"I certainly like friendship, but not from the savage Dothraki." The Spice Merchant's face darkened.
Gritting her teeth, Daenerys suppressed the urge to strike back. She didn't want to make the relationship too tense, fearing that pushing too hard would lead them to seize her dragons by force.
The Spice Merchant stood there, but the expected anger didn't come, so he could only return to the ranks of the Thirteen in resentment.
Watching the Spice Merchant walk back, Jorah was somewhat puzzled and looked at Daenerys with a questioning gaze.
Was the Khal Drogo really going to give up the chance to enter the city just like that?
"This is hardly the hospitality of the Qartheen, especially when the guest is the Mother of Dragons."
Just as everyone thought the negotiations had broken down and Daenerys was about to turn her team away, a tall, dark-skinned middle-aged man stepped out from the Thirteen.
"Zaro Xhoan Daxos, do you have anything else to say?" the Spice Merchant asked with a frown.
"I simply believe that since the Mother of Dragons has crossed the Red Waste to reach us, we should not shut her out." Zaro nodded slightly to Daenerys.
Daenerys looked at Zaro with hope; if she could enter the city, she didn't want to walk for several more days to the coast.
"The Thirteen have reached a consensus. Do you really want them to enter our city?" the Spice Merchant questioned.
"I am one of the Thirteen as well, am I not?" Zaro's expression was firm.
"Our decision will not be easily changed!" The Spice Merchant looked at the other merchant princes, and they all nodded in response.
"Then I request to invoke the Sumai!"
Having said that, Zaro pulled out a sharp dagger from his waist, gripped the blade, and made a forceful cut. A deep gash appeared in his palm, and blood dripped down.
In the distance, Daenerys and Jorah's expressions changed simultaneously upon seeing this. They hadn't expected Zaro to use such a method to let them into the city; what then was his objective?
Seeing Zaro's bleeding palm, the Spice Merchant flicked his sleeve and walked aside. The other merchant princes stirred and made way, and the gates slowly opened.
Although she didn't know why Zaro insisted on letting them in, seeing the open gates and the bustling city within, Daenerys felt a glimmer of hope amidst her concern.
The crisis was temporarily resolved; as for Zaro's intentions, they could be discussed later.
Qarth was indeed a great city. Upon entering the gates, they saw rows of exquisite tall buildings on both sides of the road, lush trees, and Qartheen pedestrians with pale, beautiful skin and elegant clothing. No wonder they were known as the Milk Men.
As they passed through the gates, Drogon lifted the curtain. Seeing the bustling scene of Qarth, even he, a transmigrator from the new century, was greatly impressed.
It was hard to imagine such a beautiful port city existing on the edge of a wasteland.
Passing through the busy streets, Daenerys and the others were settled into one of Zaro's private small estates. After arranging things for them, Zaro left like a gentleman.
Having washed away the dust of the journey and dressed in magnificent Qartheen attire, the exquisite Daenerys already possessed a hint of a queen's aura.
Drogon and the other two dragons were released from their cages to move about the courtyard. Drogon not only ate a lot but also digested quickly. The maids Jeyne and Illyrio, having just finished tidying the rooms, were busy setting up the grill to roast meat.
Having changed into a new outfit, Daenerys personally grilled meat for her little dragons despite the smoke. She loved watching them swallow greedily, as if she could derive a sense of satisfaction from it as well.
Seeing the radiant Dragon Mother, Drogon couldn't help but admire her in his heart, [As expected of the pure Targaryen bloodline, she is every bit the queen.]
While grilling the meat and listening to the unusual praise from Drogon, Daenerys was overjoyed.
The little dragons had staggering appetites and grew extremely fast, changing almost every day. Drogon, in particular, was half again as large as the other two dragons.
Daenerys had already begun to fantasize about the scene of riding a dragon and flying through the sky.
Now Drogon could barely breathe out Dragonfire to roast meat for himself. Since the amount of Dragonfire was too small, it could only char the skin, leaving the inside half-raw. Drogon didn't like it, but Viserion and Rhaegal weren't so picky; as long as the surface was charred yellow and the inside was medium-rare, they could swallow it.
Drogon practiced while grilling meat for the other two dragons, which saved Daenerys and the maids a lot of trouble.
Stretching his wings, Drogon had time to observe his two kin, the gold dragon Viserion and the Green Dragon Rhaegal.
[These two stupid dragons need to be trained well; they can't just die randomly again and disgrace our dragon race.] Drogon thought to himself as he watched the two dragons fighting over the roast meat.
Daenerys, who was busy with the roast meat, felt her heart twitch slightly, then turned from worry to joy. Having Drogon train Rhaegal and Viserion was much better than training them herself.
"Khal Drogo."
Jorah's voice came from the door, and he was bringing someone with him.
"Khal Drogo, this is Captain Khululu of the 'Cinnamon Wind', from Tall Trees Town in the Summer Isles. He has brought you news from Westeros."
Captain Khululu, whose skin was oily and black, hurriedly prostrated himself and shouted: "Noble Mother of Dragons, it is my honor to meet you!"
At the mention of Westeros, not only did Daenerys become interested, but even Drogon, who was practicing grilling meat nearby, pricked up his ears.
"You've been to Westeros? How is it there now?" Daenerys asked with slight urgency.
"King Robert is dead, and it's in total chaos there..."
"The Usurper is dead?" Daenerys could hardly believe it.
She had grown up hearing stories of The Usurper, who was also the shadow and nightmare of her childhood. Legend had it that he was as tall and fierce as a black bear, and had killed her brother Rhaegar, whom she had never met, with a single hammer blow to seize the iron throne.
He was also the reason she had been running for her life since she was in the womb, living in constant displacement and facing the risk of assassination at any time. Just recently, she had almost drunk the poisoned wine he sent; fortunately, Ser Jorah was there, and his plot failed to succeed.
Now that she had actually heard the news of his death, Daenerys suddenly felt as though the sky above her had cleared.
"Is this news certain? How did he die? Tell me everything else you know about Westeros." Daenerys was very worried that her joy would be in vain.
"The news is absolutely certain. The once-valiant King Robert was gored to death by a boar; all of Westeros is talking about it. Prince Joffrey has inherited the throne, and the King's two brothers have fled King's Landing, refusing to recognize the succession and intending to crown themselves. The Hand, Eddard Stark, has been arrested for treason." Khululu continued his narration.
Daenerys grew happier as she listened, while also looking at Jorah, hoping he would help discern the truth of the news.
"Eddard and Robert were like brothers; it's absolutely impossible for him to commit treason," Jorah analyzed.
"Why wouldn't he? Didn't he betray my father back then and become Robert's lapdog!" Daenerys retorted angrily.
Besides hating Robert for usurping the throne, she also deeply hated the officials who betrayed her father. They were all Robert's accomplices and executioners; without them, she wouldn't have lived a life of flight before she was even born.
Facing the angry Daenerys, Jorah did not defend Eddard any further, especially since it was Eddard who had sentenced him to death, forcing him into exile overseas.
[Eddard has already been beheaded, and the Five Kings are fighting fiercely right now.]