What Blasphemy!

After carefully putting away the Valyrian Steel Armor, Jon began to peruse Euron's manuscripts.

Since the Valyrian Freehold is powerful because of magic, and since magic truly exists in this world, Jon will not ignore or even reject the power of magic.

Euron's manuscript was filled with symbolic sentences and messy symbols, making it difficult to read. In addition, the lighting was poor, so Jon put it away after reading for a while.

After I learn about the East from those male witches, I'll kill them so I can gain some magical abilities. Thinking this, Jon suddenly discovered an inconspicuous vertical passage in the laboratory or study. He used this dark passage to return to the cargo hold below the deck, only to find that there was another level below the cargo hold where the prisoners were held.

Jon, carrying a lantern, descended into the warehouse and found the air incredibly damp and filled with a musty, decaying smell.

The smell even had a slightly sweet, cloying quality. Jon immediately held his breath, calculating that he could probably hold out for about five or six minutes before retreating if anything seemed amiss.

The light from the lantern he carried could only illuminate about one-fifth of the area, so he had to move forward little by little.

Suddenly, a soft, wet sound came from ahead, like lovers kissing.

However, when Jon saw what was in front of him, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if a cold air had seeped directly into his bones.

It was a tree! A tree with writhing flesh growing on it, taller than a person.

On this tree is a twisted, pained face, constantly shedding tears of blood.

Jon suppressed his shock and forced himself to calm down.

He then realized that the tree resembled the weirwood of Winterfell, and its shape was remarkably similar to the Iron Throne in King's Landing's Landing. There was even a space on it that looked like a seat, seemingly large enough for a person to sit in.

Moreover, this weirwood, covered in flesh and shaped like a throne, uses branches to mimic the spikes of the Iron Throne.

Each spike was pierced with a corpse, and at the very top were seven corpses: the bearded Father, though his beard was sparse; the merciful Mother, though her body was tattered; and the pure Maiden, yet she was naked and even posed in a lewd manner—the characteristics of the corpses were remarkably similar to the Seven! But they were being humiliated with the opposite features.

What blasphemy!

Although Jon himself didn't believe in the Seven, he generally maintained a respectful distance from them.

Euron's actions were tantamount to provoking the gods.

Jon continued to observe and discovered another strange corpse a little further down—one with the upper body of a human, the lower body of a fish, and the head of a goat, yet possessing a human body.

Jon slowly retreated from the lowest cabin. He decided that once they returned to Highgarden, they would unload the ship's contents and then burn the entire vessel!

Suddenly Jon sensed several ships approaching him. Through the Raven, he could see the shape of the sails and the patterns on them, and indeed they were House Tyrell warships.

Jon walked to the bow of the ship and shouted at the House Tyrell's ships.

At the opportune moment, Ghost raised her head and howled to the sky. The wolf's howl was clearly farther and more penetrating than a human voice.

More than a dozen ships quickly adjusted their course and headed towards the Silence.

Soon the Silence was surrounded by more than a dozen ships. Garlan and Loras stood at the bow, wishing they could sprout wings and fly over.

When they saw Jon standing on the Silence, they thought they were seeing things.

He actually caught up with the sailboat in his fishing boat!

Oberyn was utterly astonished. He had originally intended to test his skills against Jon, but now he completely abandoned that idea.

If a person possesses absolute strength and stamina, then even the most exquisite martial arts skills are meaningless.

"Jon! Jon! Is that you?!" Loras called out.

"It's me. Don't worry, Lady Alerie is safe. It's Euron ran away."

Loras breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that his mother was safe.

Meanwhile, Garlan, who had rushed over with him, hurriedly pulled his servant aside. "Quick! Go back and tell my father that Mother has been saved."

"Yes, sir."

The servant nodded repeatedly, like a hen pecking at insects. For a servant, delivering good news to his master was a reward, and he would most likely receive a tangible reward.

Soon, Loras and the others boarded the Silence, and almost as soon as they got on board, they felt very uncomfortable.

However, the Tyrell brothers, eager to save their mother, paid no attention and, led by Jon, went to Euron's room.

Garlan picked up his mother and carried her away, while Jon had Sandor carry Falia and take her back with him.

"Jon, why did that adventurer abduct this bastard daughter?" Oberyn asked, his respect evident in his words.

This respect is not based on status, nor on honor or morality, but rather comes from the soul and instinct.

It was entirely because Oberyn realized just how formidable Jon was.

"Perhaps it's because he possesses Blackfyre, or rather, Targaryen blood," Jon explained. "Speaking of which, wasn't there once a Targaryen princess who married into your family? I think Your Highness should be careful."

"Yes, Daenerys Targaryen, it's been almost a hundred years. Anyone who dares to lay a finger on the House Martell will be hunted down to the ends of the earth," Oberyn said, tilting his head back with considerable pride.

Jon smiled but said nothing. The sailboat slowly started moving, and the group prepared to return home.

A faint light appeared in the distant sky, Euron's Black Pearl, like a prisoner in ropes and shackles, was being escorted to the port by Tyrell's warships.

The passing ships consciously moved to the sides of the waterway to make way for the menacing fleet.

Lady Alerie and Falia were properly settled, and although they were still unconscious, the accompanying maesters said that neither of them was in any danger.

"Jon, I—I—"

Standing before Jon, Loras choked with emotion, unable to speak. Proud since childhood, he didn't know how to express his gratitude.

Moreover, his feelings were more complicated. Ever since Jon's invasion of the Westerlands, Loras had not thought highly of him, and that disdain was even written on his face.

However, Jon didn't dwell on the past and risked his life to save Alerie, moving even his own son deeply.

"Alright, alright," Jon laughed, patting Loras on the shoulder. "Now that Margaery is my wife, I will treat Lady Alerie as my mother. You, Loras, will be my brother from now on!"

"Yes! I'm your brother! Anyone who dares to say you're a bastard, I'll duel them."

Jon smiled somewhat helplessly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Oberyn behind him, who was also shaking his head with a smile.

That works too; the words may be rough, but the principle is sound.

"Jon, from now on, your enemies are my enemies. Whenever you need me, I will fight alongside you on the battlefield," Garlan said earnestly.

Jon noticed that in emergency situations, Garlan's brain would start working at an accelerated pace, and even his logic in speaking would become much clearer.

"Of course, we're family," Jon said with a smile.

Oberyn, standing nearby, couldn't help but think that Highgarden's decision to marry Margaery to Jon was definitely a good one, at least for the next few decades or even longer, they wouldn't have to worry about any conflicts or friction with the Westerlands.

To express his feelings, Oberyn had Ghost carried on a stretcher as well, showing that this Direwolf had also contributed a lot to the rescue operation.

He was even considering whether he should raise one.

Before long, the ship returned to port. Considering Euron's escape by ramming the ships that were blocking him, the chains fastened to the Silence were still in place, and each ship had forty or fifty sailors guarding it.

Loras ordered his men to guard the Silence Silence, indicating that it was Jon's spoils of war and that no one was allowed to board it without orders.

The group returned to Highgarden, and Mace, longing for his wife, stood at the castle gates gazing out, accompanied by his son, Willas.

Willas didn't even sit in his wheelchair; instead, he stood and waited, leaning on his cane.

When everyone arrived, Mace's noticeably plump body displayed unprecedented agility. "Alerie, my beloved rose, what's wrong, Alerie!" Mace's anxious voice came from inside the carriage, Willas beside her also hurriedly looked at Jon.

The father and son breathed a sigh of relief only after Jon said that Alerie was alright and had only temporarily fainted.

However, Jon wasn't going to let Mace off so easily. If he had told Euron a special lamp, none of this would have happened.

Jon asked with a serious expression, "Your Grace, Euron also sent a lamp to your mother-in-law, why didn't you tell me?"

"If we had thrown that damn light out sooner, this wouldn't have happened today."

"I—" Mace said somewhat guiltily, holding his wife, "I didn't know, I didn't know that a lamp could, a lamp could—" Mace lowered his head, overwhelmed with shame, like a child who had made a mistake, and didn't even dare to look at Jon and Willas.

Especially when Jon addressed him as "Your Excellency the Duke," he knew the other man must be very angry.

"What lamp? Jon, what lamp?" Willas, standing to the side, was completely bewildered and knew nothing about it.

Jon briefly explained the situation to him, and Willas looked at Mace with the same disappointed expression.

Finally, he sighed and said to Mace, "Father, I know you did this out of love for Mother, but next time you must let us know about something like this, okay?"

Faced with his eldest son's gentle criticism, Mace nodded. When he learned that his wife would return to normal if the lamp was destroyed, he insisted on smashing it himself.