Chapter 4: In Need of Helpers
With a "ding" sound, the transaction between Josh Kane and Daenerys was complete. Daenerys' warehouse now had four rifles and 400 rounds of ammunition, while Josh’s warehouse had gained 120 ounces of gold.
Unlike the previous transaction involving some gold jewelry, this time the gold was in solid bars, twelve in total. It was clear that Daenerys had prepared a significant amount of gold in advance for the trade. Even though they came from two different worlds where the language, script, and even measurements were entirely different, the trading system automatically handled all the conversions and translations, making everything quite convenient.
Seeing so much gold at once, Josh couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
This was 3.4 kilograms of gold! If converted to the pre-portal gold prices, it would be worth over a million RMB.
Although his financial situation in his previous life had been decent, aside from real estate, he had never seen so much cash at once.
He had seen more gold before, but that was in jewelry stores.
Resisting the urge to take out the gold and play with it, Josh was about to close the system. He needed to carefully consider how to cash out such a large amount of gold. Although his last sale had gone smoothly, with the shopkeeper Old Hawk being reliable enough, this time the amount of gold had increased twelvefold. It was hard to say how things would play out.
"Wait, Josh!" Daenerys called out to him at that moment.
"Is something wrong?" Josh asked, a little surprised. After all, Daenerys was currently leading the Dothraki army back to Slaver’s Bay to quell a rebellion and should have been quite busy.
"I really love this book, The Prince, especially the part about the qualities a monarch should possess. It resonated with me deeply. If I had seen this book a few years earlier, Slaver’s Bay probably wouldn’t be in such chaos now. However, the book's content is still somewhat limited. It doesn’t go into much detail about the monarchs mentioned in it. I'm very interested in their experiences, so could you help me find more books on this topic?" Daenerys asked, holding the copy of The Prince that Josh had previously traded to her.
As a princess in exile, Daenerys had grown up constantly on the run, never enjoying a single day of peace.
So, it wasn’t just monarch education she had missed; even her basic education was far from complete.
In the past, when her territory and followers were smaller, this lack of education wasn’t too noticeable.
But as her power and influence grew, her shortcomings in this area began to become apparent.
How to mediate between the various factions and classes within her territories, how to manage her subordinates, how to govern the land, and what kind of ruler she should become—these were all things she needed to learn.
This was also one of the main reasons she was still stuck in Slaver’s Bay... because of her lack of governance experience. The constant rebellions in the city-states of Slaver’s Bay not only prevented her from expanding her power, but also drained her resources.
Her key subordinates were trying to help her become the ruler they wanted her to be, like Tyrion, who had just recently joined her.
But these people wanted Daenerys to become the monarch they envisioned, not necessarily the one she aspired to be.
In the past, Daenerys had not seen through this and simply thought she wasn’t doing well enough, constantly compromising as a result.
However, this seemingly thin yet insightful book, The Prince, had opened her eyes to many things.
Daenerys had a strong ability to grasp concepts, and her limited perspective had been the only thing holding her back.
With the Dimensional Trading Device connecting her to Josh and introducing her to The Prince, a whole new world had opened up before her.
This had sparked her interest in the literature and history from Josh’s world.
"Of course, I can help. But it’ll take some time, as there are a lot of related books to sort through," Josh immediately agreed without hesitation.
At this point, Daenerys’ rapid growth was a good thing for him.
The sooner she matured into a capable ruler, the more likely she would avoid some of the pitfalls from the original storyline and not meet such a tragic end.
Only then could Josh continue to trade with her.
If Daenerys were to die, the Dimensional Beacon would search for a new host, a process that was entirely random.
If the new host turned out to be a lord or noble, that would be fine. But if it were a beggar or someone else with nothing, it would be a lot less fun.
Josh would then have to spend time and effort supporting that person, waiting until they had some wealth before being able to trade.
So, getting Daenerys as the first beacon host, someone wealthy and powerful, was quite lucky for Josh.
There was no guarantee he'd get that lucky again when the new beacon was generated next year.
Thus, aside from making money from the trades, Josh was more than happy to help Daenerys in other ways too.
In fact, if he weren’t worried about overwhelming her, Josh would have already told her the entire plot of Game of Thrones.
"Thank you so much! Originally, after this trip back to Slaver’s Bay, I had planned to head to Westeros as soon as possible. But now, I think I’ll take some more time to learn and gather more strength. Also, if possible, I’d like to equip the entire Unsullied army with these rifles," Daenerys said.
"…That won’t be something that can be done in a short time. After all, unlike you, I’m just a small-time figure in my world. A few dozen or a hundred rifles are manageable, but eight thousand? That’s not going to be easy," Josh replied, feeling a bit helpless at her request.
While the United States didn’t have strict gun control, buying eight thousand rifles at once would definitely require dealing with arms dealers.
Doing so would force Josh to come into the spotlight.
As a fifteen-year-old with a lot of wealth but no power to protect himself, he would likely be swallowed up by others in no time.
The truth was, Josh was on his own and lacked reliable helpers.
But finding trustworthy allies wasn’t easy, especially for someone in Josh’s situation.
"My name is Josh Kane, Austrian by descent. In some ways, you could say I share a homeland with that infamous figure with the mustache."
Five years ago, when that figure annexed Austria, my parents fled with me to America.
In Austria, we had some assets, but in order to escape, most of them were sold off cheaply. By the time we reached America and bought a small apartment, we were practically impoverished.
My father found a job at the docks to support our small family.
Even though we had been in the U.S. for five years, only my father spoke English, so our integration into society was slow.
I had been attending school in the U.S. for a few years, and while my English had improved, I hadn’t learned much else. I also hadn’t made any friends due to my introverted nature.
Worse still, three months ago, while I was away from home, my parents ate improperly cured sausages and died from food poisoning—just like that, without any ceremony.
For a fifteen-year-old, that was a massive blow.
If not for the help of a local priest, I wouldn’t have even known how to bury my parents. That alone took up almost all of the little money they had left.
Since then, I stopped going to school.
I wandered aimlessly for three months until I was replaced by the current me.
With such a simple life and limited social connections, I couldn’t think of anyone I could trust.
Hearing Josh’s explanation, Daenerys nodded, understanding his predicament, as she had been in a similar situation herself.
"Speaking of reliable allies... would you like me to send a few Unsullied to assist you?" Daenerys offered after some thought.
"Unsullied?" Josh was tempted by the idea.
"Yes, the Unsullied," Daenerys replied. "They’re completely loyal and unyielding. Having a few of them by your side would certainly ease some of your burdens."
Josh considered the offer. The Unsullied were legendary warriors, utterly disciplined and devoid of fear. Having a few of them as bodyguards would be a great help, especially given his current circumstances.
But then he thought about the logistics. "I really appreciate the offer, Daenerys, but I’m not sure how practical it is. Even if you sent them over, there would be so many issues to address—like how they’d integrate into my world, or how people here would react to seeing them."
Daenerys gave a slight smile. "I understand your concerns, but trust me, the Unsullied are used to adapting to new environments. They wouldn’t draw too much attention if they dressed and acted accordingly. Plus, having such skilled warriors by your side would grant you the protection you need."
Josh still hesitated. It wasn’t just about protection. In his world, a fifteen-year-old with no real influence suddenly having elite warriors at his beck and call would raise countless questions.
"I’ll think about it," Josh finally said, trying to buy himself some time. "For now, I need to focus on gathering the resources I have and figuring out a way forward."
Daenerys nodded in understanding. "Take your time. The offer stands, and if you ever need them, just let me know. In the meantime, I’ll continue to strengthen my position here. As for the books I requested, I look forward to reading them whenever you manage to find them."
With that, their conversation ended. Josh closed the Dimensional Trading Device and leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. He had a lot to consider. The gold he’d just acquired would be a huge asset, but turning it into something useful wouldn’t be easy. And Daenerys’ offer of the Unsullied, while tempting, came with its own risks.
One thing was certain: Josh needed allies. Whether from his own world or Daenerys’ world, reliable help was becoming a necessity. If he was going to navigate the dangerous path ahead, he couldn’t do it alone.
For now, though, he would focus on his next step—converting the gold, keeping a low profile, and staying out of trouble. But deep down, he knew that sooner or later, he’d have to make some big decisions.
The wheels of fate were turning, and Josh Kane was standing right in the middle of it all.
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