The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Dr. Ivan,” Bran responded quietly.

Dr. Ivan's gaze was peculiar, as if he were searching for something among the group.

“The Three-Eyed Raven is not here,” Bran said.

So, this old fellow was looking for the Three-Eyed Raven.

The Three-Eyed Raven established a connection between Dr. Ivan and Bran Stark. Through the Three-Eyed Raven, Ivan felt close to and respected Bran Stark. Three-eyed ravens were rare; at least, Dr. Ivan had never seen one before, and a talking three-eyed raven was even rarer.

In fact, in the Citadel of Oldtown, there were scholars who specialized in raising talking ravens—white ravens!

Whenever a major event occurred, the Citadel would release white ravens to deliver the news to all corners of the Seven Kingdoms. Once the date of the coming winter was calculated, the Citadel of Oldtown released white ravens to scholars serving nobles throughout the land to spread the word.

Compared to white ravens that could deliver messages and speak human language, the Three-Eyed Raven's wisdom far surpassed them by many levels. White ravens could only mechanically learn to speak, but the Three-Eyed Raven could engage in flexible debates with people, think like a human, and respond to new questions in new ways. White ravens, however, could not cope with conversations that exceeded the scope of their training.

It was precisely because of the Three-Eyed Raven's magic that Ivan yearned for Bran Stark, knowing that Bran was a Green Prophet. The Three-Eyed Raven was Bran's avatar, but how did Bran create such a creature? Or did the Three-Eyed Raven exist innately? Was it tamed by Bran? This was a mysterious question that attracted Dr. Ivan.

Dr. Ivan, obsessed with mysticism, deeply respected Bran, who possessed the Three-Eyed Raven.

This was also the first real meeting between the doctor and Bran.

Under Dr. Ivan's lead, the group entered the Sea King's palace. Along the way, Tyrion saw Unsullied soldiers guarding every part of the palace. The Sea King claimed to be the wealthiest monarch in the world, saying that all the treasures of the sea belonged to him, which was why he called himself the Sea King. However, the palace was not resplendent; the buildings and decorations were characterized by being large and clumsy, enhanced with vibrant colors.

Color was a major feature of the palace's ornaments and furniture, just like the ubiquitous bridges in Braavos, which were of various colors and exquisitely beautiful. Color effectively concealed the roughness of the ornaments themselves. Tyrion judged that the current Sea King's taste did not favor refinement.

At the entrance of the royal hall, a row of swordsmen stood guard. Jaime noticed that all the swordsmen's swords were narrow swords. This was completely different from the swords of knights in Westeros. Arya Stark's former dancing master, Syrio Forel, had served here as the First Sword for nine years.

The swordsmen's attire was elegant, with hardly any steel armor; most wore leather or thin, close-fitting chainmail, which was different from the full steel armor worn by soldiers in Westeros.

Narrow swords excelled in agility and exquisite swordsmanship. Wearing steel armor would severely limit the swordsmen's flexibility. However, in Westeros, knights mostly engaged in chopping, slashing, and charging formations, making steel armor and greatswords more suitable.

The king sat on a high, colorful, gilded throne. He was a huge, fat man with a meticulously groomed golden beard, a high nose, and gentle eyes, devoid of any ferocity. On both sides of the throne stood Unsullied wearing bronze armor, bronze helmets, and sharp spikes.

Unsullied were warriors whose absolute loyalty could be bought with money.

The king saw Bran in the wheelchair. Through Dr. Ivan, he had witnessed the magic of the Three-Eyed Raven. At Dr. Ivan's request, out of awe for the Three-Eyed Raven's magic, the Sea King wrote a letter of recommendation to the Iron Bank for Bran. The Three-Eyed Raven brought the letter back and delivered it to Bran Stark.

Tyrion, Jaime, Roose Bolton, and others knelt on one knee, paying their respects to the Sea King according to etiquette.

Bran, in his wheelchair, did not pay any respects. He remained motionless, not even slightly bowing. He maintained his usual quiet, indifferent expression. Prophets were like demigods. In this world where gods displayed miracles, capable wizards and prophets were figures respected by the monarchs of various countries. Even if it was due to different beliefs, no monarch would want to provoke prophet-like figures; these mysterious individuals possessed powers unknown to mortals.

“Bran Stark?!” the Sea King spoke in perfect Common Tongue, his attitude gentle and his face smiling. Tommen and Myrcella couldn't help but want to get close to him.

“Your Majesty!” Bran said faintly.

“It's hard to believe you're so young.”

“Prophets are indeed mostly old, but I am an exception.”

“Did your trip to the Iron Bank go smoothly?”

“Very unsuccessfully, Your Majesty.”

The Sea King chuckled: “I knew the people of the Iron Bank wouldn't give me face. They have their own strict procedures for lending.”

“Yes, unless I can demonstrate my value and ensure that the Iron Bank can recover the principal and interest.”

“Those detestable fellows always have the same set of excuses.”

“Then I can only come here first to prove my worth.” Bran remained as quiet as ever. “Your Majesty, in three days, the Free City of Pentos will be captured by the leader of the Second Sons, Isidoro. Following that, he will tear up the peace treaty with Braavos and begin to vigorously develop Pentos's army and navy.”

The Sea King's smile vanished: “Bran, are you telling me a prophecy of the future?”

“The prophecy will soon come true. The Dothraki cavalry will be the first support army to enter Pentos, and the Stepstones' Donn pirates fleet will become Pentos's first navy.”

“If Isidoro dares to tear up the peace treaty and violate the oath not to develop city defense forces, I will raze Pentos to the ground.” The Sea King's amiable kindness disappeared, replaced by strength and ruthlessness.

“You cannot raze Pentos to the ground, Your Majesty.”

“Oh?”

“Isidoro has already knelt and submitted to the Mountain of Westeros. Once the Braavosi navy moves to attack Pentos, news will quickly cross the Narrow Sea, and the Mountain will ride a dragon to assist. The land swamps of Braavos and the ring-shaped mountain islands in the sea cannot stop a dragon flying in the sky.”

The Sea King's fierce expression became somber.

“Your Majesty, dragons cannot be defeated. The prophets who established Braavos quietly hid here, relying on the land swamps, ring-shaped islands, and natural fog to develop until the Valyrian Empire was incinerated by earthfire. Only then did later Sea Kings dare to announce their existence to the world. Why have the Sea Kings of Braavos always been wary of the Valyrian Empire? Because of dragons. They knew they could not defeat dragons. No matter how powerful the navy, when it encounters a dragon at sea, it can only be burned to ashes.”

The Sea King recalled the incident of the five hundred Braavosi warships given to Daenerys never returning; the Braavosi warships were burned by the Mountain riding a dragon. At sea, warships were just targets, left to be slaughtered by dragons.

The Sea King was silent. Braavos became known to the world only after the Valyrian Empire was destroyed by earthfire. Before that, Braavos was hidden. The people of Braavos feared the Valyrian Empire's military power; the Valyrian Empire possessed hundreds of dragons. There was another reason why Braavos survived: when the Valyrian Empire learned of Braavos's existence, the empire's royal family and nobles disdained to come and destroy Braavos.

Braavos was not strong enough at that time and was looked down upon by the proud Valyrian Empire. It was meaningless for an elephant to accidentally trample a rabbit to death.

When you are weak to a certain extent, the strong do not bother to deal with you.

Dr. Ivan said, “Prophet, will Pentos become the Mountain's territory?”

“If Isidoro takes Pentos, I think so.”

“All of us on the continent will oppose the Mountain,” the Sea King said in a deep voice.

“The Mountain is also about to invade Essos. After he takes Pentos, his next target may be Braavos or the Isle of Lys.”

The Sea King, who had been weighing his options, brightened up, like a waking night lion: “The Mountain wants to invade all of Essos?”

“Yes, I am sure of it.”

The Sea King stood up and walked back and forth on the high throne platform. After a long while, he stopped.

“Prophet, what methods do you have to deal with the Mountain?” The Sea King no longer called Bran by name but respectfully called him Prophet.

“The Mountain's dragon cannot be defeated, but the Mountain is not a dragon,” Bran said faintly.

The Sea King's fat face slowly revealed an amiable and warm smile: “We just need to kill the Mountain?”

“Yes, we came across the sea hoping to get help from the Iron Bank, obtain a loan, and then hire the Faceless Men to assassinate the Mountain.”

“Name spoken, death descends,” Dr. Ivan said excitedly.

“All men must die,” the Sea King said slowly, his expression devout.

“All men must serve,” Dr. Ivan's expression also became devout.

Bran said faintly, “The House of Black and White on the Isle of Gods also produced a traitor who violated the doctrine. Her name is Arya Stark, and she is now serving as a guard by the Mountain's side. As a traitor who violates the doctrine, I know the House of Black and White will send Faceless Men to eliminate her.”

“It is best not to discuss the internal affairs of the House of Black and White,” the Sea King said cautiously.

“Your Majesty, we don't need to discuss the internal affairs of the House of Black and White; we only need to slightly reveal a 'rumor' when we pray in the House of Black and White or when we hire the Faceless Men, and the Faceless Men of the House of Black and White will naturally send people to eliminate the followers who violate the doctrine. As long as they investigate, they will discover the truth. If Arya resists, she will be killed.”

Dr. Ivan said, “Prophet, if you know the inside story of Faceless Man Arya Stark violating the doctrine of the House of Black and White, you only need to tell us, and I will send people to spread rumors in the market. Within a day, the news will spread through the discussions of mercenaries, women in the brothels, fishermen, and merchants, and then be heard by the monks in the House of Black and White. If a Faceless Man kills innocent people outside, if a Faceless Man uses a surname from before their training, if a Faceless Man seeks revenge, the House of Black and White will send Faceless Men to investigate and then bring the person back for trial. If Arya resists, she will be killed.”

“Your Majesty, Doctor, I happen to know everything that Faceless Man Arya Stark has done.”

“Please tell us, Prophet,” Dr. Ivan said respectfully.

*

Tyrion's gaze met Jaime's.

The two brothers understood each other and felt a chill at Bran Stark's betrayal of his sister.

This young man had become so ruthless that he had no family affection left.

To deal with the Mountain, he would sacrifice anyone.

Arya Stark was his own sister, with whom he had grown up.

This young man, wearing the skin of a prophet, what exactly was he inside, a human or a completely indifferent creature? Even though Cersei was determined to kill Tyrion, Tyrion still had family feelings for her that were difficult to completely sever. Even though Cersei had betrayed Jaime many times, Jaime couldn't help but want to avenge her. Jaime and Tyrion always had that human family affection in their hearts, which they could never completely abandon, no matter what they encountered.

But young Bran, the Green Prophet, seemed to have no emotions at all.

The Green Prophet without emotions made Tyrion and Jaime feel somewhat uncomfortable.

*

“Prophet, I guarantee that the monks in the House of Black and White will know about the deeds of Faceless Man Arya Stark today,” Dr. Ivan said.

“There is one more thing, Your Majesty. We cannot attack the dragon, but we have a way to defend against the dragon's attacks,” Bran said.

“What way?” There was obvious excitement in the Sea King's tone.

“The dragon cannot attack people underground. When the dragon flies over, we only need to go underground. When the dragon leaves, we can come out safely. When the Mountain's people come to occupy Braavos, we will fight with their people. And the dragon cannot burn the soldiers in the melee. Once the Mountain loses the advantage of the dragon, his plan to plot Essos will encounter the most thorough failure.”

“What if the Mountain orders the dragon to attack the soldiers in the melee?” Dr. Ivan said.

“Then he will quickly lose the support of his own people. There is no doubt about that. The Mountain can make his subordinates loyal because he is very protective, generous, and caring towards his own people. He will never ride a dragon to burn his own people.”

Tyrion's one eye turned, thinking, “But you, kid, can betray Arya Stark with a calm face. Prophets and wizards are indeed mostly evil. A person who can betray his own sister without any waves, what else can't he betray!”

The Sea King sat down, sitting on his wide gilded throne. Bran's words made him feel much more confident.

“Bran, what you just said is indeed very valuable to us, but the Iron Bank wants a return on the loan. These things still cannot make them lend you money, because even if you hire the Faceless Men to kill the Mountain, you still have no way to repay the money?”

“Your Majesty, as long as you help me arrange a meeting with the manager of the Iron Bank, I will naturally have a way to convince him to believe me. But before that, I will give Your Majesty another gift. I have a way to completely wipe out the Second Sons and Dothraki people who are going to occupy Pentos, as well as the pirate fleet of the Stepstones.”