The ruins of Baylor Great Sept are still burning.
The flames tenaciously licked everything that could burn, and thick smoke poured out from every gap in the ruins, converging into several huge gray-black smoke pillars in the afternoon sky, as if a Black Hand stretched out from the ground to block the sun.
The first people to rush to the ruins were civilians from nearby neighborhoods.
They were startled by the earth-shattering explosion. The loud noise came so suddenly, as if the legendary thunder was roaring by a giant, and even the houses were shaking.
Many people were even eating, then hurriedly swallowed the food in their mouths and swarmed towards the flea nest.
However, the civilians just stood around the ruins and did not dare to get close.
It's not that they are afraid of fire, but because Baile Great Sept is the place where they have always prayed. Their father, grandfather and even great-grandfather once received blessings from the Seven Gods here.
However, such a sacred place is now a pile of smoking rubble.
The common people who had not read many books quickly regarded all this as divine punishment. Many people drew seven-pointed stars on their chests.
He even knelt down and prayed instinctively.
There were many royal nobles and wealthy knights lying around. They kept wailing, intertwined with the prayers of the common people.
They originally came to participate in Coronation Ceremony, but because their ranking was too low, they were placed outside Sept. The shock wave of the explosion blew them away.
Although most of the bones were broken, a life was saved.
Immediately after hearing the sound, a group of nobles living in King's Landing came.
These people have high status and should be sitting in Sept, but they...
... late.
That's right, it's just late.
After all, generally speaking, not many people are interested in getting up early to watch the ceremony where the Prime Minister is crowned as Regent. For the nobles, the boring ceremony is not as exciting as the silver party afterwards... the cocktail party.
It is said that the early bird catches the worm, but it is unexpected that the late bird escapes. Who can you tell me about this?
However, although they arrived late, there were still many people whose family members had already arrived Sept.
No, as soon as a carriage arrived at the scene, an old nobleman jumped out of the car and staggered towards the ruins. Ignoring the shouts of the servants behind him, he pushed through the crowd of onlookers and plunged into the still smoking rubble.
"My son! My son is in there!"
He knelt on the gravel, frantically picking at the charred stones with his hands, and shouted, "He is wearing the golden coat I gave him! Find it for me! Find it for me!"
"Whoever finds him alive, I will pay you five hundred Gold Dragon!"
However, no one answered him. The people around him just watched in silence, their eyes full of numbness and confusion.
Although five hundred Gold Dragon was very tempting, the collapse of their faith in the Seven Gods caused these civilians to lose any ability to think in a short period of time.
Soon, Lannister soldiers wearing bright red armor arrived.
They were the fastest armed forces to arrive. After all, Military Camp stationed at Cured Meat Street was less than half a league away from Sept.
Hundreds of red-armored soldiers poured in from all directions, their armors making clattering sounds as they ran, flowing into the open space around the ruins like bloody streams.
But they did not launch an immediate rescue operation.
After all, Adam·Malbrand Ser was not there, and there was no one to command. The centurions looked at each other, and the ordinary soldiers stood blankly holding their weapons.
They are here to fight, not to dig up corpses.
After a moment of silence, a young soldier suddenly dropped his spear and rushed towards the ruins, crying and shouting, "My brother is inside!"
"He is Lord Tywin's personal guard! He said he would follow the Prime Minister all day today!!
"Seven Gods above, no!!!"
The soldier threw himself down on a piece of rubble and used his hands to pull away the charred wooden beams and stones.
His palm was soon cut by the sharp gravel, and it was dripping with blood, but he didn't notice it and just dug blindly.
Seeing this, many Lannister soldiers also threw down their spears and shields, silently walked into the ruins, and began to help their companions dig. The centurions showed no intention of stopping them and even joined the rescue team.
At this time, no one cares about any bullshit Coronation Ceremony.
After all, they all came from the Western Region. Most of the Lannister Knights who accompanied Regent into Sept and were buried inside today are their officers, friends, and even relatives.
On the ruins, at least hundreds of soldiers were digging.
The soldier who rushed in at the beginning dug out a severed arm, wiped off the scorch on the wrist guard, and revealed Lion Sigil.
He was stunned for a few seconds, and even though he didn't know if it was his brother, he still held the amputated arm and cried loudly.
Some people dragged out the corpse wearing High Septon's robes from under the rubble, and just threw it aside casually and continued digging.
In the distance, more nobles arrived one after another.
They jumped off the carriage and stumbled toward the ruins carrying gorgeous skirts or swords. Some people fainted on the spot after seeing the remains of their relatives.
Some people with poor mental endurance simply knelt in the distance and prayed to the Seven Gods like ordinary people.
The sounds of crying, praying, and wailing gradually became one.
At this time, an old monk wearing a gray coarse robe stood on the edge of the ruins.
He came from Small Sept in a nearby neighborhood. When he walked to the ruins one by one, he froze when he saw that where the highest temple of the Seven Kingdoms once stood, there was now only a pile of smoking rubble.
"Seven Gods...
The old monk knelt down tremblingly, raised his head and looked at the sky obscured by thick smoke, opened his arms, and shouted in a voice that was almost a roar, "Seven Gods! This is your palace! This is your residence!"
"O Seven Gods! Why have you abandoned your devout believers!"
"Is this your punishment? Is it because we are not pious enough? Is it because we have forgotten your teachings?"
The old monk burst into tears, his voice became sharper and shriller, and finally he roared like a broken jar:
Then punish us!"
"Bring pestilence, famine, and war upon us!"
"But...
... Why do you want to destroy your temple with your own hands so that the world can no longer listen to God's Gospel!!!!"
"Ah!!!" he roared, and finally convulsed and fainted.
On the ruins, people stopped what they were doing almost simultaneously and looked at the old monk who had made no movement.
After the silence, the crying became louder.
At this moment, everyone, whether they were nobles or commoners, was crying bitterly. As more and more people arrived, the cries became one, and the overwhelming mourning seemed to shake the entire King's Landing. Even the wind on the Blackwater River seemed to have stopped, unable to bear to disturb the sadness of this land.
However, at this moment, a voice sounded from across the ruins.
"This is not divine punishment, this is murder!!!"
Hearing this, everyone raised their heads at the same time.
I saw a woman on top of a huge Granite, followed by three dark-skinned women, holding an eight-year-old boy tightly in her hand.
"It's Queen Mother and the King! They're not dead yet!!!"
People immediately recognized Cersei and Tommen. The ruins were noisy for a while and then gradually became quiet. They looked at Cersei blankly, as if waiting to hear what she had to say.
Cersei looked around at the miserable situation, but couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth slightly.
But she hid it very well, and even forced her eyes to turn red, with tears flashing in them, and said loudly, "I know how you feel, because I am also one of the victims."
"My father, Lord Tywin Lannister, Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, should be wearing the crown here today!"
"But now..." Cersei's voice was choked.
Then she paused for a few seconds, took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the grief in her heart, and continued to shout, "He is still buried under these ruins."
"Together with many loyal nobles of the royal family, there are also those innocent monks, servants, and soldiers."
Cersei's superb performance resonated with people, and the crowd once again heard suppressed cries.
Seeing this, Cersei almost laughed again.
But she tried hard to hold it back, then raised her head and said in a stern voice when the time came, "But our grief cannot be wasted!
"Because this is not an accident! It is not a natural disaster! It is not a punishment from the Seven Gods!"
"This... is murder!"
As soon as these words came out, the crowd was in an uproar. Everyone present looked at Cersei in surprise and uncertainty, completely confused as to where the "murder" in her words came from.
"I know who the murderer is!"
Under people's gaze, Cersei firmly raised her hand and pointed in the direction of Flea Bottom.
"He is Vito·Corleone!"
"That viper from Flea Bottom, the leader of Black Hand Mafia!"
"He planted a wildfire under Sept, intending to murder Regent, the king, and all the loyal nobles of the Seven Kingdoms!"
"He wants to turn King's Landing into his territory and the Iron Throne into his trophy!"
"He is jealous of my father's power! He is afraid of the majesty of the Lannister! He knows that once my father puts on the Regent crown, his Flea Bottom, his Fighting Arena, and his dirty businesses will all be uprooted! So he strikes first!"
Cersei became more and more excited as she spoke, and even she almost believed her words. Her towering chest heaved violently, and a look of grief and anger appeared on her face.
"My father trusted him and promoted him to be Chancellor of the Exchequer! Let him attend the Imperial Council! But how did he repay this trust?"
"That shameless guy used the most despicable and cruel means to kill my father! He killed your relatives! He killed the most loyal nobles of the Seven Kingdoms!"
At this point, seeing that people's emotions had been aroused, Cersei immediately struck while the iron was hot. "Lannister soldiers!"
"You are Lord Tywin Lannister's Warrior! You swear allegiance to Casterly Rock and allegiance to Lion Banner!"
"Now, your lord has been murdered, your brother has been blown to pieces, and I, Cersei Lannister, am the only legitimate heir to the Duke of Casterly Rock. Now, I order you to take up arms, break into Flea Bottom, and kill all Corleone and his Black Hand Mafia!"
"For the Lannister!!!"
As Cersei shouted loudly, the Lannister soldiers suddenly burst into a strong roar. After all, everyone in King's Landing knew that Flea Bottom and Tywin would not deal with it. If this thing was really done by him, no one would be surprised.
"For the Lannister!!!"
"Revenge for Regent!"
"Squash the flea nest!"
"Hang Corleone's head on the wall of the Red Fort!"
"Kill all Black Hand Mafia!"
The roars grew louder and louder, as hundreds of Lannister soldiers raised their weapons at the same time, their red armor shining like blood in the smoke.
Several centurions began to form their troops without hesitation, preparing to march towards Flea Bottom.
Cersei looked at all this from a high position, her face still had that expression of grief and anger, but she could no longer help the slight curve of her mouth.
Perfect!
Everything is going according to plan!
Once these angry idiots crush Flea Bottom and kill Corleone, no one in King's Landing will be able to threaten her anymore!
Then...
However, just when the soldiers were excited and clamoring to kill everyone in Black Hand Mafia, there was a rapid sound of horse hooves from far to near, and at the same time, there was the sound of uniform footsteps.
The Lannister soldiers stopped making noise and looked back, only to see a team galloping towards them from the direction of the city guard.
It was a team of golden robes. They were not many in number, only about a hundred people, but their formation was strict and their steps were uniform. They were obviously not a temporary ragtag group.
At the front of the team, an old man wearing bright red armor rode on a black horse, his hand holding the reins as steady as a rock.
Cersei immediately recognized the leader, and her green pupils suddenly shrank slightly.
It was her uncle, Kevan Lannister!
Damn it, why isn't this old guy dead?
She clearly remembered that Kevan should be in Sept. According to the ceremony, he should have read out the edict of Regent after Tywin was crowned.
Didn't he go in?
Or did he leave early?
Countless thoughts flashed through Cersei's mind, but her face did not waver at all.
When Kevan rode his horse to the ruins, Cersei immediately staggered towards Kevan, her crimson skirt dragging across the rubble and ashes, and the expression on her face became extremely sad and angry again.
"Uncle Kevan!"
She reached out to grab Kevan's arm, but the man just sat on the horse with no intention of getting down. He could only grab Kevan's thigh and cried, "Thank the Seven Gods, you are still alive!"
"It's terrible, it's all terrible...
Cersei seemed to be unable to speak any more. She lowered her head and shoulders and shook violently, as if she might collapse at any moment.
However, faced with such superb acting skills, Kevan just sat motionless on the horse.
He didn't even look at Cersei. Instead, he raised his head and his eyes fell on the still smoking ruins.
There was no expression on the face of the Minister of Justice, but something seemed to be surging in the green eyes that were exactly the same as those of his brother Tywin.
"Father... he's still in there."
Seeing this, Cersei raised her head and wiped away a tear, secretly observed Kevan's expression and continued to cry, "There are so many nobles...
"It was Vito·Corleone who did it!"
"That Flea Bottom Farmer! He buried the wildfire under Sept!"
"Uncle Kevan, we must avenge our father! The Lannister soldiers are ready. Now I am the only legal heir of my father. As long as you are willing to help me, we will destroy Flea Bottom immediately!"
After she finished speaking, she looked at Kevan expectantly, like a poor girl who had lost her father and was in desperate need of guidance from her elders.
For this reason, Cersei even kept recalling in her mind Sansa's weak and helpless appearance after Eddard Stark died, and she also learned something similar.
Hearing this, Kevan finally lowered his head and looked at her.
The carefully woven sorrow on Cersei's face, the well-placed tears in the corners of her eyes...
Then, Kevan raised the riding crop in his hand.
Snap!!!!