Game of Thrones: Holy Flame King

Samwell stood in the ruins of the House of Black and White, holding a pale yellow skull in his hand, and looked at it carefully.

The skull gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity, but he was not sure where this feeling came from.

Other than that, the cranium did not show any specificity.

It seems to be an ordinary human skull, but the color is a bit weird, and it is small.

Bai Long poked his head over, his nose fluttered slightly, as if he was very interested in the pale yellow skull.

The surviving Faceless Ones around stood silently, like statues.

They didn't seem to care at all about the destruction of their temple and the killing of the leader and hundreds of companions.

The pool filled with weird black water has also collapsed, and the ink-like black water flows out, mixed with blood, and outlines a creepy picture on the marble floor.

However, with the death of the leader, the remaining faceless men did not continue to attack.

I don't know if I found myself unable to kill the enemy, chose to give up, or some other reason.

Samwell tightened the giant sword in his hand, and also lost the desire to continue killing.

In fact, for the Faceless Men, even though they had been assassinated by them before and this fierce confrontation, Samwell still had a good impression of the Faceless Men.

After all, he found the inspiration to deal with the gods from the original faceless man, thus avoiding the fate of becoming a puppet of the gods.

Moreover, the Faceless Ones did not act for power, wealth, or vanity. Even if they asked for the price of assassination, it was only for sacrifice and to complete a certain ceremony.

They may be the purest group of people in the world.

"Hand over the dragon egg, and I can let you live."

Speaking of which, he himself felt that there was no threat to these faceless people who did not have a normal outlook on life and death.

For these faceless people, death may really be a relief.

They treat all life with equal indifference, and hatred, joy, anger, honor and disgrace all seem insignificant.

After a moment of silence, a faceless man emerged from the crowd, holding a tray in front of Samwell.

On the tray, there were four dragon eggs.

Samwell was slightly surprised, but he soon understood.

"The other three are the three dragon eggs lost by the Targaryen family during the time of Jaehaerys I, right?"

"Yes." The Faceless Man nodded, "Miss Alyssa Farman came to Braavos with three dragon eggs, and used them to exchange a large sum of gold from Aquaman. These dragon eggs were later You can also guess the reason why you came to the House of Black and White."

"The price of killing." Samwell said, "Your business has always been expensive."

The Faceless Man nodded in acknowledgment, and then said:

"These four dragon eggs belong to you, and the House of Black and White and the Caesar family have settled their grievances from now on."

"Yes." Samwell accepted the four dragon eggs and readily agreed.

He is not worried that these faceless people will take revenge on him for what happened today. With his current strength, the faceless people will die if they come.

Moreover, with the weird three views of the Faceless Man, the other party may not really hold grudges.

However, Samwell couldn't let go of what he saw in the illusion just now.

"What happened to the illusion just now?" He asked tentatively.

"That is the greatest fear in your heart." The Faceless Man said.

Samwell was silent.

The Faceless Man spoke again, saying:

"We mortals have countless faces, and you are certainly no exception. Samwell Tarly of Horn Hill, pioneer knight of the Crimson Mountains, Storm King of Storm's End, His Majesty Caesar of King's Landing... maybe more face.

Just as the God of Many Faces has thousands of incarnations and thousands of names.

But in the final analysis, there is only one object of prayer for everyone.

There is only one destination for us——

die.

This is the greatest gift, and the most merciful end. "

Samwell shook his head, didn't say anything, turned around and jumped on the dragon's back, leaving the House of Black and White.

The white dragon spread its wings and soared into the sky.

The violent hot wind raged in the ruins, but the faceless men still stood in the darkness like statues, with faces with different expressions under the hood, quietly watching the dragon's back.

...

While the Isle of Gods was being turned upside down by Samwell, a meeting concerning the future fate of the city-state was being held in the Palace of Truth in Braavos.

The dignitaries who used to be personable in the past are now gathered together in disgrace, arguing with red faces.

Of course, with the beheading of the titan, the military fortress in flames, and the island of gods in ruins, everyone reached a consensus on surrender.

What they were arguing about was how to appease Caesar's anger, make the other party stop attacking, and leave Braavos.

"The Antalion family must take full responsibility for this matter!"

"Bullshit! That Bruce is a fake, think we can't see it? Why should we bear the disaster he caused?"

"Even if it's fake, it's an internal struggle in your Antalion family. You attracted the people of Pentos and angered Caesar."

"Isn't the Iron Bank responsible? Why did the Red Temple wake up the Titans? And the House of Black and White, those faceless ones must have had a grudge against Caesar long ago."

"If you want me to say, it's better to hand over Sea King Ferrego, anyway, the old guy is dying..."

"Who said I'm dead?"

An old voice suddenly sounded at the gate of the palace, and the dignitaries turned their heads one after another, only to see the old Sea King, who had been bedridden, come in with a group of guards.

It has to be said that although Neptune's face is old at this time, he walks with strong steps, and he doesn't look like he is seriously ill and dying.

Seeing this scene, the nobles of Braavos and even the representatives of the Antarion family all looked like they had seen a ghost.

"Ferrego, you..."

"Tychu Nestos, you should call me Your Majesty." Sea King interrupted domineeringly.

Tai Chu, manager of the Iron Bank, calmed down, and suddenly understood:

"Your Majesty, it turns out that you have been pretending to be sick."

"That's right. If I didn't pretend to be sick, I'm afraid I would have been poisoned to death by some people." Sea King's eyes slowly swept across the faces of the nobles of Braavos, remembering those dodging eyes one by one.

But he also knew that now was not the time for revenge.

He must address the external threat before he can proceed with the internal reckoning.

So, before everyone reacted completely, Neptune took the lead and said:

"I'm sure you've all seen this catastrophe clearly. Braavos is powerless against dragons, so surrender is the only option. Do you have any other opinions?"

The dignitaries exchanged glances cautiously, and someone suggested:

"Can't we talk about it?"

"What about the conditions?" Neptune asked back, "What conditions do you use to let Caesar leave? Dragon eggs? Do you think we are still qualified to negotiate now?"

There was an awkward silence in the palace.

And at this moment, the howling wind resounded over the Palace of Truth.

Then the ground trembled, and everyone saw the terrifying beast that landed in front of the palace through the doors and windows.

The dragon is coming!

Here comes Caesar!

The dignitaries knew that the final judgment was coming, and their hearts suddenly tightened.

"Your Majesty Ferrego, you can negotiate with Caesar on behalf of Braavosi. Submitting... may not be impossible. But the interests of all families must be guaranteed not to be violated."

Neptune glanced at the person who spoke, the corners of his mouth raised slightly, as if mocking.

"good."

As soon as the words fell, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door, one after another, as if they were beating on the hearts of everyone.

Soon, a heroic young man walked into the Palace of Truth.

Blonde hair and golden eyes, exuding a coercion that people dare not look directly at, golden flames are burning on the giant sword in his right hand, the scorching heat wave mixed with the smell of blood, almost instantly filled the entire palace, making people breathe difficulty.

"Your Majesty Caesar," Sea King turned around immediately, and said loudly, "I, Ferrego Antalion, am willing to submit to you on behalf of Braavos."

"Surrender?" Samwell chewed on the word, with a smile on his face, "Tell me, what counts as surrender."

"Of course I swear allegiance to you and become your vassal." Haiwang said without hesitation, as if he had already made a plan.

Hearing this, the nobles of Braavos paled.

They all understand that if Sea King is really willing to become a vassal of Caesar, then from now on, Braavos, the mysterious city, this free trade city-state, will no longer be "free", but will be included in the territory of the Seven Kingdoms , to accept the rule of the Iron Throne.

Samwell was actually a little surprised that Neptune put on such a low profile as soon as he came up.

But soon, he understood the other party's scheming.

This guy has been lying on the bed for so many years, not to mention that he has no prestige in Braavos, even in the Antarion family, he probably has little control.

In this case, Ferrego can be said to be the person most eager to obtain strong foreign aid.

Moreover, although becoming a vassal of Caesar is not as noble as the king of the sea, the title of vassal can be hereditary.

Aquaman needs to pass an election.

Therefore, exchanging an unhereditary Sea King for a hereditary duke, at least for the Antalion family, may not be considered a loss.

But for other Braavos dignitaries, this is not good news.

This means that from now on, the power of Braavos will be concentrated in the hands of the Antarion family.

"Your Majesty Caesar," sure enough, an old man in a purple dress stood up and said, "Of course Braavos is willing to submit, but I don't think it's advisable to be knighted. This is a free trade city-state with its own politics. According to tradition, I propose to change Aquaman to Prince Braavos and submit to the Iron Throne, but still use the original election system."

Samwell smiled lightly and said:

"I think it's better to change it to a governor. As the chief executive of Braavos, you still use your original election method. However, the governor you elect must be approved by the Iron Throne."

Someone tentatively asked:

"What if the Iron Throne doesn't approve of our elected governor?"

"Then re-elect," Samwell said indifferently, "until the Iron Throne is satisfied with the candidate."

Everyone looked at each other, realizing immediately what this condition meant to Braavos.

Henceforth, Braavos will be an overseas province under the Iron Throne.

"Besides," continued Samwell, "the army of Braavos must be disbanded, and a garrison must be sent by the Iron Throne."

This is naked military control.

And it's not over yet.

Samwell continued:

"Thirty percent of Braavosi's annual financial income must be turned over to King's Landing, and the Iron Bank...must be relocated to King's Landing."

Hearing this, the faces of the twenty-three watchman family members changed drastically.

"Your Majesty, you can't do this!"

"The Iron Vault is the Iron Vault of Braavos, only in Braavos!"

"Your Majesty, if you want to gain the respect of the Braavosians, you must first respect the interests of the Braavosians."

...

"Shut up." Samwell said lightly.

While speaking, a loud dragon chant exploded outside the palace gate.

The scorching dragon's breath rushed into the palace like a strong wind, blowing the nobles of Braavos to this side.

Only then did they realize what kind of opponent they were facing.

The nightmarish scenes that happened tonight resurfaced in their minds, filling them with fear.

"Fire can melt steel." Samwell said, "I don't mind melting your treasury into juice, and then pack it up and bring it back to King's Landing."

Faced with such a threat, no matter how reluctant the Guanjia family was, they understood the king's determination.

Instead of confrontation, the result can only be tragedy.

Seeing the representatives of the twenty-three watchman families nodding one by one, Samwell finally smiled again:

"Very good. Don't worry, I just moved the Iron Bank to King's Landing, not confiscating your property. All the gold still belongs to you."

Hearing this, the members of the Guanqiaoren family all slandered in their hearts——

The iron treasury has been moved to King's Landing. If the Iron Throne wants to requisition the gold in the future, will they dare to refuse?

In Braavos, the Iron Bank is so powerful that not even Aquaman can influence their decisions.

The twenty-three watchman families can also greatly influence the political situation in Braavos.

But if in King's Landing...

Samwell saw their faces, and naturally knew what they were thinking.

But he doesn't care.

He actually had a more detailed plan for the Iron Bank.

"Believe me," he slowed down his tone, and comforted him, "When the Iron Bank goes to King's Landing, your property will not decrease, but will increase instead. In the future, the business of the Iron Bank will expand to the whole of Westeros, even With the footsteps of my conquest, it will spread to the whole world.

Perhaps one day, you will be grateful for today's decision. "

After saying this, Samwell didn't explain any more, and lightly swiped his right hand to extinguish the golden flame on the giant sword, and then said:

"Now, it's time for you to step forward and swear allegiance to me."

Everyone froze for a moment, and said in doubt:

"Your Majesty, didn't you say...a governor is going to be established?"

"That's right." Samwell said with a smile, "This is not contradictory. You can still be my vassals, but the title is vain and has no territory. It is just a symbol of glory."

This is actually the direction of political reform hidden in Samwell's heart, and it is also the way he expects to achieve centralization.

It's just that he is now facing the threat of the ghosts, and he is worried that it will cause turmoil in the Seven Kingdoms.

Since Braavos had delivered it himself, he happened to be here to experiment first.

The nobles of Braavosi are of course more likely to accept this system than the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms. Therefore, under the leadership of Sea King Ferrego Antarion, everyone stepped forward one by one and knelt down in front of Samwell , take an oath of allegiance.

It wasn't until the first ray of dawn sprinkled on the mysterious city through the thick fog and blackened smoke that the ceremony of allegiance came to an end.

Since then, a new era has begun in Braavos.