The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter: The Submission of Qarth

Asha emerged from the corner of the tent, followed by a mysterious woman wearing a wooden lacquer mask.

—Quaithe, a shadowbinder from Asshai.

Quaithe stood in Asha's shadow.

It was said that shadowbinders could wield powerful magic through shadows and see through all secrets: seeing the past and foretelling the future.

Seeing Quaithe's figure, Haji Moar, the Undying warlock, and the royal courtier all had slight changes in their expressions.

They knew that the head in the brocade box was not that of Pyat Pree.

It was just the head of a scapegoat.

However, this head came from the House of the Undying and had been blessed with the magical power of the warlocks. From the outside, it was impossible to see any flaws.

But could this mysterious shadowbinder wearing a wooden lacquer mask see through this magical illusion?

The magical power of the House of the Undying was very strong, but the mysterious power of other wizards could not be ruled out.

Daenerys had had an extremely brief encounter with Quaithe when she first arrived in Qarth, just a few words in the crowds on the street.

At that time, Daenerys did not know that the woman wearing the wooden lacquer mask was called Quaithe, nor did she know that she was a shadowbinder from Asshai. Daenerys knew nothing about Quaithe. Daenerys also knew nothing about the shadowbinders of Asshai.

During their meeting years ago, Quaithe suddenly appeared and said in Daenerys's ear: "The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others. Kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon, trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal and the talking dwarf."

Daenerys found these words difficult to understand. When Missandei, who was selecting spices nearby, called her, Daenerys was startled. Just as she was about to ask what these words meant, she turned around, and the woman wearing the wooden lacquer mask was gone. Daenerys was even more astonished and carefully searched the crowd, but apart from the people coming and going, the woman wearing the wooden lacquer mask was nowhere to be seen.

This experience made Daenerys feel like it was a dream.

It wasn't until Asha Greyjoy suddenly appeared with a woman wearing a wooden lacquer mask when the Mountain returned to the Dothraki camp riding a dragon that Daenerys remembered her one-sided encounter with the woman in the wooden lacquer mask.

Asha was one of the Mountain's hidden lines.

She arrived at the port of Qarth before the Redwyne fleet and then successfully infiltrated the city of Qarth. Before the naval battle, Asha was also the first to send a raven to Lord Redwyne.

Then, Asha, who entered the city of Qarth, met the shadowbinder Quaithe.

To be precise, Quaithe took the initiative to find Asha.

When the Mountain returned to the Dothraki camp riding a dragon again, Asha and Quaithe left the city, entered the camp, and reported to the Mountain.

It was not until this time that Daenerys learned the name of the woman in the wooden lacquer mask: Quaithe.

Quaithe told the Mountain and Daenerys that she came from the Shadow Lands of Asshai and was Melisandre's senior sister.

The Red God is the god of shadows and flames.

Melisandre specializes in the Red God's flame magic and prophecy; while Quaithe studies the Red God's shadow magic.

The two came from the same master, but they studied different directions and had different focuses. However, Melisandre's flame magic also included shadow magic; and Quaithe's shadow magic could not be separated from flame magic.

*

The brocade box was held by Missandei and placed in front of Asha and Quaithe.

Asha had met Pyat Pree under Quaithe's guidance.

She could not tell whether the head was genuine or not. In Asha's eyes, it was Pyat Pree's head.

Quaithe stared at the head in the brocade box for a long time, then she nodded slightly to Asha.

Asha signaled to the Mountain with her eyes, and the Mountain understood. Asha and Quaithe confirmed that the head was Pyat Pree's head. He wanted Pyat Pree dead, and the other party did it.

The Mountain's majestic and stern expression softened: "Lord Haji Moar, you are a trustworthy noble."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty." Haji Moar knelt down on one knee again, feeling extremely apprehensive.

The Mountain's terrifying majesty made his back feel cold. He had never imagined that there was such a fierce man in the world. The real person was more intimidating than the rumors. The Mountain gave Haji the aura of a mountain that could be collapsed with one punch.

The blue-lipped warlock also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

He could see that the other party was a shadowbinder, which made him feel very uneasy. The warlock had no idea whether the other party could see through the secret of this head.

The royal courtier was the calmest. He did not know the secret of the head. The royals, like the people of Qarth, had been deceived by Pyat Pree and did not know that the real king had been killed. The person sitting on the throne was Pyat Pree himself.

The Mountain was not very satisfied with the fear shown by Haji Moar.

He was most afraid of Pyat Pree being killed, which made him feel a lot easier. The Mountain had always disliked people who could foresee some future events.

Fortunately, the guys who could foresee the future did not have high martial strength, and there were no loyal military forces around them. Even the protection of some knights was very weak and vulnerable to the legions of the empire.

"Lord Haji, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Haji Moar stood up. His fear of the Mountain and the flattering and subservient emotions that he had actively catalyzed made him very satisfied with his performance just now.

"Haji, besides offering Pyat Pree's head, what else do you have to say?"

"Please enter the city, Your Majesty, and accept our surrender."

"Your king has decided to surrender?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Has he agreed to the conditions proposed by Queen Daenerys?"

"Completely agreed."

The Mountain felt vaguely uneasy.

This surrender came too smoothly.

"But I still have an uncomfortable feeling."

Haji Moar, the warlock, and the royal courtier exchanged glances. Haji said with a smile, "What other requests does Your Majesty have? Please tell us."

"The Sorrowful Men sent people to Pentos to assassinate me. They couldn't get close to me, so they assassinated my courtiers and generals, but they failed. I want the head of the Sorrowful Men's elder. Can you do it?"

The Sorrowful Men were a top assassin organization. It was difficult for ordinary warriors to kill the elders of this organization. The Mountain did not think that Haji and the king could do this. Once there was any disturbance, the Sorrowful Men's elders would definitely flee. This was like the Faceless Men. It was very difficult to catch a Faceless Man, let alone their elders.

To deal with the Sorrowful Men, the Mountain had someone in mind: the Faceless Men.

However, much to the Mountain's surprise, Haji went to the rattan box and took out another brocade box.

Missandei stepped forward to take the brocade box and opened it. Inside was a head with a masked turban. This head of the Sorrowful Men's elder was real. He died in the meeting room of the Thirteen. Pyat Pree killed him.

The Mountain and Daenerys were both moved, but they remained calm and watched Missandei put the brocade box in front of Asha and Quaithe. The Mountain stared at Quaithe closely. Out of respect and trust for Melisandre, the Mountain also trusted Quaithe more.

Quaithe took one look and judged that the head was indeed the head of the Sorrowful Men's elder.

This judgment was much faster than the last time she judged Pyat Pree's head. It should be noted that this time the head was still wearing a masked black scarf. The highest power of the Sorrowful Men was the masked elder who appeared to the outside world. People outside thought that the masked elder was the highest elder and supreme authority of the Sorrowful Men, but that was not the case.

The Mountain received a reply from Asha and Quaithe that this time the head of the Sorrowful Men's elder was also real.

The Mountain smiled, but he was even more vigilant in his heart. The other party seemed to have seen through his mind. Whatever he wanted, the other party took it out of the rattan box.

Were there no gold and silver treasures in the three large rattan boxes?

What the Mountain still wanted in his heart was the head of the most powerful fighting force, the Tourmaline Brotherhood. The Tourmaline Brotherhood's legions and navy were the most powerful in combat, and their loyalty was extremely high. The Mountain wanted Qarth, to manage it, to rule it, and did not want a group of former powerful figures to continue living in the city.

But if the other party could take out the heads of the two commanders of the Tourmaline Brotherhood again, then this matter would be too smooth. Although he might be overthinking it, he had to be more careful and cautious.

The smoother it was, the more likely there were traps.

Don't be careless!

The Mountain looked at Asha and Quaithe. With Quaithe here, Melisandre's senior sister, the Mountain felt that he might indeed be too careful and cautious.

"Lord Haji, how did the king kill Pyat Pree and the head of the Sorrowful Men's elder? I can hardly believe it. Pyat Pree is the demigod of Qarth, and the Sorrowful Men's elder is the most expensive assassin. After moving these two people, the city of Qarth has not been in chaos, and the Sorrowful Men and the House of the Undying have not retaliated against the king?"

"Your Majesty, the king only killed the Sorrowful Men's elder who insisted on going to war, not all the elders. The elders in the Sorrowful Men's organization who are willing to make peace occupy the absolute majority."

"Oh?! What about the House of the Undying?"

"Your Majesty, it was the Undying wizards in the House of the Undying who killed Pyat Pree. Now the House of the Undying has elected a new Undying master. His name is Augustine Shaw."

"Shaw?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Can Augustine Shaw know everything about the past, present, and future?"

"He can't, Your Majesty."

The blue-lipped warlock with eyes sunken in his sockets said, "Your Majesty, there is no wizard who can know everything about the past, present, and future. Pyat Pree only had some predictions about future events, and those predictions often made mistakes. Between protecting the House of the Undying and Pyat Pree himself, the master chose to protect the House of the Undying and other Undying wizards."

The Mountain looked at the warlock in the brocade robe. The warlock said that there was no wizard who knew everything about the past, present, and future, which was very much to the Mountain's liking.

The Mountain also thought so.

The Mountain believed that even God could not know everything about the past, present, and future.

If God was all-knowing, the Cold God would never have launched the Others' attack,妄想 to rule the entire world.

The war between the dead and the living launched by the Cold God ended with the victory of the living.

The Red God is not omniscient and omnipotent, and neither are the Seven Gods. Otherwise, the Seven Gods' most devout High Septon would not have been designed to be killed by the Mountain.

Even God cannot know everything about the past, present, and future, so how could a wizard who believes in a certain god be omniscient and omnipotent?

The Mountain chose to temporarily believe Haji Moar and the warlock's words.

"Wizard, what is your name?"

"Your Majesty, my name is Grandio Kibbe."

"Are you a court warlock or a warlock in the House of the Undying?"

"Your Majesty, I serve His Majesty the King for life, but I also belong to the House of the Undying. The House of the Undying can revoke my status as a court warlock and let other wizards replace me to serve His Majesty the King."

"Oh, but you just said that you serve the King for life."

"Your Majesty, before I was selected by the House of the Undying to enter the palace, I had to swear to serve the King for life and never betray him."

"What about after being removed from the position of court warlock?"

"Once I am replaced by the House of the Undying, my oath to serve His Majesty the King for life will be lifted, but loyalty will not be changed. Loyalty to the King is our faith contract, Your Majesty."

"What do you do by the King's side?"

"Read letters for the King, treat illnesses, and offer my own suggestions when the King cannot make up his mind."

So it was a consultant-like guy, equivalent to a maester serving a noble. In Westeros, there would be such a maester by the side of a great noble. The noble's maester and the King's Great Maester were also appointed by the Citadel. The King and nobles enjoyed the maester's service, and at the same time, they would donate money and goods to the Citadel from time to time every year.

The Mountain said, "Grandio Kibbe, are you willing to serve me?"

"Your Majesty, I have sworn allegiance to and serve His Majesty the King of Qarth. Unless the King of Qarth expels me, or the House of the Undying removes me, otherwise, I cannot serve another Majesty."

"Okay, I take back what I just said." The Mountain looked at Haji, "Lord Haji, I heard that the Tourmaline Brotherhood in the city is the most determined warmonger. Has His Majesty the King persuaded them to surrender together? Or has he forced them, making them submit unhappily?"

"Your Majesty, the Tourmaline Brotherhood no longer exists. The Thirteen also disappeared, and the Ancient Guild of Spicers was disbanded. The warmongering elders of the Sorrowful Men have also been beheaded, and Pyat Pree also voluntarily let the King chop off his head in order to protect the House of the Undying from being burned by dragonflame."

Daenerys and the Mountain both felt strange in their hearts.

In a short period of time, they absolutely did not expect such earth-shattering changes to have taken place in the city of Qarth.

"What about the two commanders of the Tourmaline Brotherhood?"

"Their heads are already hanging on the city gate. Your Majesty can see them as soon as you enter the city."

"What about the president of the Ancient Guild of Spicers?"

"The president and his followers have all been executed, and their heads are hanging on the city walls."

"The Thirteen?"

"Qarth will never have the Thirteen again. Among the Thirteen, twelve have also been beheaded, leaving only me. Your Majesty, as long as you are willing, everything in the city of Qarth is already yours. I beg Your Majesty to spare the King and my life, or exile the King and me."