"You have to recognize that admitting defeat is not shameful, especially to stay alive." Thinking of Ferrego Artaryion, Sea Lord of Braavos, during the First Great Crusade.
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With the Long Night, traveling became complicated, especially at sea. As there was no way to locate oneself in the sea of darkness, maritime travel practically disappeared.
The only ones who could move through the sea were cities that had some magical heritage. Braavos, Qohor, and other Free Cities could hold their ground even in this world full of monsters and in the absence of sunlight. Special cities like Asshai were even more impressive, becoming a truly safe place in this troubled world.
However, this was not the case with the Imperium's warships. With Astartes controlling the ships and the Emperor's guidance, they had the privilege of going wherever they wanted.
At this very moment, hundreds of warships full of Astartes strongly collided with the waves. The ships were heading towards Volantis, the Seat of Faith of the God Emperor of Humanity on the continent of Essos.
Looking at the fire arrow pointing in a certain direction, Horus nodded with satisfaction. There was no way they would get lost in this lightless sea; they had the Emperor's blessing!
"Horus, I want to conquer Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh." Fulgrim spoke with a smile on his lips; he was truly excited about the First Great Crusade.
Horus looked at his brother-in-arms and shook his head. "That's impossible, and you know it, Fulgrim."
He continued speaking in a calm and thoughtful tone. "Our two Legions don't have enough Astartes to control the three cities and protect them from monster attacks."
Honestly, there were seven Nests in the western part of Essos alone! Horus knew that this number was even higher in the rest of the continent. The Emperor stated that there were at least nine in Yi Ti. This showed that there were dozens of Nests on the Continent of Essos.
This continent, which had long been controlled by the gods, was severely in danger. At this point, Westeros was lucky to have the God of Seven Faces who didn't care about the plans of the Evil Gods.
Fulgrim frowned. Horus was right, but he still didn't want to give up the chance to make the cities he so despised bend the knee. However, feeling the hand on his shoulder, he knew that Horus was helping him control himself.
"You go to Lys, I'll go to Myr." Horus said in a calm tone. He knew that Fulgrim had a lot of accumulated hatred in his heart, especially against Lys. The city that had raped and killed his mother.
"Don't worry, brother." Horus spoke with determination. "All Nine Free Cities will bend the knee before the Imperium and accept the Emperor's grace."
Fulgrim had no doubt that Horus's words would come true. There was no chance of them losing. This was his fanatical and unconditional faith and all the Astartes speaking at the same time. With the God Emperor by their side, there was no way to lose.
Be it gods, demons, or any heretic, all succumbed to the sword of the God Emperor of Humanity.
-
On an imperial warship, Sanguinius and Vulkan calmly faced the black sea before them.
"This is going to be fun." Sanguinius said with a smile. "The Emperor specifically said to focus on Braavos. The House of Black and White must be destroyed to its core."
"It seems someone offended the Emperor." Vulkan said in an indifferent tone, his eyes glowing like hot embers from a bonfire. Offending the Emperor was a crime worthy of death.
"A bunch of heretics worshiping evil gods." Sanguinius replied with a sarcastic tone. In his eyes, he didn't understand how these people could accept such evil gods.
"Set course for Braavos, we're not going to Volantis." Vulkan said in a calm and deep tone. His obsidian-black skin perfectly camouflaged him in the terribly dark environment. However, his white hair and beard strongly contrasted with the environment, especially his eyes glowing with a phosphorescent red hue.
"Are you sure? Lord Sigismund doesn't like his plans to change." Sanguinius asked with an excited smile. He feared the world would be too peaceful!
"We have the same status; we are not his subordinates." Vulkan replied with an indifferent tone. He was a Primarch, just like Sigismund; he didn't need to obey Sigismund's orders.
Sanguinius laughed and used the white flames to communicate with both the Blood Angels and Salamanders Legions. As Vulkan had said, he didn't need to follow Sigismund's orders.
With the orders being transmitted by Sanguinius's white flames, at least half of the warships separated from the main fleet. Such a thing naturally caught the attention of the other Primarchs.
"They are too hasty." Sigismund commented in a calm and indifferent tone to his brothers' irresponsible actions. The movements of the Blood Angels and Salamanders Legions would not affect the final plans.
"It was probably Sanguinius's choice; the boy fears the world is too peaceful." Titus commented with an equally calm tone. Only Sanguinius was so mischievous.
If Sanguinius heard Titus's accusation, he would vehemently complain and say it was nonsense. Clearly, it was Vulkan's idea, but the blame for others' actions fell on him!
"Volantis will be the anchoring point for the conquest of this continent." Sigismund spoke slightly animated. Just the idea of expanding the Imperium for the Emperor was something he found incredibly glorious.
Titus nodded, agreeing with Sigismund's words. Volantis was the base of the Cult of the God Emperor of Humanity; they had magic, food, and steel accumulated for many years. It was the perfect starting point for the conquest of Essos.
"Let them go to Braavos. It won't affect the final outcome." Sigismund commented as he focused on looking at the Fire Arrow, which indicated the path they should follow.
-
Free City of Braavos.
After three years of the Long Night, the city's gigantic prosperity was nothing more than a tiny shadow of its glorious past. At this moment, Braavos didn't have as many people and was definitely going through difficult times.
Food, which was once abundant, was now a scarce resource. So scarce that many would sell their wife or even their own child for a few days' worth of food. Along with the monsters, who attacked the city daily, the lives of civilians in Braavos were precarious.
Besides the inner part of the city, the Sea Lord could no longer maintain order, and the outer parts of the city were already places of pure anarchy, without order or laws. Seeing corpses was already such a common sight that no one would look at the corpses in the street.
At this moment, Ferrego Antaryron, Sea Lord of Braavos, looked at his city with a somber expression. More than anyone, he knew how close Braavos was to destruction.
"Qarro, how are the negotiations with the Imperium?" Ferrego asked with a pale and sickly expression. It was obvious that the Sea Lord would not live for many more years.
"The Three Queens politely refused." Qarro replied with a helpless and sad tone.
"Politely…" Ferrego showed a touch of sarcasm. He knew more than anyone that the true ruler of Westeros wanted all free cities to cease to exist, as he could then conquer the continent of Essos more easily.
However, he was defenseless; the man was capable of creating Artificial Suns. Even if he gathered all nine free cities, they could do nothing against the Imperium, which had the most powerful armies in the world.
At that moment, only Volantis had Artificial Suns that were used for agriculture. Which, in turn, made countless people risk becoming monster food to reach Volantis.
"Increase the price, give as many gold coins as necessary; we need an Artificial Sun for our crops." Ferrego was decisive in his decisions; he knew that if things continued like this, a riot would explode at any moment.
Braavos's powerful families were hoarding food and never passing it on to the population, which made already scarce food even rarer. However, Ferrego could do nothing against these families, because if he dared to do something, he could imagine that Braavos's army would be at his door an hour later.
"My lord, I still doubt they will accept; money is worth nothing anymore at this point." Qarro said in a sad tone. Without order and laws, what is a piece of metal worth? Can gold fill your belly? No, it cannot.
Ferrego knew Qarro was right, but what should he do? He had nothing more valuable. Along with the slight hostility the Emperor felt towards Braavos, getting an artificial Sun was a foolish dream.
"My lord!!!"
Suddenly, a soldier burst through the doors of Ferrego's office, shouting.
Ferrego felt a bad premonition hearing the soldier's nervous and horrified tone.
"The scouts sighted more than seventy warships coming our way!" The soldier spoke with a tone of horror.
Who in the name of the gods were capable of navigating such a dark sea? Weren't they afraid of getting lost?
"Imperium…" Ferrego's already pale face became even paler. There was only one country in the world that could navigate at this moment. It was the Imperium of Westeros. The greatest force on the planet!
As for the reason for the Imperium's arrival, Ferrego only felt a shiver run down his body.
Ferrego made the decision in a short space of a second after hearing the soldier's words.
Closing his eyes, he spoke in a calm tone. "Let them dock in the ports, don't attack them, and let them invade the city."
Ferrego never thought he would say those words, especially to Dragon Lords, the mortal enemies of his ancestors. He was practically handing over the city that his ancestors built after fleeing Old Valyria.
But did he have a choice? Resist to the last man? Don't be foolish; everyone wants to stay alive, especially after seeing how precious life was during the Long Night, where you could die at any moment.
The soldier seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly left the office and went towards his superior to relay the Sea Lord's orders.
A bitter laugh escaped Ferrego's lips; he felt he had destroyed Braavos with his own hands. However, thinking that the city could remain alive with the Imperium's help, he felt more relieved.
His ancestors would understand his decision, right?
Ferrego knew this was a foolish thought. His ancestors would fight to the death to maintain their freedom. The former slaves were more determined than anything else.
However, that was thousands of years ago; how could such determination still remain alive at this moment?
In the end, the descendants of the former slaves were not the same as their ancestors; they were spoiled and fought for profit. Becoming what they hated most in their lives.
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Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (400,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.