At the top of the Viserys Hills, inside the council chamber of the White Keep.
The lights on the candelabra were lit one after another. Unlike in the past, the council chamber had a quiet atmosphere at night.
Viserys Targaryen, wearing a gold crown set with seven gems, sat upon the throne on the raised platform. The oak throne was of fine quality, and its back was carved into the shape of a roaring three-headed dragon.
Hanging on the stone wall behind Viserys was a large banner—a black field with a red three-headed dragon.
Donal, Argos, and Hugo, Andals from the Andals, and Gaelin, a rhoynar from the Rhoyne River, stood to the left and right of Viserys, serving as the King's Squires.
Gaelin and Donal Stone carefully checked the smuggled weaponry sent by the Myrishman Morroq to ensure every crate contained quality goods.
After all, this was their first collaboration, and the foundation of trust was not yet very strong.
The goods delivered by the smuggler this time included Myrish crossbows, lenses, firewine, wildfire grass, and throwing spears, among other things.
The people of Myr did not fight much; they were mediocre sailors and weak warriors, not skilled at personally taking to the battlefield.
Their customary weapons were daggers, short swords, and crossbows, often coated with poison.
This was also the mentality of many citizens in the Free Cities: fighting was not work for us citizens, just find mercenaries or slaves to do it.
However, Myr did have its strengths. The people of Myr were very particular about "craftsmanship," and the exquisite Myrish handicrafts could be considered a leader of fashion trends.
Morroq proudly proclaimed, "His Majesty Viserys, you may carefully inspect every piece of cargo, I guarantee they are in perfect condition. This is my reputation, and also the reputation of Myrish goods."
"A good man of the sea, Morroq of Myr, I always bring comfort to my friends and earn some meager compensation. The gold coins I receive are not many, but the risks are all life-threatening. My old friend, The Onion Knight, once encountered such a thing; his first captain had his head chopped off by your Westerosi Night's Watch."
Viserys felt that Morroq was really talking nonsense; these smugglers were ruthless characters and adventurers who valued money over their lives.
Smugglers evaded taxes in various ways and sold contraband.
Once caught by local garrisons and tax collectors, they would be hanged, so the profits they earned were naturally exorbitant.
"I know about The Onion Knight, Davos; he was once a smuggler and is now a knight," Viserys said. "In his youth, The Onion Knight followed the Tyroshi Roro Uhoris as a crewman on the 'Cobblecat'. Roro sailed the 'Cobblecat' around the Wall, heading to various bays to sell weapons to the Wildlings in exchange for furs and other valuable goods. Later, he was executed by the angry Night's Watch on the deck of his ship, his goods confiscated, and The Onion Knight was spared due to his young age."
"I didn't expect Your Majesty to know the story of my old friend, The Onion Knight. People of his lowly birth are generally looked down upon by you Westerosi. So, even though his talent exceeds that of many lords, he is only a landed knight," Morroq said, very surprised.
The prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain, especially in the feudal system of Westeros.
"The Onion Knight is now a favorite of Stannis, the Master of Ships and brother to Robert. How could I not pay attention to him? It is merely knowing oneself and the enemy. Besides, you will understand that I am not a traditional Westerosi. I prefer to employ true talent rather than those windbags who rely on their bloodline."
"A true dragon has its own kind; I believe our cooperation will be very pleasant," Morroq said.
Viserys lowered the profit margin for the Myrishman a little, but Morroq was happy to accept.
Because this transaction was good due to the large demand and the safe shipping route.
"I appreciate talented people like you," Viserys said. "It is said that, like The Onion Knight, you are familiar with the coastline of every shore and have a perfect grasp of wind directions and tides."
"It is all for survival," Morroq said modestly.
Viserys actually had a great need for Morroq's maritime smuggling network; he even thought about poaching some people from the Wildlings, but the risk was too great.
"These goods of yours could very easily make the Tyroshi angry," Viserys joked.
"Ever since the civil war of the Triarchy many years ago, we have been hostile to each other and are long past being on the same path. The daughters are always arguing endlessly; we have been used to it since we were young. If you teach the Archon of Tyrosh a small lesson, the people of Lys and Myr will be very happy," Morroq said with a shrug.
This was the status quo of the Triarchy cities. After the War of the Daughters ended in 134 AC, the three cities completely parted ways. Their endless disputes in the Disputed Lands and the Stepstones supported quite a few mercenary companies.
Among the three cities, the overall style of Myr was based on caution, taking the middle path.
After all, the people of Myr were not very good at fighting; Myr suffered the most in the War of the Daughters back then.
If Viserys were to beat up Tyrosh, the other two cities would just watch the show.
"To demonstrate my friendship with His Majesty Viserys, I have specially brought you two insignificant gifts," Morroq said.
"Bring them up!"
Four burly, olive-skinned Myrish sailors walked into the council chamber, carrying a huge woven tapestry on their shoulders.
The art of tapestry had a long history; ancient tapestries were extremely precious, even priceless.
"Not just to earn profits, but also to make a friend of you, His Majesty Viserys," Morroq said humbly.
When the tapestry was laid out on the floor, Viserys discovered that it was an ancient, magnificent tapestry.
This tapestry was old in style, covered in dust, and faded in color, but it was very beautiful, occupying half the floor of the hall.
"This is a tapestry that existed before the fall of Valyria, previously stored in the basement of a Myrish Magister. After the Magister went bankrupt, I bought it at a low price and offered it to the great His Majesty Viserys, descendant of the ancient dragonlords."
The tapestry used blue silk to represent the ocean, green for land, and brown and black for mountains, with stars woven in gold or silver thread representing cities.
There was no Narrow Sea depicted, and Valyria was not yet an isolated island; Viserys immediately realized that it depicted the world before the Doom.
Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen were merely three silver stars beside the blue Slavers Bay.
The most magnificent was the image of the world's capital, Valyria, which was the only city detailed on the tapestry rather than just a faint dot.
Viserys saw high towers woven in red thread, with ferocious dragons dancing in the sky.
There were also towering stone pillars atop the flaming Fourteen Flames, and magnificent roads connecting the Valyrian urban area with other vassal cities.
It was said that Valyria also had countless top-tier towers, buildings decorated with sphinxes, and great roads connecting other cities on the peninsula.
"This gift is invaluable." Viserys's gaze swept over the scenery of the map, mainly the city of Valyria.
The map tapestry was of Valyria in its heyday before the destruction; it could only provide a reference, but even so, it was very rare.
Viserys looked at the appearance of Valyria in the past; Valyria had built architectural wonders through dragons and magic, and conquered the known world.
Some speculations were the same as what Viserys had considered, such as that most of the dragon nests built by the Valyrian dragonlords were high towers in the air, rather than caves in the flat ground.
Under the volcanic climate, it would bring sulfurous toxic air and instability; besides those resurrected Fire Zombies, the dragonlords would also use a magic array to keep the volcanoes mild.
Viserys had considered going to the Valyrian Ruins for an expedition, but for the sake of caution, he still needed to wait until his attribute values were higher.
"Valyria was once the center of the world, all roads led to Valyria. But now, only a cursed wasteland remains," Morroq said.
The Valyrian peninsula was shattered during the Doom, causing the city of Valyria and Sothoryos to be separated by the Narrow Sea.
The city of Valyria was located in the center of the largest existing island along the coast, surrounded by cliffs; that place was once where the island connected to the mainland.
Although this tapestry was precious, with the fall of Valyria, it could only be considered a dead map.
No one who went to the ruins of the Narrow Sea ever returned alive.
"Have you heard any stories about expeditions to Valyria?" Viserys asked Morroq.
Morroq hurriedly shook his head uneasily, "Sailors at sea stay far away from the Valyrian Ruins. The red wind blowing from Valyria has the smell of ash and sulfur, and sailors who pass through the ruins will also be cursed."
"I have also heard stories about the ruins," Viserys said.
"It is better not to discuss that ruin, Your Majesty. Sailors say that whoever takes a glance at this coast is doomed to die a bad death; no sailor dares to pass that coast. As far as I have heard, the sky over Valyria is forever lit like a gloomy dark red, resembling a large area of bruised blood; it is always fiery red there. That is the wrath of the Fourteen Flames; the empire of blood and fire was 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 cities in the north of Sothoryos are full of deformed people, let alone the ruins."
Fire, radiation, pollution, Firewyrms, other monsters—the Valyrian Ruins held a great terror.
In Valyria's current environment, Viserys couldn't recruit any survivors; it was more likely to be radiation monsters, after all, even the north of Sothoryos had deformed people.
"That place is indeed not suitable for human survival," Viserys said.
Not suitable for humans, but if Viserys had the ability to resist the danger, he could try.
"What about the second gift?" Viserys asked curiously.
"The second gift will be even more precious," Morroq said.
The second gift was also a tapestry, but it depicted the portraits of the monarchs of Targaryen from Aegon the Conqueror to The Mad King Aerys.
Aegon the Conqueror wearing a crown—his crown was a simple circlet of valyrian steel, inlaid with a large square ruby.
The Conciliator wearing the same seven-gem gold ring, had an atmosphere of a compassionate saint.
"I believe you will surely stand shoulder to shoulder with the kings of the past, His Majesty Viserys."
"You are thoughtful," Viserys thanked him solemnly.
"As for our cooperation, I would like to ask you for some help," Viserys said to Morroq.
"Please speak, Your Majesty."
Viserys thought for a moment and held up three fingers.
"A few things. First, your mercenary fleet comes from the sea; help me observe if there are any suitable safe harbors on the coastline of the Andalos to facilitate trade."
"It is my honor, Your Majesty."
"There is another matter that needs to be done quietly. It is to recruit a few suitable adventurers for me who can search for gold and silver mines," Viserys said, stating his second request.
Now, with the expansion of his territory, Viserys was also considering minting coins in his own name; these coins that come and go could not all be goods from other countries.
Viserys did indeed want to try his luck to see if there were gold and silver mines in the vast territory he managed.
One side with the King, one side with the true dragon—the currency also showed the glory of the King.
"And the last request is that I need dragon bones and large fish bones; I need these as well."
Although Morroq found it strange, he agreed to it. The Targaryens were always a bit obsessed with dragons.