The caravan's wheels kicked up dust, but instead of heading north, the rolling ruts pointed south.
Roderick's entourage approached the car window, his face full of confusion. He pointed to the back of the motorcade. "Aren't we going to King's Landing, sir?"
Roderick's voice came from the carriage, with a hint of hoarseness after the bumps. "We are not going to King's Landing, King's Landing is a wolf's den. We go in with such a treasure, just like a fat sheep walking into a wolf's den."
"If they knew I had such a good thing, the greedy nobles would eat us to the bone."
The attendant was silent. He thought of the filth and darkness behind King's Landing: "Then where are we going? Sir?"
Roderick's tone was shrewd, "Go and see the master who feeds King's Landing, the granary of Seven Kingdoms, Gaoting."
"House Tyrell is the real owner of the Grain Guild. It is much safer to dedicate this gift to the supreme commander the Reach than to go through the quagmire ourselves."
The wheels rolled over Kingsroad heading south, leaving behind the mud of Riverlands and Crownlands.
When the beautiful and iconic white marble building of Highgarden and the golden roses wrapped around it came into view, the smell in the air changed.
All the manors and fields outside the city were covered with flowers and golden roses.
It is no longer the mixed smell of dust and horse manure, but the rich fragrance of flowers and roses.
Roderick arranged his most respectable robes, and through the guild's emergency channel, asked to see the master behind the Grain Guild, Warden of the South, the Reach, the Supreme Commander, Lord Gaoting, Mace Tyrell. Tyrell.
In the hall hung with gorgeous tapestries, Roderick met the legendary "inflatable fish".
Mace Tyrell. Tyrell's figure is indeed as "plump" as his nickname. He is admiring the paintings presented by the artist with great interest, and seems a little careless about the arrival of Roderick.
Finally, Mace Tyrell. Tyrell looked away from the painting and fell on Roderick, as if he finally noticed him looking at him with a condescending look. "Are you Roderick?"
"Yes, my dear sir." Roderick bowed deeply, carefully took out a wooden box wrapped in gold wire from his arms, and gently opened the box, presenting the strange Spectacles "I have brought you a strange thing that you have never seen before, it can make the blurry world regain clarity."
Mace Tyrell. Tyrell The attendant next to him took Spectacles and handed it to him respectfully after checking it.
Mace Tyrell. Tyrell picked up the thing made of copper bars and crystals, looked at it curiously, and saw Roderick motioning to wear it on the bridge of his nose.
"Oh? It's interesting." He imitated Roderick and put Spectacles on the bridge of his nose.
In an instant, the expression on Mace Tyrell. Tyrell's face changed, and he called the attendant's name in surprise, "Oh! Mason!"
"Look at the painting hanging over there, I can see the petals of the rose clearly!"
Mace Tyrell. Tyrell kept turning his head, looking around like a child who got a new toy:
"It's really good, it's really good. This thing is very exquisitely made. The ladies of Seven Kingdoms will like it very much. You can give it to any lady to please her."
Mace Tyrell. Tyrell took off Spectacles, looked at Roderick with satisfaction, and clapped his hands. "A very interesting thing, Roderick, you have found a novel collectible for House Tyrell."
"I decided to buy it and give you one thousand Gold Dragon."
One thousand Gold Dragon! Roderick's heart beat wildly. Although this number was far lower than what he imagined, he could get three hundred Gold Dragon, and ten, that is three thousand Gold Dragon. As long as he earned this money, he could go to Free Cities, buy the manor land and slaves, and truly change his destiny.
"Thank you for your generosity! Sir!" Although Roderick felt that the offer was too low, he still had to show his excitement so much that his voice trembled, and he bent down deeply again.
"Go down and get the money." Mace Tyrell. Tyrell waved his hand and returned his attention to his painting, as if this was just an insignificant episode.
Roderick exited ecstatically, feeling light under his feet, as if he were stepping on clouds. He was rich.
The supreme commander of the Reach is willing to bid one thousand, which means that someone will definitely bid more. More importantly, he can act in the name of House Tyrell at King's Landing.
Mace Tyrell. Tyrell took the new toy he had just received and walked excitedly through the corridor, preparing to present the treasure to his mother. He felt that her mother would be happy with this gadget that allowed her to see the embroidery patterns clearly.
Lady Olenna was sitting on a chair by the window basking in the sun. The sun cast mottled light and shadow on her old face.
Her eyes were cloudy, like gray pearls covered with a layer of mist.
"Mother, look what good things I have brought you!" Mace Tyrell. Tyrell continued in his slightly exaggerated tone.
Lady Olenna frowned, did not look back, and spoke slowly, "If you get another parrot that can imitate human speech, I will throw it into the Mander River with you."
"No! No! Mother! This is it!" Mace Tyrell. Tyrell handed Spectacles over like a treasure. "Our servant at King's Landing, Roderick, sent it."
Lady Olenna glanced impatiently, as if looking at a fool. She took the strange-looking thing and reluctantly put it on at her son's urging.
The world in Queen of Thorns's eyes froze in an instant. Then, all the blurred color blocks and hazy outlines were instantly polished as if by an invisible hand. The veins of each petal of the rose outside the window were clearly visible. The gaps in the masonry on the tower in the distance were revealed to every detail. She could even see clearly the beard on her son's fat face that was trembling slightly with excitement.
Lady Olenna was stunned. Her clear eyes, which had seen all the changes in the Seven Kingdoms situation, faded away and emitted a sharp light comparable to that of a falcon discovering its prey.
"Fool!" Lady Olenna turned her head sharply, stared at her son, and kept scolding her. Her voice was not loud, but it was like an extremely cold ice cube, freezing Mace Tyrell. Tyrell's proud smile, "You fat fool!"
"Mother, why are you 1
"Mace Tyrell. Tyrell was stunned.
"Do you think this is just a toy?" Lady Olenna's voice became cold, as if he were looking at a pig again. "This is the key that will make Oldtown all the old pedants who are blind and unable to see things clearly kneel down and kiss your toes for you!"
"This is the gold mine that will make King's Landing, Tyrosh, Myr, Lys, Pentos... all the fat-minded bishops, nobles, wealthy businessmen, governors, and slave owners empty their treasury just to enjoy life!"
"You sent Jinshan away with one thousand Gold Dragon?"
Lady Olenna kept slamming the pole on the ground to make a sound, Mace Tyrell. Tyrell's face turned pale. "Erryk! Arryk!"
Two identical figures appeared at the door. They are Queen of Thorns's most loyal twin guards.
"Go! Get that businessman named Roderick back to me! He's alive!"
Roderick was spinning around in the castle, murmuring in a low voice. He was lost in this damn maze. He had not yet exited the maze-like garden of Highgarden, until he was blocked by two expressionless knights.
Roderick was brought back to the gorgeous hall again, but this time, sitting in the main seat was Queen of Thorns, Mace Tyrell. Tyrell, who made his spine shiver and break into a cold sweat. He stood behind his mother without saying a word.
Under Lady Olenna's hollow yet insightful eyes, Roderick did not dare to hide anything. He told everything from how he was intercepted, to how he met Suleiman, to his ruthless methods, to the cooperation agreement on the seven-thirds account, and the young lord's claim that he still had inventory.
Lady Olenna listened quietly, tapping her fingers on the handrail rhythmically. In the entire hall, there was only the slight sound of her fingertips tapping on the wood and Roderick's nervous breathing.
Lady Olenna repeated softly, his eyes flashing with a heart-stopping calculating light as he thought, "Interesting, a little lord of Riverlands...:
Finally she looked at Roderick, waved Spectacles in her hand, and said slowly, "Go back and tell the young man named Suleiman."
"House Tyrell, I am willing to buy all the Vision-Clarifying Spectacles in his hand at the price of one thousand Gold Dragon per pair."
Roderick's breathing stopped! Everything! He must spend all his property immediately! Get crystals of good quality! Make them for Suleiman! Ten! That's ten thousand Gold Dragon! Twenty! That's twenty thousand Gold Dragon! He can get three thousand or even six thousand Gold Dragon! Or even more!
Lady Olenna's eyes turned to him. "You, Roderick, facilitate this deal, and I will give you another three hundred Gold Dragon as a reward."
Roderick Although I already feel that I can't stand Sanbai Gold Dragon anymore! But I still want to show my gratitude! My knees are weak! I almost kneel down!
Lady Olenna's voice became cold, her voice was lowered, with irresistible majesty, as if the person in front of her was Suleiman, and she threw out her real price. "In addition,"
"We will pay another two thousand Gold Dragon."
"The buyout is during the time we make the knockoff."
"That is to say, during this period, he, I forgot his name, can no longer make this kind of thing, and is not allowed to sell this kind of thing to anyone. You have to see him with your own eyes and swear an oath in the name of the god he believes in."
Roderick was sweating coldly, listening to Lady Olenna's undeniable tone, and bowed to leave.
Seeing that Roderick had retreated, Mace Tyrell. Tyrell standing aside was shocked and finally couldn't help but speak, "Mother! So many Gold Dragon! Isn't this too generous? We can definitely...
"Shut up, you idiot." Lady Olenna didn't even look back.
But in the end, Lady Olenna seemed to be thinking about something, and turned around to explain to her son who was still confused. She looked at her son who was still in confusion and seemed to be a little distressed:
"Do you think we spent more than 20,000 Gold Dragon to buy a dozen pairs of broken crystal pieces?"
"What we buy is time!"
"Until our craftsmen at Highgarden can imitate this thing, no second pair can appear on the market!"
"We immediately organized our manpower and used the best crystals and the best craftsmen to imitate day and night!"
"When we have hundreds or thousands of pairs in hand, we will take them out together!"
"Sell it to High Septon of King's Landing, to Iron Bank of Braavos, to the governor of Free Cities, to the wise master of Yunkai, to those slave owners who are so rich that they can't even read the contract clearly!"
"At that time, do you think a pair is only worth a thousand Gold Dragon?"
"They will be willing to spend three thousand, five thousand, or even ten thousand Gold Dragon to buy back their youth and power in order to enjoy their short and dirty life!"
Lady Olenna's words shocked Mace Tyrell. Tyrell. His eyes widened and he seemed to understand, and his face became flushed with excitement.
Roderick was sent out of the city, his whole body was cold. He finally understood how ridiculous businessmen in Westeros were in the eyes of real power players.
He took a token given by Lady Olenna and was engraved with the House Tyrell rose seal, and once again set foot on the road north to Riverlands. The carriage was speeding, but his mood was a hundred times more complicated than when he came. It was no longer pure ecstasy, but a kind of fear mixed with it. His businessman's sensitivity told him that this matter would bring him danger.
He is a businessman, and of course he knows Lady Olenna's plan. He knows that it will be a lot of money, but what does that wealth have to do with him? In Westeros, the nobles are the real masters. He only needs to take his own share of the money and leave, Roderick squeeze his palms tightly.
But he was a little unwilling.