Chapter 116: The Iron Bank Offers Double the Price
"And House Morn, who replaced House Taragaros, are not native to Pentos. They started out as pirates on the Summer Sea."
"Magister Cecito Morn, is it? The cheesemonger who gave me the invitation mentioned that most of the slave trade in Pentos was his business." Ian remembered the Morn surname.
"That's right. Cecito Morn initially established connections with many families in Pentos by providing them with a slave-transport route that bypassed the Braavosi galley fleet. Through this, he obtained Pentoshi citizenship and quickly gained a foothold in high society.
Cecito Morn was incredibly generous; during his time in Pentos, he spent almost every day hosting banquets, horse races, hunting trips, and tournaments, leading one to wonder if the wealth he amassed through the secret slave trade was sufficient for his extravagant lifestyle. This doubt persisted until a seat on the Magisters' Council became vacant, and Cecito Morn suddenly and publicly announced his candidacy."
"That's when you discovered he was actually backed by patrons from Volantis?" Ian guessed.
"Oh?" Mills glanced at Ian in surprise. "Yes, Cecito Morn suddenly ran for office and then bribed more than half of the members of the Conclave with a huge sum of gold, becoming one of the seven magisters of Pentos with an indisputable number of votes.
After that, he revealed his true intentions and began to advocate breaking the shackles that Braavos had placed on our heads and restoring the ancient and glorious slave trade."
"Are you joking?" Ian blurted out almost immediately. "Does he think the Braavosi fleet doesn't exist?"
Challenging the ruler of the Narrow Sea, Braavos—how much wine does someone have to drink to say something like that?
"It's been 91 years since our last war with Braavos, Sir Ian. That's a very long time," Steward Mills shook his head with a wry smile.
"Most Pentoshi have forgotten the fear instilled in us by Braavos's fleet, and only feel that the treaty signed with Braavos brought shame upon our city. As Cecito Morn said, the Braavosi have put shackles on our heads, and the Pentoshi want to break them."
How similar this was to Germany after the Treaty of Versailles, Ian suddenly realized.
The Allied Powers, after painstakingly defeating the Kaiser, had chosen not to completely crush Germany, allowing them to maintain autonomy while restricting their military and requiring reparations.
However, resentment festered, and ambitious leaders exploited that shame and anger to rally support for dangerous policies. These repeated provocations ultimately ignited a catastrophic response.
No, the situation in Pentos was different. The Pentoshi hadn't brought this entirely upon themselves—Pentos had Volantis, Essos's most powerful city-state, fueling the flames.
Pentos's situation was more like a proxy conflict. So, were these Pentoshi magisters idiots?
"I understand that commoners are easily swayed, but in Pentos, I believe commoners don't have much say, right?" Ian raised his doubts.
"Of course. In Pentos, only the Magisters' Council and the Conclave have the power to make decisions, so from the beginning, Cecito had already trapped two other magisters in his scheme," Mills explained.
"Through the slave trade?"
"The slave trade and the gold of Volantis," Steward Mills answered Ian's question, then continued. "Cecito Morn has bound Magisters Godin Haucot and Glairo Tetrus together through mutual benefit, and with the support of former Magister Percy Rotalus, who was already dissatisfied with the status quo in Pentos, the pro-war faction has, for the first time, surpassed us in influence in the Magisters' Council."
"Really?" Ian was now somewhat confused. "Isn't House Haucot the so-called 'Braavosi faction'? Wasn't this crackdown on the slave trade their doing?"
"That's why I told you from the beginning that there are three factions in Pentos."
Ian didn't answer, waiting for Mills to continue.
"House Tetrus and House Haucot have always been close allies. In this generation, the children of the two magisters are even betrothed.
After the slave-trading Magister Cecito Morn revealed his true intentions, both families sided with Cecito. With their efforts, the Pentoshi Magisters' Council once passed a proposal to rebuild the fleet and declare war on Braavos, and submitted it to the Conclave for a vote."
"But it didn't succeed?" Ian asked curiously. If it had succeeded, the war would have already started, instead of just being a 'factional struggle' like now.
"On the day of the vote in the Conclave—composed of forty families—Magister Godin Haucot and his house betrayed the alliance in open session, voting against the proposal to declare war on Braavos."
"Why?"
"Because the Iron Bank offered double the price."
"Pfft." Ian almost couldn't help but laugh. This was indeed something the Braavosi would do.
House Lannister of Westeros and the Iron Bank of Braavos, a free city, wielded their ultimate weapon—'more gold.'
No matter how much you offer, I'll double it.
That's how powerful they were.
"Then why doesn't House Tetrus simply accept Braavos's gold? With higher profits, they have no reason to continue supporting Volantis."
"Because Braavos didn't offer them any," Mills said, unable to suppress his own laughter. "Not only did Braavos not give House Tetrus gold, but they also crushed several of their businesses.
Because of this, House Tetrus became the most steadfast anti-Braavosi faction. They repeatedly submitted resolutions to the council to declare war on Braavos, only to be repeatedly rejected by Magister Illyrio and House Haucot. That's why they ultimately turned against House Haucot."
A double-cross—the Braavosi are truly cunning, Ian thought with amusement.
He had initially wondered why Braavos didn't simply send a fleet to crush a potential 'rebellion' in Pentos. Now he understood: if a pittance of gold, insignificant to the Iron Bank, could plunge Pentos into endless infighting, why bother with military force?
"So," Steward Mills continued, seeing Ian had no further questions, "House Haucot and House Tetrus became bitter enemies, and the Braavosi ambassador sponsored the prince's son, Hazan Moharis, allowing him to speak on Braavos's behalf in the Magisters' Council.
And that's how you see the situation today—besides our Traders' faction, the Volantene and Braavosi factions have emerged in Pentos."
"So, when I begin my investigation, Prince Hazan Moharis, or one of the four magisters belonging to these two factions, will become my direct enemy?" Ian's tone grew even more serious.
(End of Chapter)