The king on the Great Wall

"For individuals, it may be a wise choice to stop losses decisively, but the Iron Bank is an organization that makes a living by lending." Immediately, the main fighters took over the words knowingly, "If the target is a force, a country, If we give up on recovering debts because it is too difficult and costly to recover, then we will not only lose the debt itself, but also suffer from the iron law of 'the iron treasury cannot be in arrears'. A monarch who has gained some confidence in his own strength will try to renege on his debts—and the latter point will be the bigger disadvantage in the long run!"

"I completely agree with this, but—" someone asked back immediately, "What the Queen is doing now is not not owing the money, but negotiating an acceptable repayment plan with us?"

"Well said!" Gordon knocked on the table with his fingertips, and after attracting everyone's attention - he raised his arm and pointed at the questioner, "Everyone is watching, if you say 'the convenience of seeing the enemy's weapons makes you afraid of fighting', you are either stupid or The first type of bad 'stupid', the one that jumps out into everyone's field of vision now is the second type!"

Regardless of the perplexed, inexplicable, and distorted expressions of those named, the old man kept on talking: "Is the only invisible benefit of the Iron Bank is the prestige of 'no default'? No, there are also credit and financial dominance! This kind of power is illusory, it exists only in the human heart, but it is indestructible from some perspectives. Today, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister proposed to use Targaryen bonds to offset the debt owed by the Iron Bank. Some people really think—— Just 'paid back in another form'?"

"Fool!"

After taking a deep breath, he suddenly burst into a drink, which surprised everyone.

Probably because he used too much force when he uttered this phrase, Gordon coughed several times, and slowly resumed his breathing rhythm under the pat on the back of the girl beside him, before continuing.

"The essence of Targaryen bonds is a financial product. Its efficacy and credit have not yet been generally recognized. As long as you pay attention to the information, you can know that so far the Queen has been relying on the method of issuing heroes and following the family. Promote it. At this time we Iron Bank gladly accepted Daenerys's suggestion to pay off the bond, what is this? You can say 'the Queen paid the debt in the form of bonds', but I would say - this is the 'Iron Bank With the millions of gold dragons paid up front - the bonds of the Bank of Westeros were purchased'! This move is to advertise and legitimize and credit for a nascent potential competitor on the other side of the narrow sea as the world's financial center endorsement!"

"If the Bank of Westeros has paid a high price for this kind of endorsement, we may have a discussion around 'is the price enough'-although I can't say how much is enough. But now, they are Are you taking money that should belong to us, to coerce us to accept the conditions? The decision makers who count on the iron bank are all out of their minds, and will foolishly transfer their most valuable wealth to competitors? We are When did a lender become a philanthropist?!"

This reasoning is actually not complicated, nor is it new—it can be said that in the debates and quarrels of the previous ten days or so, some combatants have already analyzed these contents in an orderly manner... However, when no authority came forward to suppress In the field, the debate between the hawks and the doves is often a chicken-and-duck discussion, each talking their own way, and no one wants to calm down and listen carefully to and analyze their own views.

"I have long said that this is self-destruction, but some people just don't listen!"

"It's more than that! Bonds can be used to exchange for gunpowder weapons, but what is the price and when will it be delivered... There is no promise for these key information, which is equal to how many things our more than 200 million golden dragons can buy, and when can we get them— ——It's all up to the other party to decide, what a sinister and vicious plan!"

With the support of the big bosses, the already dominant main fighter faction gained an overwhelming upper hand. The small room was filled with their eager echoes and accusations, and the main peace faction The weak-willed ones have already changed their positions, and those few who were originally ill-conceived have also been shaken after hearing Gordon Gallonier's detailed and multi-angle analysis. Wen: "But these contents can all be agreed when signing a formal agreement, no matter how bad it is, can't we just declare that we only accept cash payments?"

"Okay, stop!" Although the opponents are either stupid or bad, but the pig teammates are sometimes annoying, Gallonier frowned irritably, and stared at the few who were still thinking Junior, "Don't digress! In this matter, whether the bond is repaid with arms or cash is not the key at all! The key is-the debt-to-bond matter itself, only itself! As long as we choose to accept it for a while, Wei Wei The Stroh Bank got into our strong door like a mouse, opened a hole in the impenetrable credit mountain of the Iron Vault, and secretly transferred a part of our invisible wealth-financial influence. This transfer and blood-sucking It will be silent and non-existent for a long time, until we belatedly come back to our senses, and we are surprised to find that the economic foundation of Braavos has long been as riddled with wood eaten by termites A hundred holes, once stabbed, it will rot, and the situation will be so corrupted that even the 23 first-generation keeper reincarnated will not be able to save it!" Gordon scanned the circle with sharp eyes, "Everyone thinks that the "History of the Decline and Fall of Braavos" in later generations is describing In this period of history, which point in time will be set as the beginning of our decline?"

After a half-time pause of three or two seconds, more than one person gave the answer.

"The Iron Bank of Braavos - from the moment Daenerys I Targaryen's bond is accepted!"

The obvious positive answer, Gordon nodded and approved the answer: "What is stupid? It is when others are staring at your capital, but you are still thinking about the benefits he promised; when others are thinking about your belongings and business behind you, You still think about what you owe him; when someone else comes to kill you, you are full of business! Back to the Targaryen bond itself - paper for real gold and silver, for things other than precious metals Anchoring the value of currency and making finance more than ten times more efficient is a vision, a dream that countless bankers, including me, have long had... or a delusion, but it is a pity that I have spent half my life, and I have not been able to find a way Take this step. Who would have thought that half of his body was buried in the ground when he was so old, and he unexpectedly saw someone on the other side of the ocean trying to turn this idea into reality!"

"Emotionally speaking, I even want to join this game." Gordon sighed a little melancholy, and his previous intense tone became lower and steady, "It's a pity that my reason tells me: the other party can't give up a partner position. Sit on me, firearms are far from a reliable and ideal anchor that can replace precious metals, which is not reliable. However, judging from the incredible lives and victories of Daenerys and Iger, I dare not be arrogant confidently concluded that they would fail..."

His tone lifted, and he became firm and cold again: "But, at least one thing I can confirm, that is: the little queen and the prime minister in black across the narrow sea want to reshape the whole of Westeros and even the world. As the biggest beneficiary of the existing world order, we, Braavos, can say: what they want to shake is precisely our foundation, the core interests of the city-state that are more important than anyone present. The Stroh Bank and the Second Targaryen Dynasty behind it are not simply a 'competitor', but our mortal enemy! It is here to kill us, and 200 million gold dragons are involved in this matter In fact, it is not worth mentioning at all. In the competition and confrontation with the deadly enemy, as long as the final victory is achieved, it is acceptable to injure the enemy one thousand and self-defeating ten thousand. This is the last moment. At this time, it is still acceptable to use businessmen Thinking about problems is stupid!"

By this time, the main peace faction had completely died down and retreated into the corner, but Gordon's fierce pursuit was still not over.

"Those who really think that we should accept the bond and make peace with the new Targaryen dynasty, I call it stupid, so bad?" He paused, watching the strange and awkward atmosphere fill the room for a long time Then he went on to say, "There are quite a few people in this room who can clearly see that something is wrong and realize that this action is harmful to the interests of Braaavos... but because they have received a rich property from a dwarf, And speaking for the little queen with no conscience. There are more important matters right now, and I will not raise it, let alone agree to pursue and liquidate it, but please those guys who know it well, so they can do it themselves!"

After sweeping around the participants with icy eyes, he finally pointed his gun at his teammates: "As for those who firmly opposed this from the very beginning, don't get too complacent! You can clearly judge Interests, seeing the long-term future, and occupying an absolute advantage, but why wasted more than half a month in pointless debates and quarrels with a small group of people who are either stupid or bad, and did not wake up—— If no agreement can be reached, first use the available resources to do something - such as electing a temporary Aquaman agent to break the situation? We have already missed the best time to support and cooperate with Daenerys in the River Bend. After the opponent failed in the first round of the fight, he also suffered a crushing defeat in the second round! I even dare to bet that within a month—the news of "Hewan surrendered, and the descendants of Qingshou lost power" will come from the other side of the narrow sea It came... The balance of victory is rapidly tilting to the enemy's side, and we haven't even begun to prepare for the battle! "

"In view of this, I, a retired old fellow, with great love and loyalty to Braavos, here today I am going to step into the dictatorship: don't go away, and the issue will go directly from 'Should I be with you? The queen goes to war', become 'How to overthrow the old dynasty restored by the Mother of Dragons'!"

-

Chapter 663 Subversive template

Domineering and dictatorial - these were the two points Gordon Gallonier was most criticized for in his final years as Chief of the Keykeepers and de facto leader of the Iron Bank and Braavos, until he voluntarily retired after his success, He resolutely gave up his seat to the younger generation and moved out of the main urban area to the countryside to spend his life away from the center of power. He completed the whole set of operations of "retreating bravely" and "washing hands in the golden basin" one by one until they were completely rounded up. Related criticisms Only then began to subside slowly and gradually disappear.

Time has passed, and the peers who criticized Gordon fiercely in those days have all withered. Among the people sitting in this room, there are very few people who have discussed matters with him at the same table. Most people only have the impression of this old man as others ( Mainly from the elders) Description: Awesome, but even more arrogant... saved the Iron Bank from decline, and almost turned Braavos into his personal kingdom.

This is a legendary figure with mixed reputations, but at this moment, the same idea still popped up in the hearts of most of the main combatants present: Although democratic discussions are good, it feels like there is a courageous person to take the lead and carry things at critical moments , also not bad.

However, the members of the Spoon Watchers Association, who were criticized no matter which side they stood on, waited for a moment with wide-eyed eyes, but they didn't hear that the irritable old man had another instructional speech. He leaned back into the soft cushion of the wheelchair, and began to slowly sip the liquid, whether it was tea or wine, while taking time to observe the expressions of the people around the table.

After the situation lasted for tens of seconds, everyone suddenly realized that this guy was going to point out the direction and retreated behind the scenes to watch, leaving the specific operation of "ideas" to their juniors.

"How to subvert the dynasty of the Mother of Dragons?" The current chairman broke the deadlock. The scene of Gordon's high-spirited and angry swearing at the heroes was too shocking, and he secretly regarded it as a role model for himself to study hard, and he yearned for it. If you want to become a political strongman like him, start by leading this war, "Braaavos has killed or defeated countless opponents in the long history, and there are a lot of successful experiences to learn from, so what is there to worry about? Not to mention anything else, isn’t the Rogar Bank that Mr. Gallonier mentioned just now, a weakened copy of the current Westeros Bank? The process of our destroying this opponent can be described as a multi-department coordinated operation, using any means The textbook and model for destroying the deadly enemy... If there is no ready-made template, what other way should be found?"

Everyone came back to their senses, nodded in agreement with bright eyes, and began to work together to recall the whole process of Iron Bank crushing Luojiaer Bank.

***

Rodger Bank, as we all know, is a bank once run by the Rodger family of Rhys.

During the regency of Aegon III, the head of the family at that time, the "great" Lissandra Rodgar, married his daughter Lara Rodgar to Viserys II Targaryen, who was still a prince at the time. , and successfully helped his younger brother Drazek Rojar marry the Queen of Dorne, Alexandra Martell, through operation.

After completing these two god-level marriages, which can be called a "feat", Rogal Bank, which has the Kingdom of Westeros as its ally and largest customer, quickly became richer and more powerful than the Iron Bank, and faintly began to challenge the former. financial status.But this prosperity came and went quickly. After the two brothers Lisandro and Drazenko, the rising helm and two pillars of the Rojar family, passed away on the same day, the family declined rapidly, and in a series of events. Fallen apart after accidents and tragedies, drowned in the tide of history.

Due to the long time, the remaining Luo Jiaer family has long been disintegrated and scattered all over the world. The details of this period of history are almost impossible to test, and only the most important content is still firmly remembered: Luo Jiaer who died suddenly on the same day at that time Lisandra, the head of the family, and his younger brother Drazek, on the surface, one died in a cruise ship accident, and the other was choked to death by bacon... But the conspiracy theory says that they all died in the brother unit of the Iron Bank—"Black and White Court" assassination.

Unlike most conspiracy theories that are rumored but have no evidence, this time, the rumors are true.

But what needs to be added is that what the Iron Bank or Braavos did in the fall of the Rogal Bank was far more than sending killers to kill the two heads.

……

If you want to straighten out this matter, you have to start from the time when Luo Jiaer Bank was far from reaching its peak, before it aroused fear and full-scale attack from the Iron Bank.

Since the 129th year of the Aegon calendar, a bloody civil war called "Dance of the Blood Dragon" has occurred on the continent of Westeros: about the general process of this civil war, countless historical materials have recorded it, and there is no need to elaborate.This internal strife in the Long family, which can also be called "the princess and the queen", "the struggle between black and green", and "two women in one drama", ended quite tragically. The leaders of the black and green parties all ended in death. Tange Since then, the Li'an dynasty has turned from prosperity to decline, and the magic dragon has finally completely disappeared because of this war.

A war with no winners - this is the conclusive point of view that the historians have already reached a consensus on.

But it should be noted that the absence of winners does not mean that there are no beneficiaries.

And to say that the biggest beneficiary is none other than Braavos.

As the financial center of the known world, Braavos has political needs that the other eight city-states do not have: it needs to ensure that it maintains certain control and influence over the world other than itself in order to safeguard its core interests.

But for Westeros before "Dance of the Blood Dragon", Braavos could only barely manage to "generally grasp the changes in the situation".

It was not because their external work was ineffective or slack, but because after the Targaryen and Martell families ceased fighting and temporarily maintained peace, under their respective leadership, the Seven Kingdoms or 6+1 countries The rapid development of the country's national power has expanded to an astonishing magnitude-the result of this prosperity is that many lords and nobles who did not deal with Braavos at all and were not on the contact list of the Iron Bank also quickly gained wealth and Influence, and then began to have the right to speak and the need to speak out.The appearance of this group of people did not weaken Braavosi's influence on the Seven Kingdoms, but it was like the color of an inflated balloon would fade—by expanding the overall volume, it diluted the influence of the Iron Bank in the Seven Kingdoms. China's originally fairly dense and extensive network of contacts made the former's considerable control and interference over Westeros almost ineffective.

Braavos desperately needed an opportunity to bring the unleashed monster of Westeros back under control.

At this time, the dispute between the "black" and "green" parties began to show its clues.

Of course, it must be made clear: Braavosi was not the instigator or manipulator of this civil war—not even the Mythical Iron Bank.This civil war started with the death of Viserys I; it started with Queen Alison Hightower's co-creation against the king's will and crowned Prince Aegon without authorization; Encountered in Storm's End Castle, and then officially broke out after the dragon-riding duel known as the "Dance of the Broken Ship Bay" in the bay outside the castle; in the end, the hatred and anger of the members of the black and green parties towards each other became more and more prosperous. , until it swept across the entire Seven Kingdoms and even the known world...

Throughout the course of the war, Braavos and the Iron Bank had no role to play, but the intensity and outcome of the war were actually improved or worse under the control of countless threads. In the end, the black and green parties almost died together. In this way, each other's energy was exhausted, and the comprehensive national strength of the entire Seven Kingdoms shrank by an order of magnitude.

Westeros is still the Westeros of the Targaryen family, but the giant beast that has lost a lot of weight has become easier to be led by the nose than before the dance of blood dragons.Although Braavos was not the victor or even left the scene, he was a spectator the whole time. During the years of the civil war, he had been making a fortune and re-weaving his network, but he was still one of the mediators. Reconstruction of identities such as supporters has captured a greater proportion of influence and voice.

To what extent has it tamed Westeros for a time?

After the civil war came to an end, from Ulwin Peake, who was in power, to Thaddeus Rowan, to Matheson Weshui, who was born in the iron guard, all three successive prime ministers more or less took The benefits of passing iron coffers... Policies have been promulgated, and even actions taken directly, in their interests, directly or indirectly, in accordance with the expectations and implications of the latter!

However, just when the bankers and keykeepers in Braavos thought that Westeros had already been taken into their pockets, and their status as the "world financial center" was unshakable, the Rogar family suddenly popped up halfway. , also jumped out from the chicken feathers of the blood dragon dance... no, it should be said that it jumped out of the dragon scales, and I also want to be the biggest beneficiary!

-

Chapter 664 Subversive template

If it is said that Braavos is a marionette-style secret manipulation of Westeros, then the Rogar family is directly intervening hand in hand.

Of these two models, the former is obviously more stable and reliable in the long run: not only will it not cause direct resentment and public resentment, but it can also withstand the test of dynasty changes and power seizures within the Long family. By not being wiped out, Braavos will be able to maintain more or less influence.

Unfortunately, in the short term, relying on two god-level marriages, Westeros has not yet been completely unified, and there are still two major regimes in Northern Targaryen and Southern Martell, and they have become the in-laws of the two at the same time... As a result, the Rogar Bank, which became the royal family of the entire Westeros, has firmly suppressed the Iron Bank.

The reason is simple: which bank the treasury does business with is directly decided by the owner of the property, but it is not up to the staff and staff to make irresponsible remarks, and the parents inside the royal family and the real masters of the kingdom cannot be the marionettes of the iron treasury of.

Did the Rogar family take the initiative to break into the political vortex of Westeros, or was the Targaryen family introduced as a third party by the Targaryen family who realized that "the Iron Throne is about to be controlled by the Iron Treasury" as a check and balance? And break the fulcrum?We don’t know, but at least the official historical records during this period have no objection: Long before the aftermath of the blood dragon dance dissipated, Rojaer Bank was prosperous under the joint rule of the talented Patriarch and his younger brother Drazek. This rise got out of hand when Prince Viserys returned to King's Landing with his wife, Lady Lara, to broker an alliance between Westeros and Rogar.

In the beginning, the Iron Bank only took conventional containment measures in the face of the sudden pursuers: spreading rumors to slander the reputation of Rojaer Bank, intensifying business competition to squeeze its commercial territory, dismantling the Three Daughters Alliance and igniting wars to worsen its financial situation. environment etc...

This ancient but effective shit-stirring stick method did succeed in suppressing the upward momentum of Rogar Bank at first, but the latter, with Dorn as a nurse behind the blood transfusion, survived the first round of attacks... With the Targaryen The alliance agreement between the royal family and Rogal Bank was formally signed and started to be implemented. The Iron Throne began to withdraw deposits in the Iron Vault and transfer them to Rogal Bank. This amazing siphonic ebb and flow allowed Rogal Bank to recover quickly. Vitality, performance is booming, and a year after the rising insurance was stifled, it successfully overtook the Iron Bank, achieved positive results, and became the known bank with the largest cash flow and business volume in the world.

The iron-clad facts finally touched the red thread in the nerves of the Braavosi people. The House of Black and White was summoned by the Watchmen, and the notorious Faceless Men came out in response.Just a few months after Rojaer Bank successfully climbed to the top, its two strong and shrewd pillars died in unimaginable ways in two "accidents" on the same day and separated by a narrow sea!

……

However, unlike most people’s personal impressions or intuitive feelings, Rojaer Bank did not collapse with the death of the two heads on the same day. The beginning of the blow.Rogar itself is a big family, and the previous leader has left a sufficient number of descendants; its bank is also a behemoth with complete institutions, sufficient personnel, and unparalleled cash flow. Countless lords and nobles under the rule of Dorne and the Targaryen Dynasty It can be said that if ten or eight Luojiaer die, it can continue to push forward under the influence of inertia, and maintain the status of the first bank for at least three to five years.

It is not enough to subvert such an existence by assassins alone, so there are follow-up stories.

Lisandro was not only the president of Rojaer Bank, but also the "first governor for life" of Reese. His death not only created a vacancy within the family, but also left a huge power vacuum in Reese's political arena.The position of the patriarch of the family is inherited by his eldest son without any suspense, but the status of the number one powerful figure in Reese is not hereditary... His crab-eaten body has not yet been salvaged, and a large group of politicians has begun to compete for the status and power left by him heritage.

Fortunately, his son Li Sangluo, who is recognized as "twice as ambitious as his father but only half as capable", is not to be outdone, and is determined to regain the dominance of his "belonging" father.As a result of his ability not matching his ambition, he has become one of the most famous prodigal sons in the world of ice and fire: after successfully winning the chief executive election first, he held grand entertainment activities to please the common people, and then took the unprecedented The huge sums of money bribed other governors in an attempt to "buy back" the late father's ruling power in Reese with money instead of prestige Myr's short war, gilding himself with the glory of victory and conquest, so as to get back the title of "First Governor".

After spending money like water to empty his personal savings, he began to embezzle bank funds.

It is almost a natural industry rule for bankers to use funds deposited by customers, and there is no need to criticize too much, but the biggest problem with Li Sangluo is: he should not be in a situation where there are powerful enemies waiting for countless pairs of eyes to stare at him. Take risks.Of course, the Iron Bank, which has already planted spies in and out of Rogal Bank, cannot miss this opportunity to eradicate its opponents. Braavos's propaganda department has never been so full-powered. "Rogal Bank's vault is about to be embezzled." Rumors of "exhaustion" were flying all over the sky in an instant, but there was still evidence and even evidence. The most astonishing run in the history of the free trade city broke out. Drive Rodgar Bank from heaven to hell in a matter of days.

The bank went bankrupt, Li Sangluo was forced to abscond but failed and was killed. The bankruptcy of Luo Jiaer's family was a foregone conclusion, but the Iron Bank still refused to let go. Act as an example to deter latecomers.Not only the Rojars in Rees became slaves one after another, but even the royal relatives who have married to King's Landing and live in the Red Castle, they don't plan to let go!

Under the secret arrangement and instigation of the Iron Bank, the politicians who hated Luo Jiaer beat the dog in the water, framed the gang of Lisians to commit far more crimes than they actually committed, and launched a campaign against Luo Jiaer based on this. After arresting Mrs. Lara's brother, she even wanted to take down the princess herself.Fortunately, Aegon III and Prince Viserys, who were still children at that time, bravely stood up and raised their arms to protect the former. After paying the price of being besieged for eighteen days at Maegor's Tower, the Rogar family was finally saved. A bit decent, and dispelled the idea of ​​the Iron Bank continuing to invest resources in chasing after it.

***

"The overthrow of the Rogal Bank was an unprecedented super-large-scale cross-departmental collaboration in the history of Braavos. The Neptune Fleet, the intelligence department, the propaganda agency, and even the Black and White Academy...all worked together around the Iron Bank to defend against foreign enemies. It shows the incredible unity, organization and coordination ability of our country in the face of threats." After summarizing this period of history, the current chairman of the current watchman association himself was inspired by the stories of his ancestors, and even his tone changed. He became brisk and confident, "Today, Braavosi's strength has far surpassed that of the past, but we are also facing equal or even greater threats. How should we deal with it? After I finish telling this story, everyone should learn from history. Do you have an idea?"

"First of all, we must assassinate the brothers Lisandro and Drazekrojar, and not kill the leader and helm who have both prestige and ability. If you want to use conventional means to contain the Seven Kingdoms, which are much larger than my Braavos, It's simply whimsical!" Less than a second later, the answer came out, "The question is only: who, or who and who... are Lisandro and Drazek of the Bank of Westeros? "

Chapter 665

"Tyrion Lannister and Igger West." The representative of the fleet answered first, "One of these two is the executor and the other is the decision maker. As long as they are killed, the just-started Bank of Westeros will be destroyed in an instant. It will be paralyzed and fall to the ground, unable to function.”

There were a few strokes of approval for this point of view, but almost immediately there was disapproval as well.

"It's too shallow! The information shows that the bank is actually organized by these two people. But if the Queen's approval is not obtained, anything in the name of Targaryen may be possible?" Another key watchman After snorting, he shook his head, "Since I have decided to use the ultimate means, I also know that the executors and decision makers must be caught... why not be bolder, just go one step further, and solve the problem fundamentally - go to the higher-level organization, Targaryen The decision makers of the dynasty won? The eunuchs Varys and Petyr Baelish are dead, as long as Daenerys Targaryen also has an accident... The queen's camp that lost its allegiance will lose its heart and collapse without fighting. Someone will help us clean up the mess, and we don't have to bother to deal with a small, fledgling bank alone!"

"It makes sense. If you only focus on Westeros Bank, what if the queen continues to appoint someone to take over after killing two of them, and the successor is also capable? What should I do? Assassination all the way? Assassination of the queen is fundamental. Let's solve the problem!"

The voice of approval was louder than before, but the original proposer retorted: "Who hasn't thought about it? But didn't the Faceless One not kill the Dragon King!"

Don’t kill the Dragon King—this is one of the secret principles of the Black and White Institute hundreds of years ago when it was first established. Of course, the original words are not “don’t kill the Dragon King”, but “add money when the target is the Dragon King a lot of money".The price of the Faceless Man's attack was already unimaginably high, and the asking price for assassinating the Dragon King had to be multiplied several times according to regulations. The strange legend and agreement that those who face the dragon will not kill the Dragon King.

If it was said that before the fall of Valyria, this rule was based on fear of the terrifying strength of the Freedom Fortress, but now it has become more like a metaphysics.However, the faceless people who pay attention to inheritance are still firmly sticking to this rule. The members of the Watchman Club know that they will never make an exception, and they don't want to force others to make things difficult, so they acquiesce in its establishment.

"If the Faceless One doesn't make a move, then find someone else. The Black and White Academy is not the only one that can kill people!" The third person said, "But what I want to add is that according to what we know about Iger, even if The queen was assassinated and died, and he probably still has enough ability and prestige to drag out a new king to continue to enshrine, relying on his power to forcibly drag the alliance to continue to fight against us. So my point of view is that for insurance, the queen and Iger We have to get rid of them, these two are the 'Rogal brothers' of Daenerys' regime!"

"Agreed, the queen and Iger, just corresponded to the two brothers Lisandra and Drazek. The liaison staff from the Special Affairs Department of the Iron Bank assassinated the queen, and the black and white house sent the faceless men to kill the night watchman. Everyone has their own Mission, everyone is happy. I suggest, vote on this proposal!"

The current chairman nodded in agreement, and began to prepare to count and record the voting results.While he was preparing, everyone whispered to each other, buzzing buzzing like a swarm of flies resounded again, clearly talking about killing people, but the bigwigs in various industries present here seemed to be discussing what to eat for dinner as naturally as if it was not the slightest bit. There was no expression of surprise, panic or the like.Even Gordon Gallonier, who was sitting quietly and listening, nodded approvingly—he was very pleased: Although the juniors in front of him are very poor in finding primary and secondary conflicts, they still grasp the problem when discussing the solution to the problem. Stay focused.

For the actual rulers of this group of known world financial centers, the lives of outsiders are not something sacred and inviolable. Even if it is the hands of the king and queen of a country, it is just that it is more difficult to succeed and the assassination is more expensive. Just higher.

However, just as the spectators were clamoring for the first vote of the day, an accident happened again.

A representative of the House of Black and White, a middle-aged man in a gray robe with a half expressionless public face exposed under the hood (the ghost knows if that is a real face) spoke: "Sorry, the House of Black and White cannot accept This assignment."

The warm atmosphere cooled down slightly, and some people still failed to hear this sentence. The people who approached clarified with doubts: "It is the Iron Bank's Special Affairs Department trying to deal with Daenerys Targaryen. Just find a way to deal with Igger West, this guy is not the Dragon King, right? He comes from the west side of the Sunset Sea!"

"He is not the Dragon King, but he is the spokesperson of the Red God in the mortal world. The King of Light has cast undoubted miracles in every Red God temple in the world to show his awakening and announced his decision. In this limelight, he chose to murder him The chosen one is unwise, and its nature is more serious than the assassination of the Dragon King, and any price is unacceptable." The hooded man with a public face explained slowly in a calm but unwavering tone, showing that he heard correctly , "Not only will the House of Black and White clearly reject this commission, but we also kindly remind you as believers of the God of Many Faces, and reiterate again: it is recommended that Braavos not be an enemy of Daenerys' regime."

This is the last anti-war faction who is still insisting on his position. Although his voice was quiet in a short sentence, he spoke very clearly. At this moment, everyone around the conference table fell silent, and dozens of pairs of eyes fixed on this A representative of the meeting who was most likely to be a faceless person showed hostility, puzzlement, sarcasm, and anticipation. Three or two seconds later, the current chairman said with a gloomy face: "So, in the rule of not killing the Dragon King In addition, now the Black and White Academy has added the clause of "not killing the spokespersons of the gods"? What a joke! There are thousands of beliefs in this world. Is it true that if you establish a religion randomly, its leader will be removed from the assassination list of the Black and White Academy? Lose?"

"No, most of the thousands of gods in the world are just emotional sustenance objects made up by some poor people. But Vulcan is different. He is one of the few gods in the world who have shown miracles without a doubt,'God of Thousand Faces 'The doctrine of the faith holds that all the gods in the world are different incarnations of the 'God of Death' - the God of Death is now appearing as the god of fire Rhlohlo to perform miracles, it must be because he has something to do with the great importance of blood and fire The affairs need to be handled by believers. As a follower of the true God, how can the Faceless Man assassinate his spokesperson to cause a bad event? The reason for this cannot be explained clearly in a few words. The House of Black and White has no intention to influence the foreign policy resolution of the Council of People, but refuses Please forgive me for the clear intention and firm attitude of this entrustment!"

***

It is really hard to explain this matter in a few words, because everyone here is mortal except for him, a faceless man.

When R'hllor bestowed the dragon scales on Iger, he promised to the commander-in-chief of the night watchman: [The person who carries the scales is the human voice I have chosen and recognized. My believers will obey your authority unconditionally. Everything has its own Conscious beings will be in awe of your existence, and all extraordinary beings in the world who have seen or understood my existence—except for the cold gods in the land of eternal winter and the demons still active in the ruins of Valyria, will never dare to fight with you For the enemy. 】

As a severely wounded man whose body is still incomplete and who can't even show up in reality, R'hllor has the confidence to back up such wild words.

She is the ceiling of power in this world - it is ridiculously high, to the point that even the second-level extraordinary beings who are second only to her have to look up to it.

The "believers" and "conscious beings" mentioned in her passage are easy to understand, while the "transcendents who have seen or understood my existence" are somewhat general and vague-the specific list will be very long, but One thing's for sure: at least the Greenseers, the legions of wizards from the Shadowlands... and the Faceless Men from the House of Black and White.

As for the reason, the context is also very clear: the belief in the "God of Thousand Faces" enshrined in the Black and White Academy originated from the slave labor coolies in the ancient Valyrian volcanic mines, and was brought to the Braavos—a belief born from a group of hard labor and slaves, its purpose is not to fight against slavery for freedom but to worship death, thinking it is a gift and relief, why?This is not easy to understand, but it can be summed up in a biased sentence: the Valyrian Freedom Fortress, which was at its peak at that time, was so powerful that the oppressed would rather die than dare to openly resist.

Valyria's attitude towards religion is extremely loose, but no religion has been able to develop and grow in this land - not even the Red God religion that believes in the "ancestor of the dragon king" R'hllor Foster.Why?Because most of the dragon kings don't believe in gods - they think they are gods.Even though R'hllor Foster is as powerful as a god, to the dragon kings, he is just a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, or great... great-grandmother.

Who would worship their own "great? Grandmother" - especially when the latter is still alive and well, and there is a chance to see it every now and then?

It is precisely because there is no soil for development and growth in Valyria that the "Cult of Many Faces" simply left its original place in a resolution several years later, moved to Braavos as a whole and settled down again to become the place we are now. The well-known House of Black and White lives in a small corner in the northwest corner of the continent of Essos.Who would have thought that, on the contrary, it was a blessing in disguise, escaped the doomsday catastrophe by accident, and survived.

Few people who have survived the apocalypse know more about the horror of R'hllor Foster, the ancestor of the Dragon King, than the ancestors of the Faceless Men.And when the modern Faceless Men, who have inherited experience and historical memory from generation to generation, suddenly discover that the old thing R'hllor is still alive, and has the ability to perform miracles on a wide scale..., they will obediently admit that they have no intention of resisting , it becomes completely understandable.

After all, they are just a group of assassins, who are good at ordinary people who come from the dark to the dark and stay in the bright by virtue of the supernatural ability they have finally mastered.The existence of the high-ranking priests of the Red God is enough for the Faceless to drink a pot, let alone the Vulcan himself, who is male or female, and where he is. He can display his power without showing his face. What about the existence?

Faced with a boss whose dungeon entrance is hidden and whose health bars are not bright, no matter how arrogant a person is, he can only do nothing and feel helpless.

***

Quarrels and debates broke out again in the meeting room, and the anti-war factions who had raised their flags and surrendered in accordance with this prophetic warning rekindled their fighting spirit.Seeing that the great situation that had finally reached an agreement was about to be broken again, there was a "bang"—Galonier, who had already planned not to intervene to interfere with the agenda, slapped the table again.

"Forgiveness? A word of understanding is enough?" Putting down the small pot in his hand, the old man wriggled his poisonous lips and tongue angrily, "Braavos accommodates the House of Black and White, provides you with shelter and convenience, and endures all kinds of strange things from you. The strange operating mode and rules are to allow the Faceless to work at critical moments! I don’t know what the caretaker who agreed and accepted your rule of ‘don’t kill the Dragon King’ would think about, But today, here—in front of me, this trick won’t work! The dog has to guard the house after eating the bone, whether it can offend the Dragon King, and whether it can meet the ensuing revenge from the enemy, this is the owner—the whole caretaker will Only those who have the qualifications need to think about it, what the faceless people of the Black and White Institute have to do is to be obedient, and whoever we tell you to kill, go kill whoever!"

The scene was so quiet that a needle could be heard in an instant, and everyone looked at the two confronting two people in the field with awe: the faceless person of the black and white courtyard only had one seat in the key watchers meeting, and the rights held by its representatives were also limited. It is exactly the same as the rest of the members, and even for this seat, it is rare to use the power to publicly express opinions and participate in controversial voting.In terms of who everyone admires and admires more, there is no suspense that Gordon Gallonier will win, but who is more afraid of and dare not offend, it is obviously that ordinary faceless man who doesn't even know his real name attended the meeting represent.

The reason is very simple: no matter how powerful and fierce Gordon Gallonier is, he is only old and prestige, without the power of life and death; but the Faceless... Although in principle, they will not attack the Braavos ruling class. Take a shot, but after all, they can kill people invisible, can't they?

Who in the prime of life wants to stop breathing in their sleep or choke to death on bacon?

Interestingly, now, these two tough guys are fighting each other.

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