"But this is a Lannister Family heraldic sword," Ivan said, lightly caressing the golden lion's head at the end of the hilt, which exuded an imposing aura, and tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"A sword of the black brothers," Aedon interrupted Ivan, saying sternly, "For the Night's Watch, surnames are meaningless."
"Are you saying this sword originally belonged to a Night's Watchman?"
"Precisely."
"Then what is the relationship between this Night's Watchman and Dovier?"
"You don't need to know that," the old blacksmith shook his head. "If you accept this task, I can pay you a commission of 3 gold dragons, and after you join the Night's Watch, Dovier will also look after you. I should have mentioned before, he is a seasoned Ranger."
"Holy cow! A 3 gold dragon commission? Are you that rich?" Ivan subconsciously glanced around, a thought of robbing the blacksmith's shop flashing through his mind.
But the next second, he dismissed that crazy idea.
This was the central plaza of Harrenhal! Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse; no matter how much House Hoare had declined, it wasn't somewhere a mere mercenary knight like him could defecate on their heads.
"Alright," Ivan sheathed the heraldic sword in his hand and hung it at his waist, saying very seriously, "Deal. I guarantee I'll deliver the sword. I swear on my honor." I already told you I have no honor.
Receiving Ivan's reply, the old blacksmith smiled, then he counted out 6 gold dragons and 120 silver deer for Ivan on the spot, 3 gold dragons for the sword delivery commission, and the rest from Ivan selling his equipment.
Ivan put all the coins into his pouch, then walked out of the blacksmith's shop and retrieved his horse.
Recalling the task he had just accepted, Ivan couldn't help but show a hint of a sarcastic smile.
Even if he wasn't planning to stake out merchants in Salt Field Town, he wouldn't have taken on such a bizarre task!
Are you kidding me? A blacksmith in Harrenhal inexplicably pulls out a Lannister heraldic sword and asks him to deliver it to a Night's Watchman? And says this sword once belonged to a Night's Watchman?
There were simply too many suspicious points, including the relationship between the sword's original owner and Dovier, their relationship with the Lannister Family, and how, even though both the sword's owner and Dovier were Night's Watchmen, the sword ended up in the hands of a blacksmith in Harrenhal after such a roundabout journey.
If Ivan were currently playing a game in front of a computer, as a veteran story enthusiast, he might have to dig out all the secrets within.
As for now, he believed his brain hadn't gone bad yet.
Secrets often came with danger, especially when it was a secret related to the Lannister Family; he worried that he might inadvertently become collateral for some family secret.
Shaking his head, Ivan refocused his gaze on the heraldic sword he had just tricked… temporarily kept.
This was a truly huge gain!
Leaving aside everything else, this Lannister heraldic sword was clearly valuable. Based on Ivan's experience, its manufacturing cost should be over 10 gold dragons, and its selling price would be at least twice that cost.
The only problem was how to sell this sword? Ivan fell into deep thought again.
Undoubtedly, besides its excellent craftsmanship, the most valuable part of this sword was the vividly carved golden lion's head, which was truly a work of art.
But this thing was the emblem of the wealthiest and most powerful family in all of Westeros, the Lannister Family. In an era where emblems basically represented identity, there had almost never been a noble forging another family's emblem.
Naturally, no one would be crazy enough to buy a Lannister heraldic sword.
In other words, while this sword was valuable, it was extremely hot to handle.
"Perhaps that's why the old blacksmith dared to hand me the sword so easily?" Ivan couldn't help but think.
He had considered why the old blacksmith trusted him so easily.
His conclusion at the time was that the old blacksmith believed the story he fabricated about 'going to join the Night's Watch.'
After all, from the old blacksmith's perspective, a normal mercenary knight wouldn't sell armor, nor would he be so idle as to come and deceive a blacksmith. Therefore, he was almost certain Ivan was telling the truth.
And what reason would he have to distrust an 'upright, filial good knight' who had 'sworn on his honor,' 'voluntarily wanted to don the black,' and 'left all his money to his parents before leaving'?
Now it seemed the old blacksmith dared to give him the sword also because he was convinced Ivan couldn't sell it.
"Could it be that I can only melt this lion's head? No, if it's pure gold, it's fine, but if it's gold-plated, wouldn't melting it ruin it directly?" Ivan again rejected an idea.
"Huh? Wait, why the hell do I have to sell the sword?" Ivan suddenly slapped his forehead. "Isn't my most important goal right now to change my starting traits and disguise myself as someone who absolutely couldn't be a player?"
Tell me, what identity in this world could be less likely to be a player than a Lannister knight?
This gold-plated heraldic sword was clearly the work of a high-ranking blacksmith in a castle; even within the Lannister Family, only people of a certain status were qualified to wear it.
This meant that he now possessed the key prop to impersonate a Lannister.
Next, he just needed to get himself some exquisite clothes and a taller horse, and he could perfectly portray a Lannister knight.
Then why would he bother impersonating a caravan guard?
"No, no, there are still flaws," Ivan immediately shook his head. "I'm not facing NPCs, but players. Rashly disguising myself as a Lannister would cause a lot of trouble if asked about my parents' names when trying to fabricate a story."
Although the other party might not ask, what if they did? Refusing to answer with an angry look? Wouldn't that just create more suspicion for himself?
So, is there any way to avoid this from happening?
Looking at the heraldic sword in his hand once more, Ivan smiled; he had an idea.
This was a hand-and-a-half sword.
The hand-and-a-half sword is the most common type of sword in Western films and television. It combines the "thrusting" of a knight's sword, the "chopping" of a two-handed sword, and the "handiness" of a broadsword, hence it is also known as a bastard sword.
So why shouldn't he also pretend to be a bastard?
After all, who would be more secretive about their origins than a bastard?
Normally, as long as you introduce yourself with a surname like Snow or River, no one will press you about your background.
Unless they want to continue the conversation with a sword. In the Common Tongue of Westeros (which is essentially English), 'bastard' is the same word as 'natural child,' and discussing a bastard's origins is no different from calling their mother a whore to their face.
This perfectly avoids the possibility of other players trying to probe his specific identity.
Moreover, 'bastard' is not an option in the players' origin choices. Following the players' usual mindset that they should use their background stories to disguise their identity, it would be difficult for players to associate a bastard with a player.
"Ivan Hill, the bastard of some important figure in the Lannister Family. Because it concerns my father's reputation, I cannot reveal his name." Thinking this, Ivan turned and walked towards a nearby tailor shop.