After completing another spatial flash, Aedric suddenly appeared from the rear of the ship right into the middle of the duel on deck. He caught the dragonbone dagger just as it was about to poke a hole in Daenerys's blouse, patted Arya's head, and said calmly, "Arya, stop fooling around."
"Hmph, you just like big chests," Arya grumbled, pulling back her dagger and glaring at Daenerys. "So what if hers are bigger? It's not like I won't grow one day!"
"What on earth are you talking about…" Aedric muttered, feeling speechless at her strange competitiveness. Thinking of the actress who played Arya in the "real" world, he couldn't help but inwardly remark that she really might not grow that much. Turning back to Jorah, he asked, "How much longer until we reach Astapor?"
"Roughly three more days, my lord," Jorah replied. "I've heard the Unsullied are the greatest army in the world. We'll soon see for ourselves."
"They are the greatest slave army in the world," Daenerys corrected him coldly, sliding her Valyrian dagger back into its sheath. "And to some people, that one word makes all the difference."
"Uh…" Jorah hesitated awkwardly. "But those people won't help you reclaim the Iron Throne, Your Grace."
Daenerys took a deep breath, ready to argue—but then noticed that Aedric was about to walk away with Arya. Impulsively, she called out, "Jon, what do you think about slavery?"
Since their shared ordeal in the House of the Undying, she had started calling him by his name instead of his title.
Aedric paused, thought for a moment, and asked in return, "Let's change the question: why does slavery exist at all?"
"Because of the greed and cruelty of the slave masters!" Daenerys answered instantly.
"Oh? Then by that logic, the lords of Westeros must be neither greedy nor cruel?" Aedric asked with a faint smile.
"Of course not!" Daenerys protested. The Targaryens had been overthrown by those very lords, so she had little fondness for them—but that only made her stumble for words.
Daenerys had grown up in exile, wandering from place to place with her brother, and had never received a real education. When it came to politics or governance, she had almost no theoretical grounding—something the TV show had made painfully clear.
Aedric thought for a moment and then said, "Whether slavery exists or not has little to do with whether rulers are good or evil. The key lies in the productive capacity of a society."
Seeing everyone's confused expressions—even Jorah's—Aedric sighed inwardly at this world's lack of basic education and continued, "Let me ask you a question, Ser Jorah. The North is the harshest region in Westeros, right? What's the environment like on Bear Island, where your family lives?"
"Not very good," Jorah admitted, recalling the small wooden house his first wife had mocked. "It's just a tiny island—enough to survive, but not thrive."
"And compared to the Red Waste you traveled through with Daenerys?"
"Oh, Bear Island is far better," Jorah said quickly. "You can at least live there. The Red Waste… isn't fit for humans at all."
"That's what we call a difference in productive capacity," Aedric explained. "Even the poorest part of Westeros can produce enough food to sustain a million people. The fertile regions—like the Reach or the Riverlands—are veritable breadbaskets overflowing with resources."
"In contrast, Essos is largely barren wasteland, with only a handful of cities built on the few habitable areas. Its productivity is too low to sustain large populations."
As everyone began to follow his reasoning, Aedric raised a finger and went on, "When resources are scarce, you must reduce consumption. The only way to do that is to suppress the living standards of the majority—make them consume as little as possible—so that the society as a whole can survive. The political system best suited for that kind of scarcity… is slavery."
"A few wealthy masters rule over millions who live like beasts. As long as they're fed enough to keep breathing and reproducing, the system continues."
"Yes, it's cruel and greedy. But if a continent doesn't have enough production to sustain freedom, then what would you do, Daenerys? Feed everyone by slaughtering your dragons?"
Daenerys bit her lip and fell silent.
"Only in places like Westeros—where there's enough production to support people who don't work the fields—can slavery be abolished," Aedric continued. "Free citizens need to feed themselves and pay taxes. Slaves own nothing, but their masters are obliged to feed and house them."
"So whether a society practices slavery or abolishes it ultimately depends on productivity. When a ruler realizes that taxing free citizens yields more profit than maintaining slaves, he'll abolish slavery himself. Not out of kindness—out of simple economics."
"He'll turn slaves into taxpayers, letting them work for their own survival while enriching him even further."
"That's the truth: only sufficient productivity can support advanced political systems. Without that foundation, any lofty ideal is just a castle in the air—one good shock and it collapses."
"Daenerys, ruling a nation isn't easy. You still have much to learn."
"Jon…" Daenerys whispered, her eyes shining with awe. To her, his words sounded like divine wisdom. She suddenly stepped forward, grasped his hand tightly, and pleaded, "Stay by my side. Be my Hand of the Queen. Everything I have—I'll share with you. Even the dragons."
"What are you doing?! Let go of him, big-boobs!" Arya shouted, hopping in outrage. "Jon's from the North! He's our people—he's not going to be your Hand!"
Amused by Arya's sudden, inexplicable grudge against large chests, Aedric chuckled, gently squeezed Daenerys's hand, and said, "Astapor will be a good test. Try out your ideas of rule there and see what happens."
"After all," he added with a faint smile, "if you can't keep one house in order, how can you hope to rule the world?"
~~--------------------------
Patreon Advanced Chapters:
patreon.com/YonkoSlayer