Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

This led to a large number of explorers, slave hunters, mercenaries, and other groups from the continent of Essos forming teams and sailing to the North in an attempt to capture more wights for profit, but unfortunately, very few succeeded.

They underestimated the ghouls imprisoned in cages, thinking they were easy prey, but they paid a terrible price once they reached the North.

Most of their slave-hunting teams perished in the North, becoming part of the wight army. The few teams that successfully captured wights died in the ship's hold on their return journey, turning into piles of rotten flesh or scattered bones. It seems that wights lost their magic once they left Westeros.

The Iron Fleet was able to capture the wights because the Night King had not yet retreated, and the power of the Cold God was still at its maximum.

However, Rams merely smiled slightly upon hearing the pirate governor's words, put down his wine jug, and then spoke.

“That’s not necessarily true, Lord Salado Sann.”

"The Iron Islands were also breached by the White Walkers."

Seeing the slightly uncomfortable expression on the dark-skinned pirate governor's face, Rams suppressed his smile and spoke seriously.

"Has Lord Sangen made any progress in the assassination attempt?"

News of the assassination of Asha Greyjoy, the Imperial envoy, also spread, causing quite a stir. It was clear to discerning people that this might not be directed at the Empire but rather had ulterior motives, because Asha, the Imperial envoy, was not actually a very important figure, but rather a peripheral figure on the Iron Throne. Even if she died, it would have no impact on the Empire.

However, what puzzled the pirate governor was how something that had happened in less than half a month had reached the ears of His Majesty the Emperor so quickly.

Could it be...

Although suspicion arose in his heart, he still honestly shook his head and spoke.

"Nothing was found. This group of assassins wanted to frame Valantis or Rhys."

Ries is known for its poisons, and the testimony mentions Valantis. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that someone is trying to cover something up, and Lord Tyrothy is not immune to suspicion either.

The Empire's fleet marched to Nas Island, making diplomatic visits to various free trade city-states along the way. However, Asha Greyjoy did nothing, yet she stirred up a major earthquake in the world of free trade city-states. Salado Sun would not believe that there was no mastermind behind this.

The dark-skinned pirate governor, while speaking, secretly sized up the gloomy-faced young man before him. In fact, Ramsay Bolton was not well-known, but he had heard of him long ago.

Every profession has its own circle, and in the pirate circle, intelligence is still very important. Ramsay Bolton had heard of this name back in Pentos because the other party was ruthless and no pirate who fell into his hands ever came out alive.

The same applies to smugglers. He heard that a smuggler had been interrogated by the Black Robe Agent after being arrested in Pentos. He tried his best to explain to the agent that the smuggler was not a pirate and did not deserve to die, but the smuggler was taken away and never returned.

Although he had some doubts in his heart, he dared not ask them in front of the other party. Who knows if the current chaos in the free trade city-state world was the other party's doing?

"So... what should we do next?"

"Lord Rams."

"Does Your Majesty have any instructions?"

Salado Sane didn't dare to think too much about it and asked directly.

He has now made contact with Governor Treig Omeren of Ries and Humphrey of the Hightower family, and the two are plotting to seize Ries.

The other side also expressed its willingness to surrender to the Iron Throne, on the condition that the Hightower family would receive the Emperor's forgiveness and return to Westeros, back to their homeland.

Of course, the old town is gone forever. It no longer belongs to the Hightar family, nor has any family been granted a title. It is now managed by a municipal official appointed by the emperor.

On the other hand, the Omeren family's condition was to monopolize Ries.

He was no longer content with sharing this rich city-state with the other eleven governors; instead, he wanted to become a prince of Rhys, like Salado Sun, the pirate governor of Myr, and wield absolute power.

"Chaos is a ladder to climb."

Upon hearing Salado Sun's words, Rams Bolton, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Interior Ministry, chuckled coldly and spoke up.

"This sentence was said by someone I don't really like."

"But I think it makes a lot of sense."

The rise of empires today is accompanied by global turmoil and chaos, with people struggling to survive and the upper class using it as a ladder to advancement.

Salado Sunn was such a person, as was Governor Tregue Omeren of Rees, while Humphrey Hightower was even less so, reduced to a mere pawn.

“Continue to engage with them and muddy the waters of the trading city-states.”

Chapter 697 The Shadow of Civil War

The Ries navy, citing the impending war, blocked the Imperial fleet from continuing its southward journey to Ries near the Steps Islands.

Therefore, the fleet was forced to temporarily dock on disputed land to seek supplies.

This land was once a prosperous region under the rule of Valyrian Freehold, but in the four centuries following the fall of the Freehold, frequent wars destroyed its prosperity, though it still possesses great potential.

Asha Greyjoy's fleet is temporarily anchored in the disputed territory, and a war breaks out as scheduled where the two seas meet.

High Lord Tyroth hired numerous mercenary groups, large and small, accusing the Rhys of plotting to poison the Iron Throne's messenger and framing Tyroth. Most importantly, High Lord Tyroth believed that the Rhys had seized Myr, which was the main reason for the outbreak of this war.

The balance of the Three Sisters Kingdom has long been broken, and the price of this broken balance is the looming shadow of war, with all sides inevitably engaging in bloody battles.

The Ries's capture of Mil was a matter of life and death for the Tyroth, so they had to strike first.

The Tyroth went so far as to invite wolves into their house, inviting Valantis and the Empire to participate in this war over the still disputed sovereignty of Myr.

However, the ruling party in Valantis is the moderate Elephant Party, whose attitude is ambiguous. It has not agreed to Grand Prince Telosi's demands and seems to want to wait and see how things develop.

On the other hand, the invitation to the Empire's navy to intervene was met with a direct refusal; Asha Greyjoy would not allow her fleet to participate in this local war ignited by the alliance of several trading city-states.

The Tyrossi side was aggressive, but the Reese side was equally determined. The Reese Governor's Council denied all accusations against the Tyrossi side, including plotting an assassination, framing someone, and trying to seize Mill.

However, on the other side of Mil, the great pirate Salado Sun, who was nominally still the governor of Mil but had actually become the prince of Mil, also spoke out in support of his hometown.

At the same time, he was actively preparing for war, hiring his old friend Bloodbeard and his three thousand warriors to fight a decisive battle against the Tyrossi.

This is a life-or-death war between the two sides. If the Tyrosi win, they can unify the former Kingdom of Three Daughters, including the vast disputed territory, and become a true Tyrosi Kingdom.

The same can be said of the Rhys' victory. The Rhys swallowed up the Tyrosh, and a Mil that had just been rebuilt from destruction was still not qualified to resist the Rhys' attack. At best, they were just an accessory on the thighs of the Tyrosh and the Rhys.

However, the shadow of war looms over the Three Daughters Kingdom region, with both sides actively preparing for battle. A major war is almost imminent, but the Empire's fleet will not remain there forever, waiting for the war to end before leaving.

Otherwise, if the war goes on for a year or two, are they really going to wait here for that long?

After sailing into the Summer Sea, the Imperial fleet anchored at the disputed lands to seek supplies. A few days later, the fleet continued southeast along the coast of the continent of Essos, heading towards their next destination, Valantis.

Valantis is located in the southeastern corner of the Free City-States, in the eastern part of the disputed lands, at the mouth of the Lorne River. It is the closest Free City-State to Valyria, with a long and powerful history.

At the same time, Volantis was the absolute hegemon of the surrounding region. The three trading city-states of Rhys, Tyrosi, and Myr had to join forces to fight against Volantis.

However, the sight of the Imperial fleet heading this way made Valantis tremble with fear.

Because the Imperial fleet's overseas visits were like a jinx; wherever they went, either accidents occurred or wars broke out.

Asha Greyjoy's fleet visited the Three Kingdoms, but only two were visited. Rhys was the last one not visited yet, and now the three kingdoms are about to turn on each other and become a mess.

Valantis was also somewhat worried that the arrival of the Empire's fleet might bring this 'bad luck' with it.

However, based on her pride and confidence as the 'eldest daughter of Valyria,' 'Queen of the River Lorne,' and 'Mistress of the Summer Sea,' Volantis did not refuse entry to the Imperial fleet like Rhys had.

They actually made some preparations for this diplomatic event, but due to historical reasons, the Valantis were generally hostile to the Targaryen family.

After all, two of the three leaders currently in power in Valantis are from the Elephant Party, whose governing philosophy is to conquer the world through trade, so communication and cooperation are essential.

The two Elephant Party magistrates were Dofas Panemin and Nessiso Vesama, while the only Tiger Party magistrate was Malajo Megaa, who had met Viserys once.

During the last Smoke Sea Uprising, Malajo Magia organized a fleet of twenty ships to explore the Valyrian ruins. His nephew, Viserys, disguised himself and infiltrated the fleet as the commander-in-chief.

Their expedition reached as far as Valyria, the capital of Freehold, but the ruins eventually rioted, and mutated monsters roamed freely. Apart from Viserys, the mercenary Mia, and Dr. Marwin, no one else escaped.

Time flies, the shadow of war looms over the Stone Steps Islands, while the Empire's fleet sails across the seas, soon to reach Valantis.

Meanwhile, in the distant, unknown regions of Westeros, a place never before set foot in by humankind, cold and terrifying white enemies are ever-present.

Benjen Stark, riding his skeletal horse, followed the White Walkers ahead, having traveled an unknown distance and for an unknown amount of time, until the sky above them gradually darkened.

At first, Banyan didn't realize it, but as he went deeper and deeper, even the hardy trees and all life disappeared, leaving only desolation and the howling of the biting wind.

Only then did Banyan notice the obvious change in the length of day and night; the days seemed to be getting shorter and the nights longer.

Sometimes a few hours of daylight would pass in a flash, while a long night could last for several days.

However, the long night was not so lonely, because the skeletal horse never knew fatigue, and so did Benjen himself.

Sometimes, as he rode on horseback, he couldn't help but be captivated by the dazzling and mesmerizing light of the northern night sky.

However, after an unknown amount of time, the White Walker in front of him finally stopped.

Chapter 698 Frost Altar

The White Walker in front pulled on the reins and stopped, and Benjen was also suddenly awakened, quickly reining in the skeletal horse beneath him.

Although the other party ignored him, which emboldened him considerably, they still maintained a certain distance. Even with his boldness, Banyan dared not approach the other party.

What if this White Walker suddenly gets angry and tries to kill me?

Benjen unconsciously touched the dragon crystal dagger hidden in his bosom. This weapon, capable of killing White Walkers, had become his last resort. Only when he touched it could Benjen clear his mind once again.

However, Benjen reined in his skeletal horse, raised his head, and looked ahead. His pupils contracted slightly. His heart had stopped beating, but fear came from the depths of his soul.

Before him stood a massive ice altar, its branches spread out like the claws of a dragon, with five cold, curved pillars carved with intricate runes and radiating an icy blue light.

Banyan glanced at it and felt a slight daze for a second, then quickly shook his head to dispel the daze in his mind.

"This is..."

He had no idea where he was or why there was such a colossal, miraculously crafted ice altar on this land that no human had ever set foot on before.

Who built this? Was it by White Walkers? What is its purpose?

However, none of these are the fundamental reasons why Bunyan was so terrified when he delved into his soul.

The root cause lies on the other side of this icy altar, directly opposite Benjen and the White Walker.

He had been gazing at the magnificent aurora borealis overhead for far too long, only then realizing that the raging blizzard had ceased sometime earlier, even the howling wind had vanished, and there wasn't a speck of snow beneath his feet. The aurora borealis in the sky was crystal clear, so mesmerizing it seemed almost within reach, while in the distance—

The densely packed legion of the dead was also exceptionally clear. They were arranged in neat rows as if someone had given them orders. They stretched as far as the eye could see, and at the head of them were White Walkers riding mounts.

Some of them rode mammoths, some rode ice spiders, some rode direwolves, and others rode skeletal horses like Benjen and the White Walker in front of him.

The giant ice spider was four or five meters long, with long, beautiful legs that clung to the ice. Its small, icy blue eyes gleamed, and there were traces of blood on the edges of its huge, ferocious mouthparts.

Half of the mammoth's cheek had also rotted away, exposing the bones and decaying flesh.

The endless army of the dead and hundreds of White Walkers stood in neat rows before the altar, as if waiting for something. However, at this moment, they all raised their heads and looked at the two people approaching from afar, without uttering a sound.

With so many people so silent, it was as if you could hear a pin drop. No wonder Banyan was somewhat distracted while looking at the beautiful aurora in the sky and didn't notice it at all.

Benjen's heart had stopped beating, but the fear surging from the depths of his soul still made him tremble uncontrollably.

After all, his soul was still human. Benjen's body was now in some unknown state. He didn't know if he was a wight or a White Walker, but his soul was still not under control.