The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Lord Hajj Mormont, are you truly intent on war?” Commander Beryl asked coldly.

“I have no desire for war,” Hajj Mormont said frankly, “But if His Majesty the King and all the lords desire war, the Thirteen will naturally meet the challenge with all our strength.”

“If we choose to fight, we need someone to go outside the city to seek peace and gain the trust of Daenerys and the Mountain,” Elder Regretful Guest said blandly.

“I am confident in gaining Daenerys' trust, but I do not understand the Mountain and have no certainty,” Hajj Mormont said.

The King looked at Hajj Mormont: “Lord Hajj, we cannot find anyone more suitable to be an envoy than you. You have had dealings with Daenerys, which no one else can match.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, if everyone has made a decision, I am willing to go as Qarth's envoy to see Daenerys Targaryen.”

“Then, what is everyone's decision, war or peace? Or, as Lord Hajj Mormont said, feign peace, and kill the Mountain and Daenerys at the celebratory banquet welcoming the Mountain into the city,” Commander Beryl said indifferently.

Vice Commander Beryl said coldly: “The soldiers of the Beryl Brotherhood only seek battle and refuse to bow down and be slaves to foreigners.”

The King looked at everyone and said slowly: “The Beryl Brotherhood chooses to fight, what does the Ancient Spice Guild choose?”

“The Ancient Spice Guild is willing to fight,” the chairman said slowly. The expression on his face fully demonstrated the Ancient Spice Guild's lack of enthusiasm for battle.

The Beryl Brotherhood only seeks battle and is the most determined faction for war!

The Ancient Spice Guild is willing to fight, implying that they are also willing to negotiate peace.

The King looked at the Thirteen. Hajj Mormont said: “Your Majesty, the Thirteen will follow your Majesty's command and arrangement. If Your Majesty wants war, we will go all out. If Your Majesty wants peace, I am willing to be the envoy.”

The King looked at Elder Regretful Guest. The masked Elder Regretful Guest said: “Your Majesty, Regretful Guest is responsible for killing the Mountain and Daenerys at the banquet.”

“Elder, I would be grateful if you could order Daenerys to be captured alive,” Hajj Mormont said with a smile.

“Lord, are you still thinking about Daenerys?”

“I cannot forget her. If I have the opportunity to obtain Daenerys, I am willing to offer one hundred ships to Regretful Guest as a thank you.”

Commander Beryl said coldly: “Lord Hajj, if you don't kill Daenerys, Daenerys will kill us.”

“I will not let her out of my villa for half a step.”

“She has dragons, Lord Hajj. Dragons will come to protect their masters.”

“We will kill her dragons,” Hajj chuckled. “Lords, we will make a move to kill the Mountain at the banquet, but of course, we must also use dragon-hunting crossbows to kill his dragons. Killing the dragon rider and letting go of the dragons, the dragons will come for revenge. Dragons without the restraint of a dragon rider are impossible for us to defend against.”

“Kill dragons? I think this requires the help of the Undying Wizards. The dragon-hunting crossbow was invented by Grand Master Pyat Pree,” Commander Beryl said.

“At the banquet, we will feast the Mountain; while in the outer square, we will arrange for soldiers to feed the dragons, and around the square, we only need to set up hundreds of dragon-hunting crossbows. One dragon-hunting crossbow bolt can cause serious damage to the dragon, and hundreds of dragon-hunting crossbow bolts can nail the dragon into a hedgehog.”

“Good arrangement,” Commander Beryl exclaimed.

“Do we need to inform Grand Master Pyat Pree?” the chairman of the Ancient Spice Guild asked.

“Of course. I am willing to go to the House of the Undying and tell Grand Master Pyat Pree our plan, and ask the Grand Master to see if our plan can succeed. Grand Master Pyat Pree's prophetic abilities may be of great help to us.”

The King was impressed by Hajj Mormont's plan.

He was willing to take the risk.

“Lord Hajj, go and see Grand Master Pyat Pree and ask him if our plan can succeed. If the Grand Master believes there is a 70% chance or more of success, we need to carefully arrange every detail and conduct a practice run first.”

“As you command, Your Majesty, I will go to see Grand Master Pyat Pree now.”

*

The House of the Undying.

The House of the Undying is the center of power for the warlocks of Qarth. People usually call it the 'Hall of Dust'. Many people come here seeking enlightenment and power, but very few are able to come out.

The so-called enlightenment is the prophecy of the future.

Rumor has it that Grand Master Pyat Pree can know everything about the past, present, and future.

And because many people who go in are unable to come out, over time, there is a popular saying among the people that 'countless lies and bones are buried under the House of the Undying'.

The lies refer to Grand Master Pyat Pree's 'prophecies', and the bones refer to the belief that those who have not come out of the House of the Undying have been killed in some way by the warlocks of the House of the Undying, and the bones are buried under the temple.

From the outside, the House of the Undying is a gray, round stone fortress building. It is round at the bottom and pointed at the top, like a huge stone snake coiled in a forest of black bark.

The trees in the forest have dark blue leaves, and the magic drink "Nightshade" often drunk by the Undying Wizards is made from them.

The stones that make up the round fortress are mottled and peeling, uneven, and full of traces of wind and sun. The mortar between the stones is also mostly dry and cracked.

The appearance of the temple looks dilapidated and completely unmatched with its great reputation.

Hajj Mormont came to the temple.

He came with the decision made after discussing with the King and all the lords.

There is no visible door to the House of the Undying.

Hajj Mormont came to a stone with several cracks. He reached out and knocked on the stone, making a light thumping sound, as if knocking on a drum skin.

“Who?”

“Believer Hajj Mormont.”

Crack, crack, crack!

The mottled cracked stone shrank into the wall, revealing a narrow scorpion, and a hand stretched out, holding a bowl of blue 'Nightshade'.

Hajj took the bowl and slowly drank the 'Nightshade' in the bowl, his expression slightly distorted, his brows furrowed, it seemed that the 'Nightshade' lacked seasoning and the taste was not very good.

“Truth and Wisdom!” A voice low and hoarse came from the stone door.

“Truth and Wisdom!” Hajj Mormont said.

Then, the stone door made a crackling sound again, as if it were a door panel about to break, and a doorway just enough for one person to enter appeared. Hajj Mormont walked in. The stone door closed with a crackling sound, returning to its original state, blending into the surrounding stone walls, and no different traces could be found.

People who have never been to the House of the Undying, without the guidance of a warlock, walk around the base of the House of the Undying and cannot find the entrance.

After entering the temple, there are four doors in front of you, four identical stone doors.

Various strange sounds are heard in the four doors: counting from the right, the first door contains the hissing of snakes, the second door contains the roar of lions, the third door contains the delicate panting of beauties, and the fourth door contains the clinking of gold coins...

Hajj Mormont chose the rightmost door, opened the door, and the hissing of snakes disappeared instantly. In front of him was a spiral staircase leading upwards.

Hajj went up the stone steps. On the second floor, there were the same four doors in front of him.

In these four doors, the first door on the far right contains the singing of women; the second door contains the sound of flames burning; the third door contains the sound of swords colliding; and the fourth door contains the chirping of birds...

Hajj once again chose the rightmost door. As soon as his hand touched the door, the singing of the woman disappeared. He pushed open the door, and in front of him was another spiral staircase leading upwards.

Hajj went up the stone steps. On the third floor, there were the same four doors in front of him. All four doors were open, and you could see the entire situation inside the four doors from the stairwell. The rightmost door contained dancers dancing, and the dancer was Hajj's first woman, Gina, whom he still remembers; the second door contained a murder in progress, and the murderer was Hajj himself. He killed a rich man before he became successful, and this rich man was Gina's father; the third door contained Hajj's wandering father and mother, who were discussing secretly selling the only seven-year-old black-skinned Hajj to a slave owner; the fourth door contained Hajj being cut in the neck by a Dothraki cavalryman with a scimitar...

Hajj Mormont calmed down and chose the first room on the right. As soon as he walked in, the Gina in the room disappeared, and in front of him was a spiral staircase leading upwards...

In this cycle, Lord Hajj Mormont saw different scenes every time he went up a floor, some beautiful, some terrible, some surprising, and some terrifying. Some were real experiences that existed in the past; some may not have arrived yet, or may not happen; and some were reproductions of some things that are happening now.

Hajj Mormont walked up a total of eighteen stone steps, and each time he chose the rightmost door, because he knew that as long as he chose any other door, he would not be able to leave the House of the Undying. This is also the reason why very few people come out after entering the House of the Undying.

Hajj went to the last floor. He pushed open the rightmost door. In front of him was a circular, pointed-cone-roofed house. Daylight shone down from the roof. Looking up, the tiles on the pointed cone roof were all made of carved glass.

Grand Master Pyat Pree was sitting on a wooden chair opposite him, next to a stone platform with a stone bowl on it, filled with clear water.

And on Grand Master Pyat Pree's right hand side, there was a long stone table with a human heart floating above it, rotten and swollen, bruised in color, but still beating. With each beat, it emitted a deep tremor and scattered a wave of deep blue light.

And on Grand Master Pyat Pree's left hand side, there was also a long stone table, on which lay a living, skeleton-like person, naked, without a heart. This person was dry and shriveled, and his skin was a full blue-purple color. He was still breathing slightly, and his breathing was synchronized with the beating of the suspended heart opposite him.

The prophecies that Grand Master Pyat Pree told the believers who came to ask for clarification came from the mouth of this still-living skeleton, and the suspended, rotten, swollen heart opposite was that of this skeleton.

“Wisdom and Truth!” Grand Master Pyat Pree said.

“Wisdom and Truth!” Hajj Mormont said, bowing. He put his hands together and pressed them to his heart, bowing to Grand Master Pyat Pree to pay his respects.

“Hajj, the House of the Undying was not built for mortals. If you cherish your soul, please heed my words and be extra careful. If you are determined, then kneel down and worship the god of magic. When you kneel down, ghosts and demons will appear around you, and you need to withstand their tests.”

“My teacher, I am determined,” Hajj Mormont said.

He knelt down, not facing Grand Master Pyat Pree, but facing the skeleton lying on the stone table who had lost his heart.

“My believer, speak, what do you seek?” the living skeleton said.

His eyes opened, but there was no expression in them. He lost his heart, but he could still speak.

“My teacher, His Majesty the King and all the lords have made a decision to go to war with the Mountain.”

“War, Qarth will be slaughtered,” the living skeleton said.

An image appeared out of thin air, showing four giant dragons spewing flames and burning Qarth, countless Dothraki cavalry charging and slashing in the city, civilians and soldiers fleeing everywhere, scimitars cutting down, and blood splattering. The city was full of smoke, full of fire, and full of battlefields, which was a one-sided massacre.

Boom, boom, boom!

Violent explosions sounded, and balls of fire and smoke rose in the city, with human limbs and broken wood flying in the sky...

Hajj Mormont was stunned.

“My teacher, is this the future of Qarth?” Hajj's hands and feet were cold, and his voice was trembling.

A black shadow slowly stood up behind Hajj. It was the father of Gina he killed. An old man covered in blood and with hatred in his eyes stretched out his hands from behind and strangled Hajj's throat.

Hajj was frightened, and instinctively grabbed the attacking black hand with both hands: “My teacher, save me.”

“Only you can save yourself. You only need to tell yourself in your heart that you have killed him, and he is just a projection of your thoughts, and the wronged soul cannot harm you.”

Hajj's throat rattled: “You have been killed by me, Lorenzo Caesar, why don't you get out of here, I am not afraid of you at all.”

Bang!

Lorenzo Caesar's wronged soul turned into a cloud of black mist and drifted into the wall.

More eyes of wronged souls flickered on the wall, and familiar faces appeared, each face filled with resentment.

“I will not be afraid of you. I have come to my teacher many times, and every time you cannot kill me, and this time is no exception.” Hajj Mormont roared, he rushed towards those faces, and met the resentful gazes on those faces, without blinking.

The resentment on those faces slowly turned into despair, and finally into fear.

Hajj laughed.

“Get out!” he shouted at the faces on the wall.

Slowly, the faces became paler and thinner with fear, and finally drilled into the wall, and everything returned to normal.

“My teacher, does Qarth have no future?”

“We cannot win if we fight.”

“What about peace talks?”

“The Beryl Brotherhood and His Majesty the King will not sincerely negotiate peace, and the Regretful Guest Organization will also launch an assassination plan.”

“My teacher's power cannot defeat the Mountain?”

“The Mountain represents the future, he is the divine will. If I participate in the war, the House of the Undying and all the Undying Wizards will be burned to ashes. I will not escape death either.”

Hajj Mormont's face turned pale: “My teacher, I don't want to die.”

“I don't want the House of the Undying to be destroyed either.”

“We must save ourselves, my teacher, let's escape together tonight.”

“I cannot leave the House of the Undying, this is my root.”

“My teacher, can't the god of magic save himself?”

This time, the skeleton lying on the stone table did not speak, but Grand Master Pyat Pree, who was sitting opposite him, spoke: “Hajj, I have thought of a way.”