"Really?"
Viserys pondered for a few seconds before raising his head again.
"Find an opportunity to approach this man, through his connection with Lysa…"
However, Viserys hesitated, then sighed after a moment of thought.
"Never mind, it's not the right time."
"We should keep a close eye on this man. There will be a use for him in the future."
Littlefinger would play a crucial role in the future, but for now, he lacked the necessary influence.
Viserys could secretly support him, further stirring the waters of Westeros.
However, Petyr Baelish wasn't yet capable of such influence. He still needed to cling to Jon Arryn like a maggot, drawing strength from the old Lord.
"Understood."
Ramsay didn't know why Petyr Baelish had caught Viserys's attention, but he would treat his master's words as gospel and nodded hurriedly.
Viserys didn't explain his reasons but continued reading.
Petyr was sent to Pentos by the Iron Throne as an envoy, passionately discussing the threat of the Targaryens.
Now, with the Dragon King at hand, there was no need for Petyr to convince the Pentoshi magisters of the impending danger.
After all, Pentos was the weakest of the nine Free Cities.
Due to the terms of their defeat against Braavos, Pentos retained its sovereignty but was restricted to no more than twenty warships, forbidden from employing mercenaries, signing contracts with sellsword companies, or maintaining any force beyond the city guard.
Despite having massive walls, Pentos was considered the most vulnerable of the Free Cities.
What's more, Pentos was leaderless and politically chaotic. The Prince of Pentos was a puppet, and the wealthy magisters who truly held power were self-serving, opportunistic, and cowardly.
Lacking a strong leader or united collective will, Pentos remained weak, needing to maintain friendly relations with the other Free Cities and the Dothraki horselords.
Over the years, they had built relationships with powerful khals, sending them gifts and gold to ensure their khalasars remained east of the Rhoyne River, protecting Pentos's safety.
Suddenly, a powerful force had risen alongside Pentos: the exiled House Targaryen, who fled from Westeros to Essos.
At first, Pentos paid little attention to their new neighbor, but it didn't take long for the Targaryens to rise rapidly.
Pentos then took notice, resorting to their old tactics of inviting Viserys as a guest and offering gifts to forge an alliance.
Viserys later defeated a Dothraki horselord in a face-off at Ghozai, and rumors spread that his sister, Daenerys, had hatched dragons.
Everything changed once again.
The Targaryens were not Dothraki; they had an interest in the stone houses.
And unlike the systems of the trading city-states, an absolute monarchy inherently had a strong tendency to expand. This was a viewpoint put forth by a scholar from the Citadel, based on the chaotic history of the Seven Kingdoms prior to unification, and this work had made its way across the ocean to their shores.
As a result, the people of Pentos began to grow increasingly apprehensive and concerned about this neighboring power.
Andaros was situated in a fertile region, with its back to the sea and surrounded by mountains, encircled by three Free Cities: Braavos to the north, Norvos to the east, and Pentos to the west.
Anyone knew that if Viserys was content with the status quo, all would be well, but if he harbored ambitions to expand further, he would have to choose a direction to break through, or else be trapped in the middle.
And if the Targaryens truly wished to expand in a certain direction...
Would they choose Braavos, blocked by the mountain range and boasting the strongest position among the Free Cities?
Or would they choose Norvos, with its complex terrain amidst the mountains, its fanatical religious faith, and its fearless bearded warriors who were unafraid of death?
The answer was one that anyone could easily choose.
It was precisely for these reasons that the people of Pentos were deeply worried.
The Iron Throne's envoy arrived just in time, and so the Magisters of Pentos gathered once more to meet with this messenger.
"Did the Pentoshi Magisters meet with Petyr?"
Viserys's pale violet eyes sparkled with brilliance, for he knew this was not a positive sign.
"Yes, Your Grace," replied Ramsay with the utmost respect.
"Petyr urged the Pentoshi Magisters to oppose you and form an alliance with the Iron Throne."
"During the discussions, a Magister named Illyrio Mopatis spoke out against the proposal."
"He said... if Pentos were to make an enemy of the Targaryens, they might face dragonfire and an assault from Andaros."
"As for the surrounding trading city-states, Braavos and Pentos are enemies. The humiliating treaty that Pentos signed was forced upon them by the Braavosi, while Norvos has a friendly and harmonious relationship with Andaros. Cohor's assistance would be too far off to be of any use, and Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys have longstanding grievances and are opposed to each other. If one side rashly sends troops to aid another, they might lose the initiative in disputed territory."
"Moreover, waging war costs money."
"Each of the noble families and Magisters in Pentos, as well as the forty noble families of Pentoshi blood, would have to contribute a significant sum to hire the trading city-states to fight this war."
"As for the Dothraki... they are all barbarians, and they are cunning as well. They may be willing to take money to fight a war and suffer casualties, but they might not necessarily want to get involved in this conflict."
"Hiring a mercenary company would tear up the truce with Braavos, and it's likely to cause trouble in the future. And how much would it cost to hire a mercenary company like the Golden Company, which numbers over ten thousand men? How much could be spent on a single gift?"
"As for support from the Iron Throne, don't even think about it. Winter is coming there, and they can barely take care of themselves."
As Viserys listened to Ramsay's account, he nodded slightly, holding the letter of intelligence in his hands. His gaze showed a hint of scrutiny. After a pause, he continued to ask in a calm voice, "What was the outcome?"
He needed to know the result of this matter.
"The outcome was that the Magisters of Pentos asked many questions about the Iron Throne's plans but ultimately did not agree to Petyr Baelish's persuasion. They only said they would consider it further..."
This was what Ramsay had extracted from the mouth of that unfortunate Pentoshi Magister.
Their attitude was cautious, inviting Viserys to visit Pentos was only to probe his true intentions.
Perhaps they would send another lavish gift, implementing a policy of appeasement to strengthen the ties between Pentos and the Targaryens.
"But..."
"Besides this, they also have another plan."