NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82: To Hatch it, Of Course
Silicet is a priestess in her forties. She has fair skin, gray and yellow eyes, and crescent-shaped earrings. Her speech always carries a hazy quality.
"High Holiness Silicet, may I ask you a question about the frescoes in the temple?"
"Yes," she replied, her voice quick and responsive. Silicet seemed to have a good impression of Viserys.
"I saw a fresco in the temple depicting the 'broken moon' (chapter 26). I've heard that the dragons came to earth because the moon broke, but why isn't there any follow-up in the fresco? Could it mean something else?" Viserys asked.
"I'm not sure about this either," Silicet said, pausing to think for a moment.
Viserys nodded, having asked out of curiosity rather than expecting a straightforward answer. "But I did hear the priests say that the broken moon was supposed to be a sign of some kind, a sign of disaster."
"A sign of disaster?" Viserys's interest piqued as he listened intently.
"About a hundred years ago, when dragons were still around, Braavosi merchants would come to the temple for predictions before setting sail. The priests used the moon to determine whether their voyage would be smooth or not. Most of the time, they were accurate, but after the dragons went extinct, the temple's predictions became increasingly vague. This allowed other beliefs to spread in Braavos."
'The Temple of the Moonsingers couldn't have survived for so long without business,' Viserys thought, listening to her continue.
"So I was thinking, maybe the broken moon is not literally 'broken,' but a sign of disaster."
"I see. Thank you for clearing that up," Viserys said.
Silicet had given the "Moon Prayer" to Viserys largely because of a divination Roth had asked her to perform. She had made the divination using the skull of the previous High Priest of the Moonsingers. The Moon Prayer was the most precious artifact of the Moonsingers, but it had been unable to play a significant role for many years. Silicet thought that perhaps Viserys could change that.
The event allowed Viserys to acquire 50,000 gold dragons for free. He also obtained the dragon egg and the Valyrian steel sword he had always desired. As a bonus, he received the "Moon Prayer." He was elated, but Tormo was naturally very displeased. He had tried to embarrass Viserys but didn't expect him to "get lucky." Now, Tormo's goal was unachieved, and he had wasted 50,000 gold dragons. Publicly, he couldn't deny his debt. To ease his frustration, he drank the Sealord's wine. His three sons stood by, too afraid to speak, even Vitus had lost his initial determination. He had spent no less than 30,000 gold dragons trying to stop Viserys, but still failed.
But Vitus glanced at his father. Compared to his father, who casually gave away 50,000 gold dragons, his own situation wasn't so bad.
Tarth, the youngest son of Tormo, was mainly responsible for maintaining order at the celebration with the Sealord. He didn't receive any credit, but he also escaped any blame. As for Andersen, he was the happiest person there. At least now his older brother couldn't look down on him. Everyone had been defeated by Viserys, so there was no point in hurting each other.
Tormo also had to contend with his father's sons. He didn't need to guess what his three sons were thinking, but he still decided he would somehow recover some of his losses. Seeing that the priestess Silicet had left, and with Viserys alone except for Dany, he said to Andersen, "Andersen, go ask him for how much he is willing to sell the dragon egg."
Tormo watched Viserys chatting with Dany while holding the dragon egg. "Yes, father," Andersen replied. Given their repeated defeats against Viserys, Tormo thought maybe it wasn't entirely his son's fault. Since all the plans had failed, it was inappropriate to treat Andersen harshly again. After all, everyone in the family looked down on each other. Recently, he had begun to show concern for Andersen again, primarily to use him as a means to keep his other two sons in check.
However, he had no idea what consequences sending Andersen to negotiate with Viserys would have. Roth, who had planned to approach Viserys, saw Andersen had already arrived and decided to wait.
"Buy my dragon egg? It's not for sale! Not for any price." Viserys refused without hesitation. He was even considering whether he could get another dragon egg from House Fregar. Dany held the dragon egg protectively, eyeing him warily.
"Lord Viserys, if you carry a dragon egg around, many will covet it. If you are willing to sell, House Fregar will definitely give you a satisfactory price," Andersen offered.
Viserys sneered, dismissing the offer. Instead, he asked, "What did you think of my last offer?"
Andersen was stunned and instinctively wanted to look towards Tormo but resisted. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't pretend. Did that old man in your family make you feel secure again?"
"You!" Andersen's expression twisted with anger.
"Lord Andersen, listen to me. What others promise means nothing. Only what you can control yourself matters," Viserys continued, his words full of temptation.
"Hmph, so what can you do?" Andersen asked.
"It's simple. You find a way to make a hole in the net of the bird garden, and I'll handle the rest."
"Make a hole?" Andersen didn't understand. 'In the bird garden's net? Could he fly in?'
"Okay, you can go now." Viserys pushed him away with a flourish, deliberately making a big gesture to attract the attention of Tormo and his son.
'A hole?' Andersen still didn't understand what Viserys was trying to do, but the words echoed in his mind like a magical incantation. If anyone else had said it, he would have dismissed it as nonsense. But coming from Viserys, he had to consider the possibility that he could actually pull it off.
After adjusting his expression, Andersen returned to Tormo's side. Tormo saw his expression and knew the result without asking.
Once Andersen had left, Roth approached Viserys.
"That guy wanted to buy my dragon egg," Viserys said before Roth could speak.
"Can I see it?" Roth asked.
Dany glanced at Viserys and handed the dragon egg to Roth. The dragon egg shone like a large jewel, its luster three times more brilliant than the purple one owned by House Zalyne.
"Lord Roth, how did your family acquire the dragon egg?" Viserys inquired.
"My ancestor was 'The pirate Raymun.' He was a sailor who stole a ship from a Dragonlord. It is said there were five dragon eggs on the ship at the time. He sold four of them as capital, which laid the foundation for House Zalyne," Roth explained.
Viserys nodded. It seemed that many fortunes were not earned honestly. This was true in any world. "I heard that the Sealord has three dragon eggs. Is that true?"
Roth returned the dragon egg to Dany and looked at Viserys seriously. "Can you tell me why you are so interested in the dragon eggs?"
Viserys realized his attitude had been too obvious. 'I need to be more careful in the future.' he thought. However, instead of dodging the question, he looked Roth in the eye and said in a low voice, "Of course it's to hatch a dragon. What else would I want it for?"
After a moment, both of them burst into laughter, filling the air with a happy atmosphere.
...
As the banquet progressed, maids and servants brought refreshments and drinks to the nobles in a steady stream. Everyone donned the masks they had prepared long ago. Music, martial arts, and acrobatics entertained the guests. As midnight approached, a familiar roar echoed through the air—the Titan of Braavos. This was answered by the throwing of masks high into the air, not only in the Sealord's Palace but also in the ports and theaters of Braavos. Countless candles flickered like stars on the ground. Occasionally, a fire flared up too brightly and was quickly extinguished.
Despite everything that happened, the ten-day celebration, held every three years, finally came to an end. The siblings would soon leave Braavos for the Disputed Lands.
