The Mountain of Ice and Fire

King's Landing is composed of three hills.

The Red Keep, where the royal courtiers reside, is located on Aegon's High Hill; to the north of Aegon's High Hill is Rhaenys's Hill, which houses the famous but ruined dragon-taming structure, the Dragonpit; and to the northwest of Aegon's High Hill is Visenya's Hill. The most famous building on this hill is the Great Sept of Baelor.

Aegon's High Hill is named after Aegon I Targaryen, the Conqueror; Rhaenys's Hill and Visenya's Hill are both named after people. Rhaenys and Visenya were Aegon's two sisters, both dragonriders, whose dragon bones still lie in the underground passages of the Red Keep; they were also Aegon I's two wives.

To maintain the purity of their bloodline, the Targaryen family had a tradition of internal marriage.

The Great Sept of Baelor is named after King Baelor Targaryen.

Baelor was a devout follower of the Seven Gods. To practice abstinence, he imprisoned his sisters in the tower behind Maegor's Holdfast, which became known as the Maidenvault.

In addition to building the magnificent Great Sept, King Baelor also cast a huge holy bell on the top of the Sept's main tower.

When the holy bell rang, every corner of the city, including the people on the ships in Blackwater Bay, the fishermen on the opposite bank of the Blackwater Rush, and those several miles outside the city, could hear it.

It was a huge, astonishingly large bronze bell, rung only on occasions such as the coronation of a king, the death of a major royal figure, a foreign invasion, a major upheaval in the kingdom, or the marriage of a princess or prince. Whenever the holy bell rang, everyone in the city knew that a very important event was about to happen in the royal family.

The holy bell had been rung not long ago, when Gendry Baratheon I ascended the throne.

But this was the first time the citizens and nobles of the city had heard it ring seven times in succession.

Ringing the holy bell seven times in a row was the highest level of tolling, representing the will of the Seven Gods.

In Westeros, divine right was above royal power. The king's power came from divine bestowal. This was the sole reason why the formal coronation and investiture of each king had to take place in the Great Sept of Baelor. The place where every king returned after death was also the Great Sept of Baelor.

The king's acquisition of supreme power and his final destination after life were both under the jurisdiction of the Seven Gods.

When the holy bell was rung, and rung seven times in a row, the citizens and soldiers of the city were in astonishment.

Without any prior announcement, the citizens and nobles did not know what great event had occurred that would cause the Sept's holy bell to ring seven times.

All the citizens and nobles knew that prisoners of war had been brought back today, but they also knew that no matter how high the status of the prisoners, it was not worthy of the seven tolls of the holy bell.

Seven tolls of the holy bell represented the supreme will of the Seven Gods, and also meant that a very important event would occur in the kingdom.

So, what exactly had happened?

Had some great figure passed away?

Then, seven tolls of the holy bell could only mean that something had happened to the king himself!

But nothing had happened to the king himself.

Was the king betrothed?

The king's betrothal was not worthy of the majesty of seven tolls of the holy bell. Even the betrothal of the greatest king would not exceed three tolls of the holy bell.

In the echoing chimes, all the citizens and soldiers of the city looked towards the tall, pointed Great Sept of Baelor on top of Visenya's Hill, and countless devout believers spontaneously went to the Great Sept, gradually turning from small streams into a great river. More and more people poured out from all parts of the city towards the Great Sept.

Whether it was a great joy or a great misfortune, the ceremony would be solemnly held in the Great Sept of Baelor when the holy bell rang. – Because seven tolls represented the will of the Seven Gods.

*

In the throne room, the chimes of the holy bell also echoed and lingered for a long time.

The High Septon said, "The King commands that Ser Barristan Selmy, the captain of the Kingsguard, lead the way, and everyone move to the Hall of the Seven-Pointed Star in the Great Sept of Baelor. According to the instructions of the Father's prophecy and the King's dream omens, we will complete a solemn divine guidance in the Hall of the Seven-Pointed Star."

Ser Barristan Selmy stood beside Daenerys and her entourage with his hand on the hilt of his sword, guarding them. After hearing the High Septon's words, he walked to the steps and said to the High Septon, "High Septon, I don't quite understand what divine guidance has suddenly occurred?"

Even the captain of the Kingsguard didn't know what divine guidance it was, let alone the other courtiers, generals, nobles, and ladies.

In the royal family, the first person to know about any major event such as divine guidance must be the captain of the Kingsguard. He was the most personal steward of the royal family's affairs, both large and small.

"Ser Barristan, this divine guidance occurred simultaneously in the Sept and in the palace. The Father Septon and His Majesty received the guidance of the gods at the same time, and they received the same divine message at the same time."

"What divine message?"

"In the name of the gods, this divine message will only be revealed in front of the Seven-Pointed Star Altar in the Great Sept of Baelor."

Gendry I said, "Ser Barristan, please lead the cavalry to clear the way." Gendry I then stood up. It could be seen that he was ready to go to the Great Sept of Baelor.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ser Barristan Selmy said respectfully, full of confusion.

The Kingsguard swore allegiance to only one person, and that was His Majesty the King.

Ser Barristan Selmy stood up, turned around, and strode out of the throne room. Soon, the sound of soldiers relaying orders came from outside. After a while, the sound of horses' hooves echoed, and a squadron of King's Landing city guards arrived.

Ser Barristan Selmy issued an order, and the sound of hooves could be heard as the squadron lined up. Soon, Ser Barristan Selmy came in to report, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the cavalry is ready. Please, Your Majesty, go out and mount your horse."

Before Gendry I could answer, the Mountain said, "Your Majesty, the prisoners of war are still in the throne room. We all have to go to the Great Sept of Baelor. What should we do with these prisoners of war?"

The Mountain naturally knew what to do, but reporting to the King was a courtesy and a rule.

"Lord Hand, after the divine ceremony at the Great Sept of Baelor is completed, we will return to deal with these prisoners of war. Let the soldiers guard them for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The blacksmith king, Gendry Baratheon I, turned a blind eye to the arrival of the prisoners of war. He was focused on the divine guidance ceremony in the name of the gods. Daenerys experienced for the first time the serious neglect of being a queen after claiming the throne. She and her generals seemed to have never existed in the eyes of this blacksmith king. But so many of them were clearly standing in the most conspicuous place in the middle of the hall.

The Mountain issued an order, "Commander-in-Chief Rolph Spicer, send two hundred-man squads to guard Daenerys and her generals until we return after completing the divine ceremony in the Sept."

"Yes, Lord Hand."

The seven tolls of the holy bell meant that whether they were commoners or nobles, whether they were in the port or in the forest outside the city, all those who had time, were able-bodied, and could put down what they were doing, regardless of their poverty or wealth, had to go to the Great Sept of Baelor. There were too many commoners to enter the Sept, but they only needed to pray devoutly anywhere outside the Sept. The Rainbow Square in front of the Sept was a place for the most devout believers to kneel, pray, and sing hymns.

"Lord Hand, let's go together, to the Great Sept of Baelor," the King said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Gendry I strode down the steps, and the Master of Laws, Ser Alyn, the captain of the Kingsguard, Ser Barristan Selmy, and four members of the Kingsguard immediately guarded him closely on his left and right.

The captain of the Royal Guard, Bronn, busily appeared from the ranks of the generals. He quickly left the throne room. By the time the King, the Hand, and the Kingsguard walked out of the throne room, a hundred-man squad of the Maegor's Holdfast Royal Guard had already assembled outside.

The Royal Guard had always had a hundred-man squad following the King at all times. While the King was discussing matters in the throne room, the guard waited outside the throne room.

The King mounted his horse, and the Hand also mounted his unicorn. The Grand Maester of the Alchemists' Guild, the High Septon, the seven High Septons, the Master of Laws, the Grand Maester, the Master of Whisperers, the Master of Coin, and others followed behind the King and the Hand, mounting their horses one after another. The Mountain glanced at his wife, the Master of Laws, Jeyne Westerling. She had only given birth a few days ago, but she had come out to participate in political affairs, and she had not mentioned anything about a divine guidance ceremony today when the Mountain left the Hand's Tower this morning.

The Mountain looked at Littlefinger, who gave him a polite smile. He humbly lowered his head slightly, with a flash of light in his eyes. His expression was full of confidence and satisfaction in completing some great feat, as well as the pride of asking for credit.

However, there was no reward for Littlefinger in the Mountain's eyes, but instead a stern glare, which made Littlefinger's heart jump. The Mountain did not like being kept in the dark. He might actually know what was going to happen next, but he did not like this way of 'everyone knows but he is the only one being kept in the dark'. By the time the Mountain turned his head to look at Littlefinger again, Littlefinger had left his original position and moved to the outermost edge. The Mountain could no longer make eye contact with him.

The procession moved forward, and the courtiers and generals automatically adjusted their positions. Each great noble was guarded by his own knights. The King was surrounded by the Royal Guard, and the Hand was surrounded by his own guards and generals.

"Lady Melisandre, I don't believe that the King and the Father Septon would receive divine guidance at the same time?" The sound of horses' hooves thundered, effectively masking the Mountain's voice. Only those nearby would be able to hear the Mountain's words.

The King was walking with the Grand Maester, the High Septon, and others under the protection of the Royal Guard and the Kingsguard. The Hand, the Mountain, was slightly behind in the procession, making it easy to distance himself.

"Lord Hand, it is not difficult to have the Father Septon receive divine guidance."

"Oh, who did this, isn't this blasphemy?"

"The Father Septon and the High Septon are both regular visitors to Littlefinger's brothels. The High Septon and the Father Septon are very honest with the Seven Gods, and they are also very honest with themselves."

"Oh!"

The previous High Septon was also a regular visitor to Littlefinger's brothels. The previous Grand Maester Pycelle was also a regular visitor to Littlefinger's brothels. Whether it was the High Septon or the Grand Maester, entering the brothels was a violation of the Seven Gods' faith and the maester's code. They were committing crimes, but everyone seemed to tacitly approve of this crime and gave it secular tolerance.

However, once such violations of law and faith were investigated by someone with ulterior motives, it would discredit the High Septon and the Grand Maester and put them in jail. It was just that, by convention, no Master of Laws would really investigate such matters.

After Littlefinger's chain of brothels was taken over by the Mountain, the Mountain brought this industry to the extreme, forming an absolute monopoly. Berne Cregan was the secret chief of his brothel monopoly.

Whether it was the commoners or nobles of King's Landing, everyone knew that Littlefinger's brothels were secretly supported by the Mountain, but no one felt that this was inappropriate. The Mountain himself had never admitted that these industries were related to him. Every customer who entered the brothels was very relieved and did not have to worry about their safety; the women who entered the brothels were also very relieved and did not have to worry about their commissions being deducted by the boss.

Using the brothels to collect various information was Littlefinger's operating strategy. Berne Cregan improved and upgraded this strategy, making the business and efficiency even better.

The Mountain frowned slightly, "Lady Melisandre, was the Father Septon's divine message completed in the brothel?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Berne Cregan helped him understand the divine message?"

"Berne Cregan and the Father Septon are the best of friends in private. He always informs the Father Septon of the new girls in the brothel as soon as possible. Coincidentally, he also informed me when he informed the Father Septon a few days ago. In the brothel, I showed the Father Septon the flames of the Red God. The Seven Gods and the Red God have already had a very tacit cooperation in the great battle against the Others in Winterfell in the North."

"He understood the divine message of the Red God?"

"The Red God is the only true god in the world. The Red God has many faces. He can be the face of the Old Gods of the North, he can also appear as the God of Death, and he can also appear as the Father, the Mother, the Maiden, the Warrior, the Smith, or the Stranger. The Red God is omnipotent and omnipresent. He can even be a shadow. He has a thousand faces."

Arya Stark's heart stirred. The face-changing magic and illusions in her Faceless Men skills came from her faith in the Many-Faced God. And when learning and mastering the magical powers of the Faceless Men, the names of the gods at the beginning of the spells and illusions she learned were not the Many-Faced God, nor the God of Death, but the Red God.

Just now, Lady Melisandre said that the Red God has a thousand faces.

And the God of Death worshipped by the Faceless Men also has a thousand faces, because the God of Death has a thousand faces, so he is also called the Many-Faced God.

Could it be that the Red God is the God of Death, and the God of Death is the Many-Faced God.

Arya Stark suddenly felt that she and Melisandre had many things to believe in, understand, and learn, for example, whether the study of spells and illusions could be used to learn from each other? For Arya Stark, the rules and creeds of the Faceless Men had disappeared. She was a unique genius who had broken all the rules of the Faceless Men. She did not know whether Melisandre would be unwilling to communicate and learn with her about magical spells because of their different faiths.

The Mountain seemed largely uninterested in Melisandre's god, but he was very interested in the planners of this oracle guidance ritual. He didn't like the feeling of being completely unaware while the courtiers schemed everything out.

"Lady Melisandre, who else caused the King to receive the same oracle guidance as the High Septon?"

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