The night banquet at the Sea Lord's Palace had concluded, but people were still enthusiastically discussing the luxury and revelry of the Sea Lord's masquerade.
Especially when the three great courtesan swordswomen, Nightingale, and Black Pearl, sang the new song "Silver Traveler" by the new singer, and the mysterious knight danced the first dance with several courtesans.
For a time, this silver-haired young man could be said to be the most talked-about person at the entire event.
But for Viserys, the trouble had just begun.
His mysterious knight persona, "Silver Traveler," had gained him much attention, but it had also attracted the notice of the Prestayn family.
Viserys had not expected his first wave of adversaries to be assassins from Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister, but rather the hostility of an ancient noble house from Braavos itself.
By leveraging the Black Pearl's name, he naturally had to accept the envy of these local young nobles.
The next day, in Viserys's study, he, Syrio, Moro, and Roland Lake gathered together.
"Beauty brings trouble," Syrio joked, looking at the several Myrish portrait paintings in Viserys's hand, inspired by the scene.
The Prestayn family hoped to sign a talented singer like Viserys, also to better promote their courtesan, the "Mermaid Queen."
Of course, it was also simply the Prestayn scions' envy, jealousy, and hatred for Viserys's way with women.
The Myrish portrait style was quite realistic; the paintings depicted Viserys dancing with the Black Pearl, the courtesan's skirt fluttering, looking incredibly lifelike.
In these paintings, the courtesan was the main character, and Viserys was a secondary character by association, but even so, he was sufficiently brilliant.
"Indeed, they are beautiful," Ser Roland also praised, the Myrish style being very elegant.
"If beauty and power are mixed together, then it's even more troublesome," Viserys said.
Rhaegar was like that back then; taking Lyanna Stark was one of the sparks that ignited Robert's Rebellion.
Lyanna was said to possess a wild, northern beauty, not the particularly refined demeanor of a highborn lady.
When Rhaegar crowned her the Queen of Love and Beauty, people said Robert laughed, but those who knew him said that from that day on, Robert never forgave his cousin Rhaegar.
Not to mention, Lyanna Stark was already betrothed to Robert, yet Rhaegar took her away.
Viserys couldn't say how much Robert loved Lyanna; perhaps he indulged in drinking, gambling, and women, fathering many bastards, yet still considered himself a deeply romantic and pure-hearted man.
In reality, this person might be two different people before and after getting into bed.
Rhaegar's actions were even more utterly outrageous, as he already had a Dornish princess as his wife and an heir.
This series of actions was akin to trampling on the faces of several families at once.
"We still have two princesses; there might be more trouble in the future," Ser Roland quietly reminded him.
"And those two," Viserys ran a hand through his hair, though Rhaenys and Daenerys were still young, they were slowly beginning to display an inhuman beauty.
Coupled with their unique Dragon King bloodline, these were far more attractive than any courtesan.
Beauty in any era is a scarce commodity, equivalent to Viserys himself carrying priceless jewels.
Without strong power and force, it would only lead to a scramble.
There's an old saying, "It's easy to be a thief for a thousand days, but hard to guard against one for a thousand days," so he could only show the world that Viserys was also full of thorns.
"In any case, safety comes first; let's see how the Prestayn family makes their move," Viserys thought, believing that waiting for their move was the best strategy.
He wasn't worried about Syrio; Syrio still had connections within the upper echelons of Braavos.
The more troublesome ones were Ser Roland and Moro, his friends.
Roland was his guard and master-at-arms, while Moro was someone he had borrowed from the "swordswoman."
Viserys and the two little ones didn't go out often, so there wasn't much safety risk at the moment.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Syrio, have you heard of Mero, the Titan's Bastard?" Viserys asked Syrio.
"He's a dangerous assassin, but he's addicted to alcohol and women, and always short on money. If you haven't mistaken him, Mero might currently be serving as a guard for Yorco Prestayn," Syrio recalled his impression of Mero.
"I understand," Viserys nodded. Knowing yourself and your enemy makes it easier to defeat them.
Mero, like Lyn Corbray, was always short on money.
This Mero originally had a role to play later in the story.
He supposedly left Braavos later and became the captain of the Second Sons.
He brought the Second Sons to a notorious and disgraced state, later being incapacitated by Daenerys's wine trick. When he attempted an assassination, he was killed by Ser Barristan, and Brown Ben Plumm became the new captain of the Second Sons.
"The Black Pearl has arranged for the captain of the Rum Association for you; the Prestayn family shouldn't take such a risk," Syrio commented. "This is also a clever move, as those crabbers from the Rum Association also have conflicts with the Prestayn family."
"Conflicts?" Moro and Ser Roland were unaware of these internal disputes.
"Precisely," Syrio nodded. "Braavos has a profession called insurance brokers. They sign insurance contracts with captains. If a captain's ship is wrecked in a storm or captured by pirates, they guarantee full compensation for the value of the ship and cargo. This is essentially a form of insurance."
"That sounds like a gamble," Ser Roland said.
"It's like a gamble, but every captain would rather lose," Syrio said. "The sea is a cruel woman; she is cold and indifferent. Captains often lose their lives when they lose their ships. The sea is very dangerous, even more so in autumn."
Viserys felt a sense of coldness. "Even if these captains truly suffer a storm, the insurance brokers will refuse to pay or delay payment for various reasons. The families of these captains will still live in poverty and destitution."
"Exactly," Syrio nodded. "Every great family has its own industries, banking, fishing, or commerce. And the Prestayn family is in the insurance business."
These insurance agents were all like this, restricting rights through a series of elaborate clauses.
The first person "Apprentice" Arya killed was a greedy insurance broker.
"Some captains are easy to deal with, but others are not. The death rate among crabbers is also the highest of all fishermen, and their insurance premiums are the highest. To teach these insurance brokers a lesson, the crabbers smashed some of the Prestayn family's insurance offices and beat their people."
After hearing this, Viserys also felt that the relationships in Braavos were intricate, but he at least grasped some of the underlying currents.
The currents of Braavos flowed freely, and on the next gloomy rainy day, Viserys awaited the Black Pearl and her esteemed guest.
The head of the "Rum Association," the leader of the crabbers, Ringo.
"Ringo Cormays, I am the best crabber in Braavos, only catching the fiercest kraken crabs," the medium-sized, middle-aged crabber chief introduced himself. He smelled of smoke, salt, and fish, an experienced old captain.
He had gray hair and a strong physique; from his strength, he was also a dangerous warrior.
Viserys was also curious whether these crabbers, having traveled to the distant North, had seen Others and wights, or ice dragons.
"Viserys," Viserys said. "The Silver Traveler, the Violet Swordsman."
"Your name echoes throughout Braavos, a flamboyant and dangerous young man," Ringo laughed heartily.
"My troubles are born from my reputation." A man's name, a tree's shadow.
"I've long disliked those money-grubbing insurance brokers. We even had a fight with the Prestayns before. Not to mention, the previous Black Pearl did me a favor."
"It was a win-win, a small effort," the Black Pearl smiled faintly.
"It wasn't a small effort; my ship capsized back then, and your mother lent me a low-interest loan so I could afford a new ship," Ringo recalled.
The Black Pearl family had existed for four generations; their network and legacy were unmatched by any courtesan.
"Have a drink," Viserys invited the two.
"I brought some wine too," Ringo said. "The black rum that sailors love most. I wonder if the descendant of the Dragon King can get used to it."
"Is it that difficult?" Viserys smiled. Rum was also his next big thing. "Drink what's appropriate for the place."
"Good," "Crab Tycoon" Ringo greatly appreciated his straightforwardness, as sailors disliked those pretentious noble airs.
Glasses clinked together, and the air was filled with the scent of rum.
Black as pitch rum was not expensive, but it was the sailors' favorite drink.
This wine had a peculiar taste, easy to get drunk on; sweet on the palate, but with a strong aftertaste that burned the tongue.
"I've long wanted to meet the Silver Traveler. That song 'Five Hundred Miles' is also one of my favorites; sailors always miss home. I never thought a crab seller like me would share a drink with the Dragon King," Ringo said.
"Like a sailor, I am a traveler," Viserys felt that he too was a wandering sailor.
"I told you he's a jack-of-all-trades, not an ordinary dragon," the Black Pearl smiled.
"After drinking black pitch rum, you are a friend of us crabbers, Your Majesty Viserys. And those insurance peddlers from Prestayn were never my friends anyway," Ringo greatly admired Viserys. "You truly possess a captivating charm."
"To friendship."
"To friendship."
The canals of Braavos twisted and turned, and the streets were even more bizarre. In this mist, lay the intricate stage of the courtesans.
Viserys had the strong support of the Crab Tycoon, but this did not seem to guarantee a smooth progression of the story.
Soon after, dark news reached Viserys.
The death of his first Water Dancer instructor, Moro.
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