Spellcasting Gods

It goes without saying that he's having an addiction attack.

Only now did he understand why so many high elves had gone mad and even wished to die immediately after the Sunwell was destroyed.

Unfortunately, there's no going back.

Even if he did, he would have chosen to drink the well water again without hesitation to restore his magic and gain powerful arcane energy...

Chapter 0092 Awakening

The addiction attack came on faster, more intensely, and more painfully than expected!

No matter how hard Zhang Cheng tried to force himself to forget the extreme pleasure brought by absorbing pure arcane energy, his body kept reminding him of that maddening feeling until he collapsed from exhaustion, falling into a state of unconsciousness.

I don't know how much time passed; maybe a few minutes, maybe a few hours, maybe a few days...

As the addiction slowly subsided, when he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in a slightly dilapidated carriage, surrounded by agricultural products such as cured meat, flour, eggs, sausages, fruits, and wine. There were even a few live chickens hanging at the back of the carriage, constantly making clucking noises.

Because the carriage was traveling on an uneven road, it was very bumpy, and my whole body was in a state of soreness and numbness, which was a bit like motion sickness and a bit like the aftereffects of addiction.

Zhang Cheng tried to sit up, but soon found that he couldn't muster any strength in his hands and feet. In the end, he had no choice but to lie down obediently, checking his belongings while trying to recall what had happened.

After a brief inspection, he found that the owner of the carriage did not seem to have touched anything. The pouch containing various potions and the flint staff that was flashing red light were all placed intact within easy reach, and even the items in the travel bag were all there.

Clearly, he must have encountered a kind person, otherwise he would have been stripped naked and left in the middle of nowhere.

Just as he was frowning and trying to recall how he got onto the carriage, a slightly chubby face suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Ah, sir, you're finally awake. How are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?" the plump middle-aged man greeted him with a smile.

Without any awkwardness, Zhang Cheng understood every word the other person said almost instantly.

It goes without saying that, just like last time, the parchment directly instilled the world's language and writing into the brain.

After a brief pause, he immediately feigned discomfort and replied, "Uh... to be honest, I don't feel too good. Did you save me? I'm sorry, I was a little disoriented before and can't remember exactly what happened."

Of course, it can't be entirely faked; the dizziness and body aches were definitely real.

"Hehe, I'm not entirely sure what happened to you either. I just happened to pass by and found you collapsed on the roadside. But judging from the fact that your belongings weren't stolen, you probably didn't encounter any robbers. Oh, right, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Billy, and I'm a small-time food and beverage merchant. I'm glad you're safe and sound." As he spoke, the fat man extended his fleshy right hand.

"Thank you!" Zhang Cheng extended his right hand to shake hands with the other person, but did not reveal his name.

After all, the more he talks, the more he exposes, and he doesn't want to reveal his secrets before he understands the situation.

In particular, the main quest given this time is completely different from the last trip to Azeroth.

While the latter does interact with local residents to some extent, it in principle does not intervene in the development of world history and plot, but rather acquires knowledge and power as an observer.

However, the former requires him to participate in the game of power as a player. If he wants to climb to a higher position, he must interact with the original characters and even change the fate of some of them, thus altering the course of the story.

Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because you know the plot and the personalities of the main characters.

On the contrary, as outsiders become increasingly involved in the plot, the original characters will react in various ways, leading to a series of unpredictable chain reactions that ultimately cause the plot to go awry.

For Zhang Cheng, one of the biggest challenges of this mission is striking the right balance. He needs to gain enough power and status without disrupting the plot too much, otherwise he will lose his greatest advantage.

In addition, he realized that the reason why the world of A Song of Ice and Fire was chosen this time was likely related to his involvement in the power struggles between lords. The true owner of the parchment hoped to use this opportunity to hone his wisdom and skills in political maneuvering.

After figuring this out, a hint of helplessness and annoyance at being manipulated flashed in Zhang Cheng's eyes. He then asked in a deliberately casual tone, "By the way, Billy, where are we going?"

"King's Landing, of course! The capital of the Seven Kingdoms! You didn't know? Just a few days ago, King Robert Baratheon announced a tournament, so King's Landing will soon become a huge carnival. The demand for food and drinks will surge, and at its craziest, prices can even be two to three times higher than usual." The fat man explained excitedly, waving his arms.

"Oh? A martial arts tournament..." Zhang Cheng matched the timeline with almost no effort.

Without a doubt, Robert the "King of Cuckoldry" has just returned from the North, bringing with him Eddard Stark, the Duke of Winterfell, and his two daughters.

Before long, the two will lose to the Lannisters in the struggle for power, thus beginning the Clash of Kings.

In a sense, this period represents the last peaceful time on the continent of Westeros, and it is also the most suitable time for players to intervene in the game of power. After the tournament, intrigue and war will continue until the arrival of winter.

The fat man, unaware of the terrifying power wielded by the seemingly harmless Zhang Cheng, continued to boast, "Yes! A martial arts tournament! Believe me, you'll never imagine how lively King's Landing will be. Skilled knights, respected noble lords, their wives and beautiful young daughters, endless fine wine, and seductive prostitutes—I guarantee that once you experience it, you'll love it forever."

"That sounds interesting, but I'd like to know, how many days' journey is it from here to King's Landing?" Zhang Cheng promptly asked the question that concerned him most.

"If all goes well, we should be able to reach the Blackwater River in three days! How about it, would you like to come with us?" The fat man offered his invitation.

Although he didn't know the identity of the young man in front of him yet, judging from his clothes, demeanor and belongings, he could not possibly be a dirty farmer.

Even if the farmer sold himself, he couldn't buy those shiny black leather shoes that looked incredibly valuable...

Chapter 0093 The Arrival of the Emperor (Part 1)

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and as the tall and majestic walls of King's Landing appeared on the horizon, Billy, the merchant driving the carriage, visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Westeros is relatively peaceful at the moment, armed gangs such as bandits, robbers, and mercenaries have never disappeared. Even on the main roads near the capitals of the Seven Kingdoms, you might occasionally encounter one or two groups. If you're lucky, you might be able to save your life, but if you're unlucky, you and your goods will be wiped out.

Therefore, whenever he safely arrives at his destination, he prays fervently to the gods to thank them for their benevolent protection.

Seeing the fat man muttering to himself, Zhang Cheng smiled nonchalantly and silently admired the enormous city that clearly bore the style of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

According to the novel and TV series, King's Landing should be a city larger than medieval Paris, but smaller than Constantinople or ancient Rome, with a permanent population of about 500,000.

Without the support of a modern transportation system, this is almost the limit that a densely populated city can accommodate; any further increase would trigger incredible administrative, security, and food supply difficulties.

In fact, the rulers of King's Landing never truly cared about the lives of the city's inhabitants, especially the large number of beggars and poor people living in Flea Nest. Even if they starved to death on the streets, it would not attract the attention of any important figures.

Sensing the immense class conflict subtly emanating from the city, Zhang Cheng stroked his chin and muttered uncertainly, "Perhaps I can subtly manipulate the hatred and then use that opportunity to create unprecedented chaos for my own benefit..."

"Sir, what are you muttering about?" Billy turned around at some point and asked with a curious look.

After spending just three days together, he was already impressed by Zhang Cheng's eloquence and knowledge, and firmly believed that the other party was either a nobleman's son traveling abroad or a young scholar from the academy.

Aside from the possibility that he might be suffering from a terrible illness (actually, it's a drug addiction), everything else about him is so enviable.

"No, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about what to do next." Zhang Cheng maintained his mystique as always.

He knew very well that once he joined the Game of Thrones as a player, both the infamous ambitious "Littlefinger" Petyr Baelish and the clandestine "Eight-Clawed Spider" Varys would begin to investigate step by step along the clues, and it was only a matter of time before the merchant revealed the location of his first appearance.

This means that the less a businessman knows, the easier it is for him to hide himself.

“Hahaha! As a man, how can you come to King’s Landing and not visit Silk Street?” Billy laughed as he offered his suggestion.

“Silk Street?” Zhang Cheng repeated softly.

The confusion in his eyes showed that he didn't understand why there was anything to do at a place that sold fabric.

The fat man licked his lips and explained with a lewd grin, "Silk Street isn't a place to sell silk; it's a place where beautiful women do business. For just a few silver deer, they'll serve you well. For a man who's been on a long journey, nothing is more relaxing."

After hearing this, Zhang Cheng finally understood that Silk Street was actually a red-light district, a place specializing in prostitution. He quickly smiled and declined, saying, "Hehe, thank you for your kindness, but I'd better not. I'm planning to find a place to exchange some money first. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Exchange money? With what?" Billy hesitated noticeably.

"Gold, of course!" Without hesitation, Zhang Cheng pulled out a small gold nugget that shone with a golden luster from his travel bag.

Billy quickly took it and examined it carefully, even taking a bite to confirm that it was indeed high-purity gold. He then exclaimed excitedly, "My God! How much of this gold do you have?"

Zhang Cheng shrugged and replied, "Not much, probably around thirty yuan. Could you give me a rough estimate?"

As he said this, he observed the fat man's reaction with great interest. If the fat man showed even a hint of greed or ill intent, he would silently end his life before the fat man even reached the city gate.

In fact, these gold nuggets were brought back from Azeroth last time, but they never had time to deal with them until the team that provided the information about Salas asked to be paid in gold.

The little bit I have on hand is what was left over after paying the fees, and I never expected it to come in handy again.

“Three…three…thirty dollars?!” Billy’s voice trembled slightly.

After all, given the prices in Westeros, one gold dragon is equivalent to thirty silver moons and two hundred and ten silver stags. Even in King's Landing, where prices are relatively high, one silver stag is enough to buy a good meal and wine at an inn and get a lot of copper coins back. A good set of armor costs only about four gold dragons.

Even if an ordinary person works hard for a year, they may not be able to earn a golden dragon.

Thirty small gold bricks, each worth at least fifty to sixty gold dragons, totaling one thousand five hundred to one thousand eight hundred gold dragons!

People who can casually come up with so much money either come from prominent noble families or are wealthy merchants from the other side of the ocean.

In an instant, the fat man's eyes changed, and family names flashed through his mind, trying to find facial features that could be associated with the young man in front of him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find a single one. He had to suppress his burgeoning greed and return the gold nuggets with a wry smile: "I'm sorry, sir, you have far too much gold. I simply can't afford it all. If you don't mind, I can recommend a place to you."

It wasn't that Billy didn't want to kill Zhang Cheng and seize the gold, but he understood that since the other party dared to display his wealth, he must have something to protect his assets. If he acted rashly, he would probably be killed immediately.

"Oh? Where is it?" Zhang Cheng asked with great interest.

“As far as I know, there’s a brothel on Silk Street that secretly trades in gold. Not only are the prices fair, but they also never kill customers for carrying too much gold. If you’d like, I can personally take you there after I finish my delivery.” As he spoke, Billy’s face showed undisguised anticipation.

“No problem, I’ve always been patient, and besides, I can also take the opportunity to tour the sights of King’s Landing.” Zhang Cheng shrugged nonchalantly.

"Then please sit down."

The words had barely left his mouth!

The fat man suddenly raised his whip and lashed the horse's rump hard. The horse, in pain, quickly quickened its pace and, in the blink of an eye, passed through the city gate and entered the bustling street...

Chapter 0094 The Emperor's Arrival (Part 2)

"Weapons! Top-notch weapons! Do you want to achieve a good ranking in the tournament? Come and choose a weapon that suits your needs! We have the best longswords in King's Landing! Indestructible warhammers! Crossbows and longbows that can hit a target from a hundred paces away!"

"Sir! Please come in and take a look at our armor! Chainmail, plate armor, leather armor, inlaid armor, knee pads, neck guards—we have almost everything! They can protect you from harm!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, please note that silk from distant overseas has just arrived today. It will not only make you radiant at all kinds of banquets, but also take good care of your delicate skin."

"Spices! Delicious spices! A small bag for only three hundred silver deer! You absolutely won't find a better deal here!"

"Fine wine from the old town! Please enjoy!"

……

Amidst the endless hawking cries, Zhang Cheng finally witnessed the true face of this city, which was hailed as the second largest city on the continent of Westeros.

Like most medieval cities, King's Landing is in a terrible state of sanitation, even filthy and chaotic. The streets and buildings are completely unplanned, piled up haphazardly, and you can often smell the pungent odor of excrement.

However, due to its proximity to the sea and rivers, trade is very prosperous, and at least for now there is no sign of unrest. Every merchant is working hard to promote their goods to passersby in order to earn a lot of profit, while also bringing in a large amount of tax revenue for the royal family.

Zhang Chengshi really couldn't understand how Robert, the "King of Cuckoldry," could owe a debt of up to six million gold dragons, despite possessing such a treasure trove.

With just a few decrees to protect and promote maritime trade, and funding a few privateer fleets to plunder, kill, and establish colonies, the Age of Exploration in Westeros will begin in no time, and there will be no need to worry about money at all.

Unfortunately, perhaps due to limited vision, or perhaps due to other factors he was unaware of, the Iron Throne's owner, despite possessing a formidable royal fleet, never used it to amass wealth.

Billy carefully drove the carriage through the chaotic streets and soon stopped in an alley marked "Flour Street".

The aroma of wheat and meat wafting from the surrounding area easily identifies this as the food processing zone that supplies bread, sausages, and cooked meat products to the entire city.

Not far away, several busy apprentices were helping their master take out the freshly baked bread, put it into the prepared wooden baskets, and then load it onto a horse-drawn carriage to be transported to various inns, restaurants and markets.