Samwell stood in the ruins of the Black and White Courtyard, holding a pale yellow skull in his hand, scrutinizing it.

The skull gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity, but he couldn't be sure where it came from.

Other than that, the skull does not exhibit any specificity.

It appears to be an ordinary human skull, but the color is a little weird and small.

The white dragon poked his head over, his nose twitching slightly, as if he was very interested in the pale yellow skull.

The surviving Faceless Ones around them stood silently like statues.

They didn't seem to care at all about the destruction of their temple and the killing of their leader and hundreds of companions.

The pool filled with eerie black water had also collapsed, and the inky black water flowed out, mixed with blood, to create a gruesome picture on the marble floor.

However, with the death of the leader, the remaining Faceless Ones did not continue to attack.

I don't know if it was because I found that I couldn't kill the enemy, so I chose to give up, or if it was something else.

Samwell tightened the greatsword in his hand, and he also lost the desire to continue killing.

In fact, for the Faceless, although he has been assassinated by them in the past and this fierce confrontation, Samwell still has some affection for the Faceless.

After all, he had found the revelation to deal with the gods from the original Faceless One, thus avoiding the fate of becoming a puppet of the gods.

Moreover, the Faceless do not act for power, not for wealth, not for vanity, and even if they ask for the price of assassination, it is only for sacrifice, for the completion of some kind of ritual.

They are probably the purest people in the world.

"Hand over the dragon eggs, and I can let you live."

As he spoke, he himself felt that there was no threat to these faceless beings who had no normal view of life and death.

For these Faceless Ones, death may indeed be a relief.

Their indifference to all lives is insignificant, and hatred, anger, honor and disgrace seem insignificant.

After a moment of silence, a Faceless One stepped out of the crowd and approached Samwell with a tray in his hand.

On the tray, there are four dragon eggs.

Samwell was slightly surprised, but soon, he understood.

"The other three are the three dragon eggs that were lost by the Targaryens during the time of Jaehaerys I, right?"

"Yes." The Faceless nodded, "Miss Alyssa Farman came to Braavos with three dragon eggs and exchanged them for a large sum of gold from Aquaman. These dragon eggs all ended up in the Black and White Courtyard, and you can guess why. ”

"The price of killing." Samwell said, "Your business has always been expensive. ”

The Faceless One nodded in acknowledgement, and then said:

"These four dragon eggs belong to you, and the House of Black and White and the Caesar family have settled their grievances from now on."

"Yes." Samwell took the four dragon eggs and readily agreed.

He wasn't worried about these Faceless Ones taking revenge on him for today's events, and with his current strength, the Faceless Ones would be sent to death when they came.

Moreover, with the strange three views of the faceless one, the other party may not really hold a grudge.

Samwell, however, couldn't let go of what he had just seen in the vision.

"What was the illusion just now?" He asked tentatively.

"That's the biggest fear in your heart." The Faceless One.

Sam Will was silent.

The Faceless One spoke again, saying:

"We mortals have countless faces, and you are certainly no exception. Samwell Tully of Hornland, Pioneer Knights of the Crimson Mountains, Storm King of Storm's End, and His Majesty Caesar in King's Landing...... There may be more faces.

Just as the God of a Thousand Faces has thousands of incarnations, thousands of names.

But at the end of the day, there is only one object for whom everyone prays.

There is only one place for us.

Death.

This is the greatest gift and the most merciful ending. ”

Samwell shook his head, didn't say anything more, turned around and jumped on the dragon's back and left the Black and White Courtyard.

The white dragon spreads its wings and soars into the sky.

A raging wind raged through the ruins, but the faceless ones still stood like statues in the darkness, faces with different expressions under their hoods, silently watching the dragon's back.

……

At the same time that the Isle of the Gods is being turned upside down by Samwell, a meeting is taking place in Braavos's Palace of Truth about the future fate of the city-state.

The dignitaries who used to be personable in the past are now gathered together in disgrace, arguing with red faces and red ears.

Of course, with the titan beheaded, the military fortress on fire, and the Isle of the Gods in shambles, everyone agreed on a surrender.

What they argued about was how to appease Caesar's anger and get the other to stop attacking and leave Braavos.

"The Antarion family must take full responsibility for this matter!"

"Shit! That Bruce is fake, thought we couldn't see it? Why should we bear the trouble he has caused? ”

"Even if it's fake, it's an internal struggle within your Antarion family, and it's you who have attracted the Pantos and angered Caesar."

"Isn't the Iron Vault responsible? Why did the Red Temple awaken the Titans? There is also the House of Black and White, and those Faceless Ones have long had a grudge against Caesar. ”

"If you want me to say, it's better to hand over Brother Ferege, the king of the sea, that old guy is dying anyway......"

"Who said I was dead?"

An old man's voice suddenly sounded at the gate of the palace, and the magnates turned around one after another, and saw that the old sea king, who had been lying in bed, walked in with a group of guards.

I have to say that although the Sea King at this time has an old face, he walks with a strong pace, and he looks a little seriously ill and dying.

Seeing this scene, the Braavos magnates and even the representatives of the Antarion family all had a ghostly expression.

"Brother Fere, you ......"

"Tychu Nestos, you should call me Your Majesty." Aquaman interrupted domineeringly.

Tai Chu, the manager of the iron vault, eased his mind and suddenly understood:

"Your Majesty, it turns out that you have been pretending to be sick."

"That's right. If I hadn't feigned illness, I would have been poisoned by some people. Aquaman's gaze slowly swept over the faces of the Braavos magnates, remembering those dodgy glances in his heart.

But he also knows that now is not the time for revenge.

He must address external threats before he can proceed with internal reckoning.

So, before everyone could react completely, Aquaman took the lead and said:

"I'm sure you've all seen this catastrophe clearly, Braavos can't defend against the dragons, so surrender is the only option. Do any of you have any other opinions? ”

The magnates cautiously exchanged glances, and one of them proposed:

"Can't we make peace?"

"What about the conditions?" Aquaman asked rhetorically, "On what terms did you let Caesar go?" Dragon eggs? Do you think we are still qualified to negotiate now? ”

There was an awkward silence in the palace.

And at this moment, the howling wind resounded in the sky above the Palace of Truth.

Then the earth trembled, and everyone saw through the doors and windows the terrifying beast that had landed in front of the palace.

The dragon is coming!

Caesar is coming!

The magnates knew that the final judgment was coming, and their hearts suddenly tightened.

"Your Majesty Ferreg, you can negotiate with Caesar on behalf of Braavos and submit to ...... Not necessarily. However, it is necessary to ensure that the interests of each family are not infringed upon. ”

Aquaman glanced at the man who spoke, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, as if he was mocking.

"Okay."

As soon as the words fell, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door, and it seemed to knock on everyone's hearts.

Soon, a heroic young man walked into the Palace of Truth.

Blonde hair and golden eyes, exuding a coercion that people dare not look at directly, the giant sword in his right hand burned with golden flames, and the scorching heat wave mixed with the smell of blood, almost instantly, filled the entire palace, making it difficult to breathe.

"Your Majesty Caesar," Aquaman immediately turned and said in a loud voice, "I, Frego Antarion, am willing to submit to you on behalf of Braavos. ”

"Surrender?" Samwell chewed on the word, a smile on his face, "Tell me, how to count surrender." ”

"Swear allegiance to you, of course, and become your vassal." Aquaman said without hesitation, as if he had already made up his mind.

Hearing this, the Braavos magnates changed color for a while.

They all understood that if Aquaman was really willing to become Caesar's vassal, then from now on, the secret city of Braavos, the free trade city-state, would no longer be "free", but would be included in the territory of the Seven Kingdoms and accept the rule of the Iron Throne.

Samwell was actually a little surprised that Aquaman actually put on such a low posture as soon as he came up.

But soon, he understood the other party's cunning.

This guy has been lying in bed for so many years, not to mention that he has no prestige in Braavos, even within the Antarion family, I am afraid that he has no control.

In this case, Ferrego can be said to be the person who is most eager to get strong foreign help.

Moreover, becoming a vassal of Caesar, although not as noble as the Sea King, the title of vassal can be hereditary.

Aquaman, however, needs to pass an election.

Therefore, exchanging the position of an unhereditary Sea King for a hereditary duke, at least for the Antarion family, may not be a loss.

But for the rest of the Braavos elite, this is not good news.

This means that from now on, Braavos' authority will be concentrated in the hands of the Antarion family.

"Your Majesty Caesar," sure enough, an old man in a purple dress stepped forward and said, "Braavos is of course willing to submit, but I don't think it's advisable to be knighted." This is a free-trade city-state with its own political traditions, and I propose that the Sea King be changed to Prince Braavos, a vassal to the Iron Throne, but with the same electoral system. ”

Samwell smiled faintly and said:

"I think it's better to change it to the governor. As the supreme administrator of Braavos, you are still using your old election method. However, your elected governor must be endorsed by the Iron Throne. ”

Someone tentatively asked:

"What if the Iron Throne doesn't approve of our elected governor?"

"Then re-elect," Samwell said lightly, "until the Iron Throne is elected." ”

Everyone looked at each other and immediately realized what this condition meant for Braavos.

From then on, Braavos would become an overseas province under the Iron Throne.

"Also," Samwell continued, "Braavos' army must all be disbanded and garrisoned by the Iron Throne. ”

This is naked military control.

And that's not the end of it.

Samwell continued:

"Braavos must pay thirty percent of its annual revenues to King's Landing, as well as the Iron Vault...... Must be relocated to King's Landing. ”

Hearing this, the faces of the twenty-three members of the Spoon Keeper family changed drastically.

"Your Majesty, you can't do this!"

"The Iron Vault is the Iron Vault of Braavos, so you can only stay in Braavos!"

"Your Majesty, if you want to be respected by the Braavos, you must first respect the interests of the Braavos."

……

"Shut up." Samwell said lightly.

As he spoke, a loud dragon roar exploded outside the palace gate.

The scorching dragon's breath poured into the palace like a gust of wind, blowing the Braavos magnates to the ground.

That's when they realized what kind of opponent they were facing.

The nightmarish scenes that had happened tonight came back to their minds, filling them with fear.

"Flames melt steel." Samwell said, "I don't mind melting your vaults into juice and packing them up and bringing them back to King's Landing. ”

In the face of such a threat, no matter how reluctant the Spoon Man family was, they understood the determination of this king.

Confrontation with it can only lead to tragedy.

Seeing the twenty-three representatives of the Keykeeper family nodding their heads in turn, Samwell finally smiled again:

"Good. Rest assured, I am only relocating the Iron Vault to King's Landing, not confiscating your property. All the gold is not a small amount, and it belongs to you. ”

Hearing this, the members of the Watchman family slandered in their hearts-

The Iron Vaults have all been moved to King's Landing, and if the Iron Throne wants to expropriate the gold in the future, will they dare to refuse?

In Braavos, the Iron Vault is so powerful that even Aquaman can't influence their decisions.

The twenty-three key watchman families can also greatly influence the political situation in Braavos.

But if it comes to King's Landing......

Samwell saw their faces in his eyes and knew what they were thinking.

But he didn't care.

For the iron vault, he actually has a more detailed plan.

"Trust me," he softened, soothing, "the Iron Vault is going to King's Landing, and your wealth will not decrease, but increase. In the future, the Iron Vault will expand to the whole of Westeros, and even to the whole world with my conquest.

Maybe one day, you will be glad about today's decision. ”

After saying this, Samwell didn't explain more, and with a slight wipe of his right hand, he extinguished the golden flame on the giant sword, and then said:

"Now, it's time for you to step forward and swear allegiance to me."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and wondered:

"Your Majesty, didn't you mean...... Do you want to set up a governor? ”

"yes." Samwell laughed, "It's not a contradiction. You can still be my vassals, but the title is a false title, no territory, just a symbol of glory. ”

This is actually the direction of political reform that Samwell has hidden in his mind, and it is also the way he hopes to achieve centralization.

It's just that now that he is threatened by strange spirits, he is worried that rashly implementing it in the Seven Kingdoms will cause unrest.

Since Braavos himself had sent it to the door, he happened to experiment here first.

The nobility of Braavos was of course more receptive to this system than the nobility of the Seven Kingdoms, so under the leadership of Aquaman Ferego Antarion, everyone stepped forward in turn, knelt down in front of Samwell, and swore allegiance.

It wasn't until the first rays of dawn shone through the dense mist and charred smoke onto the secret city that the allegiance ceremony ended.

Since then, Braavos has ushered in a new era.

(End of chapter)