"Ser, did Marris Blackfyre really have two heads?"
Jaime was so engrossed that he was nearly draped over his idol.
Brynden remained calm. "He did have two heads. When Barristan the Bold cut off the first one, the second deformed head was still roaring."
"Just hearing it makes me feel as though I were there, fighting alongside you."
Jaime's blood was boiling as he listened, his eyes full of yearning.
"Kid, you're not qualified yet."
Brynden had never been pleasant with his words, but he was practical. "I can see that you've already begun to grasp Life Force. During your stay in Riverrun, I can train you for a few days."
The boy truly was promising.
Only fourteen years old, yet his Life Force was remarkably abundant.
The calluses on the web of his right hand, along with the way he rode and walked, showed how hard he had worked.
Jaime agreed at once. "I couldn't ask for more!"
He was absolutely delighted.
His father, Tywin, truly favored him. Knowing that Lord Crakehall could no longer teach him anything, he had specifically sent him to Riverrun.
He had never considered the possibility of a marriage alliance between the two great houses.
"Ahem..."
Lord Hoster coughed twice, interrupting the conversation with displeasure in his voice. "Brynden, dinner is about to be served. Do not ruin proper etiquette before the meal."
Did this brother who showed him no respect not know that Tywin had sent his eldest son to Riverrun with a letter because he wanted the two houses to intermarry?
Brynden glanced at him and did not embarrass his brother by refuting him.
Wasn't keeping Jaime here precisely to create an opportunity for his niece Lysa?
Hoster would only see him as the "Blackfish who spoiled the school."
"Ser, when can we begin training?"
Jaime had his own pride and did not stop because of Lord Hoster's implied meaning.
He had not come to the Riverlands merely to deliver a letter.
His third uncle Tygett had written that the King's second son had injured his fourth uncle Gillian, then defeated his second uncle Kevan in a Trial by Combat.
Cersei had also written to him, saying she had found a second suitor in the Red Keep.
Out of loyalty to his family and jealousy in his heart, she urged him to leave Riverrun and immediately head for King's Landing.
Spring 12th, Friday, clear skies, 9:00 a.m.
"Today is a good day, and all the things I wish for..."
Daeron crouched by the mine lake as usual and skillfully cast his fishing line.
Practice proved the truth.
Reality had told him that as long as he kept trying and challenging himself, he could always crush whatever difficulties stood in his way.
Two days of fishing experience had taught him how to work the reel smoothly and drag hooked fish ashore.
Then... give them two slaps.
"Reality really is better than a game. You can't slap fish twice in a game."
Daeron felt completely refreshed. The first time he had killed someone had long since been cast from his mind.
Today was a rare Iridium Star Luck Day. Before Spring 13th arrived, he would definitely haul in a full catch.
[Farmer: Daeron Targaryen] Farming: Level 3 Mining: Level 3 Foraging: Level 1 Fishing: Level 4 Combat: Level 2
His Farming level had risen by two, with the experience coming from the potato bumper harvest.
Fishing had risen from Level 0 to Level 4, entirely through sweat and effort day after day.
Glug glug!
A fish bit the hook, and Daeron hurriedly reeled in the line.
After a brief struggle, he caught a Silver Star quality bullhead.
Bullhead: A close relative of the catfish that feeds on various food found at the bottom of lakes.
Selling prices: 75/93/112 gold
This Silver Star bullhead was 45 centimeters long and could be sold for 93 gold.
"Not bad, though I didn't catch a Chest."
Daeron identified the fish and its value at a glance, removed the hook, and stored it in his inventory.
What was difficult for the unskilled was easy for the skilled.
Over the past two days, fishing alone had earned him as much as 556 gold.
That was more than enough to gather 2,000 gold and buy Strawberry Seeds.
If he worked hard today, he might be able to buy even more.
Besides the gold from selling fish, the Chests that occasionally appeared while fishing had yielded quite a few good things.
Common items included Copper Ore, Iron Ore, coal, wood, rice shoots...
Rarer items included Emeralds, diamonds, the Broken Trident...
Yes, he had fished up a weapon.
Broken Trident (Level 5 Dagger): 15-26 Damage, +1 Critical Hit Damage, +1 Critical Hit Chance
The first two were basic attributes, while the latter was a trait gained through weapon enhancement.
Each weapon could gain different enhancement traits by being enhanced with different types of gems.
The Broken Trident alone was enough for Daeron to boldly venture through the first eighty floors of the mines.
The only pity was that he had not caught the Neptune Greatsword.
The Broken Trident was a dagger-type weapon. It looked like a broken wooden fork and did not feel right in his hand.
"Give me some luck today!"
Daeron put all his strength into casting the hook at the perfect distance.
Glug glug!
The next second, the hook was bitten immediately.
"Here we go?"
Daeron focused with all his might.
And two seconds after the tug-of-war began, the System Panel alerted him that a Fishing Treasure Chest had appeared.
"A chance to earn some extra money."
Daeron became even more serious.
But this fish was not as sluggish as a carp, nor did it know when to stop like silver carp and bullhead. It leaped wildly up and down, thrashing frantically.
"I don't believe it. Don't even think about running."
Daeron's stubborn streak flared up.
Seconds ticked by, and in the blink of an eye, two and a half minutes had passed.
Splash!
The Fishing Rod whipped high into the air, and beneath the sunlight, the transparent line dragged out a huge green bass that landed with a smack on the grassy shore.
"Largemouth bass."
Daeron panted lightly, grabbed it by the gills, and gave it two slaps first.
You deserved that!
Largemouth bass: A popular fish that lives in lakes.
Selling price: 100/125/150 gold
This largemouth bass was of ordinary quality, 68 centimeters long, and worth 100 gold.
"Open the Chest, open the Chest."
Daeron put away the fish and opened the Fishing Treasure Chest that had come ashore with it.
Creak!
The Chest opened, revealing three items.
[Neptune Greatsword, Lucky Ring, Diamond...]
Daeron:!!!
"What am I seeing?"
"Forget living normally—this lucky?"
Show it!!
Neptune Greatsword (Level 5 Sword): 18-35 Damage, -1 Speed, +2 Defense, +4 Weight, +2 Speed, Slime Slayer
The increased damage went without saying.
The -1 Speed meant the sword was too heavy, making it slower to swing than usual.
The +2 Defense increased Daeron's own ability to withstand blows. He also had a pair of boots with the same attribute, obtained from a Chest on the tenth floor of the mines.
The +4 Weight did not increase the sword's weight. Instead, it increased the weight suffered by opponents and caused a Knockback Effect.
The higher the Weight, the better the Knockback Effect.
Slime Slayer: Greatly increased damage, Critical Hit Chance, and Critical Hit Damage against slime monsters.
Simply put, one slime per swing.
This was an exclusive weapon enchantment beyond weapon enhancement. Each weapon could only have one exclusive enchantment.
He would never again have to worry about being disgusted by encountering huge numbers of slimes in the mines.
Lucky Ring: A symbol of the moon. Luck +1.
The importance of luck was displayed vividly at this very moment.
The luck bonus from an Iridium Star Luck Day was only 0.1-0.125.
A single Lucky Ring gave +1 Luck outright.
Diamond: A precious gem. Selling price: 500.
Looking at the items in the Chest, how could Daeron not smile? "Now this is how it should be."
Neptune Greatsword in one hand, Lucky Ring on the other.
The 120th floor of the mines was already his for the taking.
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