Viserys Catches a Cat

At sunrise, the one-eared black cat hissed at Viserys.

Viserys wore a studded leather jerkin and carried no weapon.

Braavos lay at a higher latitude than King's Landing. It was colder and gloomier, but Viserys had long since adapted.

Pentos lay on the same latitude as King's Landing and was also the closest free city to it.

For the fat Illyrio to cross the Narrow Sea and meet the Spider was relatively simple.

Viserys slowly exhaled, listening to the rhythm of his heart as he walked in special soft-soled shoes. He had to master balance and coordination.

By rights, he should have chased barefoot, but Viserys lacked Arya's wildness.

Water Dancing was best learned by children of seven or eight. Viserys was already fourteen when he began his initial training, making him an overage trainee.

But Viserys had his advantages. The attribute panel and the enhancement of his various attributes allowed him to grasp the essence of Water Dancing.

Swift as a deer, silent as a shadow, quick as a snake, still as water, strong as a bear, fierce as a wolf, unmoving as stone.

This was the highest realm of the Water Dancers.

The black cat Balerion watched Viserys approach, its eyes full of vigilance.

The Red Keep had once been full of cats, but this black cat alone was the most cunning.

According to Viserys's observations, those lazy old cats and noble ladies' pets were weaker, while kittens and strays were the wildest and fastest.

After the bearded, bald Moro discovered the black cat's remarkable nature, he began having Viserys train by catching cats.

It was not easy. The black cat did not bite or scratch Viserys, but it was nimble and agile, and it would not let him catch it.

Viserys had tried many times. This time, he believed he would succeed.

(Agility ↑)

(Agility ↑)

Water Dancer training focused on raising Viserys's Agility attribute. His other attributes improved as well, but Agility rose the fastest.

That was because all Water Dancer training revolved around balance and speed.

Viserys chased the one-eared black cat through the entire courtyard.

The black cat appeared everywhere: the kitchen, the laundry room, the garden, the rooftops, even the sewer openings.

Even inside the Red House, Viserys chased it with great enthusiasm.

Silent as a shadow, light as a feather, Viserys followed the Water Dancers' rules and slowly approached the black cat in the garden.

When they drew very close, the black cat suddenly moved. First to the left, then to the right.

Viserys moved with it, blocking the cat's escape route.

The black cat suddenly hissed, trying to leap over Viserys's legs.

Quick-eyed and swift as a snake, Viserys finally caught the black cat with his hand.

Viserys lifted the black cat. It was the first time he had caught it, but not the last.

He would continue this training in the future, only faster and stronger.

"I finally did it!" Viserys happily raised the black cat over his head. It let out an unhappy hiss, but did not claw or bite him.

Sweating heavily, Viserys set the black cat back down by his feet.

Elsewhere in the garden, Rhaenys stood on one leg atop a spinning-staircase training device, maintaining her balance.

It had originally been Viserys's equipment, but Rhaenys had begun using it as well.

Balance training, cat-catching training, and Insight training—if a Water Dancer wished to stand out, they had to undergo such rigorous training.

Viserys applied some Myrish Fire to himself. Though there were no scars on his face, his knees still needed treatment after all the falls and bruises.

Myrish Fire truly burned like blazing flame, unbearably hot.

"I think its agility may be related to skinchanging," Viserys said.

A Skinchanger's consciousness generally entered an animal's body and controlled its actions.

Using skinchanging to invade a human body was strictly forbidden, though there were surely madmen willing to do so, such as Crow's Eye.

"Is that so?" Rhaenys was not entirely convinced.

Still, the black cat had lived longer than other cats, and that was an obvious fact.

Viserys had researched it as well. After a Skinchanger entered an animal's consciousness, the animal truly could live longer.

If the Skinchanger's soul remained within it, the animal could live for a very long time.

That could only lead to the subject of magic. By all reason, an animal's body should steadily age, yet a Skinchanger slowed that process.

For example, Bloodraven Brandon's ravens still contained the scattered souls of the Children of the Forest.

But under magic, there were even Red Priestesses who neither ate nor drank and lived on elemental power, so Skinchangers were not all that strange.

Besides his repetitive training, Viserys's partner, the "Female Swordswoman," arrived at Viserys's courtyard with Moro today.

Compared to their first meeting, the socialite seemed far more pleased with herself this time.

The socialite now looked at Viserys as though he were a money tree. The Female Swordswoman, once no more than a second-rate performer, had now made a name for herself.

Braavos was, by nature, a city of sailors and merchants. Songs that reminisced about home or recalled lost love could strike directly at most people's soft spots.

They were widely sung, and the lyrics felt true to life.

The Female Swordswoman had not come empty-handed. She brought a heavy bag of Gold Dragons, and every last coin of the commission she had promised was there.

"One hundred Gold Dragons, Your Grace," the Female Swordswoman said. "I've gained quite a bit of business lately. This is what you are owed."

The Female Swordswoman was indeed a generous socialite, not the awkward, timid sort. She was bound to have a bright future.

"Thank you for your generosity." Viserys naturally did not stand on ceremony. If he had worked with Nightingale on this project, he would have earned even more.

Viserys truly had many expenses in Braavos. He needed to maintain his food, clothing, and daily necessities, as well as support his progress in Water Dancing.

His residence, servants, the sea snails he had recently been buying, and the Myrish Firewine he purchased all cost a great deal.

"It is what we agreed upon." The Female Swordswoman smiled faintly.

"Moro told me that your Water Dancing is progressing by leaps and bounds. It seems you truly are a person of Talent," the Female Swordswoman said.

The Female Swordswoman's beautiful eyes shifted. She had initially thought Viserys was merely playing around, but he truly turned out to be an all-rounder.

A great gourmand, a literary master, a gifted assassin—this exiled king truly was the legendary hidden treasure.

Even Moro praised Viserys in private. By all reason, learning Water Dancing at his age should have progressed very slowly, far worse than a child of seven or eight, but Viserys's Talent was astonishingly exceptional.

"I am searching for the Westerosi instructor you asked me to find. I believe a suitable candidate will be found soon," the Female Swordswoman promised.

"There is no rush. Not only must their skills be good, their character must also be loyal," Viserys said.

He was currently immersed in his Water Dancing progress, so he was not as urgently concerned with Iron Dance.

"The song I wrote for you before has already made you very popular. I think we should strike while the iron is hot."

"You already have another new work so soon?" The Female Swordswoman widened her eyes. She had indeed been thinking the same thing, but she had not expected Viserys's creativity to show no sign of a gap.

Viserys smiled slightly. This was no joke—his stockpile had no limit.

The main issue was money. He needed more gold now.

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