[Chapter Size: 3600 Words.]

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Third Person POV

Essos, 281 AC.

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A raven approached the Artican group at that moment, while Jon waited for the animal to land on his arm as he extended it in front of him, seeing that the bird had a scroll tied to its leg and was heading in his direction. They were advancing through the desert that morning after the camp had been dismantled.

“What do we have here… This is from Brynden…” Jon commented, removing the paper.

They were still in the Dothraki desert, traveling for over a week to the north after leaving Vaes Dothrak, more specifically northwest, since the fleet was stationed inside a large lake formed by seawater through the opening they had passed when entering the region.

Jon kept his eyes on his ships, along with a few animals from the region miles away. He noticed that the stationary fleet received, unsurprisingly, curious glances from various Dothraki groups passing along the coast, but no khalasar with more than 10,000 men. There were also pirates circling the entrance of the canal, but upon noticing the number of Artican ships, they hesitated to attack and only approached to observe before turning back and leaving.

Jon knew this could soon become a problem. Those pirates were gathering information and would likely start joining other groups in the region to launch an attack.

Even so, his army of 5,000 men, dwarves, and giants aboard the ships was prepared to face any threat, even if the attack happened before they reached the coast. After all, the Articans still had wildfire stored on their ships, their devastating weapon that could usually decide any battle fought at sea, as they were the kings of the waters, and some people in this region might not have heard just how dangerous they could be.

In any case, Jon opened the scroll while riding his horse, Panis, as Ghost was patrolling the area around the group, running through the desert. The direwolf was already somewhat more accustomed to the heat, despite still hating it.

Ghost was not wearing his armor at that moment. It was stored inside one of the army’s wagons, as there was no need to wear it now. They had encountered a few khalasars, but none had advanced against them in a hostile manner, seeing that their group was vastly superior. The only battle that had taken place was when they spotted a medium-sized city being raided by 5,000 Dothraki, which led them to charge against them and exterminate them.

Jon then read the letter for a few seconds before closing it again.

“Anything about Artica?” Seryna asked at his side, curious if there was any news from Artica.

“No, but Brynden is in Merryn… Our business has been advancing in the south for over two moons,” Jon replied.

After all, there was another campaign that his ministers were conducting under his command. Besides the Minister of Economy of Artica being near Braavos, other ministers were at sea, aligning Artica’s trade in the south.

He had ordered them to initiate a strategic movement to consolidate the region’s contracts, and this time, both the Minister of Foreign Relations and the Minister of Trade were leading negotiations to try to secure an agreement with smaller cities to develop business along the coast, as this meant more product exports.

Another major city was finally being included in the Artican trade route, as his ministers were returning directly from Lys at that moment. Despite past tensions, Artica and Lys had finally reached an agreement with the Articans after all the turmoil caused by the Maerys family.

The powerful Maerys family, which once ruled with influence in the city, no longer existed. With the chaos that Zafir Maerys had caused and the danger that Artica posed to the city, along with them falling behind while all the major Free Cities maintained active trade with Artica, they rebelled against the Maerys family, erasing their names from the records of Volantis.

As a sign of Lys redeeming itself, its lands and properties were officially transferred to the royal family of Artica as compensation for the offense committed by the deceased son of the family, who was known as the “Prince of Lys,” against Jon. This happened when Jon was in Yi-Ti, involved in Emperor Oden’s war.

Jon had not asked for any of this, but he certainly wouldn’t refuse the offer. He could use these properties in the future for his family. Now that his enemies were destroyed, a new trade agreement had been established with the ministers in the city.

Besides Lys, other cities were also officially prepared to receive Artican goods. Now, there were few places left in the world where Artica’s products did not circulate.

The only exception was Westeros. Since the events involving Jon’s actions in the Seven Kingdoms, Artica had ended all trade routes. Even though some nobles were still open to the participation of Artican products or even begged for the ships to return to distribute ice and other goods, Jon no longer trusted the Crown of Westeros and decided to cease all sales and exchanges of merchandise with the continent.

While those two ministers were in charge of diplomacy, part of the fleet advanced eastward to the south of Essos, with a clear objective: the former Slaver’s Bay—if that place could even still be called that.

Brynden, in turn, was responsible for overseeing the organization of the city and seemed to have an interest in meeting an old acquaintance. He would remain there for two moons, ensuring that everything went according to the king’s plan, as he was one of the best administrators in Artica. And he would return to the kingdom a little more than a moon after Jon’s return.

Back to Jon, he looked at his wife.

“The rumors already seem to be reaching the south,” Jon commented.

“Brynden said the south is already starting to hear about the Artican army among the Dothraki after landing in the north…”

Jon did not find that situation unusual, despite the rumors still being outdated. The circulating news indicated that the Articans were merely entering Dothraki territory and defeating some khals in nearby areas. However, the fact that Moro’s Khalasar and Drogo’s Khalasar had been completely destroyed was still not widely known outside the Vaes Dothraki region.

“But we are doing very well in trade… We have Lys, smaller cities, and our ships are steady and constant in new areas like the Summer Lands. Perhaps we should explore that region…” Jon said, as there were great cities north of Essos. It could be an opportunity, despite the sea being a bit more chaotic there with many storms in the region.

“So, it looks like Artica’s trade is dominating the entire continent, isn’t it?” Seryna commented.

Jon, who had already imagined that the ministers were negotiating with the last remaining cities, nodded before responding.

“Yes. Our coffers are filling with more gold by the day. And it’s not just the people of Essos who are buying; even the people of Westeros are coming to Essos to chase after our products… After all, we are the only ones who can trade certain goods.”

Despite many trying to steal their methods, Jon doubted they could truly replicate the quality of Artican products. They did not have the natural resources that Artica possessed, being able to cultivate fruits from various regions of the world in just one place. Besides that, the production of beverages, fabrics, and other special goods was only possible due to the Ice Spiders, which wove unique textiles, and this species only existed north of the Wall.

Another problem for their competitors was the storage boxes that allowed ice to be preserved. Many people had attempted to steal them to copy the method—and some had succeeded—but they became useless after a while. The magic within them dissipated, and the only way to reactivate them was through the Great Sacred Tree of Artica. This made them worthless to the rest of the world once the magical energy in their runes was depleted.

In any case, Jon and his army continued their journey for another week until they reached the coast. As soon as they arrived in the region, they were met with a chaotic sight: explosions could be seen at the entrance of the canal.

More than 50 pirate ships had attempted to invade and plunder the Artican fleet. At least two dozen pirate groups had been convinced to unite for the attack, believing that the Articans had only about 5,000 men and could be destroyed, allowing them to divide the loot among themselves.

However, what they encountered was their own death. The Artican ships began firing projectiles loaded with wildfire from hundreds of meters away. Before the pirates could even get close, their vessels were engulfed in flames and obliterated.

The Artican warriors in the desert could see the massive flames lighting up the horizon. Even from afar, they could feel the impact of the explosions. The screams of the dying men could not be heard from that distance, but everyone knew it was happening there.

“Well, that plague is over,” Jon commented as his eagles soared above the scene, observing the chaos below.

The battle was brief. The few pirate ships that survived began to retreat. Perhaps 12 of the 50 had escaped the massacre.

The Articans, however, did not pursue them. The army quickly prepared to board the fleet now that they had reached the coast. Finally, they were ready to head home.

“Take our fallen warriors first,” Jon ordered.

There were about 5,000 fallen Articans, with wagons carrying the bodies of the soldiers who had lost their lives in battle. They would be buried with full honors in Artica.

The bodies were being transported covered in a special liquid. A rare plant, discovered by Jon in Sothoryos, when ground and turned into liquid, could preserve the bodies of the dead by sprinkling or using it as body oil on them. This would help prevent odor and decomposition until they reached the kingdom.

After the bodies were taken, the group began boarding the ships.

The nearby cities and villages, which had fled upon the arrival of the Articans, started to return, realizing that the army did not pose a direct threat to them, but every day they still watched them with caution.

For two days, they organized all the men on the coast to board the fleet along with the new residents of the kingdom. They were finally ready to depart.

Of the 45,000 Articans who had come to fight with their king, 40,000 of them would return home. But the deaths of those 5,000 would not be in vain, and everyone would honor them and their families after making great history in the Dothraki desert.

Now, it was not only their Artican men, dwarves, and giants—who were already accustomed to being aboard Artican ships—but also the Dothraki and the former slaves who had joined the group, trying to adjust after stepping on board.

Although the number was not overwhelming, it still meant thousands of new subjects for Artica. As long as they continued to obey Artican laws and respect its customs, they would be welcomed, just as they had been so far. Moreover, they had already accepted Jon’s strict conditions to become part of the kingdom. Jon had decided to take them to Artica, and this number of 25,000 would not be a problem.

“Well, there’s nothing left for us here. Let’s set sail,” Jon declared before stepping onto the ship, where his pregnant wife awaited him.

With everything ready, the fleet left the canal and sailed into the northern waters of Essos. Then, they entered the waters of the Shivering Sea and set course westward, heading home.

Meanwhile, far from there, almost on the same longitude as Vaes Dothrak, lay the Slaver’s Bay. In this region, Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen were being managed by Artican men, who were seeking a way to change the region’s economy, as everything there seemed to revolve around slavery. This required a great deal of time, as they were trying to change the mindset of nearly 700,000 people.

Jon and the administrators of Artica received constant reports on the progress of the situation in Slaver’s Bay. They concluded that the best way to transform the Free Cities was to convert them into a major trade hub for Artican products in the first few years.

This plan aimed to turn the region into a commercial bridge connecting Volantis and the entire Yi-Ti region, along with nearby cities on that side of Essos, ensuring that the cities could prosper without relying on slavery.

At first, the Red Priests took over part of the city’s administration as they had promised Jon, trying to contain the chaos among the former slaves and prevent retaliation after the execution of the former masters by their allies or relatives.

The gold that had been confiscated from the slavers was used to keep the economy running up to that moment, while the Articans had left part of their resources stored in the city’s warehouses—leftover goods from what they had sold to Yi-Ti.

The first shipment of Artican products arrived three moons after Jon left the city, along with specialists who had studied administration in Artica. The goal was to use Artica itself as a model to better develop the economy of Slaver’s Bay.

The Red Priests did not resist handing power over to the Articans. After all, they acted according to the instructions of the Red God, who had guided them to aid Azor Ahai in whatever was necessary. And consolidating Jon’s influence over the world, without needing to resort to direct domination, was an efficient way for Jon to lead all peoples when the war of humanity began, as the prophecy foretold by their god had declared.

Additionally, several Artican artisans were sent in large numbers. Jon offered generous rewards to those who agreed to contribute to the reconstruction and growth of that region outside Artica. Although he never forced an Artican to leave their lands, he provided incentives for those who accepted to spend a few moons away from home or even settle for years in the cities of Essos.

Even with the threat growing in the north, the kingdom of Artica continued to operate as usual. Its trade ships still departed from its great port through the canal, carrying goods for negotiations in foreign territories. The expansion of Artica’s trade and influence did not stop, even with the kingdom on the brink of a great war.

These artisans had been assigned to help develop skills among the former slaves, expanding on what they had already learned from their former masters. However, now they would have to work for themselves, no longer waiting for orders from anyone but managing their own lives. Producing their own goods through the craftsmanship the region could offer might be the first step in breaking free from the mindset of former slaves.

It was a challenge for men who, until recently, had spent their entire lives in chains. For many, freedom felt like a frightening void. After having lived their whole existence under chains and whips, they could now decide what they wanted for their lives, and that left them all uncertain about the future.

Unfortunately, perhaps some people would never truly free themselves from their chains—at least not mentally. However, a new generation was being formed—children and adolescents—a generation that would not carry the roots of slavery within them.

Just as Artica was developing a new generation of intelligent citizens, educating children to surpass those who had lived among tribes for much of their lives before entering Artica, the same could happen with the former slaves. Perhaps, within a few generations, their descendants would finally be free from the shadow of slavery and build a society of their own.

Jon had never been interested in ruling over Slaver’s Bay. After all, that was no longer Artica’s ambition. However, the bay could become an affiliated city to the kingdom, much like Volantis was the daughter of Valyria, and possibly the greatest trade center in southern Essos. Its location was perfect for this, surrounded by islands and with a coastline full of already established cities. They only needed to expand the ports and complete the construction of the warehouses that Artica was already developing there.

And at that moment, a man sat in a great chair as if he were a great lord in one of the strongholds of Westeros’ great houses. But this was Meereen, and the man was in the Great Pyramid, alone, his white, opaque eyes distant for a moment before he blinked and returned to reality.

“So, the time has come to return…” Brynden murmured to himself.

He had followed the events in Vaes Dothrak and had seen Jon and his army begin their journey back to Artica. Now, he too would need to depart for the kingdom.

Brynden had been in the bay for a moon, helping to develop the city as Jon had planned. However, it was time to return. Artica would need him now more than ever, as the greatest war the kingdom would face was about to begin. As Minister of Information, his role would be crucial.

“I see you’re busy. Are you thinking about the war that is approaching?” A female voice echoed through the hall.

Suddenly, a masked woman entered the place, her steps silent and graceful.

Brynden narrowed his eyes as he recognized her.

“You’re here again, Shiera?” he murmured.

The woman before him was his half-sister and, long ago, had also been his lover.

“I came to warn you that there is news from the west,” she commented. “The Golden Company is sending a group to speak with you. I don’t know exactly what the matter is, but they discovered that a high-ranking administrator from Artica was here.”

Brynden raised an eyebrow but soon shook his head.

“That doesn’t matter. I will be leaving for my kingdom today,” he stated firmly.

“I understand,” the woman responded calmly. “It seems the war has begun… But, as I said before, it will not end now.”

“That is not something you can decide, Shiera,” Brynden retorted.

“But I am not the one deciding, Brynden,” she countered, her tone laden with mystery. “That is the prophecy of the Red God. And nothing can go against His will.”

“You speak as if I followed gods as well. But no, I follow the Old Gods. I hope you remember that,” he said, after all, their religions and magical abilities came from different sources.

“I can understand… Either way, let me accompany you to the port, even though I know you would rather I didn’t,” she replied.

Brynden simply nodded as he rose from the great chair in Meereen and stepped outside, leaving Shiera behind.

Quickly, he began organizing all the men who would be departing for Artica, while a large group would remain in Slaver’s Bay, overseeing the construction of the Artican warehouses. Dwarves and other Articans were in charge of structuring the city, while former slaves were being paid to assist in construction—a way to introduce them to the concept of earning money through their own labor, something still foreign to most of them.

The Artican ships began preparing quickly. Brynden truly did not know what the Golden Company wanted with him. Jon had mentioned an interest in the elephants they possessed, but there was no time for negotiations. His presence was needed in the kingdom.

The port had not yet been rebuilt. The structure was still mostly in ruins, a reminder of the moment when Jon had set the city ablaze with wildfire during the invasion more than half a year ago. As Brynden walked toward the ships, the wreckage still littered the area.

“Damn it, you’re going to Artica while we stay here putting these humans to work?” the dwarf beside Brynden grumbled, clearly frustrated.

Brynden heard the complaint but ignored it. He knew the dwarves well and was aware that they were there by choice—no one had forced them to stay in the city.

Regardless, he stopped when he reached the ship’s prow, where the royal guards accompanied him. Before boarding, he turned his gaze to the masked woman who remained at the port.

“Brynden…” she called, her violet eyes locking onto his, which were blue and green. “I hope you think about what I said. I know I made many mistakes with you in the past and that you will never forgive me for them, but still… the world may depend on this. You understand that very well. After all, you worked to prevent this fate when you became the Three-Eyed Raven.”

She paused before continuing, her voice carrying a certain emotion.

“We followed different paths after all this time, yet fate has brought us together again. And the Sword will only be awakened in one way. We can make this happen… After all, you don’t want Azor Ahai to make that mistake with those he loves. You know he doesn’t deserve that.”

Shiera spoke softly, her voice firm and intense, while her mismatched eyes locked onto Brynden’s with more determination than he could ever remember.

“We shall see.”

That was the only thing Brynden replied. After all, the war was about to begin, and just like Jon, he had faith that the Articans would destroy the Night King and his army of the dead.

Without saying anything else, he boarded the ship, accompanied by all the Articans who would depart with him. The ships were already prepared and began leaving the docks, sailing away from Meereen.

————-Nexts Chapters —————-

Chapter 250 – Threat from the North.

Chapter 255 – An Offer to the Free Folk 02.

Chapter 265 – The Game of Thrones is About to Begin.

Chapter 274 – Prologue.

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