Chapter 132: Khal Drogo's Feast (Part 4)
Ian was unsure why Ander Poole would personally participate in the trial. Perhaps he had absolute confidence in his own prowess and knew that the two Water Dancers on Hazan's side would betray him on the spot, thus deeming the risk low.
Or perhaps he didn't want to participate, but because he had joined Symon's camp early on, Symon demanded that he fight, and since all his forces were tied to Symon, he couldn't abandon them and had no choice but to comply.
In short, since Ian couldn't use Illyrio's forces to deal with Ander, this trial witnessed by both factions of Pentos, which wouldn't end until one side was completely eliminated, became the perfect stage for him to kill Ander.
Because Ian didn't know how many advantages Ander had accumulated through managing Symon's forces, or how many arrangements he had made in Pentos.
If he only used the Black Falcon sellswords, Ian not only couldn't guarantee success in killing Ander, but he also had to worry about Illyrio discovering his connection with the Black Falcon company, and thus being suspected of being related to the missing 'Ser Lucien.'
In contrast, killing Ander in this trial was much easier.
After all, Ian now possessed the crucial information that two Water Dancers would betray Hazan on the spot.
With this calculated advantage, they only needed to administer a delayed-acting poison to the two Water Dancers before the match, rendering them incapable of fighting after surrendering to Symon Tetrus's side.
This would at least eliminate one of Symon's proxy fighter slots (if the first Water Dancer's poison took effect and was discovered, Symon would definitely replace him, preventing the other Water Dancer from taking the field).
This would bring the actual number of fighters to seven against six.
Furthermore, before attending the feast, Ian had already sent Bronn to Symon's White Sands pit to apply for the position of Symon's proxy fighter—Ian left the target to Bronn's judgment.
If Bronn was absolutely certain of killing Ander, he would directly challenge Ander... If he could directly eliminate Ander Poole, then the rest would be unnecessary.
If not, then let him choose an 'examiner' he could eliminate to take their place, and eliminate as many potential applicants as possible. As for whether Bronn could obtain a proxy fighter spot, Ian wasn't worried at all; aside from being inferior to a few 'monsters,' this man's combat ability was basically among the top tier of warriors.
And when the official trial came, Ian would use Bronn's own methods against him, forcing Bronn to switch sides on the spot, just like the two Water Dancers.
At that point, Symon would have to temporarily choose a proxy fighter with slightly weaker combat ability to fill Bronn's vacancy.
Just at this point, Ian had already eliminated one of Symon's slots and severely weakened two others (the replacement Water Dancer's combat ability would definitely not match the original Water Dancer's).
Afterwards, Ian also had top-tier combatants at his disposal, including the Water Dancer master Yaqqa Mor, the overpowered S-rank knight Cass, and Jorah Mormont, whom he was confident he could recruit and whose combat prowess was likely also quite formidable (after all, Jorah becoming the pit fighter of Meereen was a storyline from the show, and his actual combat strength remained to be seen).
If the risk was acceptable, Ian could also deploy them into the trial.
In any case, Symon's three slots were wasted at the start, and if victory was assured, Ian's deployment of additional fighters would increase the probability of his own men killing Ander, thereby gaining points and seizing Ander's system resources.
Of course, if subsequent intelligence indicated that Hazan's side wasn't so confident of victory, and the expected casualties were unclear, Ian would not send any of his subordinates other than Yaqqa Mor and Peron to fight for Hazan, since he only needed to ensure Hazan's victory and there was no need for his own men to suffer casualties.
After the trial, Ian could find an opportunity to inform Oranto and Hazan about the player who helped Symon on his mission to the Sealord's Palace.
Hazan's mother would certainly not let this man get away with persuading the Sealord to turn two Water Dancers against him, nearly causing Hazan's death; she might even hire a Faceless Man to deal with him.
Hazan's mother was the wealthiest Keyholder in the Iron Bank, so there was no need to worry about her being unable to afford hiring a Faceless Man.
In short, if this plan succeeded, Ian would achieve at least three objectives.
First, he would eliminate the Ander faction of players who were well-established in Pentos and attempting to interfere in the Braavosi factional struggles.
Second, he would befriend Ambassador Oranto and Prince Hazan, making them owe him a huge favor. Regardless of whether Hazan's uncle ultimately became Sealord, Hazan's mother would still be the wealthiest Keyholder in the Iron Bank.
Regarding the question of whether Braavos should ally with the future 'Abolitionists of Slaver's Bay,' as long as they spoke on Ian's behalf, Braavos would find it almost impossible to refuse.
If Braavos's fleet could sail south and threaten Volantis, then the predicament Daenerys faced in Meereen in the original story would be resolved—as long as Volantis didn't join the war, Ian, frankly, was confident he could easily defeat the alliance between Yunkai and Astapor.
Thirdly, this point seemed insignificant compared to the first two, but it was equally indispensable: economic gains.
For a highborn rich boy like Hazan, would he be stingy with gold, something so trivial, when faced with someone who provided crucial intelligence, powerful proxy fighters, and strategic counsel?
Of course, all of this hinged on immediately reaching an agreement with Ambassador Oranto and forcing Illyrio to agree in person.
Therefore, Ian immediately gave Darren a look, signaling him to proceed according to plan.
"Pardon me, gentlemen," Darren Grafton stepped forward, standing before Yaqqa Mor. "Prince Hazan, Ambassador Oranto," he bowed to the two dignitaries before him, "if I'm not mistaken, you seek Yaqqa to represent Prince Hazan in the upcoming trial, is that correct?"
"Ser, may I ask who you are?" Hazan was slightly surprised by his purpose being revealed, but still maintained courtesy towards this unknown man.
"Ser Darren is my master," Yaqqa, the Water Dancer, spoke first.
"Master?" Hazan was instantly taken aback. "Are you certain you didn't misspeak? You address him..." Hazan glanced at Darren, guessing from the knighthood that he was some Westerosi knight who had come to Viserys seeking refuge, "You call this knight your master? You almost became the First Sword of Braavos!"
"Ser Darren saved my life, and I swore my service to him. A Water Dancer keeps his word; it's that simple," Yaqqa spoke again.
(End of Chapter)
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