Chapter 696: Muddying the Waters

"His Majesty never mentioned conquering these trade city-states immediately."

"That's because His Majesty's focus is now solely on the North, leaving no time for these trivial matters, which is why he entrusted them to me."

"He told me, 'The enemies from the North are drawing nearer. I can feel it. This time, their approach is more menacing. They breathe the cold, and icy flames burn within them.'"

At this moment, the newly titled Count of Harrenhal was in a tavern room in Myr, pouring wine from a jug. He then mimicked the tone once used by Viserys.

However, there was a chilling undertone in his voice that left Salladhor Saan, the great pirate seated in the room, a bit uneasy.

"Lord Ramsay Bolton, I don't think the White Walkers would appear in Essos."

He had never seen a White Walker, but he had witnessed wights years ago.

It was during a public exhibition in Pentos. The Dothraki had captured several wights using lassos and caged them. These creatures were then transported to Pentos by Euron's Iron Fleet.

It was then that the people of Pentos realized the kind of monsters their king had been battling and had successfully driven back to their homeland.

However, these exhibited wights later died, possibly due to the fading of magic within them or some other reason, leaving the city officials of Pentos very disappointed.

The exhibition had caused a sensation throughout the trading city-states. People from all corners of the world flocked to Pentos, eager to witness these legendary creatures.

The revenue from just the entrance fees was substantial.

This led to a wave of adventurers, slavers, and mercenary groups from Essos sailing to the North, hoping to capture more wights for profit. However, most were unsuccessful.

Many underestimated the wights they had seen caged, considering them easy prey. However, once they reached the North, they paid a heavy price.

Most of these slaver groups perished in the North, becoming part of the wight army. Those few who managed to capture wights and attempted to return by ship found the creatures dead in the ship's hold, turning into rotten flesh or scattered bones. It seemed that once removed from Westeros, the wights lost their magic.

The Iron Fleet had been successful in capturing wights at a time when the Night King was still a looming threat, and the cold god's power was at its peak.

However, upon hearing the pirate governor's words, Ramsay merely smiled, placed the jug of wine down, and replied, "That's not necessarily true, Lord Salladhor Saan."

"The Iron Islands were also overrun by the White Walkers."

Seeing the unease on the face of the dark-skinned pirate governor, Ramsay's smirk faded, and he inquired earnestly, "Regarding the assassination attempt, Lord Saan, have you found any leads?"

The news of the assassination attempt on the imperial envoy, Asha Greyjoy, had spread, causing quite a stir. It seemed to insiders that the intent might not have been against the empire, but for some other hidden agenda. Asha was not a significant figure in the empire; her death would not have impacted it.

However, what puzzled the pirate governor was how the news reached the emperor so quickly.

Could it be...

Despite his suspicions, he responded truthfully, shaking his head, "No, these assassins aimed to frame Volantis or Lys."

Lys is known for its poisons, and the testimony mentioned Volantis. Of course, it wasn't ruled out that someone was trying to divert attention. The Archon of Tyrosh was also under suspicion.

The imperial fleet had set out for Naath, visiting several Free Cities along the way. Even though Asha Greyjoy hadn't done anything significant, her presence stirred up a storm in the world of the trading city-states. Salladhor Saan didn't believe that there wasn't someone orchestrating this chaos from behind the scenes.

And the somber young man before him, with his dark demeanor, could very well be the puppet master. The pirate governor had heard of Ramsay Bolton's name long ago during his time in Pentos. He was known for his ruthless tactics.

Salladhor Saan continued, "So, what do we do next, Lord Bolton? Does His Majesty have any directives?"

He had already established contact with Trystane Ormollen, the governor of Lys, and Humphrey Hightower. They were conspiring to take over Lys.

Ormollen wanted full control of Lys, tired of sharing power with the other eleven governors. His ambition was to become the sole ruler of Lys, like Salladhor Saan in Myr.

"Chaos is a ladder."

Ramsay Bolton, the Grand Commander of the Empire's Internal Affairs, replied with a smirk after hearing Salladhor Saan's question.

"This was said by someone I don't particularly like."

"But I believe it makes sense."

The rise of the empire was accompanied by worldwide upheaval and chaos. While most struggled to survive, the elites used this as a stepping stone to ascend.

Salladhor Saan and Trystane Ormollen were such individuals, using chaos to their advantage. Humphrey Hightower, on the other hand, had been reduced to a mere pawn.

"Continue your dealings with them. Stir the waters of the trade city-states."