Nothing happened tonight; it was still a banquet hosted by the Prince of Pentos.
However, the protagonist of this evening's banquet had changed to the newly arrived Khal Jilokao, not Viserys, and the main venue for the banquet was also changed to Khal Jilokao's residence.
Khal Jilokao had about two thousand Archers, and his tribe had a bit more people; it was a small tribe.
The largest tribe in the Great Grass Sea had over forty thousand warriors, and this was when the dothraki were scattered; united, there would only be more.
Khal Jilokao's tribe was settled on the outskirts of Pentos, with Dothraki Screamers and even more women, children, and slaves.
The dothraki, bringing numerous livestock, camped outside the city walls, quickly erected grass-woven palaces, and ate all the food they could see.
And the Khal would come to the seaside palace to enjoy flattery and gifts from the Magisters.
However, this Khal Jilokao was of a slightly lower status, as his residence only had four high-rise towers.
The people of Pentos also treated guests according to their status; the highest level of treatment was the Nine Towers Palace.
Sitting on the high platform in the reception hall were the Prince of Pentos and the Dothraki Khal; Khal Jilokao was probably in his twenties or thirties and was the strongest warrior of his tribe.
His tribe could only be considered a small force in the dothraki Sea, but in Pentos, they were still honored guests and VIPs.
On one side of the seats below were the Pentos Magisters, and on the other were the Dothraki Screamers; these warriors were all bare-chested, wearing painted leather vests, bound with horsehair leg wraps, and belted with bronze waistbands.
Only the Khal and his Bloodriders would wear valuable belts, made of gold or silver.
Viserys and the other Pentos Magisters mingled together; as guests, they followed the hosts' arrangements, and the people of Pentos were also afraid that these two hot-blooded guests might cause trouble.
The Dothraki Khal was tall, with reddish-brown skin, a long beard tied with interlocking silver metal rings, and shiny black hair braided into countless plaits with silver bells hanging from them.
When the Khals visited the Free Cities, they would also wear elaborate clothes and perfume, unlike their crude subordinates.
The Prince of Pentos, sitting next to him, clearly became reserved, as everyone knew the Horse People were a rude and barbaric people.
"These are the gifts we have prepared for you," Magister Illyrio said.
Inside the cedar wood chests opened by the servants, treasures glittered, a dazzling array of various goods.
They were all spices, pepper, gold, fine wine, honey, and other materials that the dothraki urgently needed.
The Khals did not visit for free; each time they came, they would take away large amounts of gold, silver, good wine, and meat.
The Khals, of course, would not come for nothing; they would also give the people of Pentos slaves and some horses, and the people of Pentos would have to pay a large amount of remuneration in return.
Khal Jilokao also noticed Viserys; among a group of pot-bellied merchant magisters, young masters, and old men, Viserys truly stood out.
He was handsome, completely unlike the lewd, greasy-bearded, pointed-bearded people of Pentos; he looked like a brave and resolute warrior.
Viserys was the only one among the Pentos Magisters wearing silver armor, completely unlike the people of Pentos.
"Who is that silver-haired man?" Khal Jilokao asked curiously.
The translator conveyed this to the Prince of Pentos.
The Prince of Pentos replied with a smile, "That is King Viserys of the Andals, our distinguished guest."
Khal Jilokao noted down the name, Viserys, the new King of the Andals.
He hadn't expected that even that hilly land would have a king.
A thought flashed through Khal Jilokao's mind: he had received gifts, and this young man had also received gifts.
Khal Jilokao suddenly had a crazy idea: he couldn't beat Drogo, but could he not beat a cowardly milk man?
Recently, Drogo had been greatly expanding his power in the dothraki Sea, unrivaled; to avoid being swallowed up, he had decided to stay in Pentos for a while.
From this perspective, the more gold and goods, the better.
As for guest friendship, hmph, the Horse People had always looked down on milk men.
Viserys caught a fleeting glint of greed in the Khal's eyes; these Khals, though greedy, were not brainless idiots, but rather possessed a cunning peculiar to the dothraki.
"Let us raise our glasses to the arrival of Khal Jilokao," Magister Illyrio said with a laugh, his words sweet as honey, much to the dothraki's pleasure.
The Pentos Magisters and Viserys enjoyed grilled steak and lamb, fresh fish, honey-glazed roast chicken, mushroom cream soup, oxtail soup, and so on, which better suited their personal tastes.
The Dothraki Khal and his Bloodriders, on the other hand, feasted on grilled horse meat with honey and pepper, drank fermented mare's milk and fine grape wine, laughing and joking with each other.
The dothraki preferred horse meat over other meats.
Drums rumbled, and dothraki women began to dance to entertain Khal Jilokao.
Khal Jilokao laughed heartily, watching the rhythmic curves of the Horse People women's bodies.
Some Horse People warriors also watched the dancing until someone couldn't resist joining in.
Viserys furrowed his brow slightly; it seemed this Dothraki Khal was showing little respect to the people of Pentos, acting as he pleased.
Excessive indulgence led to conflict; two Dothraki Screamers began fighting over a dancing woman.
They shouted furiously, and two Arakhs were immediately drawn.
This was a weapon that was half sword, half scythe, with a long, razor-sharp blade.
Blades flashed, radiating coldness, as the two Dothraki Screamers angrily cursed each other, attacking with merciless wolf-like moves, fighting in the courtyard while the dancing girls scattered.
This duel was to the death; the two Screamers exchanged blows, blades swirling.
Until one Screamer was slightly slower, and his opponent seized the opportunity.
"Die!" Death came swiftly, a blade flashing across the dothraki's abdomen, scattering flesh, intestines, and blood.
The loser struggled and died, while the victor immediately enjoyed the woman he had claimed.
dothraki slaves came, carried away the dead man's body, and then washed the marble floor with clear water.
A beast, even in a civilized jungle, remains a beast.
Viserys looked at these Dothraki Screamers; these people didn't care about their own lives, let alone others'.
Bloodthirsty, cruel, primitive, and at the same time, this dothraki army lacked much discipline, only following the strongest Screamer.
Argos and Hugo felt some discomfort watching these scenes but understood that this was the dothraki custom; women were property, and as for life and death, they cared even less.
"Cowards in armor, milk men." Many Horse People, as if drunk, mockingly jeered at Viserys and Argos, who were wearing armor. Argos only vaguely understood the dothraki language but saw the insulting gestures.
Viserys's expression was normal; he understood dothraki and pretended not to hear.
Illyrio specifically watched Viserys, somewhat afraid that the two sides would directly clash here.
Khal Jilokao, at the head, also watched the developments below with amusement, but did not stop his warriors; the dothraki would only obey the strong, even if it was a tyrant.
Viserys stopped Argos and Hugo's restless movements; with the Prince of Pentos's guarantee, the Dothraki Khal was also accustomed to protecting the guests present.
However, this humiliation had already greatly angered the andal warriors.
Argos made a mental note of those dothraki horsemen, wishing he could cut off the heads of those bastards with his sword.
The banquet hall was filled with the smell of blood; many Pentos Magisters continued as usual, while some newly arrived nobles barely controlled their urge to vomit.
Viserys's expression was normal; this was the bestiality of the dothraki, and as a guest, he naturally had no obligation to manage it.
So, after finishing this blood-tinged meal, Viserys left with the Pentos Magisters.
"Milk men, milk men."
"Armored milk men, cowards living in stone houses." As they left, the drunken Dothraki Screamers still jeered and cursed with laughter.
The bells on the Screamers' braids jingled, and their gestures contemptuously pointed to their crotches.
The andal warriors pretended not to see, silent as a forest, not responding this time.
"Have a good night, His Majesty Viserys," Magister Illyrio said. "The Khal is also a greedy guest of ours, but we must treat him well."
Illyrio thought Viserys didn't understand the Horse People language, nor their insults.
"I wish you well too, Magister," Viserys pretended not to understand dothraki, though he did; Ser Roland was proficient in many languages.
"Go!" Viserys commanded.
The knights, surrounding the King, rushed like wolves and tigers to King Viserys's sleeping chambers.
Only after the Magisters had gone far away did Viserys issue his orders.
"Inform our knights to eat early and rest early. Tonight, there might be another bloody battle," Viserys said.
"Are you saying the Horse People will sneak attack?" Argos asked.
"Exactly," Viserys nodded.
"Khal Jilokao was already very tempted by the wealth; I'm afraid he might want to snatch our share as well.
As for the dothraki, they will only see our failure to retaliate against their provocations as a sign of weakness."
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