Night falls, but Melisandre's room never goes into true darkness.

Dozens of grease candles are scattered in all corners, emitting a roaring fire to resist the invasion of the night.

Melisandre, still wearing her scarlet robes, was sitting in front of the fireplace with her eyes closed, whispering a prayer to the fire.

Golden and scarlet flames intertwined in front of her, jumping, flickering, converging and dispersing, forming all sorts of wonderful, alluring, but faintly terrifying visions.

The red-robed witch trembled, black blood running down her eyes, hot and scorching, and green smoke rising from the ground.

She suddenly put her hands into the fire and let out a moan mixed with pain and pleasure.

The flame of excitement climbed up her milky skin, like a lover's warm touch, conveying longing and intoxication.

"Meryl......" A woman's cry rang in her ears.

"Seven!" Then came a man's voice.

Melisandre was immersed in the illusion and began to cry.

The tears turned into flames and dissipated into the air before they dripped down.

Knock Knock –

A knock on the door woke Melisandre.

She opened her eyes suddenly, and the confusion and pain in her eyes quickly receded, replaced by pious indifference.

When I opened the door, I saw Samwell standing outside.

"Lord Caesar." Melisandre bowed slightly.

"Haven't slept yet? Ms. Melisandre. ”

"I rarely sleep." Melisandre invites Samwell into the house.

"Why? Insomnia? ”

"Sleep is the temptation of death, and dreams are the whispers of alien gods. They want to drag us into eternal darkness. Melisandre said in a low tone, "So, I'd rather sit in front of the fire and pray all night, bathed in the scorching flame of the Lord of Light." ”

What a crazy woman.

Samwell suddenly wondered if it had been a wise decision for him to come to her.

"Lord Caesar, I see worry in your eyes." Melisandre's fiery eyes stared at the man, "Tell me, maybe I can help you." ”

"I'm going to go to the High Court ......," Samwell pondered.

"But you're worried that the Tyrells might work against you." Melisandre then finished speaking with the man.

"That's pretty much it." Samwell nodded in acknowledgement.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Margaery, but he was worried that Lady Olena and the inflatable fish might not follow Margaery's wishes.

If the inflatable fish went crazy, it was possible to tie him up and give it to the Lannisters as a gift.

But the High Court couldn't help but go.

It is not feasible for the stuffy head to develop in Eagle's Beak Island, the potential of this place is limited, and the white dragon cannot be raised in a short period of time - although the white dragon that drinks the dragon bone soup has signs of accelerated growth, it is still not able to dominate the battlefield in a year or two.

If Duke Tywin regains stability in the Seven Kingdoms and frees up his hands to deal with Hawksbill Island, then Samwell will have to flee in disgrace.

Therefore, he had to enlist the support of the High Court.

Of course, Samwell wasn't unprepared.

He planned to go to the Horn Tomb first, and take Count Randolph Tully with him. It's best to call Floren in Bright Water City again, with both the father and grandfather as a guarantor, even if the inflatable fish is unwilling to marry his daughter, he doesn't dare to do anything to Samwell.

But even after making preparations, Samwell was still a little worried, so he found the red-robed woman here.

"I don't recommend you go to the High Court." Melisandre poured cold water on the man.

Samwell's face remained unchanged, he was here to hear something else: "Why? ”

"Because I see the withering of roses in the light of the fire." Melisandre faced the fireplace, letting the firelight wash her cheeks red, "black blood pouring into the High Court, devouring everything." The white castle fell apart under the sweep of the Kuroshio. Shadows converge into skeletons, ash and white intertwine across the sky, forming a cold wind that destroys everything, extinguishing all flames, bringing death and destruction. ”

The tone of the red-robed witch's aria was breathtaking, but Samwell was unmoved.

He knew that the woman's interpretation of the prophecy in the original book was often wrong.

Moreover, prophecies do not necessarily come true.

This point was personally tested when he was in the city of heaven and earth.

During the fire of the Sanctuary, Samwell saw Joffrey order the city to be slaughtered, and then the entire sky and the city were reduced to a semblance.

But in fact, when he killed the rebellious king with his own hands, the massacre did not take place.

This made him realize that the Lord of Light might not be able to foresee everything.

For example, the scene where he kills the king does not appear in the flames, and the scene where he hatches the dragon does not appear either.

If you have to say that these two things don't matter, so the gods don't bother to give prophecies, then it smacks of sophistry.

There is also a prophecy about his identity, Samwell knows very well that he is not the reincarnation of Azar Yahai, nor was he born in the land of smoke and salt, as for the burning red sword and the dragon in the awakening stone, he leaned on it with reference to the prophecy.

The real reincarnation of Atholl Ahai should be either Jon Snow or Daenerys Targaryen.

"Did everything you see in the firelight happen?" Samwell asked.

"It's not just a matter of watching." Melisandre replied, "Prophecy is an art. Like any other art, it needs to be mastered, trained and studied. The Lord of Light delivers his will to His chosen people through the sacred fire, conversing to mortals in the languages of smoke, ashes, and rolling flames, which only the gods can master.

I have spent countless years practicing this art at a terrible cost. No one in the world, not even my companions, is so skilled at deciphering the secrets that lurk in the flames. ”

But you still get it wrong all the time. Samwell thought to himself.

And don't look at what the red-robed woman said a lot of just now, but in fact, she didn't answer Samwell's question head-on at all.

You weren't going to be a press spokesperson in your last life, were you?

"On the other side of the Narrow Sea, in the Guise Empire, there was a scholar who thought that prophecy was like a treacherous and sinister beauty." Samwell approached the firelight, "She'll give you endless pleasure and pleasure, but when you think you're on top of the world, she'll take all your possessions." Perhaps this is the essence of prophecy. Every time you think you're in control, it suddenly pushes you into the abyss. ”

"So the Guise Empire perished." Melisandre said lightly, "They didn't believe in prophecy, they didn't believe in magic, and then they were slaughtered by the Valyrians who controlled the dragons, and every inch of the land of the Guise Empire was sprinkled with salt, brimstone, and dry bones. This is the fate of the unbeliever, Lord Caesar. ”

"You misunderstood me." Samwell explained, "I believe in magic, and I own dragons. But I have always been cautious about prophecy. ”

There are many prophecies in the original book, and Samwell knows that even if some are known in advance, they still can't avoid the doomed end.

For example, Toad Witch's prophecy about Cersei's fate has almost become an obsession that haunts the queen for the rest of her life, and she tries her best to avoid the prophecy from happening, and does a lot of crazy things for it, but in the end it is in vain.

Her struggles seemed to be part of the prophecy.

"And, you just said you saw the withering of roses." Samwell pondered, "It's not a sign of my doom. ”

"Not really. But the High Court has become ominous place, and since you have consulted me, I would advise you to stay away from there. ”

"Thank you for your advice." "But I have a reason why I have to go." ”

He didn't trust me. Melisandre understood.

She could feel the man's suspicion fill the room like a black mist.

But she wasn't discouraged.

Skepticism is in the nature of kings.

Although she originally intended to make the prophesied prince in front of her fall in love with her, and even become her puppet, if the other party did fall into the sweet trap she weaved, Melisandre would be disappointed.

Now it would be good, and Melisandre was willing to continue this imminent dance with the prophesied prince.

"If you must go, allow me to send the blessing of the Lord of Light." Melisandre went to the corner of the room, opened a chest covered in openwork, and took out a ruby from it.

The gem shimmered blood-red, almost identical to the one in Melisandre's throat, but much smaller.

Samwell took the ruby, felt the hot temperature penetrate his skin, and guessed what it was:

"What is this?"

Melisandre held Samwell's hand, and the ruby, and her red lips lightly opened:

"Lord Caesar, please follow me—

Lakqumos。 ”

“Lakqumos。”

An eerie echo welled up from the room, slowly burrowing into his ears like countless worms.

The ruby held by the two of them suddenly erupted into a dazzling fire, and the light and shadow around Samwell were intertwined and twisted, rippling like water waves.

In the blink of an eye, his belly suddenly bulged, his shoulders and chest were much broader, his handsome face became round and old, and his silky black hair turned brown with a little white thread.

Melisandre pointed to the mirror in the room and said, "My lord, this is the blessing of the Lord of Light. ”

Samwell looked at himself in the mirror and his eyes widened suddenly-

Because that's what Mace Tyrell, Duke of the High Court, looks like!

"Is this witchcraft?" Samwell couldn't help but touch his completely changed face.

"Seduction, psychedelia, shapeshifting...... Whatever you want to call it, Rahlon is the Lord of the Flames, and His servants weave light like mortals weave silk threads. ”

"Are the Faceless Beings of the House of Black and White changing their faces in the same way?"

"It's a similar approach."

"And how do I cancel the disguise?"

"After half an hour, it will disappear automatically. When you want to disguise, just hold the ruby and recite the spell I just taught you. Keep in mind, however, that the power in this ruby can only support three disguises, and we have already used it once. ”

"Can I disguise myself as anyone other than Duke Mace?"

"Nope." Melisandre shook her head, "This ruby is soaked in Mace Tyrelll's blood, and it takes a whisper and prayer to summon this man's shadow over you." ”

Samwell glanced at the red-robed witch, secretly wondering when this guy got the blood of the "Inflatable Fish Lord", was it in Tianji City?

"I love this gift." Duke Metz smiled in the mirror with satisfaction, "This is much more useful than those vague prophecies." ”

"It's my pleasure to serve you."

(End of chapter)