Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic - Chapter 188 - First negotiation in Yi-Ti.

[Chapter Size: 3000 Words.]

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Thrid Person POV

Yi-Ti, 296 AC.

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Quickly, the largest race of Artica left all the city's natives stunned as they watched giants disembark from the ship, joining Jon's group.

“What is this?! How can there be a man so tall?” Kin’emon couldn't help but murmur, staring at their guests, while all his men instinctively grabbed their weapons, sensing the threat posed by the man standing 4 or 5 meters tall.

“Artica harbors four races alongside humans. Giants are one of them,” Jon said as he approached, noting the growing tension between them.

“Is this possible? Is there really a race called giants in the world?” The other samurai murmured among themselves, questioning if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

“They are my men. I hope their presence won’t be an issue as we proceed with negotiations. After all, they are my guards,” Jon said to the city's lord, observing how the situation was unfolding.

“...” The man looked at Jon and the giants. Despite their intimidating size—something no samurai could ever hope to match—if they were enemies, their numbers might give them the advantage.

Still wondering how a giant could wear such armor as the others did, Kin’emon eventually nodded, allowing the giants entry, seeing no grave problem with their presence. He turned to the foreign king and nodded. “Very well… They may accompany you as your guards, King Jon of Artica,” he said.

“Let’s go,” Jon said, as his men brought horses for them to ride to the meeting point. Mounting up, they began following the noble samurai through the city's main street.

Thus, they started moving through the city. As was customary during all their travels, people everywhere gathered to see them, making all kinds of remarks. However, this specific city was markedly different, with the cultural shock being greater than anything Jon had encountered before.

The Arctic King always paid close attention to local culture during his travels, but now, seeing the city up close, he analyzed it, observing the people of Yi-Ti alongside the other Articans. Similarly, the people of Yi-Ti seemed equally curious about them.

As the Yi-Ti people made continuous remarks, pointing at the passing group, Daenerys, riding a horse alongside Arya, turned to the younger woman, who, apart from Jon, was the only one who spoke the language of this land.

“What are they saying about us?” she asked in Valyrian, a language she had been diligently practicing over the past few moons and had almost mastered.

“They call us outsiders or people of the sunset lands, as the conversation Jon had with the city’s official spread like wildfire through the city. But they also fear us and wonder if we are enemies or friends, which isn’t too surprising given the state of the country,” Arya said calmly, glancing at the narrow-eyed people.

“I see,” Daenerys murmured, continuing to observe both the Yi-Ti people and the city itself.

Jon rode at the head of his group, also watching the surroundings with great attention while occasionally glancing at the sky. He carefully examined the city’s structure and kept an eye out for potential dangers out of caution.

They were accompanied by Kin’emon and the other samurai, who led the way with their guards. Kin’emon seemed to notice Jon’s expressions and moved closer for a brief conversation.

“I see that you observe our culture closely, King of Artica,” Kin’emon murmured, noting Jon’s curious demeanor. However, his gaze couldn’t help but fall on the katanas at Jon’s waist.

“You could say that, Lord Kin’emon. This is my first time in this land,” Jon said, observing the architecture of the houses adorned with kanji inscriptions, the goods on display, the formation of the city guard, and the people’s comments. He also subtly controlled some of the rodents in the area to study them more closely.

"Even so, you possess one of our swords. How did you acquire it? That metal is not like the ones used in your armor. Even the shape of the blade is unlike those we forge here," Kin’emon remarked, his sharp gaze fixed on Jon.

"The katana was created in my kingdom. I forged it myself, using some knowledge I’ve acquired. Let’s just say I’m somewhat familiar with your culture and have learned a few things from it. But, even so, I’ve never been here before, and I must admit everything is quite astonishing. As for why I’m using katanas and your metal, it’s a weapon I wanted to experiment with. It’s made from a special metal. Perhaps we could test it. After all, I’ve always wanted to face a samurai," Jon said calmly.

Kin’emon raised an eyebrow as his men also turned their attention to Jon and the conversation.

"We can arrange that another time. For now, I want to observe your negotiation," Kin’emon replied, nodding as they continued toward the Japanese-style castle.

Jon said nothing more as they proceeded toward the castle, now in sight. The structure was fortified with a wall, though not an especially tall one. Jon had to admit that the castle was as large as a medium-sized one in Westeros, but it was constructed entirely of wood. What particularly caught Jon’s attention were the trees with pink blossoms—sakuras—that extended beyond the walls and were visible even from their current position, carefully tended and beautiful.

The gates opened, and guards wearing traditional armor, similar to the others, watched them as they passed through on their horses. Kin’emon had granted them entry, except for the giants, who could only walk freely as their mammoths were too large to fit inside the ships or any city where they docked.

They were quickly accommodated in the garden, where most of the Artican guards were stationed in a corner filled with sakuras.

“What beautiful trees…” Daenerys couldn’t help but comment, a hint of admiration in her voice.

"Yes... In any case, leave your horses here. We’ll be going inside shortly," Jon said as he noticed a servant approaching them.

"King of Artica... Lord Kin’emon requests that you join him and accompany him to the meeting room," she said cautiously and respectfully. Kin’emon had gone ahead with his men to make arrangements and returned with the servant to guide them.

Jon nodded and prepared for the negotiation, bringing Daenerys, Arya, two ministers, a few guards, and three crates of goods inside. The group followed Kin’emon into the building and were escorted to the negotiation room, where they would present the items they had brought.

"Please, let’s begin. Can you show us the products?" Kin’emon initiated as Jon nodded, signaling to a royal guard who began opening the crates. Jon’s trade minister was present but struggled with the local language. Though he had been studying it, fluency was challenging and something he hoped to improve during their stay, as he would eventually oversee trade in this land.

Jon stepped forward and began presenting the items in impeccable condition as soon as the crates were opened. The nobles and samurai quickly grew interested and were astounded by what they saw. The foreign items were unlike anything they had encountered before, and they hadn’t even started with the food.

"You should try them," Jon said as they were served beverages and ice.

"This is truly remarkable. And this ice... it’s incredible! I’ve never tasted anything cold like this in my life..." they commented, clearly impressed.

"I’m glad you liked it. Our ships are full of these. This will be our last stop before returning to the kingdom, so we intend to sell everything here if possible," Jon said as the samurai and nobles nodded, engaging in quiet discussions among themselves.

"Now, let’s move on to what you’ve been waiting for," Jon said as he opened the other two crates filled with preserved food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and cereals.

Jon had brought everything Artica could produce, even after delivering food to Braavos. He had unloaded only 50 ships there, while nearly all the rest were loaded with food, ready for trade.

Among these products were: rice, wheat, corn, barley, oats, quinoa, rye, potatoes, cassava, yam, carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, and derived products such as cheeses, cured meats, milk, assorted cheeses, butter, yogurt, cilantro, chives, parsley, thyme, rosemary, various peppers, spices like cinnamon, ginger, and saffron, beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, dried fruits (apricots, raisins, figs), dried meat, pickles (cucumbers, olives, mushrooms), honey, and bread.

This represented what Artica’s farms could produce. Additionally, the list of fruits extended to pineapple, mango, papaya, passion fruit, banana, coconut, soursop, guava, cashew, acerola, pitanga, starfruit, orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, pomelo, apple, pear, grape, peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, cherry, kiwi, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, currant, dried fig, watermelon, melon, cantaloupe, jabuticaba, cambuci, cupuaçu, bacuri, açaí, among other lesser-known fruits. Artica had nearly every fruit the world could offer thanks to the seeds the gods had gifted Jon when he was only eight namedays old, which he had preserved until the kingdom was established.

When they saw one crate containing the first part of the list and another with the second part, they were astonished by the variety of colors before them. All the fruits appeared fresh, kept in magical containers.

"This..." Kin’emon murmured with a hint of admiration, turning to Jon as his men exchanged comments. Many of the items were things they had never seen before in their lives.

"You brought fifty ships, correct?" Kin’emon asked, assuming the ships docked at the port carried all the food, which would be excellent for the city but insufficient for Yi-Ti as a whole.

Jon shook his head. "We have fifty ships here at the port, but our fleet is much larger. I came with 450 ships in total, with 400 remaining at sea," he said calmly.

His words left the men before him frozen for a moment. The atmosphere, previously light-hearted, grew tense. Kin’emon looked at Jon, trying to determine if he was lying. Such a claim seemed unbelievable.

"Four hundred and fifty ships?" Kin’emon repeated, incredulous. He couldn’t fathom such a number. It was far greater than he had imagined and represented a significant threat if hostile. If each ship carried the average number of soldiers they had seen, it meant over 20,000 men.

It was no wonder Jon had claimed to have wiped out all the pirates blocking maritime passage to Yin. Yet the idea of 450 ships was an intimidating thought for Kin’emon and the other samurai.

"Tell me... Is your goal truly trade? You seem to be carrying 20,000 men..." Kin’emon remarked, while Arya glanced at Jon with concern beside him.

"Nearly 23,000," Jon corrected with a calm tone, flashing a slight smile. "Yes, we traded with Braavos, Pentos, Myr, Tyrosh, and Volantis before coming here. We encountered some problems, even entering into conflict with certain parties. But we never initiated aggression," Jon said calmly. The matter involving Daenerys had been an exception, where he had to save his aunt.

Kin’emon nodded, contemplating the foreign king’s words. Even though the Articans did not seem like an immediate threat, it was hard to ignore the caution that such a fleet and number of men warranted. It suggested there could be even more giants than those they had seen aboard the main ship.

"We are not your enemies, if that’s what you’re thinking," Jon said, seemingly reading Kin’emon’s thoughts. "I’m here to trade and would very much like to acquire many products from Yi-Ti. If this is a problem, we will leave. But it would be a pity since we came from so far and are willing to sell goods and spend gold on what your lands can offer us."

He spoke calmly, remaining neutral regarding the country’s internal disputes. He was not an enemy to any of them, merely there to trade, even if his presence seemed to favor Yi-Ti over its enemies.

"You’re saying that all those ships... all 450 of them... are filled with food?" Kin’emon asked after some thought.

Jon nodded. "Yes. Our merchant ships have large storage facilities, and we managed to preserve our food throughout the entire journey. We have enough to supply your entire country for several weeks, and we would like to empty our stores in this land," Jon replied firmly. While they couldn’t solve all of Yi-Ti’s hunger issues, they could certainly provide relief to its people.

Kin’emon mulled it over, debating internally about what he should do.

"May I ask you a question, King of Artica?" Kin’emon asked suddenly.

"Feel free," Jon replied.

"You have enough to supply the city. However, I’ll need to speak with the Shogun before making any definitive decisions about your other 400 ships. After all, I can only make decisions for this city. The leader of the province is in the capital, and even then, only the person who governs Yi-Ti can make such a decision," Kin’emon explained.

"No problem. Then we can begin negotiations with this city while you wait for the leader’s response," Jon replied.

"Very well, I’ll accept your trade in Yin," Kin’emon said finally, to which Jon nodded in satisfaction. Negotiating with Yin would likely compel the Shogun of Wano—whom Jon had yet to meet—to make a more lenient decision regarding them.

The negotiations began, discussing prices and the products Jon offered. They settled on prices even below market value, as Jon sympathized with the people and saw it as a way to aid in their ongoing war.

Yi-Ti’s internal trade, however, was severely limited. Iron and other metals were scarce and nearly impossible to find for sale, according to Kin’emon, as the army’s supplies constantly needed replenishing to fend off invaders.

Nevertheless, there were still many valuable items available: books, historically preserved artifacts from the city, fine silk fabrics, and other exclusive goods. Jon also expressed interest in acquiring a rare local animal—a native lizard species called the Lion-Lizard—which he wished to add to his collection.

Kin’emon nodded at Jon’s interests, and even the other samurai joined the discussion when the focus shifted to what the city could offer them.

"With that, I believe we’ve concluded our negotiation," Kin’emon said at the end, satisfied. "I’d like to propose a room for you and your entourage to stay in my castle," he offered.

But Jon shook his head in refusal. "I’ll have to decline. I prefer staying on my ship as I have some matters to attend to there," Jon replied, referring to his dragons, which he never left unattended and could not bring into the city.

"Understood. That won’t be a problem," Kin’emon replied, concluding the conversation cordially.

"Even so, there are a few things I’d like to do. One of them is to use one of your forges. I’d like to craft some armor and perhaps even replicate one of yours. I also want to arrange for some people to assist my men in the city," Jon said with interest.

Kin’emon was briefly confused by the unusual request but replied calmly, "I see no issue with that. One of our city’s blacksmiths can assist you with whatever you need. I’ll arrange for it," he said, and Jon nodded before continuing.

"You also mentioned that you needed guides, didn’t you?" Kin’emon asked.

"Yes. Since I and others would like to purchase some things in the city, it would be helpful to have a guide. Someone from here who speaks Yi-Ti’s language as well as Valyrian or the common tongue to assist us," Jon explained.

"That... is difficult to arrange," Kin’emon admitted thoughtfully, though finding someone fluent in Valyrian might be easier.

A man behind him, however, spoke up for the first time. "If you’re looking for someone like that, I know a person who came from Yi-Ti to the sunset lands as well. He speaks the common tongue fluently and has learned ours."

"That’s excellent. I’d like this person to accompany my men," Jon replied, satisfied. "Do you also have teachers? I’d like to hire some for a fair payment during my stay here," Jon added.

Kin’emon nodded. "Yes, I can contact a few who even educate my own children," he said, and Jon nodded in return.

"That sounds perfect. I’ll head back to the ship to organize things. I assume you’d prefer the food as soon as possible, correct?" Jon asked.

"Exactly, King of Artica," Kin’emon confirmed.

"Then we’ll return to the port. I’ll have everything arranged by the end of the day so that we can begin sending it at sunrise tomorrow," Jon said.

"That's excellent. I’ll send the letter, and I hope to see you here again. I can tell you’re both a warrior and a curious man, so perhaps we could arrange some Gekkens," Kin’emon replied.

"That sounds interesting. I’ll look forward to it," Jon said at last, as they began to stand. Kin’emon and the other samurai did the same, bowing in their traditional manner—not as a sign of submission, but as a gesture of gratitude.

Jon nodded in acknowledgment and led his people out, leaving the crates of products with the samurai. He then regrouped with his men outside and began making their way back to the port.

Meanwhile, Kin’emon, seated in his office, wrote a letter, sending it directly to the capital via carrier pigeon and also dispatching it with a samurai. In these dark times, letters often failed to reach their destination, so he always sent a backup with a skilled and trustworthy warrior.

As for Jon, he returned to his ship to oversee the organization of the storage across all 50 ships, preparing to begin transferring the food to the city’s people. He planned to remain at the city’s port for the next week, awaiting a response from the Shogun.