Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

"Andalus is growing too fast, and most importantly, it has dragons. No one can ignore dragons."

Illyrio sighed and began to speak.

"If it were possible, I wonder how many people would be willing to give up their entire fortune for a dragon."

When Andalus first rose to power, it didn't attract much attention from Pentos, as such small forces were numerous. However, their attitude gradually began to change.

However, at that time, Pentos did not intend to eliminate this restless neighbor, because they were still using Andalus as a buffer between themselves and Braavos.

But unexpectedly, the buffer zone grew into a central hub.

But none of this was the overwhelming factor that led most of the governors of Pentos to side with the Iron Throne.

In the end, it is still a dragon.

The dragons acted as a huge lure, igniting the desires of the governors of Pentos, especially the young dragons that had not yet grown up.

No one can ignore a dragon.

'Unless he's blind.'

These governors of Pentos were all merchants who made their fortunes; each of them was ambitious and ruthless.

They wanted to have the dragon the moment the news of its birth spread.

Especially since they were so close to the dragon that they could smell the pungent sulfurous odor with their breath.

Some people want to gain something, while others do it out of self-preservation.

The existence of dragons means expansion, and the fact that Pentos is Andalus's next target is a consensus that almost everyone can reach; it's just a matter of sooner or later.

Therefore, the two groups combined—one wanting to obtain the dragon, and the other wanting to protect themselves—and they formed the largest radical faction among the governors of Pentos.

Those who remained calm despite the persuasion of the Iron Throne's messengers were in the minority.

Illyrio Mopatis was one of them.

During this period, a covert struggle was taking place daily in the city of Pentos over this matter, with the dozen or so governors each harboring their own ulterior motives and finding it difficult to reach a consensus.

Viserys arrived under these circumstances.

"How could something like this happen?"

Viserys nodded.

Although he already knew the truth, he pretended to be hearing the news for the first time, his handsome face showing anger and fear.

This is the attitude a normal person should exhibit at this time.

Especially for someone who is only fifteen or sixteen years old, his performance is even more flawless.

What should you do if you are suddenly betrayed while in a foreign country?

Naturally, he turned to trusted people around him for help, and Viserys seemed to be trying hard to remain calm, which made him seem more realistic.

"Lord Illyrio, what should we do next?"

The wealthy governor also looked somewhat worried, and finally shook his head and sighed, looking very troubled.

"In fact, Your Majesty."

"I've always admired the Targaryens, I once..."

Illyrio then recounted his past from his youth and subtly expressed his ambitions.

He confronted Viserys, hoping to help him seize the throne of the Seven Kingdoms and sit on the Iron Throne in the future. In return, he wanted a castle, a dukedom, and the position of treasurer of the new dynasty.

Viserys merely narrowed his eyes slightly and gently clenched his fingers when Illyrio suddenly revealed his hand. He neither rushed to agree nor immediately objected.

Although this is just an empty promise right now.

Viserys heard a different question, one he hadn't considered before.

"From Sila of Ries?"

Viserys asked.

"Your Excellency, your second wife was a Valyrian?"

Whether it was to curry favor with Viserys or for some other reason, Illyrio mentioned earlier when talking about his past that he had a strained relationship with the previous Prince of Pentos.

He angered the then-Prince of Pentos by marrying the cousin of the previous Prince of Pentos, a prostitute named Syrah, after the death of his first wife.

The girl from Lis had silver-gold hair.

"Yes."

“Sylla does indeed have some Valyrian blood.”

Illyrio didn't know why Viserius had specifically asked such a question, and was somewhat puzzled, but still nodded in agreement.

"However, there are still many people with Valyrian blood in places like Rhys and Valanthi."

"Is that so?"

Viserys breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Illyrio's words and casually replied.

"I thought your wife was a descendant of Blackfire."

Viserys' casual remark caused Illyrio's expression to change slightly, but before he could say anything, Viserys continued.

"But it's nothing serious."

"Red dragons and black dragons are both dragons. Now that the Targaryens have even lost the Iron Throne, why bother making such a distinction?"

Viserys took a sip of his tea and shook his head.

Illyrio breathed a slight sigh of relief, as there had been several Blackfyre rebellions in Targaryen history.

Although they are essentially one family, these Blackfires without official status have been stubbornly determined to gain a legitimate position, and this stubbornness has lasted for generations.

This tradition was passed down from generation to generation, which led to several Blackfire Wars.

If Silas is recognized by Viserys as a descendant of Blackfire, then this collaboration will come to an end.

but...

It seems that Viserys no longer cares whether it's a red dragon or a black dragon?

Illyrio let out a sigh of relief, but still gave a wry smile and began to explain.

“Sylla was just an ordinary Valyrian who later died of a plague; she certainly wasn’t a descendant of Blackfire.”

"At that time, she was pregnant with my child... I was fully confident that it would be a boy."

When Illyrio spoke of the past, his face showed some sadness and sorrow.

"However, he was not born into this world; a terrible plague took the lives of him and his mother."

However, the sad expression didn't last long. Illyrio sighed, rallied his spirits, and got back to the main topic.

"It may be too late to leave Pentos now, but things haven't gotten to the worst point yet."

"I will do everything in my power to help His Majesty escape this predicament during the festival celebrations three days from now."

Illyrio wiped away the faint tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, then patted his chest and assured him.

"In that case, I'll leave it to you, Your Excellency."

Viserys looked very touched and let out a sigh of relief.

He held Illyrio's hands tightly.

Chapter 197 Surveillance

Viserys had already become suspicious of Pentos's purpose before this trip and had obtained concrete intelligence.

However, he was still willing to make the trip himself, naturally with his own purpose and arrangements.

He certainly didn't tell the truth to this wealthy governor of Pentos.

Illyrio's words were also a mixture of truth and falsehood; he didn't tell the whole truth, but only mentioned some unimportant things and glossed over the important issues.

Both of them were putting on a show of acting, yet they still looked at each other sincerely when they shook hands.

Then, when Viserys emerged from Illyrio's courtyard, the smile on his face had completely vanished, replaced by a calm and serene expression.

"His Majesty."

The hundred knights he brought with him, along with knights' attendants, archers, and more than two hundred others, had been waiting here for a long time.

Viserys then took the horse brought by the Unsullied, put one foot in the stirrup, mounted the horse, held the reins with one hand, took one last look at Illyrio's courtyard, and then turned the horse around.

"Walk."

...

Viserys also owned a mansion in the city of Pentos.

This was a gift that all the governors had presented to him when he last visited Pentos.

The house is very large, with a flowing garden. The rooms are definitely not enough, but if you squeeze in and set up tents in the courtyard, there is more than enough room for two hundred people.

tata tao...

Then a group of knights, carrying the Targaryen banner and swaggering through the city, arrived at Viserys's mansion in Pentos.

Upon seeing the banner of the three-headed fire dragon, countless spies secretly surrounding the mansion turned their attention to it.

"They're here, they're here."

For a moment, these informants were somewhat flustered, each with their own master and servant.

Some came from the governors of Pentos, while others were well-informed wealthy merchants.

There was even a servant dressed in court attire, making no attempt to disguise himself, clearly under the orders of the powerless Prince Pentos. It was unclear what he intended to do by sending such a person.

Many spies came to watch Viserys, but he seemed to ignore them, glancing over without any concern.

He knew very well that the governors of Pentos were still somewhat wary, and at least dared not openly send people to kill him, otherwise he would have been ambushed on his way to Pentos.

However, the governors of Pentos did not dare to do so, naturally because of the fully-equipped cavalry unit beside Viserys, and the legions behind him.

If the goal is to intercept and kill Viserys's two hundred men, without letting any of them live or leaking any information, sending four hundred men is not enough.

At least six hundred or even eight hundred cavalrymen should be dispatched.