Knuckles tapped against the rusty ship railing as Aegon calculated the years in his heart.
Fifteen years had passed since his mother in this life, Elia, bled in King's Landing. Westeros should now be in the autumn of 297 AC.
Aegon's hand, tapping the railing, clenched silently, then loosened, leaving deep indentations in his palm.
He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, blowing away the toxic mist that drifted before him.
Aegon happened to know of a Westerosi, or rather, an Ironborn, who was active around the Smoke Sea and Valyrian Ruins during this period, around 297 AC.
"Euron Greyjoy!"
Euron Greyjoy, also known as Crows Eye, was the younger brother of Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands. In the original story, he was banished from the Iron Islands in 28 AC for seducing his brother's salt wife.
He subsequently returned to the Iron Islands in 299 AC, claiming to have sailed to the Smoke Sea region and brought back a dragon horn and Valyrian Steel armor from the Valyrian Ruins.
Considering his ten-year exile, Euron Greyjoy's location and timing roughly matched the present. He would have needed to accumulate wealth and sailing experience to reach the Smoke Sea, and then sufficient time to return to the Iron Islands. Therefore, Euron Greyjoy's treasure hunt in the Smoke Sea should be happening now.
As Aegon mused, a somewhat portly figure suddenly appeared before him.
Aegon was startled and looked up. He saw the fat Mercenary he had saved earlier standing before him, his iron armor painfully gaping under the pressure of his corpulent belly, like a pried-open oyster shell, revealing a sweat-soaked linen shirt. He carried a massive iron hammer on his shoulder and was grinning foolishly at Aegon.
"Hey, my name is Henry. Thanks for saving me just now." He extended a chubby hand, intending to pat Aegon's shoulder, but seemed to notice his hands were covered in grime from the previous battle, so he sheepishly withdrew it halfway.
The fat Mercenary chuckled, then said, "I owe you my life. If you ever have any trouble, just come find me."
As he spoke, he remembered that Aegon had just saved him, and now he was offering to help Aegon with his troubles, which seemed a bit overconfident. He couldn't help but let out an awkward laugh.
He continued to laugh awkwardly while setting down his hammer.
The hammer landed with a dull thud. He bent his thick arm and slapped it several times with his other hand, making the fat jiggle.
"I don't have any other special skills, but I've been really strong since I was a kid. If you need any help, just call me. I can't do much else, but I can certainly lend a hand!" He then seemed to remember he hadn't asked for Aegon's name and quickly added.
"Oh, right, I still don't know your name?"
Aegon observed the honest, stout man before him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Lotte Haine." As a transmigrator, he naturally understood the importance of an alias, especially in such an unfamiliar and dreadful place.
"Well, Brother Hain, you saved my life, so from now on, you're my best friend!"
"My mother always told me to share the best things with friends." He wiped the grime from his hands on his clothes several times, then grabbed Aegon's arm and started to pull him towards his room.
Just then, a group of sailors emerged from the entrance to the lower deck, which had been silent throughout the earlier chaos.
Each one was like a zombie, silent, simply bowing their heads and busying themselves with their tasks, beginning to clean the deck.
Aegon cast a strange glance and saw the Scarface Mercenary, who had helped him in the fight, walk up to a sailor who was cleaning up the monster's remains.
He seemed to say something, but the sailor remained indifferent, continuing his work.
The Scarface Mercenary angrily cursed, kicked the sailor down, snatched the monster's remains the sailor had been cleaning, and walked into the ship's cabin without looking back.
The sailor got up, as if nothing had happened, and numbly resumed his work.
Aegon frowned but didn't meddle. He turned back to the fat Mercenary and said, "Henry, I have some things to attend to. Let's talk later."
Henry was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily and agreed, getting up and heading elsewhere. Before leaving, he promised Aegon that next time he would definitely show him his treasures.
Aegon's lips curled slightly, then he thought of an internet meme from his previous life, and his curled lips twitched, his sphincter tightening.
He quickly shook his head to clear away the strange thoughts; he still needed to retrieve his sword.
When he had attacked the monster with a spear earlier, he found his longsword cumbersome and had casually stuck it into the deck. Now he had to go get it back, as a good sword wasn't cheap.
He quickly arrived at the spot where he had stuck the sword. It was indeed still there. He gripped the hilt and pulled it out with a strong tug.
Habitually holding the sword horizontally before him to examine it, Aegon was astonished to find that the blade, which had been gleaming brightly with a cold sheen, now looked like a broken sword corroded for years. The edge was jagged, and the blade itself was coated in a shimmering, toxic green, as if dipped in poison.
Aegon gasped. Was the monster's blood poisonous? And corrosive? Fortunately, he hadn't gotten any of it on him.
However, looking at the completely unusable sword, Aegon sighed. His wallet was about to get a lot thinner, adding insult to injury for his already meager finances.
Aegon sighed, sheathed the broken sword, and tucked it into his waist. After all, it had been with him for so many years; he might as well take it back as a collector's item. He looked up to see that it was already dark. Already mentally exhausted, combined with the intense battle he had just fought, he felt exceptionally weak. He simply walked towards the cabin, intending to return to his room to rest.
Arriving at his door, Aegon stopped abruptly as he opened it, his eyes vigilantly scanning the bed.
Instead of being empty, there was a person lying on the bed, drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked. Their beard and hair were messy and unkempt. They lay sprawled on his bed, looking utterly exhausted.
Seeing the person's sweaty, disheveled appearance, Aegon, even though he hadn't smelled anything with his nose, felt a stench of sweat filling the air. He strongly suspected that the stains on the broken bed originated from this person.
Aegon entered the room, just about to speak and wake the person, when the person suddenly sat up, as if startled by something.
Aegon gripped his sword hilt and demanded, "Who are you?"
But the person completely ignored Aegon, seeming startled and opening their mouth as if saying something.
Aegon heard nothing.
Aegon frowned. What was this person doing? Arguing with thin air?
As Aegon watched, the person made new movements. After saying two sentences, the person actually knelt on the ground, hands clasped together as if begging for mercy, then suddenly retreated, beginning to dodge and weave as if avoiding an attack?
Aegon held his sword hilt, ensuring it could be drawn at any moment, and stepped towards the person.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Aegon asked. The person seemed to have been cornered by something.
Aegon raised his hand to pat the person's shoulder, but as he made contact, his hand passed directly through.
Aegon was startled and was about to retreat when he realized his perspective was no longer his own.
His current perspective seemed to be that of another person, and this person was now sitting on the bed, looking towards the door.
Just like... just like that disheveled man sitting on the bed looking at him earlier!
No, not looking at him! Because... with a loud "bang," the door was violently kicked open, and two men in armor engraved with Kraken patterns entered the room, swords in hand.
The person whose perspective Aegon was now inhabiting also reacted, standing up and speaking to the two men.
This time, Aegon could even hear the voice!
"What do you want?!"
"Didn't we agree that after we delivered this cargo and collected our commission, we would go our separate ways? Don't worry, we'll keep your secret, absolutely nothing will be said."
Aegon could even hear the two men opposite him speaking. One of them said,
"Won't say anything? Only dead men can keep completely silent!"
"And what's a commission? Ironborn only know iron price!"
The sword-wielder scoffed, the Kraken armor seeming to glow with blood-red light under the oil lamp.
With that, he swung his blade.
Aegon's vision was filled with the cold gleam of the longsword!