Capítulo 181: Chapter 181: Arrival at Pentos — A Dazzling Scene
In the distance, faint light pierced through the mist over the sea, shimmering near the horizon.
The captain was loudly giving orders. Sailors climbed up and down three tall masts, busy adjusting rigging and the heavy purple sails.
Below deck, rowers sat at the oars, exerting themselves to row.
The deck creaked as it tilted to one side, and the three-masted ship sailed the Greenblood, then turned to starboard, preparing to enter the harbor.
Arianne Martell grew up in the Water Gardens. The sea had always been a part of her memories.
But seeing the sea from the Water Gardens and being in the middle of the sea were completely different experiences.
In the past, she had only seen the gentle side of the sea, but these few days had shown her the true power of the sea.
After several days of travel, Arianne followed the fleet from Sunspear, crossed the Stepstones, then traveled north along the coast, always keeping land within sight. They passed through the Free Cities of Tyrosh and Myr, and finally arrived at Pentos.
To keep their movements secret and prevent King's Landing from knowing about the Martell family's plans, Arianne traveled secretly aboard a merchant ship under the Martell family banner.
This journey took almost a month, during which they encountered storms and pirates. Finally, the fleet safely arrived at their destination.
Now, Arianne could finally see Pentos, which she had long awaited.
In fact, although reluctantly, Arianne eventually agreed to her father's request to go to Pentos and become a holy maiden of the Faith of the Dragon.
Although there was a sense of responsibility to her family in this decision, the real reason was her father's description of the messenger of the Dragon God—the person she, as a holy maiden, would serve.
According to the subsequent letter from Oberyn, that messenger was indeed a remarkably handsome man.
According to Oberyn's recollection, his appearance surpassed even that of the once-renowned Prince Rhaegar, which completely matched Arianne's preferences.
Yes, in modern terms, Arianne was a sucker for good looks.
In addition, that messenger possessed great power.
He could raise stone platforms from the ground with a wave of his hand, and manipulate both fire and ice.
Even more astonishingly, Oberyn had heard from the drunken warriors of Pentos' Slaver's Bay that they had seen the messenger transform from human to dragon and back.
Of course, when sober, these warriors would never admit to it; they remained secretive about the matter.
It was only after learning about these things that Arianne reluctantly agreed to her father's request.
At the dock, surrounded by several guards from Pentos, Melisandre was already waiting.
To her, Arianne Martell was not just a pretty woman. She represented a coastline that could provide landing, sufficient food, and a constant supply of soldiers.
According to Arianne's status, even if not received with the etiquette of a crown princess, at the very least, she should have been greeted with the courtesy given to ambassadors of other countries.
Just a few guards were not enough; there should have been at least a ceremonial guard that could be lined up, and it would have been better if a few of Daenerys's senior officials made a symbolic appearance.
However, the cooperation between Daenerys and House Martell was strictly confidential.
Although the Westeros were not very sensitive to intelligence from the continent of Essos, and King Robert was now deeply immersed in his debauchery, completely lacking in vigilance, it was always wise to be cautious.
However, to show importance, Melisandre still made a personal visit.
After the merchant ship docked, Arianne gracefully stepped down from the gangplank.
She wore sandals made of sand snake skin, the laces tied straight to her thighs.
Her jet-black hair curled into small coils, cascading down her back. On her forehead, there was a copper headpiece in the shape of the sun.
Arianne resembled her mother, standing at only five feet two inches tall, yet underneath the jeweled belt and the loose purple and yellow silk robe that fluttered in the wind, she possessed a curvaceous womanly figure.
"Your Grace, welcome to Pentos."
Seeing Arianne's arrival, Melisandre immediately approached.
She was entirely clad in white, as usual, not in ceremonial robes, just ordinary attire. Her sleeves were long, with slits revealing a darker red shirt underneath.
She wore a red-gold collar around her throat, tighter than any maester's chain, with a large ruby embedded in it. In her hand, she held a golden staff with a dragon motif.
Her hair was polished deep red copper, gleaming in the sunlight. Even her eyes were red... but her skin was fair and smooth, flawless like cream; her figure was elegant and slender, taller than most knights, with ample breasts, a slender waist, and a heart-shaped face.
Once a man's gaze landed on her, it was hard to look away, even Arianne was no exception.
"Thank you, Lady Melisandre. I didn't expect that the Pope of the Dragon God Faith would greet me personally. I am overwhelmed by your presence."
Arianne nodded in acknowledgment to Melisandre.
Although she had never met Melisandre, she had learned about her from her uncle—Oberyn had meticulously informed his niece of all his knowledge about the court of Daenerys to prevent Arianne from making any mistakes.
In the past, Arianne might have sneered at someone like Melisandre, a religious fanatic. But now she dared not show the slightest disrespect because she truly wielded divine power.
However, what truly caught Arianne's attention was not, um, the magic-wielding Melisandre. It was this bustling yet orderly port.
Yes, Arianne had never seen such a bustling port before, as if all the ships in the world had gathered here.
They ranged from large merchant ships belonging to large groups like the Thirteen and the Tourmaline Brotherhood, to small flat-bottomed boats belonging to small businessmen.
But regardless of where these ships came from, whether they belonged to the Sealord of Braavos or to the Iron Islands with their iron fleet, they obediently followed the commands of the harbor guards, neatly lining up in the harbor.
Right by the sea was a huge, bustling market that never slept.
Wine cellars, warehouses, and gambling dens lined both sides of the road, but surprisingly, there was no chaos here.
Neatness and cleanliness were the characteristics of this port, and even the whole city.
Arianne often saw people dressed in yellow clothes and green vests cleaning up the dirt on the ground at any time, while drainage ditches on both sides of the road directed all the sewage into the sea.
"Pentos' harbor has now surpassed Qarth's and become the largest port in the known world," Melisandre explained, noticing Arianne's gaze.
"The messenger not only brings us great miracles but also many technologies far beyond those of ordinary people.
This includes cheap yet beautiful glass and porcelain, cement for rapid construction of buildings, rich spirits, soapberry for easy cleaning, and textiles that have reduced in price by dozens of times."
"With these affordable yet high-quality goods, Pentos immediately became the wealthiest city in the world. Naturally, it has thrived as it does now."
"Now, the messenger has also invented a type of paper made from grass and wood, which is a hundred times whiter than parchment and even cheaper than cloth.
Additionally, the messenger has invented a printing technology. He plans to produce large quantities of cheap books using paper and printing technology, allowing everyone to have the opportunity to learn.
In the future, even peasants will be able to afford books."
Melisandre's tone as she recounted all this was quite enthusiastic, and anyone could hear the heartfelt admiration in her voice.
"Ah, this messenger is indeed quite wise and great," Arianne praised.
She truly admired such a messenger, who not only possessed divine powers but also wisdom surpassing that of ordinary people.
However, an image of an old maester inexplicably appeared in her mind.
She shook her head to dispel the image.
During their journey, Arianne had seen guards riding horses or on foot more than once.
These guards were all clad in sturdy and beautiful armor, wielding sharp weapons, and were tall and strong, standing in neat formations. It was truly impressive.
Currently, in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the military system resembled that of medieval Europe.
Apart from the Night's Watch on the Wall, there were few organized professional armies.
Among them, the largest number of soldiers was in the Gold Cloaks guarding King's Landing, but they numbered only two thousand.
For noble families like the Lannisters, Starks, and the Martells to which Arianne belonged, the normal size of their standing army would not exceed 500, and they would be scattered throughout their territories.
For a young noble like Arianne, who had not experienced war firsthand, seeing this unified armor-clad army with swords and spears was quite shocking.
Especially for someone like Arianne, who possessed considerable political ambition and talent, nothing showed power more than a strong army.
What was even more exaggerated was that almost everyone wore metal armor. These breastplates were seamless, with hardly any visible rivet marks.
"These armors are beautiful. I've never seen this style of armor before," Arianne exclaimed, intentionally or unintentionally.
"Your Grace, you did indeed notice the key point," Melisandre said, noticing her purpose, smiling slightly as she explained, and seemed to show off.
"These breastplates are not entirely crafted by human hands. The messenger has created some machines that can utilize hydraulic, wind, or animal power.
These machines can generate forces far beyond humans, and the most important part of these armors is forged by these machines.
Currently, Pentos already has a standing army of over a hundred thousand, but we will soon be able to outfit each of them with metal armor."
One hundred thousand.
This number deeply shocked Arianne. She had never imagined what it would be like to see a hundred thousand people all wearing shining metal armor. Even if these were just breastplates.
In Westeros, only nobles and their personal guards had the opportunity to wear iron armor.
After that, before arriving at the Temple of the Dragon, everything Arianne saw and heard along the way deeply impressed the girl.
At this moment, her envy for Daenerys had reached its peak.
Before, she had indeed envied Daenerys, because Daenerys even after being younger than her had accomplished what she had not until now.
She could govern a region, wield power, and determine her own destiny without taking orders from anyone.
But now, what Arianne envied most was the fact that behind Daenerys, there was actually the entire Church of Dragon God, or rather, she had support of a person like the messenger of Dragon God.
She truly believed that Daenerys alone had the ability to govern Pentos prosperously.
But she absolutely did not believe that Daenerys alone could make Pentos as wealthy and powerful as it is now, far surpassing the entire era.
She thought that behind today's Pentos, there must be some supernatural force supporting it.
And the source of all this was the so-called messenger.
She was increasingly looking forward to meeting this messenger of the Dragon God.
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