After returning to King's Landing, Gu Ding was summoned by Lord Eddard for questioning.
Naturally, Gu Ding would not admit that he had captured the dragon. He merely said that he had left King's Landing for a while on personal business and knew nothing about what had happened on the Essos Continent.
Eddard could not determine whether Gu Ding was telling the truth. He could only explain the current situation to him and tactfully imply that any mage who could help King's Landing through the crisis would receive a generous reward.
Gu Ding merely suggested offering a substantial reward to recruit mages and said nothing more.
Under Eddard's direction, notices recruiting mages were quickly posted as well.
The offered sum was indeed tempting, drawing quite a few mages to King's Landing.
While Eddard and the others were busy during this time, Gu Ding headed to Oldtown alone.
The name Oldtown made it sound like some dilapidated little settlement, but that was not the case at all.
Oldtown was the largest port on the Westeros Continent and one of its five great cities. Its prosperity was not much inferior to King's Landing, the royal capital. It was called Oldtown because it had been the earliest city established on the entire continent.
Aside from its many honors, it was also home to the Citadel, the home of all scholars.
Gu Ding had come here to enter the Citadel and see whether he could find more books concerning magic.
Holding the king's token, Gu Ding walked toward the Citadel's gates, only to be stopped at the entrance by a burly gatekeeper.
"Only true maesters or scholars taking the maester examination may enter the Citadel. Royal tokens are useless here. Even if the king himself came, it would be the same." The gatekeeper in