The Sealord's Attention

Candlelight fell across Viserys's face, handsome yet still carrying a trace of youthful softness, his violet eyes faintly pale.

Perhaps from working his body hard, Viserys had never carried much baby fat. He belonged to the tall, nimble sort.

Unlike the exiled prince who had once lived in constant fear, Viserys now seemed lean, composed, and restrained. That was also the bearing of a Water Dancer.

What a pity about that Dragonbone Hairpin. I just ate it like that, Viserys thought.

It was not as though Viserys had wanted the Dragonbone Hairpin to fix his hair.

Dragonbone was light and hard, making it a perfect concealed weapon as well.

Worn in one's hair, then suddenly used to strike.

Still, exchanging the Dragonbone Hairpin for attributes meant it had vanished for a worthwhile reason.

"There was only a little Dragonbone, but a dragon skull is a huge lump." Viserys thought of the many dragon skulls beneath the Red Keep, supposedly discarded in the hidden tunnels.

Balerion had been the largest dragon of them all. Its mouth was astonishingly huge, its teeth like sharp swords. It could swallow an entire buffalo in one bite, or the mammoths said to roam the frozen wilderness north of Ibben Port.

If Viserys swallowed a dragon skull that large, would he not soar in strength instantly?

But it would not be that simple. At heart, Viserys was merely someone with a cheat ability, not some gluttonous monster. He simply did not possess that much digestive power.

But he could probably try smaller dragon skulls in the future. After all, underdeveloped dragons were only about the size of cats and dogs.

For now, he needed to proceed slowly, beginning with Dragonbone.

"Besides Dragonbone, could I use gold, silver, or other jewels?"

Viserys placed gold coins, silver coins, copper coins, and gemstones on the table, then bit each of them in turn.

After biting for quite some time, nothing happened.

It seemed this Talent did not judge things by worldly material wealth. Precious objects like gold, silver, and gemstones lay outside its range of selection.

Viserys rubbed his hands together, his bright violet eyes seeming to burn with fire.

Successfully digesting Dragonbone this time had confirmed his speculation about the [Cannibal] Talent.

Viserys had once tried beef, venison, mutton, chicken, duck, boar meat, and all kinds of seafood from Braavos, but the increase in strength had been almost negligible.

The requirements of this Talent were high. Based on his experiments, the best results came from extremely expensive, high-quality ingredients, or rare things infused with magical elements.

There was no need to mention dragons. They were creations with the highest concentration of magic in the world, formed entirely from blood and fire.

Direwolves, snow bears, mammoths, and unicorns might have some effect as well, but they were all far away in the distant north.

Besides, those creatures were nearly extinct.

There was also the Kraken on House Greyjoy's sigil, but monstrous squid were deep-sea creatures, difficult to find and capture.

If he truly found one, Viserys would definitely give it a try.

"Perhaps there's some substitute meal in Essos?" Viserys thought.

Leaving Westeros aside, Essos also had another group of extraordinary creatures.

Viserys knew that the long-desolate Rhoyne still contained all kinds of "River Gods." Those so-called River Gods were merely giant river monsters such as huge fish, crabs, and turtles.

The Rhoynar, who worshipped Mother Rhoyne, regarded them as gods and trusted them deeply.

Back when the Valyrian Freehold went to war with the Rhoynar, it began because one of Valyria's underlings harmed one of the Rhoynar's River Gods, a giant turtle.

But after the Rhoynar fell into decline, the river pirates and other city-states that plundered them did not care about such things. They fished up the River Gods to sell and eat them.

The colossal creatures in the Rhoyne might possess all manner of supernatural properties. He could get hold of some and test the results.

This was only a preliminary thought for Viserys. At present, the reliable way to steadily increase his strength was still to eat Sea Snails and Dragonbone, with Dragonbone proving more effective than Sea Snails.

Sea Snails, Dragonbone, and giant river monsters from the Rhoyne.

Dragon eggs would certainly be even better, but living dragon eggs had vanished without a trace. The only known ones were the three fossilized dragon eggs held by that fat Magister. How could he bear to eat them?

Now, Sea Snails and Dragonbone shared one drawback: they were expensive.

Dragonbone was especially scarce. Many unscrupulous merchants used the bones of pterosaurs or other animals to pass them off as Dragonbone.

But before the power of a cheat ability, their cost was not their fault.

Viserys had already decided that anyone who came to eat at his place or commissioned work from him had better bring Dragonbone as a gift.

"Could I swallow Valyrian steel someday?" Viserys ultimately abandoned the mad thought.

Valyrian steel was also forged by dragonflame and infused with magic.

For now, he was not yet at the point where he could try a Valyrian steel sword. Besides, Viserys was not that wasteful.

There were only two thousand Valyrian steel weapons in the entire world, and many had already been lost.

Thinking of that made Viserys's heart ache. House Targaryen had once possessed Blackfyre and Dark Sister, but now it had neither.

Viserys was the classic kind of man with nothing: no territory, no equipment, no followers.

Still, Valyrian steel might be rare on the Eastern Continent, but it did exist. Perhaps he could obtain some equipment in the future.

Inside the Sealord's Palace, magnificent ceiling murals depicted the many legends of the Secret City.

The first showed the lightless Valyrian volcanic mines, where countless slaves labored in endless misery.

Then came the Moonsingers praying, followed by the escaped slaves discovering Great Reef Island Lake in the Secret City.

Later came Uthero's Unmasking a century afterward, when he revealed his identity to the Valyrians.

Braavos's Purple Fleet sailed unimpeded through the Shivering Sea and the Summer Sea.

The murals were vivid and lifelike, carrying an epic, romantic air.

Along their borders were images of mermaids, Krakens, and Leviathan whales.

"Is this the song written by that boy?" Sealord Ferrego, dressed in dark brown, held "Five Hundred Miles," created by Viserys. "It's catchy, and they say it has spread throughout the Secret City. No one from the Secret City could have written it."

Ferrego was currently in his prime. Though he had a congenital ailment, he still appeared vigorous and energetic, not yet the sickly man bedridden ten years later.

"He wrote it himself. I investigated it as well," the First Sword, Kui Luo, answered with certainty.

"The emotion in this song is a sincere longing for home. That is not how I remember him," Ferrego said.

As one of the upper ranks, he had met Viserys years ago.

"I remember him as a pretty little boy with no sense of security, his face full of fear, nothing particularly remarkable. Viserys was spoiled by the Mad King when he was young, and many flatterers supported the Mad King's decision to disinherit Rhaegar. But looking at him now, does Viserys also possess a little of that great blood?"

"Xisa, you are on good terms with him. Tell us," the Sealord said, prompting Xisa to speak.

The city watch commander was a typical double agent between the Sealord and Viserys, though both sides understood that perfectly well.

The commander weighed his words, then spoke slowly. "Your Grace, based on my contact with Viserys, he is indeed very charming and talented. He has great Talent in cuisine, art, and Water Dancing. However, he still insists upon his lawful claim to the Iron Throne."

"An ordinary person may spend an entire lifetime mastering only one path, yet this young man Viserys excels in every field. How truly remarkable," Ferrego sighed.

"I find it very strange as well," Xisa said. "But from what I have personally witnessed, he may truly be a genius. The Water Dancers praise him without reserve."

"He is not merely a genius. He is also very calm, unlike the boy I knew. He did not seek a loan from the Iron Bank, nor did he hire a mercenary company. If he truly intends to start over from nothing, then I do admire the boy somewhat."

"Your Grace, would you like to meet him?" Kui Luo asked.

"There is no need." The Sealord waved a hand. "The Secret City has many secrets. Let this young Targaryen continue onward. If he can go farther, then naturally I will meet him."

Ferrego was only paying some attention to Viserys. Overall, Viserys was still merely a prince of a fallen realm.

Since Viserys had displayed some value, the Sealord also wished to see just how much value he possessed.

Add bookmark

Return to contents

Report chapter error

Share with friends: