"A person as capable as you is exactly who I am - and exactly the good friend Starpike has always wanted to make."
Titus walked around the table, walked to Varys, and tapped him with his finger. "My friend's difficulties are my difficulties. I will help you solve Small Council's misunderstanding about you----"
Before Varys could be happy, Titus grinned. "----Although, you did stand on Mad King's side and did your best for Targaryen's rule, and persuaded him not to open the city gate and let Tywin of Lannister's family enter the city?"
Ever since he entered this room, the smile on Varys's face could not last more than three seconds.
"Of course - I mean, Master Titus, of course I am willing to be your friend."
Varys shows your respect respectfully.
"As long as you can take a little action, I'm willing to do anything to alleviate my current predicament!"
Still giving everything?
Are you talking so much?
You're not sincere----
Titus took advantage of Varys's bow and quickly blinked at the captain Wenda next to him.
Dodge looked over subconsciously and saw that the female captain was doing her duty faithfully and without squinting. She was much more serious than their Earl.
"Very well, I will not ask for everything from my friend. But one day - and perhaps never will - I will ask you to repay me.
And until that day, consider this justice as your appreciation for daring to come and see me in person today."
Varys finally showed a happy face, and saw Titus Earl turned around and sat back down. He took the kitten back on the table and squeezed its paws fondly.
"As for your work for Mad King, I can help you get it out of the way because of our personal friendship. It just so happens that the king's Small Council is currently seriously short of personnel and needs talents like you to join."
But one code equals the other—how does that count for your ambush on me earlier?"
I didn't send anyone to ambush you----why did you come back again?
Didn't you forgive him first and then help him make suggestions to Small Council? Why did you do it the other way around?
Varys lost his joy, looked at the other party carefully, and began to figure out how to compensate Mr. Titus for his "loss".
The public belongs to the public, the private belongs to the private.
Helping Varys is because he will be used later, but it does not mean that he does not have to apologize.
Who told him to be so "rash" and offend someone he shouldn't have offended?
Starpike Earl never suffers.
Varys used his brain to recall everything about Master Titus, and suddenly an idea suddenly occurred to him, and his thoughts fell on three pieces of military intelligence-
In the battle of the Cider Hall, the "black Earl" Titus formation killed the Reach's vanguard officer Randyll·Tarly, and captured Horn Hill Earl's corrugated steel giant sword "Heartsbane".
And in the subsequent battle with the Royal Army - "Battle of the Bells", he used two corrugated steel swords including "Heartsbane" to kill and defeat Hand of the King Jon Clinton at the time.
Then during the decisive battle of Trident, their family's Wagang clan sword "Lady Forlorn" was "confiscated" from the hands of Heart's Home's second son Linn Corbray who "took advantage of others' danger and misbehaved"----
Keywords: Valyrian steel sword.
Black Earl's hobbies are obvious. Besides fighting and killing, he also likes to "collect" Valyrian steel products.
Varys had an idea, and the hypocritical smile appeared on his lovely white face again.
"Sir Titus, have you ever heard of House Rogare's bodyguard - "Shadow" Shan Duoke?"
Titus raised his eyebrows and replied casually, "Of course, he killed Amory Peake when he was Siege of the Forbidden City" and guarded the suspension bridge in front of Maegor's Holdfast. For eighteen days, the other Peake illegitimate son among Kingsguard couldn't get through."
Varys:
He felt that his performance today was far below the standard, which was not at all what he should be.
Was it because I was shocked by Starpike Earl from the beginning, which led to an unbalanced mentality and the continuous mistakes?
Varys struggled to maintain a smile, soothed his mood as much as possible, and whispered softly, "The mute bodyguard Shan Duoke from Lys once held an arakh scimitar made of Valyrian steel iron with a keel handle.
I think - this would be a good gift to make up for my earlier mistakes?"
Varys went to his liking this time and got the chance to win. Titus was really interested and thought that this apology gift would really satisfy him.
Before Shan Duoke worked as a bodyguard for Lara Rogare, he was a big banker on Lys Island, Iron Bank's biggest enemy, the founder of Essos's "Roche Scam", and an effective subordinate of the "great" Lissandra Rogare.
Even if they are not made of corrugated steel, his personal weapons are highly collectible.
I have to say, Varys scratched the itch of Earl.
"Varys, you are so generous. As far as I know, even in Essos, it is not difficult to exchange corrugated steel weapons for a small town."
"As long as the misunderstanding between me and Mr. Titus can be solved and our friendship can be further developed, I think this will be far more gratifying than getting a small town on the other side of the Narrow Sea."
After the initial joy, Titus, who had been thinking about where the other party got the corrugated steel knife from, asked tentatively, "I heard that your former partner Illyrio Mopatis is the wealthy businessman governor of Free Cities Pentos? He seems to be mainly engaged in spices, gems, dragon bones, dragon steel and other shady transactions?"
He really knows about my relationship with Illyrio Mopatis!
The other party even knew their "rat". Varys was mentally prepared this time. He nodded and admitted with an unchanging smile, "Yes, my lord, as a eunuch, I am not capable of getting Shadow Danduo Ke's corrugated steel scimitar. It's not bad. I am better at making friends and I know how to deepen the close relationship with my friends - you will also see this later."
Varys's mind is also spinning with various thoughts. As a Dornish Marches lord from the Westeros south, this "Black Earl" who is famous for his bravery and prowess in battle, inevitably knows too much----
Could it be that those Peake who were hanging around Golden Company were collecting information on Essos for the Peake family owner of Starpike?
Otherwise, who is leaking the information?
The two people, both of whom were not very simple-minded, spoke beautiful words, but secretly they were trying to find out the part of the information they wanted from the other person's words, and their minds were spinning very fast.
Starpike Earl's current status takes advantage, so he can be even more unreasonable than Varys.
After the exchange of words between you and me, they relaxedly talked about some strange anecdotes about Shan Duoke. Titus changed the topic again. "Shan Duoke's scimitar is really an excellent gift, but my interest in Valyrian steel is really limited--
I believe you, a White Walker! Go ahead and lie to the White Walkers——
We were having a good chat at first, but Varys was abrupt, and was flashed by the black Earl again. I wonder what kind of White Walker he wanted to do.
Titus put on a posture of "I don't like Wagang, I have never touched Wagang" and said with a smile, "Compared with Wagang, I prefer another kind of gift."
"Would you like to hear the details?" Varys cheered up and complimented with a smile.
"Dragon Egg, or a Dragon Egg fossil." Titus raised an index finger.
As long as Varys can bring Dragon Egg as compensation, Titus is willing to "write off all the old accounts" with him.
Although Varys doesn't understand how the Peake family likes to collect stone eggs like Targaryen, this rare commodity is indeed within the business scope of Illyrio Mopatis, but it is extremely rare.
He said that he would ask old friends to pay attention to this kind of gift, but he was already thinking that the harder it is to deal with Black Earl, the greater the value of "making friends" with him will be.
Not only is it a Dragon Egg fossil, he also has to add a gift----
After reaching an agreement with Mad King's intelligence chief, Varys, who was not dressing up as Wolverine tonight, put on his hood and left quietly.
Titus stroked his cat's head and thought to himself, let's just finish all the things before leaving Red Keep.
He asked Dodge to invite Grand Maester among Red Keep to come over for a meeting, and then waved, and asked Wenda, who was jealous, to come over and play with cats----
Due to the credit of inducing the former king to open Lion Gate, Pycelle's position as Grand Maester in the court can be continued.
He is similar to Barristan. He is an old guy who has served many kings since the Aegon V period. When he faced the black Earl, he did not put on any airs and looked conscientious and honest.
Today's Small Council does not have his seat, which has made this "National Preceptor" who has experienced three dynasties clearly understand his own weight.
Titus glanced at the many necklaces of different materials under his neck and politely asked him to sit down and chat.
This is a treatment that Varys just did not have.
Bachelors born in Oldtown Citadel regard themselves as servants of all Westeros. When they enter a certain castle, they serve that castle, not a certain family or an individual.
If they erase their surnames, they will inevitably be affected by their family background.
For example, if a bachelor with the original surname Bracken went to the Raventree Hall from Blackwood to become a castle bachelor, it would be very lively, enough to film hundreds of episodes of a soap opera.
The aristocratic families of Westeros often send their "excess" sons who are lower in the succession order to Citadel to study.
The saying that "bachelors have no political leanings" only remains theoretical.
After completing their studies, bachelors will be selected by Citadel and sent to castles in various places that lack bachelors to serve the castle and its owner in the multiple capacities of a family tutor, healer and consultant.
If control of this settlement changes, the maester will remain loyal to the new master of the castle.
However, people are not like grass and trees, and they are ruthless. It is not uncommon for a bachelor of a certain castle to gradually become part of the family through years of close contact with members of the lord's family.
But Pycelle obviously does not fall into this category.
One of the Pentos governors, Illyrio Mopatis (the former handsome man Illyrio said that when he thinks about his past self and then looks at his current self, he can't help but want to cry):