Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 21: Testing the Details
There is an Arabic proverb: "We can't get angry easily. When you are angry, you will use your real skills. Then others will know that your real skills are poor."

This sentence can be changed to "don't tear your face apart", which is also very suitable for Viserys. Viserys is actually very afraid of openly confronting Illyrio. He knows that he has no capital to tear his face apart in this situation. In his relationship with Illyrio, Illyrio is actually the one who has the power to decide how to play the game.

So when Viserys realized that Illyrio had not found out enough about him from Varys, he knew that his strategy of creating confusion had worked, and that his actions might have already won the support of Illyrio.

This means that intrigues that don't break up are still the rules of the game that Illyrio is willing to continue.

This kind of situation is very good for Viserys. If there is anything, everyone can sit down and talk slowly, and there will be no fighting and killing easily.

However, Viserys cannot be careless. Illyrio was an assassin in his youth, so he probably doesn't take killing too seriously. He can only hope that his ambition is strong enough to keep him forbearing.

"Indeed, Your Majesty. I went to Westeros when the Seven Kingdoms held a tourney for the nameday of Crown Prince Joffrey." Illyrio began to respond to Viserys. "I stayed at the port of King's Landing for several days. I saw with my own eyes that more than a hundred tents were set up on the riverbank outside the walls of King's Landing. Every day, I could see knights and free riders from all over Westeros coming in droves, and tens of thousands of civilians gathered to watch. Even though I am well-informed, I have rarely seen such a grand event. Every day, countless ships and horses entered the city. They came from all over the Seven Kingdoms, some from the crown, some from the Stormlands and the Reach, and some from the Riverlands. There are people from the Westerlands and the Vale, the Riverlands and the North, the Iron Islands and Dorne." He paused, looked at Viserys, and found that the other's face did not change, then continued, "Countless noble knights, the heroes sung in thousands of ballads appeared there at the same time, the knights wore glazed armor, with horses and squires, and their cloaks were embroidered with different family crests, but it's a pity that I know very little about the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms. I can only barely recognize the crowned stag of Baratheon, the roaring lion of Lannister, the silver trout of the Tully family, the blue eagle with a white moon on a blue background of the Arryns, and the ice wolf of the Starks—"

Before Illyrio could finish describing the other noble families, or even save the words "Dorne's spears piercing the sun" for last as a test, Viserys rudely interrupted him and said, "Ice Wolf, are you saying that the Starks from the North are here too? Are you sure?"

Viserys' interruption gave Illyrio a vague sense of some unusual emotion, but he could not figure out what it was. He asked, "What's the problem?"

Viserys said vaguely, "I heard that the North is far away and the people of the North have never interfered in the affairs of the South. I didn't expect the Starks to send people all the way to King's Landing to attend the tourney on Joffrey's name day. Did you find out who represented the Stark family to go south?"

Illyrio asked, "Your Majesty seems to have a keen interest in the Starks?"

"I am just curious," Viserys said. "I would like to state in advance, Lord Governor, that I do not doubt what you say. It is just that from what I know - and perhaps this is hearsay, it may not be accurate. The eldest son of the Stark family in the North is still young. If he goes south, I think the Lord of Winterfell must come in person."

[So he suspected that what I said was false, so he ignored my temptation? ]

Illyrio suddenly realized something, but it was not his fault. "Your Majesty, I did see a ship with the Ice Wolf family crest entering the harbor at King's Landing."

"Oh," Viserys changed the subject. "I think they were sent by the North to deliver gifts for the crown prince's name day. After all, no matter how isolated they are, they still have to show their gratitude to the royal court. The sea route from White Harbor to King's Landing is also convenient. Go on, Magister Illyrio, what else did you see?"

To be honest, Viserys was not suspicious of Illyrio, but he could not help but inquire about the news of the Starks. They were closely related to Viserys' speculation about the political situation in Westeros. The flag of the Starks, who were generally believed to be isolated from the world before Robert went north, appeared in the crown prince's tourney, which was not mentioned much in the original book, which inevitably made him suspicious.

"Where were we just now?" Illyrio saw that Viserys took the initiative to make amends for him. He thought that Viserys was already on guard, but it was not easy to bring up the topic of seeing the Dornish knights in King's Landing to test Viserys' attitude, so he had to continue, "Oh, yes, Stark's ice wolf. There is also Tyrell's golden rose and the golden sea monster of the Iron Islands, and Dorne's spear piercing the sun--"

Seeing that Illyrio was listing the major families of the Seven Kingdoms but never got to the point, Viserys couldn't help but ask again: "Mr. Governor, didn't you go to King's Landing to inquire about the political situation? Why do you keep talking about the Crown Prince's tourney?"

Viserys knew what Illyrio was trying to find out, and was secretly talking about the Seven Kingdoms' current huge power, the attitude of the major lords of the Seven Kingdoms towards the royal court. He didn't want Illyrio to eventually change the topic to a certain territory or the topic of raising an army.

Illyrio was interrupted for the second time, but he did not show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he asked in a friendly manner, "What does your majesty want to hear?"

"It's the political situation in King's Landing, of course." Viserys answered as a matter of course.

Illyrio was talking about the crown prince's tourney, wasn't he trying to use it to talk about the political situation? Viserys knew this, of course, but sometimes you just need to ask some stupid nonsense questions to resist the temptation that is gradually being exposed in the other party's words.

"Politics. Of course." Illyrio was distracted by the broad topic of "politics". Fortunately, he was prepared. He looked around and drove away the butler in the restaurant with his eyes. Then he glanced at Daenerys, as if to confirm that there was no one else around, and then continued, "Forgive me for my merchant background and my lack of understanding of politics, Your Majesty. I have to be honest. I may not be able to verify your statement on this trip. I happened to encounter the grand event of the Crown Prince's naming day tournament. I saw the support of the princes of the seven kingdoms for the royal family, and I saw the love of the king by countless people in King's Landing - forgive me for using the word "love", Your Majesty, if I offended you, then I apologize. But this is what I saw. King Robert has a high reputation in King's Landing, and his two brothers also love him and do their duty for him. The people all say so."

"Oh, really, do you think so, Lord Governor?" A mysterious smile appeared on Viserys' face. "If so, why are you still willing to support me?" To be honest, Viserys thought that if he tried to change the subject, he would be met with more radical temptations from Illyrio, but he did not expect it to be so strong.

"Because I am not sure, sire," Illyrio said. "I have also been told that during the Rebellion of the Usurper, many noble families rose up to serve the king. The Greyjoys and other families refused to obey the king's court. The people of Dorne in the south were filled with anger and wanted revenge for Princess Elia and her children. Throughout the Seven Kingdoms, there are those who secretly sew dragon banners, waiting for the day when you lead your army across the sea."

Illyrio's words this time were particularly sincere, as if they came from his heart, and were so persuasive that Daenerys, who had been listening quietly with her head down, couldn't help but look up and glance at the fat governor. Dany had no subordinates, and had no way of knowing what the people on the other side of the narrow sea were thinking and doing, but she instinctively didn't believe Illyrio, nor his sweet words. But she looked at her brother Viserys with some concern, and then lowered her head again.

Viserys had a smug look on his face. A small smile appeared on his lips, and he was in high spirits. As if he had spoken without thinking because of Illyrio's attitude, he replied: "They say - ahem." As soon as he said this, he coughed strangely as if to cover up something, and then quickly recovered his cheerful expression and continued as if nothing had happened, "I mean, there are rumors that the Tyrells of Highgarden are very close to Lord Renly of Storm's End. Didn't Magister Illyrio hear any rumors or see any signs while he was in Westeros?"

Illyrio asked a question with a choice between two options, and his words revealed that he was more willing to side with Viserys.

Viserys had a vague feeling that as long as he responded appropriately and made some seemingly insightful analysis, Illyrio would take advantage of the situation and immediately change his attitude towards him, and then provide more resources and even pretend to be willing to serve him.

This was Illyrio taking the opportunity to question him about his attitude, and Viserys knew that Illyrio did this in order to find out his background as quickly as possible.

Viserys knew very well that he could not accept Illyrio's false surrender because he had nothing at all, and it would not be a good thing to be too close or too distant from Illyrio now.

After much deliberation, Viserys decided to choose "play dumb" from the many coping strategies he had prepared. This did not fit the character he had initially expected to portray, but it did fit the character of this body. Ambitious but impatient, confident but ignorant, with certain means but unrealistic. He decided to act like a political rookie who was boastful, had a set of hearsay theories, but knew nothing about practical issues.

So Viserys threw out a new bait, trying to change the subject.

Illyrio ignored Viserys's exaggerated attempt to cover up his mistake and pretended to listen attentively. "What rumors, what signs, sire?"

Illyrio had expected to hear from Viserys something similar to the words he had spoken to him when they had first seen the Dothraki host.

But Viserys's reaction was strange. He kept an excited look on his face and asked as a matter of course: "Shouldn't you tell me this?"

"Your Majesty?" Illyrio couldn't keep up with his thoughts for a moment and looked at Viserys in surprise.

The excitement on Viserys's face gradually faded, and his expression gradually became stunned. As if caught off guard, he added: "There must be some signs, right?" Illyrio was very familiar with this expression and rhetoric. This was the ignorant expression of those who were boastful and could not answer specific practical questions. This meant that Viserys had no understanding of the actual situation, but just heard this rhetoric from others, so he believed it and tried to convince Illyrio with it.

Viserys's expression was as exaggerated as ever, and this exaggerated expression made it difficult for Illyrio to distinguish the truth from the false. Illyrio asked seriously: "Rumors, you just said. Didn't you say what the rumors you heard were specifically, Your Majesty?"

Viserys struggled to find the answer. "'The Tyrells of Highgarden are close to Lord Renly of Storm's End.' They - I mean, that's what's been said. Isn't that obvious and well-known?"

Illyrio tried to control his expression and asked seriously: "Then how can I prove this 'obvious fact' as you said?"

"There must be some sign!" Viserys tried to keep a smile on his face. "My Lord Governor, have you not heard about it in King's Landing?"

Hearing this, even Daenerys couldn't help but look up at Viserys in surprise.

The embarrassment on his face was so vivid that Dany couldn't help but get goosebumps on her scalp.

Illyrio had not expected things to turn out this way, and he even wondered if he had misjudged Viserys. Was Viserys not so smart, but a big-talking fool who had no knowledge of practical matters?

Illyrio hesitated, and after a moment's deliberation, he finally gave Viserys an excuse: "So, I heard that Renly and the Knight of Flowers are very close and have a good relationship. Is this a sign?"

Viserys immediately followed suit. "Of course, Renly and the Knight of Flowers, of course."

"But even so, the Knight of Flowers is not the heir to Highgarden," Illyrio continued, "I'm afraid this is not enough to prove the 'fact' you are talking about?"

"What, heir to Highgarden? Oh, the Knight of Flowers is from the Tyrell family of Highgarden?" Viserys muttered softly, trying hard to keep a smile on his face.

Illyrio of course heard his mumbling, and he couldn't help but feel speechless: [He doesn't even know who the Knight of Flowers is? ]

But soon, under Illyrio's gaze, Viserys swallowed his saliva, and a firm look gradually appeared on his face. He said, "No, Lord Governor, you can't think so. You know, Eddard Stark in the North was not the heir to Winterfell, but he had a close relationship with the usurper King Robert, and they usurped the Iron Throne together."

Illyrio had to admit that even though Viserys was flamboyant and pretentious, his attitude was indeed a man of some means, at least he was very good at changing his face and being shameless. If you think about it carefully, Viserys had the same confident look when he tried to win over Illyrio by using the story of the Highgarden gardener family.

Is his certainty real or fake?

Without giving Illyrio time to dwell on the so-called "facts," Viserys quickly changed the subject. He clasped his hands together and subconsciously fiddled with the dragon bone pendant on his right hand. He asked Illyrio, "Well, Governor, I remember asking you about dragon bones and dragon eggs before you set out."

Illyrio's face was expressionless, and he looked seriously at Viserys.

Viserys looked at Illyrio nervously. "You are a dealer in dragon bones, as I recall. Dragon eggs are rare, and I'm afraid they are hard to come by, but I imagine dragon bones are easy for you to come by. Could you give me, er, lend me some? I'm sure you have plenty in your warehouses, and I could use them."

Illyrio was moved when Viserys suddenly changed the subject and gave in to his earlier request, but still demanded dragon bones. "May I ask what they are for?"

"I'm sorry, Lord Governor, I can't tell you that. But rest assured, I will return it to you in the future." Viserys looked at Illyrio intently, as if to confirm Illyrio's attitude. When he saw that Illyrio had no strange expression, Viserys straightened his face and said, "A king's words must be kept."

The promise was without guarantee, and Viserys's previous answers to his probing questions were terrible, but Viserys still brazenly demanded the dragon bone. Illyrio fell silent.

The restaurant was so silent that one could hear a pin drop in silence for several breaths. Illyrio asked, "How much do you want?"

"You agree, Lord Governor?" Viserys breathed a sigh of relief. He did not answer Illyrio's question, but quickly untied the dragon bone pendant wrapped around his hand. "In fact, I have another thing to trouble you with." He placed the dragon bone pendant, which had been chained with blackened silver, on the table in front of Illyrio. "I would like you to hang this pendant in your shop for sale. Put it in a conspicuous place. The price must be nineteen gold, eight silver, and fourteen copper coins, Pentos coins."

Illyrio's attitude remained unchanged as he continued, "This pendant is priced too high. I'm afraid it won't sell. If you need money urgently, I can—"

"No," Viserys interrupted him again. "That is the price. It does not matter whether it is sold or not. But if anyone asks why the price is so high, please tell them that it is a token of a fallen family. The descendants are selling it to revive the family. Please!"

"I shall be obliged to do what you ask, Your Majesty." Illyrio put away the pendant and asked casually, "Is there any significance to the price?"

Viserys apologized, "I'm sorry, Lord Governor, but I can't tell you that yet."

Illyrio smiled amiably and said, "In that case, let us talk about the dragon bones, your majesty."

At this time, Viserys was not in a hurry. He smiled back and said, "Let's eat first, Lord Governor. I am hungry."

The sudden harmonious atmosphere left Daenerys, the only person listening in the restaurant, confused.

She lowered her head and said nothing.

Some people may think that the dialogue is a bit abrupt, but in fact, both Viserys and Illyrio want to dominate the topic and are secretly trying to do so. It is normal for each of them to use their own skills to change the topic and use their own words to guide the other party to follow their own rhythm.

These words are necessary for conspiracy and intrigue. Although the author’s talent is limited, he still wants to write out that feeling as much as possible.

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(End of this chapter)