The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Braavos. Isle of Gods. The House of Black and White.

The House of the Many-Faced God.

This was a space as dark as ink, with a black pool in the center of the temple.

In the darkness, the faint sound of water being scooped up could be heard, followed by the gulping of someone drinking. A believer in the darkness drank about half a bowl of water from the pool, then slowly leaned against the circular railing surrounding the pool, and soon stopped breathing.

Someone lit a candle in the darkness, but the candlelight couldn't dispel the thick darkness, only illuminating a few feet in front of the candle holder.

All men must die, all men must serve.

The reasons why citizens voluntarily ended their lives varied. In the special place that was the House of Black and White, a believer choosing to end their life was a major event worthy of respect.

The candle holder bent down, hoisted the believer who had just stopped breathing, and carried them to the Hall of Rest.

A flickering candle flame moved along the circular arched wall, its faint light illuminating the faces molded into the alcoves in the wall. If a torch were lit and the darkness dispelled, one would see that the circular wall, from the ground to the dome, was covered with evenly spaced square alcoves. The alcoves were not large, and each square alcove contained a clearly molded human face.

Whether you came from the Eastern world, Westeros, or the Free Cities, you could find several familiar faces among these dense rows of faces.

But most of the time, these faces remained silent in the darkness. All the face sculptures had their eyes closed, as if lost in deep sleep. Their expressions were serene.

If the Mountain were here, he would be able to see his own face.

Almost all the great nobles of Westeros and the successive generations of kings and royal family members in the Red Keep of King's Landing could have their faces found on this wall of faces.

The ceiling of the Many-Faced God's temple was very high, a black dome, and even if torches were lit, the light could not reach the top. The circular wall was lined with faces, numbering in the thousands or tens of thousands.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps increased in the darkness, coming from seven directions. One by one, candles were lit, a total of seven, like stars lighting up from various places in the night sky. The candlelight came from seven different entrances, and one by one, monks appeared, moving towards the same direction in the darkness. Finally, all the candlelight entered a narrow door, and ultimately disappeared into the darkness of the Many-Faced God's temple.

Behind the narrow door of the Many-Faced God's temple was the brightly lit hall of the council of elders. Unless the most important events occurred, the elders' council hall would not be activated.

In the brightly lit hall, exquisite tapestries hung on the walls, and a huge bas-relief adorned the central wall. It depicted a faceless god, somewhat similar in appearance to the Stranger of the Seven Gods of Westeros.

This was a rectangular black table where the seating arrangement reflected status and seniority.

The gaunt monk sitting in the center was the old man who had opened the door of the House of Black and White and accepted the two iron coins from the fisherman. He was the chief of the seven elders, and the disciples in the House of Black and White called him the High Priest.

All seven elders in attendance wore yellow robes, their faces hidden in the hoods of their robes.

The High Priest extended his withered palm, revealing two iron coins in his open hand.

One iron coin represented one Faceless Men disciple.

The iron coins were the disciples' credentials, never to be separated from them unless they were killed. The iron coins were also a symbol of recognition, allowing Faceless Men of different generations to recognize each other outside, and a form of identification in Braavos. Anyone in Braavos, whether noble or commoner, would provide assistance to the holder of the iron coin to the best of their ability.

In Braavos, the iron coin symbolized a supreme power second only to the monarchy.

If outsiders held the iron coins, and if they had no fear of the House of Black and White, they could swagger around Braavos, doing whatever they pleased.

The two iron coins were very precious, considered sacred objects in the eyes of the people of Braavos.

Upon seeing the two iron coins belonging to the Faceless Men disciples, the council hall fell silent, even the sound of breathing seemed to cease.

None of the elders spoke.

The iron coins of the Faceless Men disciples being delivered to the House of Black and White was a first in the history of the House of Black and White.

This was something that had never happened in the past thousand years, and was too unusual.

"All men must die," an elder finally said. His voice was dry and weak, as if his next heartbeat would be his last. He was the steward elder, responsible only for all the internal affairs of the House of Black and White.

"They are not dead," the High Priest said, "The Mountain captured them, took their iron coins, locked them up, and threw them into the underground black prison."

All the slightly lowered heads were raised, and the elders were greatly shocked.

Faceless Men disciples captured alive? And their identities discovered?!

This was unbelievable!

The Faceless Men disciples had never failed in their missions outside.

"The Quill and Tankard was ordered to be burned down by the Mountain," the High Priest said slowly.

The Quill and Tankard, which the House of Black and White had operated for six hundred years, had been destroyed just like that?! The House of Black and White had not received any warning beforehand.

The elders could no longer remain calm, and two of them had already lifted their hoods, revealing their shiny bald heads, their eyes filled with surprise and suspicion.

"The Mountain captured Rory, Lhara, and Emma. Rory was the disciple I sent to Oldtown to steal the dragon glass candle, and Emma was a disciple who had been lurking in Oldtown, and she replaced Rylander a year ago, becoming the manager of the Quill and Tankard," the High Priest said slowly.

All the elders knew about the mission to retrieve the dragon glass candle from the Citadel, but only the High Priest and the steward elder knew that the disciple sent was Rory.

"The Mountain has discerned all of our action plans, and he also knows the secret of our Quill and Tankard station that has been in place for six hundred years."

"How could this be possible?" Three elders lifted their hoods together, speaking in unison.

None of the seven great elders could sit still anymore. The information revealed by the High Priest was like a huge rock thrown into the water, stirring up monstrous waves in their hearts.

"How could the Mountain discern all of our plans?" A tall monk stood up abruptly. He had lost his composure and detachment from worldly affairs, and was as emotional as an ordinary person in the secular world. His face was the color of red copper, and he was the elder who trained novice disciples in assassination combat.

It should be known that among the elders present, five of them were not clear about the specific personnel arrangements and action details of the operation to send Rory to Oldtown to steal the dragon glass candle. This was not a matter of power, but rather that each elder had their own specialized area of jurisdiction. Elders who were absorbed in drug research, swordsmanship research, stealth research, and face-changing research... would not interfere with the arrangement of specific affairs.

Five of the seven great elders did not know that Rory had gone to Oldtown, but the Mountain knew!

This made it impossible for the elders to remain calm.

The High Priest also slowly removed his hood and stood up. This slight movement already showed the turmoil within his own heart.

The High Priest left the long table and paced back and forth beside his high-backed chair, the gazes of the six elders following him as he moved, their eyes anxious. After a long while, the High Priest stopped: "There is only one reason that can explain this, the Mountain is a greenseer."

The elders, rich in life experience and seasoned, looked at each other.

"We signed an assassination agreement of one greenseer against another greenseer," the combat elder with the red-copper colored face said, with a hint of self-mockery in his tone.

"If the Mountain can discern our dragon glass plan, can he also discern our assassination plan against him?" A pale and refined elder said slowly, "If our assassination fails, how will the House of Black and White continue to exist?"

The pale and refined elder was the assassination elder, proficient in stealth and seeing in the dark.

As soon as the assassination elder's words came out, the elders all looked fearful!

They, who had given their bodies and minds to the god of death, showed fear. If this scene were seen by anyone else, they would not dare to believe their eyes. Every elder was an invincible being like a god in the outside world.

They could accept their own deaths in battle, but they could not accept the failure of the House of Black and White, as it was related to the glory of the House of Black and White for thousands of years. Name spoken, death comes, this was an oracle-like mantra, also the signboard of the House of Black and White, and even more so the faith of all Faceless Men.

"The two iron coins were sent by a fisherman from the fishing grounds," the High Priest said slowly, as if each word weighed a thousand pounds, "Anyone in Braavos, upon seeing the iron coins, will do their best to deliver them to the House of Black and White. When the fisherman left, he said that the person returning the iron coins was called the Mountain, and he lived on top of the Titan of Braavos."

"Absolutely impossible," the combat elder said somewhat brashly, like a straightforward ordinary person. The elder was somewhat out of control. The other elders were on the verge of losing control.

"He has dragons," the refined assassination elder said softly.

"What does the Mountain mean? He lives on top of the Titan of Braavos?!" Another elder also began to pace in the hall. He was the dark elder, proficient in face-changing.

Standing up and pacing was a sign of the elders' intense unease.

"Why did he tell us that he lives on top of the Titan of Braavos?" The assassination elder spoke again, softly and slowly.

"Is he provoking us or Braavos, or is he mocking us for not being able to climb to the top of the Titan?" An elder with skin as black as night said faintly. He was the elder responsible for dissecting corpses and skinning faces.

The High Priest slowly paced: "No matter what the Mountain means, we need to send a disciple to the top of the Titan to take a look. If we don't send a disciple, we will appear to have lost even our courage. When has the House of Black and White ever lost its courage?!"

"Will he kill our disciple?" the combat elder said roughly, "Or will he kidnap another one of us, and then send someone back with an iron coin."

The High Priest said slowly: "The Mountain did not kill Rory, Emma, and Lhara. He is showing us his strength. If he wanted revenge, the dragons could burn the Isle of Gods to ashes, and none of us could escape."

The elders were silent for a moment.

If the Mountain wanted to attack the House of Black and White, he didn't actually need to burn down the entire Isle of Gods. The High Priest's statement about the Mountain burning down the entire Isle of Gods was actually a concern that the Mountain would take extreme measures to eliminate them completely.

With the Mountain's notorious reputation overseas, he was someone who could take such drastic action!

When had the Faceless Men ever had such a huge sense of crisis?!

All the elders knew that they could not resist the dragons.

The city-state of Braavos was able to survive by adopting a strategy of concealment.

The first batch of city-state builders were runaway slaves from the underground mines of the Valyrian Empire. They could not fight against the dragons and legions of the Valyrian Empire, and secretly hid in this corner to build the city-state. The founders of the Iron Bank and the founders of the House of Black and White were all runaway slaves from the Valyrian Empire. Once the news was leaked, the Valyrian Empire would send dragon legions to exterminate them.

Under the cover of the sea's fog and the hundreds of miles wide swamp on land, relying on the unique foggy environment and deeply concealed tracks, and trading under assumed names, the city-state of Braavos finally survived until the end of the Valyrian Empire. When the Valyrian Empire was destroyed by ground fire, the city-state of Braavos dared to declare its existence to the outside world. After more than four hundred years of public development, the city-state of Braavos became the most powerful of the nine Free Cities. The two famous organizations in the city-state were the Iron Bank and the Faceless Men.

*

"I will go to the top of the Titan to take a look, perhaps it is the Mountain's deliberate provocation. It is impossible for no one to see the dragons coming to Braavos," the refined assassination elder said softly.

"The night is the best cover," a tall elder said faintly. He was the swordsmanship elder, and the two narrow swords he used were short swords, like two daggers. The short swords were made of Valyrian steel, as sharp as mud. The swordsmanship elder had given the two short swords a name: Dark Sisters.

The elders had already seen through life and death, transcending life and death. Since the Mountain had someone convey the message that he lived on top of the Titan, this 'living' actually contained the meaning of waiting for them to come. If no one from the House of Black and White went to the top of the Titan, the Mountain's respect for the House of Black and White would be reduced to the lowest level. The elders and disciples of the House of Black and White had never feared their own lives and deaths, but they still had fears, fearing that the subsequent assassination missions of the House of Black and White could not be completed. This would be the most serious harm to their faith!

"High Priest, please allow me and the assassination elder to go together," the swordsmanship elder said, "My Dark Sisters can help us get to the top of the giant."

Like the bishops of the Great Sept of Baelor, the elders of the House of Black and White no longer possessed any names they had ever used in the mortal world. Their elder position names were their names.

"Alright, go and take a look," the High Priest said as lightly as possible.

It had always been the House of Black and White that made others fear, making others feel thorny and uneasy. Today, it was their turn.

Secular emperors were not taken seriously by the House of Black and White, as long as they paid enough money and piety, they could be hired to take action. But this time, the Mountain faced by the House of Black and White, the elders all believed that he was not only an emperor, but also seemed to be an all-knowing greenseer.