Of all the Free Cities, Braavos and Volantis were the farthest apart. The fact that Viserys had claimed both crowns was not yet widely known here. However, the two Triarchs had already heard the news on the road. As soon as they met him, they began showering him with excessive praise.
It had to be said that politicians who had to campaign for their positions were skilled at this. Their flattery and choice of words were particularly refined, far better than the mercenaries who merely shouted, "Long live!"
Sometimes, Viserys had to pause to realize that the other person was complimenting him. Both men were pleasing to the eye and had a charm about them, like a gentle breeze. But flattery was flattery, and meanwhile, they had sent someone to verify the identity of the pirates. The results were positive.
"The gods have blessed you with bravery, and the people of Volantis will no longer have to worry about pirates for years to come!"
"Yes, it won't be long before the fame of Prince Viserys and the Windblown spreads across the continent!"
The two men spoke in turn, making Viserys feel a bit embarrassed. But praise was praise, and the reward could not be overlooked. Viserys spoke humbly:
"This is the result of the hard work of both me and the soldiers of the mercenary group. In fact, the dozen or so of us you see here could not have accomplished this alone. Most of our soldiers are still on the ship, waiting for our good news."
The two men knew it was time to pay. Alios said:
"Lord Viserys, our estimate of the bounty for these pirates is about 300,000 gold coins. It will take some time to raise the full amount, but we can pay you a portion first. What do you think? Don't worry, we'll have the full amount in three days!"
A guard with a tiger tattoo on his face took out a large chest, opened it, and the golden light reflected on Viserys' face. It was filled with gold coins, roughly 30,000 at a glance. No wonder it was worth over 300,000 gold coins; they were smaller than gold dragons! Everyone behind him leaned forward to look, but having already looted the pirates, a small chest of gold coins was not that shocking.
Then Viserys did something that surprised the two Triarchs and shocked Jorah.
"Ser Mormont, take these coins and bring the brothers on the ship to the city to have fun. Spend it all."
Jorah was stunned. 'This is a full chest of gold!' He had been secretly trading slaves for nearly ten years and had never made this much money. If he had earned this much earlier, his wife might not have left him.
"Oh, and remember to leave some brothers to guard the ship. When we return, we'll celebrate with those who stayed behind."
"Understood."
Jorah held the chest of gold coins. Though it was heavy, he felt invigorated. The two Triarchs watched Viserys's actions in amazement. He spent tens of thousands of gold coins as if they were nothing, showing that this young man was very adept at winning people over.
"Prince Viserys, I have prepared carriages for the soldiers," Alios said, pointing to five or six carriages behind him.
"Everyone, get in the carriages!" Viserys ordered.
Everyone was tired from walking, and they grinned widely at the sight of the carriages. Especially when they noticed the slave girls serving tea inside, their joy was uncontainable. However, there was one exception. Viserys noticed that Caggo remained motionless.
"I'm not getting in the carriage," Caggo declared.
The Dothraki believed that anyone who rode in a carriage was a coward, except for pregnant women. In the original story, Viserys even earned the nickname "King of the Sour Legs" for asking the Horselord for a carriage ride.
"No problem. Get a horse for this brave warrior!"
As soon as Nyessos saw Caggo, he knew this was a fierce mercenary. As if anticipating this, he had his servant bring a red horse. Caggo mounted the horse, stroked its mane, and seemed very satisfied.
At this point, Nyessos waved his somewhat rounded hand again, and two sedan chairs, carried by twelve slaves, approached the brother and sister. The sedan chairs were covered with velvet and wrapped in blue silk. The armrests were decorated with golden tassels. Every inch of it exuded luxury.
Viserys thought he had seen the world in Braavos, but he had no idea that these slave owners were so extravagant.
Dany glanced at Viserys, and after receiving his approving nod, she took her seat on one of the sedan chairs. Viserys settled into the other, and as for the Black Wall, he thought he'd find an opportunity to touch it later.
Once the siblings were seated, the slaves smoothly lifted the sedan chairs, providing a comfortable ride. Viserys and Dany rode at the front, followed by the two Triarchs on their elephants, with a carriage carrying Caggo and the remaining slaves who bore the heads of the pirates. They passed through a dark tunnel within the Black Wall, officially entering its confines.
Viserys was filled with excitement. Seated in the sedan chair, he looked around, savoring what he imagined to be the last breath of Valyria. Inside the Black Wall, the road was solid and flat, lined with street lamps on both sides. However, these lamps stood no more than three meters high. Viserys noticed that the greenery within the Black Wall was well-maintained, with some flowers blooming that he had never seen before. Functioning fountains were also visible not far away.
As they traveled, countless people cast curious glances at Viserys and Dany—expressions of astonishment, envy, curiosity, and greed. But when they learned the reason for Viserys' invitation into the Black Wall, those looks turned into awe. With only a hundred or so men, he had stormed the pirate gathering and slain nearly all of them, a feat the entire Volantis navy could not accomplish.
Viserys suddenly wondered what it had been like when Dany and her brother arrived at the Black Wall in the original story. 'Were they riding in a carriage? Did they wait outside the Black Wall for a long time? What was the attitude of the guards?' he thought. 'I doubt they were greeted by the two Triarchs.' Glancing at Dany seated beside him, Viserys reflected that the Viserys from the original tale had not had an easy time. Though that Viserys had been mad, aside from the incident with the Horselord, he had never considered selling his sister.
Illyrio came to mind suddenly. 'This man took the siblings into his mansion and sheltered them for over half a year. During that time, was Viserys bombarded with suggestions to marry off his sister? After all, since the day I arrived in this world, every time I've met Illyrio, he's brought up marriage.'
Dany, seeming a bit uneasy, turned to look at Viserys as if seeking reassurance. When she noticed him already looking at her, she felt comforted. Remembering the royal mannerisms Viserys had taught her, she straightened in her seat, ignoring the stares from the people on the street. She began to feel more at ease.
At that moment, a slave with a long sword tattooed on his face approached Viserys' sedan chair and said, "Prince Viserys, we will go to the Cloud Tea House next, and this evening, the Lord Triarch will host a banquet."