Chapter 39: Shock (Part 1)
The Stepstones, waters surrounding Cutthroat Isle
The 'Old Man of the Sea' was a Swan Ship from the Summer Isles. Eddard Stark spent 7,000 Gold Dragons to buy this large vessel capable of long-distance oceanic travel in White Harbor.
Swan Ships were significantly better in quality than ordinary large sailing ships, and their capacity and sturdiness were well-known throughout the Eastern and Western Continents.
In fact, the north once had a fleet. Brandon Stark 'the shipwright', the King in the North before Aegon's Era, once established a powerful fleet.
However, after this king sailed out and disappeared, Brandon Stark 'the burner', who didn't know 'where his father went', subsequently burned the entire Northern fleet.
The Sunset Sea on the west side of the continent of Westeros was truly too mysterious. Whether it was the north or the Westerlands, any organized fleet that appeared would be destroyed or vanish due to various strange reasons.
At this moment, Rodrik Cassel stood helplessly at the bow of the 'Old Man of the Sea', letting the sea breeze ruffle the circle of white hair remaining on his head and his knotted long beard, yet he seemed oblivious.
Since three generations of the Cassel Family had served House Stark, Eddard had told him about the Queen and her brother's incestuous relationship, but hadn't mentioned other matters.
The experienced Rodrik naturally knew the horror of this matter, although he immediately advised Eddard to leave King's Landing as soon as possible.
However, Eddard, who was concerned about the safety of Robert Baratheon, still wanted to change 'history'. After hearing Jon's description of 'future history', he realized that his brother simply lacked the ability to become a Monarch.
Despite this, Eddard still wanted 'everyone to be well'. His idea was to protect this new kingdom in place of his foster father, Jon Arryn.
This was also the real reason Jon had never told him his true thoughts. Eddard always believed Jon was going to the Continent of Essos to help Daenerys Targaryen.
Eddard's idea was actually very simple: he wanted to consolidate the forces of the Seven Kingdoms in the south, and then unite with Daenerys to oppose the Others advancing southward.
Regarding the future ownership of the iron throne, he planned to use the Great Council System, established by Jaehaerys Targaryen 'the conciliator', to jointly vote on who would claim the iron throne.
Although Rodrik was not very clear about Eddard's plan, an extreme sense of unease had lingered in Rodrik's heart ever since they left King's Landing.
Although Rodrik knew he was here to deliver supplies to the faction Jon had established, this stubborn old Northern noble did not believe that the bastard of House Stark could build any respectable force.
Although Lemon, the young man guiding them, kept talking about Jon's miraculous power, Rodrik didn't believe it. Jon being able to summon a Longsword from the Void was already strange enough.
Yet, this young man named Lemon told them that Jon could transform into a Giant Dragon, a matter even more ridiculous than the legends of the 'Goblins and Spirits'.
"Look quickly! That's the entrance. I will explain our identities later so we won't have to undergo inspection!"
Looking at the approaching entrance, Lemon, who was the Liaison for The Chainbreakers, shouted happily, as Jon had returned to Cutthroat Isle.
He had dispatched a team of The Chainbreakers members specifically to Tarth to wait for Rodrik and them, establishing The Chainbreakers' first External Intelligence Post there.
Tarth is the gateway and shield of the entire Stormlands. Tarth is rich in resources and water, earning it the name'Sapphire of the Narrow Sea'.
Under the construction of House Tarth, this port has always been a refuge for many merchant ships from the Eastern and Western Continents. The Chainbreakers gained the right to use a shop in House Tarth's Evenfall Hall Port under the guise of opening a tavern.
These deployed members of The Chainbreakers were all carefully selected by Narsas, and Narsas also promised them that if they performed their intelligence work well for one year, they would all have the opportunity to choose to become God-Given Warriors.
"Hurry up! I'm telling you, I personally saw the Giant Dragon that Lord Jon transformed into, don't disbelieve me!"
Watching the chattering Lemon, the Retainers of House Stark found it amusing, as most of them had met Jon.
Or rather, some of the younger ones among them could say they grew up with Jon, and they knew this bastard of House Stark very well.
But the image described by this young man named Lemon gave them the illusion that he was talking about a completely different person.
"Lord Rodrik! Two Longships are approaching us, what should we do?"
Just as everyone felt bewildered, the Lookout Sailor quickly descended from the mainmast.
"Slow down, let this kid go communicate!"
Rodrik didn't know how to handle this situation either, so he directly tossed the problem to Lemon.
"Contact! Watch out for collision!"
Amidst the shouts of the Signalman, a moderate collision occurred on the Deck of the 'Old Man of the Sea'. While Rodrik grabbed the Deck Rail, he also saw The Chainbreakers' Longships.
Both of The Chainbreakers' Longships were small-sized Longships. One was making contact with them, while the other was patrolling nearby.
This arrangement made Rodrik, the Master-at-Arms of Winterfell, put away his contempt. Whether a troop was lazy or weak could be discerned from their daily actions.
The Chainbreakers on the Longships kept a close watch on all outsiders aboard the 'Old Man of the Sea'. Even after Lemon greeted them, The Chainbreakers still came aboard for an inspection.
This made Rodrik start to believe that Jon had truly established a powerful faction here, while Lemon, who led the way, seemed a little unhappy because the ship he was on was inspected.
After all, Lemon had just boasted in front of everyone that his presence meant no inspection was needed, but The Chainbreakers still conducted one, which made the young man feel embarrassed.
"Hahaha, Little Lemon, we all believe you, but remember, your companions just said it: rules are rules. Even the incredibly powerful Jon you admire must abide by the rules here."
As an Elder, Rodrik couldn't help but comfort Lemon. The young man had been cheerful throughout the journey, and many people from House Stark felt vitality and confidence radiating from him.
Therefore, Rodrik patiently offered a few words of comfort to Lemon, who was facing this situation for the first time.
"We still have to wait for you to take us to see your Lord Jon later! If you start crying, it will be troublesome for us."
"Hmph! I won't cry!"
Rodrik's teasing cheered Lemon up considerably. Young people's emotions come and go quickly. As the 'Old Man of the Sea' continued forward, Lemon returned to his initial state.
Rodrik, meanwhile, began to look forward to meeting Jon. After so much time had passed, Rodrik really wanted to know how much Jon had grown and why this young fellow described him like a myth.
"Land ahoy! Be careful!"
Amidst the shouts of the Signalman, a small port town built of stone bricks appeared before Rodrik and the others.
The houses here averaged only three or four meters high, and the tallest buildings only had three stories at most, mostly constructed of Stone and Wood Mixture.
This architectural style made Rodrik, who was used to brick and stone structures, somewhat curious. Although the grandeur of Winterfell was famous throughout Westeros, the buildings of commoners and Minor Nobles were mostly wooden.
This Stone and Wood Mixture architectural style felt novel to Rodrik. If possible, he wanted to know what Adhesive was used for the wood and stones.
If he brought it back to the north, it would surely solve the housing problems for many lords, nobles, and common people.
"Double... march!"
Amidst strange vocalizations, Rodrik saw a group of Soldiers running from the center of the Dock Market. These Soldiers were full of vigor and spirit.
Rodrik had only seen such vigor in elite Soldiers. Amidst those strange syllables, Rodrik and his group walked onto the small plaza of the Dock Market.
These Soldiers were all bare-chested, mostly wearing Boots on their feet. As they assembled, clouds of white dust rose up in the field.
Just as Rodrik thought these Soldiers would scatter, choked by the dust, he was surprised to find that they were still marching in place.
Their movements were very skilled and unified, as if they had been training for many years. As the Soldiers marched, Rodrik also heard a series of rhythmic and uniform stomping sounds.
"Attention!"
"Stomp! Stomp!"
Hearing that somewhat strange pronunciation again, Rodrik saw rows of perfectly straight human walls. After counting carefully, Rodrik realized there were 200 people standing there.
A formation of 20 people per row, totaling 10 rows, allowed Rodrik to easily reach this number. Lost in thought, Rodrik stopped advancing and simply stared at their training.
"Tell me, who are you?"
Amidst Garo's sudden roar, all the onlookers were startled. Soon, The Chainbreakers Soldiers answered his question.
"The Chainbreakers!"
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