Chapter 145: The Purple Fleet

The Onion Knight's four sons received an order this morning to sail a ship carrying two people to Pentos.

When the four arrived at the port, they were surprised to find that the ship they were to pilot was not a reconnaissance warship, but a pirate ship.

"I heard this is a pirate who just defected from Lys," one of the sons said. "Look at the big sail, the narrow hull. If this ship goes full speed, I doubt many ships could catch it."

"Keep it down. Father sent us four for a secret mission. Let's board."

After they boarded, a man and a woman appeared on deck shortly after.

"Set sail!"

Asha Greyjoy gave the command, then hid behind the gunwale to keep watch for any pursuers.

Theon Greyjoy, covered in blood, was looking around on the deck for a cloth.

"Set sail!"

With no pursuers in sight, everything at the port seemed calm. The pirate ship was docked in a quiet corner, unnoticed by most, making the departure smooth.

"Finally, safe!" Theon wiped the blood from his clothes, continuing to clean his sword, Nightfall.

Asha, staring at the disappearing port, said, "This is just the beginning. From now on, we'll be on our own."

As they spoke, two young men approached them, carrying a large bundle. Theon subtly gripped the hilt of his sword.

"Good day," said one of the young men. "I'm Dale Seaworth, the eldest son of Lord Davos Seaworth, commander of the Royal Fleet. This is my brother Allard, and the other two on board are also my brothers."

Theon relaxed upon hearing this. "Ah, it's you! I thought you were just ordinary soldiers."

Dale Seaworth chuckled, looking at the brothers' simple clothing. "Haha, dressing modestly keeps us from drawing attention."

He handed the bundle to the Greyjoy siblings. They opened it to find two plain-looking garments. But when they lifted them, they felt unusually heavy.

Dale Seaworth unfolded the lining of one of the clothes. "This was specially made by Lord Wright for you. Inside the lining are several hidden pockets, and each pocket contains a gold coin."

Asha pulled out a coin from one of the hidden pockets, holding it up. "Lord Wright is thoughtful. Theon and I were preparing to beg in Essos."

Dale Seaworth then handed them a letter. "This is a list of contacts provided by Lord Wright. These are trustworthy people in Essos, and they can relay important information."

He passed them two bags of gold coins. "These are for your regular expenses. The coins in the hidden pockets are for emergencies."

The two bags of coins were enough to cover a commoner's lifetime of expenses. Wright made sure to provide ample funds for any business trips.

Theon asked, "Where are we going this time?"

Dale Seaworth replied, "As of now, there's no more information on Daenerys Targaryen. The last time she was seen was in Pentos with three newly hatched dragons. We suspect she's either headed north or east."

Asha sighed. "This is going to be difficult. What a hassle!"

"I'll go tend to the ship. It'll be fast. If you feel unwell, you can rest below deck," Dale Seaworth said, before walking away.

Theon looked determined. "No way! We're Ironborn!"

Asha tugged at Theon's sleeve. "You reveal our identity so easily just from one sentence. Luckily, they're on our side. If they were enemies, you'd probably be floating in the sea by now, waiting for sharks to come for you."

Thung

Theon flicked his finger on the hilt of his sword, Nightfall, producing a sharp sound. "We're probably already wanted criminals in the Seven Kingdoms. Our identities are a mix of truth and lies, so revealing ourselves at the right time isn't a bad thing."

The pirate ship was fast, and within a week, it reached the outer seas of Pentos. Asha and Theon were standing at the bow, feeling the sea breeze.

"Look to the north!" Dale Seaworth shouted.

The crew turned their gaze northward, and in the distance, they saw a mass of masts on the horizon.

Dale Seaworth shouted again, "Third, turn the ship around and get a closer look!"

The pirate ship drew closer to the distant fleet, and they could now make out the banners on the sails. A few ships from the opposing fleet veered toward the pirate ship.

As they drew closer, the ship hulls became clearer, and Dale Seaworth suddenly shouted, "It's Braavos's Purple Fleet! Retreat! Retreat!"

Asha and Theon stared at the far-off fleet, which consisted of over a thousand ships of varying sizes, all with purple-painted hulls.

Theon asked, "What is the Braavosi fleet doing here?"

Asha responded, "They're headed south. From the rumors, Lord Wright caused a huge uproar in Braavos and even killed the Sealord. The Braavosi are furious but can't do anything about it; their reputation is in tatters. After the new Sealord took office, he needed to assert his authority. I'm not sure which side he's here to support."

Theon said, "Looks like our first task after landing is to get this information back."

---

The Seven Kingdoms' fleet was gradually tightening the encirclement, driving the Tyroshi fleet toward the islands.

Euron's pirate fleet had not been seen for a long time. Valantis sent word that a large group of pirate ships had reached the Smoking Sea, but they were too cautious to test which pirate faction was responsible.

Without Euron, the Seven Kingdoms' fleet had free rein at sea. Using their numerical advantage, they launched a full-scale assault in the Stepstones area. The Tyroshi forces had already been pushed back to their home islands, and the conditions for a general assault were almost ready.

The Bloodstone Port hall, usually used as a war conference room, was bustling with activity.

A Maester entered, holding a letter, and handed it to Ser Baristan.

"This is intelligence sent from Pentos three days ago. Over a thousand warships have been spotted off the coast of Pentos, heading south. It's the Purple Fleet of Braavos."

Baristan read the letter aloud, and everyone in the room turned to look at Wright.

Wright usually didn't participate in discussions. He preferred to stay in the background, either writing or reading borrowed books.

All eyes were on him, and Wright felt his face flush.

"I'm not sure about this. I have a good relationship with Braavos, and I've even invested in real estate there!"

There was an awkward silence in the room.

The blonde, handsome young man, Monford Velaryon, traced his finger over the sea chart. "If we calculate the timing, based on our planned landing in Tyrosh, the Purple Fleet could be only half a day to a day's sail away, if they're moving at top speed. That's very bad for us."

Baristan nodded. "We haven't received any information from the Purple Fleet or Braavos, so I suspect they're enemies. If that's the case, the Royal Fleet, the Stormlands Fleet, and the Riverlands Fleet will all have to remain on standby at sea. That means fewer forces for the landing, and the risk of a siege becomes much higher."

Monford looked at the sea chart again. "If we stay at sea and engage with the Purple Fleet long-term, we'll have the advantage of shorter supply lines. We could win, but it could take a month or more to destroy a fleet of over a thousand ships."

Wright heard their discussion, and now that the Purple Fleet had changed its tactics, he put down his book and stood up.

Everyone stopped talking as Wright approached. He usually didn't offer opinions, often sitting quietly reading for days without saying a word. But whenever he did speak, he always addressed the most crucial issues.

Wright stared at the sea chart spread across the long table, cluttered with various colored tokens representing forces from different regions. A glow of white light appeared in his hand, and with a wave, he gathered all the pieces representing the warships and landing forces. He pushed them all above the Tyrosh Island on the map.

The others were confused, watching him intently. Even those working nearby gathered around the table.

"Commander Baristan, except for the defensive garrisons guarding the various ports, all other forces should proceed as originally planned—continue the siege and landing of Tyrosh!"

"I will issue the orders on time!" Baristan replied. Wright's position in the military was unique—he was a magician. Wright's early participation in the Battle of the Iron Islands had been as part of a larger force without any special role. Now, Baristan and everyone else present were participating in the strategic planning for the first time, with a magician involved, and they were all eager to accept Wright's suggestions.

Wright turned to Monford Velaryon. "Report the specific position of the Braavos fleet to me every day."

"Understood, Lord Wright!" Monford responded.

Using magic, Wright summoned a dagger from afar, hurling it at the map. The dagger struck and pinned a purple wooden block, representing the Braavos fleet.

Wright looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room.

"I will handle the Purple Fleet myself!"