Chapter 188: Fort of Valiant Souls

"Ser Bessie."

After discussing the specific locations for the two castles, Viserys spoke up.

"Your Grace."

Hearing the king call his name, the stoic knight in the iron mask turned his head. The smooth mask reflected a metallic glow under the lamplight, and then he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Your First Legion will be stationed at the Fort of Valiant Souls."

"Understood."

The legion commander, nicknamed 'the Saint' by his soldiers, agreed without hesitation or even furrowing his brow.

"Your Grace!"

However, others in the small council meeting were taken aback by Viserys' arrangement. Even the red priestess Melisandre's face revealed a hint of confusion.

They weren't concerned that sending both legions away would leave the border strong but the center weak.

In fact, with the departure of the two legions from Andalos, the military strength of Andalos was not considered vulnerable.

Viserys still held considerable military power, and had exchanged power with Oberyn, allocating two thousand city guards under the command of the old knight.

What they were worried about was another issue.

"Isn't this too provocative to Pentos?"

Apart from Ser Bessie, the others believed that Viserys' arrangement had practically put a sword to Pentos' neck, forcing Pentos to lean towards the Iron Throne.

What was the king trying to do?

Viserys had not yet publicly revealed the news that Ramsay had brought back from Pentos during the small council meeting.

They only knew that not long ago, Pentos had sent a letter inviting Viserys to visit Pentos as a guest to celebrate the arrival of the new year.

Pentos would host a grand banquet, inviting numerous distinguished guests to join in the city-wide celebration.

The date was fast approaching.

"Is Your Grace trying to warn Pentos not to act rashly through this move?"

The old knight, wearing the badge of the Hand of the King, furrowed his brow and asked.

If this was the explanation, it made sense.

There were only two ways for a kingdom to deal with unstable forces around it: one was to suppress, the other to appease.

Viserys had simply chosen the method of suppression, but the money spent seemed no less than appeasement, perhaps even more, considering that building the Fort of Valiant Souls was a massive undertaking.

If the construction was completed, this place would truly become a strategically important location, grasping a lifeline for Pentos and Norvos.

Moreover, any future attacks on Andalos via the Rhoyne River would require overcoming this easily defensible and hard-to-attack fortress, making this an undoubtedly wise move.

However, while the idea was easy and spending money was worthwhile, the difficulty of the Fort of Valiant Souls lay in the pressure it bore and whether it could be built successfully.

After all, the castle posed too great a threat to Pentos, which would never allow Andalos to construct a castle here.

One to the east and one to the west. .

On the other side, there was a sentinel castle overlooking the sea, which could pose a serious strategic threat to Pentos.

If completed in the next few years, Andalos could potentially cut off all connections between Pentos and the outside world at any moment, effectively besieging the formidable city and turning it into an isolated island.

"Deterrence? Warning?"

Whispers and speculation filled the royal council meeting as they tried to discern the king's intentions behind these plans. Melisandre's captivating eyes were fixed on Viserys, as if trying to understand what he was thinking.

Viserys, however, rested his hands on the table and scanned the room, not in a hurry to explain anything.

When the whispers finally died down, Viserys produced the intelligence report that Ramsay had obtained and tossed it onto the table.

"Take a look."

Despite the incident with the maester, there was no better way to deal with the situation other than tightening security and using the Small Council to root out spies.

Those present were Viserys' most trusted people, so he had no qualms about sharing the secret intelligence report.

Ramsay outlined two possibilities in his report.

The Magisters of Pentos were now divided into two factions.

One faction advocated for a conciliatory policy, continuing to send gifts to Viserys to satisfy the greedy appetite of the dragon.

The other faction called for an alliance with the Iron Throne to eliminate this potential threat.

Rumors had it that the Targaryen dragons were still in their infancy. If Viserys could be captured, they could threaten him to hand over the dragons, giving Pentos the confidence to break the unequal treaty and rebuild their fleet to exact revenge on Braavos.

Each faction had its own reasons; one side was conservative, and the other was radical. It was difficult to say who had the upper hand.

The Magister assassinated by Ramsay was a member of the conservative faction, siding with Magister Illyrio. As a result, it was possible that the conservative faction was now at a disadvantage.

Ramsay's advice to Viserys was not to attend the celebration.

It could very well turn into a 'Rat Cook' scenario, trampling on the rights of the guests.

This was a famous horrifying tale that had circulated in Westeros for a long time, enough to make children stop crying. It told the story of violating guest rights.

Ramsay used this story to remind Viserys that the Magisters of Pentos were also ruthless individuals who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

They could very well invite Viserys to Pentos, only to suddenly seize control of him and force him to hand over the dragons.

"What?"

The revelation in Ramsay's report sent shockwaves through the room.

"Could such a thing really happen?"

Everyone found it hard to believe that the Magisters of Pentos would dare to trample on guest rights.

If they truly did so, Pentos would lose all credibility, and killing a guest under one's own roof was a sin the gods would never forgive.

"How dare Pentos do such a thing?!"

The old knight was furious, clenching his fists.

However, upon closer thought, under the powerful temptation of dragons, it seemed... not entirely impossible for the Magisters of Pentos to act irrationally.

"Pentos is not making a wise choice."

Oberyn's brow furrowed as well. If Pentos truly sided with the Iron Throne, Andalos' southern border would naturally be under pressure.

Viserys' strategic deployments made sense in this context.

He stationed the First Legion in Ghaston Grey and initiated the construction of the Valyrian Castle, preparing for a sudden attack from Pentos.

" And to willingly violate guest rights... it's like..."

Oberyn frowned, then looked up at Viserys and abruptly asked,

"Your Majesty, will you still go to Pentos for this event?"