After watching the tournament, Ferrego was ready to leave. It was already quite impressive that such a notable figure had made an appearance. Halfway through the second tournament, Ferrego exited the theater under the escort of guards. Shortly after, Tormo also left, and the Roth arrived at Viserys' room.
"Lord Roth, Lady Methys," Viserys greeted the couple, with Dany following closely behind. The couple moved in perfect harmony. Methys walked towards Dany, and Kyla, who was standing nearby, instinctively moved closer but was stopped by a look from Viserys.
Roth then spoke of the tournament, praising it in his speech. "Lord Viserys' swordsmanship is, I believe, the best in all the Free Cities."
"You are too kind. I'm still young, and even a master must always keep an apprentice's heart."
"A master must always remain an apprentice! That's good, that makes perfect sense," Roth said, appreciating the sentiment, even though he knew it was just a figure of speech.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they got down to business. "I heard that Lord Viserys wants to join the sellswords."
"That's right," Viserys confirmed.
Roth's expression grew serious. "I can't say I understand your feelings, but I can understand your actions. However, I have one more question that I would like to ask."
"Please go ahead," Viserys invited.
"What is your real reason for participating in the tournament? I mean, apart from the Valyrian steel sword and the prize money."
"I want to increase my bounty."
"Increase... your bounty?" Roth didn't quite understand. But when Viserys explained it to him, he understood.
"Oh, to increase the cost of assassinating for the Usurper through the tournament."
"That's right."
Roth nodded. He had always thought that Viserys was only participating in the tournament to demonstrate his martial arts skills in order to improve his starting position when he joined a mercenary group.
"So, are you going to win the championship? Based on the strength you've shown so far, if someone wants to hire the Faceless Men to assassinate you, it will probably cost the same as hiring a mercenary group."
Viserys sensed Roth's intentions keenly, but the other party didn't seem malicious, so he asked, "Do you want me to stop here and withdraw from the swordsmanship competition?"
Roth thought for a moment and said, "It's not good for House Zalyne if you withdraw now, but I still hope that you can be more cautious. Tormo must have other methods."
Viserys nodded, and Roth's next proposal surprised him even more.
"You mean to lend me your house ancestral sword?!"
Viserys felt a little unreal. Had he reached such a level of value? Although he was slightly tempted, he still refused. That was a Valyrian sword, not a normal sword. Although it was sharp, tough, and light, according to the setting of the novel, the main function of a Valyrian sword was to kill the "Others".
He didn't need it for the time being in recent years. If he agreed to Roth's proposal, he would be indebted for a favor that wouldn't be worth the actual benefits. In short, it wasn't cost-effective.
So Viserys declined the offer. "Thank you, Lord Roth, for your kindness, but I want to say that my true strength is greater than what you see. I still want to compete for the championship in swordsmanship."
Looking at Viserys' expression, Roth knew he couldn't say anything else. What he saw on Viserys' face was not the arrogance of youth but a kind of powerful confidence. Since he had said everything he should have, there was no need to continue persuading him.
After chatting for a while, Roth gave Methys a wink. Before leaving, Methys reluctantly took Dany's hand, stroked it a few times, and insisted on giving her earrings.
"All women should have their ears pierced. I'll send someone to pierce your ears for you. It doesn't hurt at all."
"Thank you, my lady."
As he watched the Roths leave, Viserys was somewhat puzzled. Why did they think so highly of him? By ordinary standards, joining a mercenary group meant his best-case scenario would be becoming the next "Bittersteel." Could it be that Roth truly believed he could reclaim Westeros?
Just as Viserys was contemplating Roth's intentions, someone suddenly came to visit. A man in his thirties entered the room. His eyes were blue, and his beard and hair were dyed the same shade. It was said this was the style of the people of Tyrosh. He had coquettishly divided his beard into three prongs and carried a Dothraki scimitar on his left side and a slender sword on his right.
Regis and Kyla were on their guard, protecting Dany. But the blue-haired man showed no malice and introduced himself politely, "Lord Viserys, my name is Daario Naharis, from the Stormcrows."
"Daario," Viserys repeated, quickly recalling the man's identity. In the TV series, he was the one who stabbed his teammates in the back and then offered the Sellswords to the Mother of Dragons. He had a fling with her and became her most loyal general.
Viserys suddenly felt uneasy. Not only did he have to guard against those with "yellow hairs," but alsothose with "red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple" hairs. However, the Mother of Dragons in the original storyline was alone and had to resort to desperate measures.
Sure enough, Dany now only looked at Daario warily, her eyes showing no sign of trust.
"My lord, what brings you here?" Viserys asked inquisitively.
"I'm here to invite you to join our Stormcrow mercenary group. If you're willing, we'll offer you 2,000 gold dragons a year and the position of Sergeant Major," Daario replied. The Sergeant Major was a second-level combat unit leader, in charge of nearly 300 men. This was a highly generous offer for someone new to the group.
As he spoke, Daario glanced around and quickly spotted Dany hiding at the back, making his eyes light up.
"Your conditions are indeed generous, but I want to concentrate on the competition for now. I will give you a reply once it's over," Viserys responded.
Suddenly, Daario drew his Dothraki scimitar, startling everyone present. Viserys didn't know what he was up to but remained calm, confident in his power. Daario placed the scimitar horizontally on his hands and said, "Please give my scimitar to the beautiful lady. If she needs my sword, I will answer her call."
Viserys glanced at the scimitar, noting the gold-carved woman on the handle—an overly sensual design. Just as he was about to speak, Dany stepped forward and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but my brother's sword is the most powerful in the world! I don't need anyone else's sword."
'Okay, okay, okay. You're interested in my sister, aren't you?' Viserys thought, feeling a bit annoyed but pleased with Dany's firm response. The conversation ended on a somewhat cold note.
Daario had just left when another blue-haired man walked in. This one was older, with neatly groomed cheeks and carefully matched clothes. His facial features were more Westerosi. Viserys didn't recognize him immediately, but it was Jon Connington.
The next scene made Viserys even more cautious. The man turned around and closed the door to the compartment. Sensing something was wrong, Viserys quickly positioned Dany behind him. Kyla and Regis drew their swords and stepped forward, cornering the man.
But the next second, the blue-haired man knelt down and said, "Prince Viserys, Princess Daenerys!"