NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 34: Bet
"Dammit! It was a fraud!" Viserys muttered angrily as he left the theater, but he quickly regained his composure.
He believed that Falia knew what she was doing. Once she used the soap, it would become a necessity in her life. Viserys felt a tinge of pride, convinced that she would fall in love with the soap after trying it.
Currently, the cost of producing a piece of soap was only one or two Braavos iron coins. If he sold it for twenty silver moons, his profit margin would be an astonishing 7,000 percent!
Suddenly, a chill ran down Viserys' neck as he thought of something.
Initially, the soap would be marketed to the "upper class," the nobles. These wealthy individuals consumed rich foods daily, which would lead to oily skin. However, his soap was strong enough to dry out their faces after just one use. The more they used it, the oilier their faces would become, prompting them to buy more. It would create a 'virtuous cycle'.
Viserys didn't plan to exploit the poor. When the soap became more popular, it would eventually benefit the lower class as well. His mood lifted at the thought.
It had been five or six days since Viserys had subdued the female assassin. Feeling that the time was right, he decided to check on her.
By this time, Helbo had heard about Viserys' meeting with Falia. Initially surprised, he was also somewhat relieved. It seemed that the Morel and Falia were close allies. Fortunately, he had not pushed his plan too far.
When Helbo learned that Viserys had gone to the Moon Pool Theater, he chuckled to himself. After all his years in Braavos, he knew the rules for courtesans meeting in private—they never left their ships, only coming ashore for public events. In his opinion, Falia would likely not appreciate Viserys' "good intentions."
That was fine by Helbo. Once the reckless young man had calmed down, he would be easier to manipulate. 'Imagine that, controlling a Prince, a nobleman!' Helbo couldn't help but fantasize.
Just then, a servant announced that Viserys was visiting. Helbo hurried over to greet him, partly out of curiosity and partly hoping that Viserys would be taken away by Falia. Living under the same roof as an assassin every day was unnerving...
...
The assassin, who had not eaten for five or six days, had visibly sunken cheeks. To make it easier to feed her, Helbo had put a small device in her mouth.
Viserys immediately recognized the device, and after a moment he realized what it was. "Where did you get the gag?" he asked.
"Gag? What a great name!" Helbo looked at Viserys, somewhat surprised, as if he had met a kindred spirit.
The female assassin had no idea what they were talking about; she just hoped to be released as soon as possible. She saw her target take the candle from the slightly overweight man and hold it up to her face. Confirming the look, it was indeed the person she was supposed to kill. But now she couldn't even kill herself, let alone someone else.
Over the past few days, she had seen the 'torture instruments' around her and realized they would be used on her sooner or later. However, to her surprise, the young man did not act as she expected. Instead, he fed her some sweet soup.
'Ah! It's so sweet,' the assassin sighed in her heart. At the same time, she discovered that her body seemed to be regaining some feeling. For a moment, it felt as if her brain, covered with rusty gears, had been lubricated and her thoughts began to turn again. "What does he want?" she wondered.
The young man in front of her slowly said, "We are all pitiful people."
The female assassin didn't expect him to say that. Although she couldn't speak, she thought to herself, 'Pitiful? You were born a prince, and even in a foreign land, you would still be taken care of. You are pitiful? Then everyone is pitiful.'
Viserys continued, "Do you think I'm talking nonsense? In fact, I've seen everything about you." He began to recount the story he had seen in his dream: "The ship you were on encountered a storm in the Narrow Sea. You were alone at sea for more than ten days, surviving only on fish and shrimp."
Helbo raised his eyebrows, thinking to himself that this assassin was no ordinary person, being able to survive at sea for more than ten days. But he wondered why Viserys knew so much.
"Since I arrived in Braavos at the age of eight, Robert has sent at least seven or eight assassins to kill me every year, but I have survived them all. Do you know why? Or don’t you think it’s amazing that I was only eight years old at the time, with a baby sister in my arms, and yet I was able to survive Robert’s assassins time and time again?"
Neither the female assassin nor Helbo believed Viserys’s story.
However, Helbo knew that the Viserys siblings had indeed wandered alone for several years, and it was not easy to survive so many assassination attempts. The female assassin thought Viserys was just showing off, but the question still lingered in her mind: How did he know she had been shipwrecked? How did he know so much about her?
Viserys then gave a very mystical answer. He leaned his face close to the female assassin, and the two could almost feel each other's breath. "Because the gods are warning me," he said.
The female assassin narrowed her eyes, obviously not believing him.
"We can make a bet. I'll let you go today, and you can go anywhere you want to start preparing again. But the result will still be failure. For ten days, if you lose, you'll have to follow me. What do you say? Are you in or out?"
Viserys's voice had a certain seductive power, like the whisper of a devil. This offer left Helbo beside him dumbfounded.
'No, you're seriously ill. How could you dare to let go of the assassin who tried to kill you? What's the point?' he thought.
The female assassin didn't hesitate for a second, staring at Viserys with eyes that seemed to be challenging him. Viserys removed her gag and freed her limbs, smiling as he said, "You're free."
When he actually let her go, the female assassin's face showed disbelief. Helbo, who was behind Viserys, leaned against the corner of the wall in case she tried to make a move. She walked slowly towards the door, looking back at Viserys hesitantly.
"I let you leave, but on one condition: you tried to kill me. But not only did I not kill you, I also saved you. So you owe me two lives, I don't need you to repay them. You just can't hurt Dany."
Viserys stared into her eyes and said in a firm voice. This seemed risky, but in fact, the risk was not that high. Since his Dragon Dreams had advanced to the Proficient level, he could predict danger even earlier. He could also use Dragon Dreams to locate her.
'How can I lose you with a mystical map?' he thought.
If he could subdue this assassin, not only would he be able to participate in the celebration without any worries two months later, but most importantly, he would be able to get the "Skinchanger" secrets from her.
This may allow him to control multiple dragons at the same time after they hatched, preventing the "dragon sons" from becoming rebellious.
"I swear by the gods that I will not harm your sister before I kill you," the female assassin said in common tongue. This was the first thing she had said since she was captured.
As he watched the female assassin leave, Helbo realized that the person standing in front of him was not an ordinary fool. He was a complete lunatic!
He suddenly remembered a rumor about the Targaryens: Targaryen, they are either mad or great.