NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 102: Doubts at the Pirate Gathering
Three months passed swiftly.
During this time, the Seventh Battalion underwent a complete transformation. Word of the battalion’s improved conditions spread, attracting auxiliary soldiers and mercenaries whose contracts were nearing expiration. As a result, the battalion's numbers swelled from just over 70 to more than 120. Viserys had warned them that the training would be grueling, but they hadn’t anticipated just how tough it would be. Swordsmanship and physical fitness were expected, but why did they have to train in formation? Why practice standing at attention or tidying up the barracks? And folding blankets before battle—was this really necessary? Was it just?
The mercenaries of the Seventh Battalion weren’t the only ones baffled. Even the other battalion sergeants were skeptical of Viserys’s methods. They doubted his ability as a drill sergeant and believed the soldiers stayed only because the battalion's benefits were exceptionally good.
Some soldiers considered quitting during those three months, but thoughts of Meris’s harsh discipline and the loss of their new privileges kept them in line. Over time, they grew accustomed to the routine. What's more, Viserys not only provided the promised benefits but delivered them ahead of schedule.
In just one month, he produced 50 suits of armor. Though plain, no one was eager to part with them. Two months later, he produced another 100 suits—these were slightly worn, but with some repairs, they were perfectly serviceable. After all, these armors could mean the difference between life and death.
Despite their complaints, the soldiers grumbled only in private. Moreover, Viserys now had a few diehard supporters within the Seventh Battalion. If anyone dared criticize him publicly, they were quick to silence the dissenters.
Viserys’s strict training regimen had a purpose. He didn’t want a ragtag group of fighters; he wanted a disciplined, cohesive army. The results were impressive enough that even the Tattered Prince, the old commander, voiced his approval, declaring the Seventh Battalion a real army.
But despite the progress, Viserys wasn’t satisfied. His goal was to build a mercenary force of a thousand before his dragon hatched. However, he knew this was no easy task.
Take Bittersteel Aegor and the Tattered Prince, for example. Both had spent years in other mercenary groups before gathering a loyal band of their own to "start a business." Viserys didn’t have "several years." He recalled that Dany was around 12 or 13 when the events of Game of Thrones began, likely just after her first period. By his estimation, there were less than two years left before the story officially started.
This looming deadline weighed heavily on Viserys. If he were forced to spend years building his mercenary group, he’d never manage to find another dragon egg, let alone form his army. His decision to come to the Disputed Lands was driven by the knowledge that war would soon break out between Tyrosh and Lys. But for now, the two sides remained in a tense standoff.
Littlefinger’s words echoed in his mind—'chaos is a ladder.' Viserys hoped Tyrosh and Lys would clash. However, Lys had fortified its position against Tyrosh with it's stronghold and the support of pirates who secretly allied with them. While skirmishes were frequent, no major conflict had erupted. Tyrosh was too preoccupied with the pirates of Lys in the Stepstones to launch an offensive on the region, where it's stronghold lay.
In other words, if a large-scale conflict was to erupt, the pirates would need to be eliminated. But that was easier said than done. If Tyrosh could have wiped them out, it would have done so long ago. These pirates were formidable.
If wiping out the pirates was impossible, there was another option: decapitation. If the pirate leaders were taken out, the threat could be neutralized. And recently, an opportunity had presented itself—a "pirate gathering," as Baland, the pirate who had once pursued Viserys, had mentioned.
According to Baland, pirates from across the world were converging on the Orange Shore. For the past three months, Viserys had been using the Golden Eagle to scout the area. Since becoming a Soul Binder, his telepathic connection with his animal partner had increased exponentially.
Previously, in Braavos, he could only control a seagull to circle the city. But after linking his soul with the golden eagle, their range had become nearly limitless. He had even managed to guide the eagle as far as the vicinity of Dorne.
However, something strange happened when the golden eagle crossed into Dorne, part of Westeros. The link between them weakened, and the images became blurry. Viserys redirected the eagle to explore the area where Baland had indicated the pirates might gather.
The Orange Shore lay between the Disputed Lands and the Rhoyne River Valley. The former was contested by the Free Cities of Tyrosh, Volantis, and Lys, while the latter was Volantis's domain. This made the Orange Shore a no man's land, free of any jurisdiction.
Viserys controlled the golden eagle as it hovered over the Orange Shore for nearly two months. He observed a large number of pirate ships converging in several areas, including two islands, an abandoned port, and a hidden cove. One location, Orange Shore Bay, stood out as particularly suspicious.
Using the Moon's Revelation, Viserys divined these places one by one. The first few were shrouded in darkness, but Orange Shore Bay glowed with light in the darkness. He concluded that this must be the pirates' meeting and trading place. These pirates, who plundered across the world, gathered regularly to share their spoils. Viserys estimated that if he could strike a decisive blow here, he could accomplish in one night what the old captain had done in twenty years. Additionally, it might catalyze a war between Tyrosh and Lys, allowing him to benefit from the chaos.
But the task would be incredibly challenging. The pirates' trading post was deep within the bay, and by the time of the gathering, pirates from across the world would be there. Over a thousand ships would be scattered along the Orange Coast. Leading a large army would only alert them, and bringing too few would be a suicide mission.
However, Viserys’s goal wasn’t to eliminate all the pirates. According to Baland, most of the pirates would remain outside the bay to "guard the door," while only their leaders and representatives—numbering between 200 and 300—would enter the deeper bay to trade.
The only viable strategy was to carry out a "decapitation operation" targeting these leaders. But these pirates were seasoned veterans of the sea, not to be underestimated. Even if they weren’t skilled fighters themselves, they would have capable warriors at their side. Entering the bay with more than 50 men would raise suspicion, but fewer would mean facing a tough battle with no room for error. Success depended on eliminating the leaders swiftly, or the entire plan would fail.
In his previous life, a single rocket could have handled the situation. But in this world, that was out of the question. Now, he needed a strong, reliable group of fighters, possibly the best from the entire mercenary company.
Viserys still hadn’t figured out how to kill hundreds of pirates in a short span of time. Moreover, he needed permission from the Tattered Prince to undertake such a mission. As a sellsword, he couldn’t act independently. Although he had discovered a loophole in the contract that might allow him some leeway, there was little point in obsessing over how to deal with the pirates just yet.
Feeling uncertain, Viserys decided to visit Meris and Dany, as he often did. For the past three months, he had been diligently collecting Assignable Points, and now, after his time away from Braavos, he had amassed a hundred of them. After maxing out all his attributes, he still had nearly a hundred points left.
Constitution: 100
Health: 100
Spirit: 100
Magic: 100
Assignable General Attribute Points: 112
Viserys felt in peak condition, brimming with energy every day. Yet, he was unsure how to use the extra points. He had hoped that reaching 100 in Constitution would trigger some kind of breakthrough, but nothing significant had happened. Although he felt stronger, there was no sense of having "evolved." It seemed that to surpass the 100-point limit, he would need to wait for a shift in the world’s magical environment—like the coming tide of magic. As he pondered this, an owl appeared before him, interrupting his thoughts.
