Whether it was Tyrion and Varys, or Saint Matthew and Arya, who had never even set foot in this city before, all of them were legendary figures known to every household.
It was just like in Journey to the West: as Tang Sanzang and his companions traveled westward, the moment Sun Wukong announced his name, countless demons would cry out, "The Keeper of the Heavenly Stables who wreaked havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago!"
The little demon monkey Tyrion, the eight-clawed spider Varys, the holy son Matthew, and the blood demon Arya had all made their names known across the world.
Even the least renowned among them, the Hound, was far from completely unknown.
So, as soon as they arrived at the altar, trade princes and members of the Pentos royal family came forward to greet them.
The dwarf felt that once the princes had stepped onto the altar, they were like fish laid out on a chopping board. There was no way they could help you sign any documents today. Moreover, his stomach was indeed a bit bloated. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he pulled Varys along to a nearby palace to relieve themselves.
Once servants led the two of them away, Master Qizang explained their purpose to the others.
"This journey to the foreign lands is solely for spreading the teachings of the Seven Gods. Therefore, as we pass through various city-states, we also intend to promote their faith."
He was very straightforward and directly stated his request.
"If you gentlemen could offer some convenience, both I and the Church would be deeply grateful."
"Just wait. Today is definitely impossible," said a dark-skinned, stout man among the trade princes named Jacob, shaking his head.
The people of Pentos all spoke Valyrian with an accent, and while they understood the Common Tongue (the language of Westeros), none spoke it as fluently as Jacob, whose main business was Westerosi silk. Since Master Qizang had never been abroad before and spoke High Valyrian haltingly, the Pentosi nobles chose Jacob to receive the distinguished guests.
"When will the next prince be elected?" Master Qizang asked.
"Probably in about two months. Electing a prince requires going through a strict set of procedures and ceremonies."
Qizang was startled and finally understood why his second disciple had spoken that way earlier at the docks.
"I cannot wait two months. Could there be some flexibility? Matters like stamping travel permits and building a temple for the Seven Gods do not necessarily require the prince's approval," he said.
"Such matters must be handled by the prince," the dark-skinned Jacob said in a low voice. "Does Master Qizang not understand the significance of what he intends to do?"
"I am merely spreading the faith, nothing more," Qizang said sincerely.
"When the Seven Gods plant their banner in Pentos, it is equivalent to seizing the interests of other gods. Such a heavy burden can only be borne by the prince.
If something goes wrong, his head can be cut off and replaced with another.
But if we help you or refuse you, the wrath of the gods or the Dragon Queen will fall upon us. Do you understand what I mean?" The trade prince spoke very frankly.
Qizang sensed the sincerity in his words and offered another suggestion. "Could it be delayed by a day? Let the prince handle my matter first, and then proceed with the sacrifice to the gods."
"Master, you said it yourself, this is a sacrifice to the gods!" the stout man replied helplessly. "Forget delaying it by a day. I would not mind even a year, but would the gods not grow angry? Even your Holy Mother would be displeased, would she not?"
"No, the Holy Mother does not require blood sacrifices," Master Qizang shook his head repeatedly and said solemnly, "Our Church of the Seven does not interfere in state affairs either. The nation belongs to the nobles and the king, while faith and moral guidance belong to the Seven Gods."
"Hmm…" The stout man stroked his chin and pondered. "That doctrine is quite good. However, our god of land and sea does not meddle much in governance either."
"You are about to kill a king, and that is not considered political interference?" Qizang said, his face full of disbelief.
"The prince holds little power and does not participate in Pentos politics. Sacrificing him does not count as interference," the stout man said, tapping his chest. "Killing me would cause nationwide turmoil."
Qizang stood there, stunned, unable to refute him for a moment.
"Tch, what a damn cursed country," the Hound spat, his eyes full of disdain, as if he had just seen a filthy cesspit.
"We have no White Walkers here. Those are in your Westeros," the dark-skinned man laughed.
"They are coming," Arya's eyes sharpened. Her figure flashed, and with her right hand on her sword, she appeared in front of Qizang.
"What is coming?" The people around them were puzzled at first, but when they saw her movements and her cold gaze, they suddenly remembered her identity as the Blood Demon. Thinking she was about to start slaughtering again, they quickly retreated in fear.
Qizang was initially confused as well, but as a second-tier archangel, he soon sensed a sinister and greedy divine consciousness approaching from afar.
In Arya's vision, a blood mist threaded with faint golden lines surged from the depths of the sea, like a long tongue, coiling around the prince at the center of the altar again and again.
His expression grew despondent, his face pale, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.
"An evil god!" Master Qizang tightened his grip on the nine-ringed staff blade, his gaze darkening.
Only Arya and Qizang could see from the perspective of the shadow world. To everyone else, the altar appeared unchanged.
No, that was not entirely true. Among the crowd were extraordinary individuals. Many of the richly dressed royals in the inner circle and the priests in the outer ring suddenly grew solemn, bowing their heads in deep reverence.
They all knew what was happening.
At that moment, the hunchbacked priest finished chanting the sacrificial hymn, stepped forward, let out a beast-like howl, and drew a dragon-tooth-shaped dagger from his waist, slicing open the prince's throat.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss—" Blood sprayed into the air. Arya heard the sound of eager sucking.
It was no illusion. The god was consuming its offering.
"Shall we slay the demon?" she asked in a low voice.
Qizang hesitated, unsure whether he was speaking to Arya or to himself. "This should be the guardian deity of the Pentosi city-state. Customs differ from place to place, and our main purpose is to spread the faith…"
Before he could finish, the wailing voice of his second disciple came from afar. "Master, something terrible has happened! Senior Brother has been taken by a monster!"
"What?" Qizang was shocked.
The fat eunuch ran out from the birch grove separating the altar and the palace, his body smeared with colorful filth, and the stench of fermented excrement wafted ahead of him.
"At the time, Tyrion was squatting over the latrine with diarrhea. Suddenly, a black hairy hand reached up from below. The pulling force was so great that even the wooden floor around the pit collapsed. It was terrifying!"
The eunuch's fat face twisted, as if recalling the soul-rending pain he had just experienced.
"So disgusting. Did you fall into the latrine?" the surrounding people covered their noses and stepped back.
"No, I did not fall in." Varys shook his head as he reached out with his excrement-stained hand to grab Master Qizang, quickly explaining, "Tyrion screamed in agony. I saw him being dragged down into the pit, so I tried to pull him, but I ended up splattered all over. Master, hurry and save him!"
"How do you know it was a monster?" Qizang avoided the filthy hand and asked in confusion. "Could it be that the latrine is in disrepair and the floor rotted? You should have called the guards immediately."
"No, it was a monster! It grabbed his private parts and dragged him down. I was squatting nearby too. It tried to grab me, but missed. I am a water dancer, after all. With a quick 'serpentine step,' I jumped away without even wiping my butt and narrowly escaped."
The eunuch gestured wildly as he spoke, extremely agitated.
"Perhaps it was an assassin hiding in the latrine," the Hound guessed.
"Before Tyrion was completely dragged into the pit, he screamed in terror, 'It is an evil god!' and then sank down with a 'gurgle, gurgle,'" the eunuch shouted.
The people around them twisted their faces, swallowing hard.
"An evil god?!" Arya and Qizang's expressions changed at once. They turned sharply, their gazes cold, all hesitation gone.
"Demon, return my disciple at once!" Master Qizang roared, pulling his weapon free. The nine-ringed staff instantly transformed into a straight blade.
Under the stunned gazes of the Pentosi trade princes and nobles, the master shouted again, "Sacred Brocade Robe! Mighty Heavenly Dragon!"
"Whoosh, whoosh!" The two lapis lazuli ornaments on his robe shone brilliantly, transforming into two azure five-clawed divine dragons that coiled around him.
They were actually two wind spirits.
Newton's laws seemed to have completely lost their effect on Qizang. As if springs were beneath his feet, he leaped lightly, rising four or five meters into the air and covering seven or eight meters in a single bound. While still midair, his blade ignited with a circle of holy flames.
"Bold demon! Reveal your true form!"
"Boom!"
The strike seemed to cut through empty air, yet the dim space around them trembled violently. "Awooo—"
At the same time, anguished howls came from both the sky and the depths of the sea.
The cry from the sky came from a soul, while the creature in the sea thrashed violently. Its roar was like thunder, sending up waves more than ten meters high, streaked with traces of blood.
The massive column of water crashed onto the altar, nearly sweeping several stunned merchants into the sea.
"Help! A tidal wave!" they cried.
"You reckless demon, daring to harm lives before me." Master Qizang severed the evil god's soul with a single strike. Without stopping, he stepped into the air as if performing lightness kung fu and leaped straight into the sea. While still midair, his right palm struck downward.
"Holy Mother's Palm, Blazing Heaven!"
The small golden body bestowed upon him by the Holy Mother immediately manifested over his form, revealing before everyone a ten-meter-tall golden Holy Mother, like a colossal guardian spirit.
Her palm, larger than a door panel, cut through the air with a sharp howl, filled with boundless divine flames of the Smith, and slammed down upon the writhing dark shadow in the sea.
"BOOOOM!" The intense heat generated a shockwave of steam like a tidal surge. A massive splash with a radius of ten meters rose from the sea, and the suspended altar trembled on the verge of collapse.
"No—" A chilling soul-wail echoed in all directions, then abruptly ceased.
"So it was just a bay crocodile!" Master Qizang's imposing voice came from below the altar.
The Pentosi nobles, still dazed by the sudden turn of events, slowly approached the edge of the altar and looked down. Beneath the more than twenty-meter cliff, flames blazed and thick smoke billowed. Master Qizang stood proudly atop the belly of a giant crocodile.
The twenty-meter-long crocodile lay on its back, its belly swollen upward. It seemed as though endless divine flames burned within its organs, making its underside appear faintly translucent. Golden-red flames mixed with black smoke spewed from its mouth, eye sockets, and nostrils.
At its throat was lodged Qizang's weapon.
No, not a staff, but the nine-ringed blade.
There was no blood flowing. Instead, flames burst from the wound, and the charred smell drifted up to the altar above.
"Oh no, Lord Poses—" In the silence, the hunchbacked old priest presiding over the sacrifice was the first to react. He opened his mouth to wail, and the surrounding followers of the god Poses joined in, but their cries quickly turned into the sound of blood spraying from their severed throats.
"Gods, what are you doing? The Blood Demon has gone mad and is killing people!" Watching Arya move like a phantom through the crowd, slicing open throats one after another, the nobles were nearly driven insane with fear.
(End of Chapter)
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