Chapter Summaries

After Delia survived an assassination attempt, Su Qin declared war on the House of Wickenden Clan, while House Royce and the crown prepared for a conflict with wider political stakes. House Stark recalled Ned and stayed neutral as Royce forces gathered at Keir Keep ahead of a planned offensive the following March.

• Maester Luwin brought Rickard Stark a letter from Yaron Royce reporting that Faceless Men had targeted his daughter and asking Rickard to restrain House Arryn; Rickard suspected a third party was provoking conflict and wrote to House Mormont and House Arryn.
• Prince Rhaegar read Yaron's letter and took it to King Aerys II, who approved House Royce's grounds for war against the House of Wickenden Clan but made its territorial demands conditional on Jon Arryn's approval or a cession in King's Landing.
• After Delia was attacked, Su Qin rode to Runestone, found her safe, and vowed to declare war on the House of Wickenden Clan for threatening Yaron Royce within his territory.
• House Royce formally declared war, and House Stark recalled Ned Stark from Jon Arryn's household and remained neutral.
• Royce forces occupied Keir Keep, with more troops arriving afterward, and the nobles under Runestone were ordered to muster their militia as the formal offensive was scheduled for the following March.

Delia learned that Su Qin’s corn harvest could transform Gulltown’s fortunes, but its unusual growing restrictions and immense value threatened to draw the attention of the entire realm. As the Royce family prepared to protect Su Qin, Delia considered recruiting her cousin Lyanna by arranging for her to become Su Qin’s secondary wife.

• Delia reassured Su Qin that House Royce could defend Keir Keep and predicted that the divided House of Wickenden would reveal its weakness when preparations began next March.
• Delia traveled with Su Qin to Gull Territory, inspected its holdings and planned road, and tasted the ripe corn growing in the fields.
• Su Qin told Delia that the corn yielded 1,500 jin per mu and that he had planted 1,000 mu, while thousands of local farmers guarded the fields.
• Su Qin explained that the system restricted corn cultivation to designated areas in Lower Gulltown, and that maesters had confirmed the crop could not be planted elsewhere.
• Maester Denwen sent ravens across the kingdoms, and Royce recalled the Golden Tailors to focus on removing hostile agents from the territories around Gulltown.
• Delia realized that Su Qin’s corn and the Qilin Faith would attract powerful interests, then wondered how to persuade Lyanna to become Su Qin’s secondary wife.

Delia arrived at Gull Manor as Su Qin prepared his household and smithies for the coming war. He ordered a batch of bows and arrows, while the fortress lift remained unfinished.

• Countess Beatrice put away the bloodstained cloth from her daughter's premarital union, and Delia arrived at Gull Manor as its future mistress.
• Su Qin assigned Delia fifteen personal guards, organized the Qilin Guard, and weighed the cost of expanding its ranks against his limited funds.
• Su Qin visited Smithy No. 1, where Gery's attempt to build a powered lift failed when its chain snapped.
• Su Qin asked Gery to produce three hundred redwood horn bows and nine thousand arrows, then agreed to prioritize fifty bows and three thousand arrows by year's end.
• Su Qin gave Gery one hundred gold to cover the materials and let him decide how to spend the remainder.

Lower Gulltown’s first corn and buckwheat harvest produced 85,000 units of grain, enough to feed its residents while reserving supplies for seeds and future arrivals. After reviewing Gull Territory’s growth, Su Qin postponed building Seagull Academy until the following July so he could preserve grain for the army and refugees.

• Lower Gulltown harvested 2,000 jin of corn per mu, and Su Qin guarded the fields while arranging for the grain to be transported and stored.
• The harvest from 1,000 mu of corn and 4,000 mu of buckwheat gave Lower Gulltown 85,000 units of grain, enough for its population’s needs over the next six months.
• Su Qin calculated that next year’s expanded planting would require 90,000 jin of seeds and could yield as much as 600,000 units of grain in the first half of the year.
• Delia helped maintain order in Lower Gulltown, where Luke’s Patrol Guard handled patrols and local disputes alongside the Qilin Guards.
• Su Qin checked Gull Territory’s system information and learned it had 3,000 households, 85,000 units of grain per half-year, and 320 Qilin Guards and 320 patrol guards.
• Su Qin postponed building Seagull Academy until July because he reserved the extra grain for the army and incoming refugees.

After Gulltown’s extraordinary grain yield drew the attention of King’s Landing, Su Qin’s offer of grain and an oath of loyalty persuaded Aerys II not to move against his territory. As November ended, Su Qin reviewed his territory map and waited for the system’s December refresh while Delia teased him about marrying other noblewomen.

• Petyr Baelish urged Aerys II’s council to reassign Gulltown, warning that Su Qin’s growing power threatened the realm and the king’s prestige.
• Tywin Lannister presented House Stark’s warning against invading Su Qin’s lands and explained that hostility toward Gulltown would drive its food supplies to the king’s enemies.
• Rhaegar gave Aerys a letter in which Su Qin promised 200,000 units of grain each year and swore eternal loyalty to House Targaryen.
• Aerys declared that King’s Landing would not take a hostile stance toward Gulltown and ordered Rhaegar to investigate the Qilin Faith.
• Su Qin studied the territory map while Delia questioned him about taking Lyanna Stark, Elia Martell, Catelyn Tully, or Cersei as another wife.
• Su Qin told Delia he wanted no other wife, and the two retired together before the December system refresh.

Wickenden’s clergy and nobles were shown exploiting the powerless while the monastery’s leaders faced political defeat. Andar Waxley learned that Jon Arryn had withdrawn his support, leaving him to prepare for House Royce’s advance.

• The chapter described the abuse of young nuns in Wickenden’s monastery and contrasted it with Su Qin’s punishment of nobles who violated women in Gull Territory.
• Cardinal Maer heard a report, finished praying, and ordered his followers to prepare to return to King’s Landing the next night.
• Andar Waxley tore up Jon Arryn’s letter and cursed him for breaking his promise to support House Waxley.
• Andar realized House Stark had protected House Royce and Jon Arryn would no longer provide military aid.
• Andar ordered his military minister to resist House Royce while he prepared to flee, considering surrendering Strongstone Beach.

Su Qin chose the Torch Dragon Pair Pendants from the system shop and borrowed gold from Delia to obtain them, then bound one pendant to each of them. He turned to organizing grain storage, archer training, and plans for light cavalry, while leaving the cavalry template decision for later.

• Su Qin reviewed three purple-grade items in the December system refresh and selected the Torch Dragon Pair Pendants, which could create protective shields and link their owners to animals’ vision.
• Su Qin asked Delia to lend him 1,000 gold coins, and she gave him 3,000 so she could witness the miracle he had described.
• Su Qin exchanged the gold for the pendants and explained their two spells to Delia.
• Delia and Su Qin bound the pendants to themselves with their blood and put them on each other.
• Su Qin planned to store the 5,000 units of corn seed separately, begin training archers with the completed horn bows, and prepare to train light cavalry.

Yaron Royce besieged Breckland Castle with 3,300 soldiers while waiting for siege preparations, and reflected on his alliance with House Stark and his family’s growing interest in magic. At Gull Manor, Su Qin trained archers and organized preparations for war against the Moon Lake clans, while planning a major expansion of corn farming.

• Yaron Royce surrounded Breckland Castle and weighed ways to take its walls while minimizing casualties.
• Yaron relied on House Stark’s support and read about Valyrian magic as his family explored the subject.
• Su Qin demonstrated his horn bow’s accuracy and ordered officers to train their troops by shooting hundreds of arrows each day.
• Su Qin planned to prepare bows, elite troops, leather armor, and arrow-tower fortresses for the campaign against the Moon Lake clans next July.
• Su Qin planned for all 2,800 farming households to plant corn next January, expecting a harvest large enough to leave 550,000 units of grain after tribute to Aerys II.

Su Qin held a year-end meeting after earning money from selling corn and settling the territory’s finances. He negotiated taxes and trade plans, promised compensation to former landholding houses and higher salaries for ministers, and gained the system’s recognition of his control over the territory.

• Su Qin sold 10,000 units of corn for 3,000 gold, repaid 1,000 gold to Delia’s family, and promised to repay the farmers’ unpaid wages the following year.
• Su Qin gathered the territory’s ministers, nobles, and merchants for a year-end meeting while Delia hosted their families at a banquet.
• Su Qin announced bidding for Lower Gulltown’s trading district and proposed a twenty-percent commercial tax, then left the merchants to discuss it.
• Kelun reported that merchants accepted the tax rate and wanted to buy corn; Su Qin agreed to discuss sales outside the territory at the end of April.
• Su Qin offered the houses of Augustus, Kiel, and Aite annual land-redemption payments and gave ministers contracts for higher salaries.
• The system declared that all ministers’ loyalty exceeded 90 and recognized Su Qin’s complete control of the territory.

Su Qin planned Gulltown’s finances and designed an official brothel to draw residents’ spare money back into the territory’s economy. Delia agreed to recruit women for it, and Su Qin tasked the Scissors Sect with finding women working secretly in the four Gull towns.

• Su Qin calculated that advance wages and other expenses would leave him with only 400 gold for new housing.
• Su Qin decided to build an official brothel, the Red Gull House, as a source of revenue and entertainment for Gulltown.
• Delia visited Su Qin and asked why he was designing a brothel; he explained that he wanted money circulating within his territory rather than flowing to outside merchants.
• Delia offered to recruit women through the Scissors, and Su Qin told the Scissors Sect to find women working secretly in the four Gull towns.
• Su Qin and Delia were intimate in the study while Yira guarded the door.