Chapter 206: Too Tragic

The shopkeeper strode over to the two of them, grabbed the female dwarf by the neck as if lifting a chick, and hoisted her into the air. Cursing, he shouted, "Can someone tell me what the hell happened? Damn it, let Bonnero burn these two freaks alive! My porcelain bowls and wine jugs are shattered all over the floor!"

"A noseless freak probably slept with the female dwarf but didn't want to take responsibility. So she came after him with a dagger to kill the heartless bastard," a Tyroshi sailor with a purple beard said with a knowing air.

"Yes, I didn't take responsibility for your father's wife. My bad," the imp struggled to get up, wiped the blood from his lips, and grinned through the pain.

"Take responsibility for what?" The burly sailor looked confused.

"Haha!" The people around them burst into laughter, the atmosphere suddenly lively.

"Enough, Hugo Hishan. Do you really want to die here?" Haldon smacked Tyrion, then turned to face the shopkeeper, frowning at the struggling female dwarf. "Why did you try to assassinate my companion?"

"They killed him—my brother... Wuu, wuu..." The dwarf girl seemed to lose all her courage and strength. Hanging limply from the shopkeeper's grip like a rag doll, she wailed in grief.

"Who killed your brother? Me?" Tyrion limped over and frowned as he asked.

"Sailors, sailors from the Seven Kingdoms! My brother and I were dueling in the plaza when they started following us. When they realized I was a woman, they let me go—but they took Opp and chopped off his head!

You're a kinslayer, you should be the one to die! But instead, my poor brother died in your place!" the girl sobbed.

The others, including Dany, were puzzled by her words, but Tyrion's face suddenly changed—understanding dawned on him, mixed with shock.

"The one who rode the pig?" he asked, his expression complex.

"I rode a dog. Opp rode the pig," the female dwarf replied, her tear-filled eyes shimmering.

"Shopkeeper, put her down," Tyrion sighed.

"Who's going to compensate me for my losses?" the tall middle-aged man demanded.

"Enough. How much can a few porcelain bowls be worth?" an old woman's voice scolded from a few steps away.

It was the Widow of the Waterfront. She sat in a small recessed alcove in the stone wall. Though she was barely five meters away, the large-leaved vines growing along the wall cast shadows that made her presence easy to overlook.

But from her high stone chair in the alcove, the widow had a clear view of most of the first-floor common area.

Dany peeked over and noticed a pile of fried locusts on the stone table before the widow. As their eyes met, the old widow even grinned at her.

"Poor child, what's your name?" the widow asked the crying dwarf girl.

"Fenny. My name is Fenny."

"Da'Val, take the dwarf girl to a room, give her some wine, and get her into clean clothes," the widow instructed one of her attendants.

Two round-faced, red-haired twin sisters stood on either side of her, each with a cup tattooed on her face.

The slave on the left left the alcove silently and took Fenny away. Aside from Dany and Barristan, the rest of the spectators dispersed on their own.

The widow looked Tyrion up and down and smiled. "Little Imp, it seems I have no choice but to help you this time. Volantis is no place for a dwarf to make a living! Go back and wait. As soon as I have news, I'll send someone to inform you."

"You're a kind woman." The dwarf gave a wobbly bow in thanks.

"Thank you," Haldon also said, bowing excitedly.

"Enough, my guests have arrived. You may leave now," the old widow waved her hand dismissively.

Tyrion finally noticed Dany standing to the side, but after a brief look of confusion, he simply walked away. As for Barristan, with his full white beard, Tyrion ignored him completely.

Which made sense—Volantis had far too many silver-haired, violet-eyed girls.

"This stuff, when properly cleaned and cooked, tastes better than gourmet delicacies," the old woman remarked, picking up a fried locust and nudging the plate toward Dany.

Dany placed a gold-and-blue cat's-eye gemstone bracelet gently on the table and said, "This is a gift for you, Lady."

Aside from the stack of fried locusts, the stone table held seven or eight other gifts: a pure glass wine jug, an ornately decorated emerald fan so thin it was almost transparent, an ancient bronze dagger engraved with runes, and even a gleaming bronze music box the size of a washbasin.

—It came from Astapor. When the music played, a bronze ship on top would glide in circles.

The old widow picked up the bracelet and examined it carefully. Only then did she take a locust and chew on it. "Mmm, spiced with Volantis' unique black pepper. Crispy, spicy, and flavorful. A cup of wine would make it even better."

Without needing to be told, the remaining twin attendant immediately fetched a wine jug and two glass cups from the alcove—golden grape wine that shimmered like sunlight.

"This is the most precious gift I've received today," the old widow said, fastening the bracelet onto her right wrist. She looked at it and sighed, "Thirty years ago, these hands were worthy of such a jewel. Now... sigh, I'm old."

Dany took a sip of Arbor Gold and asked, "May I ask why you sent for me, Lady?"

"It wasn't originally me who sought you out. But now, I'm quite happy to have a chat with a priestess," the widow said with a sly smile.

"Who was looking for me?"

"Shadowbinder S'Tham."

"Her?" Dany frowned. "What does she want?"

"S'Tham came from Asshai, a grand sorceress brought here by Malakho. Her purpose..." The widow's black eyes gleamed sharply. "To hatch dragons!"

"I already knew that."

"The Shadowbinder thinks highly of you. After the Fire Mage Lisbon's death, she intends for you to take his place—"

"Lisbon is dead? The Fire Mage Lisbon who attended last night's gathering?" Dany was so shocked that she directly interrupted the widow.

"Alas, yes, him. He was too greedy." The old woman nodded and sighed. "Using that miraculous sorcery, Three Gods Return to the Cave, he won 3,000 Gold Glimmer coins from merchants and travelers in just one morning. He converted all of it into gold—an entire large sack—and walked out carrying it on his back.

It's said that ever since the Dragon Queen miraculously hatched her dragons, magic has begun to revive in recent years.

I am just an ordinary person, unable to perform even the simplest spells, but I have many wizard friends and understand well the limits of a sorcerer's power—under normal circumstances, it's often less useful than a rusted dagger.

Once again, the Fire Mage proved this. Near Sweetwater Street, in a narrow alley, someone slit his throat, stabbed him through the abdomen, and even stripped him of his clothes."

"That... pathetic?!" Dany was at a loss for words.

The greatest genius of Westeros, hailed as 'East Supreme, West Renowned,' the number one talent of his generation, had died so disgracefully in a filthy gutter!

"Why was he carrying such a large sack of gold into such a secluded place?" Dany asked curiously.

"The Priestess Layla isn't a local, so she may have misunderstood. Sweetwater Street isn't secluded at all. There are many banks there, including a branch of the Iron Bank. The Fire Mage had won so much money in plain view of the public—of course, he felt uneasy and wanted to deposit it."

"Have they caught the murderer?" Dany asked.

"Not yet, but…"

The old widow gestured toward a group of mercenaries drinking nearby. "Do you see the table outside recruiting mercenary companies? Lately, Volantis has been absorbing nearly all the rogue mercenaries from Westeros. There's an eighty percent chance it was one of them."

"Sigh, what a loss! Lisbon still owed me a Valyrian steel dagger!" Dany lamented.

"Oh? Is that so?"

After Dany briefly explained their transaction, the old widow mused, "No wonder Grand Sorcerer Tam gave you that spot."

"What spot?"

"Lisbon was one of the most outstanding supernaturals in Volantis. He was part of the Dragon-Hatching Mage Group formed by Maracho. Now that he's dead, Tam, who is in charge of the group, intends for you to replace the Fire Mage," the old widow explained.

"But I'm just... uh, a priest of the Seven," Dany said awkwardly.

"Perhaps the Shadowbinder just wants to compensate you. Wait until she returns in the evening and ask her yourself."

After relaying Tam's decision, the old widow did not let Dany leave but instead shifted the conversation to other matters.

"I heard that Priestess Layla recently arrived from New Ghis and is quite familiar with the Dragon Queen's policies?" The old woman scrutinized Dany with sharp, fox-like eyes, unwilling to miss even the slightest change in her expression.

"Look at me—galaxy-purple eyes, good-looking. I almost resemble the legendary Dragon Queen exactly—of course, not the version depicted in Ghiscari operas. How could I not be curious and admiring of such a legendary figure?" Dany spread her hands and spoke openly.

"That makes sense. If it weren't for your demeanor... hmm, more delicate and gentle, lacking the decisive, fierce aura of a ruler, I would have almost mistaken you for the Dragon Queen herself," the old woman nodded.

Heh, no matter how well-informed and cunning you are, you probably don't know the saying: 'The dragon can be great or small, can ascend or hide; great, it soars among the clouds and mist; small, it conceals itself in the form of a snake; ascending, it flies across the universe; hiding, it lurks beneath the waves.'

"I thought everyone had been misled by those operas, believing the Dragon Queen has a head the size of a cauldron, stands ten feet tall, and has a waist just as wide," Dany chuckled.

After the joke, she asked again, "I do have extensive knowledge of the Dragon Queen. What exactly would you like to know, madam?"

"Well, I've heard that the Dragon Queen is extremely harsh on merchants who use slaves. If she conquers Volantis, how will she deal with people like me? To be honest, I was born a slave, but now I own a large number of slave workers and have accumulated great wealth through them," the old widow blinked anxiously as she asked.

"You will suffer a huge financial loss.

First, all slaves will be freed and will receive back pay for their years of service.

They will have the right to determine their own futures—they can start businesses with their money or sign labor contracts with you to continue working for you.

Second, the Dragon Queen will fine you based on how the slaves perceive you. If you have a terrible reputation, you may even lose your head.

Finally, she will conduct a citywide population census and forcibly purchase a portion of your land and property, ensuring that every newly freed person gets at least fifteen acres of fertile land and a house of their own."

As Dany spoke, the old widow nodded. Though her expression did not show obvious displeasure, her brows furrowed so tightly that they could crush a mosquito.

"Heh, quite harsh, isn't it?" Dany grinned.

"The Dragon Queen isn't just acting on a whim. She truly intends to abolish slavery," the old widow sighed.

Dany nodded. "No one can shake her resolve."

"Will the Black Wall nobles who oppose her and the merchants who support her be treated differently?"

"Of course," Dany affirmed. "The Dragon Queen abolished slavery, but she didn't abolish the aristocracy or government positions.

All slave owners will lose part of their wealth, but those who oppose her will also lose their privileges, while those who support her will be rewarded and become the new nobility. It's that simple—practical and pragmatic."

"Also quite clever," the old widow relaxed her brows and smiled.

(End of chapter)

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