Spellcasting Gods

"A fake identity? Have they figured out who he really is?" Tywin frowned instinctively.

“I’m very sorry, but all I can find is that he first appeared near King’s Road, where he was rescued by a farmers merchant who called himself Billy. Everything before that is a mystery. Perhaps you should ask Lord Baelish; he might be able to give you a satisfactory answer.” With that, the man in black slightly raised his head, revealing a smirk.

Tywin, oblivious to the amusement in the other's tone, stroked his beard and pressed on in a deep voice, "Where is this merchant? Where is he? I need to see him immediately!"

“As far as I know, poor Billy has been missing for a long time. If nothing unexpected happens, he’s probably been silenced. After all, if it were me, I would also eliminate such a potential threat rather than leave it for the enemy to use against me…” the man in black replied meaningfully.

"Very good! Keep a close eye on what's happening in Old Town! Whatever Mason does, I need to know immediately."

Tywin took a deep breath, regaining his usual stern expression. Just as he was about to turn and leave the tent, a piercing scream suddenly came from outside.

"Ahhhhh!!!!"

"It's terrible! Your Majesty... Your Majesty has been poisoned!"

"Bachelor! Grand Scholar!"

……

In an instant, the wedding banquet, which had been filled with laughter and joy, turned into complete chaos.

"Damn it!" Seeing that the situation was getting out of his control, Tywin couldn't help but curse under his breath and quickly walked towards the most concentrated part of the crowd.

He didn't notice at all that he hadn't gone far when the man in black took off his hood, revealing a round, chubby bald head.

Clearly, he was none other than Varys, the "Eight-Clawed Spider," who had disappeared from everyone's sight for a long time.

It's likely that no one would have imagined that he, who should have sailed to Essos, would secretly return to King's Landing and even form a partnership with Tywin Lannister to secretly gather all the intelligence about Zhang Cheng.

Littlefinger Baelish only received outdated information that he had deliberately left behind to divert attention.

Gazing at the chaotic and panicked crowd not far away, Varys narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself, "You really couldn't resist making a move, my dear old friend. Next, I should send Tywin Lannister out of the Game of Thrones to complicate things further. As you once said, chaos is a ladder, only the ladder is real, and climbing is all there is to it. But don't forget, there's also the saying that the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Sometimes, it's safer to be the one holding onto the ladder."

Meanwhile, Sansa Stark, hiding among the crowd, watched with glee as her enemy breathed his last in agony.

Although she had no idea who poisoned her, nor did she know that she had been unknowingly used, it did not prevent her from experiencing a vengeful pleasure that she could not express in words.

Fortunately, Sansa hadn't forgotten her escape plan. After pausing for a short while, she took advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to Joffrey's corpse, quickly took a cloak from a pre-arranged informant to cover her beautiful long dress, and then followed the narrow path to the port. After about forty minutes, she finally boarded an inconspicuous small boat.

Before she could even sit down and catch her breath, Petyr Baelish rushed into the cabin and grabbed her in a tight embrace.

Feeling the other person's rapidly beating heart and heavy breathing, the girl immediately realized that the rumors were likely true. This older man, about the same age as her father, had transferred his obsessive infatuation with her mother onto her.

Although she felt utterly disgusted by this morbid and abnormal emotion, she forced herself to endure it and feigned a weak and helpless appearance, asking, "Lord Baelish, you will take me home, won't you?"

“Of course, Sansa, I swear you will never suffer any more injustice or humiliation from now on.” Littlefinger sniffed the girl’s hair and gave his assurance firmly.

Chapter 0218 Secret Visit

If Joffrey's poisoning death stirred up the once-peaceful continent of Westeros again, then Tywin Lannister's subsequent shooting in the latrine by "Imperium" was like a raging flood, completely shattering the fragile balance among the great nobles.

Although on the surface the Lannisters and Tyrells continue to maintain their alliance and marriage, it is clear to everyone that, without her father's restraint, Cersei's arrogant, short-sighted, and vindictive nature will inevitably lead her to turn against the cunning Queen of Thorns sooner or later.

Forget about peacefully ruling the Seven Kingdoms; King's Landing will likely first witness a fierce power struggle within its borders...

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Zhang Cheng for the time being. To be precise, he had anticipated this outcome long ago, so he wasn't surprised at all when he received the news. He glanced at it, threw it into the brazier to burn, and continued his renovation project on the towering pagoda.

However, his indifference did not mean that others were indifferent, especially Olenna Redwynn, who sensed Cersei's increasingly unfriendly attitude. Taking advantage of Cersei's grief over the loss of her son and father, she took her beloved granddaughter and sailed away from King's Landing overnight, arriving at the docks of Oldtown in just a few days.

Looking at the bustling crowds and the thriving market around her, Margaret asked in surprise, "Wasn't this place recently looted by the Ironborn? How come there's no sign of damage at all?"

"Haha! You must be from out of town, beautiful lady." A coolie in a tattered shirt wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned around, and revealed a face that was a mixture of fatigue and joy.

“Yes! Can you tell me what happened here?” Margaery Tyrell asked, looking like a curious child.

With her striking appearance and approachable demeanor, very few people would dislike her, let alone refuse her small requests.

"It's all thanks to Lord Mason! He not only destroyed those damned bandits, but also ordered a significant reduction in taxes to compensate the merchants for their losses. Now, almost every merchant knows that the taxes here are lower than in any port on the continent of Westeros, so they come here to buy or sell their goods, resulting in this bustling scene. In addition, the giant dragon that keeps circling in the sky has greatly deterred the pirates in the nearby waters, and the merchants feel very safe under its protection."

The laborer, around thirty years old, was completely captivated by the girl's beauty and blurted out everything he knew without a second thought.

From her almost worshipful tone, Margaret quickly drew two conclusions.

First, the Hightoar family has been completely ruined, and the actual controller of the old town is not Morroia, but that mysterious young man.

Secondly, the residents of the old town seemed not to mind welcoming a new ruler, even if the new ruler did not have a legitimate right of succession.

Most importantly, Kuro Kerba, who had just flown overhead, had grown much larger than when I last saw him, and exuded an incomparably terrifying aura.

It is conceivable that once this giant dragon joins the battlefield, it will inevitably destroy the will of ordinary soldiers. No one will be willing to face an invincible enemy, and no amount of money or status will help.

At her grandmother's prompting, Margaret rewarded the laborer with a silver dragon, and then, under the protection of the family knights, went straight to the entrance of the towering tower, which had been restored to its original state.

It must be said that without the cover of white marble, the tower doesn't look very appealing. Whether it's the black stone that constantly reflects sunlight or the bizarre shape, everything about it exudes an incongruous and mysterious aura.

Olenna Redwyn looked up and stared at the huge crystal at the top, which emitted a faint light, for a while before handing over the seal ring representing House Tyrell.

The guards, realizing the visitor's identity, made no attempt to stop him. After returning the ring, they immediately cleared the entrance.

The "Thorn Queen" gestured to the knights escorting her to wait where she was, and then, supported by her granddaughter, slowly disappeared at the end of the passage.

Before she had gone far, a familiar figure suddenly appeared directly in front of her. With the help of the dim light, she immediately recognized that it was none other than Morroia Hightower.

The latter lifted her skirt and curtsied, coldly greeting, "Long time no see, dear Lady Olena. I never expected you to come to Old Town at this time."

"It has indeed been a long time. I remember the last time we met, you were still studying so-called alchemy with Earl Layton. Who would have thought that he would be killed by the ruthless Ironborn?" The Queen of Thorns took two steps forward and hugged her, while subtly probing her attitude.

Although she never quite understood how the towering tower, with its formidable defensive capabilities, could be breached by the iron species, her rich life experience and knowledge clearly allowed her to sense that the whole affair was shrouded in conspiracy.

“Yes! What happened that day was truly horrific. Blood, corpses, and death filled every passage. I still shudder when I think about it now.” Moroya couldn’t help but shudder, her eyes revealing deep-seated fear.

Of course, what she feared was not the Iron Citizens, but Zhang Cheng, who had slaughtered everyone in the passageway that day.

“By the Holy Mother! May all the souls who died unjustly find peace. Don’t be too sad, after all, the Hightoar family will still need you to support them in the future,” Margaret quickly comforted her softly.

"Thank you!" Morroia pretended not to understand the implication in his words and politely thanked him.

With her intelligence, how could she not understand that the two were spying on her, but they just wouldn't reveal a single bit of information?

The reason is simple: her life is still in Zhang Cheng's hands, and she dares not have any wicked thoughts. At least until she finds a powerful enough backer, she will guarantee 100% loyalty.

As the saying goes, three women make a drama, especially three noblewomen who harbor ulterior motives and scheme against each other.

After offering a few insincere words of comfort, Olenna Redwin suddenly changed her tone and asked in a low voice, "Moroia, can you tell me where Earl Mason is right now? I need to speak to him immediately."

"Please follow me. Your master has been waiting for you for a long time. But I must remind you, no matter what you see later, you must remain quiet, otherwise..." Moroya deliberately dragged out her words, the implication being self-evident.

"Master?!" The Thorn Queen keenly grasped a key word, and her wrinkled face showed undisguised surprise.

Margaret reacted similarly, standing frozen in place. She couldn't believe that a woman called "madwoman" like Morroia would willingly serve a man much younger than herself.

Chapter 0219 Neglect

After passing through a dark, secluded corridor that flickered with eerie light, the two were led to a room with strange symbols on the walls and a ball of water in the center that was spinning rapidly and making a piercing roar.

Through careful observation, Olena Redwin discovered that the reason the water made such an unusually loud noise was because the water flow contained a large number of ice fragments of different sizes. It was the collision, compression, and breakage of these ice fragments that produced the amazing sound.

But what shocked her most was not the noise itself, but the terrifying vortex and the ice blocks that kept forming at its center.

Keep in mind that the entire A Song of Ice and Fire is currently in summer, and it's an unusually long summer with temperatures remaining at a very high level. Let alone freezing, even a large block of ice would melt completely in a very short time.

The ice fragments in the vortex, though constantly breaking and melting, are also being created out of thin air, as if trapped in a never-ending vicious cycle.

Zhang Cheng stood expressionless at the center of the vortex, staring intently at a stone pillar carved with various marine creature reliefs, occasionally touching one of the pillars with his hand that emitted a white light.

Each time you touch it, the speed of the water's rotation, or the size and quantity of the ice fragments, will change to some extent.

Noticing the fascinating expressions on the two guests' faces, a hint of smugness flashed in Moroia's eyes. She bowed deeply and reported in a low voice, "Master, the Tyrell family has arrived."

"Okay, I understand. Tell them to wait a bit," Zhang Cheng replied indifferently.

He didn't even bother to turn around and glance at the infamous "Queen of Thorns," continuing to concentrate on fiddling with the Tower of Triumph's control center, trying to find a way to insert the Dalaran Frost Rune.

After all, strictly speaking, water magic and ice magic are not that different in essence. The only difficulty is to successfully combine two completely different magic systems.

Don't think this is an easy thing. Even when the archmages of Dalaran first studied the warlocks' shadow magic and demon summoning rituals, they were completely baffled and couldn't understand the knowledge that the Burning Legion had transmitted to the orcs until they captured living prisoners and forced them to reveal a lot about the manipulation of fel energy and shadow energy.

However, Zhang Cheng's problem is that he can no longer find the original builder of the Tower of Heaven, and it is impossible to force the knowledge he wants from anyone. He can only try to find the right solution through continuous attempts.

It must be said that this is a very time-consuming and laborious task. So far, he has only managed to create a mixture of ice and water, which is still far from being a truly pure ice magic.

Of course, as a mage, especially one who has just obtained a meteorite with almost unlimited energy, he can directly cast any spell he wants.

But reason told him that if the enemy dared to launch a war, they must have a way to deal with the meteorite.

As a dragon who has lived for countless years, Kronada must understand the advantages and disadvantages of meteorites far better than he does, so he must prepare another trump card, one that his opponent is unaware of...

As someone who becomes the center of attention wherever she goes, Margaret obviously cannot tolerate such a near-ignoring attitude.

Just as she was about to say something, Olena Redwin grabbed her arm and gently shook her head, signaling her granddaughter not to make any rash moves.

Despite her resentment, Margaret chose to trust her grandmother's judgment, suppressing her strong dissatisfaction and keeping quiet to wait patiently.

About half an hour later, Zhang Cheng finally put down his research, which was not yielding results for the time being, and snapped his fingers with his right hand.

Snapped!

With a crisp sound, the terrifying vortex suddenly began to slow down. In the blink of an eye, both the water and the ice shards disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.

After doing all this, a fake smile appeared on his expressionless face. He stepped up to the "Queen of Thorns" and said meaningfully, "I'm very sorry to have neglected you and Miss Margaret for so long. By the way, congratulations on successfully eliminating the difficult-to-control Joffrey. I believe that the cowardly Tomman will soon become a prisoner of Miss Margaret's sweet trap."

"You think Joffrey's death has anything to do with me?" Olena Redwin asked without changing her expression.

Having been tempered by countless conspiracies and intrigues, she would not readily admit to personally planning and participating in the poisoning of the king, even if the king was both cruel and illegitimate.

"Isn't that so? I really can't think of anyone who would benefit most from Joffrey's death besides the Tyrells. Oh, I almost forgot, it's not just Joffrey who's dead now, but also the pillar of the Lannisters—Duke Tywin Lannister. You're no longer facing a tolerant and rational ally, but a short-sighted and vindictive Cersei. If I'm not mistaken, you've come to negotiate with me to ensure that I'll side with the Tyrells in the event of future conflict, right?" Zhang Cheng, with a half-smile, bluntly revealed the other party's purpose.

Compared to the Lannister family, which is known for its prowess in warfare, the Tyrell family's record is hardly impressive. Although their wealth and army are among the best in the entire Seven Kingdoms, numbers and equipment do not equate to combat strength.

Olenna Redwyn was undoubtedly well aware of this, and calmly retorted, "No, you're wrong, Mason. Everyone in King's Landing knows that Tyrion killed the King and his own father, and it has nothing to do with me. Yes, Tywin's death has brought many uncertainties, and Cersei is the most dangerous of them all. I assure you, if you agree to stand with the Tyrells in any future conflicts, we can help you seize the Iron Throne and be crowned Queen."

"Hahahaha! The Iron Throne? No, madam, I have absolutely no interest in the Iron Throne."

You simply don't understand that power is merely an appendage of strength.

When a person possesses sufficient power, they can easily obtain the corresponding rights. If a person does not have enough power, even if they hold great power, they will be coveted.

Do you remember how the Targaryen dynasty came to an end?

It wasn't the king's madness, but rather that they had lost the dragon that was powerful enough to intimidate the nobles!

Look at me now. Perhaps I am not a king, but who would dare to ignore my existence?

Moreover, a formidable and extremely threatening enemy is coming soon, more powerful and terrifying than any enemy you have ever seen before. Compared to him, Aegon the Conqueror is like a slightly larger baby.