The morning mist, thick with the salty tang of the sea breeze, rolled in.
The fish market in the Outer Harbor was the first to wake up, followed closely by the bustle of the Merman's Court.
After a hearty breakfast of lamprey pie, fried bread, boiled eggs, and fried sausages at the inn, Don Quixote and his companions retrieved their horses and departed.
Not long after.
They arrived outside a two-story stone house with a small courtyard.
The walls were built from the distinctive white stone of White Harbor, and two stout stone pillars stood at the gate.
Dry vines crawled over the oak gate, and the courtyard was paved with smooth flagstones.
In the corner stood a simple stable, large enough to house three or four horses.
Don Quixote looked at Tom and the others, his gaze lingering for a second on the bruised and swollen faces of Warren and Shane.
He smiled:
"I'll be living here from now on. If you hear of any useful job leads, you can find me here.
"And if you complete a contract under the name of the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company with distinction, and have the documentation to prove it, come find me for your bonus!"
At this point, Don Quixote's smile vanished, and his voice turned cold:
"Of course, if any of you dare to use the name of the Bloody Hand to commit crimes or act dishonorably, I will make you regret it!"
"Yes, Captain!" Tom and the others responded, their expressions varying.
Soon, Tom and his group left.
Don Quixote and his remaining companions watched them go.
While they waited quietly for the owner of the house behind them to arrive.
After waiting in silence for a while.
Footsteps approached from the end of the alley.
An old man with grey hair and beard strode toward them, accompanied by a burly man dressed as a knight.
Before the old man could speak.
The burly man asked directly:
"Are you the ones who want to rent my house long-term?"
"Yes," Don Quixote replied.
The burly man thought for a moment and said:
"I plan to travel in the South for a few years. Until I return, I can rent this house to you.
"2 Gold Dragons a year. Give me 6 Gold Dragons, and you can live here for three years."
Seeing Don Quixote contemplating, the burly man continued:
"This place is close to the Sept of the Snows and close to New Castle, where Earl Wyman lives. It's a very good location in White Harbor.
"So I think this price is very reasonable, and I have no interest in haggling with you.
"If you don't accept this price, then there's no need to talk further!"
Don Quixote smiled:
"And if you return within three years, how will we handle the deal?"
Seeing that Don Quixote didn't intend to haggle, the burly man relaxed.
He planned to travel south to broaden his horizons and participate in tourneys.
He needed money right now.
He very much hoped to rent out his house successfully.
The burly man said quickly:
"Rest assured! Old Kane here will be our witness, and we also need to register the lease with the City Watch.
"If I return within three years, I will refund the remaining money!"
Old Kane was the white-haired elder standing beside him.
He was an information broker who connected landlords and tenants, as well as a reputable guarantor in White Harbor.
If this deal went through, both parties would need to pay Kane a fee.
Don Quixote nodded and said:
"Then the price is agreed. I plan to move in today. Let's go sign the contract and register it now."
"No problem," the burly man smiled.
————
Time flowed slowly, neither heavy nor light.
In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.
During these three months, Don Quixote, Adele, Cole, and Alden were mainly busy learning the Common Tongue of Westeros.
Of course, their daily basic training continued without slackening.
Meanwhile, Tom and the others spent every day hanging around the major taverns, fishing for job leads and loudly boasting about the nonexistent reputation of the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company.
In the first month, Tom and the others were new to town and hadn't integrated well into the local circle of freelance knights.
Most of the news they overheard was outdated or just boring gossip.
A few times they accidentally stumbled upon useful job leads, only to be beaten to the punch by other freelance knights.
If Don Quixote hadn't suddenly considered that taverns—places where information flowed densely—might contain important information that wasn't necessarily job leads.
He had Tom and the others report all the important information they gathered each day to him.
For a valuable piece of news, even if it was outdated, he would pay Tom and the others a varying amount of copper pennies.
Relying on this income from gathering intelligence, plus the 1 Silver Stag living allowance Don Quixote gave them each month.
Tom and the others barely managed to break even in their first month in White Harbor, without having to dip into their own pockets to maintain their meager existence.
By the second month.
Don Quixote gave Tom and the others some extra Silver Stags to actively get to know the local freelance knights in White Harbor.
Buying those freelance knights a cup of ale earned them a superficial warmth.
With a good social start, Tom and the others, being freelance knights themselves, quickly got to know many local freelance knights, sailors, and fishermen.
Before long, results followed.
In the second month, Tom and the others found a total of four contracts.
Although they were all very simple tasks with very low pay.
Tom and the others were greatly relieved and completed the four contracts with high enthusiasm.
Because they wanted Don Quixote's bonus reward, they didn't slack off on the jobs.
On the simple evaluation forms Don Quixote had designed, the employers gave three "Good" and one "Excellent" rating.
Don Quixote also gave an extra reward of 10 Silver Stags.
This was significantly more than the pay for the four contracts themselves.
By the third month.
Tom and the others found two more simple contracts.
The reputation evaluations were one "Excellent" and one "Good."
With five completed contracts under their belt, the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company's reputation wasn't so blank anymore; they had real deeds to back it up.
Within a very small circle, the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company had gained a little bit of fame.
————
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock sounded at the door.
Don Quixote put down his quill and looked with satisfaction at the piece of cheap parchment on his desk, covered in Common Tongue script.
"After three months of hard work, my handwriting isn't bad. It should be presentable now," Don Quixote muttered to himself, then called out loudly:
"Come in."
Tom immediately pulled open the wooden door and walked into the room.
He quickly walked up to Don Quixote and said respectfully:
"Captain, I found a contract you might be interested in!"
Don Quixote was stunned for a moment, then delighted:
"Tom, tell me the details."
Tom organized his thoughts for a moment and said slowly:
"There's a fish merchant planning to transport a shipment of goods to Barrowton. He wants to hire four or five freelance knights to guard the caravan.
"I got this info from a freelance knight I know who let it slip when he was drunk.
"That knight was planning to find a few trustworthy people to take on this job together.
"So I told him about our Bloody Hand Mercenary Company. Hehe, Captain, I buy him drinks all the time, so he trusts me.
"He's willing to take on the fish merchant's contract with us, but... he wants 2 Silver Stags as a finder's fee."
...