Chapter 198: Chapter 197: Surveillance
Viserys had already harbored suspicions about Pentos's intentions before this journey and had obtained accurate intelligence.
However, he was still willing to take this trip personally, as he had his own plans and arrangements.
Of course, he didn't tell the truth to the Pentoshi merchant Magister.
Illyrio's words were also a mix of truth and lies, not revealing everything, only mentioning some insignificant matters. He remained vague on key issues.
Both men were engaged in a battle of wits, still looking sincerely into each other's eyes as they shook hands.
When Viserys left Illyrio's courtyard, the smile on his face had completely disappeared, returning to a calm as still as an ancient well.
"Your Grace."
The hundred knights and over two hundred other attendants he had brought with him, including squires, archers, and others, had been waiting here for quite some time.
Viserys then took the reins of the horse that an Unsullied handed to him, put one foot in the stirrup, swung himself onto the horse, and held the reins with one hand. He took one last look at Illyrio's courtyard before turning his horse around.
"Let's go."
...
Viserys also owned a mansion in the city of Pentos.
This was a gift from all the Magisters during his last visit to Pentos.
The mansion was large, complete with a flowing water garden. Although the rooms were not enough, squeezing tents into the courtyard could comfortably accommodate over two hundred people.
Tap, tap, tap...
The knights bearing the Targaryen banner arrived at Viserys's Pentos residence, brazenly making their presence known.
Seeing the banner with the three-headed dragon, countless spies who had been lurking around the mansion focused their attention on the scene.
"They're here, they're here."
For a moment, the spies were somewhat flustered. They served different masters, some belonging to the Magisters of Pentos, others to well-informed merchants.
There was even a servant dressed in court attire, who made no attempt to disguise his appearance. He clearly served the infamous but powerless Prince of Pentos, and it was unknown what his purpose was in sending someone here.
Many spies had come to observe Viserys, but he seemed to ignore them, sweeping his gaze over them without any concern.
He knew that the Magisters of Pentos still had their reservations and wouldn't dare to send someone to kill him outright. Otherwise, they would have tried to assassinate him on the way to Pentos.
However, these Pentoshi Magisters didn't dare to do so, the reason being the well-organized cavalry unit accompanying Viserys and the support of a legion behind him.
To kill all two hundred of Viserys's men and not leave any survivors to leak any information, sending four hundred men would not be enough.
At least six hundred, or even eight hundred horsemen would be needed.
However, Pentos couldn't possibly keep the large scale of cavalry they sent out a secret from everyone.
Doing so would be equivalent to openly assassinating Viserys, violating the sacred guest right, an unforgivable sin even to the gods, and would also severely damage the reputation of the people of Pentos.
If they were to entrust the Dothraki to do this task, there wouldn't be enough time. There were no khalasars active nearby, and even if there were, they would be intercepted by the Andalos First Legion stationed at Ghoyan Drohe.
Pentos dared not openly attack Viserys directly.
Therefore, Viserys boldly entered the city, making a grand entrance and not caring about the commotion he caused, letting everyone know that he had arrived.
Although he was in constant danger, like the "merchant" who toasted him during the day, Viserys was not panicked but rather unusually calm.
He knew that the more noise he made and the more people knew of his arrival, the more cautious the Magisters of Pentos would be and the less likely they would be to act rashly.
The more obstacles he created for them, the more mistakes they would make. For the Magisters of Pentos, the festival celebration in the Prince's Palace three days later would be their best opportunity.
At that time, Viserys would enter the palace, close the gates, and no one outside would know what was happening inside.
If Viserys "accidentally" died or committed some crime, violating the guest right first and being detained by Pentos would depend entirely on the Magisters' word.
Although no one would believe such a clumsy excuse, at least in theory, it could still hold up.
Seeing Viserys enter the courtyard, the spies watching him began to nervously report to their masters.
A servant who was clearly from the Prince's Palace also boldly boarded the carriage and left the area.
At that moment, Viserys was standing on the highest platform of the mansion, his hand resting on the wooden railing, overlooking the spies who were blatantly watching him.
At this time, he heard footsteps behind him.
A fiery red figure, wrapped in a long robe, appeared behind Viserys.
She looked at Viserys' back and then spoke softly.
"The task you entrusted has begun."
Viserys, with his hand on the railing, gazed into the distance with his pale purple eyes as the setting sun cast red hues across the sky. The cold wind blew, lifting the silver-gold strands of hair on his forehead.
The heavy snowfall that started last night and continued into the day had stopped long ago. In the afternoon, the clouds dispersed and the sun shone, warming the newly arrived winter day.
Now, the sun was setting again.
The person standing behind Viserys was the Red Priestess Melisandre. She had left Andalos at some point and arrived in Pentos.
However, she did not travel with Viserys but used other means to quietly arrive in the city-state while secretly accomplishing the tasks Viserys had given her.
"Yes."
"Well done, Melisandre."
Viserys slightly turned his head to glance at the thinly dressed Red Witch.
It seemed as if she truly had the blessing of R'hllor and could not feel the cold. Viserys wore a leather cuirass, a coat, and animal pelts for warmth, yet the woman still wore only a red gown.
"I saw the guidance of the Lord of Light in the flames."
Melisandre stepped forward to stand beside Viserys, shoulder to shoulder, as they both gazed into the distance.
As they looked at the distant red clouds, the faint scent of the woman's perfume entered Viserys' senses.
Melisandre's beautiful eyes then shifted to Viserys.
"Pentos will surely belong to the true king."
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