Free City of Pentos - Magister's Palace.
"Old friend, it's been some time." Hearing the high-pitched, slightly effeminate voice, Illyrio Mopatis, the Magister of Pentos, looked up and saw a fat, bald man wearing a purple tunic with silver and gold patterns.
"Yes, it's been about a month. How are our neighboring friends?" Standing up, the magister's portly figure poured wine for the fat, bald man.
"In chaos. The squid has declared himself king while the other kingdoms are ready to declare independence from the Iron Throne." Varys, known in many Free Cities as the Spider, spoke with the same honeyed and gentle tone. His unnaturally white hands rubbed together constantly, but the polished and polite smile on his face would never change.
"That's good. Chaos is a ladder we can climb without much difficulty." Illyrio said with a smile on his thick lips. His forked golden beard made him look even more pompous, like a large, fat, golden boar.
Conquering a cohesive kingdom and conquering a broken one were two different things. Without dragons, the first option was impossible, so it remained to break the Seven Kingdoms into many pieces, and after decades of war, they could unify the continent again.
However, whether it was Illyrio or Varys, both knew that such a game was dangerous, and placing a Blackfyre on the throne was even worse. In Westeros, Blackfyre had become synonymous with ingratitude, betrayal, greed, kinslaying, and every bad thing you could imagine. So, this was truly a dangerous game they were playing.
"How is our little prince?" Varys asked with an elegant smile still on his lips. Aegon was a boy he had taught himself in his spare time, so he was quite confident that he would be a good king for the realm and the people. A king such as this world had never seen.
If Cadmus were present, he would be deeply skeptical about whether this would actually come true. Not that there couldn't be good people, but in a monarchical system, all power was centralized in the king. Of all the kings the world had known, 99% of them were warlike kings who wanted to expand territory, glory, and fame.
So, as long as monarchy existed, people really couldn't have such a good life, because those who supported the king were the nobles, and without the nobles, the king didn't have much power. So, if you were king, would you risk your own throne and crown to help commoners?
The answer is no. Even Jaehaerys, considered a great king, only removed some stupid laws like the Right of the First Night and didn't touch the fundamental interests of the nobles. Rhaegar could be considered the most progressive king this Westeros had ever seen, but without power, even a god couldn't do much.
"Very well, although he has recently discovered the pleasure of women." Illyrio said with a laugh, remembering that he caught Aegon in bed with two maids. The expression of shock and shame on his son's face was priceless.
Varys didn't care about that. Lust, fame, and women had always been and would always be the focus of most men; he just had to teach Aegon that this was secondary to his great responsibility.
"And the assassins?" Illyrio asked with a touch of expectation. The death of both queens would not only cause the king's reputation to fall, but it would also make the North, which was undecided, turn against House Targaryen again.
"They failed. The king's Court Wizard prevented the assassins from completing their mission." Varys said, still in a gentle tone, but Illyrio still detected the distaste and disgust in the eunuch's voice. Thinking of Varys's past, the magister perfectly understood the reason for the disgust.
"Court Wizard? When did that backward continent finally decide to accept magic?" Illyrio asked, confused. If there was a place in the world that hated magic, it was Westeros. The continent simply loathed magic above all else.
"It all comes down to interests. When interests outweigh hatred, enemies become the most sincere friends in the world." Varys said with a smile. He had long understood that there was no eternal hatred, only eternal interests.
"King Rhaegar managed to keep the entire kingdom together because he didn't hesitate to grant noble titles, castles, and fiefs. And despite being one of the reasons for the Civil War, it created an extremely broad network of interests, managing to encompass all the Seven Kingdoms." Varys said, looking at Illyrio.
"After all, everyone likes generous bosses." The Magister of Pentos said with a laugh, greatly admiring Rhaegar's shrewdness and generosity. If it were him, perhaps he would never give so many titles and fiefs to people. As a merchant, giving so much profit to others was simply more painful than killing him.
"However, that is exactly why Rhaegar's crown is not so solid, especially with the Old Lion and the Old Water moving the pieces in the shadows. Whether it's Tywin Lannister or Jon Arryn, both are incredibly astute." Varys continued. "All we have to do is show that by following Aegon, they will receive more benefits than with Rhaegar."
"That's not so easy, old friend." Illyrio said in a solemn tone. Although Varys's words were correct, his son was a Blackfyre, and trust was an important thing for a king. Honestly, if it weren't for the Blackfyre Rebellions, the chances of Aegon getting the throne would be 20%!
Unfortunately, the Blackfyre rebellions happened, and everyone distrusts and despises House Blackfyre.
"Let's not talk about that right now. The Golden Company is arriving in Pentos in the coming days; we will only need Pentos's ships." Varys knew this was a delicate subject, but left it for another time. In his eyes, the most important thing was not to care about reputation, but about strength.
Without strength, all plans become just that—plans. They needed to be able to reach Westeros and disembark without trouble.
If Varys knew the recent news on the Continent of Westeros, perhaps he wouldn't be so calm right now. After all, this was a medieval world, and aside from wizards who used Glass Candles for long-distance communication, letters were still the best means of communication.
However, such a thing had a major flaw: it was slow! Even with a large intelligence and espionage network, receiving intercontinental information was still slow. Especially with ravens that could get lost in a storm or die, it was truly unpredictable.
Therefore, Varys still didn't know what was happening, and if he did, he would have changed many of his plans, because the continent had changed drastically in just over three weeks!
"We're going to have to take the city." Illyrio's words made the smile on Varys's lips disappear.
"What happened?" the Eunuch asked. Taking Pentos was never in his plans; doing so was practically declaring war against all the Free Cities, especially Braavos. If that happened, never mind trying to conquer Westeros—they wouldn't even get out of Essos alive.
"The other magisters are reluctant to lend me the ships. Many are suspicious and refused the proposal without a second thought." Illyrio's voice was filled with resentment, remembering the expressions of the other Magisters of Pentos.
A cold glint passed through Varys's eyes. He thought for a moment before responding in a calm tone. "Leave it to me, but we'll have to flee Essos without a second thought. Once we get rid of the Magisters, we have no option to retreat!"
Illyrio knew this and showed a solemn expression. Just as Varys had said, once that happened, there was no turning back, only moving forward.
Fortunately, they didn't really plan to take the city; it was enough to eliminate the magisters and then flee with all the city's wealth.
"The sword Blackfyre is already in our possession, we have the symbol of King Aegon I's power, and soon we will depart for Westeros." Illyrio said with a smile. The urge to have his son on the Iron Throne made him forget all the caution he had in his youth. As Karl Marx once said, as long as there is enough profit, laws don't matter; an individual will even kill their own mother for profit.
Illyrio's state was basically that: in the face of enormous profit, he simply ignored the dangers, laws, and even morality. And this feeling left him confident, arrogant, and even presumptuous, as if taking a continent were something easy.
Faced with the expression of his long-time friend, Varys said nothing, for an Illyrio like this was more suitable for him to control. In the face of profit, he also ignored the old friendship and would do everything to make his dream come true.
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Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard