Following a series of operations by Roman, the people in the Hean Family territories became aware of an army that was strictly disciplined, dedicated to the people, and had eradicated the banditry plaguing the land.
At the same time, Roman's words were "coincidentally" spread, and everyone knew that the Hean Family had produced a wise and sagacious lord.
Helaena of House Hoare looked at the reports from various places, a smile filling her cheeks.
Since bidding farewell to her family in the crypts, Roman had brought a new lease on life to Lady Hean; the once aging woman was now radiant, sharing news of Roman with Fili.
In truth, Fili knew exactly what Roman was doing. She was the master of the crows, and she and Roman could exchange intelligence across the entire territory using ravens.
This was why, shortly after bandits made a move, Roman could always descend like a divine soldier, directly launching a strangling encirclement to annihilate them.
While steeping tea for Helaena of House Hoare, Fili chatted with her.
"Fili, you and Roman are both good children. He has been very busy lately and must be physically exhausted. When he rests, you must take good care of him."
Fili patted her chest, indicating that she would certainly not disappoint Helaena of House Hoare or Roman.
As Helaena of House Hoare was speaking, she suddenly glanced at Fili.
She was surprised to discover that the once thin girl was now poised and graceful, with a curvaceous figure.
After eating the rich food of Harrenhal for several months, Fili's body had fully recovered, revealing a captivating charm.
Blonde hair and blue eyes, a sweet smile, a gentle and delicate voice, with a somewhat silly but sunny personality.
At past tourneys, Helaena of House Hoare had seen all kinds of beauties from the Seven Kingdoms; truly, there were few who could surpass Fili in figure, beauty, and temperament.
"Fili, have you started your menses yet?"
Helaena of House Hoare's sudden question startled Fili so much that she nearly fell over.
"La, Lady?! What are you saying?"
"I am asking if you have started your menses, and also, what do you think of Roman?" Helaena of House Hoare took a sip of tea calmly.
Fili was blushing furiously; she had not expected Helaena of House Hoare to be so direct, without any pretense.
"I, I started long ago. It's a small matter, it's normal that people don't know."
"Mm, and what about Roman? What do you think?" Helaena of House Hoare continued to press.
"I, I, I..."
Helaena of House Hoare could see Fili's thoughts at a glance; her face was flushed red, just like a ripe apple in an orchard.
Helaena of House Hoare said, "Since you have feelings for that child Roman, why not give it a try?"
Hearing this, Fili deflated, saying with a dejected face, "I am, after all, just a commoner, and Lord Roman is to..."
Helaena of House Hoare pulled Fili into her embrace, slowly stroking her back.
"Believe me, child, just go and try bravely; you do not understand the feelings between nobles."
After confirming repeatedly, Fili finally understood that Helaena of House Hoare was serious, and she finally smiled through her tears, recovering.
Fili was simple-minded, but Helaena of House Hoare had seen much; noble marriages required the strength of the other family.
But given the momentum Roman was showing, it wouldn't be long before he gathered enough strength and soared into the sky.
Coupled with Roman's constitution—which Scholar Tom had already confirmed—it was the body of a dragon.
Roman, a humanoid dragon with extremely high intelligence and a kind heart, plus Fili's monstrous abilities.
Helaena of House Hoare was confident that even if it were just these two, Harrenhal was already in an invincible position.
The other nobles? Let them come or not.
Watching Fili in the distance spreading honey on a biscuit, Helaena of House Hoare couldn't help but sigh: "Ah, Walter, would you say our Hean Family can be considered to have passed on now?"
Just as Helaena of House Hoare was thinking, a gentle breeze blew by, drawing her gaze back to Harrenhal.
White brick walls, cleared ruins, rebuilt dwellings, and the vibrant territory outside.
"Hah!" Regardless of whether the Hean Family had passed on, at least that cursed hex had been crushed by Roman's own hand!
A month passed, and the banditry within the Harrenhal territory had been basically cleared.
Some of the major leaders had all been beheaded under Roman's pursuit, and the remaining accomplices were either executed or thrown into the mines to labor.
Harrenhal had never experienced such peaceful times; people lived and worked in contentment, eating and dressing well, and commerce developed rapidly due to the people's prosperity.
However, while Harrenhal was full of vitality, the other nobles in the Riverlands were miserable.
Roman had the highway; if bandits dared to appear, Roman would make them "go public," but other places in the Riverlands did not.
Upholding the principle that robbing anyone was robbing, the bandits attracted to Harrenhal rushed toward the territories of other nobles.
If I can't handle Roman, can't I handle you?
Consequently, the Riverlands, especially the territories around Harrenhal, suffered greatly; banditry swept through the entire region like a plague of locusts.
But this had nothing to do with Roman; he had completed his mission and was now returning to rest.
A month of high-intensity combat had left the soldiers and horses exhausted; Roman could still handle it, but the others could not.
When the cavalry dragged their weary bodies to the gates of Harrenhal, Helaena of House Hoare stood among the crowd, welcoming Roman and the soldiers.
Although the soldiers were too tired to speak, they still held their heads high and chests out, looking like rewarded heroes, though the warhorses beneath them were very dissatisfied with this, constantly moving about to protest.
Roman wasn't one for formalities and told the soldiers to quickly take the horses back to rest.
Helaena of House Hoare took Roman's hand and said happily, "You have made a name for yourself in the Riverlands this time. Everyone knows that Roman of the Hean Family has killed enough bandits around the Gods Eye to make heads roll."
"However, the other nobles are not so lucky. They are in trouble now, especially the Mooton Family; their Maidenpool has been robbed quite badly."
Helaena of House Hoare's intent was clear, and Roman understood in an instant.
"You mean for me to take this opportunity to win over these nobles to reach a cooperation?"
Helaena of House Hoare nodded, "We will discuss it in detail when we get back; coincidentally, Scholar Tom is also looking for you."
When Roman returned to his room, Fili, who had been standing quietly by his side, suddenly pounced over and rubbed her head against Roman's chest.
"Lord Roman, you have finally returned!"
"We send messages by raven every day; it's not like we haven't had any contact."
Roman looked at Fili, who was pouting, and affectionately rubbed her head, then went to find Scholar Tom.
Scholar Tom, upon seeing Roman, excitedly brought out three items.
A grey brick, a bottle of lacquer, and a transparent glass bead.
Scholar Tom said nothing, simply grinning from ear to ear.
Upon seeing this, Roman's heart immediately began to pound.
"Glass? Cement? And..."
"Quick-drying lacquer, my lord!" Scholar Tom paused and picked up a section of a pole.
"A wooden pole wrapped with linen, and it's fixed! You've created the lance shafts I wanted?"
"I have not failed your mission!" Scholar Tom bowed and saluted, the smile on his face impossible to hide.
He certainly had the right; Roman and Scholar Tom discussed the three items in detail.
Cement, or rather, improved mortar; this was an impressive feat Scholar Tom had produced using materials from Westeros, inspired by Roman.
Because of dragonflame, ore processing was extremely convenient, and the waterwheel by the river had accelerated this process further.
Now, cement was being used for the construction of houses, and the residents of Harrenhal were already enjoying the benefits.
Glass went without saying, and that bottle of lacquer allowed Roman to mass-produce high-quality lance shafts, which would further reduce the cost of heavy cavalry in the future.
"My lord, the glass has been produced, but we are still too short on raw materials; I am afraid we cannot produce it on a large scale."
Roman knew this was due to a lack of sodium carbonate, which at present could only be collected through seaweed and natural soda ash deposits.
"It's fine, Scholar Tom. Have you forgotten about the Mooton Family of Maidenpool?"