Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

Moreover, these noble families would not rely excessively on trade; their small-scale farming economy was perfectly capable of self-sufficiency. Cutting off their sea routes would at most cause them some losses, and wouldn't even be enough to cripple them.

These issues were already evident in the War of the Usurper, where the Targaryen royal fleet was rendered powerless.

What truly worries the Seven Kingdoms and even the Iron Throne is another weapon of Braavos.

Those are gold coins.

The Iron Treasury's wealth was enough to shock the world and even make the king's throne grow thorns.

When a king or noble defaults on their debts, or is foolish enough to disrespect their contract with the Iron Treasury, new kings or nobles will spring up like mushrooms after rain with the financial assistance of the Iron Treasury.

These new nobles must acknowledge previous debts and repay the money they borrowed from the Iron Treasury to win the throne, lest they suffer the same fate as their predecessors.

This is why, despite the Iron Treasury lending out so many loans, no one has ever dared to default on their debts.

As the Braavos proverb goes, "The Iron Treasury will not tolerate delays."

Viserys gazed at the waves on the sea, lost in thought, pondering all sorts of random things.

He had some memories and impressions of Braavos based on his mind, but these were not comprehensive. The rest was knowledge about Braavos and its customs that he had crammed on in the days before his departure.

Meanwhile, a soldier sitting to the side discreetly observed the expression on the young king's face, revealing a hint of self-righteousness.

After several incidents, including the previous plot to kill the mercenaries and the naval battle at Shipwreck Bay, Viserys's reputation had gradually spread among the soldiers.

People say that Viserys possesses talent that is absolutely no less than his brother Rhaegar's, and now this soldier certainly believes it to be true.

What was I doing when I was eight years old?

It seems they're still playing with pee and mud.

However, Viserys' mind was completely blank at the moment. He didn't know what he was thinking about. He was just staring blankly at the sea.

Although he had undergone some simple disguise, he remained hidden in the cabin for a whole day as a precaution.

After all, this was the first time Viserys had left the layers of protection he usually had and stepped into a completely unfamiliar environment.

Even when he hastily fled King's Landing, he was escorted by more than fifty soldiers, but now Viserys only has two people with him.

However, at that moment, there was a knock on the door of the cabin.

Thump thump thump...

"Young Master, it's me."

A man's voice, deliberately lowered, came from outside the door.

Chapter 61 The Journey

It turned out to be the city official from Braavos.

He saw that Viserys hadn't left his cabin all day since boarding the ship, so he rushed over to check on him.

He feared that the young king would not be able to stand life on the ship, after all, Dragonstone was a long way from Braavos, and their journey was to first go to Pentos to rest, load and unload some cargo, and then set off again for Braavos.

Merchants face significant risks on every voyage. For most large trading companies, a single maritime disaster can bankrupt even a seemingly successful and glamorous merchant.

Therefore, they naturally have to learn to be greedy, and they will only stop when they have made a fortune.

However, when he saw Viserys, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, because the young king was in good condition and seemed to have adapted to life on the ship, without getting seasick or vomiting.

"His Majesty."

"It will take us more than a month to reach Braavos."

Braavos is located among the islands at the northwesternmost tip of the continent of Essos, at the confluence of the Narrow Sea and the Trembling Sea. It is far from Dragonstone, and this route requires first reaching Pentos, so it naturally takes a very long time.

The Braavosian messenger, dressed in a grey-brown robe, then offered to show Viserys the ship.

"visit?"

Viserys frowned slightly upon hearing the invitation, but ultimately nodded in agreement.

"can."

Viserys then followed the envoy on a brief tour of the two-masted merchant ship.

Huge sails were hoisted on the deck, while below the deck were cargo holds, and at the very bottom were oar rooms on the left and right, with a long corridor in the middle.

Although this two-masted sailing ship had enough power to cross the narrow sea, it still needed some oarsmen to supplement the power when necessary.

Furthermore, the ship was a mixed bag, with all sorts of small merchants, mercenaries, and people who wanted to leave the war-torn Westeros for a living in the East all boarding the ship and coming together.

Viserys briefly followed the envoy out for a tour, getting some fresh air, as being cooped up in the cabin all day had indeed made him feel a bit stifled.

As they strolled around, many people who had spread out mats and sat on the deck cast curious glances at Viserys.

Although Viserys was disguised, his silver-gold hair was dyed blue, and his clothes were not very luxurious; he was merely the son of a wealthy merchant or a nobleman.

However, the boy's natural demeanor and the depth in his pale purple eyes still made them realize that his identity might not be simple.

A mother holding a baby sat on the deck, leaning against the edge of the plank. She was muscular and unabashedly opened her chest to let her child nurse. Her black hair was messy and she looked somewhat disheveled.

However, as Viserys passed by her, her gaze fell upon him.

She glanced at him curiously, her expression a mixture of surprise and disbelief, her gaze somewhat strange.

Then, as if feeling inferior, he quickly avoided looking at her, afraid of being discovered by this noble young master.

On the other side...

Several mercenaries, also sitting on the deck, were drinking and playing drinking games. They wore tattered leather armor, and their coarse body hair and odor could be smelled from a distance. Their weapons were either placed beside them or tied to their waistbands or calves.

The group of mercenaries drinking were making a lot of noise, completely disregarding the opinions of those around them, who seemed to be used to it.

There was even an old man in tattered clothes who lay down next to them on a tattered quilt and slept soundly.

The mercenaries also saw Viserys, whose face was flushed from drinking. But unlike the woman who had just been breastfeeding, they stared at Viserys without any attempt to hide their presence.

Then one of them swayed as he stood up and walked in front of Viserys, blocking his way.

The mercenary's strong body odor and smell of alcohol hit Viserys, causing him to frown slightly.

He wanted to raise his hand and cover his nose, but at the same time, he didn't want to anger these scoundrels and cause unnecessary trouble with his little action.

The boy then stopped and looked up at the other person.

"Hey, young nobleman."

The mercenary was swaying unsteadily, barely able to stand, his face flushed, and he was breathing heavily alcohol. He looked at Viserys and spoke first.

"The Eastern Continent is not that safe; it's a place where people really eat each other."

Do you need to hire staff?

The mercenary then pointed to his companions behind him who were drinking heartily, and patted his chest.

"As long as we have enough money, we brothers are absolutely not afraid to die!"

However, the two Dragonstone soldiers following Viserys were enraged when they saw this and decisively stood in front of the young king.

"Hey, hey, sorry bro."

The guard pushed aside the mercenary who was blocking his way. The drunk mercenary stumbled slightly and almost fell.

"Your Majesty...no, the young master will be protected by the two of us."

The guard stepped in front of Viserys and spoke, but accidentally let slip something he shouldn't have, and quickly corrected himself.

At the same time, the guard slightly pulled his sword hilt out with one hand, a look of disgust on his face.

"Young Master doesn't need, and won't hire, people like you."

As soldiers who received formal training and were paid by the royal family, they actually looked down on these mercenaries, believing that they had no sense of honor and only fought for money.

However, in reality, regular troops who have broken away and mutinied are more dangerous than these mercenaries. Moreover, many of the mercenaries are former soldiers who, for various reasons, ultimately chose to do this job that puts their lives on the line.

The minor altercation on deck caught the attention of the resting people, who all turned their gazes toward it.

But the mercenary who was nearly pushed over didn't get angry when he heard the guard's words. He reeked of alcohol and foul body odor, and just chuckled twice, seemingly unconcerned about being humiliated by others.

Then he told Viserys that if they needed help, they could come to his brothers.

He then sat back down on the deck and ate and drank with the other brothers.

Viserys witnessed the entire scene, and his furrowed brow relaxed slightly.

He glanced at the mercenary with some curiosity, then looked away.

Chapter 62 Water Dancer

There are all kinds of people in this world.

Peasants, slaves, merchants, mercenaries, and even bandits and thieves...

And the races are also very diverse.

Westeros is home to Northerners, Ironborn, Dornish, orphans of the Greenblood River, mountain clans of the Vale, mountain clans of the North, Swamplands, Skaggs, and even, according to rumors, giants and White Walkers north of the Wall.

On the continent of Essos, which Viserys is about to reach, there are also Dothraki, Braavos, Qarthians, Lazarim, and others.

Every person and every profession has their own way of life. After all, unless you are an aristocrat, you don't have a huge fortune that you can acquire without effort. You have to do your best to survive.

Viserys initially didn't have a good impression of mercenaries.

It wasn't because of any so-called 'honor,' but because Viserys felt that these people were wicked and capable of killing anyone for money.

However, Viserys suddenly had an idea in his mind about how to establish himself on the continent of Essos in the future.

"Could we... utilize these mercenaries?"

After all, mercenaries are prevalent on the mainland across the Narrow Sea, and he still has plenty of money in his hands.

In that case, could he hire a legion or buy some Unsullied to help him gain a foothold?

The boy stood there for a moment in silence, but this was just a sudden thought that popped into his head, and he still needed to think about whether or how to do it.

Viserys then glanced at the mercenary's retreating figure before looking away.

This was just a minor incident and didn't cause much of a stir on the ship.

However, it's impossible to know how many people were secretly watching Viserys's back.

Viserys then prepared to leave the deck and return to his cabin, where he encountered Braavos's chief swordsman, who was practicing his swordsmanship.