Viserys was lost in his thoughts, engrossed in the terrifying tales of ghosts and demons that filled his mind. However, Mia's sudden voice by his ear startled him.
The fiery-haired girl was taken aback by Viserys's sudden reaction, then burst into laughter.
"Hey, Emon, what were you thinking about that made you jump like that?" Mia asked. Her personality was straightforward and lively. She was well-known among the mercenaries in Volantis, but she didn't have many friends.
Emon was a calm and easy-going person, someone she could easily chat with. So, Mia would often seek him out for conversation, not bothering to spare his feelings. Viserys didn't mind, he just gave a helpless smile and shook his head.
"I only believe in myself," he said. He glanced around at the people who had been watching the small incident. They quickly averted their eyes when they met his gaze.
Conflicts among mercenaries were common, and it was best to mind one's own business and avoid eavesdropping on others to avoid trouble.
Once they officially entered the Smoking Sea, everyone was on edge, even casual chatter was put aside. Everyone was gripping their swords tightly, vigilantly watching their surroundings. The captain, who was at the highest point of the ship with a telescope, couldn't see anything unusual.
All he could see through the telescope was a hazy gray, even less clear than what he could see with his naked eye. So, he gave up on the telescope.
Under the command of the flagship, the horn sounded. All the ships moved closer to the flagship, compressing the formation to stay together as much as possible in this obstructed view.
Otherwise, if they continued to spread out, they could easily get lost. You might think it's impossible for such large ships to get lost on the open sea, but the complex conditions at sea are even more challenging than on land. Especially now, with the obstructed view, it's very possible for a ship to lose its way and disappear.
The ship Viserys was on was not the flagship, but a large warship just below it. The smaller ships were mostly filled with slaves who had little value.
Their combat skills were not high, and they were mainly there to be used as cannon fodder in certain situations, in other words, to be sent to their deaths.
The mercenaries who were hired at a high price for their combat abilities were on the larger ships, able to hold out a bit longer in case of danger.
The melancholic sound of the horn could stir up the blood in people's bodies, making them uncontrollably excited. But when it entered Viserys's ears, it gave him a tingling sensation.
He had been sailing on the silent sea, and the sudden sound of the horn worried him that it might disturb some unknown entities in the Smoking Sea. Like the sea monsters mentioned in all the legends about the ruins of Valyria.
Gerion Lannister's diary also mentioned the sea monsters hidden in the Smoking Sea. Would the sound of the horn wake them up?
But he couldn't blame them for being careless, because as they went deeper, everyone's vision was getting lower and lower. Even the ships that were very close were hard to see clearly, only a vague shadow of a large ship could be seen.
"Damn it."
Then, Viserys heard the captain curse and hurriedly walk past him, but he didn't know what had happened.
Viserys then turned his gaze back to the sea. It was clear that flag signals couldn't be used to communicate with the other warships, only the horn could.
At that moment, a coughing sound came from a
man next to Viserys. It was another mercenary named Dick who shared a room with him. He was rather thin and claimed to be from Tyrosh. Viserys, fearing to expose his own disguise as a Tyroshi, hadn't talked much with him.
But why was Dick suddenly coughing? Was he sick? Viserys frowned slightly. In this world, getting sick was a very dangerous thing. Due to the lack of medical advancement, many diseases that seemed simple in later eras could be fatal here.
Not only Viserys, but those close to Dick also instinctively moved away from him. However, at this moment, other people around them started coughing as well.
The fiery-haired girl next to him looked puzzled, while Viserys's face changed dramatically. He suddenly remembered that he had coughed a few times after inhaling the gray fog emitted by the statue of the Faceless God, but it didn't cause any harm, probably because the amount was small, so he didn't take it seriously at the time.
"Mia, cover your mouth and nose!" he said urgently. "Try to breathe in as little of the outside fog as possible!"
Mia was slightly stunned. She didn't know why Emon was saying this, but his gaze made her instinctively comply. "Alright!" she responded quickly, covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve.
The mercenaries near Viserys also heard his words. Although they didn't know what was happening, in this situation where they didn't understand what was going on, they had no choice but to trust others unconditionally. After all, covering their mouths and noses was not a big deal.
The expedition had unknowingly been sailing in the Smoking Sea for a long time, and the lack of danger had caused everyone's vigilance to slacken. But the sudden outbreak of coughing put everyone on alert.
"Everyone, cover your mouths and noses!" the first mate shouted from the captain's cabin on the top deck of the ship.
At this point, others also realized that it was probably due to inhaling the fog, but they didn't know what effect inhaling too much of this fog would have.
"Sea monster!"
Suddenly, a shout rang out like a thunderbolt among the chaotic crowd on the deck.
"There's a sea monster!"
"God, save me!"
"Ahh—"
Terrifying screams suddenly erupted, the fog continued to spread, and the deck was filled with the sounds of horrifying roars and clashing weapons.
Viserys watched as a mercenary with bloodshot eyes drove his long sword into the heart of his comrade.
"Quick!"
"Follow me!"
Viserys then grabbed Mia and, taking advantage of the others' distraction, fled directly into the cabin below the deck.