The gloomy sky was devoid of sunlight, and Braavos seemed on the verge of rain and fog once more.
Inside the small study, Viserys fiddled with the dragonbone-hilted steel dagger on the table, which gleamed with a cold light.
Dragonbone was light and hard, but unfortunately, the dagger's material was not Valyrian steel.
There were several dragonbone daggers, and Viserys had given one each to Rhaenys and Daenerys.
"You said the Moon Singers have noticed you," Rhaenys asked. She was a very refined and elegant girl, though her skin and features bore the hallmarks of a Dornish salt wife.
The Temple of the Moon Singers was the largest temple in Braavos, and naturally, its reputation was also the greatest.
"Yes," Viserys Targaryen nodded. "Braavos has many noble houses, and its religious power is equally not to be underestimated."
In this world, whether in the East or West, religion represented a powerful component of strength.
They had followers, church property, and some even had armed forces.
The power of religion came from its believers, and most religions even outlived kingdoms.
"I heard they are all prophetesses," Rhaenys said. "Then why would they contact you?"
"Nightingale is from the Temple of the Moon Singers, and Moon Shadow might be as well. The Moon Singers also need hymns, or perhaps they just want to meet me," Viserys said. "We should have realized sooner that the temple priests are famous for their hymns, and would naturally produce the best singers."
The process of religion was like this: singing hymns and praying occupied a large portion of their time.
"Well, these religious priests, I always find them a bit strange," Rhaenys said.
Dornish people, like those from the North, lived in a barren land, had more unique customs, and were not particularly devout in their faith in the Seven Gods.
"So it's a cooperative relationship," Viserys explained. "Money and hymns, exchanged for each other."
Viserys hadn't yet decided when to visit the Temple of the Moon Singers; it was better to be cautious. He didn't like dealing with any religious fanatics.
The Moon Singers were once known for their prophetic predictions, but that was many years ago, during a time when magic flourished.
Now that magic was in decline, the Moon Singers had long since lost much of their sacred aura.
Rhaenys looked at Viserys expectantly. "Our lives are barely normal now, so what's next, Viserys?"
With money as a lubricant, this small restoration team finally started to function.
Regarding increasing income and reducing expenditure, Viserys was only moderately good at the latter; he needed money for dragonbone and daily life.
However, he was much better at increasing income, managing to bring in a fair amount of gold.
There was also a map of Essos on the table. With the rise of the Dothraki, there were large empty territories west of the Rhoyne.
Because the horsemen would cross the Rhoyne, each crossing would bring panic to free cities like Pentos.
"Can you tell me the difference between the Tigers and the Elephants?" Viserys asked Rhaenys.
"Volantis is the oldest of the nine Free Cities, the first daughter of Valyria," Rhaenys recited. "After the Doom, the Volantenes naturally considered themselves the heirs of the empire, and thus masters of the world. But they disagreed on how to rule the world. The old nobility believed in military might, while merchants and moneylenders advocated trade. These two factions, vying for control of the city, gradually formed two parties: the Tigers and the Elephants."
"For nearly a century after the destruction of Valyria, the Tigers held the advantage. Their wars of conquest initially went smoothly. The Volantene fleet captured Lys, and the Volantene army occupied Myr," Viserys added. "Of course, the Tigers' great conquest later collapsed, as they faced opposition from many forces."
"The Tigers consequently lost their ruling base, and the Elephants gained the upper hand."
"In fact, most regions have Tigers and Elephants," Viserys said. "Tigers represent aggression, Elephants are the peace faction."
The current world order of the Eastern continent was shaped by the Century of Blood.
The failure of Volantis, the rise of the Dothraki. This led to each city-state essentially fending for itself.
"Braavos is not our permanent home; sooner or later, we will need to move elsewhere," Viserys said, looking at the map, the sheathed dagger tracing across the parchment. "I don't trust sellswords, and we don't have that much gold. The best approach is still to train a loyal army from scratch."
The most important thing for a restoration movement is to first acquire some land and an army. No matter whose land it is, one must borrow a hen to lay eggs.
And an army; an army's fighting power comes from loyalty and manpower. From this perspective, sellswords cannot be relied upon as the main force; it's best to start anew.
Although this method is a bit slow, an army forged one sword stroke and one spear thrust at a time, built from nothing, might be the most foolish but also the most successful method.
Rhaenys watched the dagger's path, from the flatlands of Andalos to Pentos, and then to the Disputed Lands.
"I understand," Rhaenys nodded. "Do you want to borrow a place and repair a city?"
"Braavos controls the Braavosi coast, but it doesn't have very detailed management of the Andalos Hills within the coastline. And the flatlands of Pentos and the cities along the Rhoyne, the horsemen have destroyed every town they've seen. There will still be cracks to take root in."
"These look like ownerless lands, but once the Dothraki savages cross the river, it will be dangerous," Rhaenys said worriedly.
The Archons of the Free Cities were both terrified and awestruck by the horsemen, usually paying them off to avoid trouble.
The Archons considered it alms, the horsemen considered it spoils, and both sides felt they had won.
"This is the game of revenge; risks must be faced," Viserys said.
"If Dorne could provide us with some soldiers, or trainers," Rhaenys said hesitantly.
"That's not possible for now," Viserys shook his head. "Jon Arryn, though old, isn't blind. It was he who forged the peace treaty with the Dornish back then. Superficial peace doesn't mean King's Landing's spies will relax."
Viserys's attitude towards Dorne was one of come and go as they please, without much hope.
Now the Usurper's faction was at its zenith, even the Martells were playing dead, let alone those silent royalists.
Unless Viserys truly fought his way back to King's Landing, with absolute certainty, only then would the royalists switch sides again.
In any case, Dorne was at least the only major ally.
"Everything revolves around me. Although this is slower and harder, we have autonomy. Like Robert's alliance, he is king, but also merely the head of a grand alliance, not truly free," Viserys said..
Viserys already had a comprehensive plan: make money, develop a piece of land, then recruit soldiers and horses, and overthrow the old order.
Manpower and information were already available. The Century of Blood was far enough in the past; it was time for this world to experience a greater upheaval.
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