Spellcasting Gods

After a brief conversation, Sansa suddenly felt that the whole world was full of malice, and her future was bleak with no hope whatsoever.

What's even more terrifying is that she has no idea that if even the little finger, the only one that showed kindness, hides sinister intentions, then who can she trust?

Should we forget the hatred in our hearts?

Forget the tragic deaths of your father and brother?

Then she would live her whole life cautiously as Tyrion Lannister's wife, facing enemies she longed to kill every day, and letting others mock her for marrying a deformed dwarf.

Sansa grew increasingly desperate and sorrowful as she thought about it, until she finally couldn't help but sob. Tears streamed down her cheeks, quickly forming a large, wet patch on the sheets.

Normally, any normal man would take out a handkerchief and hand it to her at this moment, or personally wipe away the tears of the young and beautiful girl in front of him, and say a few words of comfort.

Unfortunately, Zhang Cheng clearly didn't fall into the "normal" category. To be precise, his current mental state was both cold and dangerous, completely devoid of any semblance of "normal." Instead of offering any comfort, he jokingly said, "Don't cry. Crying won't solve anything. Do you really expect to beg those men whose minds are filled with power and desire to let you go by looking pitiful? Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but compared to Ailiya, you're really disappointing."

"What?! Arya... Arya is still alive?" Upon hearing her sister's name, Sansa immediately stopped crying, wiped away her tears, and asked impatiently.

Perhaps the sisters used to have frequent conflicts or even arguments because of their personalities, but after experiencing a series of painful upheavals, their blood ties ultimately triumphed over everything.

Zhang Cheng nodded without hesitation: "Of course! She is still alive, and her life is even more difficult than yours. She not only witnessed the execution of the Duke of Stark in public, but also the entire Red Wedding."

Can you imagine what it would feel like for a girl around ten years old to watch her beloved father and brother die one by one at the hands of her enemies?

Unlike you, she still wears gorgeous clothes, attends banquets that only nobles can attend, and never has to worry about three meals a day.

During Arya's most difficult time, she didn't even have a piece of hard, black bread. She wandered around begging like a beggar, starving.

But unlike you, she doesn't just wallow in self-pity. Instead, she becomes increasingly brave and strong. Every night before falling asleep, she silently recites the revenge list she has created, planning to avenge her deceased relatives and friends when she has the ability in the future.

In my opinion, it is this spirit of hers that is worthy of the Stark family who came from the cold North, and worthy of the direwolf's untamed and proud nature.

As for you, you are more like a rose carefully nurtured in the Tyrell family's greenhouse, unable to withstand even the slightest storm..."

Undoubtedly, these words deeply wounded the girl's already tormented heart.

She had thought she was probably the most miserable person in the world, but now that she learned her sister was even worse off than her, she was overwhelmed with self-blame.

Because she began to realize that, being at the center of the power vortex, she could actually use her youth, beauty, and special status to navigate among the powerful and wealthy, instead of simply being used by others.

Having figured this out, Sansa immediately raised her head, staring with her slightly reddened eyes, and mustered her courage to ask, "Lord Mason, since you have said that everyone who approaches me must have some strong motive, then may I ask what your motive is?"

"Oh? Heh, you learn quickly. It's all worth my time. My intentions are simple: first, to use you to thwart Baelish's plan to seize the Vale and the North, ultimately causing him to die in agony and regret. I hate fickle people, and I especially hate those who repeatedly challenge my bottom line. Second, I'm a bit tired of this power struggle and want to end this farce as soon as possible. Therefore, I plan to help you reclaim Winterfell and restore House Stark's dominance in the North. In return, I hope you will become a loyal ally." Zhang Cheng didn't beat around the bush and stated his conditions straightforwardly.

With the shackles binding him broken, he no longer needed to carefully maintain the original "plot" as before, lest unexpected situations cause him to lose the initiative.

Right now, he can easily destroy a fully armed army with his magical power alone. With the existence of the dragon Kuro Kerba, no one on the battlefield can confront him head-on. Therefore, accelerating the development of the plot has become an inevitable choice.

After all, Zhang Cheng wasn't going to waste several years in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. He wanted to return to that tower as soon as possible to see if the portal to Azeroth had opened.

Compared to the incomplete magical knowledge found in works like A Song of Ice and Fire, Dalaran's comprehensive magical knowledge system is undoubtedly more appealing.

According to preliminary estimates, among all the magical worlds he knows, Dalaran's magical research is undoubtedly at a very high level, and it can even be said that only a handful of worlds can compare with it.

If he could become an Archmage recognized by the Kirin Tor Council, he would have sufficient self-defense capabilities, whether on Magic Earth or in any other world.

It's important to understand that the strength of a level 60 player's character in the game is only equivalent to that of an elite soldier in their respective faction. Any archmage recognized by the Kirin Tor Council can easily crush an army composed of hundreds of elite soldiers, which shows just how terrifying the magical power wielded by an archmage is.

Of course, this is not easy to do. It requires not only learning, understanding, and digesting a massive amount of knowledge, but also allowing the body to absorb more and purer arcane energy.

While knowledge and spellcasting skills are important parameters for measuring a spellcaster's strength, magical power and the amount of energy stored in the body are equally important indicators of a spellcaster's strength.

Back then, Rhonin paved his way to becoming an archmage by returning to the time of the First War of the Ancients and drawing large amounts of the most primal and purest arcane energy from the Well of Eternity.

Unfortunately, by the time Zhang Cheng entered Azeroth, not only the Well of Eternity, but even the Sunwell created by the high elves had been destroyed.

Perhaps the only thing that could allow him to quickly become an archmage right now is the few bottles of Well of Eternity water that Illidan still has.

However, given that the Bronze Dragonflight was also eyeing this thing, obtaining it was incredibly difficult, beyond imagination. Even if one succeeded, they would have to escape quickly, and might never be able to return to Azeroth...

Chapter 0186 Awakening

Just as Zhang Cheng began to quietly plan his path to becoming a mage, Sansa was also seriously considering the suggestion she had just made.

As a noble lady who received a strict education from a young age, she was not stupid at all. She was just used to the protection from her family and elders, especially the Stark family, which had been rooted in the North for thousands of years. In many cases, their impressive reputation alone was enough to scare away most of the malicious intruders.

However, now, with the tragic deaths of his father and brother, the direct descendants of the Stark family are either dead or missing, and even Winterfell, which symbolizes their status, has been occupied by their former enemies, the Bolton family.

The harsh reality forced her to make changes, otherwise things like today would continue to happen again and again.

As a precocious girl, Sansa was well aware of the attraction her beautiful appearance held for men.

When Joffrey stripped her naked and humiliated her, the guards who carried out the orders always had intense excitement in their eyes, and made no attempt to hide their naked desire.

The thought of being ravaged by old and ugly men in the future made her feel nauseous.

Although it was not uncommon for beautiful young women to be paired with white-haired old men in aristocratic circles, she could not bear to become one of them.

Moreover, deep down she also yearned for revenge, wanting those who had harmed the Stark family to pay a terrible price...

"Lord Mason, can you tell me how you intend to help me reclaim Winterfell, and what I need to give in return for this help?" After much hesitation, Sansa finally mustered the courage to cautiously probe.

"Perhaps retaking Winterfell seems incredibly difficult to you, but eliminating the Bolton family is a piece of cake for me. If I wanted, I could wipe them all out overnight without alerting a single person." With that, Zhang Cheng turned and gently nudged the motionless shadow monster lying on the ground, as if to prove something.

But soon, he turned back and smiled, continuing to say to the girl, "But doing this seems a bit too boring. After all, the reason why revenge is such a popular topic is precisely because you can slowly savor the pain and despair of your enemy. If they all die too quickly, how can you savor the joy of revenge? Besides, I have a principle: I only help those who haven't given up hope and are still striving to save themselves. If you want my help, you must first prove yourself."

"Prove yourself?" Sansa frowned instinctively.

“Yes! Prove yourself! I need a Duke of Stark with sufficient ability and political acumen, not a tearful, unrealistic pretty face. I don't care if you use your intelligence or your youthful allure, just prove to me that you have the ability to reunify the North and restore the Stark family's absolute rule. As for what comes next, we'll talk about that after you've proven yourself.” Zhang Cheng explained with a half-smile.

"Understood!" Sansa nodded gently, then threw off the covers and got out of bed, exposing her beautiful body curves to the air.

She let her long, maroon hair fall down her back, walked barefoot straight up to Zhang Cheng, and stared at him with her deep blue eyes.

Because they were so close, they could even smell each other's scent and the warm breath exhaled from each other's nostrils.

Despite a hint of shyness and resistance in her subconscious, the girl opened her arms and wrapped them around the young man's neck, then stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

The kiss lasted for half a minute, and when the two separated, the atmosphere in the room began to become subtle.

Feeling the softness and moisture on his lips, Zhang Cheng suddenly laughed, teasingly adding, "Hehe, not bad. Although your technique still needs improvement, you've at least taken a crucial step. Remember your strengths, and figure out what others want from you. If you grasp these two points, you'll soon become a qualified player in the game of power. You know, women, especially young and beautiful women, can often make men lose their minds and do foolish things."

"And what about you? You don't seem interested in my body or appearance at all," Sansa asked, a faint blush on her face, clearly puzzled.

"I'm sorry, I've gotten rid of those base desires. Not just you, but all women don't hold much attraction for me anymore. Alright, let's end our conversation here for now. To show my sincerity, I'll give you a small gift before I leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Cheng suddenly uttered a broken incantation to the shadowy monster beside him.

next second...

The shadow's body suddenly began to tremble violently, releasing black smoke into the surrounding air!

Before Sansa could figure out what was happening, all the smoke rushed towards her snow-white chest, instantly forming a hideous and terrifying pattern.

"What...what is this?!" She stared in horror at the mark that was gradually fading and disappearing.

"Ah, it's nothing. You can think of it as a form of protection. Besides, it can also eliminate one of your most wanted enemies, whether it's Joffrey or Petyr Baelish. But remember, you only get one chance, so choose your target carefully and consider the consequences. Finally, a word of advice: Littlefinger's almost pathological infatuation with you and your mother is a good starting point. As I mentioned before, for men, the more unattainable something is, the more they crave it."

After saying this, Zhang Cheng picked up the notebook on the table, pushed open the door, and disappeared down the corridor without looking back.

Watching his figure gradually disappear into the distance, Sansa took a deep breath, returned to bed, and gazed at the starry sky outside the window, lost in thought.

About ten minutes later, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the corridor.

When the footsteps stopped at the door, her eyes were already filled with tears, and her whole body was trembling slightly.

silence!

Suppressed!

Five minutes later, the person standing at the door finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "I'm so sorry..."

“No, you don’t need to apologize, Lord Baelish. Perhaps this is my fate. All I want to know now is when you can take me away from King’s Landing, away from this city that I loathe and hate?” Sansa asked without turning her head.

Clearly, the person standing at the door was none other than Littlefinger, who had just received the news and rushed back.

His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and he answered sincerely, "I have prepared a boat. You can leave now if you wish."

"Now? Didn't you say you were going to wait until Joffrey's wedding was over?" Having prepared herself emotionally, Sansa finally turned around, revealing her pitiful appearance.

“Yes, leaving at that time would be the least noticeable, but for you, I’m willing to take a risk.” Baelish clenched his fists tightly, trying his best not to show the anger and jealousy he had been harboring for years on his face.

"Forget it, let's wait until after the wedding. You're the last person who truly cares about me, and I don't want anything else to happen to you..."

Chapter 0187 Boundaries

Late at night, Zhang Cheng, back at his lodgings, did not fall asleep. Instead, he remained alone in his room, intently studying the new theoretical knowledge he had obtained from the dragons, as well as the contents that the Valyrians had inscribed on the Dragon Crystal Stone.

The parts about blood magic and human modification, in particular, are like opening a new door.

According to his understanding, the dragons' initial modification of the Valyrians was equivalent to combining a part of their own genes with human genes to create a new species that was similar to a half-human, half-dragon.

Later, with intermarriage and blood dilution, the proportion of human genes began to increase, eventually leading to the image of golden and silver hair and purple eyes that people are familiar with today.

In fact, this is just what ordinary Valyrians look like, just like the Targaryen family who came from the bottom of society. But the real "Dragon Kings" maintained a state close to that of half-dragon and half-human. For example, the stone tablet records that all the Dragon Kings had a pair of distinctive vertical pupils, and their limbs and fingers were longer and stronger than those of ordinary people.

According to Valyrian tradition, every new Dragon King must undergo a terrible ritual to awaken the dormant power within him, and only those who pass the ritual are qualified to become the ruler of Valyria.

As for the losers...

Okay, a dead person can't become a dragon king.

Zhang Cheng felt that this transformation was extremely similar to the dragonkin created by the guardian dragons of Azeroth.

Although he had no intention of modifying himself, he didn't mind using him to create a powerful batch of cannon fodder at certain crucial moments.

"Life... Contract... Grant... Hatching... Rebirth..."

So that's how it is! The so-called transformation is essentially reshaping and regeneration. As for this person's previous memories, personality, and way of thinking, they will all disappear, replaced by a completely new being.

That's interesting...it's really interesting...it's just like the genetic modification and cloning technology in science fiction movies.

However, this technology seems to be immature. Once the body of the person being modified cannot withstand the tearing force of the powerful magic, the cells will instantly collapse, leading to inevitable death..."

Just as Zhang Cheng was muttering to himself and carefully conducting experiments on the mice, the demonic sword placed on the table suddenly spoke up and asked, "Respected master, I don't understand why you are so cautious. With the power you currently possess, do you still need to be mindful of the whims of those foolish nobles? You could simply kill all those who dare to resist, then ascend the throne and conquer the entire continent."

"Hmph! That same idiotic rhetoric again. Yes, I do have enough power to conquer this land, but what then? I would need to spend a lot of time and energy maintaining my rule, quelling rebellions, and restoring agriculture and trade. What good would that do me? Most importantly, I can't guarantee that when I go to the next world, I will still have the same absolute advantage. If not, then I must learn to gain an advantage within the rules, just like what you're seeing me do now—flexibly using the rules to seize the initiative." Zhang Cheng gave his answer with a cold smile.

He never easily breaks the existing rules; this is a limitation he sets for himself, and it is also to better conceal his identity, integrate into the environment, and ensure his own safety.

If he acts like an idiot, arrogantly instigating rebellions wherever he goes and clashing head-on with the local natives, he will soon die in some unknown corner.

"You mean... studying?" the Demon Sword asked, sounding uncertain.

Zhang Cheng nodded without hesitation: "Yes! I want to take advantage of this hard-won opportunity to learn from those master strategists how to manipulate people's hearts. Anyway, I'm already invincible from now on, so why not enjoy this game of power? Even if I lose in the battle of wits, I can still turn the tide with my powerful magic. So shut up and stop disturbing my research."