The king on the Great Wall

"Robb, if Lord Bolton succeeds in killing the queen, what will you do with my teacher... Iger?" It would be good if the queen was dead, but for the other person whom she wished to stab to death just now, she was in a strange way. I asked one more question.

"He." Robb took a deep breath and replied through gritted teeth, "After Daenerys dies, if he is willing to take the initiative to lower the rebel flag, disband the army and surrender to us without causing unnecessary bloodshed, I can still leave him alone. But if he dares to attack the castle and cause casualties..." He stared deeply at his sister for a moment, then shook his head: "Even if only one person in the castle dies because of this, it's okay. Someone has to pay for it."

"Look at what I'm doing, I'm not pleading for him! This bastard...he deserves to be hanged." Arya grumbled bitterly, then thought about it, wouldn't that curse someone in this city to death?After rationalizing the causal relationship, he didn't even know what kind of ending he wanted, so he stomped his feet, turned around and ran out of the hall.

-

Chapter 508 "Chameleon" Iger

As the supreme commander of the army, Iger issued instructions to the grassroots early on - requiring officers at all levels to strictly restrain their subordinates and prohibit any form and degree of disturbing and hurting the people.

For the army under the background of this era, this is actually quite a high requirement, but the scale of the land-grant army is not easy to manage, and he has a lot of legends, nicknames, and vicious methods. With his prestige in awe, Iger is sure that he can enforce orders and prohibit them, so that the people in the northern border can also see the difference between the "pseudo-new army" and the "group of barbarians" they imagined.

Unfortunately, the facts proved that he was overthinking: when the land-grant army marched at extreme speed against the wind and snow for several days, and finally arrived outside Winterfell one night earlier than expected, the nearby manor settlements and the winter shelters gathered outside the castle The town was already empty, and there was no longer even a mouse to be found. Even if Iger let it go or even ordered it, the soldiers below would have nothing to rob and harm.

It has to be said that although the young wolf lord has a messy vision and awareness in terms of macro strategy, he is really a qualified lord when it comes to protecting his people.

Although there is a lack of opportunities to demonstrate the discipline and quality of the army by "not taking a single needle and thread", the empty winter town only needs to add a fence to make a perfect temporary camp; and there are no residents in it, and at least one Advantages - During the siege, the army does not need to spend extra effort to distinguish between spies and assassins who are mixed in.

The land-grant army laughed at this easy-to-get spoil. While the soldiers were stationed in the vacated winter town and turned it into a defensible base step by step, Iger also instructed the Ministry of Communications to release the ravens. The "Military Control Order" was officially issued to the northern border: from now on, until the war to unify the Seven Kingdoms is completely over, any troops that leave towns and forts and march in the wilderness without permission will be regarded as rebels. Be identified as an enemy of Queen Daenerys and the Night's Watch Legion - any consequences caused by this will be borne by itself!

The ugly thing is the first, after sending this extremely arrogant declaration, he started to send a message to Winterfell City, asking to negotiate with Robb Stark.

That's right, negotiate instead of siege.

The land-grant army leaped thousands of miles aggressively to come here, seemingly to catch the Stark family by surprise, but in fact, in Iger's plan, "attacking Winterfell" has never been a priority from beginning to end.The reason why he made a lot of preparations for this surprise attack was mainly to prevent the Northern Territory from having the opportunity to gather a large army to fight a decisive battle with him, and to deal with the situation in a panic, so that he could take advantage of the opportunity to break in one by one. Chance.

Swords have no eyes, and the gunpowder weapons that have just come out are not yet strong enough to make the battle completely one-sided.The northern army has always been known for its fierceness and tenacity. Once they are informed of the land-grant battle and marching plan in advance, they can gather a large army of tens of thousands of people to obstruct the interception. Once the scale and level of the battle get out of control... Even if you win, you will lose inevitable.

Although Iger's hole cards are hard but not strong, they cannot withstand consumption.Not to mention: Once too many northern soldiers and nobles were killed and wounded in the melee, the problem that could have been resolved through negotiation turned into an endless hateful confrontation, and the land-grant army was forced to waste time and energy killing all the northerners. environment, but it completely runs counter to his original overall plan.

Compared with the reckless, it is a completely different situation to surround the spot for reinforcements: pull out a stance to attack Winterfell, attract the loyal vassals of the Stark family to come to help, and then find the right opportunity to strike one by one Retreat—In such a small-scale battle with a controllable intensity, he has the opportunity to demonstrate the combat effectiveness of the army and the overwhelming advantage of weapons, and he can better grasp the casualties of the enemy and ourselves.It not only preserves strength but also avoids bringing too much hatred, killing two birds with one stone!

The northern border has been exhausted from repeated battles. As long as a few victories are won, these "tough guys" will know that the Land Grant Army is tougher than them, and let them realize that the Night Watchmen's Southern Expedition is unstoppable. Iger can be used as a bargaining chip in his hand It will increase in weight accordingly.At that time, there will be some well-prepared rhetoric coupled with coercion and lure, forcing Robb to make major concessions and compromises. Choosing to cooperate or even simply joining the Queen's camp...is no longer a dream!

Aside from all these and other considerations, Iger actually secretly admitted in his heart: The choice he made this time was not the one that maximized his interests... The decision to save the Stark family was ultimately mixed with Including my personal emotional tendencies, it doesn't match the cold personality I want to give myself.However, he is no longer the little soldier of the night watchman who had nothing when he first entered this world. At this moment, he believes that although he has not yet reached the point where he can do whatever he likes, he already has some small willful capital!

Not hurting my little apprentice and her family is just a little willfulness of my own!

……

However, to Iger's surprise, the person he ordered to convey the negotiating request to Winterfell City hadn't set off yet, but the city sent an envoy first.

After Roderick Cassel was disarmed, he was brought to the Temporary Headquarters of the Land Grant Army by two non-commissioned officers. This place was originally a year-round inn in the winter resort town. Travelers who will be invited to Winterfell to stay temporarily, and Iger named him for the most complete facilities and the most spacious space.When the old knight walked into the gate alone, Iger's trusted bodyguards and Land Grant Army generals were already standing on both sides.

"Sir Rodrik, I haven't seen you for a long time. I am very pleased that your body is as strong as ever."

"I'm sorry that you were not killed by the White Walker, 'Chameleon' Iger!" The old knight roared angrily, and looked around at the crowd in black who were standing in a circle who seemed to be trying to show him off: "And You, won't you feel ashamed to follow a treacherous villain to gain fame and fortune?"

The surrounding soldiers and officers were not moved at all, but Egger, who should have been the most calm, froze for a moment.

chameleon?

It took him a few seconds to figure out why the title seemed so familiar to him—it was supposed to belong to Theon Greyjoy, but in this timeline, Theon's father had initiated it before he returned home. After the rebellion, Robb Stark did not kill him for the sake of brotherhood but allowed him to wear black.As the young man threw himself into the war against the White Walkers and finally died heroically, he never had the chance to do the stupid thing of betraying the Starks, and now it was his turn to take the role of attacking Winterfell, and it was logical "Grab" this title!

Is this a coincidence or a historical inevitability?

Iger was not irritated by the attack and insult, but instead showed a relieved and playful smile, but in the eyes of the old knight, this expression turned into contempt and shamelessness. He became more and more annoyed, and blood appeared on his face under the white beard. Then he spat on the cold and solid ground of the hotel: "You still have the mood to laugh? The Stark family treats you as a friend and treats you well. How can you do that!"

"I've always been dressed in black, how can I change my color? Ser Rodrik, I beg you to understand this: the Night Watch is loyal to the whole kingdom, not the Starks! Now, Daenerys Targaryen is the choice that is most beneficial to the interests of Westeros. I swear to fight for her, which is just a manifestation of my loyalty to my duty, and I am worthy of this true and pure black!" Iger put away his inappropriate philosophical thinking in time With a forgetful expression, he retorted forcefully.In terms of abusive rhetoric and seizing the moral high ground, he who has been on the Internet for more than ten years before time travel has never been afraid of anyone: "It's you! I plan to attack and murder the Queen while I am going north on the Great Wall expedition; The soldiers of the Stark family can't go back to the city; they will also expel countless warriors who fought against the ghosts and the dead to defend the Seven Kingdoms, and shed their blood for the survival of mankind... This is how the Stark family treats friends and benefactors This is the 'treat me well' in the dictionary of northerners? I have never heard such a brazen statement!"

"What... Lord Robb never had such a despicable plan, where did you hear about it!"

I haven't heard of it anywhere, I made it up myself.

These seditious rumors that went viral in the land-grant were fabricated by Iger and spread at the behest of them. The purpose was to arouse hatred and create a reason for the Southern Expedition.But of course he is not stupid enough to confess in public. On the contrary, what he wants to play today is a role that is enraged and blinded by rumors.

The Stark family is more emotional than rational, and I have to admit to them that my southern expedition and surprise attack are all conspiracies that have been planned long ago, and they are part of a big chess game. The whole family sticks to the city until the last person will never negotiate with himself.On the contrary, if you create the illusion that your own military action is not a well-arranged strategy, but a mistake made in a moment of confusion, and that you are here to question the crime and ask for an explanation... in order to ease and alleviate each other. The hostility and confrontation between them will be discussed later.

"Are you denying the authenticity of the rumor?" Iger snorted coldly, "But it's true, I don't have any evidence to prove that it is true, maybe it is really a lie maliciously fabricated by people with ulterior motives to sow dissension. It's simple - ask my 'good friend' Robb Stark to come and explain it to me instead of just sending me a microphone, and maybe we can clear the matter up."

"You..." The old knight was rendered speechless by this anti-customer-oriented nonsense that turned black and white, he hesitated for a moment but couldn't think of a way to fight back, so he blushed and roared, "It's nothing but nonsense, Lord Robb If I really go out of the city to explain it myself, there is no possibility of returning to the castle safely, do you think I am a fool!?"

It's so boring, verbally bullying such an upright old man can't give Iger pleasure, and he soon finds it boring: "Well, Sir Rodrik, I believe Robb sent you here to talk rather than quarrel. Save your tongue. Say—what did he ask you to tell me?"

The old man also forcibly suppressed the thoughts that had been messed up by Iger, and found out the mission of his trip from his memory: "Lord Robb's conditions are very simple and very generous—you, the one who publicly announced your resignation as the commander-in-chief of the Night Watch Corps Take the post and bring the army back to the land to disband. The Stark family will promise and guarantee that you and the queen you are loyal to can leave the Northland safely!"

Judging from the data on paper, the Northern Territory does have an overwhelming all-round advantage in terms of land grants. If another Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watchman sent troops south, this condition is not only generous, it is simply a bit of a woman's benevolence.Iger smiled and nodded, and didn't say much about it: "Understood, please go back and tell Robb my conditions: open the city gate and lay down your weapons, and declare Queen Daenerys as the sole legal ruler of the Seven Kingdoms." And swear allegiance to her. I will promise and guarantee: under the rule of the new Dragon Dynasty, the Stark family will still be the guardian and legal ruler north of the Neck!"

"Chi——" Sir Rodrik laughed angrily: "Egg, I thought you were an unfamiliar poisonous snake, but now I realize that you have lost your mind. For the sake of acquaintance, I advise you You—find a healer to take a look at your brain, and then think about our proposal carefully. If there is no one with medical skills, I can bring Maester Luwin to the next meeting!"

"Good intentions, but I hope that when we meet again next time, you will bring Robb Stark's wise choice, not another irrelevant person." Iger was not surprised by the old knight's reaction at all, He shrugged, smiled and waved his hands, unwilling to spend any more words: "Please send Sir Rodrik back. All the ministries will still set up camp as planned, and send out sentries to closely monitor every direction of Winterfell City!"

"Yes, my lord!"

A group of generals who were waiting for the order led away, and the white-bearded old man wanted to say more, but the two soldiers who brought him had already set him up from left to right, and half-forced him away with the crowd Command.

Looking at the backs of a group of subordinates and envoys leaving the headquarters, the corners of Iger's mouth twitched slightly: Winterfell actually sent someone out first to convey the negotiation intention. Although this was unexpected, after a little thought, it actually It's not that surprising either - facing the ferocious approach of the land-grant army, Robb Stark didn't have much confidence in the city defense he organized in a hurry. Fight for reinforcements from the princes under your command.

Very smart, but he probably never dreamed that his goal, from the very beginning, was the reinforcements he was about to call.

-

Chapter 509 Never Give Up

The empty belly growled uncontrollably, urging the master to try to find food, but the prison food Euron sent to his niece was either bread crawling with maggots, or bacon as hard as a board, or fish that started to stink. ...and things like that that she would only eat when she was starving to death.The surroundings were pitch black, the shackles hurt the calluses on her wrists and ankles, the rats ran past her, squeaking, and the lice crawled up her body and burrowed into her clothes, biting her painfully and itchyly, And she was imprisoned by the chains, and she couldn't even scratch it.

This is one of the largest components of Pike City, the Blood Fortress. It is located on a huge reef standing on the vertical sea surface farther than the main fortress from the main body of the island.The hall here is more spacious, and the decoration facilities are better... The upper floor is for the guest of honor, and the hollow part of the lower floor is used as a dungeon.She, who almost became the queen of the Iron Islands, was imprisoned again in her own home, and her freedom was also restricted. This time, she was treated worse than when she was in the hands of the enemy. What an irony!

Compared with the pain and discomfort of being imprisoned, Asha Greyjoy was more tormented by the discouragement of repeated setbacks and full of confusion... She didn't understand how her uncle learned such magic.

In the hall that day, I successfully transferred the hostility of the ironborn leaders from myself to the night watchman with my statement, and the plan to rejoin the compatriots seemed to be quite smooth: even if the Crow's Eye refused her request to obtain a ship, she would You can settle for the next best thing and then apply to stay with Uncle Uncle as a deputy - the latter situation may seem aggrieved, but it is easier to find opportunities to get off the phone!

But everything came to an abrupt end the moment Euron lifted the blindfold and released that evil eye: the moment he met that red-backed black eye, Asha's entire body seemed to be frozen and out of control. Running chaotically to the point of suffocation.And the exact opposite of the physical stiffness is: how many plans, calculations and thoughts in her mind are exposed as if they were knocked off the head and taken out to dry in the sun...

No, not only that.The meeting with Euron's evil eye also established a thought conduit between their mutual consciousness.Between breaths, a large number of intermittent images flashed before Asha's eyes. Among them were thousands of strange things and things that she didn't know and couldn't understand. They were obviously absurd, but they were frighteningly real. She seemed to have walked through the deepest layer of hell. Suffering——When I woke up, I obviously didn't remember anything, but there was already a bunch of indescribable things in my mind.

Thinking about it now, what she saw might be Euron's "memory" whether it was a delusion or a real experience.

And corresponding to the fact that I touched the memory of the Crow's Eye: the other party has probably seen through his assassination plan inside and out!

……

In the damp and dark dungeon, the only light came from the jailer's torch.Occasionally, the person who patrols here or brings food is a strange man with no name and name, a hostile face, and who has never uttered a word from the beginning to the end. After trying to communicate, negotiate and even seduce him, Asha came back to her senses: this strange man The guy probably wasn't from the Iron Islands, but a crew member of the Serenity that Euron brought back from outside—he didn't speak because he was dumb, and the seduction didn't work because he couldn't understand the Common Tongue or was more afraid of the Crow's Eye than a woman. color, and even more likely... Not only does he have no tongue, he also has no eggs!

After figuring this out, Asha stopped wasting unnecessary words, but began to pretend to be deaf and dumb, and be a qualified prisoner.

Euron had arrested himself in full view, and even he probably wouldn't dare let himself disappear.As for accusing yourself?He can't say: I have an evil eye that can see through people's thoughts and understand people's thoughts, so I know that my niece is here to assassinate him, right?

Not to mention, I still have an important identity that I don't want but can save my life at this moment: the wife of the leader of Emek!

It is impossible for the lord to kill the wife of a vassal casually without saying hello, and this series of factors has led to... the most likely end for him is that he is actually tied back to his "husband" home House arrest, if that's the case...

In the cold darkness, filled with the smell of excrement, mold, and death, Asha picked up a piece of dry beef that was as hard as a stone from the dinner plate on the floor, and quietly gnawed on it.Daughter of Baron, never surrender to fate!The food is poor, but at least it is food. When I leave this cell next time, no matter where I go, I need enough physical strength and spirit to deal with various situations, so as not to appear "I ran into an opportunity, but because of my physical condition Too bad to miss out" sorry!

"Tap, tap..."

Just as he was making up his mind secretly, a voice came from a distance outside the prison door.Asha wanted to ignore it, but after a few seconds, she stopped the hard chewing in her mouth and pricked up her ears to listen.

She was indeed helpless against the jailer, but this time the footsteps came from more than one person. Could it be that the Crow's Eye had figured out how to deal with him and wanted to transfer his prison?

The sound got closer and closer, but the rhythm began to speed up and become chaotic. The visitor increased his stride frequency, and another person's rapid stepping on the ground was quickly added to the sound of footsteps, followed by heavy breathing and object collisions, muffled groans, and table sounds. The chair moved against the ground and the sound of heavy objects falling... It didn't sound like Euron's men came to take him away, but at this moment on this Pike Island, who else would attack the jailer to save him?

I still have friends in the archipelago!Asha regained her spirits, threw down the jerky in her hand and struggled to sit up, staring straight at the door of the cell.

Sure enough, the light of several torches came from far and near, accompanied by the shouting of Asha's name, she responded loudly without hesitation: "Here! I am here!"

The three torches were so bright for dark-adapted eyes that Asha couldn't keep her eyes open when the rescuers came outside her cell.The visitor didn't have the patience to try the keys one by one, so he used an ax to open the lock of the cell door and then cut off the chains on her hands and feet, and pulled her up who was sitting on the ground with weak legs.

"Who sent you here?" Asha asked, covering her eyes.

"Scholar." Two of the three supported her, one on the left and one on the right, and the one on the left answered the question briefly.

Sure enough, it was Uncle, but Asha was very clear about the structure of Pike City, and knew that there was no line that could penetrate into the cell from the outside world: "How can you get in here?"

"King Euron told the captain about your arrest, and asked him to come to Pike Island to discuss how to deal with you." The tall man with her right arm replied, "We followed the leader through the gate. Live in the guest room above the Blood Castle. Now, stop asking, we have to hurry up and get you out of here!"

Euron dealt with himself, why did he have to discuss with Uncle to create a chance for him to save himself?Asha felt that this didn't make sense, but it really wasn't a good time to ask questions: "Okay, wait a minute, I have two other sailors locked up elsewhere..."

"The order we received is to rescue you. Your sailors have nothing to do with us!" The third man with a torch and a weapon showed no mercy at all, interrupting his words while leading the way along the same path. Return without even looking back.

If you don't save them, the two loyal subordinates who "run back" with her will almost die—Asha deliberately wants to say that she won't leave if she doesn't save them, but in the end she suppresses her willful impulse: come to save her The three of them were uncles, not his own crew, and if they played their temper in front of these guys, they would really abandon themselves and retreat.

I still have important things to do, I can't die in this ghost place because of stupidity.Howl and Hogan, may the Drowned God bless them!

Supported by two strong men, Asha staggered towards the entrance of the dungeon. The silent guard who never said a word was lying motionless on the ground at the entrance of the dungeon, with blood dripping from his head. The ground already has more air intake and less air output - the dumb guard is good, but the disadvantage is that when a prison robbery occurs, he can't even shout out when he is on duty.Wanting to spit at the bastard, but her mouth was so dry that she couldn't even squeeze out a little saliva, Asha finally gave up doing nonsense and followed the jailbreaker up the stairs leaving the dungeon.

It is strange enough that there is only one jailer in the dungeon, but it is even more strange that there is no one on the way to the upper platform after leaving the heart of the island and the reef... Such an abnormally lax defense is too strange, and the ominous feeling is more and more pervasive in my heart.But the strange thing is that even though they had made all the preparations that this was a trap, they left the underground space of the Blood Castle smoothly and went outside.

It was midnight, the sky was full of stars, the sky was full of cold winds, they walked silently along the outer wall surrounding the rock for a short distance, and came to the direction of the cliff facing the mainland in the east... Here the guide tied up and let down the rope , let Asha go down the rope.On the sea below the cliff, a small boat was already preparing to pick it up. Asha, who was exhausted from being imprisoned, even struggled to hold the rope. He caught Asha safely and pulled her into the boat.

When the prison robbery trio also went down the rope and got into the boat, and the five of them paddled away from Pike City under the cover of night, she finally couldn't help but asked her doubts: "The guards Well, have you solved all of them, why didn't you encounter any of them?"

"Success is not good? Does it have to be thrilling, and one or two deaths to save you can be called consummation?"

The other person was not as violent as the former one, and he replied politely and truthfully: "We didn't meet anyone on the way in, maybe King Euron was too confident about the cliffs of Pike City, so he relaxed. Beware of what comes from within."

"Where's my uncle?" Asha suddenly became alarmed. "Euren may have wanted to get rid of my uncle a long time ago, just waiting for him to do something stupid, and then arrest and execute him for treason!"

"The captain has escaped from Pike City one step ahead, and is already waiting for us on the 'Sea Song'."

"Look, there it is."

The sea monster's daughter turned her head, her excellent eyesight pierced through the night, and with the help of the faint starlight, she saw the shadow of a dark ship floating and swaying on the sea hundreds of meters away.

Although there was no sunlight, Asha could recognize it at a glance based on the outline: it was indeed the "Sea Song", the ship of her uncle Roderick Harlow, one of the strongest and fastest sailing warships in the entire Iron Islands .She pinched her thigh hard, it hurt so much, this is not a dream, she escaped by herself!

Just when Asha breathed a sigh of relief that all the previous anxiety was caused by her own paranoia, a deep and loud alarm bell sounded suddenly after she had already thrown the direction of Pike City behind Li Xu.After the impossibly smooth escape, the guards of Pike City finally discovered the anomaly.

-

Chapter 510 Escape or Deportation

"Where's my uncle? Tell him, let's go!" With the help of tugging and pushing, the first thing Asha climbed onto the side of the Sea Song was to warn her loudly, "This is a trap, and Euron's goal is to We must get rid of the two of us in one fell swoop!"

"Anchor, sail, and oars!" The chief of Harlow Island calmly and decisively ordered the crew members in an orderly manner. He didn't walk out of the crowd until the sailors on the whole ship started to work, and helped him who was almost standing still and seemed to be standing still. The niece, who was a little over-stressed, hugged her vigorously... While stroking her back, she comforted her softly: "Don't be nervous, my dear. I expected it the moment I received Euron's letter." There may be fraud, so I have made all preparations when I came to Pike Island this time. I promise: at least tonight, both of us are safe. Now, be obedient, go to the cabin to eat something, take a bath, and rest enough After that, we’ll talk about what to do next.”

……

In the darkness in the distance, in the silent night, the sound of alarm bells and battle horns became more and more horrific, but the Sea Song had already adjusted its direction swiftly and began to speed up and flee.There is no port in Pike City. Even if Euron finds that the prisoner has escaped, he has to board a ship or send a warship from King's Harbor not far away to pursue it. Asha, who realized that she is indeed safe in a short time, breathed a sigh of relief, and soon became tired. Jiaojia, nodded, let his uncle help him into the cabin, filled his stomach a little and climbed into the bathtub with the help of another woman.

"Scholar" Rodrik originally planned to let Asha sleep and regain her energy before talking, but during the two days the latter stayed in the dark dungeon under the Blood Castle, although the treatment he received in all aspects was extremely high. Poor, but she was not tortured and harassed - which means: she lacks everything but sleep.After eating a big bowl of hot soup, Asha took a comfortable hot bath and put on clean clothes. Asha regained a lot of vitality in an instant, and her whole body was like a new life. Still able to sleep?

She rejected the suggestion of resting in a cabin to herself, dried her hair and walked straight onto the deck.

On the pitch-black surrounding ocean, there were no intercepting ships that suddenly appeared. It seemed that the term "trap" was probably just a figment of my own nervousness.Asha is also an experienced captain. By feeling the wind direction and observing the stars in the sky, she found that the Sea Song was not heading in the northeast direction as expected, but was sailing in the southeast direction.

Frowning, she found the uncle who was directing the ship to get rid of possible pursuers by asking the sailors: "Uncle, where are we going?"

"There may be an interception on the way back to Harlow Island, let's go to the fortress."

Asha fully understood the idea of ​​avoiding the straight channel to avoid being ambushed, but the second half of the sentence made her completely confused.

"Fortress?" She didn't hide her confusion: "If I remember correctly, the Iron Islands are at war with the Western Territory, right? Did you take down this castle while I was away?"

"No, Bane is still in the hands of the Bamfort family, and still loyal to Tywin Lannister."

"Then what are we going to do!"

"Where do you want to go and what do you want to do? Go back to Harlow Island and rise up against Euron's rule?" Yes, we must respect its results. The ironborn chose Euron as the leader, so he is our rightful king. I came to Pyke Island to save you out of love for you and your mother, because you are My own niece and half daughter, but I will never start a rebellion and let the ironmen kill each other, or for a war that has no chance of winning!"

"It's different this time. I have strong foreign aid, and I have found the real way out for the Iron Islands..."

"I'm not discussing with you!" Rodrik interrupted Asha's words unquestionably, "Euron Greyjoy led the Iron Islands to a road of no return—at this point, we The views are indeed the same, but the Crow’s Eye is not stupid. He knows that the Iron Islands are not a unified enemy of Westeros, and the countermeasure is to deal with the major forces to ensure that the war will never stop and the Seven Kingdoms will never have peace. It's dancing on the tip of a knife, and sooner or later there will be a day when you will stumble and be pierced, but the terrible thing is: we know that day will come sooner or later, but we don't know which day it is. The more important point is: even if the retribution is destined to come , and it must not be brought by you and me!" He sighed for a long time: "Asha, I don't know who the foreign aid you are talking about is, and I don't want to bet on whether the real way out you found is right or wrong. This time, I stand by my principles, please forgive me."

Feeling her uncle's determination, Asha froze for a moment sadly, and stopped insisting: "Then after I go to the fortress?"

"I have prepared a small amount of money and horses for you, and I will send a boat to take you ashore when I approach the coast. As for whether to go around the castle and the village as a lonely traveler, or directly surrender to the people of the western border and identify yourself as an asylum--I I would personally recommend the latter - it's up to you to decide."

"Okay, I'll make another decision when I get ashore." Asha clenched her fists tightly. She knew her uncle, and if he said he must stick to principles, then there would be no room for negotiation on this matter. "There's another thing I want to ask you, Uncle—do you know what happened to Euron's eye under the patch?"

"I don't know, don't you just wear blindfolds when you're injured or blind?"

"No, that eye is completely different from the original one. Before my father drove him out of the Iron Islands, Euron had two eyes, one black and one blue. Anything abnormal, and now, the black...that is, the one under the blindfold, the white of the eye has completely turned blood-colored!"

"So what? He wears an eyepatch, isn't it just to cover this problematic eye?" The scholar didn't understand what his niece wanted to say.

"It's not that simple. A few days ago in the hall of Pike City, he took off the blindfold and forced me to look at that eye while all the leaders were discussing my request... Then I felt that my brain was invaded by him and It’s a sorcery!” Asha described it uneasily, and found that her vocabulary was lacking: “After the king’s election, you led the Harlow family’s fleet to fight against him, did you never find out Have you seen any abnormalities in him?"

Rodrik sighed, apparently disapproving of what his niece said: "There are so many abnormalities, but isn't that why the leaders chose him? Euron claimed to have traveled the entire known world from Ibben to Asshai, Going deep into Valyria, which has been ruined by pyrotechnics... Where do you think he gave Victarion the 'Dragon Horn' and the tile-steel armor he wore on his body? If his experience is not bragging, but It is recorded in many books - there are demons living in the ruins of Valyria, and it is true that Asshai gathered all the wizards in the world. Then he has a few magic items in his hand, and even learned some magic... It’s not surprising at all.”

Asha fell silent. After her uncle's reminder, the scene she saw when she met Euron that day was suddenly explained: those strange creatures that appeared in the crow's eye's vision were probably him in the ruins of Valyria. The demons he met during his adventures, and the other guys who were obviously human but had an indescribable sense of weirdness were the wizards he saw when he visited Asshai.Through exploring in the ruins of the doomsday catastrophe, making deals with the wizards of Asshai... Countless adventures and luck made Euron Greyjoy what he is today!