant—he truly seemed like a learned man.

Dany asked curiously, "Is Cleon Grazdan's son?"

"No, Cleon was Astapor's greatest butcher. He also once served the Great Masters," Ethan said.

"A butcher?" Dany almost dropped her jaw.

Jorah, clad in his imposing knight's armor, stepped forward coldly. "If Cleon is a slave, why does he dare negotiate with the Mother of Dragons, the liberator of slaves? Does he wish to remain in chains?"

"N-no, not at all," the elder stammered, hesitating. "Lord Cleon only wants to know—if he takes the Great Masters' pyramid, what reward will he receive?

Even without a reward, he simply hopes for assurances. Though he is a slave, he has Ghis blood, and his wife and three daughters are also of Ghis descent, so…"

Dany pointed at an amber-skinned Unsullied. "See him? He's Ghis too. I oppose slavery, not the Ghis people."

"Oh…" The elder nodded but remained expectant.

"Is there anything else? I promise Cleon and his family's safety," Dany said.

"Really… no reward at all?" Ethan asked pitifully.

Dany sighed. "Honestly, if he truly controls the pyramid, he does deserve something. But I have no idea what to give him.

Tell him to come down and talk to me himself. No matter what, I will not harm him."

"Understood." Ethan nodded and returned to the pyramid.

"Cleon is an opportunist," Jorah murmured, his tone filled with disdain.

"Perhaps he is also a man of great potential," Dany replied.

(End of Chapter)

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09