Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 442 The Black City—Shadows in the Dark

The Iron Islands crew surged onto the dock like a tide, their curious and greedy eyes fixed on the black city shrouded in mist, eager to delve into this legendary labyrinth.

Euron stood at the front of the crowd, his gaze fixed on the guide: "You are Evelyn's friend."

The lizard's emerald green eyes curved slightly behind the mask, revealing an enigmatic smile: "You could say that."

"Thank you for being our guide." Euron looked at the twisted towers in the distance and said, "I've heard all along that this city isn't very friendly."

The lizard said calmly, "This city is simple, perhaps even simpler than anywhere else in the known world. It's not friendly, but it's not malicious either." A green light flickered in her eyes, as if she could see through the obsessions of countless visitors: "Good and evil are both brought about by people."

Euron nodded in agreement, "You're right." He looked around the city, which seemed to be alive, and cut straight to the point: "What suggestions do you have for our upcoming journey through Assassin's Isles?"

The lizard's emerald eyes swept over the restless crowd on the dock, as if scrutinizing a flock of lambs who had strayed into a secret realm. She said softly, "First, you need to find a place to stay. With so many people, you'll need a lot of space and many rooms."

Before she finished speaking, a dark shadow had already gathered at her fingertips, tracing a distorted outline of the street in the air: "As for suggestions, as your guide, I suggest one..."

The shadow suddenly split into several warning trails.

"Don't go out alone." A dark shadow ensnared the isolated figure and tore it apart.

"Don't talk to strangers." Another shadowy figure simulated a bewitched human form falling into the abyss.

"Don't buy things indiscriminately." The shadow transformed into a venomous snake and bit the money pouch.

"Don't drink the water that someone else offers you." The liquid was boiling and bubbling in the shadows.

"Don't eat things of unknown origin." The fruit split open, revealing wriggling tentacles.

"Don't touch other people's things."

The shadows intertwined into a dense spiderweb, each thread connecting to a different way of dying.

"There are too many to list, I could talk about them all day." The shadow on the lizard's fingertips suddenly disappeared, and he said, "There are too many people who died here for no apparent reason. The ways they died were all kinds of strange, but the reason for their deaths can be summed up in one thing—they were too weak."

Kui Lizard pointed at Euron and said, "If everyone were as powerful as you, they could act without restraint."

Before turning to lead the way, she suddenly turned back and added casually, "Oh, by the way, if you make an enemy, after you kill them," she pointed in the direction of the dark river flowing in the distance, "remember to throw the body into the Black River. It's one of the few rules, and the only way to end trouble."

"Remember, here, curiosity is deadly more than swords."

-

Baron clicked his tongue softly behind Euron: "This place is even more—rule-abiding than the rumors say."

The entire city of Assya seemed to be a fragment cut from the eternal night.

Everywhere you look, all the buildings, whether towering giants or low, adjacent dwellings, are without exception constructed from a strange type of black brick and stone.

This stone is not purely lifeless.

Their surfaces have an oily, greasy sheen, as if they have been repeatedly coated with ancient grease by an invisible hand, or like the heart of a giant beast just dredged from the deep sea, still beating faintly and reflecting an eerie light.

When you touch it with your fingertips, you will feel an unusual warmth and smoothness, which is far from the coldness and roughness of ordinary rocks.

This texture instantly reminded Euron and the old sailors from the Iron Islands of two similar stones.

The sea rock found on the coast of Old Wake Island, the ancient seat chosen as the king of the Iron Islands, also possesses this deep, slippery quality.

And then there's the awe-inspiring giant Toad Rock I saw not long ago on Toad Island in the Lizard Islands. That boulder, considered an ominous sign, bears a striking resemblance in color and texture to the black stone that forms the basis of the entire city before me.

"By the God of Drowning—" an old sailor from Old Wake Island murmured, reverently stroking the wall of the building beside him, "This stone, it feels like it came from the same womb as the Sea Stone where we chose our king, and that damned Toad Stone."

This city seems to be a huge labyrinth built from black stones of the same origin, which come from all the mysterious corners of the world and carry ancient legends and power.

Kui Lizard led the Iron Islands group into streets paved with black stone, the buildings undulating slightly in the mist as if they possessed a life of their own. She stopped at a fork in the road, her nose twitching slightly: "The third building on the left—a blood wizard melted inside three months ago, but the attic still contains a lot of precious sorcery materials."

Upon hearing this, Baron Greyjoy's second-in-command immediately led his men to the building, but as soon as they pushed open the door knocker inlaid with a bronze human face, the entire squad froze on the spot—in the shadows of the porch stood a gelatinous creature that kept changing shape, slowly oozing seven-colored pus.

"The one on the right is more interesting." The lizard scratched hissing runes on the wall with its fingernails. "The last resident tried to become an immortal, but got stuck between life and death. However, there are three barrels of fine Dornish red wine hidden in the basement."

Several Ironmen stepped back as soon as they approached the window. They saw a translucent ghost sitting at the dining table, repeatedly plunging a knife into its own chest.

"Isn't there any proper place to live in this godforsaken place?" someone couldn't help but shout.

Kui Lizard's emerald eyes gleamed behind her mask: "In Assassin, normalcy is the greatest anomaly." She suddenly pointed to a dark house with no decorations at the end of the alley. "The Shadowbinder who suffered cardiac arrest last week lives there. His body is still in the study in a writing posture—but the bedroom is clean."

Euron's gaze swept over the distorted buildings writhing in the shadows, his voice as calm as a deep pool: "This place is indeed dangerous, but it is also one of the largest known ports in the world. Since merchant ships can dock here, there must be relatively quiet areas."

The corners of her lips beneath the lizard mask seemed to curve slightly: "There are, indeed. But to accommodate so many people at the same time—" Her emerald eyes swept over the dark mass of Iron People behind her, "It's difficult. Those inns have long been occupied by all sorts of beings, crammed together like insect nests."

Euron chuckled softly, his knuckles tapping lightly on the hilt of his sword. "It's alright. We can—speak kindly and ask them to leave. I want a connected place, big enough for all of us to live in."

The lizard's voice trailed off with a hint of sarcasm, "That won't be easy. Among those inhabitants are things that crawled out of the ruins of Valyria, ancient spirits that feed on nightmares, and even a madman who claims to be an incarnation of a god."

"Clang—" Euron's twin swords were slightly drawn from their sheaths, their muffled dragon roars echoing through the alleyways. "Didn't you say it before? Here, the strong are respected." He slowly stroked the hilts of his swords. "And I happen to think I'm strong enough."

Kui Lizard stared at him, her eyes gleaming with green light. As she turned, her black robes billowed into swirling shadows. She chuckled, "You learn quickly." She strode into an alleyway emanating a crimson mist. "I'll just lead the way. The rest—you'll have to figure it out yourself."

Behind her, the warriors of the Iron Islands gripped their weapons tightly, their footsteps sounding like the gradually accelerating drums of war.

Countless eyes peering through the gaps in the buildings quietly disappeared into the depths of darkness.