章節 23: Chapter 23: Confession Night, Terrifying Skinchanger
This Dragonbone Bow only further confirmed Viserys's suspicions. It seemed that contact with dragon products provided Assignable Points, and continuous contact would keep those points accumulating. As soon as his meeting with Illyrio was over, he opened his panel to check.
Every morning, Viserys would add Assignable Points to his Constitution and then reallocate proficiency points from other skills to his swordsmanship. Today, he found that his Assignable Points had increased from 0 to 2.58.
The Dragonbone Bow had added 2.5 Assignable Points. With the 0.05 bonus from the Dragonbone Dagger, the 0.08 from the Dragonbone Bow, and his original 0.1, his daily Assignable Points had increased to 0.23, more than doubling his rate of accumulation.
With less than four months until the Ten-Day Celebration, this meant his Constitution could increase by over 20 points, bringing it to at least 80+. This would make him a top-notch warrior, greatly increasing his chances of ranking well or even winning the championship. If the prize for the champion of the sword competition was truly a Valyrian steel sword, Viserys would fight for it no matter what. Valyrian steel swords were light, tough, and hard—a holy weapon in the heart of every swordsman.
However, he wondered if Braavos would really be willing to give away such a weapon, suspecting there might be some shady dealings behind the scenes.
Viserys also planned to participate in the poetry contest. Who says you can't be a copycat in a different world? As an art student, he had heard countless classics, and just one of his poems could spread to every corner of this world. If the prize was indeed a dragon egg, he had to try his hand at it.
There was just one problem: to participate in the poetry competition, he needed the approval of someone of a high social standing, unless he was already a famous Master and could enter on his own. Otherwise, no matter how good his work was, it would be useless if no one could give him the exposure he needed.
The courtesans were very strict with the performers who wanted to use their fame to compete. If they performed well, they could help each other; if not, they wasted the courtesans' resources.
Braavos officials took this matter very seriously, as did Highgarden in Westeros, which also had great respect for poets and singers. Thanks to these artists, Highgarden had become the most beautiful castle in the Seven Kingdoms. Even though they were thousands of miles apart, there was a subtle competitive tension between the two.
If the prize for the poetry contest was a dragon egg, Viserys would definitely participate. Another great gift Illyrio had left was a large sum of money stored in the Iron Bank. Whether it was a loan or a donation was left unsaid, but Viserys didn't plan to pay him back. He suggested that Illyrio could try his hand at the "couch" business, which would be profitable enough.
The two men understood each other perfectly without saying a word.
...
At dinner, Viserys noticed that Dany was unusually downcast. She picked at her food, barely eating, and responded minimally when he spoke to her.
"I'm full," she said, rising from her seat and preparing to go upstairs.
"Wait a minute," Viserys called, glancing at the maid standing by and gesturing for her to leave.
He understood that Dany's mood was likely due to Illyrio's marriage proposal earlier in the day. As the maid left and the room grew quiet, the candlelight flickered softly, casting shadows on the walls. The strange atmosphere made Dany's heart tighten.
Viserys looked at her, taking in her downcast purple eyes and the way her silver braids hung down her shoulders and across her chest. Her arms, exposed by the open sleeves of her dress, glowed with a pearly luster. She was the embodiment of "exquisitely beautiful."
"Dany, will you stay by my side forever?" he asked gently.
Dany met his gaze, momentarily stunned by the intensity in his eyes.
"I..."
"It's just like you think, just like Aegon and his sisters," Viserys continued.
Dany was no longer a child, and she could vaguely understand the implications of his words. A blush spread across her cheeks, and her ears began to burn.
Viserys walked up to her and whispered, "I will never use you as a bargaining chip," he said, kissing her forehead lightly. "Wait until you grow up."
Dany watched him leave, sitting in the chair for a long time, trying to process what had just happened. It felt as if she had received something precious, and she couldn't help but stamp her feet lightly a few times before finally heading upstairs.
...
During this time, Viserys felt much more at ease. His days were spent at the workshop, and in the evenings, he cherished moments with Dany. He also found time to practice archery, adding a new skill to his repertoire. However, due to the strict laws in Braavos, which prohibited the use of bows and arrows outside the home, he refrained from upgrading his archery skills immediately. He planned to do so later when he joined the Sellswords.
An incident during a meal brought a serious realization. When a maid reminded Dany to be cautious of hot food, Viserys recognized the potential danger if her identity was ever exposed to the Faceless Man.
This would increase the priority of her assassination. Robert might even consider hiring the Faceless Men to target Dany. Known for their unpredictability and penchant for considering assassination an art, the Faceless Men might offer Robert a discount for the chance to eliminate such a unique person.
Determined to protect her, Viserys began training Dany to act as though she feared the heat. 'Without strength, there is no sense of security,' he thought, watching her fall asleep. He prepared to use Dragon Dreams again to gather more information about the assassin.
After the first time he actively used Dragon Dreams to search for information, he noticed his Magic had increased by 0.3, bringing it to 19. This was significantly faster than his Constitution, which increased by less than 0.1 points per day through diligent exercise. However, the recovery period for using Dragon Dreams was lengthy, taking two or three days to fully recuperate. During this time, he felt sluggish, and his efficiency in exercising or practicing swordsmanship was greatly reduced.
He mused that in three or four years, when the tide of magic returned, figures like Melisandre, the Greenseers, and various magical creatures would start to re-emerge, making magic once again a dominant force in the world.
For Viserys, physical prowess such as swordsmanship and Constitution were essential, so he didn't focus on improving his magic attributes. After lying down, Viserys activated Dragon Dreams to track down the assassin once again. He figured that after more than ten days, the assassin might have perished at sea. This time, he planned to quickly confirm the assassin's status and then end the dream promptly.
It didn't take long for Viserys to enter the Dragon Dreams state. He heard the muffled voices of seagulls and the sound of waves overlapping. The sun was slowly sinking into the sea, creating a golden veil. Surprisingly, the assassin was still alive but lying on a sampan like a dead fish, seemingly at death's door.
In the next moment, the assassin sprang to life, rolled over, and scooped up a small fish from the water. Viserys was taken aback. "No, is this really possible?!" he thought, his knowledge of survival techniques exceeded. Remembering his past life as a member of the air force, he considered taking the assassin as his master for survival skills. With his fishing prowess, the assassin could probably survive another ten days adrift at sea.
The assassin skillfully prepared the fish with his dagger, displaying a certain elegance in his movements. However, Viserys noticed something strange. When the assassin cut open the fish, his body trembled as if he had been punched. His expression also indicated he was enduring some intense pain.
Viserys decided not to watch further and interrupted the vision. He opened his panel and saw:
—
Magic: 6.1
—
In less than half a minute, he had used up most of his magic. Fortunately, he stopped in time, avoiding dizziness or loss of cognitive ability.
Viserys sat up in bed and looked out the window. It was completely dark outside. It seemed that the range of Dragon Dreams' reconnaissance could span different 'time zones.' Maybe, he thought, he could one day find out why this planet always had extreme weather.
But for the time being, he put the idea out of his mind and went to his desk.
"Unbelievable way of fishing," he wrote, "It's like a synesthetic response." He began to think deeply about what he had witnessed.
Fish react quickly, and if the killer had used a tool to spear them, that would be one thing. But this guy was lying on a paddleboat, catching fish with his bare hands. Speed and precision, both were essential. And with his face to the sky, could it be that this guy had such good hearing that he could locate the fish by sound alone? It seemed impossible.
Then there was the synesthesia. Judging from his state, he hadn't been short of food these days. There was an endless supply of sea fish, and he hadn't even lost much weight. But the reaction of shaking when he stabbed the fish was really strange. Could it be some kind of psychological reaction? Or a negative state? Or perhaps a punishment?
Killing an animal and being hurt in return—there could only be one explanation: a Skinchanger!
Viserys suddenly felt a chill down his spine. The Skinchangers in the novel could transfer their consciousness into the body of an animal, possessing their skills and senses. The animals they possessed were called "animal companions." Eagles, goats, dogs, direwolves... One of the more famous Skinchangers was Bran Stark, who was a wolf spirit and the heir to the Three-Eyed Raven.
He could transfer his consciousness not only to his own direwolf but also to Hodor. In addition, Jon and a bunch of wildlings beyond the Wall were also Skinchangers.
The information about Skinchangers noted that if their "animal companion" died, they would also be affected. If the host died, the consciousness would be trapped in the animal. The assassin's reaction after killing the fish was remarkably similar to that of a Skinchanger.
Judging from the current situation, the assassin was able to capture an animal companion in a short period of time. And after killing the animal companion, he could continue to withstand the effects of its death. This indicated he might be a high-level Skinchanger. A very high-level one. With such a strong ability to invade consciousness, could he directly invade people's minds?
Viserys pounded the table with some anxiety and cursed in a low voice, "Damn it! Robert, that fucking lickspittle, where the hell did he find such a fucking cheater?"
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