Inside the council hall of White Fort, at the top of Viserys Hills.
The lights in the candelabras were lit, and unlike usual, the council hall had a tranquil atmosphere at night.
Viserys Targaryen, wearing a crown adorned with seven precious gems, sat upon the throne on the raised platform. The oak throne was of fine quality, its back sculpted into the likeness of three roaring dragons.
Behind Viserys, on the stone wall, hung a large banner: a red three-headed dragon on a black field.
Donal, Argos, and Hugo, andals from andals, and Gaelin, a Loynan from the Rhoyne River basin, stood to Viserys's left and right respectively, serving as the King's Squires.
Gaelin and Donal Stone carefully inspected the smuggled armaments sent by Morroq of Myr, ensuring every crate contained quality goods.
After all, it was their first collaboration, and the foundation of trust had not yet fully developed.
The goods brought by the smugglers this time included Myr crossbows, lenses, wildfire, gunpowder, and javelins, among other things.
The Myrmen weren't particularly warlike; they were mediocre sailors and weak warriors, not adept at fighting on the front lines themselves.
Their preferred weapons were daggers, shortswords, and crossbows, often poisoned.
This was also the mindset of many Free Cities citizens: fighting was not the job of us citizens; hire mercenaries or slaves to do it.
However, Myr did have its strengths; the Myrmen placed great emphasis on 'craftsmanship,' and Myr's exquisite handicrafts led fashion trends.
Morroq proudly declared, "His Majesty Viserys, you can carefully inspect every item; they are guaranteed to be flawless. This is my reputation, and the reputation of Myr's goods."
"A good man of the sea, Morroq of Myr, I always bring comfort to my friends and earn a paltry compensation. The gold I acquire is not much, but the risks are all head-losing ones. My old friend, the The Onion Knight, once encountered such a thing; his first captain was beheaded by your Westeros Night's Watch."
Viserys thought Morroq was truly spouting nonsense; these smugglers were all desperate characters and adventurers who valued money over life.
Smugglers evaded taxes in various ways and sold prohibited items.
Once caught by local garrisons and tax collectors, they would be hanged, so they naturally earned exorbitant profits.
"I know about Davos, the The Onion Knight; he was once a smuggler, now a knight," Viserys said. "As a child, the The Onion Knight followed Rolo Uhoris of Tyrosh as a crewman on the 'Pebble Cat.' Rolo sailed the 'Pebble Cat' around the Wall, selling weapons to wildlings in various coves in exchange for furs and other valuable goods. Later, he was executed by the enraged Night's Watch on the ship's deck, his possessions confiscated, and the The Onion Knight was spared due to his young age."
"I didn't expect His Majesty to know the story of my old friend, the The Onion Knight. People of such humble origins, you Westerosi generally look down upon. So even if his talent surpasses many lords, he is only a landed knight," Morroq said, greatly surprised.
Prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain, and Westeros, especially its noble feudal system, is particularly so.
"The The Onion Knight is now the favored general of Stannis, Robert's brother and Master of Ships; how could I not pay attention to him? It's simply knowing myself and my enemy. Furthermore, you will understand that I am not a traditional Westerosi. I prefer to employ true talents, not those bloodline-reliant good-for-nothings."
"A true dragon has its own kind; I believe our cooperation will be very pleasant," Morroq said.
Viserys lowered the profit margin for the Myrmen a bit, but the Myrmen were happy to accept.
This was because the current transaction involved a large demand and safe shipping routes.
"I admire talented people like you," Viserys said. "It is said that, like the The Onion Knight, you are familiar with every coastline and know the winds and tides like the back of your hand."
"It's all for survival," Morroq said modestly.
Viserys also greatly needed Morroq's maritime smuggling network. He even considered recruiting people from the wildlings, but the risk was too great.
"These goods of yours could easily anger the Tyroshi," Viserys joked.
"Ever since the civil war of Triarchy many years ago, we have harbored mutual animosity and are no longer on the same path. The constant bickering of Triarchy is something we've been accustomed to since childhood. If you were to give the Archon of Tyrosh a small lesson, the people of Lys and Myr would be very happy," Morroq said with a shrug.
This was the current state of Triarchy city-states. After the Daughters' War ended in 134 AC, the three city-states completely went their separate ways. Their endless disputes in the Disputed Lands and the Stepstones fed many mercenary companies.
Among the three cities, Myr's overall style remained cautious, taking a middle path.
After all, the Myrmen were truly not good at fighting; Myr suffered the most damage in the Daughters' War back then.
If Viserys were to severely beat Tyrosh, the other two city-states would merely watch the show.
"To demonstrate my friendship with His Majesty Viserys, I have specially brought you two insignificant gifts," Morroq said.
"Bring them forward!"
Four brawny, olive-skinned Myrish sailors entered the council hall, carrying huge tapestry hangings on their shoulders.
Tapestry weaving has a long history; ancient tapestries are extremely precious, even priceless.
"It's not just to earn profit, but also to make a friend of you, His Majesty Viserys," Morroq said humbly.
When the tapestry was spread on the ground, Viserys realized it was an ancient, magnificent tapestry.
The tapestry was ancient in style, dusty, and faded in color, but it was incredibly beautiful, covering half the floor of the great hall.
"This tapestry existed before the Doom of Valyria. It was previously stored in the cellar of a Myrish Archon. After the Archon went bankrupt, I bought it at a low price and present it to the great His Majesty Viserys, descendant of the ancient dragon kings."
The tapestry used blue silk for the ocean, green for land, brown and black for mountains, and gold or silver threads for stars representing cities.
There was no Smoking Sea, and Valyria was not yet an island. Viserys immediately realized it depicted the world before the Doom.
Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen were merely three silver stars beside the blue Slaver's Bay.
The most magnificent depiction was that of Valyria, the World City. It was the only city detailed on the tapestry, rather than a faint dot.
Viserys saw high towers woven with red threads, and fearsome dragons flying in the sky.
There were also towering stone pillars atop the fire-encircled Fourteen Flames, and magnificent roads connecting the city of Valyria with its vassal cities.
It was said that Valyria also had roofless spires and buildings adorned with sphinxes, with grand avenues connecting other cities on the peninsula.
"This gift is extremely precious." Viserys's gaze swept over the landscape of the map, focusing mainly on the city of Valyria.
The map tapestry depicted Valyria at its peak before the destruction, and could only serve as a reference; even so, it was extremely rare.
Viserys looked at the former appearance of Valyria. Valyria, through dragons and magic, had built architectural wonders and conquered the known world.
Some conjectures aligned with Viserys's thoughts, such as the dragon lairs created by the Valyrian dragonlords mostly being aerial high towers, rather than caves in flat ground.
And the volcanic climate would bring sulfurous toxic air and instability. Besides the resurrected fire wights, the dragonlords would also use a magical array to temper the volcanoes.
Viserys had considered exploring the ruins of Valyria, but for complete safety, he needed to wait until his attribute values were higher.
"Valyria was once the center of the world, and all roads led to Valyria. But now, only a cursed desolation remains there," Morroq said.
The Valyrian peninsula was shattered in the Doom, causing the city of Valyria and the Long Summer Lands to be separated by the Smoking Sea.
The city of Valyria was located in the center of the largest existing coastal island, surrounded by cliffs, where the island once connected to the mainland.
Although this tapestry was valuable, with the fall of Valyria, it could only be considered a dead map.
No one who went to the Smoking Sea ruins ever returned alive.
"Have you heard any tales of Valyrian expeditions?" Viserys asked Morroq.
Morroq quickly and uneasily shook his head. "Sailors steer clear of the Valyrian ruins. The red winds blowing from Valyria carry the scent of ash and sulfur, and sailors who pass by the ruins are said to be cursed."
"I've also heard stories of the ruins," Viserys said.
"It's best not to discuss those ruins, Your Majesty. Sailors say that anyone who glances at that coast is doomed to a bad end, and no sailor dares to pass that coast. From what I've heard, the sky over Valyria is always lit by a gloomy, dark red glow, like a vast bruise; it is always fiery red. That is the wrath of the Fourteen Flames; an empire of blood and fire destroyed by blood and fire." Morroq's tone was as if he had truly witnessed those horrifying scenes.
"Your Majesty had best speak less of Valyria," Morroq added. "It is almost uninhabited; even the city-states north of the Long Summer Lands are populated by deformed people, let alone the ruins."
Fire, radiation, pollution, firewyrms, and other monsters—the ruins of Valyria held a great terror.
With Valyria's living environment, Viserys couldn't possibly recruit any survivors; it would be more radiation monsters, since even the north of the Long Summer Lands had deformed people.
"It is indeed not suitable for human survival," Viserys said.
Not suitable for humans, but if Viserys had the ability to resist danger, he could certainly try.
"And the second gift?" Viserys asked curiously.
"The second gift will be even more precious," Morroq said.
The second gift was still a tapestry, but it depicted portraits of Targaryen kings from Aegon The Conqueror up to The Mad King Aerys.
Aegon The Conqueror, wearing his crown, which was a simple valyrian steel circlet set with large square rubies.
The Arbitrator, wearing a similar seven-gem gold circlet, had an air of compassionate sainthood.
"I believe you are destined to stand shoulder to shoulder with your ancestors, His Majesty Viserys."
"That is thoughtful of you," Viserys thanked him solemnly.
"As part of our cooperation, I would also like to ask for your help with a few things," Viserys said to Morroq.
"Name it, Your Majesty."
Viserys thought for a moment, then held up three fingers.
"A few matters. Firstly, your hired fleet, coming from the sea, please help me observe the Andal coastline for suitable sheltered harbors for trade."
"It would be my honor, Your Majesty."
"There is another matter that needs to be done quietly. It is to recruit a few suitable adventurers to search for gold and silver mines for me," Viserys stated his second request.
Now that his territory was expanding, Viserys was considering minting coins in his name. These coins, used for various transactions, could not all be foreign currency.
Viserys genuinely wanted to try his luck and see if there were gold and silver mines within the vast territories he managed.
Coins with the King on one side and a true dragon on the other would also display the King's glory.
"And finally, I need dragon bones and large fish bones. I also require these."
Though Morroq found it strange, he agreed. The Targaryens always had a certain obsession with dragons.
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