Game of Thrones: I Created the Magic Web

Chapter 200 Maze

The maze was deep and secluded.

Purple beech, boxwood, and holly formed dense, orderly hedges, adorned with roses, monthly roses, and wild roses, adding a touch of spring.

The paths for walking changed in countless ways.

After walking straight for a while, the crossroads encountered were difficult to choose from.

Straight ahead was a wall of golden roses. If you wanted to pick your favorite flower, remember that sharp thorns were hidden beneath layers of lush green vines.

To the left was an arc, the view blocked by green walls of trees. Where did it lead?

To the right was a winding path that swayed back and forth. One could only see three corners, each corner with an increasingly large arc, while the more distant places were similarly deeply hidden.

Clop, clop, clop.

The white horse moved its hooves, stepping on the soft, grassy ground, and approached the golden rose wall.

A hand touched the most exquisite rose. Silently, the branches and leaves joyfully surged, sending the entire wall of golden roses to surround this flower.

Surrounded by countless of its kind, this rose broke free from the constraints of the flower wall, gently falling down with its companions.

It fell into Joffrey's palm.

And was then presented to the beautiful maiden, allowing her to play with it and smell it.

"It's like a tiny seven-layer cake."

Margaery giggled, stroking the smooth petals of the rose crown.

This self-constructed flower crown was extremely gorgeous, with a full seven layers. All that could be seen were golden roses, with the lush green branches and leaves completely hidden within the gold. Even more rare was that every petal was undamaged.

Joffrey held up the flower crown and placed it on the girl's head, merging with her original golden crown.

The girl smiled, her eyes narrowing.

"Hmph, I accept your gift. In return, make a request to the flower fairy, human king."

"Oh, beautiful flower fairy," Joffrey smoothly slipped into character.

"The Highgarden's plant maze lives up to its name. I am truly confused, which way should I go? Please, flower fairy, give me guidance."

He looked left and right, with an anxious expression.

Margaery blinked, "The flower fairy knows everything. Then, let's take this path."

Her finger circled around and stopped on the right, "There's a fountain ahead, the water inside is the sweetest, the cleanest, and the most thirst-quenching."

That side was closest to the exit of the maze, right next to the second city wall.

Joffrey held the girl's fair little hand, pulling back that mischievous finger, "Is that so? A spring that even the flower fairy remembers fondly must be worth tasting."

"Human king, hearing you say that, I really am a little thirsty," Margaery licked her lips, her pink tongue circling around.

"Hurry up, human king. The flower fairy's guidance will never disappoint you."

Margaery twisted back and forth a few times, urging him on.

A wonderful sensation came from the front, the strength just enough to stir the heart, the fragrance spreading, causing Joffrey to be restless.

If this physical body wasn't a prosthetic, he would have plucked this Highgarden rose on the spot.

"We'll listen to the flower fairy."

He flicked the reins, and the white horse under him immediately stepped to the right.

The maze slowly undulated and shifted behind them.

The eyes were filled with green, as if it were a green paradise. Flowers bloomed everywhere, all things competed to flourish, full of vitality, with beautiful lines, orderly and natural.

"Worthy of being the most beautiful castle in all of Westeros," Joffrey leisurely praised.

Margaery smiled gently, "Does everyone in the Seven Kingdoms think so? Not to mention anything else, the knights of the Vale have always highly praised House Arryn's Eyrie."

Joffrey insisted, "You're being modest, you're being modest. Highgarden is still better."

The Eyrie, such a high place, was so unfriendly to those with a fear of heights, not to mention the harsh climate, even completely uninhabitable in winter. How could it be as comfortable as living in a garden castle?

Joffrey once imagined moving the capital to Highgarden.

Although King's Landing's location wasn't particularly bad, located at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, with Blackwater Bay as a maritime defense, and the route to the other side of the Narrow Sea was relatively convenient.

However, its strategic position in politics and military was not obvious enough, making it difficult to directly control the entire Seven Kingdoms.

In terms of resisting foreign invasions, King's Landing was too far from the Wall in the north, and transporting troops and supplies consumed a huge amount of resources, making it difficult to sustain.

In terms of internal suppression, the North and the Vale had dangerous terrain, forming a self-contained unit, Dorne was far away, and the central cities of the Westerlands and the Reach were also far on the other side of the coast. King's Landing's deterrence was limited to only half of the kingdom's area.

For Joffrey, this situation was obviously difficult to satisfy.

Since the geographical location could not be changed, Highgarden and other castles came into his view.

Of course, Winterfell was the first to be excluded. Far from the economic and political core of the Seven Kingdoms, sparsely populated, harsh climate, and the shortest strategic safety distance, it was completely unsuitable as a central capital.

The Eyrie's reasons for being excluded were similar.

The economic center of the Vale—Gulltown—was considered for a moment, but ultimately abandoned.

Like White Harbor, Storm's End, Gulltown, Oldtown, and Casterly Rock, Gulltown was close to the coast, with convenient sea transportation, but it was difficult to control the overall situation, and its geographical location was even more deviated from the center than King's Landing.

After excluding the coastal castles.

The Twins and Riverrun, which controlled the Trident River, were also unsuitable. These two places could only control the Riverlands area, and the river network was dense and the area fragmented, affecting land traffic.

All the castles in Dorne were out of consideration.

Dorne, which was covered in deserts and had a hot climate, was not only economically backward and difficult to transport, but its people were also unruly, many of whom were descendants of the Rhoynar, with a weak sense of cultural identity, and had never been directly governed by the Iron Throne, let alone being the capital.

If the Long Night immediately descended, and a terrible cold wave invaded most of Westeros, making the hot Dorne the hope of the survivors, then it might be possible to consider moving the capital there.

But at least now, Dorne was the frontier of the Seven Kingdoms, similar to the situation in the North.

Thus.

The only two remaining candidate locations became Highgarden and Harrenhal.

Sitting in Highgarden, the Reach, Dorne, and the Westerlands were all within the scope of control, the Crownlands and the Riverlands could not protect themselves, and the Sunset Sea on the west side was also under control.

Harrenhal's location was closer to the center of the continent, located between the Westerlands, the Vale, the Riverlands, and the Crownlands, adjacent to the Gods Eye, close to the Bay of Crabs, and controlling the Narrow Sea was not troublesome either.

How should he choose?

Joffrey hadn't made a decision yet. However, this kind of thing was at least not possible this year. He had plenty of time to think, and enough opportunities to observe, analyze, and take action.

Like today.

Joffrey's eyes were deep and he stared straight ahead, as if seeing everything that was happening inside Highgarden through the layers of green walls.

"Flower fairy, please give me more guidance before evening."

Margaery turned her head and asked curiously, "What about after evening?"

Joffrey smiled faintly.

"There's serious business then."

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