"Tyrion Lannister and Aegor West," the fleet representative spoke first. "One is the executor, and the other is the decision-maker. As long as we eliminate them, the newly established Westeros Bank will suffer heavy losses and cease operations instantly!"
This view received a few nods of agreement, but dissenting voices arose almost immediately.
"You're thinking too superficially! Intelligence shows that while the bank was indeed jointly established by those two, could anything bearing the Targaryen name possibly succeed without Daenerys's approval?" Another Keyholder snorted and shook his head. "Since we've already decided to use ultimate measures, and we know we need to eliminate both the executor and the decision-maker, why not be bolder and go a step further to solve the problem at its root, by taking down the higher-level institution, the decision-makers of House Targaryen? The eunuch Varys and Petyr Baelish are already dead. As long as something happens to Daenerys Targaryen, Daenerys's faction, having lost the object of their loyalty, will scatter and collapse without a fight. Someone will naturally clean up the mess for us, and there will be no need to bother dealing with a newly formed small bank separately!"
"That makes sense. If we only focus on the Westeros Bank, what if, after eliminating those two, Daenerys continues appointing replacements, and the replacements are just as capable? Assassinate them one by one? Assassinating Daenerys is the fundamental solution!"
The sounds of agreement were louder than before, but the original proposer spoke up in rebuttal. "Who hasn't thought of that? But the Faceless Men don't kill Dragonlords!"
Not killing Dragonlords, this has been one of their secret principles since the House of Black and White was first established centuries ago. Of course, the original wording was not "do not kill Dragonlords," but rather "when the target is a Dragonlord, charge more, charge a lot more." The price for the Faceless Men's services is already incredibly high, and the price for assassinating a Dragonlord is, by rule, several times higher, reaching astronomical figures that even the wealthy Iron Bank finds difficult to afford. This is how the strange legend and convention of "the Faceless Men do not kill Dragonlords" gradually came about.
If this rule was born out of fear of the Valyrian Freehold's terrifying strength before its destruction, then by now it has become more like metaphysics. Yet the successive Faceless Men, who value tradition, have firmly adhered to this rule. The informed members of the House of Keyholders know they never make exceptions and do not wish to force them, so they have tacitly accepted its validity.
"If the Faceless Men won't act, then find someone else. The House of Black and White isn't the only one in the world that kills people!" The third person said. "But I want to add that, based on our understanding of Aegor, even if Daenerys is assassinated, he is still very likely to have enough ability and prestige to find a new king to continue serving, relying on his accumulated authority to forcibly drag the alliance into continuing to oppose us. So my view is that, to be safe, we must eliminate both Daenerys and Aegor. These two are the 'Rogare brothers' of Daenerys's regime!"
"Agreed. Daenerys and Aegor correspond exactly to the brothers Lysandro and Drazenko. The Iron Bank Special Affairs Department will find someone to assassinate Daenerys, and the House of Black and White will send Faceless Men to eliminate the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Everyone has separate tasks, and everyone is happy. I suggest we vote on this proposal!"
The current president nodded in agreement and began preparing to count and record the voting results. While he was preparing, everyone whispered among themselves, and the buzzing like a swarm of flies resumed. Although they were discussing taking lives, the industry magnates present seemed as natural as if they were discussing what to eat for dinner, showing no sign of surprise, fear, or any similar emotion. Even Gorden Gallonier, who had been sitting quietly and listening, nodded approvingly. He was very pleased. Although these juniors before him were terrible at identifying the primary contradiction, they had at least grasped the key points when discussing solutions.
For these actual rulers of the known world's financial center, the lives of outsiders were certainly not sacred and inviolable. Even a monarch and the Hand of Daenerys were merely more difficult targets, whose assassinations commanded higher prices.
However, just as the House of Keyholders was bustling and preparing for the first vote of the day, an unexpected twist occurred again.
The representative from the House of Black and White, a middle-aged man in a grey robe with a half-expressionless, generic face visible beneath his hood, and who knew whether it was his real face, spoke up. "Apologies, the House of Black and White cannot accept this commission."
The warm atmosphere cooled slightly. Some people had not heard the remark clearly, and those nearby, wearing puzzled expressions, repeated it for them. "The Iron Bank Special Affairs Department will figure out how to deal with Daenerys Targaryen. The House of Black and White only needs to find a way to eliminate Aegor West. Surely this man isn't a Dragonlord? He came from west of the Sunset Sea!"
"He is not a Dragonlord, but he is the red god's representative in the mortal world. The Lord of Light has shown undeniable divine signs in every Red Temple in the world, demonstrating Her awakening and announcing this decision. Choosing to harm Her chosen one at such a time is extremely unwise. The nature of this matter is more serious than assassinating a Dragonlord, and no price is acceptable." The hooded man with the generic face slowly explained in a calm but firm tone, making it clear that he had not misheard. "Not only will the House of Black and White explicitly refuse this commission, but as followers of the Many-Faced God, we also offer a friendly reminder once more: we advise Braavos not to make an enemy of Daenerys's regime."
This was the last remaining anti-war voice still holding the line. Although his short speech was not loud, it was exceptionally clear. Everyone around the conference table immediately fell silent, dozens of eyes fixed on this representative, who was likely a Faceless Man, each showing a different attitude and expression: hostility, confusion, mockery, and anticipation. After two or three seconds, the current president spoke with a gloomy face. "So, in addition to the rule about not killing Dragonlords, the House of Black and White has now added 'do not kill the representatives of gods'? What a joke! There are thousands of faiths in the world. Do you mean that if someone simply establishes a religion, its leader must be removed from the House of Black and White's list of potential targets?"
"Not so. Of the myriad deities in the world, most are merely objects of emotional projection concocted by some pathetic wretches. But the Fire God is different. She is one of the few deities in the world who has undeniably displayed divine signs. The doctrine of the 'Many-Faced God' faith holds that all gods in the world are different manifestations of the God of Death. Now that the God of Death has appeared as the Fire God R'hllor and displayed divine signs, it must be because She has important matters related to blood and fire that require Her followers to handle. As followers of a true god, how could the Faceless Men assassinate Her representative and ruin important affairs? The reasons behind this truly cannot be explained clearly in just a few words. The House of Black and White has no intention of influencing the House of Keyholders' foreign policy decisions, but our intention to refuse this commission is clear, and our attitude is firm. Please understand!"
---
This matter truly could not be explained clearly in just a few words, because everyone present except him, a Faceless Man, was mortal.
When R'hllor bestowed the dragon scale upon Lord Commander of the Night's Watch Aegor, She had guaranteed him: [He who bears the scale is the human representative I have chosen and acknowledged. My followers will obey your authority unconditionally, and all conscious life will revere your existence. All transcendent beings in the world who have seen or know of My existence, except for the cold god in the Land of Always Winter and the demons still active in the ruins of Valyria, will absolutely not dare to oppose you.]
As a severely injured being whose physical form was still incomplete and who could not even appear in reality, R'hllor had the confidence to make such a bold claim.
She was the ceiling of power in this world, absurdly high, so high that even the second tier of transcendent beings beneath Her could only look up to Her.
The "followers" and "conscious life" mentioned in Her words were easy to understand, while "transcendent beings who have seen or know of My existence" was somewhat broad and vague. The specific list would be very long, but it could be confirmed that it included at least the greenseers, a large number of sorcerers from the Shadow Lands, and the Faceless Men in the House of Black and White.
As for the reason, the lineage is also clear when traced back. The faith of the "Many-Faced God" worshipped by the House of Black and White originated among the slave laborers in the ancient Valyrian volcanic mines. It was brought to Braavos during the slave escape that led to the founding of the city-state. It was a faith born from a group of laborers and slaves, yet its purpose was surprisingly not to resist slavery and fight for freedom, but to worship death, regarding it as a gift and a liberation. Why? That is not easy to understand, but to summarize it somewhat bluntly, the Valyrian Freehold at its height was so powerful that the oppressed would rather seek death than openly resist.
Valyria had a very tolerant attitude toward religion, but no religion managed to develop and grow strong in that land, not even the faith of the Red God, which worshipped R'hllor Foester, the "ancestor of Dragonlords." Why? Because most Dragonlords did not believe in gods, they believed they were gods. Even if R'hllor Foester was as powerful as a god, to the Dragonlords She was merely a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, or a great... great-grandmother.
Who would worship and believe in their "great... grandmother," especially when the latter was still alive and well and could be seen from time to time?
It was precisely because there was no soil for development and growth within Valyria that the "Many-Faced God Church" later passed a resolution to simply leave its place of origin and relocate in full to Braavos, re-establishing itself as what is now known as the House of Black and White, in a corner of the northwest of the continent of Essos. Unexpectedly, this proved to be a blessing in disguise, as they inadvertently escaped the Doom and survived.
Few people who survived the Doom could understand how terrifying R'hllor Foester, the ancestor of Dragonlords, truly was better than the ancestors of the Faceless Men. And when successive generations of modern Faceless Men, who had inherited that experience and historical memory, suddenly discovered that R'hllor, that ancient being, was still alive and still capable of widely manifesting divine signs, it became entirely understandable that they would obediently admit defeat and have no intention of resisting.
After all, they were only a group of assassins, skilled in using the tiny bit of transcendent ability they had managed to grasp to strike from the shadows at ordinary people out in the open. Existences on the level of high priests of the red god were already enough for the Faceless Men to struggle with, let alone the Fire God Herself, an existence whose gender and location were unknown, and who could exert power from afar without even appearing.
Facing a boss whose dungeon entrance is hidden and whose health bar does not light up, even the most arrogant person can only sigh helplessly in despair.
---
Argument and debate erupted in the conference room again. The anti-war faction, who had previously raised the white flag, rekindled their fighting spirit on the strength of this prophetic warning. Just as the favorable situation, which had been so difficult to achieve by consensus, was about to break apart once more, there came a startling bang. Gallonier, who had intended not to interrupt the proceedings any further, slammed the table again.
"Understand? Is understanding enough?" Setting down the small pot in his hand, the old man angrily moved his inherently venomous lips and tongue. "Braavos accommodates the House of Black and White, provides you with shelter and convenience, and tolerates your many strange operating modes and rules, all so that the Faceless Men can work at critical moments! I don't know what considerations the House of Keyholders had when they agreed to and accepted your rule of 'not killing Dragonlords,' but today, here, in front of me, that trick will not work! Whether you can offend a Dragonlord, whether you can bear the retaliation that follows from the enemy, those are questions that the master, the entire House of Keyholders, is qualified and required to consider. What the Faceless Men of the House of Black and White need to do is obey orders. Whoever we tell you to kill, you will go and kill!"
The room instantly fell so silent that a pin could be heard dropping. Everyone looked in awe at the two people confronting each other in the room. The Faceless Man from the House of Black and White occupied only one seat in the House of Keyholders, and his representative had exactly the same rights as the other members, with no special privileges. In fact, this single seat was rarely used to publicly express opinions or participate in controversial votes. If one were to ask whom everyone respected and obeyed more, Gorden Gallonier would undoubtedly win. But if one were to ask whom everyone feared more and dared least to offend, it was clearly the unremarkable representative of the Faceless Men, whose real name was not even known.
The reason was simple. No matter how formidable or fierce Gorden was, he was only older and more prestigious, he did not hold the power of life and death. But the Faceless Men, although they would not, in principle, act against Braavos's ruling class, they could kill without a trace, couldn't they?
Who would want to stop breathing in their sleep in the prime of life, or choke to death while eating bacon?
Interestingly, these two formidable figures were now clashing.
(To be continued.)