Early morning, Baylor big Sept Square.
The early autumn sunshine slanted on the white marble floor, illuminating the texture of each stone slab clearly.
There is still moisture from night dew in the air, mixed with the faint smell brought by the Blackwater River in the distance.
The area around the square has long been surrounded by golden robes.
They held spears and maintained order with expressionless faces.
Outside the boundary, there is a surging crowd.
In the front row were nobles dressed in silk and velvet. Most of them were hiding in the shadows of their servants, enjoying the best seats.
After that came the merchants and craftsmen, and after that came the crowded civilians.
Many residents of Flea Bottom came, as did some fishermen who made a living by fishing outside the Mud Gate. Their expressions were very complicated, and their dirty faces were full of fear, excitement, confusion, resentment, and so on.
In the center of the square, seven newly erected stone pillars are arranged in the shape of a seven-pointed star. The rough Granite texture is obviously incompatible with the surrounding smooth marble.
There is a person tied to the stone pillar at the front.
The High Sparrow, or Marlos.
At this moment, he was stripped of his iconic shabby linen robe and put on a rough and undyed primary-color linen garment, which looked very much like a shroud.
His gray hair was shaved off, and a crooked seven-pointed star mark was painted with some unknown red paint on the top of his head. It was so dazzling in the morning light that it looked like a wound was bleeding.
The cowhide rope was deeply inserted into his wrists and ankles, and he was fixed on the stone pillar in a standing position.
The High Sparrow lowered his head, but his lips were still moving, making a weak sound that people who were closer could barely hear.
That was the first scripture that the High Sparrow recited in his life. "Shoes cover your eyes, gorgeous robes cover your heart. Only when your bare feet touch the ground will you feel pain. Only when you wrap your body in coarse cloth can you approach divinity...
At first, he relied on this passage to become a monk, but now it sounds like desperate self-hypnosis or like a madman talking.
People pointed at him and talked constantly.
"Behold, there is the High Sparrow...
"I heard that he drank poison to people?"
"My cousin's child's feet rotted away because he drank his medicine!"
"But... but he used to give us bread...
, "That's the devil's bread! After eating it, many people started bleeding and died within a few days!"
The people in the back row were filled with indignation, but the nobles occasionally chuckled and commented, as if they were appreciating a work of art.
They cannot see the suffering of the people at the bottom and have never experienced it. They only think it is fun to watch people being tortured.
Not long after, the bell rang.
Seven dull impacts seemed to hit the person's chest directly.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
The giant colorful glass door of Baylor Great Sept slowly opened, and the fat archbishop and seven Archbishop filed out.
They wore formal purple-red ceremonial robes, the seven-pointed star chains around their necks flashed in the sun, and they still wore gorgeous shoes of different styles under their feet.
A group of people walked onto the temporary wooden platform.
The Archbishop nodded slightly to the crowd, then took a deep breath and announced loudly, "In the name of the Seven Gods!"
"Here today, a divine judgment will be held!"
His eyes swept across the crowd, and finally fell on the figure on the stone pillar: "Marlos, the son of a shoemaker, calls himself the High Sparrow," and his crime is seven."
"The first sin - desecrating the priesthood and forging miracles!"
"The second crime - torturing civilians and killing women!"
"The third sin - misinterpreting teachings and trampling on dignity!"
"The fourth crime - illegal detention and lynching!"
"The fifth crime - defrauding money and stealing donations!"
"The sixth crime - inciting riot and conspiracy to rebel!"
"The seventh sin is to presume to be a saint and to seek divine power!"
As each crime was read out, the commotion in the crowd intensified, and in the end they erupted in strong condemnation, with a level of fanaticism that even exceeded when they first took LSD.
When people calmed down a bit, the fat bishop continued to speak, "Such actions are no longer an ordinary sin. They corrode the foundation of the Seven Gods' faith and are poisonous to the souls of believers!"
As he spoke, his voice suddenly rose. "Therefore, after the unanimous decision of the church, this person will be punished to the highest standard Seven-Day Holy Judgment!"
"Seven-Day Holy Judgment?"
"What the hell is that? I've never heard of it."
People started talking again. In order to answer everyone's questions, the fat bishop also cleared his throat and explained, "Seven-Day Holy Judgment, corresponding to the seven faces of the seven gods!"
"Every day, a corresponding punishment will be imposed according to the characteristics of the deity that he has blasphemed, which will not only punish his body, but also cleanse his soul!"
"On the first day - Father day, punish him with the "judgment hand". He made unjust judgments recklessly, and now the weapon of judgment is taken away from him!"
"On the second day -Mother day, punish the breasts of mercy." He twisted mercy into cruelty, and now he has dried up the source of hypocrisy!
"On the third day Warrior, punish him for his courage." He desecrated his courage to bully the weak. Now his path to conquest is cut off!"
"On the fourth day, Maiden, punish his pure face." He defiled his purity to satisfy his selfish desires, and now his window of peeping is covered!"
"On the fifth day of the blacksmith's day, punish the body that he worked for." He denied the work, stole the merit of creation, and now disintegrates the body he stole!"
"On the sixth day, the old woman's day, I punish the lamp of wisdom." He pretends to be wise and leads people into darkness with his foolishness. Now he extinguishes his false fire!"
"On the seventh day Stranger, give him the final realization." He abused the fear of death and blasphemed life. Now he is made to face nothingness!"
Every time the verdict was announced, the crowd burst into uncontrollable exclamations.
The names of these punishments sound chilling and full of cruelty with religious symbolism.
The nobles whispered to each other, while most of the commoners showed fear, and some even began to secretly draw the famous seven-pointed star on their chests.
Amid the uproar, the fat bishop finally announced, "If this person can sincerely repent within seven days, accept the holy judgment, wash away his sins, and still have one breath left on the seventh day, it will prove that his heart may be redeemed and his sins may be forgiven!"
"This is a ray of mercy amid the endless severity of the Seven Gods!"
After the verdict was pronounced, there was a dead silence in the square, and everyone looked at the big sparrow on the stone pillar.
However, at this moment, the High Sparrow, who had been muttering with his head down, suddenly raised his head, with an extremely fanatical twisted smile on his face, and burst out laughing!
"Hahaha... Okay! Seven-Day Holy Judgment!"
"This is clearly the final trial given to me by the Seven Gods, and it is the last seven levels leading to the most holy level!"
His eyes were wide open and bloodshot, but they scanned the crowd with burning light. "Did you see it?"
"This is the path chosen by God, and the saints of the past have also experienced it. This is my glory, my crown!"
He struggled, trying to straighten his bound body, and shouted toward the sky, "I am born a sinner, and I am a prisoner in this world!"
"I will use my flesh and blood to atone for the sins of all of you. I will prove that the true chosen one is not afraid of any torture in the world!"
"The Seven Gods are with me!"
"After seven days, you will witness the rebirth of a saint, stronger and purer than before!"
His crazy declaration echoed in the square.
This gesture made some people show fear in their eyes, and some former believers began to waver.
Seems like he's thinking, yeah, what if... what if he can actually get through it?
Isn't that a real miracle!
Corleone stood on a slightly higher step outside the crowd, silently watching the farce without any expression on his face.
"Madman." Beside him, Dothraki Warrior spat disdainfully. "In Dothraki, I kill at least dozens of these guys a year!"
"Not exactly." Corleone shook his head and couldn't help but sigh, "This guy is still calculating and paving the way for the future."
"If he can really survive these inhuman seven days, even if he only has one breath left, then his performance of suffering today will be the best endorsement."
"His reputation will rise infinitely and become part of the legend of the entire King's Landing and even the Seven Kingdoms. People will tell how he withstood the torture of the Seven Gods without falling!"
"This guy's obsession with power has gone beyond fear, even beyond reason, and has become an instinct. It's a pity...
"What's a pity?" Yego asked.
"Unfortunately, if you want to survive these seven punishments designed by me personally, a will of steel is not enough."
Watching the executioner come on stage, Corleone raised his eyebrows. "At least you need a body of steel."
Immediately afterwards, under the watchful eyes of thousands of people, the first day of punishment, the "Judging Hand", began.
I saw the executioner holding a needle and stabbing it accurately into the tip of the middle finger of the High Sparrow's right hand.
"Ah!!!"
A heart-rending scream instantly broke through all the fanatical declarations just now!
The pain in that voice was so pure and original that everyone who heard it could not help but shudder.
The High Sparrow's body bounced violently, and was pulled back violently by the cowhide rope. His head jerked back, the veins in his neck protruded, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets!
The grand rhetoric of the so-called "God's Trial" actually seems so pale and ridiculous in the face of this most direct physical pain.
In the distance, Corleone shook his head slightly, stopped looking, turned around and walked down the steps.
"No need to look anymore."
He said to Yego, his voice calm and calm. "There is no way this guy can survive."
"On the first day, you may be able to survive with madness and adrenaline, but from the second day on, when thirst, blood loss, infection, and so many DE-BUFFs add up...
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"Crazy can't save him, and faith can't save him. He is just a mortal who thinks he is special, and the mortal body has its limits."
Unless I convert to a certain Lord of Light now, there may still be some opportunities...
Hearing this, Yego grinned. "It's better not to be a human being."
Corleone is very accurate.
On the evening of the first day, after the executioner destroyed all five fingers and poured them with melted honey, the High Sparrow was still preaching.
"Look... this is... a test!"
"My blood... was shed for you... to atone... for all your sins...
", the next day, "Mother day".
After applying a corrosive paste mixed with wormwood and salt crystals to his chest and abdomen, and then wrapping it tightly with wine-soaked burlap, he could only make a wheezing sound from his throat and could no longer utter complete sentences.
The third day, "Warrior day".
The heavy hammer slowly smashed the ankle bones and arches of the feet, and even the screams became weak. The body twitched violently uncontrollably, the eyes rolled, the feces and urine were incontinent, and the stench filled the air.
On the fourth day, when the executioner smeared the foul-smelling mixture on his face, there was almost no reaction.
In the evening, when he was moved back to the iron cage, the guards found that his body was already cold.
The High Sparrow died, and died in the "face of purity" punishment.
After all, he failed to complete his "seven-day trial", and his body was hastily collected in the early morning of the fifth day, and it is said that he was thrown into the sea.
The square was thoroughly cleaned and seven stone pillars were removed, as if nothing had ever happened.
Only the memories of the onlookers during those seven days and the few words discussed in the streets proved that a madman once dreamed of reaching the sky, but fell to his death on the steps.
The fifth day.
Early morning, House of Order.
The aroma of toasted bread and stewed with herbs fills the air.
Corleone was sitting by the window, enjoying a simple breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, bacon, roasted mushrooms, and a cup of hot goat's milk with honey.
Outside the window, the streets of Flea Bottom are much cleaner than before. There is no longer any smell, and the queue for receiving porridge has gradually become more orderly.
House of Order is almost completed. Soon, all of them will have new positions, enough to support themselves and no longer need to receive relief.
Not far away, Brienne was instructing several young people to practice Basic Swordsmanship in the school yard. Her scolding was clear and powerful.
At first, these boys were quite crazy and refused to accept the guidance of a woman, until Brienne smashed the training stake with a punch in front of them.
Yego was leaning against the door, polishing his dagger, and kept his eyes on the tall woman, as if he had already thought about how many children he would have with her.
Everything is so calm, orderly, and full of slow and solid vitality.
This is the feeling Corleone likes.
Footsteps came from the door, neither fast nor slow.
Corleone didn't look up until the footsteps stopped at his table.
The white helmet White Armor has short golden hair mixed with gray and a handsome face with a slight haggard look.
"Hey, James!"
After seeing the person clearly, Corleone immediately stood up and hugged him happily, patting his hard back with her right hand.
Feeling this power, James' depression these days has also subsided a lot.
It has been more than half a month since she returned to King's Landing, but Cersei has been reluctant to let him touch her. Fortunately, she feels a little warm here at Corleone.
"Corleone." James spoke, his voice a little hoarse.
He pressed Corleone's shoulders with both hands, paused for a moment, seemed to be considering his words, and after hesitating for a moment, he said:
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Cersei wants to see you."
Cersei?
Queen Regent, Cersei Lannister?
Corleone raised his eyebrows.
Why does she want to see herself?
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Corleone's mind. Could it be that her [Bed Technique Lv3], which she had never shown before, was known to her?
Who leaked the news!
But even if he is coveting his own superb skills, there is no need to ask James to invite him. Could it be said that Queen Regent likes this tone?
Seeing that his expression was wrong, James seemed to sense that this boy was thinking something unhealthy, so he quickly stepped forward and whispered, "The King of the North, Robb Stark."
.. dead!"