Spellcasting Gods

Simply put, Mace Tyrell, the current Duke of Highgarden, Warden of the South, High Lord of the Reach, and nominal ruler of House Tyrell, has an uncle named Morin, who is one of the most important members of House Tyrell and also the garrison commander of Oldtown.

This Morin has a son named Ross, Ross has a son named Theodore, and Elo is Theodore's daughter.

Although it was just an insignificant side branch, it was undoubtedly a member of House Tyrell.

After confirming this, Zhang Cheng's lips curled up slightly, and he nodded without hesitation: "I agree! It is a great honor to marry a beautiful lady from the Tyrell family."

"Hahaha! I knew you'd make the right choice. Come on, let's hug. We'll be family soon enough." Loras opened his arms and burst into laughter.

He had no idea that after the church massacre, almost the entire younger generation of the Tyrell family would be wiped out. At that time, Zhang Cheng would be able to obtain the right to inherit the Reach region through his marriage to Elo Tyrell, and even further control the entire region.

Don't underestimate this. Under Westeros's complete feudal system, it's almost impossible to conquer it entirely by force without a legitimate right of inheritance.

Robert was able to sit on the Iron Throne for two reasons: firstly, he rebelled and overthrew the "Mad King," and secondly, and crucially, he also possessed a partial right to inherit the throne.

Chapter 0111 Martial Arts Tournament (Part 4)

Maintaining the purity of one's bloodline and facilitating marriage alliances are timeless themes under the feudal system of Westeros, and are among the most important parts of the rules of the game of power.

Anyone who tries to break this tradition will immediately find themselves in opposition to the entire aristocratic class.

Zhang Cheng has never been an idealist, much less would he destroy any existing system for so-called "noble" purposes.

Because he understands that no matter what system it is, as long as it exists, it means that there is a huge vested interest group behind it. Not to mention how much sacrifice it would take to break it, just changing people's subconscious beliefs is not something that can be done in a day or two.

It's estimated that only a political idiot like Daenerys Targaryen, who knows nothing about politics, would do something as foolish as declaring the abolition of slavery and then abandoning it.

“Well then, my dear friend, I won’t disturb your preparations for the competition any longer. We can discuss the remaining details at a banquet after you win the tournament. Also, you’ll need some time to get to know my cousin Elo better.” With that, Loras turned and gave the girl a suggestive look before quickly disappearing into the noisy crowd.

Clearly, he couldn't wait to share this good news with his family.

Just as Elo Tyrell was hesitating whether to go up and greet her fiancé, a young squire suddenly burst in, panting, and shouted, "Ser Mason! His Majesty the King commands you to enter immediately for the final match."

"Now? Who is my opponent? Doesn't he need to rest?" Zhang Cheng raised his eyebrows in surprise.

According to the rules of the martial arts tournament, in order to ensure fairness, each participant can go back to rest on the same day after completing a match, and the next match will be held the next day.

Since Jaime Lannister has escaped King's Landing, the king will declare him a forfeit if the "Kingslayer" does not arrive before the match begins.

In other words, Zhang Cheng did not expend any energy during the competition, while the other contestant had to defeat their opponent today before participating in the second match, which is quite unfair.

"Your opponent in the spear competition is Ser Sandor Clegane, whose opponent has also chosen to forfeit, so His Majesty deems today the perfect day to decide the champion. Please hurry, all the spectators are awaiting the final battle," the young squire explained quickly.

"Okay, I understand. Please give me a few minutes to put on the armor."

Although Zhang Cheng didn't understand why "Hound's" opponent would suddenly forfeit, he still stood up and pretended to put on the armor, which had almost no weight, before mounting his new warhorse and slowly walking towards the arena.

Just as he brushed past the girl, Elo suddenly mustered her courage and stepped forward, saying in a slightly nervous tone, "Lord Mason, I will sit below and cheer you on."

"Thank you, and I will also win the championship in this tournament for you. Don't worry, Sandor Clegane is no match for me at all; he can't even last one round." With that, Zhang Cheng took the girl's arm, gently kissed the back of her hand, and then put on his helmet and went straight to the left side of the stands.

The moment he appeared before everyone's eyes, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Some women even carried baskets and scattered delicate flower petals into the air, making it seem like the entrance of a protagonist.

In contrast, "Hound" fared much worse; he received no applause, and hardly anyone even bothered to look him in the eye.

Especially the hideous burns on his face, which made him look like a grotesque and terrifying monster, would inevitably lead any normal person to assume that he was a vicious and cruel villain.

Feeling the overwhelming support in the arena, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but smile and shake his head, exclaiming, "Incredible! In just a few days, I've gone from an unknown nobody to a big shot in the public eye. Perhaps that's the charm of the martial arts tournament. Fame, wealth, and social status—everyone's desires can be fulfilled here. Sorry, Sandor Clegane, you'll just have to be my foil today."

The words had barely left his mouth!

At Robert's signal, the trumpeter blew the horn to start the final match.

Without uttering a single word, "Hound" immediately spurred his warhorse into a charge.

For some reason, he seemed unusually serious today, with a chilling glint in his eyes.

On the other side, Zhang Cheng calmly raised his spear and bowed to the King, Queen, Prince, and Elo Tyrell in the stands. Only after his opponent had increased his speed to the limit did he begin his charge.

Undoubtedly, his blatant act of contempt thoroughly enraged "The Hound".

Just as the two were about to collide, Sandor Clegane suddenly raised his lance an inch, dodging the shield and striking the vulnerable neck.

Unfortunately, Zhang Cheng, who was prepared, tilted his head and the spear tip grazed his shoulder, missing its mark, while he himself stabbed the other man hard in the chest.

Snapped!

As the wooden spear snapped in two, "Hound" lay sprawled on the horse's back, nearly falling off.

Judging from the incredulous expression on his face, he simply couldn't understand how someone wearing heavy armor could perform such a difficult dodge maneuver on horseback.

After switching to a new spear, the two began their second round of combat.

This time, Zhang Cheng gave his opponent no chance to escape, directly stabbing Sandor Clegane in the right shoulder, disrupting his balance and causing him to fall to the ground with a thud, ending this match that was not even in the same league.

Less than five seconds after the Hound fell to the ground, Robert, his round belly bulging, loudly proclaimed, "In the name of the King! The champion of the tournament's spear competition is Mason Aspen! Now let us cheer for our champion!"

Wow!

Immediately, all the audience members applauded enthusiastically, and no one paid any attention to "The Hound," who was the runner-up.

Just as everyone was looking forward to the celebration, Zhang Cheng unexpectedly dismounted, helped his opponent up, and whispered in his ear, "Don't pretend to be angry. I know you have a very bad relationship with your brother, so please stop this boring performance."

“How do you know I’m acting?” Sandor Clegane retorted in a low voice.

“It’s simple. Although you aimed at my neck on the surface, you actually missed it by a little. Even if you had hit it, it wouldn’t have been fatal. Tell me, who ordered you to do this? The ruthless queen? Or someone else?” Zhang Cheng narrowed his eyes and stared at Cersei, whose face was ashen.

In his view, only this short-sighted yet ambitious woman in all of King's Landing might take her anger out on him because of Jaime and thus commit some foolish act of revenge...

Chapter 0112 Lesson

"Hmph! Why do you think I'd tell you?" Sandor Clegane got up, dusted himself off, and let out a cold laugh.

Because of the severe burns on his face, when he smiles, the uneven scars on the left side of his face twist into a mess, making people feel uncomfortable at first glance.

However, Zhang Cheng didn't show any unusual reaction. Instead, he forcefully grabbed his arm, acting very intimately, waving to the audience while subtly threatening, "If you don't tell me the truth, don't blame me for revealing your deliberate leniency when I confront the Queen. Guess how she'll react when she finds out you deliberately went easy on her?"

"Do as you please!" Sandor Clegane abruptly broke free and walked away without looking back.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Cheng suddenly realized that he seemed to have overlooked something, and quickly turned his gaze to Joffrey.

Upon realizing this, the prince hurriedly turned his head away in a panic, avoiding eye contact with him.

Clearly, the one who ordered the "hunting dogs" was none other than this abnormal product of incest.

Although the specific motives were not yet clear, a hint of mockery and amusement flashed in Zhang Cheng's eyes.

To most people, Joffrey Baratheon is an unapproachable prince, the first in line to the Iron Throne, and even Lord Tywin Lannister has to maintain a facade of respect. However, with his supernatural powers, he can easily teach this little rascal a lesson.

"Where's my champion? Get him up here now!" Robert shouted, waving his arms.

Zhang Cheng strode up to the stands, placed one hand on his chest, and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I am here."

The king looked him up and down for a few seconds, then smiled and exclaimed, "You're quite impressive! I haven't seen such a skilled knight in many years. If I were ten years younger, I would definitely be tempted to personally challenge you to a duel. Alright, enough talk, bring the bounty up."

Upon receiving the order, two guards carried a heavy wooden box and threw it to the ground with a thud.

Robert, known for his generosity, kicked open the lid, revealing a full forty thousand gold dragons inside!

For a moment, everyone instinctively held their breath.

After all, given Jinlong's current purchasing power, 40,000 is enough to build a large castle from scratch...

"Take it, it's yours now." With that, Robert patted Zhang Cheng on the shoulder and then turned and left with his guards.

Just as Joffrey was about to get up and chase after him, Zhang Cheng suddenly raised his head, activated the Dark Guardian's special ability—Evil Aura, and his eyes shot out an extremely evil light as he stared straight at the prince.

The palpable malice and fear quickly enveloped the teenage boy.

He felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart, completely unable to control his emotions. He fell to the ground with a thud and couldn't help but scream.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Zhang Cheng pretended to be kind and bent down to help the other person.

"No! No! Get away from me!" Joffrey retreated desperately, with a clear wet patch on his crotch, it was obvious he had wet himself in fear.

"Damn it! Joffrey! What are you doing? Get up right now!" Robert stopped and yelled.

Upon discovering her son's erratic behavior, Cersei quickly ordered her maids to help him, while simultaneously scanning her surroundings with sharp eyes, trying to find the cause.

However, Zhang Cheng ignored all of this and grabbed Joffrey before the maid could react, whispering a warning in his ear: "Remember, dear prince, since this is your first time, I'm giving you a little warning. If there's a next time, I'll turn you into an idiot, and no one will even know it was me. Understand?"

Joffrey stood silently, head bowed, trembling uncontrollably. He couldn't believe that someone would dare threaten the first in line to the Iron Throne in front of the King and Queen.

What's even more terrifying is that, apart from himself, no one else noticed at all.

"Heh, you think you can get away with it by keeping quiet? No, Your Highness, you know nothing about true power..."

The words had barely left his mouth!

A very subtle violet light flowed from Zhang Cheng's palm directly into Joffrey's body, forming a skull-shaped pattern on the back of his hand. The pattern disappeared in just a few seconds.

"What...what did you do to me?!" Joffrey's pupils contracted violently!

What had just happened was far beyond his comprehension, and he could no longer remain silent.

"It's nothing, just a small insurance policy. I hate trouble, so as long as you don't cause me any trouble or tell any third party about our conversation, it won't affect you at all. But if you have any similar intentions..." Zhang Cheng dragged out the word, deliberately not revealing the outcome.

Because he knows that, often, letting the other person use their imagination is far more effective than giving them an answer.

Joffrey's expression was uncertain, as if he was seriously considering the consequences, completely unaware that the fleeting pattern on the back of his hand was just a simple illusion, not even a spell.

Seeing that the threat was starting to work, Zhang Cheng released the spoiled boy and waved to the butler below the stage.

Derry, who could no longer contain his excitement, immediately took two servants, loaded the box full of gold coins onto the carriage, and drove off. Instead of hiding the reward money, he swaggered around and showed it to passersby.

While everyone's attention was drawn to the golden dragon, Zhang Cheng quietly took out a piece of parchment and glanced at it. It read: Mission - Martial Arts Tournament Completed, Dark Guardian Upgraded to Level 2, You Gained Special Ability Detect Goodness, You Gained Special Ability Dark Blessing, You Gained One Goodness Slash Per Day, You Gained Dark Guardian Exclusive Set and Longsword...

moment!

A powerful energy surged into his body, deeply transforming every cell. In just a few seconds, Zhang Cheng's muscles became more solid, his strength increased substantially, and he gained several spell-like abilities in his mind.

In addition, a set of exquisite dark black armor and a black sword appeared out of thin air on the horse's back.

The latter, in particular, exuded an ominous aura from top to bottom, as if some evil thing was swirling around the sword.

The sensitive warhorse clearly sensed something and began to become restless, occasionally neighing to remind its master to quickly remove the thing from its body...

Chapter 0113 The Demon Sword - The Soul-Binder

"Quiet down!"