Since Viserys had already decided to move against the Rhoynar along the Rhoyne River, he had to accept the possibility of conflict with them.
If he wanted to use food as a weapon, then he had to be ready for them to try to "borrow" grain by force.
Freygo's envoy had warned him before: some of the Rhoynar possessed the ability to use water magic.
It was said that they could conjure thick mist to obscure the enemy's vision.
When Viserys first heard this information, he thought the man was joking.
After all, even after absorbing the essences of several "fire mages," he could barely manage to enchant weapons with minor effects.
The idea of generating mist on such a massive scale sounded absurd.
What unsettled Viserys even more was that the original history never mentioned anything like this.
Just imagine — a group capable of summoning thick mist would never go unnoticed in a "low-magic" world.
Viserys had sent men to investigate, but they came back empty-handed.
These water sorcerers all lived in seclusion and were under heavy protection.
Especially when it came to Viserys's own men — all of whom had Andal faces — they would be exposed the moment they got close.
Even Oberyn couldn't help; although he had Rhoynar blood, he was only half-blooded.
Sometimes, being mixed-blood made someone stand out even more. Besides, Oberyn had no obligation to do this kind of dirty work for Viserys.
At this point, his only option was to consult Maester Faelor.
"During the Second Spice War, the Valyrians sent three hundred dragons into battle, while the Rhoynar gathered an army of two hundred and fifty thousand to resist them…"
As Faelor recounted the history, Viserys was stunned by the absurd figure: three hundred dragons.
"I remember that during the Field of Fire, Aegon the Conqueror defeated forty thousand troops with just three dragons and two thousand men.
Why would the Valyrians need three hundred dragons against an army of two hundred and fifty thousand? That feels disproportionate."
Viserys thought he had spotted a critical flaw in the story.
"Could it be that the Valyrian dragons were smaller in size?" Faelor offered uncertainly.
"This was a war of annihilation! Would the Valyrians send hatchlings like Stormcloud?"
Stormcloud was Aegon the Younger's dragon — barely heavier than a horse and only capable of carrying a child.
The records Faelor had access to were ancient and vague, so he couldn't give a definitive answer.
But Viserys believed the Valyrians must have had a reason to deploy three hundred dragons.
Taking Freygo's warning into account, he began to suspect those dragons were brought in to deal with the Rhoynar's mist.
"Maybe the dragons used their wings to disperse the fog?"
Faelor looked out at the construction site bustling with activity and tried to imagine that earth-shaking battle.
"Dragonflame could burn away the mist!"
Viserys slammed the table, excited.
In his mind, he had nearly reconstructed the battle.
It's common knowledge that mist typically forms in cooler weather.
Or it appears in the morning after a chilly night, only to vanish once the sun rises and the air warms up.
The Valyrians must have understood this weather pattern and come up with a way to counter the mist.
So they dispatched a massive force of dragons to spew fire overhead, heating up the air and dissipating the fog.
"Only magic can counter magic."
The phrase echoed in Viserys's mind.
Ordinary fire might not be enough to dispel fog born of water magic.
But what about wildfire?
The theory made sense.
Of course, the Rhoynar were unlikely to rely on a single tactic. The Valyrians may have had other reasons for bringing so many dragons.
Still, Viserys decided to prepare a supply of wildfire — just in case.
....
He crushed dragonglass, boiled it with other ingredients, and fermented the mixture.
At the hottest hour of noon, he cast enchantments over it. These were the key steps in producing wildfire.
Soon, Viserys had a vat of vibrant green wildfire.
Thanks to improved spellwork, the heat from his wildfire far surpassed that made by the pyromancers of King's Landing.
Testing it on a tree stump, the green flame leapt two meters into the air, casting a glowing green hue over a ten-meter radius.
When the fire died out, it left a white burn mark on the ground — proof of the extreme heat.
As long as he had enough wildfire, clearing away the Rhoynar's mist wouldn't be a problem.
But Viserys's successful production of wildfire triggered Arthur and Oswell's "Mad King" PTSD.
Even though they understood the wildfire was meant to counter Rhoynar magic, one thing still puzzled them:
How did their king even know how to make wildfire?
They had seen with their own eyes that Viserys had killed those fire mages.
To that, Viserys could only attribute it to "innate talent."
He also promised never to execute criminals by fire. Given his history of keeping his word, the Kingsguard trusted him enough to believe it.
After that brief interlude, Viserys stored the wildfire securely and assigned guards to watch over it.
Just as he expected, a Rhoynar envoy soon came to request an audience.
On his way to the meeting, Viserys summoned two Kingsguard along with Oberyn and the Old Punk to discuss the envoy's possible purpose.
"Could it be they're worried about the tax flow?" the Old Crab , as always, started from the angle of money.
But he quickly dismissed his own theory. Viserys had paid them — their profits were safe either way.
"If they've come knocking, then your wall construction must be causing trouble. The Rhoynar are a clever people. Chances are, they've seen through your plan."
Oberyn's tone was half boasting, half schadenfreude.
It wasn't that he wanted Viserys to fail — but letting Baelor go had seemed arrogant. Better to suffer a minor loss now than bleed later.
Arthur didn't voice any opinion. He knew his role clearly:
The sharpest sword in the king's hand.
"Ser Whent, what do you think?"
Because Oswell — the Kingsguard knight who bore a bat for his sigil — was habitually silent, Viserys asked for his opinion.
"Your Grace, it may be that our castle-building efforts have stirred their suspicions. I believe we should prepare for war."
Viserys's rammed earth wall still lacked a brick layer. At this stage, it was more of a showpiece than a real defense.
But war doesn't wait for one to be ready.
And now that he had a plan to deal with the Rhoynar's secret weapon, if they wanted war — then so be it.
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