Chapter 12: Even Those Who Don’t Burn Have Fevers

With less than half a year remaining until the "Ten Day Festival" in Braavos, Mayor Franz was under significant pressure to close the case quickly. As a result, he didn't delve deeply into the investigation.

The wanted criminal, Enghis, was killed, and the reward was given to Viserys. Banergar was sentenced to ten years of hard labor for attempting to traffic humans. He would be sent to Braavos to plant windbreaks. As for the incident on Blue Water Street, it was concluded that the humiliated prostitute had set fire to the house, with the lampstand found in her hand serving as evidence.

This incident was also reported to the Sealord of Braavos, who naturally sided with Viserys. It wasn't because Viserys had any particular influence but because the Sealord needed to protect Braavos' image. The death of a fleeing prince within Braavos' borders would tarnish its reputation. It was acceptable for Viserys to be killed by a foreigner, but not by a local. With the Sealord's approval, the Fierce Fish Company ceased to exist.

This incident drew the Sealord's attention, causing Danglar, or whoever was behind him, to temporarily halt any plots against Dany. This allowed the siblings to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The destruction of the Fierce Fish Company quickly spread throughout Bitter Well Town.

"Of course, hanging people like fish! That Beggar King... I mean, that Viserys, is definitely no ordinary person!" exclaimed a fisherman, gesticulating excitedly and holding up a fish to demonstrate.

"So the Fierce Fish Company is finished?" asked a woman with a charming smile.

"Of course! Banergar was thrown into the windbreak forest to plant trees! His two sons were also killed in the fire!"

"That's not bad," she replied.

"Yes," others agreed.

Naturally, this news reached Helbo's ears.

"Is it really possible that a fourteen-year-old prostitute could have done all that at Blue Water Street?" Helbo mused, dipping his hand in water and scribbling on the table as if trying to calculate the distance from Viserys's residence to the Fierce Fish mansion.

No matter how he calculated it, he couldn't believe that Viserys wasn't involved. His intuition told him otherwise. But with the mayor having closed the case, there was no point in pursuing it further. In fact, he and Banergar had been competitors, with Banergar often getting the upper hand. The destruction of the Fierce Fish Company was a win-win for both Helbo and Viserys. Helbo could now take over Banergar's 'market share,' and he planned to approach Viserys to formally invite him to join his "team."

With such a ruthless man on his side, Helbo was confident they could grow bigger and stronger and achieve new glories together.

But Viserys didn't care about the outside world at the moment. His entire focus was on bringing down Dany's fever. He bought some strong alcohol to wipe her body, followed by sweet water to wash her. With no serious fever-reducing medicine available, he relied on physical means to reduce the fever. He soaked all the gold and silver coins he had obtained from Banergar in cold water, using the thermal conductivity of the metal to help cool her down. He placed the chilled coins on Dany's neck, armpits, and thighs, changing them as soon as they warmed up.

This made Viserys wonder if the fever had anything to do with being a Targaryen and their supposed immunity to fire.

In the midst of this, Helbo came by, but he didn't enter the room, sensing it wasn't the right time. However, he soon sent someone with medicinal herbs, water, and food, which Viserys gratefully accepted. Neighbors also came to visit, leaving behind a pile of daily necessities. They saw the opportunity to improve their relationship with the "murderer" in the neighborhood, displaying the shrewdness typical of Braavosi people. Consequently, Viserys's status quickly changed from "refugee" to "that gentleman."

Thanks to Viserys' efforts, Dany woke up the next morning. Feeling suddenly very uncomfortable, she reached out and grabbed something, finding herself holding a handful of gold coins. Little Dany thought she was hallucinating and clutched the coins for a long time.

At that moment, Viserys appeared, placing his hand on her forehead. Seeing that the fever had subsided, he gently asked, "Feeling better?"

Dany nodded, and her stomach made a gurgling sound. Viserys smiled, knowing that hunger was a good sign. "What would you like to eat? Braised fish, steamed fish, fish with pickled vegetables, or steamed eggs?"

Dany pursed her cherry-red lips and said, a little embarrassed, "Steamed eggs."

"Okay, wait," Viserys replied.

Dany lay on the bed, watching Viserys's busy figure, and felt like the happiest person in the world, even happier than when she was at the house with the red door.

Soon after, the golden steamed egg was brought to Dany's lips. After she finished eating, she quickly fell asleep again. Seeing her little face regain its color, Viserys knew that the little girl was going to be fine.

Viserys himself had a little something to eat and took the opportunity to open the panel. Everything seemed normal until he saw the Assignable Points and realized something was off. The Assignable Points had actually become 1.15! According to his previous experience, Assignable Points should only increase by 0.1 every day. But today, it had increased significantly more! This was perplexing.

Viserys tried to recall the events of the previous night. There were five people who had died because of him. Could it be that the extra points were provided by their deaths? Was this some sort of murderous system? Wait! Could it be the Dragonbone Dagger?

Viserys took out the Dragonbone Dagger and touched the dark blade. For a moment, he couldn't make sense of it.

"Tsk, why can't it be like other systems, with a message that says 'Detected dots, do you want to absorb them'?"

"Okay, don't worry, you have a system, so what are you complaining about? Just wait and see," he thought to himself.

In his heart, Viserys hoped it was the latter. But if the system really required him to become stronger through killing, then he would find a way to join the Sellswords as soon as possible. He estimated that after this incident, the lives of him and his sister should be able to calm down for a while. He planned to use this time to become stronger as soon as possible.

As for leaving Braavos, Viserys had considered it but decided to stay. Even though there was someone lurking in the shadows with designs on Dany, the law in Braavos still had a considerable deterrent effect. Merchants valued stability, and the people of Braavos respected the law. At the very least, there was no open human trafficking, which was a very favorable situation for the descendants of a fallen dynasty like the two siblings.

Viserys also had some ideas for making money that could only be realized in Braavos. He planned to join a Sellsword company once he had improved his skills a bit more, and then move further away from Westeros to reduce the chances of being assassinated.

...

Soon, the exploits of Viserys spread to those who had a vested interest in his activities. One such individual was the Pentoshi merchant Illyrio Mopatis, who had previously been in contact with the Targaryen siblings. Illyrio, the same man who had once considered marrying Dany to secure an alliance, took a renewed interest in Viserys after hearing about his recent actions.

Viserys' decisive and ruthless handling of the Fierce Fish Company had shown Illyrio a different side of the boy. This display of cunning and strength suggested that Viserys might have more potential than he had initially thought. Illyrio decided it was time to meet the young man again and reassess his value and potential role in the broader scheme of restoring the Targaryen dynasty to the Iron Throne.

Illyrio had been preoccupied with his own business ventures but had always kept an eye out for promising allies. He was also considering potential supporters for Viserys in his quest to reclaim the Iron Throne. The Horselords of the Dothraki had already caught his attention as a possible avenue of support, but this plan needed careful and strategic planning.