Testing

"Why did they have to be foreign knights?"

"I don't know that, but Ser Veld did give those instructions. If you're willing to accept the task, I can take you to find them tomorrow."

"Take us to find them?" Alarm bells rang in Ian's mind. He gave Roar a look, signaling him to close the door.

This was fucking suspicious. A league of knights had the innkeeper of the Crossroads Inn keep watch for "foreign knights" in order to wipe out a bandit gang that had never appeared in the original story.

Given that players appeared out of thin air, they would count as "foreign knights" wherever they went at this point in time. Martha's whole story looked exactly like a trap meant to lure in other players.

Though no player could possibly have built such a large force on the first day, the so-called landed Knight Alliance was only something Martha had said. Ian had not seen it himself.

Maybe it was all just a line made up by some player who had set this trap, meant to lower their targets' guard.

Having received Ian's signal, Roar immediately stood up and shut the room's door.

"Um? Ser Lucian?" Martha was quite surprised. She gave Roar an odd glance. "Three sers, if you need anything, our inn has plenty of lovely girls. I can wake them up right now."

"Rest assured, we have no interest in you or your lovely girls." Ian gently shook his head. "I'm interested in the knights you mentioned."

"Ser Veld and the others?"

"Yes. Veld, or whatever else they call themselves, it makes no difference." Ian shrugged. "Where are they?"

"Ser Veld and the others? They're all at Ser Viri Veld's manor right now."

"House Ward's manor?" Ian froze. He had assumed they were in this inn and had already been preparing to strike first.

Yet Martha said they were not here, and she had even given him a specific name.

He had heard of House Ward. It was a knightly house sworn to House Rowan of Harrenhal, and its lands were indeed not far from here. Their sigil was three white porcupines on a yellow field, and their words were "Untouchable."

As for the Ser Viri Ward Martha had mentioned, in the original story, he would help Catelyn Tully capture Tyrion Lannister, the "Imp," at this very inn and escort them to the Vale.

"That's right. Ser Viri's manor lies on the border between the Riverlands and the Crownlands, less than half a day's ride from here," Martha hurriedly continued.

"And when you said you could take us to find them tomorrow, you meant taking us to their manor?"

"That's right. Ser Veld ordered it. He told me to gather as many foreign knights for him as possible within a week." Martha nodded, readily laying out everything she knew. She did not know why, but she instinctively felt an oppressive aura from the knight before her.

"I hope you aren't playing any tricks on me." As Ian spoke, he considered every possibility.

"Tricks? Forgive me, ser, but I don't quite understand what you mean."

"Do you know this Ser Veld?"

"I do. Ser Veld Regh is the local lord. How could I not know him?" Martha hurriedly said.

The local lord? I remember this place should be Dary territory.

No, while this had historically been House Darry's land, after the fall of the Targaryen Dynasty, most of House Darry's holdings had been stripped away. It seemed the Crossroads had later been granted to House Regg? The original story had indeed mentioned such a knightly house in the Riverlands.

But Ian's experience told him that the more real something sounded, the more likely it was to be fabricated by players.

"You're lying!" Ian slammed his palm against the table. In that instant, he made up a new story.

"What are you talking about, ser?" Martha's face was filled with fear and confusion.

"We came here to hunt down a fugitive who escaped from King's Landing. He's a bandit who uses fake task postings like this to lay ambushes and murder other knights!" Ian spoke while watching Martha's reaction.

"Huh?" Martha blinked. "But you just said you weren't busy. Since you have a mission, I won't disturb you any longer?"

"Not long ago, they killed a knight of House Lannister in a tavern in King's Landing—a young knight dearly favored by the queen." Ian ignored Martha and continued, "The queen was furious. She placed a bounty of fifty Gold Dragons on that fugitive's head, and anyone who provides a clue will receive one hundred Silver Stags."

"Oh!" Martha let out a shriek, then quickly covered her mouth.

"We tracked him all the way here. If he came here, it should have been today. Have you seen anyone like that? If you can give me a genuinely valuable clue, I can give you half the bounty." As Ian spoke, he stacked twenty Gold Dragons onto the table one by one.

"Today?" Martha stared at the Gold Dragons on the table with shining eyes and swallowed.

"So you really have seen him?" Ian narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, no, no. I haven't seen anyone like that today." Martha reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the Gold Dragons and shook her head in disappointment, then immediately added, "But I can ask around for you, Ser Lucian!

I know many people. The best-informed people around here are all old friends of mine. Give me a little time, and as long as they're nearby, I can give you an answer before noon tomorrow. And not just nearby—I can help you find people anywhere along the northern shore of Gods Eye Lake. As long as they enter this area, I can find a clue!"

"Oh, oh, right." As she spoke, Martha seemed to remember something she had overlooked. "Does the fugitive you're chasing have any distinguishing features? Perhaps you could describe him in more detail. That would help me find him."

So I was just being overly suspicious? Seeing Martha's reaction, Ian finally cast aside his doubts and gave an awkward laugh.

If Martha's earlier words had really been taught to her by some player, she would definitely have sold them out without hesitation for the Gold Dragons on this table instead of promising to ask around for him tomorrow.

All right, since Ser Veld and the others were not players, there must have been some other reason behind their requirement to recruit foreign knights. That meant he could accept their task.

Wait, wasn't I missing the point here?

What had Martha just said?