Game of Thrones: The Red Dragon Lord.

Chapter 188: Astapor
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the port of Astapor, and the "Sunset Beauty" slowly approached the shore like a tired traveler.

The sailors skillfully dropped ropes to secure the ship tightly.

With a dull sound, the pedal was firmly lowered.

A tax collector from Astapor strode aboard.

He was dressed in a dark red tokha robe with a black leather belt around his waist on which hung a bronze medallion symbolizing power.

Kairos immediately went over with a stack of documents and certificates.

After a while, after Kairos paid the tax and sent the tax officer off the ship, he came to Gavin's room and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, we can go into the city now. We have booked a hotel with a better environment for you a long time ago. You can go there to rest first."

Gavin nodded slightly and said, "Give those crew members more money and ask them to stay on the ship. Don't get off the ship. Leave your people to watch over them. Bring some of the Blood Dragon Guards into the city first, and bring the others in in batches. Don't draw attention."

After hearing this, Kairos bowed and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have made arrangements."

Then Gavin stood up and walked towards the deck.

In the recent encounter with the Serenity, Gavin was forced to use magic. The crew members who saw the fire snake had already guessed his identity. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Gavin decided to put them under house arrest.

The huge wooden pier of the port extends to the sea. After years of baptism and erosion by the sea breeze, the wooden boards are a little mottled, but still solid and reliable. Gavin stands on the wooden pier and looks at the surrounding environment.

The entire dock was extremely busy, with countless ships docked at the port and all kinds of flags fluttering in the wind.

Not far away was a similarly low and dilapidated wooden wall, but on top of the wall, every ten meters there stood an Unsullied, holding spears in their hands, and beneath their tall spiked helmets, they revealed calm eyes.

Under the scorching sun, they stood like silent guards, motionless, as if they had merged into the city wall.

Among the three cities in Slaver's Bay, Meereen and Yunkai rely on long-term hired mercenary groups as military forces. In order to protect their own safety, the good lords built tall walls and complete city defense measures in both cities.

In contrast, in Astapor, the good lords never cared about the city's defense facilities. The city was surrounded by dilapidated, low wooden walls, some of which even had broken gaps, and the entire city defense was useless.

But among the three cities, Astapor has the strongest defense because it has the most disciplined legion - the Unsullied.

In addition to being Astapor's strongest defensive force, the Unsullied are also the best-selling commodity here. They are trained by the Good Masters in imitation of the Ghis Legion of the ancient Ghis period, except that the members were once Ghis people and turned into slaves. The Unsullied are known for their discipline, and after cruel training, they were deprived of their emotions and self, and became machines that only knew how to obey orders and fight.

In one battle, the Unsullied Legion formed a defense force of 3,000 people and successfully resisted the attack of 50,000 Dothraki cavalry.

Because of this, many rulers of city-states would purchase Unsullied to defend their city-states or as their own guards. The training and sale of Unsullied became Astapor's main source of income.

Gavin slowly withdrew his gaze, and under the guidance of Kairos, stepped into the ancient city of Astapor.

Behind him, several mercenaries and ten Blood Dragon Guards followed closely, carrying heavy boxes filled with golden dragons. Their footsteps echoed in the narrow and crowded streets. The streets of Astapor were narrow and crowded, and the air was filled with the smell of dust and sweat.

The streets were filled with noisy voices, and on both sides of the streets, countless slaves waiting to be sold were piled up like cargo.

Their eyes were filled with fear, despair and numbness, as if they were souls abandoned by fate. Most of the slaves were ragged and skinny, as if they would fall down at the slightest gust of wind; some of the strong ones were bound by heavy shackles, the weight of which was like a boulder of fate, making it impossible for them to break free.

The slave traders were shouting loudly and showing off their "goods". When they saw Gavin coming, they were like sharks smelling blood and took the initiative to introduce their slaves. However, Gavin seemed not to hear them. He just walked slowly and looked around quietly.

The architectural style here is unique, mostly low stone houses and wooden structures. The colors on the walls are mottled, witnessing the erosion of time.

Soon, they arrived in front of a stone courtyard. The waiter at the door saw Kairos and Gavin from afar and hurried over to greet them.

He said respectfully in Valyrian: "Good day, Captain Kyros. I thought you would be a few days late. This should be the lord you are escorting. Welcome to Astapor. I hope you can buy satisfactory goods here."

Gavin narrowed his eyes slightly, pretending that he didn't understand the language, and didn't say anything.

Kairos on the side waved his hand casually and responded in Valyrian: "The wind has been favorable all the way, and we haven't encountered any blind pirates, so the speed is much faster than expected."

After hearing this, the waiter showed a happy smile on his face and said, "That's great, I hope your return journey will be as smooth. The rooms are ready, Captain Kairos, distinguished sir, please follow me." As he spoke, the waiter led everyone into the hotel.

After entering the lobby, Kairos said to the waiter, "No need to follow me, I know the way. Go prepare some food and send it to the room." As he said that, he took out a few copper coins and casually gave them to the waiter.

The waiter skillfully took the money into his arms, smiled, and bowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you for your generosity. Please wait in the room and it will be brought to you soon."

Night fell quietly, and the inky darkness slowly enveloped Astapor.

The ancient city was vaguely visible under the dim moonlight, and the lights on the streets were dotted like stars twinkling in the night sky.

In the quiet atmosphere, there was a gentle knock on Gavin's door.

Kairos walked in with a young man dressed in Gis civilian clothes.

The young man was calm and composed, but his eyes were slightly excited. When he saw Gavin, he bowed respectfully and said, "Good day, Your Majesty. I am the person in charge of Maester Qyburn's group here. My name is Jalal McGee, and I am here to serve you."

Gavin nodded slightly, his expression calm, and said, "Tell me about the situation of the Good Masters of Astapor, and the number of Unsullied you have investigated."

Jalal straightened up slightly and replied calmly, "There are more than ten Good Lords in Astapor. They and their families jointly control the city's economic and political power and take turns to serve as the ruling family. Each Good Lord family has its own trained Unsullied, but the number of Unsullied trained by each family is different. The Aiel family has the most, with 2,500, and the Daznaan family has the least, with only 300. The total number of Unsullied for sale in Astapor is about 10,000."

(End of this chapter)