Chapter 55: The Methods of the Gods
There is a craft to lying. Egger had learned a very practical trick: to deceive others, you must first deceive yourself. What is truly invulnerable? Only the truth. If you create an identity for yourself in a story, it is best if everything that follows strictly adheres to that persona—doing things and saying things that fit the role. It is just like writing a novel; no matter how eerie or bizarre the setting, as long as it is internally consistent, it remains a logical story. If a liar is professional enough to hypnotize themselves into believing their own words, the ruse becomes nearly unbreakable.
Egger had fully immersed himself in the identity of an adventurer from across the Sunset Sea. Under this persona, he had indeed recounted everything he knew truthfully—if he hadn't uttered a single syllable of a lie, how could she possibly see through him?
However, while he intended to keep the secret of his transmigration hidden, he still did his best to lead the witch sitting across from him. As long as she continued to follow his guesses rather than growing suspicious, he could muddle his way through this encounter.
...
Melisandre—fans and readers liked to call her Auntie Mel, but whether she was Mel the Sister, Mel the Aunt, or Mel the Grandmother, there was no need to demonize her. This red-haired priestess was merely a woman who had mastered magic, or rather, a method of communicating with the Red God. Faced with a response composed entirely of truths, she couldn't find an angle to press further, even if she was unsatisfied. On the contrary, she was alerted by Egger's unintentional speculation; something quickly clicked, and she began to ponder with narrowed eyes.
"So that's it." Half a minute later, she linked Egger's answer to the clues in the flames, and everything made sense. "That boy possesses the constitution of a divine vessel. That demigod wants him."
"And what exactly is a demigod?"
"A demigod is a demigod—an existence weaker than my Lord, the Lord of Light, yet far surpassing servants like us. You can think of it as a powerful sorcerer."
"And the 'divine vessel' constitution?" Egger asked. "Also, if that being wants to use the child, why throw him down and cripple him?"
"The so-called divine vessel constitution is actually an affinity for the gods. Some can easily see the messages the Lord of Light intends to convey in the flames; others require help—and some can never hear the divine will at all." Melisandre wouldn't normally be so forthcoming with a mortal, but she was in the wrong first, and the man's status as a Night's Watchman was useful to her, so she decided to satisfy Egger's curiosity. "Interestingly, some who possess the finest affinity also have extraordinary magical talent—a healthy body, a powerful soul, and a firm will. These virtues actually hinder their communication with the gods... or more accurately, the god's communication with them. So, you saw what happened next."
A chill ran down Egger's spine, and he instantly understood the meaning behind Melisandre's words: only one in a thousand men is a born skinchanger, and only one skinchanger in a thousand is a Greenseer. Bran had the ultimate skinchanger constitution, making him the perfect candidate to be the next Greenseer... but precisely because he was too strong, the old Greenseer couldn't directly control him or whisper in his ear to persuade him to go beyond the Wall to accept the inheritance. Therefore, the latter chose a cruel method to temporarily weaken him!
Even this inheritance itself was questionable: did the previous Greenseer intend to pour all knowledge and memory into Bran, or was he going to possess Bran's body, observe Bran's life through the lens of time and space, and then leisurely impersonate him?
This speculation was perhaps too malicious; Egger needed confirmation from an "insider." "Can I understand it this way: by crippling a healthy person or making them ill—when they are unconscious, suffering, or weakened—the 'demigod' you mentioned can take the opportunity to slip into their consciousness and exert a more direct influence?"
"Theoretically, that is correct." A dazzling smile appeared on Melisandre's face. "But direct physical harm is a desperate, last-resort measure. In truth, when people's hearts are empty, or when they harbor doubts about themselves or the future, a demigod can just as easily slip through the cracks. Generally speaking, those are the methods of the weak. The Lord of Light has no need for such base tactics. Wherever fire exists, R'hllor's grace can reach... My Lord's power far exceeds that of the being you clashed with."
Having received a definitive answer, the last shred of doubt in Egger's heart vanished. That was it. The day Bran Stark fell was the very day before he was scheduled to follow his father to King's Landing. The Greenseer had to stop his ideal successor from leaving the North and moving beyond his sphere of influence; thus, he manufactured this tragedy!
He immediately recalled all the dreams about the Three-Eyed Raven that Bran had after falling into a coma, and Jojen Reed—the guide with the Greensight who was always sickly when they traveled beyond the Wall—and even more crazed individuals who could make accurate prophecies... Everything was explained. The Greenseer wanted Bran crippled, on one hand to prevent him from leaving his power base in the North, and on the other, to use the boy's unconscious state to plant the message in his dreams: "You carry a great mission; you must go to a certain place to meet a certain person." Then, he sent Jojen, who was already firmly in his grip, to guide him and bring Bran before him!
What cold and ruthless methods!
But one point still didn't add up. Egger had seen Bran fall with his own eyes; the cause and effect were clear, and it didn't look like any external force had interfered. He wanted to know what method the Greenseer used to cause the accident. "But... it clearly looked like an accident."
"You are dealing with a demigod, my Night's Watch friend." Melisandre showed blatant disdain for Egger's doubt. "What you saw was an accident, but was it truly an accident? By spreading faith, a demigod allows people to voluntarily help Him radiate His influence everywhere. Within that range, He can exert influence over people—no god can directly control someone, but with subtle hints in the depths of the subconscious and soft whispers in the ear, combined with proper arrangements, He can make the things He wishes to happen occur in the form of various coincidences..."
"The Heart Trees! The Old Gods!" Before Melisandre could finish, a bolt of lightning pierced the fog of his thoughts. Egger understood everything in an instant. He felt as if he had fallen into a pit of ice, and in his shock, he blurted it out.
Melisandre narrowed her eyes at him, nodding almost imperceptibly, then shook her head, signaling him not to say more.
The Red Woman's expression and gesture were practically a confirmation of Egger's guess. Everything made sense now: the Old Gods were merely a faith manufactured by the Greenseers. Or to put it another way, the Old Gods were the Greenseers. Through this divine identity and the associated faith, they had the Children of the Forest and later the first First Men plant weirwoods everywhere, constantly radiating their influence outward. He not only saw and monitored the world through the weirwoods but could also use them to influence people!
And not two hundred meters from where Bran fell was the Winterfell Godswood! All it took was a subtle nudge in the depths of his subconscious to give him the sudden whim to climb the Broken Tower to feed the crows, while simultaneously stirring the long-dormant desires of the Lannister siblings, leading them in their uncontrollable passion to find a place for their tryst... Finally, by neutralizing a nuisance like Egger, the accident was complete.
What made Egger break into a cold sweat was the realization that in this accident, he had fought again and again to interfere, nearly averting the crisis several times. This was what had drawn the attention of the Greenseer... or perhaps he should be called the Old God. Melisandre had said he had clashed with a very powerful being and left their aura on him. Thinking it over, hadn't he precisely clashed with the Greenseer?
Thank goodness he hadn't succeeded.
Cold sweat soaked his thin black tunic. Following this line of reasoning further, was Melisandre's act of burning three leeches to curse and kill three usurper kings a similar phenomenon?
...
Robb Stark was killed at the Red Wedding by the Freys in league with the Lannisters; on the surface, it had nothing to do with those three leeches. But was it possible that the King in the North's uncontrollable impulsiveness and broken vows, as well as the final choices of the two betraying houses, were caused by a series of whispers and provocations in the depths of their subconscious? Could this have been R'hllor's doing?
Joffrey Baratheon was poisoned by Littlefinger and the Queen of Thorns; this also had nothing to do with leeches. But was it possible that Petyr Baelish taking a massive risk on a whim just to stir up chaos that didn't benefit him, and Olenna Tyrell developing murderous intent to keep her sweet granddaughter from marrying a monster like Joffrey who inherited the Mad King's traits—the two conspirators hitting it off to commit regicide—also involved the guidance and suggestions of the Lord of Light?
Balon Greyjoy was believed to have fallen to his death while crossing a bridge during a storm, but his long-exiled brother Euron Greyjoy, who returned to the Iron Islands immediately after his death, was the true killer. This man had been away from Westeros for years, claiming to have traveled the world—how did he happen to return home at the exact turning point of the War of the Five Kings and help Melisandre's curse come true?
The Red Woman's curses couldn't kill people directly, but the Lord of Light behind her ensured that the people she cursed would always be taken out by those who wanted them dead. Subconscious interference and whispers in the ear—these were the tools the Gods used to control this world and attack each other!
Was it possible that this Game of Thrones, this duel between life and death, this Song of Ice and Fire, was essentially just a bunch of gods and demigods fighting one another for influence over the world?
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