Chapter 5: Dance of Water


    ording to Viserys''s judgment, Braavos might have once been a massive meteor crater. Its outer perimeter consists of a series of long, narrow mountain inds, resembling protective walls encircling the ''city of a thousand inds''. Not long after leaving the house, Viserys could see the statue of the Titan of Braavos, which had just roared. This nearly 300-meter-tall statue is one of the “Nine Wonders of the World.” Every corner of Braavos offers a view of this magnificent statue.


    “It may have been carved into the mountain, but it could also be magic...” Viserys mused. After all, magic existed in this world, and it was present in his own panel, so the assumption was not far-fetched.


    Danr lived in the wealthy district. Early in the morning, water vendors delivered “sweet water” to the area. To ess this sweet water, the Braavosi built a waterway running through the city, called the Long Waterway. Wealthy families who lived farther from the Long Canal relied on water vendors to pull the water and sell it. To fetch a good price, these vendors dressed very cleanly.


    When Viserys and Dany first left home, their somewhat shabby clothes didn’t stand out. Butpared to the well-dressed people around them, their attire was conspicuous. Viserys resolved to buy Dany a clean, well-fitting dress once he had some money left after paying off the gold coin Helbo had left him. As for himself, he would have to make do for now.


    Following his memory, Viserys led Dany to the house of Danr. It was a house with a courtyard, almost a mansion. As they arrived, a servant of the Danr family was running out to buy water. Upon seeing the Viserys siblings, he instinctively tried to drive them away. But recognizing their silver hair, he sneered, "When will you pay me back, Beggar King?"


    His voice carried, attracting the attention of passersby who turned to look. In Braavos, it was a great shame to be in debt, and this was a wealthy area where many had heard of the “Beggar King.”


    “He''s the Beggar King?”


    “Look at his clothes, he really is a beggar.”


    “Hey, he''s even got a little beggar with him!”


    Feeling the stares of the crowd, Dany hid behind Viserys'' back. Viserys nced at the people still talking and, with a cold gaze, made them choose to shut up.


    “Now!” Viserys called out, pulling out his money bag and making a ttering sound with the coins inside. The metal coins produced a beautiful chime as they bounced around in the silk purse.


    The servant reached out to take it, but Viserys quickly dodged. “Tell your master toe out with my debt note, and we''ll be even.”


    Danr, with his extensive experience as a sailor, appeared. He had lost an ear on a ship in his early years, leaving an unpleasant ck hole on his left cheek. He couldn''t fathom how Viserys had managed to gather the money. ording to his n, Dany should have been captured by Helbo and taken to his ship. But now, he saw the brother and sister standing before him, unharmed.


    Viserys had a long sword on his back and was looking at him with cold eyes. "This kid, he''s different," Danr thought to himself, narrowing his brown eyes. Viserys, once a spirit on the verge of copse, had been tricked into owing arge sum of money. But now, he was like a de unsheathed, exuding a chilling presence.


    “Count it. One hundred and thirty-five,” Viserys said, tossing the money bag to Danr.


    Danr didn’t bother counting the coins; he simply weighed the bag in his hand, then took out Viserys''s debt note. Viserys crumpled the note and gave Danr a meaningful look. “Now we are even. Whatever misfortune befalls you in the future has nothing to do with me.”


    Hearing this, Danr''s heart sank. Viserys knew he couldn''t appear weak. A proper disy of intimidation might actually buy him more time.


    As the siblings left, Danr turned to his servant and ordered, “Go ask that Helbo guy what the hell he''s doing!”


    His face darkened. He wasn’t just a small shipowner trying to get Dany; he was merely the white glove of a muchrger and more powerful man.


    ...


    “ck belly fish! Fresh ck belly fish!”


    “Onions, just in from the maind!”


    After leaving Danr’s, the siblings headed to the market. Unlike the wealthy district, the roads here were riddled with puddles and hidden ‘mines’ underfoot. The two walked through the market, with Dany trailing behind Viserys like a duckling after its mother.


    Braavos, a sprawling city, was divided into seven or eight smaller towns. Viserys and Dany lived in Bitterwell Town, aptly named for its poor-quality drinking water but cheaper vegetables. The staple food for themon people in Braavos was fish, and vegetables were a raremodity.


    Viserys had previously avoided ces like this market. But now, this ce, devoid of industrial civilization, felt novel to him. Although he used to be amoner who often begged for money, his targets were usually the upper ss of Braavos. Among themon people, he wasn’t well known. Additionally, while Braavos had its own descendants of Valyria, white hair and purple eyes were rare but not sensational.


    His handsome face, however, still brought him some advantages. “Hey, sister, how much is this fish?” Viserys asked, a smile on his lips, his good looks evident.


    The female stall owner, wearing a dark green vest, blushed slightly. “Uh, five. I mean three iron coins for one.”


    Three coins—a reasonable price. “Okay, please pick me out a few.”


    “Okay~” The stall owner’s voice softened, almost like a whisper.


    Somehow, the fish today were particrly slippery, and the woman was a little flustered. Even so, she picked out the fattest sea fish for Viserys. Under the guise of handing the fish to Dany, she slipped a few extra oysters into the bundle.


    As the brother and sister left, the woman felt a surprising sense of loss, so much so that she didn''t hear her customers calling out to her.


    “Boss! Are you still open for business?”


    A grumble pulled her back to reality, and her previously cheerful expression turned sour. “What are you yelling about? Pick what you want!”


    After leaving the market, Viserys bought two more daggers. With these, his closebat killing power would reach a new level. Additionally, he anticipated needing more tools next time, so he found some stic rope at the market and nned to make two simple crossbows.


    He then bought Dany a linen dress. Although the material and color were not as fine as her blue dress, it was clean, suitable, and Dany liked it very much.


    Just as the siblings were about to leave, amotion arose around the market.


    “There’s a duel between two swordsmen in the square!” A boy in a yellow long-sleeved shirt shouted as he ran, drawing everyone''s attention.


    Instantly, many people paused their activities. Idle chatter ceased, leisurely strollers stopped, and even young lovers were momentarily distracted.


    “Let’s go, wait for me.”


    “Hurry up! This time it’s Kells, the Swordsman under Lady Lida! He’s a master of the Water Dance!”


    ''Dance of the Water! Isn’t that the famous skill of the little wolf girl Arya Stark?''


    Intrigued, Viserys decided to take Dany over to watch.