In this world, shifting contradictions was always much simpler than solving problems.
Aegor could not travel to the past to erase his criminal record, nor could Daenerys change the sibling relationship between her parents. These were ironclad facts that no one could "resolve." When someone used these unchangeable things as material for attack, blindly defending and parrying would inevitably put oneself at a disadvantage. Only by attacking the enemy's weak points and opening up a new battlefield, just as the instructor said, "you fight your way, I fight mine," was the optimal solution.
Surely some people were confused. Why would Septon Lothar, second only to one person and above tens of thousands within the Faith, side with or even stand up for Aegor, who intended to weaken the Faith's authority?
In fact, the reason was very simple. Personal interests and collective interests were not always completely aligned. The High Septon was arrogant and overbearing within the Faith, and several of the Most Devout already had grievances with him. Furthermore, Lothar Frey, being of noble birth, also harbored greed for power and higher status...
With a series of promises such as the position of High Septon and the restoration of the Faith of the Seven's status as incentives, coupled with a little blackmail, even if Lothar Frey had not defected, other septons and members of the Most Devout would surely have stepped forward to become Daenerys's pawns.
As a pledge of allegiance, the Tyrell network of contacts and intelligence in King's Landing and Oldtown provided most of the dirt needed to bring down the High Septon. The heads of various industries who were about to become members of the Oldtown Autonomy Council also actively offered everything they knew... In the spirit of kicking a man while he was down and the more the merrier, the Night's Watch industry also boldly intervened and added to it. Just as the accusations made by the ragged men against Daenerys and Aegor yesterday were seven parts true and three parts false, this time Septon Lothar's exposure of the High Septon also contained a little fabrication. The most fabricated part was this: the Night's Watch bonds that had allowed the High Septon to make a huge profit had originally been half-sold and half-given to him by Aegor in King's Landing to win over the Faith and prevent religious forces from obstructing his technological innovation. They had not been "purchased with embezzled public funds" by anyone at all.
Who would care whether those details were true or false?
Even if someone did, who could stand up and refute it at this critical juncture?
Even if someone stood up to refute it, it was Lothar Frey who was spouting nonsense anyway. What did that have to do with Aegor?
With an authoritative figure within the Faith reporting him by name and most of Oldtown's middle-class elites remaining neutral, the public simply had no strong desire to support and defend the High Septon. No one disliked the spectacle of a "big shot unworthy of his position taking a fall." As for whether that big shot was Aegor West, Daenerys Targaryen, or the head of the Faith, the High Septon...
They did not care.
...
Amid the commotion, several "righteous individuals" rushed onto the wooden platform, pulling Septon Lothar, who knew all the evidence, toward Lord Mace Tyrell among the crowd. Then, amid waves of calls to settle accounts with and judge the High Septon, the crowd, surrounding the central figures and key individuals, surged toward the market exit like a tide.
The group initially consisted of only about a hundred people, roughly half actors and shills, plus the other half of citizens who wanted to watch the excitement. But as uninformed passersby were sporadically attracted and swept along, and as they "accidentally encountered" several patrol teams along the way that were recruited and mobilized by Mace Tyrell in his capacity as Warden of the Reach, by the time they arrived outside the High Septon's first hiding place for ill-gotten gains, they had grown to four or five hundred strong, grandly filling and blocking the entire street.
This was an ordinary detached house, neither luxurious nor old and dilapidated, typically inhabited by moderately wealthy commoners with some assets. It did not look special in any way, except that all the windows were tightly covered and sealed from the inside, the front and back doors were unusually sturdy, and... the neighbors could not say who its owner was.
Under the watchful eyes of the four or five hundred searchers and the many more residents living in the area, Mace Tyrell ordered the door to be knocked on and called at several times. After there was no response, he gave the order, and the soldiers crashed open the door, rushed inside, and began a thorough search and ransacking.
"What are they doing?"
"I heard they're investigating evidence that the High Septon embezzled the Faith's property. Do you know the owner of this house?"
"No idea. I rarely see anyone going in or out of this house. So this is where important people stash their wealth. That makes sense."
The onlookers and commentators did not have to wait long. A moment later, the soldiers who had entered carried out boxes filled with gold and silver coins, along with various rare treasures of different sizes, shapes, and kinds, whose high value was evident at a glance.
Such a vast amount of wealth hidden in such an ordinary house. If one said there was nothing fishy about it, no one would likely believe it.
The dazzling glow of the treasures immediately ignited the primal greed and anger in everyone's hearts, suppressing all rational voices.
The noise instantly rose by more than ten decibels. Many unrelated citizens who had originally just come to watch the excitement, spurred on by the plainclothes shills leading and instigating them, and stimulated by the wealth displayed before them that they could not earn in a lifetime of hard work, became hot-blooded and enraged. They began to passionately and spontaneously spread Septon Lothar Frey's accusations against the High Septon to more people who were unaware of the situation, and even invited them to join their search party for ill-gotten gains.
After a simple inventory and leaving soldiers to guard and transport the goods, Mace Tyrell waved his hand, and led by Septon Lothar, they headed to the next hiding place for ill-gotten gains.
One place, two places, three places... The search party's actions seemed aimless and random, but in fact, they followed a hidden pattern. The routes ensured that the largest possible non-overlapping areas were covered with the least amount of travel, maximizing the efficiency of information spread and impact. Not all of these raided strongholds were the High Septon's personal property. Quite a few of them, probably more than half, were the accumulated wealth of other members of the Most Devout. But to maximize the momentum and visual impact, they were all attributed to the same person.
In any case, absolutely no one would dare jump out and claim these things, risking their lives to try to snatch food from a tiger's mouth, no, from a dragon's mouth.
The sun rose from the east to overhead, and the news of the public report and exposure at Oldtown's central market quickly spread throughout the city as the search party grew and acted, completely overshadowing the heated discussions about Aegor's criminal record and Daenerys's sins of bloodline.
Amid the city-wide storm, the person at the center of the vortex, the High Septon of the Faith of the Seven, slumped dejectedly within the Starry Sept, filled with immense regret.
Why did he have to provoke that man, the one countless people had clearly proven with their lives was not to be provoked?
The Faith's resistance against the Targaryen dynasty certainly was not limited to spreading rumors. Unfortunately, his countless backup plans would likely forever remain in the planning and preparation stages. Aegor did not even wait for him to make a second move before launching a lightning counterattack at lightning speed, coming straight for his life. The speed and ruthlessness of his methods made people suspect that the other party had already arranged everything, just waiting for him to take the first step across the line.
Unlike countless Oldtown residents who were still being swept along by the tide, the High Septon now knew why Aegor had imposed a curfew last night.
That man had not been afraid that citizens gathering at night and talking would cause rumors unfavorable to him to continue fermenting. Instead, it was to arrange today's extermination operation against him.
Every street and every alley within the walls of Oldtown was now firmly controlled by the Western Expeditionary Army that had entered the city overnight. Every location where wealth was hoarded and stored, and even outside the high walls of the Starry Sept at this very moment, was guarded by fully armed and watchful lackeys of the Queen.
Although he had learned of the situation in the city, he could neither arrange to move and destroy the ill-gotten gains and evidence, nor could he withdraw from the city alone. Furthermore, after his reputation collapsed... he could not even incite some devout followers to defend him. He could only sit here alone, tormented and helpless, waiting for his end to arrive.
Dusk was gradually approaching, and the mournful red sunlight seemed to portend the doom of himself and the Faith of the Seven. The High Septon knew that before the sun set, the final stop for the "search party," which had already incited and swept up thousands of people, would inevitably be the Starry Sept, where he was currently located.
(To be continued.)
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