As one of the most important administrative facilities in Braavos, the Neptune Palace is naturally extremely majestic. The towering vaults and towers are all made of neatly cut square stone strips. The passages inside are complicated and lead to four gates.
It is now the end of August in the 284th year of the Conquest Calendar, and the tail of midsummer has not yet completely subsided, but the interior of the Neptune Palace, which is entirely built of ashlar stones, is exceptionally cool.
There are no trees in the city of Braavos, but in the Palace of the Sea King there are lush greenery, birds singing and flowers fragrant, and servants walking through the courtyard.
Viserys and Oberyn were walking side by side in the semi-open corridor of Neptune's Palace, with a maid in front of them guiding the way.
The Prince of Dorne looked left and right along the way. From time to time he reached out to touch the reliefs on the corridor wall and then touched his chin and nodded. He seemed to have some unique insights into the field of art.
Viserys, on the other hand, only looked at the place in front of him from beginning to end, not knowing what he was thinking.
The identities of the two people seemed to have been swapped. Oberyn seemed to be a curious child, while Viserys became a silent adult.
"Prince Oberyn."
Tread...
There were only three people's footsteps in the corridor, ascending the winding stone steps. The place was dark and depressing due to the lack of sunlight.
Viserys finally turned his head slightly and glanced at the man beside him, and then took the initiative to break the silence and spoke.
"Um."
Oberyn did not turn his head to look at Viserys, his eyes still stayed on the reliefs on the wall, which were engraved with the glorious history of Braavos from the beginning to the present.
Braavos was never part of the Valyrian Freehold, but was a city-state founded by refugees fleeing Valyrian servitude approximately five hundred years before Aegon's Landing.
At that time, the slaves in charge of rowing the Valyrian fleet launched an uprising and seized the fleet. Since they were unable to resist the Valyrian dragons, this group of slaves tried to stay as far away from the Valyrian forces as possible and crossed the Narrow Sea.
Escape north.
Finally, the Moonsingers led these rebellious slaves to this archipelago located in a saltwater lagoon, often hidden by thick fog.
This group of escaped slaves came from many different places and held many different beliefs, so the founders of Braavos gave a place to all gods and declared that they would never favor any one god.
They include the Andals, the Summer Isles, the Ghiscari, the Nath, the Ibben, the Thalor, and the pure-blooded Valyrians who are in debt and crime.
Some of them are trained slave soldiers, some are bed slaves, cooks, grooms, housekeepers, and some are skilled craftsmen, carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, workers, fishermen, kitchen slaves, etc.
The newly freed people spoke many dialects, so that the Valyrian accent of their last masters became their common language.
Oberyn was obsessed with the glorious historical reliefs of Braavos along the way, while Viserys frowned slightly, but continued to speak.
"As far as I know...Prince Oberyn."
"Dorne now appears to be negotiating with the usurper who illegally occupies the Iron Throne."
Viserys did not mince words, but asked directly.
Because he hopes to find out Dorn's true attitude from Oberyn, and to find some basis for this negotiation.
Oberyn, who was stroking his chin beard and looking at the relief, heard Viserys's words, raised his eyebrows slightly, and then finally turned his head to look at Viserys.
"You're right, little one, but that's not what I meant."
Oberyn nodded, his dark eyes were deep, and his voice was unusually calm.
"I'm not going to negotiate with these people because I just want them to die."
Although Oberyn's voice was calm, people couldn't help but get goosebumps and feel a slight chill on the back of their neck.
"Is it."
When Viserys heard Oberyn's words, his eyes narrowed, but he was silent for a while and then continued to ask.
"Then...I wonder if Prince Oberyn is only representing yourself this time by connecting through Braavos, or does Prince Doran also have this intention?"
"Oh, that's a good question..."
Oberyn looked Viserys up and down, seeming a little surprised that he could ask such a direct and to the point question.
However, while Viserys and Oberyn were walking and talking, they had already been guided by the maid to the drawing room of Neptune's Palace.
...
Inside the room, a middle-aged man with dark hair and brown eyes was sitting on a chair reading a book.
This room is extraordinarily spacious, with sunlight shining in from the window. The floor is covered with gorgeous gray carpets, and there is a large golden bed with curtains covering the edges. The bookcases on the wall are filled with collections of books from all over the world.
This Lord Ferrego Antalion, the Sea King, seems to be particularly fond of reading.
At this moment, there were footsteps and the sound of small voices in the corridor. The middle-aged man who was sitting on a chair and reading a book raised his head slightly.
Then there was a knock on the door.
"Please come in."
The middle-aged man sat on a chair and casually made a crease on the page, then slightly closed the book in his hand and said.
The maid heard his voice and opened the door of the house and walked in.
"Lord Neptune, the guests have arrived."
The maid gave a slight salute to Neptune, the man nodded, and then the maid slowly withdrew.
Viserys and Oberyn walked in.
As soon as Viserys entered the room, he smelled a faint scent of flowers. However, after sniffing carefully, he could smell that it seemed to be perfume.
"Um?"
Viserys was a little curious as to why there was so much perfume in this room, but he didn't ask directly.
Then I looked at the surrounding environment. This room was very spacious, with a large balcony with good lighting, a large golden bed and bookcases. It didn't look like a living room but more like a bedroom.
"Welcome, two distinguished guests."
The middle-aged man sitting in front of the round table did not stand up. He just sat quietly on the chair, crossed his fingers, and then greeted politely.
The middle-aged man sitting on the chair is the current Sea King of Braavos, Ferrego Antarian.
"Dignified guests need not be surprised."
Neptune seemed to notice the strange expression on Viserys's face, and then calmly explained.
"I have a serious illness and need to take a lot of medicinal soup every day."
"So the house smells of herbs, so naturally I have to use perfume to cover it up."