It can be said that it was not that Oliver was so stupid that he did not know how to go to the highest authority, but the old grudges in the family history that destined Tywin to be unable to help him.
Not to mention helping, not taking this opportunity to stab him in the back is enough to be called the prime minister's most benevolent person.
After all, Tywin Lannister's hatred and ruthlessness are common sense engraved in the bones of the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms. House Chelsted This broken ship cannot bear any side glances from Casterly Rock Old Lion. Even if the light is just an unintentional glance, it may bring about a huge wave of destruction.
And the experience of Oliver is not particularly tragic. After all, war, banditry, and hunger, these words combined together, are the eternal background of this continent.
A group of bandits took hold, leaving the bankrupt nobles with no other options?
Nothing more than normal.
However, Corleone was keenly aware of something unusual in this matter.
Mainly because that place is really remote.
On the northeastern edge of the Royal Forest, the hills upstream of the small tributary of the Blackwater River...
... He quickly recalled the detailed map explanation in his mind.
It is far away from the main commercial roads, the land output is limited, and the forest resources are not particularly rich, otherwise the royal family would have been included in it. Except for the declining Chelsted Castle, there are almost no decent villages or wealthy manors in the surrounding area.
And bandits also need to eat.
They usually choose a place close to trade routes and wealthy villages and towns, where it is easier to plunder supplies and sell stolen goods, or at least to have sufficient water sources and easy-to-defend terrain.
The hills near Chelsted Castle are easy to defend and difficult to attack, but they have almost no looting value.
Go grab Chelsted Castle?
That is completely meaningless. After all, according to Oliver's tone, he and fifteen men did not dare to suppress the bandits, so the number of the other party is obviously higher than theirs.
A bandit gang with so many people couldn't survive in that small hill. At least obtaining food would be a big problem.
Unless they are not there for the purpose of plundering.
Or, the target of their robbery is not Chelsted Castle, or it is not limited to that poor prey.
Or...
. There was something else there that attracted them.
Corleone's mind was running rapidly, ruling out several possibilities.
Minerals?
The possibility is extremely low. House Chelsted has been passed down there for hundreds of years. It is impossible for them not to notice it at all. They are so poor and the royal family cannot let it go.
Smuggling channel?
Maybe, but the tributary is difficult for small boats to pass, and the land route is rugged, so it has little use value.
Then, the most reasonable explanation is still...
They were just a group of bandits who were particularly stupid, or were so desperate that they had no choice but to choose such a barren place.
And this explanation just proves from the side how depressed House Chelsted and its territory have become. Even such bandits dare to "start a business" because they know that there will not be any decent resistance here.
Interesting.
Corleone's mouth curved in a subtle and playful manner.
Because he doesn't think this explanation is very "reasonable".
After all, a month ago, King's Landing was still in the stage of emerging from the war. Even though Chelsted Castle was not within the scope of King's Landing, it was really unjustifiable to choose to stay in that kind of place and plunder at such a sensitive time.
It just so happened that although he won the battle at the Royal Council two days ago, with Tywin's eyesight, it was impossible not to see some flaws in his "immortality".
Let's take this opportunity to whet Old Lion's appetite and see if he will take action before Free Fighting Arena opens.
Moreover, it may be possible to take a deeper look at the power vacuum on the edge of the royal territory and learn about the "wild" nobles in the blind spots of Tywin and the nobles of King's Landing.
Take advantage of this gap to leave the center of the vortex and go to the edge to have a look. You may be able to make different discoveries.
"Black Hand Mafia will help you solve your trouble, Chezde Ser." After thinking for a long time, Corleone finally spoke.
Hearing this, Oliver raised his head blankly and didn't even react for a moment.
Just like that... simply agreed?
"I hear your trouble."
Corleone stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to Oliver, and looked out the window. "A group of bandits entrenched near your territory have cut off your livelihood in the winter, and you don't have the power to solve it."
As he spoke, he turned around and his eyes fell on Oliver's face. Those black eyes looked particularly deep in the backlight. "Tell me, if these bandits disappeared, could Chelsted Castle survive this winter on its own?"
"I mean, when supplemented by normal prey."
As soon as these words came out, Oliver stood up quickly and promised ecstatically, "Yes! Ser!"
"As long as the traps and hunting routes in the mountains are restored, plus the little money we saved before, and we go to Dusk Valley Town to exchange wood for some food, we should be able to get through it with some savings..."
"At least no one will starve to death!"
Great, after so many days of hitting the wall in King's Landing, I finally see hope of survival!
"Very good." Corleone nodded. "Then, I'll go with you Chelsted Castle."
"What?"
Hearing this, Oliver was completely stunned again. He thought that at most he would get some financial assistance, or that the other party would send some people to suppress the bandits, or even be... politely rejected.
But he never expected that Ser Corleone, who was so famous in King's Landing that even Lord Tywin would treat him with caution, would personally go to his remote and dilapidated territory.
"What?" Corleone raised his eyebrows slightly and teased, "Don't you believe I can deal with a group of bandits?"
"No! Of course not!"
Oliver waved his hands quickly, and was a little incoherent with excitement. "I just... this is too troublesome for you!"
"Chelsted Castle is far and remote, and the journey is difficult... I'm afraid we don't have anything good to entertain you."
And Corleone waved his hand to interrupt him, and his tone was unquestionable: "My definition of "hard work" may be different from ordinary people."
"Moreover, I'm used to seeing problems with my own eyes instead of always staying in the office and listening to reports."
With that said, Corleone walked back to the table and pulled the calling bell.
Soon, the tall and strong Dothraki Warrior pushed in the door.
"You call me, blood of my blood."
"The injury is almost healed, let's go out for a walk."
Corleone looked at Yego and said with a smile, "Get ready, let's go there tomorrow morning Chelsted Castle."
"Bring ten men with you. They must be elite and wear armor."
"Yes, the blood of my blood!"
Hearing Corleone say this, Yego also had an excited smile on his face.
With Corleone's superb Medicine treatment, his injury has been cured for a long time. He has been resting at House of Order these days, and he feels that his riding skills are about to decline.
After all, as an elite Dothraki, Yego almost spent the first half of his life eating, drinking, and eating on horseback. For the Dothraki, not being able to kill people on horseback would be even more uncomfortable than killing them.
He didn't have any questions, he simply agreed and turned around to make arrangements.
And Oliver stood there, as if still in a dream. The development of things completely exceeded his expectations.
"You should go back to your residence and rest first. Or, if you don't have a place to stay in King's Landing, there are guest rooms at House of Order."
After Yego left, Corleone looked at Oliver and ordered, "Tomorrow at dawn, let's meet near the old flour mill outside the King's Gate."
"Yes... yes! Ser!"
Seeing that Corleone was not joking and actually wanted to personally help him, Oliver quickly bowed deeply.
This time, the bend was wider than before.
night.
A different kind of game is going on.
The night fell heavily over the hilly area on the northeastern edge of the royal forest, and the air was filled with rotten leaves, damp soil, and... a certain fishy smell unique to indulgence.
A small bonfire crackled in the forest clearing, and the flames danced, casting the twisted figures around them onto the knotted tree trunks, like a group of demons dancing wildly.
The song is far from melodious, the tune is weird and exciting, with a Dorne accent that is so rich that it cannot be melted away, the lyrics are vulgar and explicit, mixed with wanton laughter and intermittent coquettishness from the woman.
Beside the campfire, several men wearing only thin shirts or even half-naked men were hugging disheveled women and teasing them wantonly. In the shadows farther away, indescribable movements could be heard. The scene was chaotic and almost barbaric, incompatible with the quiet and desolate mountain forest.
It was simply a large open-air party.
There was only one man far away from the center of the hustle and bustle.
He sat next to a whetstone, leaning against an old tree, turning a blind eye to the lewd scenes around him, and just focused on sharpening the Longsword in his hand over and over again.
The steel blade rubbed against the rough stone surface, making a steady and cold "chacha" sound, as if it was cutting through this piece of uncomfortable joy.
The firelight illuminated half of his face. It was a typical Dornish face, with darker skin and high cheekbones. His eyes looked unusually calm and even gloomy under the beating firelight.
Not long after, a lazy figure emerged from the deeper woods nearby, wearing his belt as he walked, with a frivolous smile on his lips.
He is younger than the man, with curly hair and a somewhat lazy posture.
He walked to the bonfire, grabbed a wine bag and took a big sip, then looked at the incompatible sword sharpener.
"Hey, Andrey!"
The young man shouted in a joking tone, "I said, you look like this is really disappointing. It's hard enough to go out, walking over mountains and ridges, eating cold wind and drinking dirty water, and finally finding some fun, can't you be nicer to yourself?"
Cha... Cha...
The sound of sword sharpening paused for a moment, then Andrey raised his eyelids and glanced at the young man.
There was no warmth in those eyes, only a trace of imperceptible disgust.
"My body and my fidelity."
"It will only be left to Her Highness the Princess. A guy like you who relies on his lower body to think will not understand, Gai Lin."
His voice was low and steady, in stark contrast to the noise around him.
"Ha!"
Hearing this, Galin seemed to have heard a big joke and slapped his thigh in an exaggerated manner, which attracted several nearby companions to look over. "Andrey, you don't look like a Dornish man with this self-protective knight style!"
Cha... cha...
The sound of sword sharpening sounded again, the rhythm remained unchanged, but the strength seemed to have weakened a bit.
Andrey's gaze returned to the sword blade, as if Galin was just an annoying buzzing insect.
"It's not your turn to judge whether I look like a Dornish man or not, Gaelin."
His voice was still steady, but every word was cold and hard. "I don't need to be like you, or like my brother."
"As for Her Royal Highness the Princess...
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He paused, then the grindstone crossed the middle of the sword, bringing up a stream of tiny sparks. "Her aspirations and her plans are beyond the reach of people like you. If it weren't for the fact that you grew up with us, I wouldn't have brought you here at all this time."
"I have to remind you, don't get too carried away. We are not here for you to have fun. If something big happens to His Highness, I will prevent you from ever returning to Dorne."
He said the last sentence very slowly, almost word for word, and the warning was quite obvious.
Hearing this, Gai Lin felt like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His face turned red. He didn't know whether he was drunk or angry.
"Getting carried away? Looking for fun?"
He raised his voice, causing more people around the fire to look over. "Andrey, what the hell are you pretending to me?"
"Yes! We didn't hold up our swords and swear to leave our virginity to Her Highness the Princess like you did, but don't forget, we do no less work than you!"
"In this month, in order to create panic, how many untouchables have we killed around here? And a few days ago, when that old thing rolled down the hillside from our hands, weren't you there?"
"Why didn't you stop him, your polished treasure Longsword? Now he's running away, and you don't know whether he's dead or alive. What the hell is this called "Don't spoil the big thing"?"
The two started arguing, and the singing and fun around them subsided unconsciously.
Several men stopped and looked here with flickering eyes. The movement on the other side of the tent was also quiet, with only the sound of wind and the crackling of firewood.
Andrey finally stopped sharpening his sword.
He slowly lifted Longsword until it was at eye level.
The jumping firelight flowed on the mirror-like blade surface, reflecting his unruffled eyes and also reflecting Galin's face that was distorted with excitement.
"That's why."
Without any warning, the sharp sword blade was placed directly on Gary's neck.
Andrey's eyes were cold, and there was no emotion in his tone. "I want to remind you even more, Gai Lin."
"Needless killing is a flaw, leaving people alive is a bigger flaw. You enjoy the process, enjoy this... feeling of acting, so much so that you forget why we have to do this and why we are here."
"If you still don't understand what I say, then let my sword tell you."
You could really feel the sharpness of the sword's blade on your neck, and Gaelin's arrogant arrogance suddenly withered away.
Because he can see that Andrey is not joking.
"Calm down, calm down, my brother."
He put on a flattering smile on his face, tentatively stretched out a finger to push away Andrey's sword blade, and then explained, "It's better for that person to escape. This will achieve better results, right?"
"Don't forget...
As he spoke, Galin slowly put his hand into the inner pocket of his opened shirt, fumbled around, and took out something."
.. We all are now."
That's a coat of arms.
Made of iron, its edges were slightly worn and stained with sweat and dirt, but the pattern of the black gate was clearly visible in the firelight.
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..Eron Wood!"