Fairy City, West Garden.
The seaside tower where the former social queen Rhaenys once lived.
The roar of waves crashing against the rocks came in steady bursts, while the coals in the fireplace crackled softly.
At the dining table, the Dragon Queen ate breakfast under the service of her Dothraki handmaiden Irri, while a weary Tyrion sat beside her.
"Why are you the only one here? Where's Jaime?" Dany asked.
"Cersei is dead. She died horribly," he said bitterly.
Dany swallowed a bite of bacon roll and nodded. "I know. She's being punished in hell right now."
"Hell?" Tyrion's expression shifted as he asked in surprise, "There's such a thing?"
"Of course. The Seven Hells."
Tyrion's lips moved slightly. Looking at the delicate maid peeling an egg for the queen, he asked tactfully, "There are now Seven Hells?"
"There have always been," Dany said casually.
The dwarf fell silent for a moment, then added, "I hung several indulgences for Cersei."
"If just anyone could go to heaven, what appeal would heaven have left?"
After a brief pause, Dany said meaningfully, "When the High Sparrow first saw Cersei in heaven, his faith nearly collapsed. So, do you understand? The Mother must make choices."
To give Cersei a place to stay, the Mother personally created an illusory hell for her.
"If indulgences can't get people into heaven, what's the point?" Tyrion asked.
"Indulgences, as the name implies, only redeem part of one's sins. For example, if a person has 30 points of sin, only when all sins are cleansed, meaning the sin value reaches zero, can they enter heaven.
Originally, he wouldn't be able to enter heaven. But fortunately, he obtains an indulgence, and an indulgence can redeem 50 points of sin.
After using it, his sin value is completely cleared, and he successfully enters heaven.
But your sister Cersei has over 150 points of sin. Even after redeeming 50 points, she still has 100 points left.
At best, instead of going to the seventh level of hell, she receives some redemption and only falls to the fifth level.
For ordinary people, indulgences are sufficient. Those who are utterly wicked are, after all, a minority. Besides, hell can't be empty."
"She has at least five indulgences," Tyrion emphasized.
"Do you think the Mother would allow such a bug to exist? Even a hundred indulgences would only increase the Stranger's divine power, not grant any additional authority," Dany said calmly.
"Can't you make an exception?" Tyrion pleaded.
"An exception? Do you think heaven is your personal property?" Dany replied coldly.
The dwarf choked, rubbed his nose, and said, "There must be some remedy, right?"
Dany nodded. "Of course. The Mother never leaves people without a path. For example, angels in heaven redeem demons in hell.
If you have 200 merit points, you can offset her 100 sin points at a two-to-one ratio.
Or, in hell, by gazing toward heaven, Cersei might gain enlightenment, elevate her soul, undergo transformation, grow a pair of angel wings, and fly up to heaven."
"Self-redemption is out of the question. My bitch of a sister would still be a bitch even in hell. You have no idea, the wildfire buried beneath the Red Keep was her doing. She planned to blow up Aegon or you. Euron just followed her lead," Tyrion sighed helplessly, then asked, "How do you earn merit points?"
"Kill the Others, save the people, comprehend the laws, understand the doctrine. As long as you do things beneficial to the people and society, you will gain the approval of the Seven."
"Then look at me. How many merit points do I have?" Tyrion asked nervously, patting his chest.
Without even looking at him, Dany replied casually, "At least 120 points of sin. Only slightly better than Cersei."
"Impossible! What grave sin have I committed?" the dwarf shouted.
"Patricide alone is worth eighty points."
"He wasn't my biological father," Tyrion said weakly.
The Dragon Queen decided to enlighten him with a story.
"Thousands of years ago, in the Riverlands, there was an Andal king named Oedipus. Before he was born, his father seduced another king's son—"
"It should be the king's daughter," Tyrion interrupted.
"Fuck!" Tyrion grimaced in disgust.
Dany continued, "That king grew furious and cursed that the father would one day be killed by his own son."
"Ah, that's explosive," the dwarf exclaimed.
"To avoid the prophecy, the father abandoned the newborn Oedipus in the wilderness.
You can probably guess what happens next.
Oedipus was adopted and grew up without knowing his true parents.
Of course, his parents didn't know he was their son either.
By a twist of fate, the prophecy he tried to avoid came true.
Yet Oedipus ultimately entered heaven without any sin. Do you know why?"
"I don't know why, but I'm sure you're lying," Tyrion said dismissively.
Even the Seven and heaven are fake, and you're telling me stories about heaven?
"Fools who think themselves clever refuse the Mother's teachings yet still dream of entering heaven," Dany sneered.
I am the Mother. If you want to enter my heaven, you must follow my rules.
Tyrion immediately understood her implication. With a helpless sigh, he said, "You're right. In Slaver's Bay, you follow its rules. Go on, I'm listening."
"One who does evil without intent, if not due to stupidity, is not punished. One who does good with intent is rewarded."
She explained, "If you commit an unintentional mistake without being foolish, it does not count as sin. Even if you do good with a purpose, it still counts as merit."
"Doing good with ulterior motives still counts?" Tyrion frowned.
"True kindness without ulterior motives cultivates both mind and virtue, elevates the soul, and becomes an angel. That is the highest grade.
Kindness with ulterior motives cultivates virtue but not the mind. The soul remains mortal, but it carries merit. That is the middle grade.
Those who do nothing good and live mediocre lives, contributing nothing to society, are the lower grade.
Those who intentionally do evil are the lowest of the low.
The highest become angels and help the Mother manage heaven. The middle enter heaven as ordinary saints. The lower are reincarnated. The lowest go to hell."
Finally, Dany concluded, "Kindness, like cultivation, depends on talent. Some people are incapable of being naturally good, like you.
If I told you that 'intentional good deeds are not rewarded,' then why would you bother doing good? But if you don't, the world loses a bit of goodness and gains more mediocrity."
"What do you mean by 'not punished if not foolish'?" Tyrion asked again.
"Mortals live ordinary lives, and many mistakes are unintentional. But some mistakes are beyond their control.
Take Oedipus, for example.
That kind, brave man was actually a victim, toyed with by the evil gods of the Olympian pantheon.
But some mistakes, even if unintentional, are still unforgivable. For example, a thousand years ago—"
Tyrion raised his hand to interrupt her. "Just tell me directly. There's no need to add time, place, and names to prove you're telling the truth."
"Your perspective is too narrow to understand the mysteries of the multiverse. The gaze of the Seven has already transcended this world, beyond past, present, and future.
One day, you will kneel before the Mother and repent your ignorance."
The Dragon Queen's expression turned solemn. In her eyes seemed to flicker stars and the cosmos. Her sacred and imposing aura made even Tyrion doubt himself.
Could it be that my sister's true talent is being a prophet? She's even better at that than being a queen. I almost believed her.
"If I'm destined to repent in the future, then allow me to make some mistakes now," Tyrion said.
The Dragon Queen glanced at him indifferently.
"A thousand years ago, there was a village woman bathing her child over a stove. Halfway through, she got distracted and went gambling, forgetting her child in the pot heating over the fire."
"Then the child was boiled alive?" Tyrion exclaimed.
"There was also a mother who accidentally suffocated her swaddled infant. They never intended to do evil, but stupidity is also a sin."
"Fine, you have a point," Tyrion sighed. "By your logic, even if he wasn't my biological father, I still bear the sin of patricide.
But I don't get along with Cersei. Even if I earn merit points, I won't use them to save her. In the end, it depends on my brother.
How many merit points does Jaime have? Does he count as sinful?"
"Jaime has only done one truly good deed in his life, saving King's Landing. That's about fifty merit points. Most likely, he isn't guilty of sin, but Cersei certainly is."
"Most likely?" Tyrion frowned.
"Until a person dies and their coffin is sealed, how can you judge? Only when the soul stands bare before the Stranger can truth be known.
In this world, if something is driven by sincere, uncontrollable love or by social customs, the Seven do not consider it a sin.
But if it is driven by desire, then it becomes sin," Dany said softly.
Tyrion murmured, "Cersei doesn't love Jaime?"
"She does, but it isn't true love."
"Then what counts as true love?"
"Why didn't Jaime come?"
"Cersei died horribly, and everything lately has been terrible. He's overwhelmed with grief and fell ill. Sigh, honestly, I'm barely holding on myself," Tyrion said.
Dany remained noncommittal. "You saw how Cersei looked before she died. Disfigured, humiliated, in the most unbearable state for a woman. Yet your brother only loved her more. If their positions were reversed, what would Cersei do?"
"She…" Tyrion hesitated and shook his head. "I don't know."
"That is one of the Seven Hells, the Refining Heart Hell. It is filled with illusions, created to help one understand their past sins.
In that hell, when Cersei sees a disfigured Jaime, she recoils in fear. She cannot accept his ugly reality.
She does love Jaime, but external factors such as appearance, power, and wealth influence her too much.
Later, she is reborn at fifteen with her memories. When both Rhaegar and Jaime confess to her, she hesitates for less than thirty seconds before telling Jaime, 'I'm sorry, but this is the best choice for both of us.'"
"The Refining Heart Hell… interesting," Tyrion pondered with interest, then smiled bitterly. "Jaime must never hear about this."
Dany raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. "Perhaps Jaime is honest and wouldn't care.
After all, your sister's behavior in this life—seducing handsome boys like Lancel and keeping multiple lovers—doesn't exactly suggest she loves only him."
"Cersei loves herself the most," Tyrion said helplessly.
After chatting idly with the dwarf and finishing breakfast, the Dragon Queen mounted her dragon and, under Bran's guidance, flew into the mountains of the Westerlands to sweep through the army of wights.
(End of Chapter)
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