Chapter 247: The Grand Finale: The Emperor's Conquest, the Stark Empire

The Royal Fleet, the Iron Fleet, and the Reach Fleet gathered at Stave Town in Dorne and launched an attack on the Stepstones.

The Iron Fleet was commanded by Asha Greyjoy and Victarion, the Reach Fleet by Lord Paxter Redwyne, and the Royal Fleet by "Sea Snake" Corlys, "Oakfist" Alyn, and the Iron Bitch Helene Pyke.

The Westeros Navy was equipped with cannons and guided by the old Lysene pirate Salladhor Saan; once the fleet transported the armies and mercenary companies from across Westeros to the Stepstones, the pirate kings of the Stepstones were nothing more than a beggar fleet in the face of the sturdy ships and powerful cannons of the Westeros Navy, and the pirates were routed at the first touch.

The King of the Narrow Sea, Osmund Kettleblack, King Joth, and other pirates were all captured, executed, and their heads were impaled on lances and left to dry on the beach.

As each small island was captured, craftsmen began to build towers and fortresses, and garrisons were stationed on every island.

News of the Westeros army capturing the Stepstones reached Tyrosh, Myr, and Lys, and the three daughter city-states were greatly shocked; originally, Tyrosh and Myr were allied and at war with Lys, but after the Westeros army approached, the three daughter city-states immediately ceased hostilities and formed an alliance.

Among the three daughter city-states, Lys was world-renowned for its brothels and bed slaves, Myr was famous for its Myrish lace, lenses, and glasswork, and Tyrosh was known for its dyes.

The three Free Cities rarely risked their own free folk when waging war, yet they did not trust weapons in the hands of slaves; therefore, the three daughter city-states relied primarily on mercenary companies to attack one another.

The Archon of Tyrosh and the Magisters of Lys and Myr, knowing they could not withstand the Westeros army, all sent envoys to seek help from Volantis.

However, because Eddard had sent envoys in advance to contact the Dothraki tribes on the Great Grass Sea, Volantis was currently suffering attacks from the Dothraki of Jeke Khal, Pono Khal, and Jaqo Khal; with no fewer than one hundred thousand Dothraki riders beneath the walls of Volantis, they were naturally unable to rescue the three daughter city-states.

Emperor Eddard did not give the three daughter city-states a chance; the magic dragon Drogon flew over the walls of Tyrosh in the pitch-black night, using dragonfire to burn the city gates and the guards atop them, while warriors such as Stormcrows commander Daario Naharis, The Hound, and Brienne slaughtered their way into Tyrosh, and the mercenary companies hired by Tyrosh scattered.

You may hire mercenaries to fight for you, but you cannot expect mercenaries to oppose a magic dragon for the sake of gold.

The Westeros army captured the city, and the Archon of Tyrosh died in the chaos.

A few days later, the Iron Fleet and the Royal Fleet, with the cooperation of the magic dragon, giant eagles, and griffins, crossed the Myr Sea and captured the coastal city of Myr.

Of the three daughter city-states, only Lys, located in the sea to the far south, remained.

Lys was completely panicked and sent envoys to sue for peace with Emperor Eddard, offering to pay an annual tribute of three hundred beautiful women and men to Emperor Eddard, but was rejected by Emperor Eddard.

The magic dragon and the Westeros army captured Lys.

After destroying Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr, the wealth created by these three Free Cities through trade and slavery all fell into Emperor Eddard's pockets, and countless gold, silver, and jewels filled the warehouses of the Moving Castle.

The three cities liberated hundreds of thousands of slaves in total, among whom were many shipbuilders, Tyroshi dyers, Myrish glassmakers, Myrish carpet and lace artisans, fair-skinned and beautiful Lysene love slaves, bed slaves, and more.

Subsequently, Pentos became the next target of the Westeros army.

Pentos was the Free City closest to King's Landing and held an important position in the spice and jewelry trades, but it was unfortunate to be neighbors with the maritime hegemon, Braavos.

The Braavosi Fleet had defeated Pentos many times, forcing Pentos to abandon slavery and, through a treaty, stipulating that Pentos could have no more than twenty warships, could not sign contracts with any mercenary companies, and could not form any armed forces other than the city watch, which led to Pentos being considered the most fragile of the Free Cities.

The Vale Fleet, the North Fleet, the Royal Fleet, and the Iron Fleet arrived in the waters off Pentos, and the Magisters of Pentos immediately sent envoys bearing gold and silver, hoping to dismiss the Westeros people just as they had dismissed the Dothraki tribes.

Emperor Eddard accepted the gifts but did not stop his advance; the Iron Fleet easily destroyed the Pentoshi fleet, and with the army at the gates, Pentos had no choice but to send envoys to seek help from the Sealord of Braavos to the north.

The magic dragon and the Golden Company, Second Sons, Winter Wolves, Gold Wolf Army, Chick Eagle Army, Stormcrows, and Unsullied began the siege together, and Pentos fell within a day.

Magister Illyrio was captured and brought before Emperor Eddard and Daenerys, and Illyrio said pitifully, "Emperor Eddard, I once helped Daenerys in the past; please spare my life."

Emperor Eddard ordered the fake Prince Aegon to be brought forward.

"You are nothing but a conspirator; Varys has already confessed your plot. This fake Prince Aegon was born to you and your wife Sera; you used your own son to impersonate the son of Rhaegar Targaryen in an attempt to lay claim to the Iron Throne—this alone is enough to execute you."

Thus, Young Griff and Magister Illyrio were both beheaded, and their heads were hung on the walls of Pentos.

When the Pentoshi envoys arrived in Braavos, the news of the fall of Pentos arrived with them; the Sealord was greatly shocked and immediately summoned the members of his inner circle to deliberate.

The Sealord said, "In the past, Eddard borrowed money from the Iron Bank to build his fortune, and now that he is the King of the Iron Throne, he has actually brought an army to attack the Free Cities; with the Westeros army at our gates, what is to be done?"

An old man said, "Emperor Eddard has destroyed Tyrosh, Myr, Lys, and Pentos in succession, and his army is pointed directly at Braavos; our Iron Bank should foster rebel forces within Westeros. Duke Tywin is serving in the Night's Watch; if we provide the funds, Duke Tywin will surely rise in revolt."

A fat man said, "It is too late; we should seek the House of Black and White and send a Faceless Man to assassinate Emperor Eddard. Once Emperor Eddard is dead, Westeros will fall apart, and it will be a War of the Five Kings once again."

The Sealord agreed deeply and immediately sent an envoy to deliver the order to the House of Black and White.

Jaqen H'ghar, the Kindly Man, the Waif, and others from the House of Black and White met to discuss the matter.

The Kindly Man said, "Emperor Eddard is already near-divine; he has the Three-Eyed Crow, the Children of the Forest, and the Red Priestess by his side, all of whom are skilled in predicting the future. If a Faceless Man goes to assassinate him, there is a high probability of being killed in return."

Jaqen H'ghar said, "Even so, Emperor Eddard is attacking Braavos with his fleet and magic dragon; as citizens of Braavos, we ought to defend the city. The assassination is unlikely to succeed, but it must still be attempted. I am willing to undertake this mission. Valar Morghulis."

However, Jaqen H'ghar's assassination attempt failed from the very beginning because the Westeros fleet had already blockaded the nearby bay.

The Braavosi fleet was recognized as the world's best before the return of magic; seeing the Westeros fleet approaching, the purple-oared warships of Braavos chose to take the initiative and actually thwarted the vanguard of the Westeros fleet.

However, the victory of the Braavosi was only temporary.

The giant Wun Wun blew the Storm Horn, and a gale roared, whipping up waves over ten meters high that instantly destroyed many Braavosi ships; after the storm subsided, Giant King Mag blew the Kraken Horn, and golden sea monsters and nagas emerged from the seabed, destroying the Braavosi fleet with irresistible force.

Braavos was situated on over a hundred islands and had no walls; their fleet was their wall. When the Braavosi fleet was destroyed, the Sealord still wanted to fight, but upon seeing the magic dragon, Braavos fell into immense terror; in the past, the ancestors of the Braavosi had fled to Braavos specifically to escape the enslavement of dragons and the Valyrians.

Now the magic dragon had returned, and the fear in the blood of the Braavosi was awakened.

The Sealord went to the House of Black and White to pray to the Many-Faced God, and in the end, the Sealord decided to surrender.

The banner of the Direwolf was raised at the Sealord's Palace, Braavos was incorporated into the territory of Westeros, and the Braavosi announced the deposition of the Sealord and honored Emperor Eddard as the Sealord of Braavos.

The Westeros army continued to bypass the Shivering Sea and attacked Lorath; Lorath was the poorest and weakest of the Free Cities, and the Lorathi chose to surrender.

During this period, conflict broke out between the Dothraki on the Great Grass Sea and the Westeros people; the Dothraki could not resist the Death Knight and the magic dragon and fled one after another toward the east.

Subsequently, the Westeros army attacked Norvos.

Norvos practiced a theocratic rule, with the Bearded Priests ruling Norvos from within their fortress temple, executing the commands of the gods.

The Westeros army used the Golden Company as the vanguard, but the slave guards of the Bearded Priests, wielding long axes and utilizing the hilly terrain of Norvos, routed the Golden Company.

However, after Emperor Eddard dispatched the giant eagles and griffins, the guards of the Bearded Priests scattered, and six magic dragons pulled the Moving Castle, overlooking Norvos on the hills.

The Bearded Priests immediately declared that the gods had descended upon Norvos, and Norvos announced its surrender, voluntarily liberating its slaves and becoming part of the Stark Empire.

The magic dragon and the Westeros Knights launched a blitzkrieg on Qohor; Qohor had originally hoped to rely on the Unsullied and sorcerers to resist Emperor Eddard, but the Unsullied guard mutinied on the spot, and the sorcerers murdered the Magister of Qohor and opened the gates to surrender, and Westeros annexed Qohor without shedding a drop of blood.

Emperor Eddard incorporated the River Fleet of Norvos and requisitioned the ships of Pentos, sailing down the Rhoyne to attack Volantis.

Along the way, Eddard witnessed the ruins of the Rhoynar cities of Chroyane, Ny Sar, and Ar Noy; these cities had all been destroyed by the dragonfire of Valyria.

Volantis sat upon the fertile lands of the lower Rhoyne, and its surrounding satellite cities, Selhorys, Volysar, and Volon Therys, were even larger than King's Landing and Oldtown.

Volantis had finally driven away the Dothraki tribes, only to be met by the magic dragon and the Westeros army. The Tiger Party of Volantis advocated for resolute resistance, while the Elephant Party advocated for seeking peace and finding an opportunity to strike.

In the end, the Tiger Party gained the upper hand, and Volantis sent its army to meet the enemy, only to be defeated by the Unsullied, and Volantis had to flee back into the city.

Volantis began to search for dragon-slayers at a high price, and the slaves began to revolt; from Volon Therys, Selhorys, and Volysar to Volantis, the slaves broke their chains, killed their masters, burned temples, mansions, and the Town Hall, and the Westeros army took the opportunity to capture the city.

A few days later, Eddard's Moving Castle arrived in the skies above Volantis, and the liberated slaves cheered the name of Emperor Eddard.

From then on, the Nine Free Cities all fell into the hands of Emperor Eddard.

Subsequently, Daenerys led her fleet to attack Slaver's Bay, which she had once dreamed of liberating; along the way, Tolos, Elyria, Mantarys, and New Ghis surrendered one after another.

After the great army arrived at Slaver's Bay, Meereen, Yunkai, and Astapor surrendered without a fight, and the slave masters knelt before Emperor Eddard and Daenerys, trembling with fear.

A few months later, Emperor Eddard, bringing his Moving Castle, Magic Dragon, and the Westeros Knight order, swept through the Dothraki Sea under the guidance of Khal Drogo, and the Dothraki were defeated in every battle.

In the end, the great army captured the Dothraki holy city of Vaes Dothrak, and the Crone of the Dosh Khaleen proclaimed Emperor Eddard the "Stallion Who Mounts the World," the representative of the Horse God on earth; the Stark Empire annexed the vast Dothraki Sea, and Eddard became the supreme Horse Lord, possessing hundreds of thousands of Dothraki cavalry warriors with bells tied in their hair.

Subsequently, Eddard dispatched one hundred thousand Dothraki to attack the grasslands of the Lhazareen; the Lhazareen were known as "Lamb Men" and were not skilled in combat, so they soon knelt and submitted.

The Magic Dragon and the Warship captured Qarth, and the Stark Empire gained control of the gateway to the Jade Sea.

At this time, the entire East felt the threat.

Emperor Eddard rebuilt the ruins in the Rhoyne basin and purified the land; Stark Estates covered the Rhoyne basin, and the orphans of the Greenblood in Dorne returned one after another to settle in their Rhoynar homeland, leaving the Rhoyne brand new and covered in flowers.

The Dothraki also began a settled life; they became the ace cavalry of the Stark Empire, and under the rule of the Magic Dragon and Emperor Eddard, the Dothraki no longer slaughtered one another as they once had, but instead followed the banner of the Direwolf to defend the empire's vast territories.

Emperor Eddard ruled his massive empire from the Moving Castle, while Jon and Daenerys managed the eastern continent from Volantis, and Robb was stationed in King's Landing, ruling the West.

Many years later, Eddard and his children ascended to godhood together, living in the Moving Castle and watching over the lands they had once conquered.

Thanks to "Lonely Person" for the monthly ticket, thank you for your support!

(End of this chapter)