White Harbor, Seal Rock
A seagull was happily soaring in the azure sky. Every spring, it and its flock would fly from Seals Bay on the Trembling Sea to winter here.
However, as spring approached, the seagulls would fly back to Seals Bay. So, during this time, they would eat a lot of food and accumulate a lot of fat, preparing for their flight north.
But today, White Harbor was unusually lively. A large number of warships gathered in the river channel, and many large ships were equipped with ballistae. Bolts, specially made, gleamed with a chilling light under the sunlight.
Some of these bolts were as black as ink, seemingly painted with special pigments. Others were fitted with special glass jars, and the liquid inside emitted a faint green glow, as if they were loaded with new wildfire. There also seemed to be a special ignition mechanism behind the bolts, which could directly ignite the wildfire upon hitting the target.
On the wide city walls surrounding White Harbor, a large number of knights and soldiers with various emblems had already set up their positions on the ramparts. They seemed ready for a decisive battle with the attacking enemy.
Stannis, in the Wolf's Lair fortress, had brought all of his troops to White Harbor. The residents of White Harbor had fled to Oldtown by ship days ago, because Marco had previously issued an ultimatum, demanding the surrender of Stannis and the Manderly Family.
Marco gave the residents of White Harbor a chance to escape in advance. After the war began, Marco's Valyrian Imperial Army soldiers would attack anyone holding offensive weapons, and Marco wouldn't be able to control what happened after that.
This time, Marco only brought three dragons. He didn't want anyone to know he had another one; the more cards he held, the more unexpected advantages he'd have when dealing with enemies.
Mofford Valyrian's dragon, Silverfire, had returned to Seals Bay after the battle at Ram's Gate Fortress. Marco's Silver Dragon fleet had been in training lately. They had many enemies to face in the future, and it wasn't wise to reveal too much too soon.
Furthermore, Silverfire would be kept as the fleet's ultimate weapon, to be revealed at the very end. Braavos' fleet had never been deployed in history, and rumors said it was the best in the world.
Marco didn't want to accidentally hand over his base of operations, so Seals Bay was filled with warships these days. Marco was building a super powerful fleet to prepare for his future.
White Harbor, Manderly Family's Castle.
At this moment, in the Manderly family's Merman Palace, Lord Wyman Manderly, the head of the Manderly family, was staring at the situation outside the city with a terrified expression through a huge Myr Telescope.
This giant telescope was a super telescope from Myr, specially used to observe enemy movements. Lord Wyman Manderly could even see the scales on a Crystal Dragon through it.
Standing beside Lord Wyman Manderly was Stannis Baratheon, expressionless. The "King of the Narrow Sea," the true Lord of the Iron Throne, still had that same emotionless face, completely unfazed by the impending siege.
"My King! What kind of beings are we up against? Have you seen those dragons and giants? Especially the giants, I bet they could throw stones right into my castle."
Lord Wyman Manderly's entire frame shook with emotion as he spoke, his fear evident.
Before, it had only been hearsay. The arrogant lords wouldn't believe in dragons until they actually saw them, but now that they had, fear was a natural reaction.
Wyman Manderly thought of many things at that moment, even surrender. He also felt a twinge of resentment, blaming Marco for his harsh conditions. If he hadn't been unwilling to give up his power, he wouldn't have considered challenging Marco in the first place.
Stannis, however, watched Lord Wyman Manderly with a calm expression, and said in a mild tone:
"Are you afraid? My dear Lord Manderly, you needn't be. The gods are always on our side. Therefore, you have nothing to fear. These heathens will all be destroyed beneath the walls of White Harbor today."
"B-but, I heard, Your Majesty! Your priestess has died. Do you have any other means? Can we really win?"
After a moment of fear, Lord Wyman Manderly quickly recovered. After pondering for a moment, he cautiously asked Stannis.
The Manderly family and Stannis were already bound together; he had no other option but to go all in. They still had two fleets and a force of over 7,000 men. Lord Wyman wanted to make another attempt; he didn't want to lose the legacy and power his family had accumulated for nearly a thousand years.
"Although Melisandre has returned to the embrace of the 'Lord of Light,' our followers will continue to fight. Our brothers and sisters are no less capable than she is. We, too, can be recognized by the 'Lord of Light' and use his supreme divine power."
At this moment, a voice came from a hidden corner of the Merling King's Hall. Stannis and the others looked towards the sound and saw a bald, red-robed monk who had appeared there at some point.
The bald, red-robed monk looked to be around his early thirties, his black eyes filled with determination and resolve. After slowly walking to Stannis, he bowed slightly and said:
"Respected 'Prince'! Following the oracle of the 'Lord of Light,' I, Kalon Edvar, will dedicate my strength to your cause until the last moment of my life."
Stannis's eyes flashed with hope. He had used every method he could, but he still lacked confidence. Although the red priests were all confidently guaranteeing the magic of the "Lord of Light,"
Stannis still felt they were somewhat unreliable. Now, after seeing this Kalon Edvar, Stannis finally relaxed. Because Stannis saw Melisandre's shadow in him.
These two people were equally full of confidence and pride, and they both possessed that mysterious fluctuation. Over time, Stannis could still tell whether a person possessed mysterious powers.
"So, how do we begin? There's a high probability the enemy's dragons will attack at any moment!"
Stannis asked Kalon Edvar, his heart filled with anxiety. He had already deployed many ballistas within White Harbor, but he still worried about their ability to deal with those behemoths.
"Your Majesty! Simply order your soldiers to defend the city as usual. My brothers and the five water mages will stop the dragons' attacks. Just remember, victory will ultimately be yours, oh holy Prince, and you will bring us final salvation."
The red priest Kalon said to Stannis, his mind already made up about how to deal with the dragon threat. He only needed to wait for the White Harbor garrison to defeat the attacking forces, and then they could tame those dragons for the Lord of Light.
Outside White Harbor, on White Harbor Avenue…
White Harbor Avenue was a road built by the Manderly Family, stretching from White Harbor to Hornwood. It served as a land route connecting White Harbor to the North.
The avenue was paved with white stone slabs and blocks, and some called it the White Road or the Silver Road. Before the "War of the Five Kings," this road was bustling daily, transporting goods from White Harbor to the North.
At this moment, Marco's troops were stationed there. His engineering corps and imps were assembling siege weapons. They had finished installing the trebuchets and were preparing for the first test firing.
The Imp leader, Havez, looked at the heavy trebuchet that had been adjusted and ordered a man in the uniform of an officer beside him:
"Falman! Prepare for the first test firing."
"Yes! Lord Havez!"
Not long ago, the Imp leader, Havez, had been knighted as an Imperial Knight by Marco due to his outstanding performance. Up until now, only five people in the entire Empire had been bestowed with this honor.
Even though Marco had never granted land or titles, many of the Westerosi nobles who had pledged allegiance to Marco believed that he would eventually grant land and hereditary titles like other kings. They were all waiting for that moment to arrive.
However, they didn't know that what Marco wanted was this kind of wishful thinking. Marco neither denied nor acknowledged these things, just to keep them striving for this unattainable dream.
"Fire!"
With the order from the messenger, a huge stone ball was thrown far towards the outer walls of White Harbor, following its trajectory. After the stone ball landed in the moat, the splash of water reached over three meters high.
The water in White Harbor's moat came directly from the Whiteblade River, and the ditch was dug deep, making it nearly impossible to fill the moat using traditional methods.
So, Marco brought out the Specialized Siege Ladders he'd used when attacking the Dreadfort. Following a successful test shot, a barrage of Stone Balls and Fire Oil Bombs rained down on White Harbor's walls.
Under this intense barrage, the dragons and Griffons began to take to the air. The Griffons were carrying specially made ice stone balls filled with Wildfire, seized from the Bolton family previously.
Gaud, under Marco's command, used his Earth Rune Magic to shape the Wildfire into a stone ball, while Mance Rayder used his Water Rune Magic to create ice, encasing the Wildfire ball in a shell of ice.
This made it safe to transport the Wildfire to various locations, making it a powerful tool for both defense and siege. As Marco's dragons and Griffons ascended, the water mages within White Harbor prepared themselves.
With their chanting, waves of water rose from the Whiteblade River's mouth and the moat. A massive, semi-circular water screen enveloped all of White Harbor, appearing like an inverted dome.
"Screech... Roar..."
The Griffons and dragons, sensing the danger, remained outside the water screen. They dared not test the unknown. Marco, observing the battlefield through Far Sight, saw it all.
Watching the stone balls and fire oil bombs still being launched inside, Marco decisively ordered Griffon Swan to send three griffons in from different directions.
Although these three griffons were a bit scared, they still obediently flew into the water curtain. Even though they successfully entered, the flowing water on the curtain completely soaked their wings and feathers.
Because they were covered in water, the three griffons couldn't fly properly. Marco had no choice but to order them out. Soon, they landed because of the excessive moisture, looking completely drenched.
Marco unconsciously turned his gaze towards Moonshadow and the others. Moonshadow, seeing Marco's eyes, seemed to guess his thoughts. She then beckoned Danny and the others, and they rode griffons into the sky.
Mu and Maeve, who could already fly, directly flew to the top of the water curtain, while Marco called Yin Geng over and flew into the sky with him on the dragon.
While riding the giant dragon and constantly flying in the sky, Marco used his Magic Control skill to check the basic composition of the water curtain. During this process, Marco discovered something interesting.
After the examination, Marco turned his gaze towards Nymph. Nymph raised her head and looked at Marco, nodding slightly.
"This is indeed the magic of our race. I estimate that another mermaid has sneaked in, most likely the Mermaid Queen from last time."
Marco nodded in agreement with Nymph's words, then said:
"I don't know if this magic will have any effect on the dragons, but I felt a trace of alien god energy fluctuation within it... Hmm... Moonshadow! Try using that!"
Moonshadow nodded in response. Immediately, a phoenix feather robe, like golden flames, appeared on her. The surrounding air began to heat up.
"Screech..."
With a loud phoenix cry, a giant fire phoenix appeared before everyone. Seeing the water curtain, the fire phoenix was clearly displeased.
However, under Moonshadow's command, it still flew to the highest point and dove straight down towards the top of the water curtain. During its descent, it continuously spun its body, creating a vortex of flames around itself.
Sensing the powerful energy fluctuations, the entire water curtain trembled violently, with ripples like waves moving towards the top.
"Boom..."
"Caw…"
The sound of a violent explosion and the cry of a fire phoenix came from the top of the water curtain. Marco and the others looked up to see the fire phoenix, its entire body covered in a deep blue energy, falling silently.
Its body was dissipating bit by bit, as if it was about to disappear. The three people watching the battle in the Manderly Family's castle exchanged glances, a satisfied smile on their faces.
But in the next second, their smiles froze. They witnessed a miraculous scene. The falling ashes suddenly lit up with a spark about thirty meters from the ground.
"Caw…"
The spark grew brighter and brighter, instantly turning into a huge fireball. Then, the fireball dispersed, and a giant fire phoenix appeared above the city walls.
"Boom…"
The fire phoenix landed on the city walls, instantly igniting a wave of flames. The massive green and orange flames quickly engulfed the entire wall.
"Screech…"
The fire phoenix, which had been preparing to land and incinerate the siege equipment, let out a pained cry. Bolts were fired towards it. For a moment, its body was riddled with wounds, though the heat from its body melted many of the bolts.
However, the wounds inflicted by the bolts remained. Just as the fire phoenix prepared to launch its next attack, it suddenly felt as if something terrifying had bitten it.
"Screech…"
A strangely shaped bolt plunged deep into the fire phoenix's body. The fire phoenix writhed violently, and in moments, it turned into a pile of ashes.
"Boom, boom, boom…"
With the sound of stones hitting the ground, irregular stone blocks were hurled into White Harbor. As the stones landed, stone golems appeared before the terrified eyes of the defending soldiers.
"Crack…"
With a series of grating, teeth-grinding noises, the stone golems attacked the humans around them. Although few in number, they possessed the advantage of being "undead," and they disrupted the defending soldiers' formations both on and below the city walls.
The soldiers defending the city didn't even have a chance to put out the fires, let alone attack the Valyrian Imperial Army outside the walls. At that moment, four enormous specialized siege ladders, with the help of the giants, arrived at the edge of the moat.
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