Chapter 400: The Braavos Snow Disaster

A light snowfall began in Pentos.

However, in Braavos, which is situated at a higher latitude and further north, a heavy snowfall was taking place.

Snowflakes, like goose feathers, fluttered down, quickly accumulating on the streets and rooftops. The entire 'City of Stone' was transformed into a winter wonderland.

People venturing out in the early morning and merchants arriving by ship overnight were astounded by this unprecedented snowfall, marveling at the beauty of nature.

"When was the last time Braavos saw a snowfall like this?" asked a gaunt middle-aged man, his voice trembling. He was the current Sea Lord of Braavos, Ferrego Antaryon, who, supported by his First Swordsman, Quillan Valentin, had come to the open-air corridor of the Sea Lord's Palace.

Feeling the chill wind that slipped through the gaps in his clothing, he couldn't help but shiver and cough violently.

"Sea Lord," Quillan quickly removed his own cloak and draped it over Ferrego Antaryon.

This sudden snowfall in Braavos had caught many off guard. They were ill-prepared for the cold, and as a result, many citizens of Braavos were shivering in the cold, some even falling ill. However, the Sea Lord himself had been in poor health for many years and naturally couldn't withstand the cold.

Yet, interestingly, Ferrego Antaryon had been in this frail state for many years. Everyone knew that the Sea Lord's days were numbered, and they expected him to pass away at any moment. However, despite his frailty, Ferrego Antaryon clung to life stubbornly.

Everyone was waiting for him to die, but he held on, refusing to let go.

Afterwards, the weak Sea Lord, supported by Quillan, returned to his bedroom.

A snowfall, the likes of which hadn't been seen in many years, was just a fleeting spectacle. The Sea Lord didn't give it much thought.

However, a day and a night passed quickly, and the heavy snowfall in the sky showed no signs of abating. Instead, it intensified, falling relentlessly and eventually causing an unprecedented snow disaster in the history of Braavos.

No one had anticipated such an event. The heavy snowfall blocked roads, froze the city's narrow canals, and collapsed the houses in the slums.

A large number of Braavosi citizens, who were impoverished and had no preparation for the winter, were frozen to death in their beds. Homeless vagabonds were also frozen to death on the streets.

Overnight, Braavos, the massive city, experienced a terrifying white terror. A large number of citizens were frozen to death, some were crushed to death when their houses collapsed under the weight of the snow, and others fell into the water and drowned.

According to the statistics of the Braavos city officials, the number of Braavosi who died overnight exceeded ten thousand.

In the slums, there were many cases where entire families were frozen to death. Husbands holding their wives, wives holding their children, a family of three frozen to death in their beds.

The disaster that occurred in Braavos even surpassed the number of deaths caused by the great fire in Andalos many years ago by several times.

As Braavos experienced such a terrifying disaster, rumors began to circulate in the city amidst the active relief efforts.

Some claimed that Braavos had angered the gods, and this might be a prelude to an apocalyptic disaster.

Others claimed that it had something to do with the White Walkers across the Narrow Sea, as Braavos was geographically opposite to where the White Walkers were currently fighting.

The North of Westeros is at a higher latitude, bordering the Lands of Always Winter.

On the other hand, the northernmost city on the western coast of the continent of Essos is Braavos, and further north is the vast Shivering Sea.

However, the unprecedented snow disaster in Braavos was just a small episode for people outside the city.

Even the people of Braavos themselves were unclear about the cause, let alone others.

Viserys, who was facing the White Walkers across the Narrow Sea, rode his dragon back to White Harbor.

He then ordered the abandonment of this port city.

The Dothraki horselord commanded his khalasar to board the Iron Fleet's warships. They bypassed the Neck and landed near the Three Sisters in the Bite, surrounded by the hills of the Vale.

However, the mountain clans hid in the forests. Seeing these Dothraki, who were even more barbaric and fierce than themselves, they became as docile as babies, almost sucking on pacifiers to appear cute. Naturally, they didn't dare to disturb these lords' landing and slipped away.

But having these Dothraki was indeed a treasure for Viserys.

When Viserys left White Harbor to fly to the main battlefield on his dragon, a group of wildlings stealthily approached White Harbor, seemingly wanting to find some boats to cross the sea.

However, they were unlucky enough to encounter the idle Dothraki, and subsequently, this group of wildlings was annihilated.

It turned out that when the White Walkers swept through the North, many people who couldn

't escape through the Bay of Seals to the south were forced to stay in the North.

They hid in the dense forests, dodging the attacks of the wights, and managed to survive.

They thought the ordeal was over, but then they discovered a crucial problem.

That was, winter had enveloped the North, with heavy snow falling all day. Many trees were frozen to death, and even food was hard to find.

They dared not enter the castles stocked with food because they were filled with wights, most of whom were armed. But they found nothing in the abandoned villages.

Therefore, these wildlings decided to find boats and planned to escape by sea. That's how they stumbled upon White Harbor.

They had mustered the courage to fight the wights in White Harbor, but instead, they encountered an even more terrifying enemy.

Subsequently, these wildlings were killed, with only a few taken captive.

And these captives were the interesting part.

Viserys rode his snow-white warhorse, holding the reins in one hand, while Balerion, the black dragon, circled in the sky. A large number of Iron Fleet warships docked, and the Dothraki led their warhorses off the ships.

Among them were two large cages, which dozens of Ironborn dragged off the ship with ropes and rolling logs.

The 'monsters' caged inside roared, their hands and feet chained, but they still pounded the iron cage.

It turned out they were two giants.