White Harbor, Lazy Eel Tavern
This was the oldest and most secluded tavern in White Harbor. It had the oldest prostitutes in White Harbor, the most cloying pork pies, and the most watered-down ale.
Although the taste and appearance weren't great, it was cheap and filling for the lower classes. That's why the Lazy Eel Tavern had been in business for so many years.
At this moment, in a corner of the bar, two sailors were toasting with wooden mugs. The inferior ale was bitter, but you could still taste something of the alcohol.
They seemed to be whispering to each other, and only those very close could hear their conversation. At this moment, there was no one around them.
"There are a lot of ships appearing near the new military port near White Harbor recently. They're likely preparing to take action. We need to get this message out quickly."
The older sailor said to the sailor beside him, his tone filled with impatience and a hint of fear.
Seeing that the younger sailor beside him didn't react, the middle-aged man sensed something was amiss. He quickly asked the young man:
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
The young man raised his head, looking at the middle-aged man in front of him with a confused expression, and said:
"Boss! Do you think there's any point in what we're doing? Can we even deal with those Dragons and Giants? There are rumors that the Valyrian Empire has a secret unit that can transform into all kinds of beasts, killing you from places you'd never expect. They have three Dragons, and those Griffins too. Is there really any point in what we're doing?
The Seven Kingdoms will be conquered sooner or later. Sending out information here means nothing to those noble lords. They're doomed. We have no future if we follow them."
After hearing this, the middle-aged man also sighed helplessly:
"Sigh! What can we do? I was supposed to be beheaded. If it weren't for the Lord saving me, how would I have a chance to live again? We small fries can't interfere in the affairs of the big shots."
The middle-aged man's words were full of helplessness. These spies had witnessed the fall of White Harbor with their own eyes, and they had seen the legendary Dragons and Giants. After seeing these things, they were also full of worry about the future of their master.
"I'm really sick of this life. I don't want to go on like this anymore. White Harbor has already posted an announcement, saying that as long as we're willing to go north and cultivate the land, we can have that land after farming for two years."
"I'm sick of this life, dealing with those disgusting chicken-girls and sailors every day. I want a fresh start. Those officials said that as long as we swear loyalty to the Valyrian Empire, they won't care about our backgrounds.
They also have incentives for those willing to farm the land. They'll provide us with tools, building materials, and seeds. I heard from those merchants from the North that the Empire helps the farming families, only taking half the harvest as tax, and even exempting them entirely in times of disaster."
The young man grew more excited as he spoke, his voice rising unconsciously, prompting the middle-aged man beside him to gesture for silence.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? What exactly are you planning?"
The middle-aged man said with some displeasure, his tone turning cold. He was quite unhappy with his companion at the moment.
"Boss, I just wanted to tell you that I'm leaving. I'm getting out of here, going North!"
"Are you kidding me? Don't you know what we are? Don't you know how the master will deal with us?"
"That's why I'm talking to you! If we leave directly, there won't be any problems. I heard that among those fleeing from the South, there are more women than men. We can find a wife, and then we can live out our lives in peace."
The young man's words plunged the middle-aged man into deep thought. His gaze was fixed on the wine glass in his hand, his heart filled with conflict.
"Sigh! I... can we really do this? Lemon, that... that master, won't he..."
The middle-aged man stammered, his long-standing loyalty to his master making him uncertain about his future.
The young man, Lemon, saw the middle-aged man's concerns and lowered his voice, saying, "John, we can choose again. Don't be afraid. We've served them for so long. Do you plan to die of old age here? Or do you want to end up like Sweet Corn and the others, hanged?"
Sweet Corn, mentioned by Lemon, was a small leader among their group of spies, ranked lower than Lemon and his associates. There were five of them. They had been exposed during a recent mission and hanged on the city walls of White Harbor.
Fortunately, these individuals usually had single-line contact with Lemon and his group, and didn't know what they looked like. Otherwise, they would probably have ended up joining them.
It was precisely this incident that spurred Lemon's desire to escape. He was already terrified of living such a precarious life. He would rather be an ordinary person than do something that could cost him his head.
Although they received generous rewards after each mission, they always squandered them.
Lemon had enjoyed the finest courtesans in King's Landing and Gulltown, and he'd tasted the most delicious Qingting Island wine, but all of it had been bought with his and his former companions' lives.
Now, Lemon no longer wanted to live like that. He just wanted to live a good life. So, he once again turned his gaze towards his boss, John.
John's expression had returned to normal, and his eyes were filled with determination. Then, he looked at Lemon and said, word by word:
"I agree. Let's leave now and go sign up immediately. I still have five gold dragons. That's enough for us to buy a good piece of land. I heard that you can buy Goblin slaves in Winterfell. Those little dwarves can help us cultivate the wasteland. We can live a good life then too."
"Great, hahaha! I knew you'd agree, John! Let's go!"
Lemon happily raised his glass, clinking it hard with John's. They both drained their glasses, left a few copper pennies, and then happily ran outside.
After they left, a leopard cat ran out from the shadows. It glanced at the situation outside, then ran towards an exit in the shop.
The leopard cat moved nimbly through the passage and into the tavern's kitchen. It ignored the three large rats pilfering cheese and instead found a certain passage and went directly into the alley outside the tavern.
The leopard cat nimbly leaped onto the white wall, running along it towards the castle. Its destination was the Godswood on the edge of the castle.
Meanwhile, in the Manderly family's Godswood in White Harbor, a group of people wearing hooded cloaks were praying before the massive Weirwood Tree in the center.
The leopard cat let out a low cry, breaking the silence. Then, more animals arrived, each finding their respective masters.
One of the figures, who seemed to be the leader, asked the leopard cat's master:
"Pippin! Did you find those little rats?"
"Captain Mance! I don't think it's necessary anymore. They've already been scared witless and are now preparing to join the pioneer team. Our forces have just begun to gather, and there are basically no more spies here. Even the little birds from King's Landing have been captured."
Pippin, who was playing with the leopard cat, said to the captain named Mance. He had been tracking the trail of these spies, and he was the one who found out about Sweet Corn's group.
Pippin learned that the spies came from the Vale and were under the command of a mysterious figure. However, according to information within the Direwolves, the Direwolf members in White Harbor knew that the mysterious figure was the current "Guardian of the Vale," Lord Petyr Baelish.
After hearing Pippin's answer, Mance didn't pursue the topic further, as there had indeed been a large number of spies fleeing or surrendering recently.
This was because the Direwolves' efficiency was simply too high. Against the ability of a warg, no matter how powerful or well-hidden a spy was, they were just asking for trouble.
The Direwolf members could easily monitor everyone in the city through their animal companions. After Marco conquered White Harbor, the Direwolf team members promptly moved in.
White Harbor was extremely important to the Valyrian Empire, so the first thing the Direwolf members did after moving in was to search for spies in the city, to ensure that White Harbor would not be ruined by these little mice.
Marco's policies had dealt a devastating blow to the noble powers on the continent of Westeros. Although the Faith of the Seven and the nobles had been constantly spreading rumors about Marco's terribleness and wickedness, this still didn't stop the spread of gossip.
Many rumors spread to several major cities on the continent of Westeros. Due to the questionable rule of the Iron Throne, many nobles were merely paying lip service to the Iron Throne's authority.
In the Vale, new and old forces clashed. The Riverlands had become a complete mess, and even the seemingly calm Reach and Dorne were experiencing undercurrents.
If it weren't for the Iron Throne and Lord Tywin's presence, the entire six kingdoms would probably have torn each other apart long ago. With Lord Tywin mediating, these various factions maintained a superficial peace.
After listening to everyone's reports, Mance lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He then commanded those present:
"His Majesty Marco has issued orders. He still hopes White Harbor can remain as it was before, so we must safeguard it and not give the enemy any opportunities.
You are all new recruits and haven't experienced the defense of Griffin's Roost. Back then, because of our lack of experience, the enemy infiltrated us severely. If it weren't for His Majesty Marco's wise leadership, we wouldn't have the glory we have today.
Therefore, I must solemnly tell everyone today, always remember the heavy burden we bear. We are the shield of the empire and an important force protecting it. I hope everyone takes this seriously!"
"Yes! Captain Mance!"
Everyone responded to Mance, their hearts stirred. They all knew their mission and why they were fighting.
Then, Mance continued:
"Alright, one issue we need to address is the Brotherhood of the Seven Stars. You should all be familiar with their activities. We've received information that they plan to ambush our grain convoy heading south."
The Brotherhood of the Seven Stars is a special organization comprised of fanatical followers of the Faith of the Seven. Its structure is quite complex, made up of wandering knights and commoners, backed by the church and some local nobles.
They despise Marco's rule and constantly seek ways to cause trouble for his administration. These individuals, with religion as their foundation, faith as their lifeblood, and self-interest as their flesh, have formed a monster known as rebellion.
Although Marco hasn't forcibly suppressed the Faith of the Seven, it's clear to everyone that he favors the temples of the old gods, which has caused dissatisfaction among many Seven followers.
The Brotherhood of the Seven Stars hides among the populace, using money and faith to cultivate the ground for their growth and expansion. This issue has given the Direwolves members a massive headache, making it impossible to carry out much of their external work.
Initially, these guys were just causing minor problems. While troublesome, they weren't too difficult to deal with. However, with the return of the people of White Harbor, this problem has become increasingly serious.
Recently, these individuals have set their sights on Marco's grain convoy. As Marco prepares for an expedition, the farms in the White Knife River region have been consistently sending grain to White Harbor.
Currently, Marco has a beastly army of nearly 500. Of these, there are about 100 Direwolves, about 50 White Tigers, and the rest are forest wolves and shadow lynxes.
To deal with the Brotherhood of the Seven Stars, who often engaged in guerilla warfare in Sheephead Mountain, Mance had specifically requested the deployment of a special force from Winterfell. The White Tigers and Direwolves could understand simple human language and commands. So, once the orders were given, they could be relied upon to reap the lives of their enemies.
After introducing this special force, Mance assigned tasks to everyone. Currently, the entire White Knife River area was where the Brotherhood of the Seven Stars was most rampant.
First, according to Marco's latest instructions, a "Star Hunt" would be launched in the White Knife River. Marco would spend approximately one gold dragon to publicly solicit information about the Brotherhood of the Seven Stars throughout the region.
Second, the Valyrian Empire's army would establish a restricted zone in the White Knife River area of Sheephead Mountain for a period of time. No hunters would be allowed inside, and the beast force would be deployed to hunt down enemy troops.
Finally, Marco would establish a Religious Affairs Office to specifically manage all religious beliefs within the Valyrian Empire. Any religious personnel who maintained the rule of the Valyrian Empire could hold positions there.
Marco would allocate funds and grain to assist these religious factions, making them a part of the empire and giving those who were willing to obey the empire's rule the highest positions.
If others played internal politics, Marco would play as well, and even better. Marco would provide financial support to the clan forces within the Seven Kingdoms, allowing them to help Marco disrupt the rule of the nobles.
In the mountains and rivers of the Seven Kingdoms, some clans of the First Men's descendants still remained. They were naturally at odds with the followers of the Faith of the Seven and had been surviving in sparsely populated or desolate areas for many years.
They had always yearned to reclaim their land, to once again become the masters of this continent. Marco anticipated this issue even before the Brotherhood of the Seven Stars emerged, so he intended to lay out plans in advance, to cause some trouble for the Seven Kingdoms and the Church of the Seven Stars in the future.
"Captain Mance! Should we take action against those hidden nobles now? We've acquired a lot of intelligence and evidence this time, enough to directly convict them."
At this moment, a young man who had listened to the plan asked excitedly. He had been thinking about dealing with the financial backers behind the Brotherhood of the Seven Stars, but he hadn't expected that the plan wouldn't include any measures against them, which made him a little anxious.
"His Majesty Marco said that we should keep these guys around. They stir up trouble, and then the people will truly understand who is ruining their good lives.
Lord Marco once said that the demands of the people are actually very simple. They only hope for a good harvest year after year, that their families are safe and sound, and that they can live a peaceful life.
His Majesty provides them with food, land, and houses, which is already a great blessing for them. Therefore, we must keep these guys, keep track of their every move. If we arrest them now, the people behind them will find new people, and we will have to spend a lot of time looking for them again, which is completely meaningless.
Now that we know where they are, we can learn through them who is restless and who is disobedient, isn't that better?"
Mance's words made everyone present nod in agreement, and they also admired Marco.
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