The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“I regret” is also a motto used by the Regret Killers when they kill. It's similar to the Faceless Men's 'All men must die, all men must serve.'

In Essos, there are Faceless Men in the west and Regret Killers in the east.

Faceless Men are skilled in disguise, while Regret Killers excel at using scorpion-tailed beasts.

Scorpion-tailed beasts are venomous creatures, about the size of a child's fist, with scorpion tails. They can hide in dressing boxes, shoes, clothes, hats... They can also scale the highest city walls, enter the dirtiest underground sewers, and silently enter even the most heavily guarded royal chambers—they only need a crack to enter places even the most skilled assassins cannot.

Scorpion-tailed beasts are the ornaments, pets, and deadly venomous killers who listen to their master's spells.

No one knows the location of the Regret Killers' headquarters, nor does anyone know the relationship between the Regret Killers and the royal family.

The history of the Regret Killers is not as ancient as that of the Faceless Men, but in the East, their reputation exceeds that of the Faceless Men.

Everyone's face changes at the mention of Regret Killers.

But there are exceptions—the warlocks of the House of the Undying do not fear the Regret Killers.

*

On the throne of the House of a Thousand, the King sat on the highest and largest throne, looking like a solemn god.

The King was very tall, appearing to be no less than two meters. His skin was as white as milk, with light black freckles on either side of his high, straight nose.

The King's blue eyes were like ice jade. He quickly finished reading the letter from the Undying Warlock, and then the letter was passed around among the royal family members on both sides.

The first to come before the King were four 'Undying'.

They placed their palms on their left chests, over their hearts, and bowed slightly to the King. The King nodded and extended his hand, signaling the four Undying to sit on the four large chairs in the second row.

Soon, the Scorpion-Tail Elder floated up, stopping two steps away from the King. She pressed her right palm to her left chest and bowed her head to the King.

The King nodded in return.

The Scorpion-Tail Elder sat on a large wooden chair in the third row.

It was evident that she maintained a certain distance from the four 'Undying' warlocks, as if they were all somewhat wary of each other.

*

The Thirteen Magnates walked up, adorned with gold and jade, dressed in brocade and silk, colorful and vibrant, all exuding an air of wealth and harmony, smiling, elegant, and noble. They stood in a row, bowing to the King in unison, praising the King in a singing voice. The Thirteen Magnates sat on the left side of the second row, maintaining a distance of seven large wooden chairs from the four 'Undying' warlocks, who were also seated in the second row.

The Thirteen Magnates greeted the four 'Undying' warlocks, and then greeted the Scorpion-Tail Elder.

The four Undying warlocks politely returned the greetings of the Thirteen Magnates, but the Regret Killer Elder in the third row ignored the greetings of the Thirteen Magnates. Her face was hidden under a black veil, and her pair of large black eyes coldly stared at the Thirteen Magnates before looking away.

The Regret Killer Elder's face has never been shown to anyone. She also never gets close to or greets anyone except His Majesty the King.

On the surface, she appeared to be a woman, but whether that was the case, perhaps only the four Undying warlocks knew the truth. What the Thirteen Magnates heard were only unreliable rumors.

Perhaps the Undying warlocks did not fear the Regret Killers, but the Thirteen Magnates were clearly quite in awe of the Regret Killer Elder. Offending the Regret Killer Elder might mean they would die mysteriously before nightfall.

It is said that the small scorpion-tailed beasts are only the size of a fingernail, move as fast as lightning, and crawl close to the ground, making them impossible to guard against. As long as they bite someone, or climb into their carriage, or sneak into their clothes, it is an unsolvable threat of death. And whether the scorpion-tailed beast will ultimately take their lives is entirely up to the Regret Killer Elder.

The Faceless Men do not have huge fees and do not indiscriminately kill anyone.

The Regret Killers are different. Anyone who offends the Regret Killers often dies mysteriously from poisoning.

*

After the Thirteen Magnates were the five rulers of the Tourmaline Brotherhood.

They were tall and imposing, with skin as white as milk, like the King's.

The people of Qarth all have very white skin, and the white of the women's skin is even more like beautiful jade.

The five rulers of the Tourmaline Brotherhood all wore scale armor made of brass, and long-beaked helmets inlaid with copper teeth and jade, with long black feathers inserted behind the helmets.

The Commander-in-Chief, the Deputy Commander, and the three Generals all took off their helmets, placed their right fists on their left chests, bowed their heads, and paid their respects to His Majesty the King.

His Majesty the King smiled, nodded, and waved his hand. The five rulers of the Tourmaline Brotherhood chose to sit in the third row, separated from the Regret Killer Elder in the third row by nine large wooden chairs.

*

The last to arrive were the three Guild Masters of the Ancient Spice Guild: one Grand Master and two Deputy Masters.

The spices sold to the East and West are basically controlled by the Ancient Spice Guild. The precious spices they control, whether edible or for external use, are worth more than gold.

After the three Guild Masters of the Ancient Spice Guild paid their respects to His Majesty the King, they respectfully greeted the four Undying warlocks, the Thirteen Magnates, the Regret Killer Elder, and the Tourmaline Brotherhood in turn.

Except for the Regret Killer Elder, who only responded with a look, the others returned with elegant etiquette.

*

His Majesty the King said softly, "Undying warlocks, respected Regret Killer Elder, esteemed lords, Commander and Generals, the Westerosi King, the Mountain, has conquered the western part of Essos and the Dothraki. Now he is invading with his army. Everyone is aware of this, yes?" Although it was a question, it was actually a statement of fact.

Everyone agreed in unison. Only the Scorpion-Tail Elder did not respond, her large black eyes as cold as the deadly eyes of a scorpion-tailed beast.

"Qarth has experienced more than a hundred battles, large and small, since its establishment, but Qarth still stands here. However, this time may be a little different. The Mountain who is invading has conquered Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons. He has one dragon, three young dragons, and three small dragons that can already fly and fight. Everyone, Qarth is our home. How should we meet the enemy?"

"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion. We can secretly send a Regret Killer to assassinate the Mountain. If the Mountain dies, the enemy's morale will be挫折, which can打击the enemy's morale and increase our chances of winning," said the Commander-in-Chief of the Tourmaline Brotherhood.

His Majesty the King first glanced at the four Undying warlocks, and then looked at the Regret Killer Elder: "Scorpion-Tail Elder, can we ask you to send a Regret Killer to assassinate the Mountain?"

"It's worth a try," the Scorpion-Tail Elder said faintly.

"Worth a try?" the King asked.

Regarding the Regret Killers' actions, the King believed that they would not fail. But the Elder's answer seemed to lack full confidence.

"Your Majesty, the Undying Warlock Pyat Pree once told me that the Mountain is likely the rumored son of the Red God, the Lightbringer of R'hllor. He killed the King of the Others—the Night King. Beside him, there are two blood witches and a Red Priest protecting him. The blood witches and the Red Priest, their magical powers can see some fragments of the future and the King's deadly threats. Perhaps when my Regret Killer approaches the Mountain, he will most likely be detected in advance by the wizards around him."