The great hall shared a design much like the Stone Drum Tower on Dragonstone.
Thanks to its acoustics, Dofas's voice rang out clear and powerful. The problem was that Davos did not understand a word of it.
Valyrian was spoken in many places, and it existed in numerous dialects.
Hearing such pure, formal High Valyrian for the first time, Davos found himself completely lost.
Fortunately, the triarchs had brought a slave to serve as interpreter.
She was a dark-skinned woman, clearly from the Summer Isles. Most striking were her golden eyes, which made her stand out at a glance.
After her translation, Davos quickly nodded in agreement.
"Honored Triarchs, I am indeed here on behalf of my king to sell the fleet.
The warships I have brought are all less than ten years old. I hope to sell them at a price of forty thousand gold honors per ship."
One gold dragon was roughly equal to four or five gold honors.
Davos's offer was already a significant concession.
The slave conveyed his words faithfully to the three triarchs, all of whom showed varying degrees of satisfaction.
Nessiso glanced at Dofas before speaking.
"Our treasury is not particularly abundant at the moment. We may only be able to purchase twenty ships at most.
And forty thousand gold honors per ship is still somewhat high for us."
Here we go again, Davos thought to himself.
He was not troubled by it. For merchants, this kind of opening was little more than a warm-up.
"The quantity is not an issue. May I ask what price the honorable triarchs are prepared to offer?"
When Davos heard their counteroffer, he cursed inwardly despite having braced himself beforehand, and felt an even greater sense of relief.
Thankfully, His Majesty does not intend to sell these ships for real.
Looking at the dark-skinned interpreter, Davos gathered his emotions and spoke.
"Honored Triarchs, ten thousand gold honors is a price we truly cannot accept. I ask that you raise it somewhat."
The Onion Knight's performance was convincing. His tone blended sincerity with urgency, even carrying a hint of grievance.
This reaction was exactly what the three triarchs had hoped to see.
Dofas spoke again.
"Envoy, I believe you have already seen our harbor. Volantis possesses countless ships. The price we offer is already quite generous."
"If we seized all of Targaryen's ships, what could he possibly do? And yet you still dare to haggle here."
Malaqo made no effort to conceal his disdain as he stared at Davos, still irritated that his earlier scheme had been so easily exposed.
The slave relayed Dofas's words truthfully.
As she did so, Davos noticed that the elderly triarch seated on the left was also speaking.
Judging by his expression and tone, it was clearly nothing pleasant.
The interpreter was a sharp one.
She naturally chose not to translate Malaqo's remarks.
"Honored Triarchs," Davos said, "I believe you are aware that House Targaryen has now relocated to the lands along the Upper Rhoyne and the Little Rhoyne, to the city of Gohor governed by the river faith.
If the Targaryens establish themselves there, it will also benefit Volantis."
"Go on," Dofas said with interest. As a member of the Elephant faction, business was his greatest passion.
"First, once the Targaryens gain a firm foothold there, the Rhoyne will inevitably bring frequent trade between our two realms.
I believe this is something all of you would welcome."
Davos's words stirred Dofas and Nessiso, both of whom belonged to the trade-focused Elephant faction.
If Viserys truly unified Gohor and brought stability to the region, trade demands would naturally follow.
Davos continued.
"Second, with Chroyane standing between us, the likelihood of any conflict of interest is extremely low. Cooperation between us would bring only benefits, no harm."
As he spoke, Davos nearly suggested allowing part of the Targaryen fleet to pass through to Gohor.
But after some thought, he held his tongue.
Viserys might have a better solution, and revealing his true intent too early could only put Volantis on guard.
As the negotiations gradually grew more amicable, Malaqo became restless.
He turned to the other two triarchs.
"Westerosi are no different from the Rhoynar. They despise slavery.
This Targaryen in particular—born of dragonlords, yet he refuses to honor Valyrian traditions. Once he conquers Gohor, he will inevitably compete with us for population.
We cannot abandon the great institution of slavery for the sake of petty profits. Slavery is the very foundation of Valyria's strength."
The Tiger faction desperately needed a war to reassert itself. Balerion's dragonfire had crushed them for three centuries.
Born into old nobility, Malaqo revered the ancient glory of Valyria and Volantis.
In his youth, he had taken part in several suppressions of slave unrest, yet always felt unsatisfied.
If they could strike Gohor while Viserys's rule was still unsteady and expand Volantis's influence, the Tiger faction might finally reverse its decline.
But his plan won no support from Dofas or Nessiso.
"Lord Malaqo, have you considered how far Gohor is from us? And how we would persuade our sailors to pass through Chroyane?
Even when we merely send supplies to the stone men without venturing deep, people still contract greyscale from time to time.
Have you calculated how much it would cost to mount a large-scale expedition?"
Nessiso spoke impatiently.
This old man behaved nothing like his age, shouting for war day after day. No one liked him for it.
"Lord Nessiso is correct," Dofas added.
"Our slaving expeditions capture only about a thousand people each year. The average lifespan of those slaves is merely five or six years.
The profits are quite limited.
"And even if the Targaryens establish themselves in Gohor, what can they really do?
At most, they will farm the land. Without warships, how much influence can they possibly exert? They will not threaten us."
There was one point left unsaid.
House Targaryen lacked any major pillar industry capable of generating vast profits.
Braavos was powerful because of its shipbuilding, banking, textiles, forestry, fishing, and even its cultural industries.
Pentos thrived on trade.
Volantis possessed vast lands, dense populations, and its renowned glass industry.
Gohor, relying only on tolls, could not generate substantial tax revenue. For at least a century, it posed no real threat.
And besides, the Targaryens' true aim was the Iron Throne.
In the end, the three triarchs concluded that negotiating further with Davos was of little importance.
They would wait until Viserys himself arrived.
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