The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The sea looked like a calm mirror in the night, but this was just an illusion. The sea is always surging, and its power is irresistible.

The Sea Monster merchant ship had three decks, with a rare three hundred oarsmen taking turns rowing. This was a super luxurious merchant ship, for both passengers and cargo, but the entire ship was still as fragile as a rootless child on the sea, rocking from side to side with the waves.

On the highest deck, Varys had regained his bald head, white robe, fat face, perfume, and rouge. Across from him sat a much thinner old friend: Illyrio Mopatis, the governor of Pentos.

Illyrio looked at the distant sea, feeling like he was dreaming.

"Did we really leave King's Landing?" Illyrio picked up the wine glass on the table. It was half-filled with Arbor Gold.

Varys looked at Illyrio without speaking, his face bearing his usual amiable smile.

Although Illyrio was asking Varys, his tone was affirmative, not questioning.

Varys knew very well that Illyrio was not sleepwalking, but simply unwilling to believe the reality before him.

Varys himself also had the illusion of dreaming.

He had not expected to leave King's Landing and the Red Keep in this way. He had thought he would stay in King's Landing until Daenerys and Drogo Kao returned with their army.

"I thought I was definitely going to die," Illyrio said, drinking the Arbor Gold produced in the Riverlands in one gulp, savoring the comfort of the wine flowing down his throat. He felt it tasted even better than Arbor wine.

In the east, the first ray of dawn began to appear. Both Varys and Illyrio had been sleepless all night, but their spirits were surprisingly good.

"The Mountain sincerely wants to ally with Daenerys, which is the key to our safe escape," Varys said softly. His voice was gentle, as if afraid of waking a lover's sweet dream. His 'delicate' voice would give people goosebumps, but Illyrio was already used to Varys's 'feminine' words and deeds.

"I thought I was definitely going to die!" Illyrio poured down another half glass of Arbor Gold, then took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze. This kind of deep breathing allowed him to feel freedom and life. He was very emotional, and the days he spent with the Mountain made him feel anxious every day.

The Mountain was terrifying, and his little brothers were even more terrifying, especially that Polliver, who kept trying to persuade the Mountain to chop off Illyrio's head and soak it in a wine jar to make a work of art. Polliver thought Illyrio's head was unique and extremely beautiful.

Illyrio had repeated the sentence 'I thought I was definitely going to die' many times.

Illyrio successfully boarded the ship home, and he was really emotional. A million gold dragons had saved his life, and he now felt it was very worthwhile. Living, every breath was so sweet and beautiful. Money? He could find a way to earn it back when he returned to Pentos.

Varys did not satirize Illyrio's fear of the Mountain, which still resonated in his heart.

Illyrio's courage and boldness as an assassin had long disappeared. Looking at his belly, one could tell how poor his skills were now. After all, he had been the governor of Pentos for more than ten years. He had long stopped practicing his swordsmanship and stealth skills.

The sky in the east gradually brightened!

The Sea Monster bypassed Dragonstone Island along the coastline, and Varys and Illyrio were completely relaxed.

In the waters off Dragonstone Island, Stannis Baratheon had blockaded the sea route twenty days ago, forcibly requisitioning passing merchant ships to supplement his warship fleet. The Sea Monster sailed along the coastline of Blackwater Bay, and after leaving Blackwater Bay, it sailed south along the coastline, avoiding the patrol warships of Stannis Baratheon in the waters off Dragonstone Island, and then turned north back to the sea route, heading towards the nearest Free Trade City-State of Pentos!

"News has come back that Daenerys did not hatch three dragons!" Varys seemed to say something nonsensical.

But Illyrio understood the meaning of this sentence. The Mountain had once told them both a prophecy that Daenerys would hatch three dragons.

"The Mountain really knows everything about me. He knows what I know and what I don't know," Illyrio said with emotion.

"Do you think the Mountain's prophecy that Daenerys will hatch three dragons is true?" Varys gave Illyrio a sweet smile.

"The Mountain has no need to deceive us. You just said that the Mountain released us because he sincerely wanted to ally with Daenerys. He knows all our secrets, including the time you and I met in the underground labyrinth of the Red Keep to plot. He should have reported to Tywin or Cersei and killed us, but he didn't. This is not in line with reason or logic."

"Yes, why would the Mountain betray Tywin?" Varys looked at Illyrio.

"I don't know," Illyrio said, "but I am looking forward to seeing how long his secret intelligence sharing with us will last."

"I can see through many people, this is my survival skill," Varys said, "but I admit that I can't see through the Mountain. Is the blood wizard behind him really so powerful that he can foresee everything in the future?"

Varys thought of a strange man who had appeared in the Targaryen family - Brynden Rivers. That guy could possess any birds and beasts, and use the eyes of birds and beasts to see the secrets of everyone he wanted to see. It was rumored that he later became a Green Prophet, a demigod.

Could the blood wizard beside the Mountain also be a 'prophet'?!

"The Mountain told me when he sent me on the ship that he used my money to hire the most notorious mercenary group in King's Landing to work for him," Illyrio said.

"The Brave Companions?" Varys asked.

"Yes, the Brave Companions, the leader is from Kohor and his name is Vargo Hoat."

"I know Vargo Hoat, I've met him too. He's a guy who worships the Black Goat. The people of Kohor all worship the Black Goat. They believe that the Black Goat is the incarnation of the God of Death. He and his team members like to chop off people's hands and feet, and everyone wears their own national costumes, which are colorful. The people of King's Landing call them the Bloody Mummers. Polliver also killed a warrior of the Bloody Mummers. That unlucky guy was named Iggo, a Dothraki robber. He was killed by Polliver with one sword."

"Why do you seem to be in a good mood? Do you think the Mountain can help us complete the next plan?"

"I didn't expect the Mountain to take over our affairs and continue to do them, to disrupt the peace of the Seven Kingdoms, to deliberately provoke civil war. But the Mountain did fulfill a wish I've had for more than ten years: he let me kill Grand Maester Pycelle. And it was Pycelle who, sixteen years ago, overrode my advice to King Aerys. He let King Aerys listen to his slander, and the king ordered the city gates to be opened, and the citizens of King's Landing and the royal family were slaughtered in blood. I've been holding this breath for more than ten years, and I finally killed that old guy with my own hands last night. Before the crossbow bolt shot into Pycelle's chest, the old thing was so scared that he peed his pants."

Illyrio laughed loudly.

He seemed to have forgotten the embarrassing incident that he was almost scared to pee in the Mountain's hands.

The two people were talking, and the Sea Monster was sailing rapidly on the sea. With hundreds of oarsmen rowing, the speed of the Sea Monster was very fast. The sky and the earth were bright, and the morning came, a pleasant morning!

*

King's Landing, the Red Keep, Varys's stone room.

Queen Cersei stood in front of the stone room with her two hounds, the Hound and the Mountain, watching the craftsmen dismantle Varys's stone room in the morning sun.

Many noble courtiers were behind the Queen Mother, and three Kingsguard stood in front of the Queen Mother with their swords.

Queen Mother Cersei had discovered Varys's crimes. He had escaped from the secret passage last night. The Red Keep, King's Landing, and the waters of Blackwater Bay were searched all night by the red-robed guards of the Westerlands, the King's Landing Garrison, and the Royal Fleet, but Varys's shadow was not seen until dawn.

Littlefinger also came, standing beside the Queen Mother, with a sly smile on his face, as if mocking Queen Mother Cersei's boring behavior.

"Queen Mother, has Grand Maester Pycelle not gotten up yet?"

"The old man is weak, it is not inappropriate for him to rest more in the morning."

"Yes, I am not complaining that the Grand Maester is sleeping in," Littlefinger lowered his voice, only for Queen Mother Cersei to hear, "After I interrogated Janos yesterday, I discovered that Varys was a major suspect in the crime. I told the Grand Maester, I don't know if the Grand Maester relayed it to the Queen Mother in time."

Cersei stared at Littlefinger coldly. This guy was smiling cheaply to ask for credit.

"Since you noticed Varys's conspiracy, why didn't you come directly to me?"

"Varys is very wary of me, he is very careful of me. I believe his little birds have been watching my every move. I reminded Grand Maester Pycelle to tell the Queen Mother, which would not make Varys suspicious of me. Although I only hinted, the Grand Maester should understand what I meant."

"He doesn't understand!" Cersei said deliberately, in an even colder tone, "You knew that Varys was suspected of committing the crime, but you went around in circles, delaying the time to capture Varys. I am very unhappy."

The smile on Littlefinger's face suddenly stiffened.

"Queen Mother, I will definitely report things directly to you in the future."

"I need you to tell me immediately, not to go around in circles and tell other people."

"Yes, Queen Mother. I know I was wrong!"

"Humph!"

After the roof of the stone room was removed, then the walls and furniture.

Varys's stone room in the Red Keep was not large, and the walls were quickly demolished, and no underground mechanism was found. After the ground garbage was cleaned up, only a stone bed remained. The stone bed was very heavy, estimated to be nearly a thousand pounds.

Littlefinger said: "Queen Mother, if there is a mechanism in Varys's house, then there are only two possible places, first is this stone bed; second, is the ground."

"The ground?"

"Yes, if there is a mechanism in the ground leading to the underground, knocking on it will definitely have a hollow echo." Littlefinger said, and then showed a sly smile again.

Cersei thought that Littlefinger was indeed very reasonable, but she didn't like Littlefinger's smile at all.

Who is the sly smile mocking?

"Lord Petyr, go and see if there is a mechanism on the stone bed; if not, please check the ground. If you can't find the mechanism leading to Varys's underground secret passage, I will order Meryn Trant to slap you in the mouth," Queen Mother Cersei said coldly.

Littlefinger shrugged: "Yes, Queen Mother!" He did not change his sly smile, but this time the object of his ridicule seemed to have become himself.

Littlefinger walked towards the stone bed in full view.

*

Recommend the book "Rebirth of the Strongest Farmer"

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