The next morning, a knock on the door made Moonshadow, who was still practicing her "bitey technique," blush. She quickly dove under the covers. Seeing that Mark hadn't reacted, she reached out a small hand and nudged him, urging him to go see who it was.
Mark could only get up helplessly. He threw on some clothes and went to the door. Slowly, he peeked outside and found it was Maeve. At first, he'd thought it was a hotel staff member.
Maeve stood in the hallway, her face flushed. Mark asked, a little puzzled, "What's wrong, Maeve? What's the matter? Didn't we agree to leave at noon?"
Looking at Mark's handsome face and the glimpse of his exposed chest, Maeve's face grew even redder. She whispered, "I've discovered something that needs your decision. I'll be waiting in the room next door."
With that, she hastily left, leaving Mark to grin at her. It would be strange if Maeve wasn't embarrassed seeing Mark like that!
However, Mark loved seeing Maeve embarrassed. Usually, Maeve gave off a very aloof vibe. While she was pleasing to the eye, she lacked a certain warmth. The Maeve who was shy seemed more like a woman than an archangel.
Since she'd put it that way, Mark couldn't continue his morning "exercise." He went back to the bed and pulled his little wife up.
Then, Mark led Moonshadow to the guest room next door. Maeve had already shed her shyness. After they were seated, she began to recount what had happened.
"Pirates?"
Mark asked, somewhat uncertain. It seemed strange how pirates could have come here. He also sensed something was amiss, so he gestured for Maeve to continue.
It turned out that this morning, Maeve had overheard a conversation in an alley behind the inn about an attack and reconnaissance.
Curious, Maeve increased her magical output and discovered that a small house behind the inn was actually a hideout and a place for the pirates to dispose of stolen goods.
The identity of these pirates was also quite interesting; they were Mark's "old friends," the "Bloody Hand" of House Bolton. Since their last battle with Mark, they had moved their entire operation to the waters south of Widow's Watch.
This place was originally their old base. They had gradually extended their reach to Seal Bay, relying on their years of operation in the Bite. However, after their defeat by Mark, Roose Bolton had sent them back to the Bite to minimize the impact.
Over the years, House Manderly had been actively expanding outwards, trying to strengthen its influence over the surrounding area, relying on the immense wealth accumulated in White Harbor. The two countesses of House Hornwood in Hornwood and House Flint in Widow's Watch were both women from their family.
Especially since they were backing House Hornwood, supporting them in their dispute with House Bolton over land near the Broken Branch River. This made House Bolton resentful of both families.
Especially after Roose Bolton came to power, he had always coveted the wealth of White Harbor, constantly looking for opportunities to take a bite out of House Manderly.
So, with the support of certain nobles in the Vale of Arryn, he established the "Bloody Hand," a force that used the Three Sisters as a base to engage in piracy, targeting White Harbor's trade and plundering its wealth.
After the battle of Skagos Island, Mark had taken almost everything the Bloody Hand had painstakingly accumulated. Weapons, armor, and even their best ships were lost. Plus, House Bolton had lost a large sum of money on Skagos Island, so they suffered heavy losses this time.
Therefore, under Roose Bolton's instructions, Hackletooth Manson and his crew decided to pull off a big heist at Widow's Watch. They had already planted a large number of people in the docks and markets of House Flint half a year ago.
Ports are different from towns on land; they have a large daily flow of people. This gave the pirates many opportunities. After all, they always changed their flags when they robbed, and no one would have expected them to have so many people. It could be said that the Bloody Hand was very well-prepared this time, aiming for a decisive blow.
After listening to Maeve's description, Mark frowned. He didn't expect Roose Bolton to start acting up so quickly. Although Mark had extorted a large sum from him the previous time, it was nothing for the second-largest family in the North.
Although the North was vast and sparsely populated, only a few areas were truly arable. The White Knife River of House Stark, the Weeping River of House Bolton, and the Broken Branch River—these were the main grain-producing areas of the North.
During the era of the King in the North, after House Bolton swore fealty to House Stark, the most prosperous region of the North, the Broken Branch River, was divided. More than half was taken by House Stark and granted to House Hornwood. Consequently, the two houses have been at odds for many years.
Currently, House Manderly is ambitiously vying for control of the entire Broken Branch River. With their support, House Hornwood of Hornwood and House Flint of Widow's Watch have effectively choked House Bolton, like a pair of grasping hands.
If this surprise attack succeeds, House Bolton could cripple the tendrils of House Flint, preventing them from threatening the area east of the Broken Branch River.
"But, Old Skinflayer, I won't let you have your way. Two sides battered and bruised is best for me. Tonight, I'll let you all have a brawl while I enjoy the show."
Mark muttered to himself, having already devised a plan.
Afterward, Mark and his two companions had a simple lunch at the inn and remained there. Maeve kept watch on the pirates' movements, and sent a sailor to inform Henk.
The main reason Mark and his group were taking their time was to allow Henk to chart the sea route. They knew next to nothing about the journey from Skagos to King's Landing.
Although they had a general map of Braavos from Godde, the map they were using was extremely crude. Captain Charles said that it was a miracle they even made it to Skagos.
It couldn't be helped, really. The people in this world had a low level of education, and some knowledge and experience was passed down through word of mouth.
Though the Maesters knew everything from the heavens to the earth, the sea charts they drew were generally only used by large families and merchant guilds.
The world of Game of Thrones couldn't compare to the high-magic world of Athas. There, too, knowledge was monopolized, but they had magic, and many problems could be solved with its aid.
This time, because Captain Charles was also responsible for the sea routes to Griffin's Roost, the entire mission fell to Henk. Although he had received the Hero's ability infusion, he still needed time to adapt to the practical operation, so this first voyage cost Mark and the others a lot of time.
One of Mark's purposes for stopping at these ports was to communicate with the local sailors. If he could buy a sea chart, all the better.
Mark found maps for sale in Griffin's Roost's market, but these magical maps were ridiculously expensive. The maps of each place in the Seven Kingdoms were sold separately, with an average price of about 10,000 gold coins each. Maps of places like the Lands of Always Winter, where no one had set foot, cost around 100,000, which made Mark's heart ache. The sea charts were also around 100,000.
"My Lord! I had a good haul this time. An old drunk from Essos sold me a sea chart. It was cheap, only one Silver Stag."
Henk proudly presented a sea chart to Mark. The chart looked old, but it was drawn very meticulously. It was clear that the person who drew it put their heart into it. This was a chart of the area around the Bite, but he didn't know how much things had changed over the years. It could serve as a reference for Henk when they set off.
Mark nodded, praising him for a job well done. Then, he told him about what Maeve had discovered that day. Mark assigned him a task: to monitor the pirate's inside man and investigate their plans.
Maeve's perception range was limited, not as powerful as a skinchanger's. The leopard cats, swift hawks, and owls Henk had trained later were the most suitable for gathering information.
After that, Mark left the inn with Moonshadow and Maeve, accompanied by four sailors as guards. He wanted to take this time to wander around the town, as it might become a battlefield or be set ablaze after nightfall.
It was Moonshadow and Maeve's first time visiting the market here. Previously, Mark had taken Moonshadow to Last Hearth and Winterfell, but they hadn't visited the markets there.
As a seaside town near White Harbor and the Vale, the market here was also very lively. Although merchants only used it as a port and supply point, it still drove local economic development to some extent.
Moonshadow and Maeve were curious about many things, pulling Mark and asking questions. After a tour, Mark bought them a lot of things.
Back on Earth, Mark had been a poor guy, with no money and no girlfriend. Now that he had such beautiful companions, Mark certainly wouldn't be stingy with his wealth. As long as the two women were interested in something, Mark would carefully select and explain it to them.
Finally, they both stopped in front of a simple wooden booth where a puppet show was being performed. A middle-aged man was introducing the play of the day.
A crowd of children and teenagers had gathered. Tickets were five copper pennies for a seat and two for standing. The seating was made of wooden planks and stones, closest to the stage.
Mark casually flipped a Copper Star to the man, causing the middle-aged man's smile to split his face. He'd wanted Mark to bring Moonshadow up with them, but Mark had refused. It seemed this guy thought the three of them were a family.
Then, the middle-aged man rang a bell, announcing today's performance to the audience: "The Field of Fire."
The Field of Fire was the most important battle in "Dragon Emperor" Aegon I Targaryen's "War of Conquest." It was the only time the three dragons fought together, and the battle directly wiped out the two most powerful kingdoms in the Seven Kingdoms.
This epic, thrilling battle felt different when told by the three women. Mark heard three female voices from the simple wooden stage. One voice was older and should be the middle-aged man's wife, while the other two were children, presumably their daughters.
The entire puppet show lasted for over an hour. The two girls listened with rapt attention, excitedly applauding. Puppet shows were a common form of entertainment in Westeros, beloved by commoners in some towns, and not very expensive.
After watching two more performances, Mark pulled an unsatisfied Moonshadow along, preparing to leave. At this moment, the middle-aged man suddenly called out to Mark and ran over with a money bag, saying to him:
"Sir! You gave me too much money. I thought it was copper pennies, but my wife just told me it was a Copper Star! I can't find change for it! How about I give you this bag of change? I just don't know if it's enough."
Mark had just given them a Copper Star. It was his only one. His pockets were full of Silver Stags, change he'd received from an old silversmith in a trinket shop just moments ago. On the continent of Westeros, it was rare for commoners to have change in different denominations of metal.
Seeing this, Mark chuckled and said, "Keep it. Consider it a reward for your performance. My wife enjoyed it very much."
"No, sir! That won't do. We give what we get. The price you offered is too high."
A raspy-voiced woman spoke from behind the middle-aged man. A freckled woman with braided hair stepped forward, followed by two little girls. They were looking at Mark and the others with curiosity, seemingly fascinated by their attire.
Mark and his companions always wore hooded cloaks, and Mark, in particular, always wore his necromancer's helmet. When the sun hit it, the hood often reflected light, adding to his mystique.
"How about this, sir? Since your lady enjoyed it, we'll perform three more times for you!"
The woman said to Mark, seemingly determined to make up the difference with three more performances.
This left Mark both amused and bewildered. In this day and age, someone didn't want extra money? He said:
"But I still have things to take care of. If you don't mind, come find us at the Pearl Inn in the Seafood Market. I've booked the whole place."
After saying this, Mark left with Moonshadow and the others. They took another stroll before returning to the inn. Henk, seeing Mark return, hurried over to report the situation.
It turned out that those from the Bloody Hand had another base in a warehouse on the docks. They planned to launch a surprise attack tonight on House Flint's coastal guard, preventing them from issuing a timely warning.
At the same time, the Bloody Hand pirates would also attack the city's guard soldiers. By the time the castle's garrison emerged, the entire market and harbor would be in chaos. Then, the Bloody Hand pirates could make off with their treasure.
Just as Mark was about to make a plan, a sailor suddenly approached and reported to Mark:
"L... Lord! That family is here, outside."
--- Author's Notes: Thank you to all the book friends for your continued support with your recommendation votes!