Spellcasting Gods

As a player in Game of Thrones, how could he not have noticed these two girls who were always quite valuable?

“No problem! Please wait a moment!” Loras waved to the servants waiting on the side without saying a word.

In the blink of an eye, a beautiful, luscious rose was presented.

Zhang Cheng made no attempt to be polite, accepting the roses and approaching the two young sisters under the watchful eyes of countless people.

Sansa, who had been raised to be a lady, blushed slightly, her heart pounded, and her eyes revealed a strong sense of anticipation.

She probably thought that the young and handsome knight in front of her would definitely give her the rose.

But to everyone's surprise, Zhang Cheng handed the rose to the tomboyish Ailiya, then whispered meaningfully in her ear, "Remember, lovely girl, if you ever run into trouble and need help, you can always come to me..."

Chapter 0104 Deception

"Arya! What did he say to you?" As soon as Zhang Cheng left, Sansa couldn't contain her doubts and asked in a low voice.

She could hardly believe that the other person had ignored her, who possessed both beauty and virtuous qualities, and instead treated her tomboyish younger sister with special regard.

"It's nothing! He told me that if I ever run into trouble in the future, I can ask him for help," Aria replied nonchalantly, fiddling with the roses in her hands.

She had no idea what this promise meant, let alone that she would need it soon.

"trouble?"

Sansa muttered something under her breath, then quickly dismissed it, continuing to watch the rest of the match. She simply couldn't understand what trouble she and her sister could possibly encounter with their father, the Vizier, protecting them.

At the same time, amidst the cheers of the audience, Zhang Cheng rode his horse slowly away from the competition venue.

As the victor, he has completed his task for today and only needs to wait until tomorrow to compete against another victor in the next round.

However, not far from where he had left the noisy arena, Baelish suddenly appeared from around the corner, his sharp eyes fixed on him as he said in a low voice, "Sir Mason, I think we need to talk, just you and me."

“Of course!” Zhang Cheng had anticipated that “Littlefinger” would come knocking on his door after the match, so he immediately turned around and instructed Blanco and the maid who were following behind him, “You two go back first. I have something to discuss with this gentleman.”

“No problem! But before that, you’d better tell me what to do with these invitations?” Blanco waved a thick stack of fragrant little slips of paper in his hand, a knowing smile on his face. “You know, many of them are young and beautiful ladies, and the vast majority of them hope to invite you to dinner, and maybe do some exercise that’s good for your health and well-being.”

"Please decline it for me. Now is not the time to enjoy myself," Zhang Cheng refused without hesitation.

Due to his addiction, he had to restrain himself from anything or any behavior that could excite him.

Because once the nerves begin to become excited, the brain will instantly recall the ultimate pleasure brought by absorbing pure arcane energy, followed by an indescribable intense craving that will then completely transform into pain.

Despite the fact that after so many days of "anti-addiction" treatment, the intervals between addiction attacks are getting longer and the durations are getting shorter, he still dares not be careless at all.

Only those who have personally experienced the onset of addiction can understand how terrifying it is, as if it can devour a person's soul.

"Well, well, what a pity..." Blanco sighed regretfully, then turned and led Diana toward their residence.

Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, Zhang Cheng turned around and teased them in a half-joking tone, "So, what do you want to talk about? You're not planning to admit defeat prematurely, are you?"

“No, my friend, you haven’t even defeated the Kingslayer and the Mountain yet. Isn’t it a bit too early for you to think you can win the championship?” Baelish retorted without backing down.

Seeing that there were no outsiders around, he stopped using the pseudonym "Mason" and instead used the title "my friend".

"What, after watching today's match, don't you have a clear understanding of the power I possess? I can tell you definitively that if I wanted to, I could kill the Mountain, the Kingslayer, the Hound, the Fearless Barristan, and so on, at any time. The knights you consider the strongest wouldn't even be able to put up a fight; they could only watch helplessly as death descends upon them," Zhang Cheng boasted, feigning arrogance.

Littlefinger chuckled noncommittally: "Heh, I'll believe you for now, but please explain what purpose someone like you has come to King's Landing? Money? Power? Or beautiful women?"

“Unfortunately, none of those are true. I came to King’s Landing seeking something else—power!” With that, Zhang Cheng removed his armor and raised his right hand, releasing a burst of snow-white frost.

The biting cold made Baelish shiver instantly, his eyes filled with utter horror. He barely managed to hold back a cry, and asked in a trembling voice, "This...this is..."

“That’s right! This is the power of magic, isn’t it amazing?” Zhang Cheng continued, constantly transforming the frost in his palm into various shapes, as he explained, “You may not know this, but long before the First Men arrived in Westeros, a group of short, humanoid beings lived here—the Children of the Forest. They had dark skin, handsome faces, and most importantly, they possessed unparalleled supernatural power—magic. My purpose in coming to King’s Landing is simple: to gain some power, and then use that power to find the magical knowledge left behind by the Children of the Forest. As for who the king is or which family will rule Westeros, I have no interest in that. I wonder if this answer satisfies you?”

"The Children of the Forest and magic are real?!" Baelish fell into deep thought.

As the saying goes, a successful lie is often nine parts truth and one part falsehood. Only by first focusing the other party's attention on the truth will they ignore the last bit of falsehood mixed in, thus achieving the purpose of deception.

Without a doubt, Zhang Cheng is a master liar.

He first used real frost magic to prove the existence of magic to the suspicious "Littlefinger," then brought up the widely known Children of the Forest in Westeros, and finally even revealed one of his schemes.

The three factors combined immediately caused Littlefinger to focus all his attention on the mysterious and unpredictable magic, resulting in him neglecting the acquisition of power.

After a long silence of several minutes, Baelish finally raised his head and said in a measured tone, "I'm glad you answered my question seriously, which avoided many potential misunderstandings. As a friend, I hope we can continue this friendship. What do you think?"

"It's my honor!" Zhang Cheng placed one hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

"Hahaha! Then can you tell me your real name?" Baelish asked tentatively, laughing loudly.

“A name is just a label, it doesn’t matter what I’m called, and besides, I think Mason suits me quite well. Oh, I almost forgot, you’d better not tell Varys anything about my magical powers, or I’ll get angry.”

After saying this, Zhang Cheng winked playfully, then led his horse and disappeared into the crowd.

Watching his retreating figure, Baelish immediately ordered his follower, who was hiding in a corner, "Go, hire men immediately to investigate all the legends and ruins related to the Children of the Forest within the Seven Kingdoms."

"Yes, sir, leave it to me."

"Remember! This must never be known to anyone! Especially Varys!"

"Don't worry, I will personally supervise."

……

Chapter 0105 Recruiting

Without a doubt, Zhang Cheng deliberately leaked information about the Children of the Forest to Littlefinger in order to have Littlefinger collect the various relics scattered across Westeros in his place.

In this way, he wouldn't have to waste too much energy; he could simply wait patiently for his opponent to have collected enough items and then snatch them away.

After all, who knows where the Children of the Forest's ruins are hidden? Just finding them one by one is no easy task, but with the help of Baelish, the local bigwig, it should be much easier.

In short, as long as he can gain knowledge and power, Zhang Cheng doesn't care at all about the means he uses in the process. Whether it's deception, exploitation, robbery, or assassination, he will do it without hesitation as long as it achieves his goal.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that a shocking secret was hidden behind the parchment. He had to accumulate enough capital before the true owner of this thing showed up, otherwise he might not even have the right to negotiate...

After a full night's rest, the contestants gathered again the next morning to fight for the high prize money or the ultimate honor.

Jaime Lannister ("The Kingslayer"), Gregor Clegane ("The Mountain"), and Sandor Clegane ("The Hound") are widely considered the favorites to win the title.

In addition, Gregor Clegane deliberately "accidentally" killed Sir Hugh of Canyon during yesterday's match, adding a bloody touch to what should have been a joyous tournament.

Of course, Zhang Cheng, who defeated the "Knight of Flowers" with an absolute advantage, naturally became the focus of the audience's discussion.

Unfortunately, he had no interest in these pointless guesses and bets. He hid in a corner, wiping his silver-white sword and patiently waiting for the horn to sound to signal the start of the second round.

A closer look reveals that a barely perceptible arc of electricity occasionally flashes across the sword's surface.

Clearly, this is no ordinary sword, but an enchanted longsword. The magic imbued on the blade is none other than deadly electric power.

However, unlike lightning that violently destroys everything, its effect is closer to temporarily paralyzing the opponent, making it more concealed and harder to detect.

The instant a metal weapon collides with a longsword, an electric current will instantly enter the other person's body thanks to the excellent conductivity of the metal. Depending on each person's physical condition, the reaction will vary.

In milder cases, the most you might feel is soreness and numbness, and you might feel weak. You'll recover completely in a second or two.

In more serious cases, the person may collapse and convulse on the spot, and may even incontinent.

In fact, the creation of this sword was merely a byproduct of a failed experiment. Zhang Cheng's initial idea was to create a weapon that could generate intense flames in order to deal with the White Walkers that would appear later in the story.

But for some reason, the magical runes of Azeroth, after being modified from the runes deciphered from the magical version of Earth, produced completely different effects in this world.

As a result, the cool weapon that was supposed to burst into flames turned into a weapon with an ordinary appearance, but which was perfect for sneak attacks.

Just as Zhang Cheng was silently pondering which unlucky soul would become the first victim of this weapon, Loras walked over from a distance with a dark-haired youth, greeting him with a smile: "Good morning, Sir Mason, you look well."

"Good morning, Sir Loras. What can I do for you?" Zhang Cheng looked up and asked, feigning surprise.

Although the dark-haired youth never introduced himself, Renly Baratheon, the famous Duke of Storm's End, King Robert's youngest brother and the secret lover of the Knight of Flowers, was recognized at a glance.

Loras shook his head slightly: "No, it's nothing important. I just brought a friend to introduce you to him and to tell you who your opponent will be in the second round."

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ser Mason. My name is Renly Baratheon. You were very impressive in yesterday’s match, especially your final strike, which successfully averted a tragedy. I believe that is the true embodiment of chivalry.” With that, Renly placed one hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

"You flatter me, Your Grace, I was just doing what I was supposed to do." Zhang Cheng quickly stood up and returned the greeting.

“Ha! You’re too modest. No wonder Loras has always told me you’re a knight worth recruiting. How about it, are you interested in swearing allegiance to me? I can offer you a fairly prosperous territory as your fief.” Renly made no attempt to hide his intentions, extending an olive branch openly.

“Sir Mason, believe me, Lord Renly is absolutely worthy of the loyalty of a knight as powerful as you. He is not only a kind and gentle man, but also never stingy with his rewards,” Loras added.

Watching the performance of these two best buddies, Zhang Cheng suddenly laughed, shaking his head as he laughed: "I'm sorry, Your Grace, but right now I only have one thought in my mind, which is to win the championship of the martial arts tournament. Before that, I'm not thinking about who to pledge allegiance to."

Lan Li was clearly surprised that someone would refuse his offer, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. He then turned his gaze to the Knight of Flowers, as if asking what he should do now.

The latter hesitated for a moment before speaking quickly: "Sir Mason, I understand a knight's desire for honor, but the problem is that your opponent in the second round is not easy to deal with, and there is a risk of losing your life."

"Oh? Who is my opponent?" Zhang Cheng asked with a smirk.

“Gregor Clegane! You’ve heard, haven’t you? He deliberately killed his rival yesterday.” Loras gave the name without hesitation.

"So what?" Zhang Cheng shrugged nonchalantly.

Seeing that his efforts to persuade him had been in vain, Loras had no choice but to explain clearly: "The Mountain is a vicious and cruel man, and I think he is very likely to kill you as well. But if you swear allegiance to Lord Renly now, he will have some reservations when he does so."

"Hehe, thank you both for your kind offer, but I have my own pride and principles. No matter how good Greg Clegane is, he is destined to fall at my feet today, and no one can change that. Alright, I'm going to enter now. Please return to the stands and enjoy the rest of the match."

After saying this, Zhang Cheng ignored everyone, mounted his horse, took the spear from Blanco, and slowly walked towards the arena amidst the cheers of the audience.

Watching his retreating figure, Renly asked without turning around, "What do you think we should do now?"

"What else can we do but go back to the stands and wait for the result? All we can do now is pray that Sir Mason makes it out of the game alive." Loras sighed helplessly…

Chapter 0106 Martial Arts Tournament (Part 3)

Gregor Clegane, nicknamed "The Mountain," is over 2.3 meters tall and has exaggerated muscles all over his body. He can wield a greatsword that would require two hands to use, but he can do so with just one hand.

Even more terrifying was that, with his unparalleled strength, he wore the heaviest armor in the Seven Kingdoms, with an inner leather lining underneath.

Ordinary weapons would probably be cleaved in two by the giant sword falling from the sky before they could even pierce the sturdy defenses.

In some ways, Gregor Clegane was a born monster, born for war and killing.

However, Zhang Cheng always had a question in his mind: what kind of horse could carry such an overweight guy and make him sprint?

Clearly, under normal circumstances, any contestant would be doomed to die if they collided with such a creature. Even with the Dark Guardian class template, he couldn't guarantee that his Ice Armor and Mana Shield could withstand such a deadly impact.

After all, according to the common sense of physics, the impact force is equal to the mass multiplied by the acceleration. When the mass of an object exceeds a certain level, even if its speed is very slow, it can still cause incredible damage to the target.

But nothing in the world is perfect, and Gregor Clegane was no exception.

In the novel and TV series, "Love Knight" successfully found his weakness, which was his mount.