Chapter 255 Junlin Knot (1)
Rows of red cloaks hung on the street like long curtains, extending to the deepest part of the road. The Lannister guards stood solemnly, close together, as if preparing for a battle. There was not a single pedestrian on the street at this time, and the households on both sides of the street seemed to have been cleared away.
Ever since the wildfire in the Alchemist Guild Hall was discovered, the scene in Silent Maiden Street has remained like this.
Ser Mandon Moore held his sword and sat on a raised stone pillar on the side of the street. A pair of cold eyes appeared from the gap in the white visor of the Kingsguard, surveying the deserted and silent Maiden Street.
When James passed by him, the latter just nodded slightly.
Mandon Moore's light gray eyes might have seemed frightening to others, but to James they were just lifeless and dull.
"A man from the Vale, a member of the Kingsguard brought to King's Landing by Jon Arryn," Tywin's words surrounded his ears while staring at himself, "Can you choose to trust?"
Jaime chose to remain silent, but Barristan said he could trust him.
"Ser Mandon Moore has no friends, only his sword, no life, only his responsibilities." The captain of the Kingsguard said this about Mandon Moore. This is indeed true in Jaime's view. This Kingsguard He always seems to have an expressionless face, and he never gets along well with other sworn brothers. He is at least much better at protecting the king and his family than other Kingsguard.
He nodded to his father, Jaime trusting Barristan's judgment.
James put aside his memories and scrutiny of Mandon Moore, and stepped into the door of the Alchemist Guild.
The guild's buildings are almost all made of black stone, a special material. They are smooth and have few flaws. These corridors made of black stone seem to extend irregularly, and each entrance appears in an unexpected place. If you walk into them without paying attention, you will get lost.
"A good mouse's nest," Tyrion's voice appeared in front, walking out of the darkness, holding a torch, and the faint light illuminated their faces, "it can make people spin around."
He looked up at James, who had almost all his thoughts written on his face, staring dullly ahead like a puppet wearing Kingsguard armor.
Tyrion sulked, walked forward, raised his legs as high as possible, and stepped on the ground hard. The brick floor in the corridor of the Alchemist Guild made a "pop" sound. He was still whistling in his mouth, and the sound kept coming. echoed in the long narrow corridor.
James lowered his eyes and looked at Tyrion, "You know that father can't let you have a hand in investigating the wildfire, right?" He said with obvious boredom in his tone, deliberately reminding Tyrion.
"Fortunately, I still have my dear brother," Tyrion said proudly, still showing no concern, "otherwise the door to this hellish place would not be open to me."
He suddenly stopped at this moment and raised his head to look at the ceiling wall of the corridor. Dots of fine sand flowed on the dark wall, but no cracks could be seen with the naked eye.
"James," Tyrion said, "Are you sure that the Alchemist Guild has been searched?" He looked around the corridor. The darkness in the distance was still covered with a green sheen, which was left by the warlocks deep in the corridor. The light reflected in the green floor-to-ceiling mirror.
"Weird atmosphere, no wonder these warlocks don't look normal." He muttered, feeling uneasy about being spied on in this crowded and narrow corridor.
James walked over, looking absent-minded, "The rat's nest has been turned over, I don't think it is necessary to continue to pursue it."
Tyrion held the torch high, but before he could speak, Jaime grabbed the torch with one hand and walked in front of Tyrion.
"Instead of rushing to dig out the spider Varys, you should first think about how to save yourself," James strode forward. "The Valley People's army is in Rosby City. You can run away at any time to escape. Father will not let you go." Over you.”
Tyrion shook his head, "Dear Lord Tywin never intended to let me go."
Jaime glanced at Tyrion, with deep thought hidden in his eyes.
"And Bronn," Jaime continued to persuade, "don't think that I don't know who is responsible for the commotion here late at night. Leave King's Landing as soon as possible before my father takes care of this mercenary."
Tyrion was unmoved, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling above the guild hall. "And you, my brother." Tyrion blinked twice at James with his right eye, "I don't I know how my dear sister would react to your face, but I believe..." He paused deliberately and looked at James.
James pursed his lips and reached out to push Tyrion, "If you want to see it, hurry up."
"There is no need to look for it." Tyrion almost fell down, but his expression remained unchanged. He pointed his index finger to the ceiling wall above. "After the pyromancer makes wildfire, he will collect it in a clay pot. The wall of the clay pot is rough and uneven. Magical patterns..."
Jaime thought of the clay pot that Thoros the Red Monk carried at Harrenhal.
"The clay pots are stored in the black stone compartments of the Alchemist Guild Hall. The secret doors of the compartments are on both sides of the hall corridor. Above each compartment, there are rooms filled with sand, and ancient inscriptions are also written inside. Spell, once a wildfire gets out of control..."
"Sand dumps put out wildfires," James continued.
Tyrion nodded and motioned for Jaime to illuminate the ceiling wall with firelight.
"In the corridor in front, every black stone wall has fine sand flowing, but here is the only one..." Tyrion stretched out his finger, and Jaime immediately shined the torch forward, "There is no gravel on the ceiling, stone walls and floor. James frowned, "There have been wildfires out of control here?"
"No, wildfire has an exaggerated chain reaction. If something happens, the safest way for the alchemist is to dump all the sand and bury these pots, instead of just dumping it in one place and taking time to rebuild it." Tyrion stepped hard on the corridor again The black stone floor, looking up at the ceiling wall, "Spiders know every secret passage in King's Landing, but we know nothing..."
"Think about it, why at the city gate and in the cellar that the soldiers guarded all day long, pots of wildfire appeared out of thin air, and Stannis' army almost entered King's Landing," Tyrion continued, his eyes filled with fear. , "The spider holds all the information about King's Landing, and he doesn't know the secret passage built by the 'cruel' Maegor..."
"Maegor built the secret passages of the Red Keep."
"I heard that the Mad King hid this damn thing all over King's Landing..." Tyrion raised his eyes and looked at Jaime, who noticed this look and looked away.
I don't believe you stabbed the Mad King in the chest for no reason, Tyrion thought.
James drew out his sword, and the tip of the sword pointed toward the ceiling wall, and the special hollow structure made a different sound.
"How to open the room?"
"That's your business, brother," Tyrion said, his eyes fixed on Jaime.
Jaime noticed something unusual in Tyrion's words, which was the unique tacit understanding between his brothers, "What do you mean?"
"Wildfire is like a dragon. When used in disputes, it is a sharp weapon, comparable to tens of thousands of armies; when used in peace, it is a huge sword hanging from the wall, which can go straight to the head of those who intend to cause trouble, making them eliminate evil intentions," Tyrion said step by step Approaching Jaime, "This is thousands of times more valuable than the Valyrian steel sword that we Lannisters are so hard after."
Jaime frowned, Tyrion's words caused uneasiness in his heart.
"Lannister has him. Stark, Tyrell, Arryn, and Greyjoy on the overseas islands will not act rashly and come to the throne without permission. The family's authority can at least be guaranteed for a long time..." Tyrion said in a tone. It was a bit rapid, and the rhythm of breathing was a bit disordered.
"But," Tyrion whispered, "it cannot be in the hands of a madman."
James looked at Tyrion's face and pondered for a moment, "I thought you were already under Attis Arryn..."
"My surname is still Lannister, Jaime," Tyrion forced a bitter smile, "Tywin doesn't agree, and maybe tens of millions of people in Westeros don't agree, but I'm still a Lannister, but I don’t believe Tywin’s methods will give the Lannister a smooth future.”
"Believe me, Jaime," Tyrion stretched out his hand to hold Jaime's strong arm, "Tywin, our father is a paranoid, Cersei? This dear old sister is a complete idiot and madman, you must bring King's Landing to justice." All the secret passages are in your own hands, so Wildfire and King's Landing truly belong to you..."
"You don't believe in my father? The lion and the rose are about to unite. Isn't it obvious who has the power?"
Tyrion shook his head, "Tyrell is just a noble who assesses the situation. He is better at compromising and forbearing than fighting against him. Our Lannister alliance with him is only a paper deterrent and cannot influence the situation, let alone the Stormlands and Dorne. The Iron Islands and the Iron Islands are all fighting against Tyrell. The army in the West has been tired for too long and cannot last long relying on the mercenaries on the other side..."
"We have a gold mine, so we should keep a low profile and bide our time..." James still wanted to argue.
“It’s not us who would rather hide our capabilities and bide our time, bro!”
Tyrion shattered Jaime's illusion with one word, and Jaime remained silent.
The riverlands and the valley... A giant eagle appeared in James' mind, spreading its wings from the top of the valley to overlooking the riverbank plain at the bottom of the mountain.
"Seize Varys, control the Secret Passage of King's Landing and all the wildfires," Tyrion said loudly. "Maintain the status quo with Arryn and compromise to create order." He raised a finger. "This is the safe choice. ”
There were only two Lannister brothers in the long and narrow corridor. Jaime was silent and Tyrion looked at him with expectation in his eyes.
"But," Jaime said, "what will happen if Aelin is unwilling to compromise."
Tyrion frowned, "The authority of the Arryn family and the valley has reached its highest peak in history under his hands. Why doesn't Attis want to maintain this situation? He married a princess."
Jaime shook his head. Tyrion obviously didn't know that Robert Royce had brought up King Robert's old case again.
"Thank you for your advice, brother," Jaime put his hand on Tyrion's shoulder, "but this is not something I can decide alone."
Tyrion's eyes widened. He didn't expect Jaime to choose not to believe him.
(End of chapter)