Gendry glanced at the helmet he had forged on the resting bench in the smithy's warehouse.
It was a helmet shaped like a bull's head, with two curved horns.
Although made of rough, unpolished iron, its design was that of a master craftsman.
The large bull's head helmet was too distinctive; wearing it would make him too conspicuous.
Although Master Tobho, the weapon master at the smithy, had been kind to him, it wasn't a long-term solution.
"Farewell, smithy!" Gendry thought to himself, then, with his small amount of money and a short-handled mace, he walked out of the barn.
Gendry's mace had a sharp 'pick' like a bird's beak on one side and a hammer on the other.
The mace was small and vicious; few could withstand it in a real fight, having been developed to counter plate armor, those 'iron turtle shells'.
The foreman and the maid did not stop the apprentice from leaving; older apprentices had the freedom to rest, which was a humane aspect of the smithy.
They mostly assumed Gendry would wander around King's Landing as usual and return for dinner; Gendry was an honest and reliable apprentice, never fighting or causing trouble, a good worker, loved by all.
As for the short-handled mace, it was Gendry's own creation, and he always carried it when he went out, which everyone was used to, as the security in King's Landing was, after all, unpredictable.
Gendry ascended the hill; today, the Great Sept of Baelor was still bustling, with the grey-haired High Septon in his silver-threaded robes reading from 'The Seven-Pointed Star' in the square.
In the center of the square stood a giant statue of Baelor the Blessed.
It stood serenely on its pedestal, with a compassionate expression.
Gendry saw the beautiful white marble square and joined the surging crowd visiting the Great Sept of Baelor.
Among the praying crowd, Gendry also overheard a conversation between two vale men behind him.
The Vale was the first region where the andals landed, and they were quite devout to the Seven Gods.
"Our Lord Jon is very loyal to the King, but he doesn't have much time to manage the affairs of our Vale!
Lord Jon is very fond of what the House Tully people say, and he entrusts them with important tasks.
Especially Littlefinger, who got his position through the Lady's connections."
There was resentment in this man's words.
"Alright, let's talk less about Lord Jon's household affairs.
As for Lord Jon always being in King's Landing, isn't that natural?
The King dreams, the Hand builds the dream; the King cannot do without our Lord Jon.
If not for Lord Jon, how would the King have the mind to go hunting, hold Tourneys, or seek out women every day?"
His companion, however, was noncommittal.
"The King is certainly joyful, but Lord Jon has been too diligent these past years; he should have returned to The Eyrie to carefully raise his heir, that crying little falcon."
"But at this time, King Robert wants to wash his hands of it; besides our Lord Jon, who else can he trust?
Otherwise, Lord Jon wouldn't have served for so many years."
"However, the Gods have been good to our King; without so many years of long summer, how would the King have the inclination to eat, drink, and play!"
Gendry listened to their conversation, but the two vale men stopped talking after a few sentences.
The vale men respected the Blackfish to some extent, as the Blackfish was, after all, a legendary knight.
But they would not approve of a favored courtier like Littlefinger, who rose from humble origins.
Speaking of which, Jon Arryn's tenure as Hand was similar to Tywin's back then, both holding great power for a long time.
However, the relationship between Jon and Robert was, after all, that of foster father and foster son, and King Robert was not an extremist like the Mad King.
Gendry then pretended to wander for a few turns, then followed the crowd into another corner.
He bypassed the Street of Steel, and after leaving the Great Sept of Baelor, he ran from Muddy Way towards the River Gate.
He weaved through King's Landing, savoring the lively atmosphere.
Thanks to the free long summer, King's Landing was more prosperous and boisterous, and no one noticed a Boy's journey of departure.
Gendry's life as a smith's apprentice these past few years had been very stable, and The Spider's surveillance of Gendry had become increasingly lax.
No one was following him at all; Gendry even felt he had overestimated himself.
After all, on The Spider's web, his priority was very low.
On Muddy Way, there were farmers pulling beautiful corn and apples, knights on tall horses, and various foreigners.
Gendry paid most attention to the various knights, who perhaps represented different family powers.
Gendry saw the Gold Cloaks guarding the River Gate, in their black mail and Gold Cloaks; they were a lax force.
Gendry easily ran to the docks.
He wore a hooded cloak and an iron mask, but it was hard to say he was the most conspicuous.
Because near the River Gate, there were hundreds of docks, and countless ships were moored in the harbor; there were many people coming and going, let alone him, even beautiful Lyseni, purple-bearded Tyroshi, and even people from the Summer Isles could be seen.
The Gold Cloaks guarding the gate would only see him as a peculiar guest.
Gendry still needed to conceal his whereabouts, not only from The Spider but also from Littlefinger.
After all, the Master of Coin, the Royal Accountant, the Royal Measurer, the heads of the three mints, the Harbor Master, the Tax Collector, the Customs Officers, the Wool Agent, the Road Toll Collector, the Shipmaster, and the Wine Agent, etc., most of these people were Littlefinger's own men, and he also had informants at the docks.
The cursed thing was that when leaving the River Gate, Gendry unexpectedly encountered the King's retinue again; this might truly have been a coincidence.
Under the crowned stag banner, protected by the White Knight, the King was returning from hunting, reeking of wine.
If Gendry hadn't run fast, he would have almost been hit by the King's horse again.
Amidst the angry shouts of the Gold Cloaks, Gendry left without a change in expression.
Gendry found his spot on the dock; a merchant ship was already filled with goods from all over Westeros and was set to depart today for Myr, Across the Narrow Sea.
"Boarding, Boy!" the Myr sailor shouted loudly.
"Leaving now?!"
"Yes, sailing too late is very dangerous."
Gendry paid the fare and then boarded the ship.
After some more time, the ship quickly departed.
This was the only good thing about summer; autumn storms were the most terrifying, while summer was much better.
The merchant ship slowly left the riverbank, watching King's Landing grow smaller and smaller.
Gendry saw the beautiful royal warships, just upstream on the Blackwater Rush.
Then came The Red Keep; Gendry saw its tall walls.
The black and red dragon of the Targaryen family was long a thing of the past, replaced by the crowned stag of House Baratheon.
There is no eternal kingship; now, outwardly, it is the era of House Baratheon.
"Beautiful kingship, yet fragile kingship!" Gendry gazed at the banners from the ship's rail, lost in thought.
"This is my new life!" Gendry thought.
Staying in King's Landing had its pros and cons, but in Essos, Across the Narrow Sea, it offered him a wider horizon.
There were still many people from Westeros there.
"Boy, can you read?"
Although Gendry, with his hood up, was alone, the tall, solitary Boy still attracted the attention of others.
Gendry turned his head and saw an old man in grey clothes.
He was tall, slightly stooped, with many wrinkles around his prominent blue eyes.
He was already old, but his grey hair outnumbered his white, and a constant smile played on his lips, making him look like a grandfather admired by little girls.