Chapter 92: This Seagull is Really Clever

The waves crashed under the dim moonlight as three longships rapidly advanced in a triangular formation. These longships, built specifically for plundering, were twice as fast as ordinary merchant ships. Their black sails flapped like the dorsal fins of sharks.

"Boss! Is that Beggar King really on the Windblown's ship?" asked a skinny pirate with a pointed chin.

"Yes, but we can't call him Beggar King anymore! He now has not only dragon eggs, but also a Valyrian steel sword and hundreds of thousands of gold dragons!" replied a pirate leader with a wide mouth, broad nose, and brown skin.

He turned and addressed the pirates behind him, "Listen up, everyone. That Viserys, also known as the Beggar King, has won two championships. He has over a hundred thousand gold dragons, plus dragon eggs and a Valyrian steel sword! If we deliver his head to Tormo, we'll get another sum of money! After this job, we'll be able to live it up for half a year!"

"Hoo-hoo!" "Oh-oh!" The pirates cheered, excited by their leader's encouragement.

"Boss, I heard Targaryens are all very beautiful. Can we..." A tall, thin pirate shrugged his shoulders and made a lewd gesture.

The pirate leader straightened up and said, "Pay attention. Even if we are attacking by surprise, the Beggar King is a tournament champion. If anyone dies, there will be no spoils for them." The pirates immediately sobered up. Though they knew there was a difference between swordsmanship and real combat, they understood that Viserys' strength could not be underestimated. However, with nearly 200 men on the three longships, plus the weapons and armor provided by House Fregar, they believed they wouldn't fail.

What none of them noticed was a seagull perched on the mast, listening to their conversation. This seagull was none other than Viserys. Judging the distance to be right, he flapped his wings and flew behind the three longships. After about an hour, he saw the fleet sent by House Zalyne. Viserys spotted Jalifah standing at the bow and lowered his altitude to the railing in front of him. Jalifah recognized the red string around the seagull's neck and realized it was Viserys' seagull. Seeing the seagull pecking at the railing, he knew it was time to speed up and prepare for battle.

"Tell everyone to check their weapons and armor and prepare for battle!" Jalifah said to his second in command. He wasn't nervous, having fought pirates many times before, but he was amazed at the seagull delivering the message. "This seagull is really smart. I wish I could have one."

Viserys didn't pay any attention to the captain's comment. Seeing that the crew on Jorah's ship was preparing and the ship was speeding up, he flew away. At that moment, on the Windblown, Viserys' eyes returned to normal. He saw Dany and Kyla looking at him seriously.

"Kyla, go tell Jorah that they're going to fight. Dany, you stay here and don't go anywhere," he instructed.

"Brother, I can go with you!" Dany said, holding up the crossbow in her hand. After Viserys taught her everything he knew, Dany's shooting skills had improved by leaps and bounds. During the celebration, she could hit her target with a crossbow from a distance of 20 paces. Additionally, the crossbow produced in Myr was very powerful, and Dany had become quite capable of fighting.

"Okay, but stay close to Kyla and don't let the enemy get close."

"Okay!" Dany agreed.

After leaving, Viserys went to the quarters of Meris and Dick. The two were indeed lovers, rarely seen apart during the day. When Viserys knocked on their door, it was Dick, with his hair slightly disheveled, who opened it.

"Lord Dick, tell everyone to prepare for battle!"

Since Viserys had warned them before boarding that they were being watched, they had maintained a certain level of vigilance. Meris, wrapped in a dressing gown, saw it was Viserys and didn't ask any questions. She simply instructed Dick to notify the sailors on board.

"How many are coming?" she asked.

"About two hundred. We just need to hold out for half an hour, and reinforcements from House Zalyne will arrive."

If they had known in advance that they were being pursued, the best option would have been to change course. Although Meris wasn't sure how Viserys had gathered his information, she chose to trust him. After all, they were all in the same boat now.

In less than a quarter of an hour, over eighty people on the ship had been urgently assembled on deck. Standing there in full armor, Meris, who stood over 1.8 meters tall with a strong physique, was as imposing as any man. Seeing that everyone was gathered, she spoke in a commanding voice:

"Everyone! Get ready to fight!"

"Yes, captain!"

Meris didn't bother with explanations; the sailors trusted her word. No captain would risk their reputation by joking about such matters. Although the dark sea revealed nothing to the eye, no one doubted her orders, and they took up their defensive positions.

However, Jorah, who had traveled the world, couldn't help but ponder the source of Viserys' information. Over time, he had noticed that Viserys' "support" seemed rather peculiar. Once mocked as the Beggar King, Viserys had suddenly carved out a bloody path to power. What puzzled Jorah most was the source of Viserys' martial prowess. Even though Ser Willem had taught him swordsmanship for a while, that alone shouldn't have made him so formidable. Willem himself was an average swordsman, good but far from the best.

Moreover, as a noble, Jorah knew that mastering martial arts required considerable resources. The saying, "the poor are good at literature, the rich are good at war," rang true.

'Viserys and his sister had been wandering for years, scraping by with little to no money. How could he have achieved such skill? Did the Targaryens have hidden funds stashed away in the Iron Bank? No, rumors had it that the siblings had been in dire straits for some time.'

As Jorah pondered these mysteries, several ships suddenly appeared in the darkness. He recognized them immediately as longships, renowned for their speed. Longships were the favored vessels of the pirates from the Iron Islands. As a native of Bear Island, he knew them all too well. Even though he was aware that reinforcements were on their way, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety as the dark sea concealed much of the approaching threat.

"Ouch! My helmet!"

Jorah turned around to see that Regis had accidentally dropped his helmet into the water. It was not a good omen.