In the courtyard of the seaside palace in Pentos, Viserys sat on a folding military chair, with the figure of Ivy present in the yard.
Several pikes below the courtyard terrace displayed the tarred heads of dothraki—the fate of losers.
"Your 'fruit' is too dangerous; it must be kept properly," Viserys reminded the Fire Mage, Valentin.
"Fruit" referred to wildfire, the term the Fire Mages in King's Landing used for that substance.
Seeing the jars of wildfire, Viserys thought of the future Battle of the Blackwater, where the green tide surged and the evil waves reached the sky.
If not for the resurgence of magic, which significantly increased wildfire production, and the discovery of the wildfire stored years earlier by order of King Aerys, The Imp would not have had such a grand stage to perform the burning of the river with wildfire.
Now, Viserys was the first to prioritize wildfire as a strategic resource.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I have always kept the fruit under strict preservation. Moreover, the cost of fruit is not low; I only manufacture it when there is demand. The Magisters also forbid me from storing too much." Valentin felt as if he had been down and out for half his life, but now he had met someone willing to put him to good use.
Valentin saw those dead heads and understood that performing tricks with wildfire was small-time; the greater purpose was war.
Wealth is found in danger, and this was his time for a change of fortune.
"That is good," Viserys nodded.
On a whim, Viserys thought that the Fire Mages in King's Landing were currently starving and destitute as well.
Years ago, the Alchemists' Guild was in its prime, but after the Kingslayer's slaughter that year and the upheaval in King's Landing...
Under Robert's rule, the guild's capabilities and influence were waning like the setting sun.
Now, only a few old members remained in the guild.
Perhaps Viserys wouldn't even need to lift a finger before people came to join him.
After all, a man's reputation precedes him, and the Fire Mages were frustrated and unappreciated under Robert.
They would likely miss the son of The Mad King who had once favored them; those were the most glorious days for the Fire Mages.
These were plans for later; for now, Viserys still relied on Valentin to start manufacturing wildfire, which was better than nothing.
In the absence of magical tides, the frequency of wildfire production was very low, requiring an immediate and tireless start to creation.
"You will accompany me to Andalos. You will purchase the manufacturing materials; I will provide the funds. Remember to make a list. If there are materials not available in Andalos, you will need to buy more in Pentos," Viserys said.
"I understand, Your Majesty," Valentin promised. "I guarantee I will produce more and better fruit."
"What about your luggage and family?" Viserys asked.
"Only my small workshop, my two apprentices, and my wife and daughter. I have little property in Pentos; I can pack up quickly."
"Very well." Viserys thought for a moment. "I will arrange a few helpers for you. Once you've finished packing, meet me at the palace."
"That would be wonderful, Your Majesty," Valentin said joyfully.
After Valentin left with a thousand thanks, Viserys continued to interview other craftsmen.
Some were recruited directly in Pentos by Gaelin at Viserys's request; Pentos had such craftsmen looking for work.
Gaelin appeared more inconspicuous, so he took the lead on this task.
Others were house slaves arranged for Viserys by Governor Ordel.
Some were specifically introduced by Governor Ordel, such as those with foul tempers and no market but exquisite skills, or young apprentices who were being kept from finishing their training and were nearly starving to death.
Viserys did not inform Magister Illyrio, ensuring that this wave of temporary action would be very swift.
If craftsmen had proactively come to his door, he would have suspected they were Illyrio's spies; in short, it was better to choose those with clean backgrounds.
What the Fat Magister thought was his own business; after all, hypocrisy was the norm in the Free Cities.
"Tell me about your crafts," Viserys asked. To speed things up, he had a group of craftsmen come up at once.
There were men and women, old and young, with the elderly and the very young making up the vast majority.
A master blacksmith carried a hammer, a fletcher looked very thin, and there was a cautious brewer.
They were at the two ends of their careers, which were difficult times.
The craftsmen looked at the Dragon King, a heroic and handsome youth, but the Dothraki heads in the courtyard were somewhat terrifying.
This was not just the Dragon King's residence, but a den of tigers and wolves.
Almost all of these craftsmen knew of the battle that had occurred in Pentos not long ago, where the Dragon King had killed the Khal.
"Your Majesty, I am a blacksmith, responsible for repairing chainmail and forging plate armor. I am an experienced hand; I request a wine supply," the short and stout master blacksmith said.
"Your Majesty, I am a fletcher; I make arrows faster than anyone else."
"Catapult maker, I still remember the assembly method for catapults..."
Viserys observed these recruited hands; this was the advantage of a city.
Although the defensive area of a city was very large, it also contained various mature craftsmen who could assist with city defense.
Viserys currently had an urgent need for various craftsmen: crossbow makers, blacksmiths, armorers, catapult makers, Scorpion makers, painters, brewers, and so on.
Relying solely on the talent pool of Andalos and the Rhoyne River was too slow; for now, he could only poach people.
Because the world of Ice and Fire was sparsely populated and castles were generally finished with stone, there was no shortage of large timber.
A place like Meereen could assemble giant catapults on-site, let alone Andalos.
"Now I will make it clear to you all once again: the place you will serve is not here, but the Land of Andas. Those who serve me will be paid, but they will also face a certain danger of war."
"Of course, those willing to take risks are warriors. In Viserysgrad, I will arrange free housing for you, and the pay will be higher than in Pentos," Viserys added; this was the carrot and the stick.
After all, Viserysgrad in Andalos lacked technical talent, but it did not lack stone houses.
The craftsmen whispered among themselves, but the vast majority chose to stay.
Many Pentoshi knew the relationship between the Dragon King of Andalos and the dothraki Khal was tense, but they had to endure the danger to make a living.
They were living from hand to mouth in Pentos and had long wanted a change of lifestyle.
As for now, risk was secondary.
"Those of you who remain, I assume your minds are made up. Demonstrate your abilities briefly in front of me," Viserys commanded. "I will arrange things one by one. I am an honored guest of the Magisters, and I treat you as my honored guests; do not disappoint me."
"Argos," Viserys instructed Argos.
"Look at these heads; these belong to the Khal and the Dothraki. The true dragon can tolerate poor skills, but he cannot tolerate liars. This is your second chance..." Argos pointed at those ghastly heads, which the craftsmen also noticed were blackened things.
"Yes, yes, yes," the craftsmen said with bowed heads.
Thus, through a simple on-site screening, the craftsmen who could be kept were selected.
There was one type of talent Viserys could not win over: warship experts and sailors.
Building a navy was a very expensive and time-consuming task, a crown jewel of industry.
Andalos did not have its own naval force and relied temporarily on mercenary fleets. If he wanted to take his people to distant lands, he would also need to find a fleet.
Nevertheless, Viserys was relatively satisfied; basically, everything was in place.
The young ones could start work immediately, while the older ones could serve as mentors.
Recruiting craftsmen would be his final task in Pentos; having eaten, drunk, and killed here, the Pentos Magisters were already trembling with fear.
With a calm demeanor, Viserys pleasantly bid farewell to the Magisters of Pentos.
Magister Illyrio approached Viserys and quietly shared his intelligence. "Khal Drogo is currently in Vaes Dothrak and may go to hunt the Lhazareen afterward."
Viserys was very surprised; Drogo had gone quite far.
Vaes Dothrak was very remote, near the Bone Mountains, in the Far East of the Great Grass Sea.
The City of the Khals was the only city of the dothraki; it was located beneath the Mother of Mountains at the far end of the dothraki Sea, on the shores of a lake known as the 'Womb of the World.'
The Lhazareen lived in Lhazar, southeast of Vaes Dothrak, and were frequently brutalized by the Khals.
Coming and going, this seemed to be his window of time.
"I thank you for your kindness." Viserys patted Magister Illyrio's shoulder, looking very sincere. "I recruited so many craftsmen as a precaution."
"The honor is mine, Illyrio's," Illyrio replied, also appearing moved to tears.
"Now that there is a suitable time, you must hurry with the preparations," Illyrio cautioned; he believed Viserys was seeking so many craftsmen to reinforce the city against the Khal.
The sea breeze was slightly cool as Viserys urged his horse forward.
Farewell, Pentos.
Many Pentos Magisters breathed a sigh of relief as he left.
Viserys looked at the towering walls of Pentos; though they parted today, they would surely meet again in the future.
Viserys raised his longsword, and the army and the Dothraki tribe followed him away.
The army was in front, followed by warriors guarding the baggage train and the remnants of the Dothraki tribe.
On this trip to Pentos, Viserys had also extracted a large amount of gold and supplies from the city.
What pleased Viserys most was not the money, but the team of talent: twelve Unsullied Squires, Dothraki knights, the team of craftsmen, and the gems he had acquired.
Now that everything was in order, there was an even grander plan.