Spellcasting Gods

He tried to cover the bleeding wound, but blood quickly flowed into his trachea, causing severe suffocation. He struggled for less than a minute before lying flat on the ground and taking his last breath.

No negotiation!

No dialogue!

There was absolutely no compromise!

Zhang Cheng demonstrated his attitude through his actions: to eradicate the entire Florence region completely, leaving no future troubles.

Staring into the messenger's unseeing eyes, Colin Floren slowly closed his own, took a deep breath, and then suddenly drew his longsword, roaring, "Did you all see that? The enemy didn't give us a chance to surrender! If you want to live, obey my orders! Even if you die, die like a hero, not a coward..."

Before he could finish his words urging the soldiers to fight to the death, another voice suddenly came from outside the city wall.

"Soldiers inside the city, listen up!"

By order of Joffrey I, the sole legitimate ruler of the Iron Throne!

The Florentine family and its vassals who instigated the rebellion were immediately stripped of all their lands and titles!

But they attempted to defy the king's orders!

Now my master, the new Earl of Brightwater City, Mason Asperin, officially declares that all members of the Florent family shall be executed for treason!

If an ordinary soldier lays down his weapon now and is spared punishment, and can cut off Colin Floren's head, he will not only receive a bounty of two thousand gold dragons, but will also gain Lord Mason's appreciation and promotion!

Please think this through carefully!

Because you only have ten minutes to make a choice!

Ten minutes later, anyone who continues to resist will not only be burned to death by the dragon flames, but their families will also be implicated…

As Blanco's hoarse voice echoed above the castle, the defending army, already on the verge of collapse, suddenly had a chilling green light flash in their eyes.

Although there were still disloyal knights and servants guarding Colin Floren, the vast majority of soldiers had begun to waver and even longed to kill him.

Two thousand golden dragons is an astronomical figure that is unattainable for ordinary people. It is enough to buy a piece of land, or a tavern, find a woman to marry and have children, and live a peaceful life for the rest of your days.

On one hand, there was the threat of death, and on the other hand, there was the promise of a high bounty.

Zhang Cheng used only a few underhanded tricks to plunge the almost united garrison into division, suspicion, and hostility.

Perhaps he was too influenced by the world of A Song of Ice and Fire; otherwise, in the past, he would never have used such a despicable method when victory was assured. Instead, he would have crushed his enemy with pure strength.

However, he is now getting used to using more complex and less strenuous methods.

It's difficult to judge which approach is better, but the owner behind the parchment clearly preferred him to follow the latter.

Not long after, a rebellion broke out as expected...

Driven by the will to survive and the lure of the bounty, more than two hundred soldiers launched an attack on their former master.

With their numerical advantage, they quickly slaughtered all the knights and servants who were still loyal to the Florent family. Colin Florent fought desperately, but was stabbed more than a dozen times and eventually had his head cut off. He stood on the city wall, hopping around with a long spear.

As for the other members of the Florentine family, without exception, they all died in the rebellion, even infants in swaddling clothes.

The only survivor was a beautiful girl of about sixteen years old, who was offered as a trophy to the victors for torture and abuse.

Do not be fooled by the polite appearance of the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms. In reality, their hearts are filled with cruelty, tyranny, and indulgence. Especially when driven by desire, they often commit many horrific acts.

Deline of the Florentine family was once a bridesmaid when she was raped by Robert, the "King of Cuckoldry," at her wedding, and she gave birth to an illegitimate son, Edric Storm.

Half an hour later, Zhang Cheng sat in the main seat of the castle hall, smiling as he asked the man kneeling before him, who was also the first squad leader to instigate the rebellion: "Babby, what kind of reward do you want? Don't worry, I will grant you whatever you desire, even including that sexy and charming noble lady."

"Really...really?!" The man with a face full of fat turned around and glanced greedily at the girl who was hiding in the corner, trembling.

Zhang Cheng nodded with a playful expression: "That's right! I will not only reward you, but also promote you to captain, in charge of purging the relatives of those soldiers and servants who are loyal to the Florent family."

"Thank you for your generosity and kindness! I want her!" With that, Bobby stood up impatiently and pounced on the screaming girl.

In less than half a minute, the poor noblewoman's clothes were torn to shreds, revealing large expanses of alluring, delicate skin. What followed was a scene straight out of a pornographic film unfolding before everyone's eyes...

Chapter 0144 Manipulating People's Hearts

Watching helplessly as a noblewoman was subjected to a rude and lowly man... some of the surrendered soldiers and servants turned their heads away, unable to bear the sight; some looked on with undisguised disgust; and others felt a surge of intense emotion...

Zhang Cheng silently observed everyone's reactions and then categorized them accordingly.

Those who cannot bear to look at it show that they still subconsciously sympathize with the fate of the Florent family. For a long time to come, they must be careful and never hand over important positions to them.

Those who show disgust indicate that they still retain a conscience and a high moral standard, and can be trusted to a certain extent and entrusted with tasks such as maintaining public order and suppressing bandits.

As for the last type, they have completely degenerated into being dominated by desires, not caring who they serve, let alone laws and morals. As long as they have money and women, they don't even mind committing heinous acts of violence, making them the most ideal lackeys and henchmen.

Just as Zhang Cheng was considering whether to sweep away all the minor nobles loyal to the Florent family with overwhelming force or to first steadily control the area surrounding Brightwater City, Blanco appeared beside him at some point and asked in a low voice, "My lord, I don't understand why you gave this traitor such a generous reward?"

"What, are you jealous?" Zhang Cheng asked with a half-smile.

“Jealousy?” The old mercenary glanced at the body, sighed with a wry smile. “Well, I have to admit, I am a little jealous. You know, she was a noble lady, and so young and beautiful. I used to dream of marrying a woman like her. But you… you left her with a rude soldier. I think you should at least have kept her.”

Zhang Cheng chuckled and shook his head: "Heh, no, you're wrong, Blanco. Perhaps for an ordinary man, lust isn't a big deal, but for a person in power, if he can't control his desires, then lust will become a fatal weakness that his enemies can exploit. From now on, you'd better start learning self-control, otherwise even if I promote you to a nobleman, you'll quickly succumb to all sorts of intrigues and schemes. Besides, what do you think my purpose was in bestowing this reward upon Bobby?"

"Purpose?" Blanco was taken aback.

He clearly hadn't thought of that, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer.

“Yes! Purpose! You must understand that everything I do is driven by a strong purpose. Think about it, after I eradicated the Florent family, how many people will hate me to the bone? How many people will be secretly waiting for an opportunity to overthrow my rule? But now, look at the expressions and eyes of everyone in the hall. Don’t they hate Bobby more than I do?” Zhang Cheng explained with a playful expression.

Blanco subconsciously scanned the hall and, sure enough, found that many people were looking at Bobby with hatred in their eyes, and some were even clenching their fists tightly, as if they might suddenly burst into a murder at any moment.

"I see... You want to use him to divert hatred." He stroked the thick stubble on his chin and muttered to himself thoughtfully.

“That’s right! But this is only the first half of my plan. For the next period of time, I will give Bobby a great deal of power, letting him do all the things that people hate for me. When this hatred and animosity have accumulated to a certain level, I will randomly find a crime and execute him in public. At that time, the people living in this land will no longer hate me, but will be grateful and respectful. Do you know Gregor Clegane? Many people think he is a cruel executioner, but few people know that everything this executioner did was at the behest of the Lannister family. Remember, most people in the world are stupid and very easily misled and fooled. As long as you master the method, you can easily control their emotions and even their behavior…”

Zhang Cheng made no attempt to hide anything and openly revealed his arrangements for Babi.

Although this method of "raising pigs" and "slaughtering pigs" has been used to death by rulers throughout the Celestial Empire, it is still a little-known secret among a very small number of rulers in Westeros.

"Thank you for your guidance, I think I understand." The old mercenary placed one hand on his chest and bowed deeply, then looked at the man not far away with a compassionate gaze.

He finally realized that the reason the other party was able to enjoy extraordinary rewards ahead of time was not because he was going to be given important responsibilities, but because he was being used as a sacrifice to divert the attention of the common people.

Thus, with the help of the "guides" among the surrendered soldiers, Zhang Cheng quickly occupied Liangshui City and began to inventory and take over the wealth accumulated by the Florent family over hundreds of years.

In addition, the more than 2,000 troops were divided into three teams. One team of 600 men was stationed at the castle, while the other two teams, each with 1,000 men, swept along the main road to conquer the knightly territories of all sizes within a radius of 150 kilometers.

Zhang Cheng had no intention of keeping any of these people who were at the very bottom of the feudal pyramid structure.

To be precise, he didn't think these so-called "knights" were of any use. Instead of wasting time and money on them, he would rather recruit more mercenaries. As long as they had enough salary and food supplies, these guys would perform impeccably on the battlefield.

With their overwhelming advantage in "Dragon Flame" and sheer numbers of soldiers, the vassals who had been loyal to the Florent family were completely wiped out in about half a month, leaving only empty castles behind.

To fill the power vacuum, Zhang Cheng bestowed these castles and surrounding lands upon mercenaries, including Blanco, who were loyal to him, and promoted them to nobility.

However, to prevent these fools from making a mess of the territory, he personally established a small bureaucratic system to keep administrative and economic power firmly in his own hands.

When news of Tyrion's impending marriage to Sansa Stark reached Brightwater from King's Landing, Zhang Cheng had finally completed the consolidation of his territory. Although there were still a few scattered rebels who had fled into the mountains, most of the area had been stabilized.

After all, while the new lord's methods of dealing with nobles might seem cruel to ordinary people, they did not affect their lives, so they gradually began to accept the name Mason Aspen.

They had no idea that their lord had silently carved a hidden cave into the cliff behind the castle, and that living inside was none other than a giant dragon that grew longer and more ferocious with each passing year…

Chapter 0145 Kuro Kerba

"It is six meters long, has a wingspan of eight meters, its scales are nearly three millimeters thick, and its largest teeth are over ten centimeters long..."

"I have to say, for a creature that is less than four months old, your growth rate is truly astonishing."

While muttering to himself, Zhang Cheng examined the dragon lying on the ground to make sure it wasn't sick and to make a detailed research record.

After observing for this period of time, he can basically confirm that the claim that the dragon cannot be kept in captivity, otherwise its size will become smaller with each generation, is simply unfounded.

Because his dragon has been confined to a relatively closed environment for more than 90% of the time since its birth, its body has continued to grow wildly, especially the proportion of the unknown substance flowing in its blood, which has increased from a few tenths of a percent at the beginning to more than 15 percent now.

He was certain that if any cold weapon, such as a spear or sword, were to pierce the dragon's body, it would melt into molten iron in a matter of seconds.

Clearly, there is only one thing that truly limits the lifespan and size of dragons: the mysterious energy brought by the crimson comet.

As long as there is sufficient mysterious energy, the dragon will not die naturally, but will continue to grow until it becomes a primordial behemoth with a body length of more than one or two hundred meters.

Even more terrifying is that, perhaps due to a genetic mutation during the modification process, whenever Zhang Cheng gets close to the baby dragon, a small portion of the arcane energy in his body is uncontrollably absorbed.

Although the suction force is not very strong at present, it can be avoided with a little care.

But for some reason, he always had a premonition that once the dragon entered Azeroth, where the air was filled with countless energies, it would instantly cause a huge change far beyond his imagination.

"Roar!"

Perhaps the physical examination took too long, or perhaps it was hungry; in any case, the less than one-year-old dragon stretched out its huge head, gently nudged its master, and let out a low growl of dissatisfaction.

"Okay, don't rush, it'll be over soon." Zhang Cheng pushed away Long's nostrils, which were constantly exhaling hot air, without turning his head.

Just as he was about to bend down to examine the dragon's claws, he suddenly remembered something and quickly turned to the impatient young dragon, saying, "By the way, I don't think I've given you a name since you were born. As the saying goes, there's no time like the present, so how about I give you a resounding name today?"

"Ow?"

The baby dragon froze instantly, staring with its two innocent eyes, as if asking, "What's this name? Can I eat it?"

"A name is a code. For example, you are a dragon, but dragon is not your name. It is a general term for a kind of creature similar to you. You must have a name that is unique to you. Do you understand?" Seeing the "little guy's" confused look, Zhang Cheng had to patiently explain.

“Woo…” The young dragon seemed to understand what it meant and nodded slightly in agreement.

Although its intelligence is currently at the level of a six or seven-year-old human child, its comprehension ability is not bad, and it can even execute relatively complex tactical commands.

"So what should I call you?" Zhang Cheng stroked his chin and began searching his memory for famous dragons from various myths, legends, books, games, and movies, quickly locking onto one. "What do you think of Kuro Kerba? It's a demonic dragon from Celtic mythology, summoned by the demon god Balor, who killed many gods, including the god-king Nuada and the goddess Maha."

The young dragon hesitated for less than a second before letting out a series of roars of varying lengths, as if expressing its joy and excitement.

"Hehe, I'm glad you like it. Remember, from today onwards you are Kuro Kerba, don't let this name down. Now go out and find some food while it's dark, and remember to come back before sunrise, I don't want you to be exposed too early." After saying that, Zhang Cheng patted the young dragon's head and turned to walk towards the experimental device placed not far away.

He dug the cave not only to provide a hiding place for the dragon, but more importantly, to continue his research undisturbed.

Since discovering how dragons release flames using the mysterious energy permeating the air, he has made good progress through simulation. He can now use props to release several highly destructive spells such as fireballs, fire walls, fire rain, and flame jets.

The only downside is that these spells require a long preparation time; even the simplest flamethrower takes more than ten seconds to channel, and in actual combat, that much time would have been enough to kill someone countless times over.

In addition, the limited range of damage attributes is also a significant problem; at least Daenerys Targaryen, the "Mother of Dragons," and her three dragons are not particularly afraid of fire.

If it weren't for the fact that only one bottle of the well water for replenishing magic was left, Zhang Cheng would have liked to go north of the Great Wall, capture a White Walker to study, and figure out how these guys used mysterious energy to create frost.

Of course, he can only imagine it now and dares not take any actual action. At least he will not make any rash moves until Kuro Kerba grows to twenty meters.

In fact, all he can do right now is to shorten the steps and preparation time for casting fire spells as much as possible, and at most, he can take a look at the latest information on the Children of the Forest when he has free time.

It must be said that although these natives of Westeros created a magnificent magical civilization, they subconsciously regarded it as a belief and religion. Whether it was a complex ritual or a spell that resembled a hymn, they were all filled with respect and worship for the Old Gods.