Tonight, Aldric prepared a special dish: Braised Pork with Pickled Cabbage and Mushrooms.
He cut the pork into small squares and stewed them until soft and flavorful. The pickled cabbage, made from fresh mustard greens, used its acidity to perfectly neutralize the greasiness of the pork. The dried shiitake mushrooms, after stewing, released a natural savory taste.
This dish made even Tyrion, accustomed to delicacies, ask for an extra bowl, satisfying him from tongue to stomach.
After finishing the soup, Tyrion licked his lips and sighed to Aldric, "Captain Aldric, if one day you don't want to be a mercenary, I can introduce you to the top restaurant in King's Landing as a chef."
Aldric raised his bowl in thanks and asked with concern, "Is Sandor Clegane okay? I hope I didn't hurt him too badly."
Hearing this, Tyrion couldn't help laughing. "'The Hound' Clegane? Haha! I'm delighted not to see his ugly face for a few days. You know, if Jaime doesn't go out, and it's just me and Clegane wandering around, the Northmen might think the Westerlands only produces ugly men!"
Aldric nodded. "That's good. Fighting him wasn't my intention, and I didn't want to hurt him."
Tyrion put down his bowl and looked at Aldric helplessly. "...It's been many years since anyone said such things about the Hound. Perhaps in his eyes, you are more of a monster than that spider."
Aldric rubbed his nose. "Maybe. Being a monster is troublesome; you always carry some inexplicable expectations."
Tyrion nodded. "The North is the land of the First Men. Compared to the South, it's older and more closed off, with many legends about monsters. Giants three meters tall, talking heart trees, direwolves bigger than cows. I always thought these were just bedtime stories for country folk, until I saw the direwolves and the Ice Spider."
"Direwolves?" Aldric asked curiously. "Where did you see them?"
"You don't know?" Tyrion was surprised. "The Stark children each have one, still cubs. At the welcoming feast, I saw a little white one force back an adult bitch."
Aldric curled his lip. "News from the noble lords' houses doesn't easily reach commoners like us. Sigh, I want to raise one too."
"You are being modest. With your skill, if you are willing to bow to King Robert, you could be knighted with land anytime."
Aldric shook his head. "Forget it. The doctor says my cervical spine is bad; I can't bow my head."
Seeing Aldric deflect, Tyrion turned the topic back to direwolves. "Those little things are actually quite cute. I like them. But imagining myself walking a dog twice my size through the market makes me want to laugh."
"Let's see if I can find any interesting pets suitable for me from the Night's Watch when I go to the Wall in a few days."
"Night's Watch?" Aldric thought. "The troops guarding the Wall?"
"Of course. The only Night's Watch in the Seven Kingdoms. They vow not to marry or hold land, guarding that cold wall for life."
"Worthy of respect."
Tyrion chuckled. "So it has become a dumping ground for prisoners."
"When the King returns from hunting tomorrow, he will head south, and I will head north to the Wall. They say the Wall is three hundred miles wide and seven hundred feet high, the most magnificent structure in the Seven Kingdoms. It would be a pity to come to the North and not see it."
Aldric agreed deeply. "Indeed. But if you separate from the King's party, will they send guards with you? Near the Wall isn't exactly safe."
"No guards. Under Lord Eddard's rule, the Kingsroad is safe. I'll just take two servants."
Tyrion answered, "Besides, Benjen Stark and Jon Snow are coming too. Benjen is the Lord's brother and First Ranger of the Night's Watch. Following him should be fine."
Aldric ladled another bowl of soup for Tyrion and warned seriously, "If I were you, I wouldn't pin my safety on others' goodwill."
"...Captain Aldric, why don't you just name a price?"
"Hahaha, talking to smart people is refreshing. No charge. Just take me with you."
Tyrion might have misunderstood Aldric's intent and reminded him kindly, "Actually, if you want to serve under my father, following the King's party is a better choice. My father is generous and rich. The whole Seven Kingdoms knows his shit smells like gold... well, his beard is made of gold. If you want, I can write you a recommendation letter."
Aldric shook his head quickly, rejecting without thought. "Forget it. honestly, I don't get along with your brother, sister, or nephew at all. His Highness the Prince called me a 'commoner scum' in public yesterday; I still remember."
Tyrion smiled awkwardly. "Joffrey... I'm afraid in his eyes, I'm not much better than scum."
Since it was his nephew, Tyrion didn't want to continue this topic, so he asked, "And you? What are you doing at the Wall?"
"Didn't the King take my big spider? I plan to go beyond the Wall and catch a White Walker."
Tyrion teased, "Then why be a mercenary? Being a monster hunter is better. Just catching a random monster and selling it to a circus would make good money."
"If Theon Greyjoy hadn't tricked me into going to Rabbit's Paw, I wouldn't have known being a monster hunter suits me better than being a mercenary. Seems I was on the wrong path before."
"Haha, speaking of him, he made quite a bit of money off you."
"Huh?"
Tyrion said, "Before you fought Jaime and the Hound yesterday, while you were prepping, Greyjoy opened a betting pool. Although the odds for Clegane were higher than yours, there were bets on both sides. Greyjoy still won more than he lost."
Aldric had to admire Theon's gambling nature and luck. "Heh, impressive. But gamblers always lose everything eventually."
Seeing their leader chatting happily with the guest, the people in the courtyard relaxed.
Even so, except for Aldric, the others preferred chatting with Tyrion's two gloomy servants. It was quite harmonious.
After agreeing on the trip to the Wall, Tyrion left with his men.
The trip to the Wall was for reconnaissance; just him and Kevin were enough. More people would be a burden.
So Aldric didn't plan to take the whole team, but he couldn't leave them idle.
He took ten Gold Dragons from his new purse and gave them to Eddie. "Eddie, you heard. I'm leaving for the Wall in two days. It's just escorting Lord Tyrion, so you don't need to come."
"While I'm gone, try to contact local mercenaries. Anyone willing, recruit them into the Silver Hand."
"Pay the market rate for signing bonuses or salaries. Those with special skills can get more. Including those who already agreed, aim for about twenty people total."
"Also, keep in touch with the Wolf's Kiss. If there are suitable jobs, write them down. Lower prices are fine; I'll decide when I get back."
Holding the gold, Eddie felt it burn his hand. Ten Gold Dragons!
"Captain, you trust us this much? Aren't you afraid we'll run with the money?"
"You know me."
Aldric winked at them. "As long as you stay in this business, you won't find a better captain than me."
Perhaps grateful for the trust, Eddie proposed a different recruitment strategy.
"Captain, if we're recruiting ten or twenty new guys, I suggest not recruiting local freelance mercenaries."
Aldric didn't understand. "Why? Aren't you guys local freelance mercenaries?"
"Captain, that's exactly why."
Eddie explained, "Freelancers are veterans who've been on the battlefield but don't want constraints. Honestly, if we hadn't seen your... strength that night, Conrad and I wouldn't necessarily have followed you."
Aldric looked at Conrad, who nodded. "Boss, old soldiers have many demands, complex thoughts, and many worries. If you want to build a long-term combat-effective team, best not use them."
Aldric asked, "Then what's your suggestion?"
"I think I'll take Conrad and Juan to my hometown and recruit some young, innocent lads with clean backgrounds. They live in the Wolfswood year-round; with some training, they'll be good soldiers."
"Where is your hometown?"
"It's a village near the Wolfswood under Count Cerwyn's rule. There are many Mountain Clan villages nearby. Life in the woods is hard. Every winter, people leave the village to 'hunt' due to lack of food and never return."
"Although the Mountain Clans nominally swear loyalty to House Glover of Deepwood Motte, they are very independent. Recruiting there won't offend the lords, and it's cheap."
"When I hunted in the mountains, I dealt with their chiefs. If you agree, we can prepare and leave."
Eddie's proposal was a pleasant surprise for Aldric.
Throughout history, the strongest armies were composed of ordinary farm boys. Aldric understood this.
He just didn't have the connections before, so he settled for veterans.
Now that Eddie volunteered, he had no reason to refuse.
As for whether cliques would form? Aldric wasn't worried.
As long as his martial power suppressed ambitious subordinates, and he controlled pay and promotion, morale would be stable.
So he let Eddie handle it.
Having arranged the team matters, Aldric remembered his agreement with Rennel and asked, "Rennel, since you can't work, want to come to the Wall with us? Didn't you ask to come next time?"
Rennel, holding his bowl with his right hand and awkwardly spooning soup with his left, answered immediately, "No problem! As long as you don't think I'm a burden."
Brother John wanted to go too, but someone had to guard the yard, and his small sept had a few regular believers now. He couldn't leave.
Unfortunately, just as Aldric was preparing to go north, shocking news came from Winterfell: the Lord's second son, Bran Stark, fell from a tower and was in a coma with severe injuries. The King's departure was delayed.
Tyrion specially visited the courtyard to tell Aldric about the change.
Of course, for a big shot like him, sending a servant would suffice.
He mostly came to drink with Aldric. In Winterfell, few people could chat with him, and his brother preferred staying with his sister.
But whatever happened in Winterfell had nothing to do with Aldric.
The delay wasn't a big deal.
Eddie and the others had left for the Wolfswood. With no chores and the King's guard still in town, Aldric sped up forging the remaining parts of Kevin's "Lightbringer (Replica)" armor.
On the day he relit the forge, Kevin, who had been sulking for days, blushed and stammered an apology. "Teacher, I apologize for my rudeness that day."
"I shouldn't have spoken to you in that tone... If my master wasn't you but any other knight, I would have been severely punished."
"I shouldn't have relied on your tolerance to offend your dignity repeatedly. In the name of An'she, I promise never to make the same mistake again."
Does An'she cover guarantees? Aldric couldn't recall.
"Kevin, I don't blame you. A philosopher in my hometown said no two leaves are identical, let alone people."
"You have your views; I have mine. It's normal."
"In the future, if you don't understand my decisions, don't bottle it up. Ask me, and I'll explain."
"Remember, you are my student, not my servant. You are a human, not a tool."
"Understood, Teacher."
With the knot untied, their relationship returned to normal.
Another two weeks passed, and Aldric finally finished the remaining parts.
Since he knew his design limits, he simply replicated the "Lightbringer" structure perfectly.
When Kevin put on the complete "Lightbringer (Replica)," standing next to Aldric, he looked like a silver-white copy.
"Name your armor. It should be with you for a long time."
"Teacher, does your armor have a name?"
"Mine is called Lightbringer."
"Lightbringer... the one who brings light... Then Teacher, mine will be called Lightfollower. The one who follows the light."