Viserys firmly believed that his current Kingsguard were beyond reproach—loyal, noble, brave, and supremely capable.
But there was one problem.
Their morality was simply too high.
Essos was not Westeros. Here, conflicts were fiercer, the cruelty more naked. Viserys's arrival in Gohor would require thunder and steel, not mercy and grace.
And in that regard, Ock Velwater—raised from the lower rungs of society—fit the task far better than the rest.
Of course, Oberyn would have been his ideal choice.
The man had earned the nickname "Red Viper" for good reason. If Oberyn had come along, Viserys believed their success would be even more assured.
In any case, once the first stage of expansion was complete, it wouldn't be too late to bring Gerold, Oswell, and the others afterward.
"Ser Davos, be careful on the road," Viserys said.
"Don't worry, Your Grace. I'll swim back to Dragonstone if I have to, just to deliver your orders," Davos replied earnestly.
He was already deeply moved that the king had come to the Purple Harbor in person to see him off. But what Viserys said next struck him even harder.
"No. Your life is worth far more than a few warships. If you encounter storms or harsh weather, just find a port and wait it out. Don't take unnecessary risks."
Davos bowed deeply, his heart touched. He didn't want his head to rise higher than Viserys's.
What happened next nearly brought him to tears.
The young king took a pair of soft calfskin gloves from a boy of Crab Isle and handed them to Davos.
"I asked the Sealord for these on your behalf. They're made of soft calf leather—try them on."
As the gloves slid onto his hands, Davos felt his jaw tremble.
"Thank you, Your Grace."
"Go now."
Davos gave Viserys a deep bow, then turned, eyes misting over.
"Father, what's wrong?" asked his eldest son, Dale.
"Nothing. Just the sea breeze," Davos replied.
Dale looked up at the sky, puzzled. There wasn't much wind today…
…....
After sending off Davos, Viserys and Arthur began touring Braavos.
Their main goal was information gathering.
Though Braavosi courtesans were famous across the continent, Viserys wasn't in the mood for such distractions now.
Arthur, for his part, was a chaste and stoic man, seemingly uninterested in such things altogether.
They first visited the shipyards and harbor of Braavos.
Over a thousand ships were docked there.
Masts stood like a forest, packed so tightly they resembled a field of spears.
The Braavosi boasted that they could launch a new warship every day.
While perhaps exaggerated, Viserys and Arthur saw enough to believe that a new ship every three to five days was quite possible.
And that kind of production capacity required an enormous industrial chain: shipwrights, timber, ironworking, textiles, forestry…
It might not be sustainable in peacetime, but in wartime, launching one warship per day might not be an empty boast.
In truth, the strength of Braavos's shipbuilding was a reflection of the city's overall industrial might.
Even Arthur, a man of sword, was impressed—and a bit worried. If Braavos ever allied with Robert Baratheon, they would be a fearsome enemy.
Next, the two men wandered deeper into the city.
Braavos was known as the "City of a Thousand Isles," and unlike King's Landing, it did not reek.
Based on their observations, its population was at least equal to that of King's Landing—possibly far greater.
Braavos's geography gave it a natural advantage.
Essos was a land of constant strife, filled with city-states forever warring.
In such a fragmented landscape, power centers were often described with a saying: "strong arms, sharp edges, but a soft belly."
In other words, while the outer regions appeared fortified, the central areas were the most vulnerable—open to attacks from all sides.
That's why many Free Cities located inland, like Norvos and Qohor, never achieved great fame or scale. Their "soft belly" positions made expansion difficult.
Braavos, on the other hand, was a golden horn.
It sat in the northwestern corner of the continent, nestled between the Narrow Sea and the Shivering Sea, surrounded by mountains.
Its geography could hardly be better.
But should a truly strong central power arise in Essos, Braavos would quickly decline.
Locations vulnerable on all sides also had the potential to become the center of the world.
They drew people like a flame drew moths.
And the most likely location for such a rising power? The Rhoyne River.
History had already proven this—look at the legacy of the Rhoynar. Braavos would never allow a dominant power to take root along the Rhoyne.
If Viserys merely established a stronghold in Gohor, they might tolerate it. But if he dared expand along both banks of the river, Braavos would surely intervene.
And not just Braavos—Volantis, Pentos, and the other coastal powers that relied on sea trade would not sit idly by.
But for now, such matters were far off. Viserys first needed to secure a foothold in Gohor.
He and Arthur continued exploring and discovered that Braavos held far more temples than the rumors claimed.
Legend had it that the first Valyrian slaves to arrive here were guided by the Moon Singers to a place of safety.
Thus, the Temple of the Moon Singers was the largest and most magnificent in the city. Its pure white dome was striking.
The temple of R'hllor, by contrast, was crimson.
And of course, there was the infamous House of Black and White. Naturally, without the coin, Viserys couldn't enter.
Perhaps it was fate, but the estate Freygo had gifted Viserys had a red door.
In the original books, the residence Viserys and Daenerys stayed in while in Braavos was famously called the "House with the Red Door."
Lately, under Arthur's guidance, the "Academy Guard" that Viserys brought with him had been training day and night in the courtyard.
Arthur didn't quite understand why Viserys had brought those boys along. Maybe it was due to the martial culture of the Crab Claw Peninsula—they were decent, at least in potential.
But to train them into usable soldiers would take four or five years at minimum.
Truthfully, even all twenty of them together would struggle to make Arthur break a sweat—let alone beat him.
That night, when everyone had gone to bed, Viserys quietly opened his golden finger interface.
[Title: King]
[Forces: Kingsguard; Dragonstone Fleet; Academy Guard]
He opened the "Academy Guard" tab. The original listing blurred and split into a long list of sub-units:
[Academy Guard Model Unit; Academy Guard Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4…]
Including the model unit, there were now thirteen groups. The "Model Unit" was the twenty children he had brought with him.
Viserys was about to grant each of them one elite essence.
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