Lothan's two granddaughters told him that Viserys did not seem willing to reveal that the true Prince's Spear had already been found.
Having served as Grand Elder for forty years, Lothan naturally understood what Viserys intended to do.
He couldn't wait even until the next day and went to see Viserys that very night.
The Prince's Spear was something he had chased after for almost his whole life. He could not wait another moment.
By the time he stepped inside the Walls of Vhagar, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
Inside the warm tent, Viserys met with Lothan and his two granddaughters dressed casually in loose, simple clothes.
"Your Majesty, may I take a look at the Prince's Spear?"
Viserys motioned with his hand, and Arthur handed the spear to Lothan.
Lothan held the heavy Spear in his palms, his eyes seemingly glued to the weapon.
He looked along the spear from one end to the other, then back again, his thin hands lightly stroking the shaft.
The obsession in his eyes was so intense that even Jorel, standing nearby, felt her grandfather had lost his composure.
Yet Lothan didn't care.
From head to toe, he radiated a deep satisfaction. As though now that he could touch this spear with his own hands, he could die without regret.
Lothan studied it for nearly half an hour before reluctantly handing the spear back to Viserys.
"Your Majesty, you have met the Old Man of the River, haven't you?"
"Yes. He even told me his name. It was under his guidance that I found the Prince's Spear," Viserys replied honestly.
Oberyn and Jona were skeptical, but Lothan believed him.
"Then… did he say anything about the Mother? Is she well?"
By "Mother," Lothan meant the deity of the Rhoyne River — also called the Mother of the Rhoyne River. She was the source of the power left behind by their ancestors.
Viserys recalled what the old turtle had told him. It was clear that the Mother of the Rhyone River no longer existed.
But when he looked into Lothan's clear, childlike eyes, he struggled to say the words out loud.
After thinking for a moment, Viserys said:
"The Old Man of the River told me that the Mother is gone."
The light in Lothan's eyes flickered like a candle battered by wind and rain, ready to go out at any moment.
Viserys quickly continued, "But he said the Mother left one final message."
The light in Lothan's eyes steadied slightly. He stared at Viserys, waiting for the words.
"The Mother said her people must not give up hope. A stronger civilization will once again rise along the Rhyone River."
"Truly?"
Viserys nodded firmly.
"If you don't believe me, we can go see the Old Man of the River together. He gave me permission to meet him three times."
This was something Viserys had planned from the beginning.
If he said he could meet the Old Man anytime, it would lessen the old turtle's mystique. Phrasing it this way made the encounter seem more sacred and mysterious.
It also set a trap for those who might plot against him.
Lothan clearly believed Viserys.
In his mind, the Old Man of the River was a giant turtle. He had never imagined a giant turtle could speak human words.
But Viserys' conviction was too strong; Lothan believed this young king was not someone who spoke lies so casually.
Of course, he desperately wanted to hear the Mother's message from the Old Man's own mouth. But Viserys had also said the Old Man would only meet him three times.
If he wasted one of those precious chances just for his personal curiosity, he would never forgive himself.
Moments later, it was as if Lothan had found a new pillar to support his life. His spirit visibly lifted again.
"Your Majesty, we agreed earlier that once you obtained the Prince's Spear, the people of Gohor would unite behind you. So why have you hidden this news?" Lothan asked.
"Because it is dangerous," Viserys said.
He explained to Lothan the same reasoning he had once shared with his ministers. Lothan agreed fully.
In his heart, he admired Viserys quietly.
Since childhood, people had called him precocious. He could easily grasp the core of problems that others struggled to understand.
But compared to Viserys, his intelligence felt insignificant.
And the young king's brilliance was not the only thing astonishing him.
Viserys stood up, walked to Lothan's side, and continued, "Not only is it dangerous for me — it is even more dangerous for you, and for the people of Gohor."
Lothan looked at him with curiosity, the same way he had once looked at the water mages of his tribe.
"According to you, the Prince's Spear has unmatched power to rally the people of Gohor. Under its call, they will quickly unite.
But have you considered this — will Pentos, Volantis, and Braavos willingly allow a powerful force to rise again on the Rhyone River?"
Viserys' words seemed to wake Lothan from a dream.
In other words, the Prince's Spear might not be the hope of restoring the Gohor people, but could instead become the poison that destroys their last shred of hope.
"Then what do you believe we should do?" Lothan asked sincerely, like an apprentice mage seeking guidance.
"Freygo and those Pentoshi merchants want us to fight, don't they? Then why don't we give them the fight they want?"
"You mean deceive them?"
"Yes," Viserys smiled. "More precisely, we will put on a grand show for them."
Viserys sent Masos to guard the tent entrance and let no one in. Then he explained his plan to Lothan.
"Frego doesn't want a Targaryen to gain a foothold in Gohor, and the merchant-governors of Pentos feel the same.
They would rather see a humiliated Targaryen driven out, and the Gohor people weakened and forced to rely on them more."
Lothan nodded. Everything Viserys said made perfect sense.
Take the last battle against Terno, for example — Braavos ignored his plea for food but sent weapons and armor instead.
They clearly wanted to control and weaken the people of Gohor.
Watching Lothan's thoughtful expression, Viserys continued:
"So I'm thinking — you can pretend to be weakened. The Targaryens can pretend to suffer losses, to trick Frego out of his supplies.
I will send soldiers to strike down elders who side with Braavos, but we will not truly harm the lives of the Gohor people.
Freygo will not want the Targaryens to grow strong in Gohor, so he will increase his support to you.
In that way, we drain Braavos, strengthen ourselves, and when we have gathered enough grain and weapons, we unite and rebuild Gohor together!"
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