...Early morning.
A convoy of carriages, fully loaded with large crates, slowly entered King's Landing. Imprinted on the crates was a sky-blue eagle soaring above a white moon.
The horses strained with every step, the carriage wheels leaving deep ruts in the dirt outside the city; clearly, the weight of the cargo was not light.
At the very front of the procession, the grey-haired Brynden Tully led the way on horseback, his blue eyes betraying a hint of exhaustion.
His heart was weary... He had been vehemently opposed to Lysa Tully's decision to 'lend' 1.5 million Gold Dragons to Baelish.
But a woman in love is always unreasonable. Relying on her nature, Lysa had actually used the ultimate tactic of crying, screaming, and threatening suicide against him, her own uncle.
Unable to refuse her, Brynden had no choice but to agree to personally escort the Gold Dragons all the way to King's Landing.
Though any observant person could guess what they were transporting, fortunately, the sigil of The Vale of Arryn on the carriages was enough to deter most bandits.
Combined with a full contingent of heavily armed Knights of the Vale, who had wiped out several groups of short-sighted rabble along the way, the Gold Dragons were safely transported to King's Landing.
He flicked his cloak in resentment, the black trout imprinted on the red and blue stripes swaying in the wind.
Brynden had already made up his mind: if Baelish showed even the slightest hint of not wanting to repay the money, he would immediately take the Gold Dragons back to the Vale.
What he didn't know, however, was that Baelish's time as Master of Coin was already a thing of the past, and the man himself had likely already returned his Soul to the embrace of the Seven.
Entering King's Landing through the Old Gate, Brynden's group headed straight for Silk Street—Baelish's reputation as the Seven Kingdoms' greatest pimp was far too famous... However, as they walked, Brynden noticed something amiss.
Clean... it was too clean!
It wasn't that he had never been to King's Landing, though it had been many years, but in his memory, not even the streets inside the Red Keep had ever been this clean!
The cobblestone road was swept spotless, appearing to reflect the sunlight as if it had been waxed.
The roadsides, which should have been teeming with soliciting prostitutes, were devoid of a single figure. Had he not confirmed it repeatedly with the knights beside him, Brynden might have thought he had come to the wrong place!
Just as he was wondering, a bald man wearing a colorful robe blocked their path:
"Dear Lords of the Vale, what an unfortunate timing."
The man bowed politely to Brynden and the others, explaining in a slightly apologetic tone:
"Silk Street is currently undergoing a reorganization. If you lords are looking for fun, please return on the morning of the Acquired."
"Reorganization?"
A flash of confusion crossed Brynden's eyes, but their purpose was not to visit brothels. He immediately barked:
"I am Brynden Tully, the Knight of the Gate from The Eyrie."
"I come by order of Duke Robin Arryn. Go quickly and call Littlefinger out to meet us!"
Now it was the man in the colorful clothes who was confused. Was the information in the Vale really that isolated?
However, whether it was the Duke of The Eyrie or the surname Tully, neither was someone he could afford to offend. He could only explain again in a softened tone:
"Respected Lord Brynden, Lord Baelish is no longer in King's Landing. All the properties on this entire street now belong to Lord Tyrion of the Lannisters. Did you not know?"
"What!"
...Inside the training ground of the Gold Cloaks.
Gendry was dressed in leather armor, a bull-horned helmet on his head, swinging a heavy warhammer with a whistling force.
Opposite him was Rhaenys, holding a greatsword and focusing intently on the fight.
Unlike Gendry's ease, Rhaenys was currently panting heavily. The swordsmanship he usually took pride in couldn't gain even the slightest advantage against this fifteen-year-old boy.
There was no other way; the opponent's strength was simply too great!
Who could have imagined this fellow was as strong as an ox? The warhammer, weighing dozens of catties, felt weightless in his hands.
If he let his guard down for even a second and got hit by that warhammer, Rhaenys had no doubt he would die in the line of duty on his third day of joining the Gold Cloaks!
Wielding the greatsword with difficulty, Rhaenys tried to launch an attack on Gendry. But every time he wanted to swing down, the opponent's warhammer would always reach him faster, forcing him to dodge in a hurry.
After fighting so stiflingly for nearly a minute, Rhaenys finally couldn't take it anymore. He threw down the greatsword, ripped off his helmet, and slammed it heavily onto the ground:
"I'm done, fuck!"
"I really don't know what this brat grew up eating to have such strength!"
Seeing his surrender-like gesture, Gendry also simply put down the warhammer in his hand, revealing a simple and honest smile.
But in Rhaenys's eyes, that fellow's smile was full of mockery toward him.
"Oho, Rhaenys!"
The several Lannister knights watching from the sidelines weren't about to miss such a good opportunity. They immediately began heckling the exasperated Rhaenys:
"How are you already done after just a few moves?"
"Weren't you usually bragging about how great your swordsmanship is, even saying you could take on three of us at once!"
"I bet all your swordsmanship was practiced on women!"
The group's talk became more and more outrageous. One of them actually pulled down his trousers and shook his manhood at Rhaenys.
"fuck, Jeyne, you idiot!"
Faced with their mockery, Rhaenys unceremoniously picked up the greatsword and rushed forward, shoving it into the other's hands:
"If you have the guts, go and try a few moves with him yourself. Don't just stand there talking trash!"
"I'm not going!"
Jeyne pulled up his pants disdainfully while tossing the greatsword aside.
Was he joking? He wasn't stupid. Even Rhaenys couldn't get any advantage over that kid, let alone himself.
Jeyne was very clear about Rhaenys's strength. It was fine to talk a big game, but it wasn't worth getting crippled just to save face.
After Silk Street opened, he still had to go and rescue those fallen women.
"I'll do it."
While everyone was laughing and playing around, a steady, gentle, and familiar voice sounded behind them.
"Lord Arthas!"
Rhaenys reacted the fastest, quickly straightening his back and placing his right hand over his chest as he greeted Arthas loudly.
"Lord Arthas!"
"Lord Arthas!"
Hearing his shout, the others also realized and followed Rhaenys's example.
"There's no need to be so formal; this isn't working hours."
With a gentle smile on his face, Arthas's current state was a world away from how he was during the tournament.
He picked up the greatsword from the ground and walked straight into the center of the field, his golden eyes looking curiously at the burly youth with bulging muscles before him.
He looks so much like him, too much!
At first glance of Gendry, Arthas felt that this fellow's face was highly similar to Renly's.
Thinking back to Robert's unrestrained personality, he guessed in his heart that this was likely another romantic debt left behind by that muddled king somewhere.
However, Arthas didn't intend to look into it deeply. Robert had been with too many prostitutes over the years; it was normal to have a hundred or so bastard sons and daughters.
What interested him most was Gendry's combat capability.
"Is your name Gendry?"
Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but the gentle smile on Arthas's face didn't change at all:
"Are you interested in sparring a few moves with me?"
"Of course, Lord Arthas!"
Looking at the gentle blonde youth before him, who was actually half a head taller than himself, Gendry's heart was incredibly excited.
The feat of dueling seven Kingsguard members was simply too shocking. It could be said that if news didn't travel so slowly, Arthas would have already been famous throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
"To be able to fight the first knight of the seven kingdoms is my honor!"
"Very good, you have great spirit."
His smile deepening, the opponent's eager expression made Arthas praise him sincerely:
"Then, let's begin quickly."
"But you haven't put on any protective gear yet, my lord!"
Gendry looked in confusion at Arthas, who was dressed in silk robes, and couldn't help but speak up to remind him.
"I don't need gear; you can't hurt me."
"That's true..."
Slapping the back of his head, the simple-minded youth once again revealed a naive smile:
"How could I be so delusional as to think I could hurt the first knight of the seven kingdoms."
Then he solemnly lifted the giant hammer, took two steps back, and warned loudly:
"Lord Arthas, then I'm coming!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gendry rushed toward Arthas with strides as agile as a shadowcat.
The massive iron hammer was held high, and it actually brought a hint of air-breaking sound as it smashed down fiercely!
"Bang!"
The dull metallic sound of hammer and sword colliding rang out, causing the chests of the Lannister knights present to feel tight.
"Good strength."
Arthas used only one hand to hold up the greatsword, catching that momentum-filled strike.
Since defeating the seven Kingsguard, he clearly felt the magic in his body growing rapidly, and his physical strength had also improved considerably along with it.
In a while, he would even have the confidence to slice a legendary Dragon in two with one sword—provided the opponent wasn't Neltharion... he was too strong!
After the failed strike, Gendry became even more excited.
Since his body began to develop, the strength of his peers was simply not worth mentioning in front of him.
Even among adults, he had never encountered anyone who could be stronger than him!
Excitedly licking his lips, Gendry once again raised the giant hammer with both hands, gathering all his strength to smash down fiercely!
Looking at the opponent's excited expression, Arthas decided to give the boy something to remember. A smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as he gripped the greatsword's hilt with both hands and met the strike from below.
With an even louder metallic roar, Gendry's great hammer actually flew straight out of his hands and landed on the ground with a heavy "thud."
He stared blankly in disbelief at his hands, which were bleeding from the shock. The intense pain told Gendry that this was not a dream!
Without paying attention to the child who was currently questioning his life, Arthas just calmly turned around and walked out of the field.
"Go and forge a new greatsword tomorrow; I'll reimburse you."
He casually tossed the now badly damaged greatsword to Rhaenys. This poor greatsword had truly endured a weight it shouldn't have in its life.
Watching Arthas's elegant departing back, Rhaenys slowly walked up to Gendry and patted his shoulder, knowing he was still lost in deep self-doubt:
"Wake up, kid..."
Seeing Gendry lift his confused eyes, a flash of satisfaction appeared in Rhaenys's eyes, then he spoke to comfort him:
"Don't be too sad; losing to Lord Arthas is nothing to be ashamed of."
"After all, he is the King of Lions!"
..."Lancel, what are you doing in such a hurry?"
Just as he walked out of the training ground, Arthas saw Lancel running over in a panic.
"Ar... Lord Arthas."
Only after finally catching his breath did Lancel straighten his back and report:
"Brynden Tully from the Vale has arrived. He says he's come by order of the Duke of The Eyrie and specifically asked for Baelish."
"Our people have already stalled them. What do you think..."
"The Vale? The Blackfish, Brynden Tully?"
Arthas murmured the name twice, then seemed to remember something.
He shook his head with a smirk, the familiar gentle smile on his face now appearing somewhat shrewd:
"Cousin Lancel."
"Tell me, with so much money, how should we spend it?"
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