The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter: Death Descends

Elder Regret Guest raised his glass and drained it in one gulp. But he didn't set it down; instead, he tilted it, letting the last drop of wine trickle into his mouth.

Footsteps sounded outside the curtain, stopping at the entrance. "Sir, I've brought you honey and bread," said the voice of a shop assistant.

"Enter!" the elder said.

Shop assistants wouldn't enter without a customer's permission.

"Yes, sir."

The assistant entered, carrying a tray with fragrant, warm bread and a jar of golden honey.

As the assistant passed behind the elder, he opened his mouth and gently blew a breath on the elder's neck. The movement was silent, and the assistant's footsteps didn't falter.

It was like a child making a face behind an adult's back.

It was a harmless gesture, just a shop assistant's small act of self-amusement.

But Elder Regret Guest's body stiffened.

The assistant reached the table and set down the tray.

Elder Regret Guest stared, eyes wide, at the assistant, who was not unfamiliar to him.

"What's wrong, sir!" the assistant asked, feigning surprise.

Elder Regret Guest's expression was sinister.

"You... Faceless Man!" Elder Regret Guest's tone was stiff, his expression shocked, his eyes filled with anger.

"I'm a shop assistant," the assistant said, taking a step back.

Elder Regret Guest stood up. He tried to turn his head, but his neck wouldn't move, as if the joint was locked.

"You... the She-Wolf... said... give us one day..."

"Oh, that was a lie to lower your guard. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had such an easy time." The assistant's surprised expression vanished, replaced by ease. The assistant's previous restraint and timidity were gone.

"You... you..."

咻!

A narrow sword pierced Elder Regret Guest's neck from the side, entering on the left and exiting on the right.

Several poisonous scorpions crawled out from the corner. Two of them crawled out of Elder Regret Guest's body and leaped toward the assistant. The assistant retreated, and another narrow, short sword appeared in his other hand. With two quick flicks, he skewered the two scorpion beasts in mid-air.

Elder Regret Guest's face was filled with horror, his facial muscles contorted, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

呲呲呲!

Several scorpion beasts that had rapidly appeared from the corner bit the assistant's legs, but then, sharp objects pierced their mouthparts.

The assistant had some kind of sharp leg guards under his pants.

The Faceless Man's surprise attack seemed meticulously prepared.

The narrow sword was withdrawn from Elder Regret Guest's neck, and blood spurted from both sides of the wound.

The elder fell, his eyes wide open in death.

The assistant extended a leg to catch the elder's body, letting it gently slide to the ground.

"All right!" another shop assistant's voice came from outside.

"All right!"

The curtain was lifted, and another shop assistant from the hotel entered, a sharp, curved short sword appearing in his hand with a flick of the wrist.

He removed the elder's mask, frowning slightly. "What an ugly face. I doubt the High Priest would want to wear this face."

"Hurry, Little Kui," the assistant who killed Elder Regret Guest said, his voice now a woman's.

Little Kui was a junior sister who had entered the House of Black and White at the same time as Arya Stark.

And the woman urging Little Kui to hurry was Arya and Little Kui's senior sister, Long Face.

Long Face and the Faceless Man who had once used the alias 'Jaqen H'ghar' to teach Arya were from the same batch of Faceless Men apprentices.

The name was spoken, and death descended.

The names of the Regret Guest Third Elder were already in the House of Black and White's records.

The Mountain had also learned the name of the Regret Guest Third Elder from Hagi Morr, the only remaining member of the Thirteen.

When Arya, Little Kui, Senior Sister Long Face, and Jeyne Westerling arrived in Qarth, the Mountain told Arya the name of the Regret Guest Third Elder.

The name was spoken, and death descended, whether the person was a king, governor, assassin, or priest.

Throughout the eastern continent of Essos, there were Faceless Men disciples active. The Faceless Men's activities were not limited to killing; they also collected intelligence from various places and secretly protected the safety of the Faceless Men's merchants. The Faceless Men's merchants were legitimate businessmen, and the vast majority of them did not know that their real boss was the House of Black and White in Braavos, far across the continent.

In Qarth, Faceless Men disciples had always been mixed in. In fact, in every important and famous place in the world, Faceless Men disciples were stationed for long periods and lived like the locals. In Oldtown in Westeros, the 'Quill and Tankard' tavern, which had been open for over six hundred years on the Honeywine, had always been run by Faceless Men. Similar Faceless Men bases existed in almost all major cities in the East and West. Qarth was no exception.

Qarth was the world's core transshipment point for various trades between East and West and a major source of trade from the East to the West. Faceless Men disciples had long established their roots here, but they adhered to their faith and precepts, never showing their faces and never interacting or conflicting with the Regret Guests.

The She-Wolf A'Yan, who met with Elder Regret Guest, was Arya Stark. She first had a face-to-face conversation with Elder Regret Guest, luring him into the threat trap of 'Regret Guest has one day left.' Then Arya withdrew and replaced herself with the senior sister disguised as a shop assistant to assassinate Elder Regret Guest. Finally, Little Kui stepped forward to peel off Elder Regret Guest's face.

Senior Sister Long Face merely blew a breath on Elder Regret Guest as she passed behind him, killing him. The breath itself couldn't kill, but the senior sister had a syringe hidden in her mouth. She blew out a poisonous needle that pierced the unguarded Elder Regret Guest's vital point in the back of his neck.

Without Arya's coercive conversation with Elder Regret Guest about 'Regret Guest has one day left,' it would have been difficult for the senior sister to succeed. Elder Regret Guest believed Arya's words and accepted the premise that 'the Faceless Men would only act after one day.' Elder Regret Guest wasn't afraid of the Faceless Men acting in Qarth; what truly worried him was the coercive pressure brought by King Mountain of Qarth.

If the king had murderous intentions toward the Regret Guests, they couldn't stay in Qarth.

Assassins skilled in using scorpion beasts and stealth assassinations couldn't deal with legions or dragons.

Moreover, the assassins' headquarters, Scorpion Tail Fort, couldn't be moved.

Arya's ultimatum that the Regret Guests leave after one day made Elder Regret Guest naturally believe that he was absolutely safe within that one day. However, the Faceless Men acted with the next heartbeat!

It was a meticulously planned assassination.

The hotel was opened by the Faceless Men's secular world 'spokesperson.' The Faceless Men also ran many businesses in this world, and they had their own agents, like white gloves worn on their hands. However, the hotel owner didn't know that his source of funds and the mysterious big figure he served behind the scenes was the House of Black and White in Braavos, far across the continent.

*

Night!

Scorpion Tail Fort.

The Regret Guest Grand Elder sat in the meditation room and suddenly felt a trace of unease.

This made him feel alert.

For decades, the Grand Elder had never felt such inexplicable unease, as if there was a faint chill on his back.

He slowly stood up, ending his meditation.

Strangely enough, after ending his meditation and washing his face, the Grand Elder found that the unease had disappeared, and the faint chill on his back was no longer felt.

An illusion?

Was it because he was getting old and had some inexplicable distractions?

Or was it because the new king's many measures were becoming increasingly disturbing?

After the new King Mountain moved into the palace, he seemed to have gained the recognition and love of the citizens of Qarth in a short period of time. At yesterday's political affairs conference, he proposed a new political decree to reduce the tax money of ordinary citizens by half, which caused millions of free people in the city to indulge in drinking parties and dancing carnivals last night. The 'arrowless arrow,' which was rumored among the nobles, also caused many nobles in Qarth to take the initiative to join the new king. The first to kneel and greet the new king was Baron Jill Greer, the spice trade manager of the former Ancient Spice Guild. He was appreciated by the new King Mountain and became the king's spice affairs officer, in charge of all spice trade rules and taxes in Qarth.

This made Elder Regret Guest and the older generation of nobles in the city clearly feel that King Feodor Raymond Horn of Qarth was just a figurehead.

The Regret Guests, the Undying, and many of the older generation of nobles hoped that King Feodor Raymond Horn would directly govern them, while King Mountain would only be responsible for collecting taxes. Although Qarth had surrendered, everyone still hoped to retain the independence of Qarth's political affairs.

But this was likely just a fantasy!

All of this made the Regret Guest elders, the warlocks of the Undying, and the older generation of nobles feel an unspeakable discomfort.

Was the discomfort that the Grand Elder suddenly felt during meditation due to these distracting thoughts?

The Grand Elder walked out of the meditation room and slowly walked towards the Temple of Faith, where a huge scorpion beast was enshrined. Facing him, the Third Elder was slowly walking towards him.

After the original masked Elder Regret Guest was killed, the new masked elder who appeared outside was the Third Elder.

"Grand Elder, I heard a very disturbing message."

"What is it?" the Grand Elder said lightly. But a trace of unease flashed through his mind, and he remembered the uncomfortable feeling he had in the meditation room.

"The Faceless Men are here."

"Oh!" The Grand Elder didn't have any extreme reaction. He knew that there were Faceless Men in Qarth, but the two sides kept to themselves. The Faceless Men had never killed anyone in Qarth, and they had never officially appeared once.

"The Faceless Men's High Priest, the High Priest of Fate, is here."

"What is he doing here?"

"He met with me today. He wants us to leave Qarth within three days."

"..." The Grand Elder was stunned! He couldn't understand and couldn't react for a moment. This matter was too abrupt and unreasonable.

For the Faceless Men to start a war in Qarth was a battle they were bound to lose. The Faceless Men belonged to the Western Continent, and the Regret Guests belonged to the Eastern Continent. This was a tacit balance between the two sides. In Qarth, the Regret Guests had overwhelming power.

"I heard that this matter is likely related to the Mountain," the Third Elder said with a worried tone.

"Is the Mountain asking us to leave Qarth?" The Grand Elder's voice was somewhat out of control. He looked vigilant and wary, as if he had seen the opponent's scorpion beast.

"I think so. The new king doesn't like us. After all, we are an assassin organization that has never sworn allegiance to him, threatening his life. The new king may be very afraid of our existence."

"What did Master Pree say?"

The Third Elder was silent for a moment and sighed, "Master Pree remains silent!"

"He said that as long as our Regret Guests choose to make peace, we can protect our Scorpion Tail Fort."

If they could protect the scorpion beast, they could naturally continue to stay in Qarth. The Regret Guests had been an ancient assassin organization in Qarth, so ancient that they had become a knife that the nobles couldn't live without, yet loved and hated.

"The king still thinks Master Pree is dead. This is our advantage," the Third Elder said slowly.

"Let's not count on the Undying. Master Pree wants to protect their Undying Temple, so he brutally killed the Ancient Spice Guild, the Tourmaline Brotherhood, and others. He is now the king, but he hasn't convinced Mountain to trust us. If Mountain is determined to let us leave Qarth, I think we may have to give up Scorpion Tail Fort."

"Shall we join forces with the Undying to kill Mountain?"

"Mountain has Quaithe by his side, a servant of the Shadow God. We can't get close to Mountain to assassinate him. Any shadow around Mountain may hide a shadow warrior. Quaithe is daunting, and the Faceless Men have also arrived. The Faceless Men's dark magical powers, disguise, swordsmanship, poisoning, and detoxification have always been above us."

"We are no longer the Regret Guests of the past. We have made too much progress. The revival of magic has brought us powerful power. Grand Elder, I will go kill Quaithe first."

"Perhaps no one can kill a shadow. We can only try to drive her away."

"Joining forces with Master Pree, we have nothing to fear from Quaithe and the Faceless Men combined. Grand Elder, we must rise up and fight. Scorpion Tail Fort is sacred and inviolable."

The Grand Elder was silent for a long time. "Okay, I want you to go see Master Pree first and listen to what he says. He knows everything. We need his guidance."

"I will go to the palace to see Master Pree immediately."

"There are Quaithe and the Faceless Men in the palace. Be careful of everything."

"I won't let them find me. Even if I'm detected, it doesn't matter. They don't know that Master Pree is the king. The Faceless Men's High Priest has promised us three days."

"Okay, go."

The Third Elder turned to leave, took two steps, but stopped again and turned around. "Grand Elder, the Faceless Men's High Priest said he has a word to pass on to you, but it's not a good word."

"Say it, what word!" the Grand Elder said in a deep voice.

A cold light flashed, and a small sword pierced the Grand Elder's throat.

"The name is spoken, and death descends," the Third Elder's voice changed, becoming a woman's voice.

The voice was very soft, as if blowing a breath in the Grand Elder's ear.

Outside, in the night sky, there was an unusual sound of wind.

The whistling wind.

纠!

A dragon's roar suddenly sounded!