The stiff, chilling atmosphere grew almost tangible, and many of those present even felt goosebumps rise. Amid everyone's anticipation for some "big gossip," the Faceless Men representative, living up to expectations, spoke in his usual cold, flat tone.
"The House of Black and White and Braavos have a mutually beneficial and equal cooperative relationship, not a subordinate one. Gorden Gallonier's words not only defy common sense, but also carry the implication of insulting and offending the Many-Faced God. I demand that you retract your statement and apologize publicly."
"I had no intention of insulting the Many-Faced God, and I can retract that metaphor." As someone who had once held power, Gorden Gallonier naturally knew the importance of political correctness and occupying the moral high ground, so he immediately backed down on the topic of the "watchdog." For a man who usually followed a principle of never retreating when dealing with others, this was a rare display of restraint. "But as for an apology, if the House of Black and White accepts this commission and handles it well, I can swallow my pride and apologize publicly!"
"The apology is for your previous inappropriate remarks, not a bargaining chip." The Faceless Man was not fooled at all by the old man's rhetoric. "No one denies that you once made significant contributions to Braavos, but please also understand that your influence is not so great that it can make the House of Black and White violate its principles to assassinate the representative of a true god."
There was no expression, no emotion, no vulgarity, yet the words were sharply confrontational, and the old man felt a faint ache in his ribs from the rebuttal. Gorden's expression slowly shifted from anger to gloom. If any member of the House of Keyholders from his era had been present, they would surely have given the younger generation a chilling reminder: when this man raged and shouted in anger, he was often only creating an advantage to seize the initiative. When his face turned cold and calm, that was when he was truly angry.
And the temper of this man, who had once nearly become the "King of Braavos," was never the kind of impotent rage that achieved nothing.
"You have a sharp tongue, young fellow." He sneered, his words beginning to smooth out and soften. "But I do not want to discuss today whether 'my influence can make the House of Black and White kill someone.' Right now, the House of Keyholders needs the House of Black and White to carry out a task. I ask only this: if we vote and pass this proposal, will the Faceless Men do the job or not?"
The Faceless Men representative sighed and replied reluctantly, in a tone that made his unwillingness very clear: "If Mr. Gallonier cannot understand the phrase 'unable to accept this commission,' then I can only give a final answer in plainer terms: we cannot do it!"
Silence fell once more. If the atmosphere a minute earlier had merely been heavy, now the air had completely frozen.
Countless gazes fell upon Gorden. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the old gentleman's next reaction to the Faceless Men's firm refusal. Those with quicker minds had even begun to wonder whether this Faceless Men representative would be able to return safely to the House of Black and White today, and how many more days the old man who had dared call the House of Black and White a watchdog had left to live.
Thus an old man and a younger one, one a former member and the other a current member of the House of Keyholders, stared coldly at each other across the enormous round table, their gazes seeming to spark against one another. After a brief confrontation that was in fact only a dozen seconds long, but felt like half a lifetime, the old man finally spoke again.
"Everyone knows that since its founding, Braavos has declared that it welcomes and accepts all deities and provides a place for all religions. But in the current House of Keyholders, only two seats are associated with temples, one seat for the Moon Singers' Temple, and one seat for the House of Black and White. Other religions, including temples of foreign gods, churches of the Red God, and the like, regardless of their size, have no chance to participate in these meetings. Why is that?" Gorden stared fixedly at the Faceless Men representative, but his tone seemed directed at everyone present. "The reason is simple: because only the Moon Singers and the Faceless Men participated in the initial founding and current management of Braavos. Only these two temples are masters, the other temples are guests."
"There is no gain without contribution, or rather, no power without obligation." He paused, his gaze still locked unyieldingly on the Faceless Man's expressionless face. "So now, if the House of Black and White suddenly refuses to bear the obligations it should bear, can I not also assume that the Faceless Men have given up the power corresponding to that obligation, namely, the House of Black and White's seat in the House of Keyholders?"
...
How vicious!
Everyone came to their senses and sighed inwardly. As expected of the formidable figure who had once led almost all of Braavos. Everyone had thought he would lose emotional control and be at a loss after the Faceless Men's repeated confrontations, but who could have guessed that he would find the opponent's weak point in a single breath and strike directly at their vital spot?
A seat in the House of Keyholders was easy to lose, but extremely difficult to recreate or add. Its value was simply immeasurable. Historically, no power had ever voluntarily given one up!
A woman in a snow-white robe sighed and interjected helplessly, "If the House of Black and White continues to explicitly refuse to carry out the House of Keyholders' resolution, then I can only, with regret, propose 'the removal of the House of Black and White's fixed seat in the House of Keyholders.' This Faceless Men friend, I suggest that you leave of your own accord before things come to that point, and quickly report what happened at today's meeting to the priesthood of the House of Black and White so they can make an official statement."
The speaker was none other than the representative of the Moon Singers' Temple. She spoke up now because although Gorden's prestige was unmatched for a time, he was, after all, no longer a current member of the House of Keyholders. Procedurally, he had no right to propose "the removal of the House of Black and White's seat." The Moon Singers' Temple owed the old man a great favor and could only grit its teeth and do it on his behalf.
That they had to grit their teeth was true, and it was also impossible to say that they were completely unafraid of the Faceless Men, but in the end, there was not actually much to fear.
All those present were the core ruling class of Braavos, and their understanding of the Faceless Men was far deeper than that of outsiders. Although this group of assassins had a terrifying reputation, as if they were the embodiment of death itself, they were not truly the embodiment of death. On the contrary, one-third of their deterrent power came from Braavos's propaganda efforts and the public's imagination, one-third came from the Iron Bank's strong financial resources creating favorable assassination environments and opportunities, and only the last third came from the Faceless Men's own strength and excellent record. Even within that record, there were cases where natural or accidental deaths had been forcibly counted as their work.
Rather than saying the Faceless Men were extraordinary beings, it would be more accurate to say they were merely "elite mortals" who had mastered a few minor spells. Ordinary people feared them like tigers, but another group of elite mortals who also met these conditions would not be intimidated by them, especially when the Faceless Men were not in the right to begin with.
Everyone simultaneously turned their eyes back to the Faceless Man who had been forced into a corner, but unexpectedly, this time he neither backed down nor continued to push back. Instead, under everyone's gaze, he slowly stood up, adjusted his robe, and bowed slightly to everyone present. "I apologize to everyone, but as this matter concerns a seat in the House of Keyholders, I no longer have the authority to decide on my own, so I have decided to accept Lady Isha's suggestion and withdraw for now!"
(To be continued.)