Game of Thrones: Rise of the Supreme Dragon Queen

The Proclamation to the Ghiscari issued by Daenerys was not empty rhetoric meant to deceive. She sincerely intended to acquire estates and stored grain in the city through fair purchase.

"Hey, Tom, look! The Unsullied are putting up another notice. Let's go check it out and see what it says."

Before the Monument to the Liberators was erected, Daenerys had masons build a low wall around the People's Square, serving as Astapor's version of a public bulletin board.

Whenever Daenerys issued a decree, it was not only posted on bulletin boards and plastered throughout the city but also announced by the Unsullied. Equipped with brass gongs, they would disperse across Astapor, striking their gongs to draw attention while loudly reciting her orders.

And they didn't just announce it once. Like human repeaters, they would continuously recite the decree, explaining specific points in detail if approached by curious citizens.

In truth, the vast majority of Unsullied were illiterate. Their former masters never saw the need to teach them how to read. The reason they could loudly recite decrees and explain them was simple: the scholars had "educated" them the night before.

Daenerys gave orders to the scholars, who then passed the "royal will" to the Unsullied, ensuring that her subjects understood her directives.

At first, Daenerys had considered having scholars stand beside the notices to serve as interpreters.

Much like in period dramas, where wanted posters are posted at every city gate, and a failed scholar would eagerly recite their contents to the illiterate crowd, who would nod along with exclamations of "Oh," "Ah," and "I see."

Unfortunately, the scholars saw themselves as too distinguished for such a task.

"Your Grace, it is not that I wish to disobey you, but a king does not use fine porcelain as a chamber pot! My former master paid a hefty price—1,888 Gold Honors—to purchase me!"

"I am well-versed in history, literature, poetry, and music. At the age of twenty-five, I even earned a High Scholar's certificate from the Grand Library of Volantis. How can I be expected to perform the work of a street hawker?"

This was Ethan's tearful plea to Daenerys.

Daenerys then turned to Jorah and asked, "The ransom for a Westerosi knight is usually around 100 Gold Dragons, right?"

(That's roughly 300 Gold Honors.)

Jorah nodded, his expression somewhat sour.

"The Daenerys Code, Volume One—'I, Daenerys Targaryen, establish this Code so that the light of justice may illuminate the world, eradicating all sin and evil, and ensuring that the strong may never oppress the weak,'" Scholar Tom read aloud.

"Oh, it's just a legal code," the lanky acrobat Jerry said, sounding disappointed.

"You don't understand, Jerry! A code of law is the foundation of governance—the pillar of a nation. Now, I can rest easy," Tom said with a broad grin.

"Rest easy about what?" Jerry asked, puzzled.

"I was worried that after liberating Astapor, Her Majesty would simply take the Unsullied and leave. After all, her goal is to reclaim Westeros and restore House Targaryen. If she left, we'd be in serious trouble."

"And what does a legal code have to do with whether she stays or leaves?" the acrobat still didn't understand.

The scholar shook his head, his eyes filled with emotion as he pointed toward the Great Pyramid.

"Queen Daenerys is wiser and more courageous than I ever imagined. She truly wants to change the world—and has the ability to do so.

This isn't just some fleeting act of compassion from a young girl. She means to reshape the very foundations of society."

"Hey, scholar! Enough with the admiration—tell us what the notice actually says!" An illiterate citizen impatiently stamped his foot.

"Oh, right. Let me see…" The scholar turned his gaze back to the bulletin board and read aloud:

1. Beneath the gods, men may hold different statuses, but all are born free. To enslave another is the first and greatest sin, cursed by both the gods and the True Dragon.

"Well said! We are born free—damn the slave masters!"

"Long live the Mother of Dragons! Long live Queen Daenerys!"

"Mhysa! Mhysa!"

As the first law was read, the newly freed citizens erupted in cheers.

Yet the scholar furrowed his brow slightly. The law did not specify any concrete punishment for those who engaged in the slave trade.

If divine curses were truly effective, would Astapor have endured for six thousand years?

He thought it would be far more persuasive to say, "Punishment shall be delivered in the form of dragonfire."

What he didn't realize was that Daenerys had been quite deliberate in her approach.

The First Volume of the Daenerys Code was meant to clearly establish what was lawful and unlawful, written in simple, concise terms to ensure widespread understanding and acceptance.

If the very first law was too detailed, illiterate citizens would struggle to absorb it, likely forgetting most of it while ignoring the equally important laws that followed.

Instead, by making The Daenerys Code, Volume One a widely known set of customs and traditions, she ensured that when legal enforcement was necessary, the Second Volume would provide the necessary details.

Yes, there would definitely be a Second Volume in the future—one tailored for legal professionals, such as judges and lawyers.

Hmm… Westeros, the most advanced civilization in this world, didn't even have judges or lawyers. Daenerys was about to push the world's civilization to an entirely new level!

2. Harming the innocent is a grave crime and shall be met with equal punishment. The murder of children and infants is the most heinous of all.

3. A citizen's lawful property is sacred and inviolable. Even the king may not seize wealth beyond the taxes legally owed.

4. Those who break their word shall be scorned by the gods. Written contracts and verbal agreements made in the presence of witnesses are protected by the king and the dragon.

5. Theft…

The first four laws were revolutionary. While various cultures had long-standing customs resembling these principles, none had ever been codified into explicit legal text before.

Starting from the fifth article, the content of the Dany Code became universally applicable across different times and places. Of course, it was more aligned with this era and this world.

It laid out detailed regulations on criminal law, civil law, trade, marriage, inheritance, trials, taxation, and household registration.

Speaking of which, household registration was a novel concept.

Although Dany often talked about learning from the Manchu system—adopting the Moon Gate hairstyle and the Eight Banners military structure—her laws made it clear that the core of the Astapor "kingdom" she was shaping resembled a Han dynasty empire. After all, even the Qing dynasty largely followed Ming dynasty institutions.

In particular, the household registration and taxation system hinted at a unique adaptation of the prefecture-county system.

Of course, she wasn't trying to recreate the Han dynasty exactly.

Every dynasty in China, regardless of its strength, naturally gravitated toward strengthening central authority.

However, highly centralized empires were doomed to have short lifespans.

It was a simple reason: when all state power was concentrated in the hands of the emperor, the likelihood of an incompetent or tyrannical ruler emerging was far greater than that of a wise and enlightened one.

This was especially concerning for House Targaryen, given their infamous "Mad King" lineage. If generations of Targaryen mad rulers had reigned in a centralized empire like China, considering their tendency for self-destruction, their dynasty likely wouldn't have lasted even fifty years.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, the sound of war drums echoed from the direction of the People's Square, like muffled thunder striking the hearts of the crowd.

"The Queen is summoning us!" a freed scholar shouted before rushing toward the Great Pyramid.

From past experience, he knew that if he was too far from the Queen, he would hear nothing but the deafening chants of "Long live the Queen!" and see nothing at all.

The skinny monkey was just as sharp—he moved even faster. The two of them scrambled through the crowd, nearly crawling, until they reached a spot just ten meters from the pyramid.

Any closer, and they wouldn't be able to see Queen Dany on the stone steps.

"Long live the Mother of Dragons! Long live Queen Daenerys!"

For the first time, Scholar Tom saw the Queen so clearly that he was overwhelmed with emotion, tears welling up in his eyes.

Dany stood on the second-tier platform, about seven meters above the square. To her left stood the Green Grace and Ser Broken Chains, while to her right were Whitebeard and Aggo.

"The slavers!"

The skinny monkey suddenly pointed at the third-tier steps and gasped.

The freed scholar looked up in surprise. Sure enough, standing on the steps above the Queen were nearly a hundred Ghis nobles draped in tokar robes—young men and women, veiled women, and even small children cradled in their mothers' arms.

"Is she going to judge the Good Masters' children?" the freed scholar wondered aloud, then chuckled. "If they were criminals, why would they be standing above the Queen?"

Just then, Queen Daenerys took a step forward and blew a deep, mournful note on a black horn fixed to a wooden stand. The sound sent a heavy chill through everyone in the square.

In an instant, tens of thousands of people fell silent—so quiet that they could hear their own breathing.

"You have read the Code," Dany's voice rang clear. "The second article: Harming an innocent life is a grave sin. The gravest of all crimes is the murder of infants and young children."

"What is innocence?"

"Without a fair and open trial, only the gods know whether one is guilty. But ignorant infants, swaddled children—they are beyond guilt."

"To take the life of the innocent is an unforgivable sin!"

As the freed scholar inwardly praised "The Queen is wise, the Queen is merciful," he also found himself confused—what was she trying to say?

Then, suddenly, she pointed at the noble children standing above her on the third-tier steps.

"Their fathers and brothers sold slaves, treated human lives as worthless, and bathed in blood. They deserve death."

"Death! Death!"

The crowd erupted in fury, shouting in unison.

For the first time, the noble families of Ghis experienced the full force of the people's judgment. Their faces turned ashen, and some were on the verge of tears.

Whether or not they repented for their past lives as slave masters, no one knew. But at this moment, they understood one thing with absolute clarity: the world they once knew was gone.

The moment Dany lowered her right hand, the freed scholar—along with the entire crowd—immediately fell silent, eyes locked on her, waiting for her next words.

"A person can decide their own future. They can choose to change at this very moment. But they cannot choose their birth."

"Yes, they are mostly the offspring of wicked slavers. But they had no choice in that. They are still young. Their hands have not yet been stained with blood."

"They are innocent. They should not die. But many innocents have already died—killed by the hands of the Free Brothers in this rebellion."

The freed scholar stiffened in shock, a terrible suspicion creeping into his mind. "No way… Is she about to turn on the revolutionaries?"

"What?" The skinny monkey looked puzzled and sighed. "I think Her Majesty is absolutely right. I never thought about it before, but after hearing her, I realize—people really can't choose their birth. I never wanted to be a slave either!"

The freed scholar was speechless. If you had the choice, would you have chosen to be born a slaver?

But that wasn't the point.

It seemed the Queen's words were preparing the ground for what was to come next.

(End of Chapter)

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