Chapter 308: A New Journey

Viserys listened patiently to Master Tobho's ramblings, shaking his head without saying much.

People have their own ambitions.

If Gendry didn't want to be a blacksmith, that was his own wish.

Viserys didn't want this poor child to come here either.

However, he ended up in Andalos by accident, and Viserys wouldn't persecute him because of his father.

He wouldn't stoop so low.

So, let Gendry grow freely as an 'ignorant' person.

Speaking of the Hand of the King, after returning to Andalos, the Hand who had been left to oversee the situation, Lord Joffrey, took the initiative to find Viserys.

The old man asked to resign from his current position as Hand of the King and devote himself to the construction of the Dragonstone navy.

Lord Joffrey's reason for resigning as Hand was simple. Although Viserys trusted him very much and even regarded him as a 'foster father', giving him such a high position, the old man felt somewhat powerless.

He wanted to do everything well, so he held the power of the country when Viserys was young and gradually relinquished power as Viserys grew up.

But Joffrey's governing ability was indeed not good. He had been a wanderer since he was sixteen, when he was forced to flee his family after killing an heir of a rival family. He had been a mercenary and a sailor.

If you asked him to kill, he could do it without hesitation. He had commanded naval battles for many years as the commander of the Dragonstone fleet, but he made a mess of things when he was asked to serve as Hand of the King.

This had been the case since Viserys was young, and many things had been messed up by the old man.

Even after so many years, Joffrey was still a novice in handling government affairs, with no significant progress.

In addition, he was getting older and his energy was gradually unable to keep up with the pace of young people.

He had a good strategic vision and knew that the kingdom's next target must be to attack Westeros and retake the Iron Throne.

He hoped even more that he could shine on the battlefield, burning his remaining light, so the old count decided to give up the position of Hand of the King and return the power to Viserys.

Let him find a suitable candidate.

And he would focus all his energy on training new naval forces.

After all, the new warships were gradually in place. With the strong shipbuilding industry of Pentos to assist, the scale of the Dragonstone fleet now far exceeded its peak period.

And if the kingdom's next target is to attack Westeros, then the navy will inevitably undertake an extremely important task.

Lord Joffrey didn't want the troops he had trained to be a drag on the battlefield and lead to the failure of the war.

When Viserys just received the old count's resignation, he was a bit dazed.

The old man had been Hand of the King for so many years, and Viserys had gotten used to having such a housekeeper to fall back on, but he didn't expect him to resign suddenly.

But the old man's reasons were also very sufficient. He said he was not cut out to be Hand of the King, and he preferred to return to his original job and train the navy well for the kingdom.

Since Viserys understood his intentions, he didn't play the game of three requests and three refusals.

The people of this world value honor and are quite straightforward. If Viserys refused the old count's resignation, the other party might

think that Viserys really needed him as Hand of the King.

Then even if he felt uncomfortable in his heart, he would have to stick it out in this position.

Viserys accepted the old count's resignation, allowing him to become the kingdom's Master of the Navy and the commander of the Dragonstone fleet.

The badge of Hand of the King was not taken back, but was left to the old count as a memento.

And with the position of Hand of the King now vacant, someone of matching status and ability needed to fill it.

Who to choose?

The white-haired old man suggested a candidate for his successor.

But actually, without Joffrey suggesting it, Viserys had already thought of him.

That would be Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne.

As Targaryen's most important ally, even without a second, Prince Doran has always been a strong supporter of Viserys. Oberyn has stayed on the continent of Essos for many years and hasn't even returned home, naturally contributing a lot.

Moreover, Oberyn once obtained six maester's chains in the Citadel. If he had focused on the path of a maester, he might have become the youngest doctor in the Citadel.

When he left the Citadel, his mentor was very regretful.

These are enough to show that Oberyn's mind is very flexible and his knowledge is very profound.

As Joffrey's successor, with his status, position, merit, and intellect, the best candidate for Hand of the King is Oberyn.

Since the candidate was decided.

A few days later, after the dragon's gear was installed, Viserys set off for the Wild Mountain Camp.

However, Viserys didn't take a turn to fly there this time.

The location of Oberyn's Second Legion was very close to Andalos, and it would take less than half a day to get there by horse.

Viserys only brought a few guards and rode a fast horse to the Wild Mountain Camp.

This place is located in a narrow path between two mountain ranges. From the map, it seems to be a narrow path, but in reality, it is a wide plain.

This is an ancient Valyrian road, which can directly lead to the Bay of Lorath along the Lorath River. From there, you can take a boat out to sea directly to Lorath, which is the main trade route between Lorath and Andalos.

And if you continue along this ancient road, you can reach the Battleaxe Horn at the farthest, and if you turn into the mountain road halfway, you can reach Norvos.

Therefore, the geographical location here is extremely important. Almost blocking this pass, no large army can attack Andalos from here, which is like protecting the face of Andalos.

Since approving the construction of this camp, Viserys has visited it once in person, and the specific site selection was left to Oberyn.

This semi-permanent camp is almost equivalent to a castle and can be stationed for a long time.

Viserys's sudden visit made Oberyn a bit surprised.

Then Viserys explained his intentions, and Oberyn hesitated for a moment.

Then, surprisingly, Oberyn politely refused. He didn't want to be any Hand of the King.

"Your Majesty, I am not suitable to be Hand of the King."

The Hand of the King is the left and right arm of the king, and also the face of the country. Oberyn believes that he is not suitable for such an important position.

But he also heard Viserys's thoughts. The silver-haired young man decided to travel for a while.

Oberyn also agreed that during the time Viserys was away, he would temporarily take

on the duties of the Hand of the King.

He would personally go to Pentos to assist his niece, Princess Rhaenys, in managing the affairs of the state.

And he would leave the legion here to Sir Ebben.

Then Viserys and Oberyn returned to Andalos, rode the dragon, and flew to Pentos.

That night.

Viserys convened the Small Council in Pentos City and explained the whole matter. He said he would be away for a while, but he didn't specify where he was going.

And during this time, Princess Rhaenys would act as regent, and her uncle Oberyn would temporarily take on the duties of the Hand of the King, assisting the princess in her regency.

Then, a few days later.

Viserys rode the dragon and disappeared into the sea of clouds.