Ser Linde couldn't help but sigh after hearing Velas's words. He knew there would be trouble, but he hadn't expected Velas to be the one bringing it.
Ser Linde's reply was somewhat off-topic. He said, "Lord Velas, I just turned sixteen last month. I'm only a few years older than you."
Velas was stunned by the remark, a hint of awkwardness on his face. He said, "Age isn't really an issue. You've seen Lady Moroa; she looks more like my older sister..."
"Wait!" Ser Linde stopped Velas and asked, "Lord Velas, how did you know that Lady Moroa wanted to marry me?"
"After the banquet just now, she specifically sought out my grandfather and asked about you," Velas replied truthfully. "My grandfather told me it was the first time in over a decade that she had asked about a man." He paused, then looked at Ser Linde again and added, "Also, a servant saw you and Lady Moroa meeting in the small garden. When she left, her face was very flushed, just like..."
Velas didn't continue, and Ser Linde understood what he left unsaid. He had no way to explain it, given how flushed Moroya Hightower's face was when she left, leading to such wild speculation.
"I didn't do anything," Ser Linde could only deny.
"I think so too. Lady Moroa isn't that kind of person, and neither are you." Velas looked at Ser Linde with trust in his eyes, then said with a troubled expression, "But the servants of the Hightower..."
Ser Linde interrupted Velas, saying coldly, "What's the point of keeping such talkative servants? Waiting for them to spread the master's private affairs everywhere?"
Velas gave an awkward laugh, regretting a little that he had come to find Ser Linde.
Ser Linde asked, "Lord Velas, was it your own decision to come to me, or Earl Layton's?"
Velas replied truthfully, "My grandfather had the intention, but didn't state it explicitly. I also think that forming a kinship with Ser Linde is a good thing, which is why I came to ask you proactively. And it's better for me to ask than for my grandfather to come personally, at least there's still room for a softer approach."
Ser Linde said in a deep voice, "I think you should ask Lady Moroa first, Lord. This is just a misunderstanding, don't let it become irreparable."
"I understand," Velas thought for a moment, said nothing more, apologized again, and then got up and left Ser Linde's room.
The next morning, Ser Linde accompanied Velas to visit several prominent nobles and great merchants in Oldtown, following him to the Rose Bank established by House Tyrell in Oldtown.
During this time, Velas never brought up Moroya Hightower again, as if their conversation last night had never happened, and Moroya Hightower also did not appear before Ser Linde again.
Upon returning to the Hightower at noon, Ser Linde overheard the guards discussing how several Hightower vassals had sent proposals to Earl Layton that morning, requesting to marry Moroya Hightower.
For over a decade, ever since she earned the bad reputation of being a 'madwoman,' this was the first time nobles had actively proposed to marry Moroya Hightower, which was quite surprising.
However, for Ser Linde, this was not unexpected. After Moroya Hightower, who had not appeared in public for over a decade, revealed her stunning beauty yesterday, such proposals would not stop. Currently, it was only some nobles from Oldtown; perhaps it wouldn't be long before some nobles from The Reach would also join in.
For the vast majority of ordinary nobles, marrying Moroya Hightower was simply a multi-faceted gain.
First, of course, was gaining a beautiful wife, even if she was a bit mad; compared to the generous dowry this wife could bring, a little madness was nothing.
Second, they would gain the support of the Hightower, thereby achieving a leap in status and position. The most important point was becoming in-laws with House Tyrell, the rulers of The Reach, which was incredibly important for any noble in The Reach.
"Which one do you think Earl Layton will choose as my great-aunt's husband?" Velas suddenly asked out of the blue during lunch.
Although he didn't explicitly state who he was asking about, Ser Linde could still sense that the question was directed at him.
So, he completely feigned deafness, saying nothing, while the nobles around Velas answered the question volubly.
Seeing Ser Linde feign deafness, Velas couldn't help but purse his lips, casually brushed off the other nobles, and didn't ask any more questions.
In the afternoon, Velas continued as planned to the Citadel to meet with several Archmaesters.
The Citadel, located on the Honeywine, consists of a dozen tall, spacious stone towers and domed buildings, each tower and dome a library housing countless books.
Almost all buildings within the Citadel are constructed on stone platform foundations approximately a dozen meters high. Such high foundations prevent disasters like tidal waves or tsunamis and also avoid ground dampness, which could damage the books in the libraries.
Because of this, all buildings are connected by massive stone arch bridges, and the Maesters' dormitories are built on these arch bridges. The entire Citadel has only one exit, located at the main gate.
In times of danger, such as war, the Maesters can close the Citadel gates, thereby completely keeping the conflict outside the Citadel.
However, sometimes the Maesters also allow people fleeing war to enter and stay in the open spaces between the Citadel's foundations, waiting for the conflict to end.
Because the Citadel is a very special place, when Velas had private meetings with these Archmaesters, Ser Linde and other armed individuals were not allowed inside the Citadel. They could only wait at the Scriptorium. Only some nobles who had studied at the Citadel and some advisors with Maester status were allowed to accompany Velas into the Citadel.
Not being able to enter the Citadel's libraries and see the armillary sphere created by the scholars of this world, Ser Linde felt some regret, but he was quickly drawn to the bookstalls at the Scriptorium.
The owners of these bookstalls were Assistant Scholars of the Citadel. The books on display were all defined by the Citadel as public domain. These bookstalls also offered specific copying services, specifically for transcribing books not available at the stalls but present in the libraries. Most Assistant Scholars who set up stalls here were from impoverished backgrounds.
Although studying at the Citadel didn't cost money, living and eating there did. So, the Citadel allowed these Assistant Scholars to earn some income through this method, preventing them from abandoning their studies due to lack of food.
Ser Linde browsed the books on these stalls, most of which were historical and biographical, some detailing the history of the Seven Kingdoms, others the family histories of ordinary lords, and some specialized books like trade histories. As for other technical books, such as those on metallurgy or agriculture, not a single one could be found here.
While Ser Linde was browsing the various bookstalls, the Assistant Scholars and common folk at the Scriptorium were also watching Ser Linde and Glory by his side.
In the morning, when Ser Linde accompanied Velas to visit various Oldtown nobles, Glory had already caused quite a stir. Now, at the Scriptorium, it continued to draw significant attention, with many scholars engaged in biological research rushing over, eager to record the physiological details of Glory, a mutated Shadow Lynx.
Although these Maesters were all bookworms with white hair from studying, it didn't mean they were the type to disregard everything for research. They were equally afraid of danger. When Glory began to growl threateningly and adopt an attacking posture, they all very cleverly moved away from Glory, hiding in safe places. This situation only ended when Velas emerged from the Citadel.
Ser Linde also selected a few books during this time, preparing to read them on the ship to Sunspear. After all, they would be at sea for a long time after leaving Oldtown, and it would be very painful if there was nothing to pass the time.
The main reason he only picked a few sets was that books were very expensive; even just a few sets cost Ser Linde several gold dragons.
The Citadel had been able to produce paper a long time ago, but that kind of paper was very brittle and lacked toughness. It would break if the surrounding environment was too dry and easily mold if too damp, so this paper was mostly used for making raven messages.
Formal books, however, still used parchment, which was one of the reasons for the high price of books.
As for the other reason books were so expensive, it was because all the books here were copied by hand by Assistant Scholars. A single copy of 'The Book of Kings,' which recorded the historical changes of the early kings of the Seven Kingdoms, would take an Assistant Scholar over a month to transcribe.
Because Assistant Scholars didn't just copy text when transcribing books; there were also numerous illustrations that needed to be drawn, and the intricate vine patterns and other decorations on each page had to be copied identically, because hidden within these patterns might be some unknown secret information.
The expensive books also made Ser Linde think of papermaking and printing. He wondered if, once he had a certain level of power, he could use these two powerful tools to make money and attract talent.
However, this idea only circled his mind twice before he dismissed it, because it was unknown whether these two tools could make money or attract talent, but it was certain that they would absolutely offend the Citadel to death.
Because the Citadel's transcendent status in Westeros was entirely due to its control over knowledge.
But once printing and papermaking were introduced, and large numbers of books appeared in various cities of the Seven Kingdoms at extremely low prices, then without a doubt, the Citadel would suffer the greatest impact, which would directly make him a mortal enemy of the Citadel.
As for offering papermaking and printing to the Citadel to gain its friendship, that was even further outside Ser Linde's consideration.
Leaving aside whether papermaking and printing could gain the Citadel's friendship, even if they could, the benefits he would ultimately gain would likely be very small, and there would be many troubles instead, such as the Citadel worrying about him spreading papermaking and printing, and so on.
Dismissing the idea, Ser Linde followed Velas out of the Citadel. Velas's expression was not particularly good at this moment, suggesting that his purpose in visiting the Citadel had not been achieved.
However, his mood quickly improved later that evening, as the Citadel specifically sent three books as a gift for Velas's visit.
Of these three books, one was 'Wonders' written by Lomas Longstrider, transcribed by an ancestor of House Tyrell who had studied at the Citadel. Another was 'nine voyages' by Maester Matthos, primarily recounting Corlys Velaryon's nine great voyages. The last one was a portion of 'Weapons of War' by Imyndon.
Apart from 'Wonders,' which held special value due to its transcriber, the other two books were inherently quite valuable.
For example, 'nine voyages' was a private collection of House Velaryon, the Sea Snake, recording the customs and cultures of the city-states and kingdoms along the coast of Essos, and also detailing several currently undiscovered trade routes, each hiding immense wealth. Almost every merchant and navigator hoped to obtain a copy of 'nine voyages,' but unfortunately, the book remained hidden on the Velaryon family's island.
The copy the Citadel gave Velas should be a transcribed version, and from the ink, it was evident it had been transcribed recently.
As for Imyndon's 'Weapons of War,' its value far surpassed that of 'nine voyages,' even though 'Weapons of War' was only a portion of the book.
Imyndon was a Valyrian, living during the heyday of the Valyrian Freehold. His exact identity is unknown, but based on his surviving works, which mostly describe warfare, he was likely a Valyrian general.
Imyndon's 'Weapons of War' not only detailed the various weapons used by the Valyrian army but also recorded various Valyrian strategies and tactics, serving as a comprehensive Valyrian war treatise.
However, this book had been lost in the past due to various upheavals. Now, it is said that only the original copy is preserved in Winterfell in the North.
The copy of 'Weapons of War' presented by the Citadel was likely transcribed by a Maester serving Winterfell. However, the content only covered a portion of siege engines and some war case studies, but for Velas, it was already extremely precious.
Thus, the sense of frustration he had felt at the Citadel that afternoon quickly dissipated, and his mood became much more cheerful. He was even laughing and chatting with the people of the Hightower during dinner.
Because he needed to attend a day and night prayer ceremony at the Starry Sept the next day, Velas returned to his room and went to sleep early.
However, Ser Linde did not sleep. Just like in Highgarden, he also commanded Glory to leave the Hightower and wander through Oldtown, learning about its situation.
Originally, he planned to have Glory also go to the Citadel to see if it could sneak into the library and try to steal one or two rare forbidden books.
However, when he commanded Glory to the main gate of the Citadel, no matter how Ser Linde urged Glory, Glory refused to approach the Citadel.
Through Glory's perspective, he discovered that the reason Glory was unwilling to approach the Citadel was the two Sphinx statues at the main entrance. These two Sphinx statues emitted deep green light, which made the Sphinx statues appear somewhat eerie and sinister in the darkness.
Ser Linde remembered that when he came to the Citadel during the day, these two Sphinx statues were just ordinary statues, and Glory could enter the Citadel and go to the Scriptorium behind the door, without finding any abnormality in the Sphinx statues. But now, it seemed the Citadel was more complex than he had anticipated.
Although he didn't understand what power was contained within the Sphinx statues, judging from Glory's attitude, the power contained within them must be very terrifying, otherwise Glory would not have become so timid.
Seeing that they were blocked, Ser Linde did not force Glory to enter the Citadel but recalled it, planning to enter the Citadel later when he had the opportunity to take a look inside.
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