RoWE - Chapter 55
Chapter 55: The Ways of the Gods
Lying requires skill, and Aeg learned a practical trick from Bihu: to deceive others, first deceive yourself. What is impenetrable? Only facts. If you create an identity for yourself in a story, it's best to strictly adhere to that identity setting afterward. do things that fit the identity, say things that fit the identity. Just like writing a novel, no matter how bizarre or strange the setting, as long as it's self-consistent within the book, it's a reasonable novel. If the liar can be dedicated enough to hypnotize themselves into believing their own words, the deception becomes almost unbreakable.
Aeg immersed himself in the identity of an adventurer from across the Sunset Sea. Under this identity, he had indeed told everything he knew truthfully. if he hadn't lied at all, how could the other party see through it?
However, despite his intention to hide the secret of his transmigration, he still tried to lead the witch sitting across from him with his "guesses." As long as she could follow his "speculations" without becoming suspicious, he could get through this hurdle.
Melisandre, whom fans of the series and book enthusiasts also like to call Aunt Mei, there's no need to demonize her. this red-haired priestess is just a woman who has mastered magic or the method of communicating with the "Red God." Faced with answers that were all truthful, she couldn't find an angle to press further, even if she wasn't satisfied. On the contrary, she was reminded by Aeg's "unintentional" guesses and soon thought of something, narrowing her eyes in contemplation.
"I see," she said half a minute later, connecting Aeg's answers with the clues from the flames, and everything made sense. "That boy has the constitution of a divine messenger; the demigod wants him."
"What is a demigod?"
"A demigod is just that, a being weaker than my lord, the Lord of Light, but far surpassing us servants. You can think of it as a powerful sorcerer."
"What about the constitution of a divine messenger?" Aeg asked. "And since he wanted to use the boy, why cripple him?"
"The so-called constitution of a divine messenger is actually the ability to be in harmony with the gods. Some people can easily see the messages the Lord of Light wants to convey from the flames, while others need help. and some can never hear the divine revelations." Melisandre wouldn't normally answer a mortal's questions so readily, but she was at fault first, and the Night's Watch identity of the other party was also useful to her, so she decided to satisfy Aeg's curiosity. "Interestingly, some people with the best affinity constitution also have extraordinary sorcerer talents. a healthy body, a strong soul, and a firm willpower. These advantages actually hinder their communication with the gods. or rather, the gods' communication with them. So, you've seen everything that happened next."
Aeg felt a chill down his spine and instantly understood what Melisandre meant: only one in a thousand people is a natural shapeshifter, and only one in a thousand shapeshifters will be a Green Seer. Bran had the best shapeshifter constitution, making him the most suitable candidate to become the next Green Seer. But because he was too powerful, the previous Green Seer couldn't directly control him or whisper in his ear to convince him to go beyond the Wall to receive the legacy. Therefore, the latter chose to temporarily weaken him through a cruel method!
Even the legacy itself was problematic: did the previous Green Seer impart all knowledge and memories to Bran, or did he possess Bran's body and then learn about Bran's life through observations across time and space, only to impersonate him at ease?
This speculation was maliciously strong, and Aeg needed confirmation from an insider. "Can I understand it this way: crippling a healthy person or making them sick, when they are unconscious or weak from discomfort, the demigod you mentioned can take the opportunity to infiltrate their consciousness and exert a more direct influence?"
"In theory, that's correct," Melisandre replied, a dazzling smile appearing on her face. "But directly harming the body is the most urgent and inferior option. In fact, when people's hearts are empty and they doubt themselves or their future, demigods can also take advantage of the situation. Overall, this is a method used by the weak. The Lord of Light doesn't need such underhanded tactics. Wherever there is fire, the grace of R'hllor can reach. My lord's power far surpasses the being you fought."
With the affirmative answer, the last bit of doubt in Aeg's heart faded: there was no mistake, the day Bran Stark fell was the day before he was scheduled to follow his father to King's Landing. It was the Green Seer who wanted to prevent his ideal successor from leaving the North, leaving his sphere of influence, and thus created this tragedy!
He immediately recalled all the dreams Bran had about the three-eyed raven after falling into a coma, and his guide Jojen Reed, who had the green sight and always looked sickly, on his way beyond the Wall. There were also more crazy characters who could make accurate predictions. Everything could be explained. The Green Seer wanted Bran to be crippled, on the one hand, to prevent him from leaving the North, where his influence was, and on the other hand, to take advantage of the boy's coma to instill information in his dreams that he had an important mission and must go somewhere to meet someone. Then, he would have Jojen, who was already under his control, guide Bran to bring him to his presence!
What a cold and ruthless method!
But there was still one thing that couldn't be explained. Aeg had seen Bran fall with his own eyes, and the cause and effect were very clear, not seeming to be influenced by any external force. He wanted to know how the Green Seer caused the accident. "But. this was clearly an accident."
"You're dealing with a demigod, my friend of the Night's Watch," Melisandre said, showing no disguise of disdain for Aeg's doubts. "You saw an accident, but was it really an accident? Demigods spread faith to make people willingly help them extend their influence everywhere. Within this range, they can influence people. no god can directly control people, but with subtle subconscious suggestions and whispers in the ear, along with proper arrangements, they can make the things they want to happen occur in various coincidental forms."
"The heart tree, the Old Gods!" Before Melisandre could finish her explanation, a flash of lightning pierced the fog of thought, and Aeg suddenly understood everything. He felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave, and in his shock, he blurted out.
Melisandre narrowed her eyes at him, nodded almost imperceptibly, and then shook her head, signaling him not to continue.
The red-robed woman's expression and gesture were almost equivalent to confirming Aeg's guess. Everything made sense: the Old Gods were just a belief fabricated by the Green Seer, or in other words, the Old Gods were actually the Green Seer. The latter used this "god" identity and related beliefs to have the children of the forest and the first invaders, the First Men, plant weirwood trees everywhere, thereby continuously radiating his influence outward. He not only watched and monitored the world through the weirwood trees but could also use them to influence people!
And what made Aeg shudder was that in this accident, he had repeatedly and tirelessly tried to interfere, almost averting the crisis several times, which caught the attention of the Green Seer. or should he call him the "Old God"?
Fortunately, he didn't succeed.
Cold sweat soaked through the thin black shirt, and following this line of thought, could Melisandre's curse by burning three leeches and killing three "false kings" be the same principle?
Robb Stark was killed by the Frey family, who colluded with the Lannisters at the Red Wedding. It seemed to have nothing to do with the three leeches. But the uncontrollable whims and oath-breaking of the King in the North, and the ultimate choices of the two betraying families, could they not also be the result of a series of whispers and provocations in the subconscious? Could this be the work of R'hllor?
Joffrey Baratheon was poisoned by Littlefinger and the Queen of Thorns working together. This also had nothing to do with the leeches. But Petyr Baelish took a huge risk, acting on a whim just to stir up chaos that was of no benefit to him, and Olenna Tyrell wanted to prevent her sweet granddaughter from marrying the "monster" Joffrey, who inherited the madness of the Mad King, and thus harbored murderous intent. The two conspirators joined forces to kill the king. Could there also be inducement and suggestion from the Lord of Light?
Balon Greyjoy was thought to have fallen to his death during a storm while crossing a bridge, but his long-exiled brother Euron Greyjoy, who returned to the Iron Islands immediately after his death, was the real murderer. This guy had been away from Westeros for years, claiming he had traveled the world. Why did he return to his homeland at the crucial moment of the War of the Five Kings and help Melisandre's curse come true?
The red woman's curse couldn't kill directly, but the Lord of Light behind her ensured that the ones she cursed were always killed by those who wanted them dead. "Interference in the subconscious and whispers in the ear" were the methods the "gods" of this world used to control it and attack each other!
Could it be possible. that the game of thrones, the battle between life and death, the song of ice and fire, was essentially just a bunch of gods and demigods fighting each other, competing for influence over this world?
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