Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon.

Chapter 274 Transition

"Your Majesty, your Majesty sent a letter from the Wall with a glass candle, asking us to send a raven message from Oldtown in the name of the royal family to the riverlords: the vanguard of the White Walker army has penetrated deep into the Neck and will soon reach the river. Let the lords of various places, especially the river and the valley where there is no time for large-scale construction, prepare defensive measures and allow civilians to enter the fortress as much as possible. At the same time, it is recommended that the riverlords, if they are able, retreat to the line of Riverrun and Harrenhal at night, or retreat to the Westerland Pass of Riverrun, or retreat to the town near the Kingsroad south of Harrenhal."

Oldtown, the Royal Court Meeting. After returning from the Westerlands, the depression of more than a decade in his heart has dissipated. With gray hair and a more mature and steady appearance, Prime Minister Oberyn reported the king's letter to Queen Daenerys, who insisted on attending the Royal Court Meeting on behalf of the royal family despite her big belly.

Daenerys asked: "Is the situation so critical? Isn't the Wall fine? Has the entire North fallen?" She occasionally contacted Viserys through dreams to explain the latest situation. Viserys told her that the Wall was not lost, but that the White Walkers crossed the frozen sea on both sides of the Wall and landed in the North. But she could hardly contact anyone in the past few days, and she could guess that the situation at the Wall was probably not optimistic.

"Your Majesty did not mention this, but since Your Majesty is still at the Wall, the Wall should be fine. However, I'm afraid we can't stop the White Walkers from moving south to the Riverlands. The last letter from the Twins mentioned that the Neck had frozen over and turned into a tundra, and the fortifications at Moat Cailin were just for show."

Daenerys knew that the Wall was fine, but she also knew that Oberyn and the others had much less information than she did, so she changed the subject: "Grand Maester Aeas, the Long Night is almost spreading to Highgarden. Can the ravens still get the message out?"

This Doctor Ayes was a new Doctor after Harwin became the Master of the Citadel and restructured the Citadel. He was very young, and was elected as a Grand Maester when he was only in his early thirties. However, the power of the Grand Maester of the Targaryen Dynasty under Viserys was unprecedentedly small. He basically became the Office Director in charge of sending and receiving letters in the Minister's Office. Nine out of ten of the clerks working under him were from the Dragonstone Intelligence Department. The Grand Maester was now just an empty shell, and the one who was actually responsible for the operation of the work was the strict clerk secretariat set up by Viserys under the Grand Maester.

In fact, many ministers have begun to have corresponding official agencies to take charge of them, but some ministers are using this agency to speed up efficiency, while some ministers are being sidelined by this agency.

Daenerys knew very well what Viserys was up to with this thing, and she had also heard Viserys tell her that this thing would become bloated sooner or later.

Viserys told her an extreme situation with a joke: For example, when something needs to be voted on in front of the king and needs the support of ministers, how to get the support of ministers? The answer is to get the support of the officials. So how to get the support of the officials? The answer is to get the support of the ministers.

Daenerys couldn't imagine that situation, because what she saw was that Viserys had all the power in the country, and it was almost impossible for him to be blocked. But Daenerys soon figured it out. She compared Viserys I with Viserys now, and concluded that as a monarch, if the monarch is cowardly, then Viserys's system may hinder the monarch's will; but if the monarch is strong and knows how to use this system, the king's power can be unprecedentedly great.

Viserys has undoubtedly built a structure to centralize power for the king. Daenerys thinks of Crown Prince Denys. Faced with this new set of things, how should she educate him so that he can take over the framework built by Viserys?

But Daenerys soon thought to herself that she was thinking too far ahead. Dennis was only one year old, and Viserys couldn't always be away fighting. They had to discuss this matter together.

Back to the present.

Grand Maester Aeas replied cautiously, "Although the Long Night has arrived, according to the records of these days, ravens should still be able to reach most castles in the river and the valley. But I'm afraid that ravens can no longer reach the Twins and Seaward. The snowfall line has spread to the Bitterbridge area. I can't understand in Oldtown how the extreme cold brought by the Long Night and the Cold Winter will manifest itself north of the Neck. Your Majesty, my Lords, according to the calculations of the Citadel, this cold winter is probably the cruelest winter Westeros has faced in thousands of years. The Long Night will take away the sunshine, and now is just the beginning. In the next few years, it will probably get colder day by day, year by year, until the Long Night ends. However, the doctors of the Citadel calculated that Oldtown is very close to the edge of the boundary between day and night, and the monsoon from the Summer Isles will bring warm currents to Dorne and the South."

The university scholar was a bit nagging.

At this time, Desmond Redwyne, who attended the meeting as the Under-Secretary of the Navy on behalf of Earl Valerian for his contribution in the Battle of the Blood Sea, mentioned: "Speaking of this 'day-night boundary', recently there have been many 'sun chasers' in many ports who are recruiting fleets and sailors to venture south under the name of chasing the sun. Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I am worried that these people's actions will have a bad impact on your Majesty's anti-White Walker front. I wonder if this kind of thing should be banned?"

Hearing this, Daenerys's face fell. Many of these so-called "sun-chasing adventurers" were noble children of Westeros. Most of them had learned a little astronomy and believed that as long as they followed the direction of the sun's deflection and headed south, they could avoid the long night. So as the long night covered a wider area, some nobles, wealthy businessmen, and powerful children became more and more eager to go south for "adventures".

These people were what Viserys called the "fugitives" of the Long Night.

Oberyn asked, "Are these men going to the Summer Islands, or to Sothoryos, or further south?"

"Who knows?" Desmond said. "They are just a bunch of cowards. I have banned them from making a big fuss in various ports, but they have switched to covert operations."

"Actually, Your Majesty - cough, I have an idea about this matter." Daenerys coughed lightly and continued, "This kind of thing cannot be eliminated, but it must be controlled. What I mean is to arrange secret police in ports around the country to take over this business, and set up secret unions to take over all those secret activities. Instead of charging these 'adventurers' a large sum of money, you might as well arrange some ships and people who are willing to take risks for them, and let them take the risk to explore the sea routes after the long night. Since some people are willing to pay for themselves to explore the ocean currents and wind directions after the long night for the country, draw sea charts, and use their lives to explore the dangers of the southern continent under the new situation, let them go. If a new route can be opened up during the long night and a habitable continent is discovered, it can be regarded as their loyalty to the country."

"Your Majesty, if a new route is really opened up in the south during the Long Night, and adventurers bring back news that there is a sun in the southern continent, will it cause unrest in the country?"

Daenerys had already prepared her plan: "It will only cause unrest in a few ports, but if you try to stop this kind of thing, won't they go into the dark? Since they have already gone into secret activities, then we will control everything about this secret activity."

Desmond frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I still think this should be banned."

Daenerys couldn't help but look at the Vice Admiral. As a branch of the Redwyne family, if a new route to the sun's continent was discovered during the Long Night, the Redwyne family should be the most advantageous party. But this knight obviously had some concerns and betrayed the family's position. Daenerys was curious why.

But Oberon thought about it and agreed: "I also think it should be banned."

Daenerys narrowed her eyes. "Reason?" "We have been preparing for war for so long in the Long Night. Lord Viserys is fully prepared. We should not let these people cause more unrest."

Daenerys asked, "Wouldn't it be a good thing for the South and Dorne, especially House Redwyne, who have the largest fleet, to discover new routes in the Long Night?"

"Your Majesty, do you know that many Braavosi nobles have come to Oldtown since winter? There are also Braavosi merchants who have risked their lives to move their families to Oldtown, Dorne, Tyrosh, and Lys. I heard that Braavosi is now left with only civilians who cannot move, fanatical Red God believers, and merchant ship owners who are willing to risk their lives for profits. Because the Iron Bank refused to move, there was a bank run on the Iron Bank.
Braavos has prepared sufficient supplies after being informed by His Majesty, but although the fleet and soldiers of Braavos are still there, their morale is probably at an all-time low. Braavos has gone from a trading city-state to a purely militarized fortress with only some civilians and troops left. "

That's an answer of sorts.

Daenerys asked again: "Why did the people of Braavos come to Oldtown? Didn't they have any smart people who guessed that the sun had moved further south and no one went to 'Sun Chaser'? Why? Because the southern Summer Islands and Sothoryos are all wild and desolate places. Their money is meaningless there. There is only wilderness and death there. The Rhoynar tried to conquer those lands in the past, but they only died in the end. In the end, they had to travel across the ocean to Westeros. What can a few 'Sun Chaser Adventurers' do in that wild land? What's more, there is long night on this side and eternal day on the other side. Believe me, long night and eternal day are not climates that humans can easily conquer."

"Your Majesty is right. According to the Citadel's calculations, Eternal Daylight will bring disaster to the Summer Islands and Sothoryos." Grand Maester Ies could not help but speak. "My Lords, please forgive me for being frank. Of course, it is a good thing to have the sun, but if the sun never sets, the environment will be more terrible than the long night. The doctors have deduced that the Oldtown in Westeros, Dorne, and the southern part of the disputed land in Essos, which receive the monsoon from the Eternal Daylight, will be the most habitable environment for humans during the long night. Of course, 'habitable' is compared with other places, and it is definitely not as familiar as people remember.

From a scholar's perspective, Lord Desmond, instead of worrying about the new route bringing unrest to Westeros, you should prepare "epidemic prevention" measures first. The ships returning from the Summer Islands and Sothoryos may not bring back good news, but plague and fear of the Land of Eternal Day. "

In fact, the Land of Eternal Daylight does have a habitable zone, but the habitable zone is near the New Pole. Unfortunately, the New Pole is in the sea. The Far East, perhaps the edge of the Jade Sea or some capes near Yasha will become a good place with a pleasant climate.

Viserys had not told Daenerys this, so Daenerys could not help asking, "Grand Maester, are you telling the truth? But the prophecy that His Majesty mentioned said that it would end the long night and bring a long summer."

The Grand Secretary explained: "Your Majesty, long summer and eternal day are two different concepts. In the land of eternal day, the sun never sets. The forests there will be burned by the scorching sun and ignite fires. The lakes there will be evaporated by the scorching sun and turned into deserts. The creatures there will die one after another under the drought and scorching sun, and plagues will continue. Therefore, even if the doctors of the Academy have calculated the position of the sun, they never recommend any lord or king to migrate."

"No wonder." Oberyn couldn't help but say, "Our spies in Tyrosh sent back news that about half a year ago, a large group of Asshai wizards were hired and recruited by the Braavos people and sailed north. When they stopped at Lys, they were summoned by the Archon of Lys. At the banquet, it was predicted that Lys would be destroyed by the Red Death that appeared from the south, so they were driven out of Lys. I thought the Red Death was a magical monster like the White Walkers."

The Grand Maester was shocked and said, "The Red Death is the name of the plague in Sothoryos as told by wizards. Your Majesty, I agree with Lord Desmond. The wizards' prophecies are probably the inferences of wizards observing the sun and understanding the world in their own way. It is necessary for Westeros to stop the adventure of the Sun Chaser."

Daenerys couldn't help but pursed her lips and said, "That's perfect. Let those who want to take risks go. We will control the ships coming from the south at the port during the long night."

The Grand Secretary looked at the Queen in shock: "Your Majesty, this..."

Oberyn pursed his lips. "Some things, no matter how many times we say them, are not as useful as a real adventure ship, even if the maesters of the Citadel endorse them. Many people will not give up their southward ambitions unless some people die. I think we can follow the Queen's previous actions and secretly control the upstream and downstream of the secret gatherings. If there are people who really want to take risks and cannot be persuaded, let them go. If they can find out that the Land of Eternal Day is really that terrible, I think their deaths are worth it. This is good for His Majesty's anti-White Walker front, as it proves that fighting the White Walkers and the Long Night is the only way to defeat the Long Night."

Sir Desmond was frightened and sweaty, thinking to himself that it was fortunate that he had not made a mistake in his thinking. Her Majesty the Queen may not have known the danger of the Land of Eternal Daylight, but His Majesty the King had kept the doctors of the Citadel in line, so he could not have been unaware. Then it depends on the King's attitude of letting this happen.
Desmond didn't dare to think any further, and he quickly said, "I think we can give it a try. The epidemic prevention measures that His Majesty prepared for the Essos plague were not used in the end. If the 'Red Death' really appears, we can continue to use the policies at that time to deal with it."

The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Law were not there, and the officer in charge of recording the meeting remained silent and did not dare to speak. They just glanced at each other quietly and deleted the minutes that they had just written down for filing.

Daenerys controls the parliamentary process: "Back to the original topic, what should be the letter sent by raven to the river lords and the lords of the Vale according to the letter from His Majesty the King?"

Oberyn said, "In the direction of Harrenhal, the Lannister army that is willing to join the coalition is a problem. Jaime Lannister is willing to cooperate, but there is no news from King's Landing. Although Jaime Lannister showed his sincerity and wanted to give Harrenhal to the right wing of the Third Regiment. But the Warrior Sons in King's Landing have not been disarmed, and Cersei is unwilling to open the King's Road in the direction of King's Landing. The situation is very complicated."

Daenerys spread her hands and said, "My opinion is to return the defense of Harrenhal on the right to the Lannister army. They are not clear about whether to cooperate or surrender, and they are hesitant. We want this Harrenhal, not to defend them. Let them guard the road of the White Walkers heading south to King's Landing. Cersei is still dreaming of her grand dream, and we can't force her, as if we are begging them to cooperate. I think we should send a notice to Jaime Lannister in the name of the royal family that the White Walker vanguard is about to go south, and he should guard his place. As for surrender and cooperation and negotiation, they can be put aside for now. As long as we fight against the White Walkers, Targaryen will be happy to see it. If he is willing, it is not impossible to talk about those shelved things after the long night is over. Let him feel free to mobilize troops to fight the White Walkers, and don't worry about Targaryen breaking his promise and attacking their Lannister's precious King's Landing from the south."

"Wouldn't this have a bad impact politically? After all, King's Landing is a pseudo-kingdom."

"The most urgent matter is the White Walkers." Daenerys knew that Viserys actually intended to put pressure on King's Landing in private, so that he would have the opportunity to become a "warrior" certified by the Seven Gods' devout followers and use the Seven Gods' sect as a chicken to lay the Storm Lord's eggs, so she was also condoning this situation. "Let's do it this way. If the king returns and investigates this, I will bear all the responsibilities. I am just like your majesty, I will keep my word."

This can be considered a double act between husband and wife, because in the final analysis, this matter is not glorious, it is to use the power of the White Walkers to seize the throne and faith of the atheist religion. Daenerys is willing to share some of the historical responsibilities with Viserys.

Now that Daenerys has expressed her opinion, the matter is settled.

(End of this chapter)