Bab 787: Chapter 787: The Council of Humanity
While it was easier said than done, during the civil war in Westeros, Braavos had sided with King Robert.
The Iron Bank provided Robert with a substantial low-interest or even interest-free loan. Their support for him was unquestionable, as the silver-haired boy had continuously thwarted Braavos on the continent of Essos.
However, many years had passed since then. The once-cautious boy who had walked on thin ice had grown into a young man who rode dragons, founded a great empire, and became the father of two children.
Yet, the former kindness between the two had long dissipated amidst the subsequent events, leaving only hatred behind.
The Braavosi sought help from Viserys?
Could it work?
Everyone turned their heads to look at Tormo Fregar, the current Sealord of Braavos, eager to see his facial expression.
Tormo Fregar also sensed the difficulty of the situation, recalling the words Viserys had once said to him at the foot of the Titan of Braavos.
At that time, the previous Sealord, Ferrego Antaryon, had committed war crimes. Tormo Fregar had just won the political struggle by relying on Viserys' burning of Braavos, becoming the next Sealord.
"We can't rely on ourselves alone," the Sealord said after a brief silence. "We need to contact others."
"Who?" someone asked.
"The other Free Cities," Tormo Fregar replied, and those present nodded slightly in agreement.
Viserys' base was in Andalos, and places like Andalos and Pentos were his foundation, along with the newly conquered Triarchy.
The empire would not easily give up these territories and watch the Free Cities fall one by one. Therefore, if the situation in Essos became severe, he would certainly come to the rescue.
However, if only Braavos sought help from King's Landing, their voice would be feeble. Once the leader of the Free Cities and the world's trade center, Braavos now felt insignificant in the face of the young, vast empire standing beside them, filled with expansionist desires.
Therefore, the Sealord of Braavos demanded that everyone join together, including Lorath, Qohor, Norvos, and others. The more people they brought, the stronger their bargaining power would be in the alliance.
Currently, the "Forest Walkers" of the Kingdom of Ifequevron were engaging the White Walkers. They were using their forest magic to temporarily halt the White Walkers' advance.
They had also sent out a call for help to the Free Cities. Ifequevron's envoys had already arrived in Braavos to seek aid, but Braavos had not yet responded to the wooden men's plea.
"Since that's the case, it's decided," the Sealord of Braavos concluded after careful consideration. "This is a crisis concerning the fate of all humanity. We must unite and convene a Council of Humanity to discuss countermeasures."
"Gather everyone! All the city leaders! We'll go to King's Landing together!"
Beyond the Wall was the vast Haunted Forest.
It was now covered with a layer of white snow, eerily silent with few bird calls. Dense trees stood tall, mostly pines that could withstand the harsh cold.
Westeros was now shrouded in darkness, with only a few stars faintly visible in the sky. Viserys rode his dragon over the Wall, heading north.
After leaving the Wall, Viserys felt a clear sense of unease, as if a pair of eyes had opened in the darkness, staring at him.
However, others did not have this feeling, such as Daenerys and Rhaenys when they patrolled. Yet, Viserys overcame this discomfort, knowing it wasn't someone watching him from the shadows, but rather the ancient powers of the Old Gods permeating the land, filled with the forces of death.
Viserys' sensitivity to divine powers far surpassed that of Rhaenys and Daenerys.
"The Old Gods and the Great Other both come from the darkness," Viserys suddenly recalled the words Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers, the Three-Eyed Raven, had once told him. The silver-haired young man frowned slightly as he sat on the dragon's back, looking down with the howling wind in his ears.
"The White Walkers have not appeared here," he thought. "Where did they go?"
Daenerys and Rhaenys had never flown too far, while Viserys patrolled a much wider range. He gently pressed on the dragon's back, and Balerion let out a low roar as he descended from the sky, landing on a snow-capped mountain.
"This should be the Frostfangs," Viserys said as he jumped off the dragon's back and looked around.
The heart of the Old Gods had once rested on this mountain range. It was also the homeland of the Children of the Forest, like Leaf and Snowylocks. It guarded a bottomless pit, and legend had it that no Child of the Forest who entered it could come out alive.
Viserys remembered standing guard beside the heart of the Old Gods, with the Night King and his minions surrounding the mountain, seemingly determined not to leave until the Old Gods were destroyed. It was at that moment that the Three-Eyed Raven, Brynden Rivers, told him that the Old Gods and the Great Other shared the same origin and would eventually come for them no matter where they hid.
However, this world was evidently more mysterious than Viserys had realized. He had once thought that this world only had the main theme of ice and fire.
But he hadn't expected so many hidden elements beneath these themes, and the clash of ice and fire was merely a facade, or rather, just pawns manipulated by the gods.
He wanted to see what the bottomless pit, once suppressed by the heart of the Old Gods, looked like now.
But at that moment, a clear dragon roar sounded from the distant horizon.
Viserys looked up and saw a white-gold dragon flying over from the direction of the Wall, its silhouette visible in the faint starlight.
It turned out that Daenerys, seeing Viserys fly north for a long time without returning, had become worried and rode her dragon to find him.
"Dany?" Viserys raised an eyebrow as he watched the silver-haired girl descend from the dragon's back. "Why are you here?"
Daenerys jumped off the dragon's back, her small leather boots sinking into the thick snow. The bitter cold wind blew her silver-gold hair and fur cloak, and her hands were clad in thick deerskin gloves.
She walked through the snow with light steps, coming to Viserys' side and taking his hand. She looked around and asked, "I was a little worried. Where is this place?"
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