Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

Logically, she should have an advantage in terms of agility. However, the giant prince had lived with Heros in the human court since childhood and practiced human fighting methods. Therefore, Artis is a fighter who is both strong and agile.

Arya didn't gain any advantage and unfortunately lost and was eliminated.

The final battle was between Edric Dayne, the Sword of the Dawn, and Artis, the Prince of Giants.

Chapter 961 Martial Arts Tournament Benefits

The final battle was scheduled for three days later, giving the two contestants ample time to rest and prepare.

On the day of the final match, King's Landing was bustling with unprecedented excitement. This martial arts tournament, which lasted for more than a month, became the biggest topic of conversation among the people of King's Landing.

One after another, ancient surnames and noble families, along with the young generation of knights, emerged like a hundred schools of thought contending and a hundred flowers blooming, drawing cheers from the onlookers.

The empire's young people are full of vitality and energy, no less than their fathers, which gives people more trust and expectations for the country.

Therefore, when the biggest suspense of this martial arts tournament unfolded—the battle for the final championship—people's enthusiasm reached its peak, and they flocked to the tournament venue in the outer city from all over the country early in the morning.

According to the number of bettors and the odds, people have the highest expectations for 'Prince of Giants' Artis to win the championship, while the young 'Sword of the Morning' Edric Dane has slightly less support than Prince of Giants.

There is no other reason.

The giant prince Artis performed exceptionally well in the previous matches, and Edric Dayne still needed to outmaneuver his enemies before defeating them one by one with his superb swordsmanship.

The giant prince's fighting style was much simpler. He relied on brute force, using simple and brutal tactics. He would grab his opponent from his horse and throw him around, leaving him dazed and confused. Or he would punch his opponent away, denting his armor and causing him to vomit blood.

Such exaggerated battles are extremely eye-catching, so it's not hard to understand why people have higher expectations for Artis compared to Edric Dane, who is still an ordinary person.

The giant prince was already nearly seven feet tall, close to two meters, at the age of eight, comparable to Gregor Clegane, the most villainous man in the Seven Kingdoms. How tall would he be when he grew up and became the king of giants?

Although the giant kings now live in the Kingswood outside King's Landing, as neighbors with the dragons, the giants do not usually leave the Kingswood, so the common people outside cannot see them and dare not approach them easily.

It's no secret that dragons are kept in the Royal Forest, and this area has been designated as a royal hunting restricted zone. This restricted zone is actually for the benefit of the surrounding people; otherwise, anyone who trespasses into the Royal Forest would become food for the dragons.

"This giant prince... perhaps only the Mountain could rival him now."

The final battle is about to begin. In the VIP seats of the tournament arena, nobles who had witnessed the villain "The Mountain" Gregor Clegane's battle remarked with emotion.

Meanwhile, on the highest throne in the VIP section, Arianne wore a pale yellow dress embroidered with magnificent patterns characteristic of Dorne, and wore a Valyrian steel crown, the ruby ​​in it reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.

She sat on her throne, looking down at the world below, with a parasol held up by guards to shield her from the sun. Her maid, Sansa Stark, stood beside her, holding a fan.

Although Princess Dorne was over thirty years old and had been married to Viserys for more than a decade, she was still stunningly beautiful and became the focus of attention as soon as she appeared.

"His Majesty."

The imperial nobles who had traveled from afar to pay their respects hurriedly stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

The leader of them was Hendry, the illegitimate son of the Governor of the Riverlands and the former Commander-in-Chief of the Dragonstone Fleet.

Many years ago, he had already received a personal decree from Viserys to reclaim the Brecken name. After his father's death, Hendry Brecken became the new Earl of the Twins and the Governor of the Riverlands.

The young governor of the Riverlands is now married; he has married Carriell Smallwood, the daughter of Thomas Smallwood, Earl of Acornhall, and Lady Ravenna Swin. The young girl is beautiful, loves to dance, and has a lovely singing voice.

After his father's death, Hendry did indeed need a wife from the Riverlands family to help him consolidate his rule.

The Riverlands once experienced a severe period of chaos and rebellion during the Long Night, but it has long been quelled. It is said that many people were hanged, and to this day, the bodies of those hanged can still be seen swaying in some abandoned villages and castles, which has even led to legends of haunted places.

Hendry, as Governor of the Riverlands, actually did a good job. Although he had the surname Brecken, he was still of humble origin and easily looked down upon. Therefore, his marriage to Carelline Smallwood was a brilliant move.

After paying their respects to Her Majesty the Empress, the nobles from all over the country stood up and returned to their seats.

"His Majesty."

Just then, Velas Tyrell, wearing the Hand of the Emperor medal on his chest and leaning on a cane, stepped forward. He first glanced at his fiancée, Sansa, who was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen, and her cheeks immediately flushed slightly.

"Your Majesty, please look..."

Then Velas came to Arianne's side, whispered a few words in her ear, and handed a note to Her Majesty the Queen.

"understood."

Arianne nodded slightly upon hearing Velas's words, and the diligent Prime Minister bowed and then withdrew.

He wasn't particularly interested in the outcome of the martial arts tournament.

In reality, it had nothing to do with Edric Dane or Artis who would win the final championship, since the outcome that would affect the court was already determined before the competition even started.

Velas had many other concerns, such as the total revenue from this tournament.

This was his pilot test, and today it had come to an end. The betting and statistics were completed before the game started, and the financial officer reported the final figures to Velas, which made him feel a little suffocated.

The net revenue from this martial arts tournament reached an astonishing figure, with even the royal family, which only took a cut, receiving over 300,000 gold dragons.

And this doesn't even include the economic benefits generated by the influx of so many distinguished guests and knights to King's Landing, including all the consumption, food, clothing, housing, and transportation, as well as the most direct tax revenue.

This number is outrageous.

In comparison, Robert Baratheon's tournaments typically cost him hundreds of thousands of gold dragons each time.

This martial arts tournament not only avoided losses, but also generated an astronomical net profit.

Because King Robert held a tournament, the final prize alone amounted to nearly 100,000 gold dragons.

Moreover, during the tournament, the knights' lodging, drinks, food, and even post-drinking exercise were all provided free of charge by the royal family.

Chapter 962 Assassination in the Street

"Money is so easy to make!"

Velas was born into the wealthy Tyrell family and had seen countless amounts of money since childhood, but this was the first time he realized that money could be so easy to make.

Therefore, Velas secretly decided that such a nationwide martial arts tournament could be held every four years to maintain a certain level of novelty.

Furthermore, they need to find a way to take the right to host the martial arts tournament and the profits from it away from the royal family, and change the main body to the imperial government.

Although the royal treasury and the national treasury may seem like the same thing, with the emperor able to spend the national treasury's money at will, there are actually many intricacies involved, which cannot be explained in a few words. As the Prime Minister, Velas understands the difference best.

In fact, Viserys, as the first emperor, was very confident in himself, and thus established a highly centralized state.

However, this left a hidden danger: the Valyrian emperor had too much power. The Targaryen family had been waging wars and expanding their territory for years, and in fact, the royal treasury was even richer than the imperial treasury.

Therefore, if the government wants to obtain this benefit, it needs to negotiate with the royal family...

Velas's mind was clear as he planned his next move.

"My lord, you've worked hard."

The servants waiting outside the tournament venue had already prepared a sedan chair and carriage for him.

Two tall, gentle pack horses, soft handmade carpets inside the carriage, naturally warm animal hide cushions, and handmade Mil handmade incense burning to calm the mind, sending up wisps of smoke.

"Ah."

Velas nodded slightly, then, with the help of the Prime Minister's servant, boarded the carriage and sat on the soft seat.

Then, listening to the sound of wheels rolling on the bluestone pavement, he closed his eyes to rest.

However, at that moment, he suddenly heard some unusual sounds.

"kill!"

"Kill him!"

Then came the sound of the Prime Minister's Tower guards fighting with someone, the clanging of swords clashing.

Upon hearing the sound, Velas Tyrell quickly opened his eyes.

bang——

Then suddenly a loud bang was heard, the carriage shook violently, and a cold crossbow bolt was firmly embedded in the carriage. The sharp arrowhead protruded from inside the carriage, but did not completely penetrate.

...

And at the martial arts tournament.

"In the presence of Her Majesty the Great Empress of the Valyrian Empire and all of you, we gather here..."

"Witness the battle between Lord Edric of House Dane and Artis, son of the giant king Magmaz Tundo Dor Vig."

The final match of this martial arts tournament was presided over by Prince Oberon, the Empire's Minister of Justice. In fact, the original draft should have started with "Under the witness of the gods and something else..." and followed by "Thanks to the gods for granting us justice... May the warriors guide the two..."

However, later, due to some special reasons, all words involving gods were removed.

This is actually yet another signal from the empire to the outside world that it is suppressing religious beliefs.

Oberyn stood in the center of the field, dressed in a golden robe, breeches, and leather boots that were also characteristic of Dorne. A smile appeared on his slightly ruddy cheeks as he spoke loudly.

His voice wasn't loud, but most of the audience in the venue could hear it faintly.

Oberyn's attire makes him look quite young, perhaps due to his optimistic attitude and good skincare. If he doesn't smile, there aren't many wrinkles on his cheeks, but in reality, his hair is already mixed with a lot of gray.

Oberyn is already forty-nine years old this year. Who would have thought that this prodigal prince, who still frequents taverns and brothels, is almost fifty?

After Oberyn finished his opening remarks, the staff below were helping the two contestants put on their armor. The giant prince was initially reluctant to wear the armor, but his good friend, Prince Heros Targaryen, spoke up with a serious expression.

"The opponent is very strong."

“I don’t want anything to happen to you, Artis.”

"You are my friend."

Heros's words made Artis pause slightly, but he eventually nodded and agreed to wear the armor in a clumsy and rough tone, just so that his good brother could rest assured.

Because of his height and intelligence, Artis wanted to integrate into human society, but he had no other friends in the Red Keep. Everyone else was afraid of him. Heros was his only friend. The giant prince followed Heros around every day to protect his safety.

Therefore, when Artis heard that the Red Keep was recruiting a new batch of 'bodyguards' who would replace him and that he would no longer be responsible for protecting Heros, Artis hurriedly asked to sign up for the tournament.

Meanwhile, Edric Dane quietly donned his armor and sat under the parasol, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

In this match, he also cannot use his own weapon, otherwise it would be too unfair to his opponent if Edric were to bring out the divine sword Dawn.

In this match, players had the freedom to choose their weapons. Edric still opted for dual swords, while Artis chose a thickened and heavier lance, almost equivalent to a knight's lance on horseback, which he wielded with overwhelming force.

After the two were ready, they finally stood in the center of the field under the scorching sun. The sunlight overhead was so bright that it reflected off their armor, making it glow with golden light.

Facing this formidable opponent, Edric Dane took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of his sword, stared intently at his opponent, and then glanced at the guards who were about to sound the starting horn before speaking.

"Big guy, can we stop here?"

"I won't hurt you, but please don't kill me."

Artis, who had been gripping his wooden spear and ready to fight, heard the little guy speak and his gaze narrowed slightly. He then nodded slowly without saying a word.

Due to his racial characteristics, Artis's common language is not very good; to put it simply, he has a slight stutter. Therefore, he is usually silent and unwilling to talk much.