"Just follow my arrangements, I guarantee you nothing will go wrong."
The wealthy merchant governor continued to whisper instructions in Viserys's ear.
"Um."
Viserys nodded slightly and said nothing more.
He didn't know what Illyrio's arrangements were specifically, but now that the governor hadn't shown any signs of betraying him, there was still room for cooperation and exploitation.
After all, even if Viserys has various arrangements, he is still deep in the center of Pentos, surrounded by countless soldiers, and danger will still come if he is not careful.
Later.
According to the procedure, Prince Pentos, who was sitting on the throne of ivory and gold, read the names of the governors aloud.
"Turner, Hall, Scott, Cecil...Mopatis."
Prince Pentos recited the surnames of the governors in turn.
And every governor whose name was called sat in his seat and nodded slightly, at least showing respect on the surface.
Prince Pentos then expressed his gratitude to these governors who had worked so hard for the city-state.
At this time, all the governors stood up and clenched their fists with one hand in front of their chests to respond to the prince's gratitude, expressing their willingness to serve the prosperity of Pentos and to express their allegiance to the prince.
Wow...
Then he sat back down.
This is the standard etiquette under the special system of the ancient city-state of Pentos.
Although the prince of Pentos is a puppet, he is still the theoretically jointly elected head of the city-state and should be respected.
Viserys, on the other hand, sat on the seat next to the prince without getting up, leaning on the soft backrest, tapping the armrests with his fingers, looking calmly at the ceremony in the palace rotunda.
Still standing behind Prince Rodney were the three ceremony officials, holding their respective ritual vessels, scales, whips, and swords.
The prince himself behaved differently now than he did two years ago. Although he still looked dull on weekdays, Viserys saw a different color in his eyes when he was presiding over festival celebrations and touring the city-state.
He even suddenly began to wonder if the prince who was so frightened that he peed on the throne was just faking it?
Because there really was no better reason to leave that burning-ass throne at that time.
Viserys thought about it carefully. In such a situation, if he stood up on his own initiative as a prince who escaped from the throne, it might be better to be a fool and be dragged down in embarrassment.
Boom…
And at this time.
The melodious ringing of bells came from the red temple in the distance, symbolizing the arrival of the new year at midnight.
"New Year arrived."
"To the gods in heaven, may Pentos have good weather in the coming year."
Wow...
The governors of Pentos once again toasted together.
"At the same time, we would also like to thank our distinguished guests. Your arrival adds a bit more color to Pantos."
Prince Pentos spoke.
The guard standing next to Viserys had already checked the wine in the glass for him, and then whispered a few words in Viserys's ear.
"Thank you, Prince, for your warm hospitality..."
Viserys also raised the wine glass in his hand, then took a sip on his lips and put it down.
However, at this moment, someone suddenly interrupted Viserys.
"Aren't you good at drinking? Your Majesty, the King of the Seven Kingdoms."
Viserys simply sipped the toast from Prince Pentos.
A governor whose name Viserys did not know suddenly spoke.
He is the governor sitting in the fifth position in the right half circle of Prince Pentos. He is wearing a black animal skin cloak. Although his hair is gray, he has bright eyes.
Most of the governors in the entire prince's palace are old men with gray hair, and Illyrio can even be considered young.
"Oh, sorry."
Then the governor shook his head to himself.
"I forgot you just came of age this year after your name day, and now-"
"You may not be able to drink alcohol yet."
The governor of Pentos suddenly made a provocation, which did not exceed many people's expectations.
Only the prince sitting on the gold and ivory throne looked a little pale, while many governors in other places were whispering and even letting out low laughter, wanting to see that Viserys didn't even have hair.
How to deal with Qi's little devil.
Viserys heard the provocation in the other party's words, frowned slightly while holding the wine glass, and looked at the governor on the other side of the rotunda.
"You're right."
"The royal education I received since childhood told me that people who regard alcohol as their destiny are either fools or common people."
Viserys's words seemed to be asking the other party if he was a retard.
"besides…"
"Sorry, who are you?"
Viserys was a little distracted while communicating with Balerion, so he didn't remember the governor's name.
However, he remembered that the other party's main industry seemed to be alcohol.
After Viserys finished speaking, ridicule rang out in the round hall again, but this time it was not directed at Viserys.
These governors also fought on a daily basis, so naturally they were not monolithic. When they saw him defeated, they laughed at him without hesitation.
The gray-haired wine merchant governor's face visibly stiffened, and then he became sullen, and his eyes shone with coldness.
As a powerful governor in the city-state, his estate was filled with wealth.
The slaves and workers who serve him can line up an entire street, and he only needs to pay a salary that can keep them fed.
But even so, countless poor people came to his mansion every day to pray, hoping to get such a job opportunity.
Because the governors of Pentos monopolized various industries, the poor had no choice but to work for them, otherwise they would starve to death on the streets.
The endless accumulation of bloody capital made him feel a little elated, feeling that he had already become an omnipotent 'god'.
So what if he is the Dothraki horse king? He has a large army, but he is still being teased by them and applauded.
Therefore, he was also one of the governors who coveted the dragon Viserys.
If Pentos gets the dragon, he will spend gold coins to hire mercenary groups, constantly conquer other city-states, open up markets and accumulate capital, and then use the capital to hire more powerful legions.
This is the dream dreamed up by these radicals.
However, this young man, who was no older than his grandson, seemed not to take him seriously at all.
"Governor Burne Rupert."
"A wine seller who thinks very highly of himself thinks that all the people in Pentos will drink the wine he brews."
Just when the atmosphere was a bit cold, another governor who was not dealing with Rupert sneered and said.
"However, his wine is far from as good as Qingting Island's."
The banquet has just begun, but the atmosphere in the venue has already become a little strange.