Chapter 396: The Imperial System

Volantis joining the Kingdom of Lorne was not unexpected. What truly surprised everyone was how completely and effortlessly Volantis surrendered without a fight.

Among the Free Cities, Volantis had always been the strongest. In the past, it could overwhelm three other cities at once. Without the aid of Pentos and Braavos, Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, along with the Disputed Lands, would have long been swallowed up by Volantis.

Although the city had been ruled by the more moderate Elephant Party in recent years, that did not mean its strength had diminished. In fact, both the Tiger Party and the Elephant Party had been quietly building their forces, waiting for an opportunity to seize the Disputed Lands once more. If not for Lynd's rise, Volantis might well have launched a fresh campaign against the Disputed Lands and the three Free Cities in the near future.

That such a powerful city would choose to abandon resistance and surrender immediately after Braavos fell left many observers stunned, including the Good Masters, Wise Masters, and Great Masters of the three major slave cities of Slaver's Bay.

With Thoros and Cedar Island having already pledged allegiance to the Kingdom of Lorne, Lorne's forces had moved into the ruins of Bhorash, just north of Slaver's Bay and west of Meereen. Meanwhile, the Miracle Fleet had occupied Ghaen Island to the south of the bay. The Queen of Dragons' Qarth army and the Dothraki horsemen had pushed into Vis Mehere. At this point, even the youngest children in the three slave cities could guess what the Kingdom of Lorne and the Iron Throne planned to do next.

To avoid being annexed, the rulers of Slaver's Bay desperately sought allies—and there was only one potential ally left: Volantis. So, while the two queens were campaigning against Braavos, envoys from Slaver's Bay had been dispatched to Volantis. Volantis initially agreed to an alliance, and once news of Braavos' fall spread, Volantis spent heavily to purchase Unsullied, acquiring over half the Unsullied forces that had belonged to the three slave cities, as though preparing for a major war against Lorne.

However, just after securing the Unsullied, Volantis abruptly declared its submission to the Kingdom of Lorne, becoming a Free City under its protection. This news completely stunned the rulers of Slaver's Bay.

The shrewder among them quickly realized that Volantis' actions had gutted the military strength of the three slave cities. Now, they lacked sufficient Unsullied even to defend their walls.

In a desperate bid to rebuild their forces before war erupted, the slave masters resorted to even more brutal training methods for their remaining slaves. Every day, wagonloads of slave corpses were hauled out of the cities and burned in mass pyres outside the walls. The fields became feasting grounds for scavengers, whose howls turned the cities into places of eerie, ghostly horror.

Amid this mounting misery, belief in the God of Calamity spread quietly among the slaves, rapidly becoming their core faith.

Alongside this new belief circulated a prophecy: that the army of the God of Calamity would soon descend upon the three slave cities, and the slaves would find salvation. When they heard the roar of dragons outside their cities, the day of deliverance would have come—and they must rise up and fight for their freedom.

Of course, among the slaves were those who had been completely broken and tamed, who hurried to report the prophecy to their masters. In response, more slaves were slaughtered, all metal tools were confiscated, and slaves were issued only wooden ones with minimal lethality. Suspicion and paranoia consumed the slave masters; even their trust in the Unsullied began to crumble. They lived in constant terror, teetering on the brink of madness.

Meanwhile, Nymeria and Daenerys returned to their respective armies and began marching—Nymeria toward Meereen, Daenerys toward Yunkai. On Ghaen Island, the Blood-Armored leader Lothor Brune set out with the Chosen of the Gods Corps toward Astapor.

Among the three armies, Daenerys, accompanied by her three young dragons, moved fastest, swiftly crossing mountainous terrain to arrive outside the walls of Yunkai.

Nymeria followed more slowly. She had brought five young ones—Augustus and the others—from Ny Sar to witness the battle firsthand. Taking care of the children inevitably slowed her march.

Nymeria's reasoning was that this might be the last major war of the Kingdom of Lorne, and it would be valuable for the young ones to see the harsh realities of battle with their own eyes.

Moreover, Nymeria had brought along their young dragons. Although smaller than Daenerys' dragons, they were already capable of breathing dragonfire and flying—perfectly fit to join the battle.

Additionally, through their mental bond, Lynd had temporarily reassigned Neltharion from the ruins of Valyria to aid Lothor Brune in the assault on Astapor. As Daenerys began her siege of Yunkai, Lothor Brune arrived off the coast of Astapor and unleashed the lava dragons to incinerate the Astapor fleet.

As war engulfed Slaver's Bay and the final campaign for conquest began, Lynd had already flown back to King's Landing on the back of Deltos.

In the council chamber of the Red Keep, Littlefinger eagerly stepped forward and said, "Congratulations, Your Grace, on taking Braavos. I believe it won't be long before Slaver's Bay falls into your hands as well."

As Littlefinger finished speaking, the others rose one after another to offer their congratulations to Lynd.

Lynd raised his hand to signal for silence, then turned to the Red Viper and asked, "Have the personnel and supplies been sent to The Wall?"

"Yes. They were dispatched the day after you set off. By now, they should have already arrived at The Wall." The Red Viper pulled out a list and handed it to Lynd. "This is the full manifest of personnel and supplies."

Lynd glanced down at the list, his brow furrowing slightly. He turned toward the Great Septon standing stiffly nearby and asked in a low voice, "Why did the Great Sept of Baelor send the Warrior's Sons and the Knights of the Sword? What good are a bunch of untrained laborers going to do? Strengthen the White Walkers' forces?"

At Lynd's sharp words, everyone's gaze immediately fell on the Great Septon.

The High Septon stepped forward and calmly responded, "This is a holy war. The Faith of the Seven must participate."

Lynd frowned and said, "Because you saw the Red Temple sending reinforcements to The Wall, didn't you?"

The Great Septon didn't reply but nodded slightly.

Lynd's expression grew dark. "The Red Temple's reinforcements are real soldiers. They've been preparing for this war for thousands of years. Their trained fighters are specialized for battling White Walkers and wights, and they can join the battlefield immediately. Are the Warrior's Sons and the Knights of the Sword, hastily assembled by the Great Sept of Baelor, truly comparable to them?"

The Great Septon straightened his back and said, "We possess unmatched faith and courage, even if—"

"Shut up!" Lynd barked angrily, cutting him off. "You've never even seen the wight armies at The Wall. You judged everything based on the crippled wight the Great Sept subdued and assumed the rest are no threat. You think faith and courage can defeat everything. What you're really doing is gambling with the lives of the devout, using them to build your own prestige, trying to make yourself the true leader of the Faith of the Seven."

The Great Septon's face paled, and he hurriedly tried to explain, "No! Your Grace, I swear I didn't..."

Lynd cut him off sharply. "You don't need to say anything! From today onward, you are only to handle internal affairs within the Great Sept of Baelor. The Warrior's Sons and the Knights of the Sword will be reassigned under different leadership."

The Great Septon's face turned ashen. He stammered anxiously, "Your Grace, the Warrior's Sons and the Knights of the Sword are the Faith's military arms. I am the High Septon—"

"I am the Chosen of the Seven." Lynd's voice was cold as ice as he stared at the Great Septon. "Do you have any objections to me taking over the Faith's armed forces?"

The Great Septon's body trembled slightly. Under Lynd's cold gaze, he lowered his head, not daring to meet Lynd's eyes, and said in a low voice, "I have no objections. It is entirely reasonable for Your Grace to command the Faith's military."

Seeing the Great Septon stripped of his authority over the church's military forces, the members of the Small Council and the officials of King's Landing all wore looks of undisguised glee.

During this time, the Great Septon had been the biggest thorn in their sides. With the Faith's forces restored, he had aggressively pushed the Seven's doctrines throughout King's Landing, demanding that people live strictly by the faith's rules. He raided brothels, attempted to seize books destined for the Great Library that contained content critical of the Faith, and generally made a nuisance of himself.

Fortunately, the Hand of the King, the Red Viper, along with the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and the Master of Whisperers, Balin, had taken a hard stance against his excesses, suppressing the worst of it before real chaos could break out.

Even so, many were left frustrated and exhausted by the Great Septon's actions, and they had long been waiting for an opportunity to strike back. But because the High Septon had been personally appointed by Lynd, they had been wary of acting against him. Now, seeing Lynd himself strip the Great Septon of his most important authority, the entire court felt a wave of satisfaction, as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted.

Afterward, at Lynd's signal, everyone began reporting on various administrative matters, construction progress, and other affairs from the past weeks.

After dealing with those miscellaneous matters, Lynd tapped the table a few times to signal everyone in the council chamber to quiet down. He then said very formally, "Nymeria and Daenerys are currently attacking Slaver's Bay. The results will come soon. Once that happens, Qarth, the Kingdom of Lorne, the Free Cities, and the Seven Kingdoms will all be integrated to form the Tarran Empire."

Although many had already guessed that a great empire would emerge after hearing about the conquest of Braavos and the voluntary submission of Volantis, hearing it confirmed from Lynd's own mouth still left them shocked and exhilarated.

There was no doubt that if the Tarran Empire was established, it would be the largest empire in human history—not just in terms of territory, but also in terms of cities, population, and overall national strength. It would surely be remembered in the annals of history. A sense of unprecedented mission surged in everyone's hearts. Even someone as ambitious as Littlefinger was so excited that his face flushed red.

Lynd said in a steady voice, "Founding an empire isn't just a change in title. The system of governance must change too. The Kingdom of Lorne has already begun studying and discussing the imperial system, and the Seven Kingdoms must do the same. I have invited Maesters from the Citadel and the Sphinx Academy to King's Landing. Together, you will study and discuss the structure of the empire's governance. Make sure all proposals are completed before I finish the war with the White Walkers. Then, I will select the most suitable structures and integrate them to finalize the empire's governmental framework."

"Yes, Your Grace," everyone responded in unison, rising to their feet to express their determination to contribute to the formation of the empire.

At that moment, Garlan Tyrell suddenly asked, "Your Grace, will the future imperial system be based on the structure of Summerhall?"

Lynd glanced at Garlan and nodded. "Yes. The core framework will follow the model of Summerhall, though some systems may be slightly adjusted."

Upon hearing this, the council chamber immediately buzzed with discussion. The political structure of Summerhall was not only unique within the Seven Kingdoms but also quite rare across the entire continent of Essos.

Everyone knew that Summerhall had no lords. Lynd directly controlled all the land himself. Even in territories he only indirectly governed, like Blackhaven, where there had once been local lords, their powers had been greatly curtailed. Aside from taxation, nearly all their other rights—especially the right to raise armies—had been stripped away.

If Lynd intended to structure the Tarran Empire based on the Summerhall model, it was clear that the traditional powers held by the lords would be significantly impacted. And among those gathered in the council chamber, aside from Balin and a few officials originating from Summerhall, the majority were either lords themselves or heirs to noble houses. A system modeled on Summerhall would inevitably threaten their interests.

It was obvious that Garlan had raised the question now to prompt Lynd to make his position clear, hoping the lords of the Seven Kingdoms could collectively pressure him. After all, among all the assembled lords and heirs, none commanded a territory more prominent than House Tyrell's domain of Highgarden. If the empire were to be built according to the Summerhall model, Highgarden would be among those most heavily affected.

Even though Garlan had a good personal relationship with Lynd, when the interests of his family were at stake, he had no choice but to stand with House Tyrell.

Just as everyone was busy murmuring about the future imperial structure based on Summerhall's system, the Red Viper smiled and said, "The Summerhall system? I think it's excellent. We wouldn't have to worry about so many headaches, we could live freely according to our own ideas without fearing for our security. If Your Grace wishes it, I'm willing to reform my own lands to align with Your Grace's vision."

The room fell completely silent as everyone turned to look at the Red Viper.

He added, "Not just my own lands either. I believe even Doran would agree."

At that moment, not only Garlan, but even Lynd showed a look of surprise.

Lynd asked, "You've already received word from the Kingdom of Lorne?"

The Red Viper smiled and nodded.