Chapter 61: Journey

It turned out to be one of the magisters from Braavos.

He had noticed that Viserys hadn't left his cabin since boarding the ship a day ago, so he came to check on him.

He feared that the young king couldn't handle life aboard the ship, after all, Dragonstone was thousands of miles away from Braavos. Their journey required them to first head to Pentos, rest there for a while, load and unload some cargo, then set sail for Braavos once more.

Every time a merchant set sail, they took on a great risk. A single shipwreck could be enough to bankrupt even the most glittering of merchants, unless they were part of a large trading company.

Thus, they had to learn to be greedy, only stopping when they had made a fortune.

However, upon seeing Viserys, the magister let out a small sigh of relief, for the young king seemed to be in good spirits and appeared to have adapted to life on board the ship. He didn't seem to suffer from seasickness or vomit uncontrollably.

"Your Grace."

"It will take us about a month to reach Braavos on this voyage."

Braavos was located in the northwesternmost part of the continent of Essos, between the group of islands at the meeting point of the Narrow Sea and the Shivering Sea. It was far from Dragonstone, and this particular route required them to reach Pentos first, so it naturally took a considerable amount of time.

The Braavosi emissary, dressed in a gray-brown robe, then offered to give Viserys a tour of the ship.

"A tour?"

Viserys raised his eyebrows slightly upon hearing the invitation but ultimately agreed.

"Very well."

Viserys then followed the emissary for a brief tour of the two-masted merchant ship.

The deck above was adorned with massive sails, and below it was the cargo hold, where the merchandise was stored. The bottom-most part of the ship contained the rowing rooms on both sides, with a long corridor running through the middle.

Although this large two-masted sailboat had sufficient power to cross the Narrow Sea, it still needed some oarsmen to provide additional propulsion when necessary.

The ship was a motley mix of people, including small merchants, mercenaries, and those looking to leave the strife-ridden Westeros to make a living in the eastern continent.

Viserys took a brief tour with the emissary, getting some fresh air after being cooped up in his cabin for an entire day.

As they strolled around, many people who were sitting on mats on the deck cast curious glances at Viserys.

Though he had disguised himself, dyeing his silver-gold hair blue and wearing simple clothes, he still looked like the son of a wealthy merchant or a young nobleman.

However, the inherent grace in his every move and the depth in his light purple eyes still gave away that his identity might not be so simple.

A sturdy-looking mother with an infant in her arms sat on the deck, leaning against the ship's side. She boldly exposed her chest to feed her child, her black hair disheveled and looking somewhat dirty.

As Viserys passed by her, she caught a glimpse of him.

She looked at him curiously, with surprise and disbelief, and a strange expression in her eyes.

She then quickly averted her gaze, as if feeling unworthy and afraid that this distinguished young nobleman would notice her.

On the other side of the deck, a group of mercenaries wearing tattered leather armor were drinking and playing games. Their coarse body hair and strong odor could be smelled from afar, and their weapons were either placed by their side by their side or fastened to their waist or legs.

These boisterous mercenaries didn't seem to care about the opinions of others around them, and those nearby appeared to have grown accustomed to their presence.

Even an old man in tattered clothes was lying beside them, resting on a worn-out blanket, snoring loudly.

These mercenaries also noticed Viserys, their faces flushed from drinking, but unlike the nursing woman they had seen earlier, they didn't avoid his gaze and stared at him nonchalantly.

One of them, unsteady on his feet, stood up and walked to Viserys, blocking his path.

The strong odor and alcohol on the mercenary assaulted Viserys, causing him to wrinkle his brow.

He wanted to cover his nose, but he didn't want to provoke these commoners and cause unnecessary trouble with a small gesture.

The young king stopped in his tracks, looking up at the man.

"Hey, young lord," the mercenary said, swaying, hardly able to stand, his face red, and his breath reeking of alcohol.

"Essos isn't as safe as you might think. It's a real dog-eat-dog world over there."

"Do you need to hire some help?"

The mercenary gestured to his drinking companions behind him and then slapped his chest proudly.

"As long as the pay is good, we brothers aren't afraid of death!"

However, the two Dragonstone soldiers following Viserys were angered by this display and quickly stepped in front of their young king.

"Hey, hey, sorry about that, brother," one of the guards said as he pushed the drunken mercenary out of the way. The intoxicated man stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

"His... No, the young lord will be protected by the two of us," the guard corrected himself, almost slipping up. He drew his sword slightly and looked at the mercenary with disgust.

"The young lord doesn't need and won't hire people like you."

As soldiers who had received formal training and dined at the royal table, they looked down on mercenaries, believing them to have no sense of honor and only fighting for money.

However, in reality, deserting and mutinous soldiers were more dangerous than these mercenaries. Many within the mercenary ranks were once soldiers themselves, who had chosen this life-threatening profession for various reasons.

The small conflict on deck caught the attention of the resting passengers, who began to watch the scene unfold.

However, the nearly knocked-over mercenary didn't seem to be angry at the guard's words. Reeking of alcohol and body odor, he only chuckled a few times, appearing not to care about being insulted.

He told Viserys that they could come to him and his brothers if they needed help later.

Afterward, he returned to his seat on the deck and continued eating and drinking with his comrades.

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

He gave the mercenary a curious glance before moving on. .