Inside the Sea Kings Palace, after Sea King Youtanlis drank the targaryen family dragonflame given to him by Daenerys, his decaying body seemed to regain its vitality.
The "accident" at the Sea Kings Menagerie further reignited the angry old Sea King's fighting spirit.
For the Ruiyaan Family, for his children, and for the peace of Braavos, he shed his decadent image of the past few years, his eyes becoming firm and cold.
"Ring the Bell of Truth! Gather all the Governors, Keyholders, and heads of major families at the Hall of Truth.
I want to convene a meeting!"
Soon, the deep and distant sound of the bell from the Hall of Truth resonated throughout Braavos, immediately making all Braavosians tense.
This bell only rang when Braavos faced a major crisis or an extraordinary event.
Although night had fallen, all the prominent figures in Braavos quickly rushed towards the Hall of Truth.
A Governor is a title of nobility among the Nine Free Trade City States, somewhat similar to a senator in the real world.
The number of Governors varies in each Free Trade Cities; Braavos currently has twenty-three Governors.
They play an important role in the major decisions and daily management of Braavos, and their influence is considerable, because a Governor's position cannot be held without real power and wealth to support it.
Keyholders are officials who oversee the Iron Bank of Braavos, all of whom are descendants of the Iron Bank's twenty-three founders.
Originally, sixteen of the Keyholder seats were held by men and seven by women, and each Keyholder possessed a key to the bank's massive underground vault.
The Iron Bank is the wealthiest organization in this world, and along with the Purple Fleet and the Faceless Men, it forms the three pillars of Braavos's low-key dominance in world trade.
The Iron Bank has a long history, founded in the early days of the Secret City, when the existence of Braavos was still a secret.
The Iron Bank was established by a collaboration of wealthy artisans and merchants, lending money to other Braavosians to fund their businesses.
The name "Iron Bank" comes from the ancient place where the Iron Bank stored its wealth.
The founders did not trust each other and feared theft by thieves and commoners, so they decided to hide all the bank's wealth in an abandoned iron mine with only one entrance and exit, guarded strictly by countless iron grates, thick doors, and guards.
Nowadays, the descendants of the founders number over a thousand.
On formal occasions, they proudly display their keys—though these keys themselves have become purely ceremonial.
As years passed, some founding families gradually declined, and some even lost all their wealth, but even the humblest Keyholder still held tightly to the key, symbolizing past glory.
The Iron Bank is not managed solely by Keyholders.
Some of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Braavos, though lacking the long history of the founding families, share the immense wealth of the Iron Bank with them.
They participate in secret meetings and have a say in electing the Iron Bank's leaders.
As the saying goes, economics determines politics, so Keyholders have decisive say in all major decisions in Braavos.
In the huge circular assembly hall of the Hall of Truth, Sea King Youtanlis sat on the main platform.
Beside him were thirteen Governors, most dressed in luxurious attire.
Only a few wore gray-brown outer garments.
The Keyholders, who formed the largest group in the hall, all adhered to tradition by wearing plain gray-brown outer garments, forming a stark contrast with the brightly dressed, newly emerging wealthy merchants.
"I presume everyone has seen the Sea Kings Menagerie, which is still ablaze, right?!"
Although Yutanris's tone was calm, his eyes, which conveyed authority without anger, carefully scrutinized the performance of everyone present.
Every Sea King who emerged from Braavos was no simple character, let alone Yutanris, who had governed Braavos for decades.
"Oh my, that's truly terrifying!
Was it the Dragon Princess who did it?
Who was so bold as to dare to anger her?
Do they really think Braavos's stone houses are not afraid of a dragon's Dragonflame?"
"It seems they should really go and see what a mess Harrenhal's stone castle was burned into.
Now this Dragon Princess can control dragon.
If she's truly enraged, hehe..."
Governor Ferdinand Antarion, dressed in lavish attire, put on an exaggerated expression that almost made the stern Yutanris's face crack.
However, as a relative by marriage to the Ruiyaan Family, Yutanris knew he was playing along with him, so he continued his serious warning, following the cue:
"Indeed!
Everything was going well, but somehow, someone "accidentally" released that Mottled Long-Winged Dragon.
We haven't even explained the previous incident at King's Landing yet.
What do you all think the result will be if we add this one?"
"Hmph! What can she do?"
The burly and imposing Osiris Governor was also a Keyholder, and in his youth, he had served as the commander of the Purple Fleet, so he was always a hardliner.
"Truth is always in the hands of power; the right to speak is gained by the sharp weapon in one's hand.
Now the Seven Kingdoms themselves are already in chaos; are we going to let her run wild in Braavos?"
"Exactly!
We had an agreement with the Targaryen Family back then.
We don't care what they do in Westeros.
But if they want to come to the Free Trade Cities and show off, perhaps they should recall the lesson of Valyria's destruction."
A Governor, also a former Keyholder, immediately spoke up in agreement.
"Are you not afraid of the Dragonflame of the dragon?
The Targaryen Family now has over twenty dragon."
A new Governor, who came from a wealthy merchant background, spoke up to remind them.
"Indeed, if the dragon are not eliminated, they will always be a menace.
The Targaryen Family has produced quite a few madmen."
A tall, thin Keyholder spoke thoughtfully, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the priest of the House of Black and White.
His words stunned the wealthy merchant.
"Me?! That's not what I meant.
Your idea is too crazy; dragon are invincible.
No one would be foolish enough to want to try the dragon's wrath again, would they?!"
It was evident that since the destruction of Valyria, the long dominance of the seas and world trade had made the people of Braavos arrogant and conceited.
Most of them were now still thinking about how to teach Danni a lesson, or warn the Targaryen Royal Family!
Sea King Youtanlis looked at the crowd before him, and the renewed vigor he had just felt dissipated somewhat.
"Everyone, please seriously consider how to explain and compensate for the Faceless Men assassination in King's Landing last time and this current incident!
The Iron Throne does not owe the Iron Bank money now, so there are no debts to be forgiven to make them drop the matter."
"Explain? Compensate? She shouldn't even think about it.
Braavos's Purple Fleet can reach any corner of the world.
Even Dornish can shoot down dragon, and we in Braavos possess more advanced ballistas."
Osiris Governor was clearly a hawk.
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