NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 26: Song of the Moon II
After realizing the value of the “Song of the Moon,” Viserys decided to return to his residence with Dany. On the way, he discovered that the booklet contained about 3,000 words, with the main content being praise and worship of the moon. The text was written in Valyrian and had a beautiful rhythm, making it more of a chant with tones. It also required visualization of the moonlight while reading, which added a level of difficulty.
As Viserys was engrossed in reading, Dany asked him, “Brother, have you been dreaming a lot lately?”
“Haha, I'm fine,” Viserys replied, feeling a warmth in his heart as he petted her head, realizing she was worried about him. Dany, however, secretly resolved to remind him to rest more from that day on.
In the evening, Viserys found the moonlight particularly beautiful. The silver light scattered on the ground, creating a tranquil atmosphere. With the “Song of the Moon” in hand, Viserys climbed to a high place and began singing softly as instructed. He glanced at his Magic value, which was currently 11.6.
Following the prayer in the booklet, Viserys began to chant:
“The bright moon is in the sky, and its light shines on the stars."
"The moonlight is like a shadow, the moonlight is like water.”
As he recited, he felt a cool energy flow into his body. The tiredness in his spirit was relieved, and his mood became more tranquil and indifferent. After about a quarter of an hour, Viserys checked his panel and found that his Magic value had recovered by two points, reaching 13.6.
Viserys was very surprised. The recovery rate of his Magic was several times faster. This meant he could use Dragon Dreams more frequently, giving him a better chance against the assassin. He continued to recite, and this time his Magic value increased again, reaching 15.2.
'It seems to be recovering a little slower,' he thought. He calculated that the recovery effect had decreased by about 20%, meaning he could recover about 6 points of Magic in an hour, and even less in the second hour. But one night was enough to fully restore his Magic.
Viserys continued to sing, and after three hours, his Magic had fully recovered.
“It seems the upper limit of my magic power hasn't increased. Maybe I didn't sing long enough?” Viserys pondered. However, he realized that in addition to restoring his magic points, the chant also seemed to replenish his energy. It was almost 1 a.m., but he wasn't sleepy at all. Instead, his mind was sharp and active.
“Wait, if the Temple of the Moonsingers has such powerful benefits, what about the Temple of the Lord of Light?” Viserys suddenly realized he had stumbled upon a treasure trove of opportunities.
In the novels, the First Mage, Melisandre, who serves the human side, worships the Lord of Light. If the Temple of the Moonsingers offered such advantages, then surely the Temple of the Lord of Light had even more to offer. Besides these two, Braavos also had the “Temple of the Father of Waters,” the “Holy Refuge,” and the infamous “House of Black and White.” While the last one might be difficult to access, the first two were open to those who could pay.
“There may be other treasures in the Temple of the Moonsingers too,” Viserys thought. The “Song of the Moon” seemed like the basic martial arts techniques from the novels of his past life. If there was a basic exercise method for outsiders, there must be an advanced method for insiders.
This visit to the Temple of the Moonsingers had cost the siblings over 30 gold dragons, but high-end items would undoubtedly cost more. “We need to make money, and we need it quickly!” Viserys' intuition told him he was in a period of “low Magic.” The heads of the various temples probably didn’t value these things highly, and as long as one was willing to pay, they could be obtained.
However, he needed funds now, but he couldn't hastily touch Illyrio's money. It was a strategic reserve meant to keep the other side in check. Drawing from it too soon would make him appear desperate and potentially deceitful. It was wiser to let the money sit in the Iron Bank for a while longer.
...
The next two days, Viserys took advantage of the good weather and the moonlight every night, planning to have Dany practice the Moon Song with him. However, he overlooked one problem—Dany was now considered “half-literate,” and there were many words she didn't understand or didn't even know.
During their time in Braavos, the siblings were brought there by Ser WillemDarry, who unfortunately passed away a few years later. Dany was still very young then and couldn't learn much during those years. Her current education was almost like pre-childhood education, so Viserys had to hire another tutor to teach her to read and write properly.
Viserys took the opportunity to write down some of his past life's knowledge in Chinese characters so that he would not forget it. Among the most important information were the plot points of the original novel, including various major events and the fates of the characters. Of course, this included the parts relevant to Dany. That's why he didn't teach her Chinese.
Viserys enjoyed reading history books before his journey, as history often provided solutions to current problems. He would tell Dany stories from his world, changing the names and details, which also helped him deepen his understanding of those tales. Dany was surprised to find that Viserys' storytelling skills had improved significantly, moving beyond the simple "Once upon a time" formula.
Thanks to the whale oil candles from the workshop, their nights were much brighter and more enjoyable. These candles produced little smoke, burned brightly, and lasted a long time, enriching the siblings' nighttime activities. Unlike before, when they could only count the stars, often obscured by Braavos' frequent fog, they now had plenty of light to read and write by.
One evening, Viserys decided to take a break and was telling Dany the story of the Little Mermaid. Just as they reached the crucial moment when Ariel traded her voice for legs, Helbo sended a letter for Viserys, appearing to have something important to discuss. Though worried about the fate of the little mermaid, Dany obediently sat to the side.
“Lord Viserys, this is a letter from Helbo,” the servant said, handing over the envelope.
Viserys took the envelope and gently tore it open. The letter was brief:
"Lord Viserys, I have invited the Morel to discuss payment at my residence tomorrow. Please be there. Also, the prize for the poetry competition has been confirmed: a dragon egg."
Needless to say, Viserys was excited about the dragon egg. Although everyone believed that dragons were extinct and could no longer hatch, the egg still held high ornamental and collection value. Illyrio was in the dragon egg business, so it was plausible that Braavos or the Sealord's Palace could use it as a prize. There was a possibility that they might use the dragon egg as a gimmick and secretly take it back later, but Viserys couldn't afford to miss this opportunity.
To win the dragon egg, he needed to find a way to contact Lady Moonshadow and become her minstrel. It was said that Lady Moonshadow was not easily accessible to ordinary people, so he had to devise a plan to reach her.
While the dragon egg prize was almost confirmed, the Valyrian steel sword was another matter. Such a weapon was truly magical, and it was uncertain if the Sealord's Palace would be able to offer it as a prize.
Helbo's invitation to the banquet had another motive: to get Viserys to help secure as much money as possible. Recently, a production accident occurred at the workshop. A newly recruited worker caused a small fire due to his lack of skill, resulting in the loss of hundreds of pounds of whale oil and several candle molds. The skilled workers had been lured away by another candle workshop offering higher salaries. It was evident that a powerful force with abundant financial resources was backing the rival workshop, intending to destroy Morel's business.
Helbo was not particularly concerned about Morel's workshop's future, but he was worried about getting paid. Morel had the backing of Lady Moonshadow, making it difficult for Helbo to provoke him. Viserys guessed that Morel might use his assets to pay off his debts, possibly converting some whale oil into money.
"Whale oil..." Viserys muttered, repeating the words over and over until something clicked. "Whale oil is animal fat. Besides being edible and used for lighting, it can also be used to make soap!"
Suddenly excited, Viserys grabbed a pen and paper and started jotting down his thoughts. Dany, standing nearby, tried to peek over his shoulder but couldn't understand the strange square characters he was using. Viserys still hadn't taught her this language.
As he wrote, Viserys became more animated, filling four or five sheets of paper before finally stopping. He looked over the stack of papers with satisfaction, as if he could see flowers blooming on the pages.
"Dany!" Viserys said happily, turning to her. "We’ll soon have a dragon egg!"