Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

The slender woman with long legs lowered her head and remained silent for a while before finally nodding and speaking.

"Thank you, Supreme Pastor, for your help."

"No need to be so polite, Your Excellency."

However, Benello's eyes were calm, and his bald head, covered in flame tattoos, reflected the sunlight overhead.

It rained in Valantis last night, which was one of the reasons that Gillian was able to escape. This morning, there was still dew on the branches and petals from last night, and the ground underfoot was a bit muddy.

"The night is dark and treacherous, but we are all fighting for the light."

Benello spoke meaningfully, then nodded slightly to another red-robed priest beside him.

"Machiro".

"Supreme Pastor".

Standing next to Benello was a seven-foot-tall monk in a red robe with skin as black as tar.

His round belly was shaped like a huge pebble, and his tangled, bone-white beard, like lion's mane, meandered out from his face.

The flame pattern on his face was even more exaggerated than Benello's, with crimson flame tattoos covering his cheeks and forehead, making him look somewhat ferocious.

However, he was humble and devout in his attitude toward Bennero. He was Bennero's most trusted right-hand man, one of the most powerful priests in the Crimson Cult, and also the messenger who would be sent to King's Landing in the future.

"Miss Asha Greyjoy."

"This way, please."

The red-robed monk Machiro raised his hand in an inviting gesture, indicating that he would be the one to arrange a place for Asha to stay in the temple.

Asha hesitated for a second as she looked at the other person's frightening appearance. The other person was no less attractive than the monster from the previous night, and looked like they could open their mouths and devour people at any moment. But she still nodded and said goodbye to the High Priest before leaving.

Benello stood there watching Marchio and Asha walk away.

A barely perceptible flame was burning deep within his eyes, which is why some people thought Benello's eyes were a little red.

He watched Asha's retreating figure, and from behind the woman he saw a wisp of black mist swirling around her.

His gaze then turned to a flame burning beside a stone pillar of the nearby temple. Benello could see the shadow of any person he desired in the flame.

However, there was one person who failed: Viserys.

Benello couldn't see any trace of him in the flames. A few years ago, he might have been able to, as he sensed the impending crisis that would sweep the world and had been paying attention to the boy for a long time. Back then, he could see the shadow of Viserys growing up, but he didn't know when it started, he could no longer see him.

At first, he thought that God had stopped him from doing so, but later he found that this was not the case.

He tried to predict anything related to Viserys but to no avail, not even through the people around him, as if this person didn't belong to this world.

"Is the aura emanating from her because she's being targeted by the servants of an evil god?"

"Or because she's close to Viserys."

...

That night, the sky gradually darkened.

During the day, the governor of Valantis ordered all the Tiger Robe Army to thoroughly search every street and alley in the city in an attempt to find the monster.

Because so many people witnessed what happened last night, it couldn't be covered up. The next day, the news spread like wildfire throughout the upper and lower towns on both sides of the Valantis Bridge.

Many people vividly described the half-human, half-fish monster, claiming that it was extremely ferocious, indiscriminately killing dozens of people in one night. It lived in the underground system of Valantis, and many people who had disappeared in recent years had ended up in its stomach.

Others claim it's a monster that escaped from the Valyrian ruins.

Because of the uproar caused by the Yanhai riots a few years ago, the spreading Yanhai swallowed up an ancient waterway and large areas of land.

This has forced ships bound for Slaver's Bay, Qarth, and the Jade Sea to now detour around the Summer Islands, needlessly increasing trade costs. Since Valantis is not far from the Valyrian ruins, the monster that suddenly appeared in Valantis must have escaped from the Smoky Sea.

However, some of these rumors sound plausible, reasonable, and convincing, while others are rather outrageous.

Some believe it was a conspiracy by Malajo Megia, the leader of the Tiger Party, who secretly cultivated these monsters through alchemists with the intention of ruling the world, since the Tiger Party's governing philosophy was to conquer the entire world.

However, if the Tiger Party truly possessed such abilities, it wouldn't have declined for hundreds of years.

Chapter 726 Sacrifice

In fact, some of these guesses are quite close to the real answer.

Gillian has indeed lived in Valanthi for several years, even before he became a monster.

Indeed, he had eaten quite a few of the people who had gone missing in the city in recent years, and he had also escaped from the Valyrian ruins.

To be precise, he brought out the curse or some kind of virus from there.

During the day, the Tiger Robe Army and the Hands of the Holy Fire guarding the Temple of Lahero searched every street and alley in the entire city of Valantis, even under bridges and manholes, in their search for Gillian's whereabouts.

And the room where he used to live was no exception. Although it was considered a restricted area in the surrounding streets, and the people living nearby dared not approach it, claiming that anyone who approached would disappear, the slave soldiers of Valantis were naturally ignorant and fearless.

They broke down the door of the dilapidated hut and went inside to search. Sure enough, the search uncovered some clues. One of the covers of the house was movable, and when they lifted it, they discovered that there was something else underneath.

The Tiger Robe Army soldiers jumped down with torches in their hands, and when they saw clearly, they all vomited.

The scene below was so horrific that it was a small mountain of bones, most of which were half-chewed, and several skeletons were nailed to the wall.

They were almost certain that this was the monster's hiding place, but he hadn't returned after escaping last night, and they didn't know where he had gone.

The governor of Valantis, the ancient families living in the upper city, the wealthy merchants, and so on—none of them wanted to live in the same city as such a monster.

They feared that their adversaries had changed their targets, ceasing their attacks on the imperial envoys and instead turning on them to wreak havoc, and that one day they might suddenly bite through their throats in their sleep.

In fact, the other side had been hunting in their city for many years, but because the identities of the dead were insignificant—they were all slaves, drunkards, or thieves—it did not attract widespread attention, and it would not have been exposed until now if it weren't for this accident.

They were unaware that the monster's target was Asha. Due to the chaos of yesterday, the monster was first discovered by patrolling Tiger Robe Army soldiers, and three of them were killed in the pursuit before it attacked Asha.

Therefore, it looks as if Asha suffered an undeserved misfortune, just unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfire.

If the higher-ups of Valantis knew that the monster's target was Asha, they would probably drive her away immediately, preferably as far away from the city as possible.

Unfortunately, they were unaware of the truth, and the Supreme Priest of the Cult of Red Gods, who was considered the 'Light of Wisdom' and the 'Fire of Truth,' was not on the same path as them.

The three-headed politics of Valanthi consisted of some consuls who wanted their party to be powerful, some who wanted absolute hegemony, and some who wanted to be the Prince of Valanthi, just like the pirate governor of Myr, who is now the pirate prince.

But Benello was different; he wanted something more sublime.

Therefore, he remained hidden in the temple of Valantis, constantly making plans on the continent of Essos, waiting for the right opportunity.

"The night is long and treacherous."

Benello finished reading a letter from Norfos, then a flame ignited in his palm, burning the letter to ashes.

The firelight illuminated his pale cheeks, the flame tattoos on his chin and bald head, and on his desk lay a letter from Kohol.

...

Night falls, and all is quiet.

Recently, due to the visit of the Imperial fleet, the governor of Valantis has ordered a curfew in the Bat Valley until the morning of the following day.

However, because of the attack last night, the whole city knows that there is a half-human, half-fish monster that eats human flesh right next to them, and the destruction of its lair during the day confirms this.

Therefore, shortly after the sun set below the horizon, Valantis became quiet. Pedestrians returned home early, shops closed, and boards were put up. The streets were deserted, and most people were in a hurry.

The city of Valantis is separated from the upper and lower city by a large river, the Lorne River, the mother river of the Rhoyna. The Lorne River has a rapid current and is extremely wide.

Otherwise, the long bridge of Valantis wouldn't have been so difficult to build, and it wouldn't have been included among the "Nine Wonders of the Ancient World" by "Long-Legged" Lomas.

And it was in the Lorne River, which flows into the summer sea, that a dark figure rose and fell beneath the surface of the water. It was Gillian, who had escaped and disappeared the night before.

At that moment, he floated on the water and poked his head out. Just then, a large ship happened to be passing by downstream. However, the light on the Lorne River was extremely poor at night, and the people on the ship could not see the head poking out of the water.

Gillian ignored the large ship and turned his gaze to the distance.

This was his last refuge. After escaping from Andalus, he returned to his former homeland. He dared not return to the Westerlands, fearing that his current appearance would frighten his family.

Therefore, he could only come to Valantis, but he never expected that even his final home would be taken away from him.

He had already quietly gone ashore during the day, but to be on the safe side, he hid to the side. Then he saw his house being searched, and Gillian fled again, hiding in the water.

"I'm going to kill her—"

At this moment, Gillian's eyes were glowing crimson, and his mind was becoming increasingly irrational. The world before his eyes was turning a dark red.

He harbored a powerful desire to kill all living beings, not just the woman who persecuted him, but all people and all living things.

Then they offered their souls to a god dwelling in the underworld, the will to destroy...

Gillian's mind was a blur, but for some reason, it became exceptionally clear when he thought about this.

Before his eyes he seemed to see the fourteen fire peaks of Valyria, which had now become fourteen bottomless black holes emitting billowing black smoke.

Gillian had suppressed himself for years, but now, stimulated, he had completely failed. He seemed to be turning into the monster he had seen in the Valyrian ruins.

His body, rising and falling in the water, still showed the axe that Victalion had cleaved into his chest yesterday.

However, the serious injury I suffered yesterday seems to have healed completely today, leaving only a long scar and broken fish scales, but the wound has completely healed.

Then Gillian's eyes turned completely blood red, and it let out a low roar as it looked in the direction of the Temple of Laherlo.

Then it disappeared into the water without a trace.

Chapter 727 The Final Battle of the Civil War

The Imperial fleet has been docked in Valantis for several days due to a monster attack, and it looks like they will need to stay at the Temple of Lahero for a few more days.

Firstly, it was to heal his uncle, Victalion, and secondly, as the High Priest had suggested, he hoped to fish out this monster that could move freely underwater.

Otherwise, it would be troublesome if the fleet encountered an attack when it weighed anchor and set sail for Nas Island.

Asha, residing in the Temple of Laherlo, wrote a letter recording these recent events and sent it to Pentos, where the governor would forward it to Viserys.

Writing a letter before leaving each place has become a personal habit of Asha's since she set sail.

After all, Viserys had spoken with her before she set sail, and that her mission was to expand the Empire's influence, extending the Iron Throne's influence to Volantis, the Summer Isles, and even Slaver's Bay, Yunkai, Meereen, and even further afield to Qarth.

However, due to the turmoil in the sea, communication between East and West has become very difficult. Fleets have to navigate around the deep sea, which has eliminated many weaker fleets, but has also effectively cut off communication between East and West.

Viserys, sitting on the Iron Throne, had already heard that the Dothraki, who had marched east across the Bone Mountains, seemed to have encountered a powerful Eastern nation and were ultimately forced to retreat.

Viserys never hid his curiosity about the East. He even mentioned to Jon Clinton that once he had put everything aside, he wanted to ride Balerion from Westeros to the Sea of ​​Sunset and fly to the ends of the earth.

He speculated that it might be the legendary Dawn Mountains, the Shadow Lands, the Saffron Strait, or even the continent of Urtes.

However, this was ultimately just Viserys's speculation. Although the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the world may not be a sphere; it could be some much stranger shape.