The skepticism hanging in the air was thick enough to choke the participants of the parley. Jorah Mormont's eyes remained clouded with suspicion as he voiced the fear shared by everyone on the Targaryen side. "How can we guarantee you will abide by this agreement?" he challenged. "The gap between our worlds is like that of a wolf and a lamb. Can the wolf truly resist its nature and live in peace with the sheep?".
Daenerys watched Jason Liu vigilantly, her body tense. Even the Northern and Riverland lords standing behind Jason felt a flicker of the same anxiety in private. In a world governed by the "law of the jungle," the idea of a power so immense choosing peace over conquest was nearly impossible to grasp. The Northern lords only remained compliant because they were the first to pledge fealty, hoping their early loyalty—and Jason's marriage to Sansa Stark—would protect them from ever becoming the "sheep" in that metaphor.
Professor Wang and General Xu repeatedly assured the delegation that the modern world was a peace-loving nation that adhered to principles of non-interference. However, to Daenerys and her council, such a concept was alien. They had spent their lives in a reality where strength was meant for subjugation, not cooperation.
Behind the scenes, the modern administration had debated this very issue. While some argued for a rapid, aggressive modernization of Westeros to secure resources, the final decision—dictated by the Great Leader—was to maintain the nation's thousand-year foundation of peaceful diplomacy. They determined to conduct economic and trade exchanges without meddling in the internal feudal politics of A Song of Ice and Fire. Ultimately, the bridge between worlds depended entirely on Jason Liu's cooperation; without him, the modern world had no way to reach Westeros.
Recognizing that words alone would not bridge the gap of thousands of years of distrust, Jason Liu decided to end the meeting temporarily. To prove his strength and demonstrate the crushing reality of his power, he made a bold proclamation: he would take King's Landing the following day without requiring any assistance from the Targaryen forces.
Daenerys, glancing at the formidable stone walls of the capital, agreed. She was privately relieved; she knew a traditional siege would cost thousands of lives and put her dragons at risk of the city's dense array of scorpions.
The Calm Before the Storm
The parties retreated to their camps, each left with their own heavy thoughts. Varys felt a deep sense of regret; he was profoundly attracted to the vision of a future without war or starvation, yet he struggled to find a way to ensure Jason would stay true to his word. Quentyn Martell was the most unsettled of all. Upon returning to his tent, he hurriedly wrote an account of the day's miracles and terrors, tying the message to a raven to alert his father and uncle in Dorne.
In King's Landing, Tywin Lannister felt a temporary reprieve as the sun set without an attack. He spent the night strengthening the city's defenses and urging the craftsmen to finish more scorpions. The city and the two massive camps outside were bathed in torchlight, an eerie silence hanging over the Blackwater.
The next morning, the soldiers of Starfire City finished an early meal and began their deployment. Under the command of modern staff officers, they pulled heavy artillery pieces into position outside the Mud Gate. Infantry units, armed with automatic rifles, formed up behind the cannons.
Tywin Lannister and his nobles rushed to the battlements, staring down at the strange "iron lumps" being arranged in the dirt. Having lost his Master of Whispers, Tywin had no intelligence on these weapons.
"What are those things?" Tywin barked. The Reach and Westerland lords could only offer confused shrugs. Sensing a mounting dread, Tywin ordered his men to stand ready for a traditional assault.
From a safe distance, Daenerys and her ministers watched the Northerners prepare. Jason Liu sat on his horse in the center of the formation, his hand gripping a walkie-talkie. He looked at the Mud Gate—a gate that had stood for centuries—and spoke into the device.
"Commence firing".