"What is this?"
The mercenary leader quickly picked up the exquisite whip and asked, feigning curiosity,
"Who had so much time on their hands that they made a whip this fancy and impractical?"
But the spice merchants from Pentos already had their hearts in their throats. Several of them shot resentful looks at their fat companion.
"Lord Rouge, I've heard something about that!"
The skinny mercenary he was holding spoke ingratiatingly,
"They say that in the Free Cities, slave masters use whips like this to control their slaves. I've also heard that those slaves recognize only the whip, not the person holding it..."
The skinny man's words turned the spice merchants' faces ashen. They could feel things heading in a direction they had never expected.
"Is that so?"
The mercenary leader gave a mocking, wicked grin and set the skinny mercenary down.
"Then I'll have to give it a proper try!"
The mercenary leader raised the exquisite whip and called out,
"Everyone, heed my command! Tie up those spice merchants at once!"
The Unsullied and slave soldiers who had been guarding the spice merchants immediately turned their weapons on them.
"My lord, my lord, this is no joking matter!"
"These slaves have no minds of their own! Your joke could make them actually drive their weapons into us!"
The spice merchants from Pentos scrambled over to the mercenary leader, pleading desperately.
But there was no trace of deference left on the mercenary leader's face. His expression cold, he kicked the nearest spice merchant and sent him flying.
"Don't fucking try to cozy up to me! I came here today to deal with you information peddlers from Pentos!"
"Tie them all up!"
"You... you can't do this! We're on good terms with House Hightower! Aren't you afraid of offending all of