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  »The scorching sun was baking the earth, and wisps of steam mixed with the smell of rotting corpses permeated the air, forming a suffocating smell.

Sima wrapped his mouth and nose with sackcloth, and under the command of the blue saintesses, carried the corpses to the deep pit next to the temple.

When the pit was filled, the Unsullied threw torches and kindling into it.

The raging flames rose up, and the scorching air made Sima take a few steps back involuntarily.

The saints in robes of various colors prayed around the cremation pit, and the indistinct Ghiscari sacrificial rites rose into the sky along with the scorched smoke.

There are three of the same cremation piles inside the city, and more outside the city. Wisps of thick smoke carry the spirits of the dead Meereenese, Yunkai, Astapor, and mercenaries from all over the world slowly into the sky. , I just don't know if there are really gods in the sky to guide their souls.

After two days of busy work, all the corpses inside and outside the city were cleaned up, but the blood stains left on the streets and walls were not cleaned up for a while.

Just at this time, a heavy rain came, covering the ancient city of Meereen, the streets and alleys became streams, and the reddish blood water took away the stumps and ruins in the corners.

When the rain stopped, Meereen seemed to breathe new life.

Sima stepped on the slippery bricks and stones with her bare feet, walking carefully on the street.

Seeing a group of Unsullied patrolling in front of him, he subconsciously gave way to the side of the road. He was about to kneel before realizing that he was already a free citizen.

The thought made him flustered and overwhelmed him.

I'm free, but I still have to eat.

"Adults." Sima summoned up the courage to ask, "Are there any corpses to be transported today?"

"The corpses have been cleaned up," said the Unsullied.

Hearing this, Sima's face showed uncontrollable disappointment, his mouth moved, as if he wanted to ask something but he didn't dare to speak.

"There is a referendum in the colorful brick square today, you can go and vote." The Unsullied said again.

"Referendum?" Seema didn't understand what it meant, but seeing Unsullied's indifference, she didn't dare to ask further, so she nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll go..."

The Unsullied didn't say much, and continued walking, stopping to inform pedestrians about the referendum.

Sima looked at it for a while, and came to the colorful brick square with curiosity and apprehension, and saw that thousands of people had gathered here.

Two large wooden boxes were placed in front of the copper pillar in the center of the square. People lined up in front of the wooden boxes and threw something into them one by one.

A group of young people in gray robes outside were handing out wooden sticks to the newcomers and giving explanations.

Seema leaned over and listened for a while, only to realize that this so-called "referendum" is for all Meereenese to vote on whether to restore slavery.

Those who agree to restore will throw the wooden strips into the box on the left, and those who disagree, throw them into the box on the right.

Sima took a look and saw that there were obviously more people queuing up on the left than on the right.

Do you all want to remain slaves?

He thought in a complicated mood.

At this moment, the gray-robed young man walked up to him and stuffed a wooden stick into his hand:

"Do you know what this is for?"

"I know, I know..."

"Okay, then go to the queue, leave after voting, and don't come in again."

"Okay, okay." Seema nodded again and again, but when he was about to step forward to vote, he hesitated.

To tell the truth, who wants to be a slave if he can be a free man?

But after being a free agent for a period of time, after experiencing the initial excitement, Sima only felt panic and confusion.

He didn't know what to do with himself.

The Dragon Queen called everyone to plant beans before, so he went, but all the bean sprouts that were planted died within a few days. Some people said it was due to lack of water, some said it was due to poor soil, and some said it was the curse of the gods... …

Sima didn't understand, he had never farmed before.

Later, someone persuaded him to grow olives, but this time Sima kept an eye out and asked the wise man specifically.

Only then did I realize that it took three years for olives to mature and harvest after they were planted.

Xima knew that she would never be able to survive the bumper harvest in three years, and she might have starved to death long ago.

At this time, he really missed the days of serving the good lord.

Although he was a slave at that time, at least Lord Good Lord would give him food.

Now that he is free, he has to find a way to fill his stomach, and this is so difficult, even harder than being a slave.

So Sima held the stick and joined the longer team on the left.

About half an hour later, Sima threw the wooden stick into the box, and suddenly felt the urge to cry.

"Misha..." he muttered, and the figure of the dragon queen could not help appearing in his mind.

On the Great Pyramid on the west side of the square, Daenerys stood by the terrace on the middle floor, looking at the voting scene below, feeling slightly sour in her heart.

She had just set these people free, and now they themselves were going to put the shackles back on.

"It can't be their fault." Samwell walked to her side and said softly, "Freedom and bread, Meereen still has to choose bread after all."

"Blood with blood," Daenerys said.

"A necessary price, a helpless choice."

"They call me Misha, but I can't save them, I let them down..."

Samwell held Daenerys in his arms and comforted him: "It's not your fault. Breaking the old order is not difficult, what is really difficult is rebuilding a new order."

"I don't think there is anything wrong with the old order." Xaro Xhoan Daxos walked over under the leadership of the guards.

The business tycoon from Quels bowed gracefully, and said:

"Respected Your Majesty the Storm King, Your Majesty the Beautiful Dragon Queen, please forgive my rudeness, but I think the old order of Slavery Bay is the most suitable."

Daenerys glanced at him in disgust, and said coldly:

"Of course you would say that, because the slave trade made you a lot of money."

"No. You misunderstood me." Xaro said with a smile, "Dear Your Majesty Daenerys, you have a sentimental heart, but your view of the world is still a little naive. Many seemingly evil things are actually It is the most suitable. Like rain."

"rainwater?"

"Yes, we curse the rain when it falls on our heads, but without it the world would starve. So did the slaves.

Don't rush to refute, think of Qarth, think of its achievements in the fields of art, music, architecture, trade and so on. It is these achievements that distinguish us humans from beasts, and make us the thirteen giants, just like you, sitting on the top of the pyramid.

But instead of bricks supporting the majestic Qarth, there are countless slave backbones.

Ask yourself, if everyone spends their life facing the loess, who will look up at the endless starry sky?

If everyone is struggling to survive, who will build magnificent temples to praise the gods? Who will create wonderful oil paintings and compose moving music?

For the greatness of mankind, some people must become slaves. "

"No, slaves are not the same as rain." Daenerys frowned. "I have been wet by rain, and I have been trafficked. It feels different. No one wants to be enslaved."

Xaro proudly pointed to the colored brick square, and said with a smile:

"If I'm not mistaken, there are obviously more Meereenans willing to be enslaved."

Daenerys was speechless, and it took a long while before she said:

"There are no slaves in Westeros, and the Seven Kingdoms also have splendid civilizations, magnificent castles and wonderful music."

"Although I haven't been to your hometown." Xaro said with a smile, "I have met many merchants and sailors from Westeros, and I learned from their mouths that the peasants of the Seven Kingdoms live a very difficult life." How much better than a slave.

Yes, they are free, but so what? No, he was still trapped on the land all his life, and most of the harvested food was taxed, and the rest was enough to fill his stomach. If there is any catastrophe or war, it will be the end of a broken family, even worse than a slave.

So what good is freedom to them? "

Daenerys wanted to refute, but couldn't.

Moreover, she has never been to Westeros at all, and her impressions of it all come from her brother's story.

She looked at the man beside her, hoping that he could refute the businessman's heresy.

Samwell finally spoke, but instead of directly addressing Xaro's remarks, he asked a seemingly irrelevant question:

"Your Excellency Xaro, how long do you think it will take 10,000 people to build a stone castle with an area of ​​about five acres and a height of about eighty feet?"

Xaro thought for a while: "About two or three years."

"I only used it for less than a year." Samwell said, "And it was still under the condition that foreign enemies invaded and interrupted the progress of the construction. If you don't believe it, you can ask the sailors from Westeros, the river How long did it take for Eagle Island in the Bay to be built?"

"I believe you," said Xaro respectfully, "but what does that have to do with what we're discussing?"

Samwell still did not answer, and asked again:

"How long do you think it will take to build an artificial river with a total length of more than 700 miles?"

"Seven hundred miles?" Xaro's eyes widened.

"That's right. The 700-mile artificial river can irrigate nearly 50 million acres of arable land along the way." Samwell said with a smile, "Don't think about it, you probably have never seen such a grand project."

"I really haven't seen it."

"Stormland is carrying out such a project. I have mobilized nearly 100,000 workers, and this number will increase to 500,000 in the future. Believe me, this artificial river will be completed within five years. But if this project is handed over to If the same number of slaves are employed, it may not be possible to complete the work in dozens or even hundreds of years."

Xaro frowned, looking disbelieving.

Samwell didn't care either, and added with a smile:

"Whips and shackles may not be the most effective tools of governance."

These words made Xaro fall into deep thought, but after a while, he came to his senses:

"Your Majesty Caesar, you won't go back on your word, will you?"

"No." Samwell pointed to the square in front of him, "I respect the choice of the people of Meereen."

"That's good." Xaro breathed a sigh of relief.

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