While everyone was still shocked by Lynd's identity, Little Griff suddenly stepped forward and asked Lynd, "Are you here to kill me, Lord Chosen One Lynd?"
Seeing Little Griff's action, Jon Clinton's heart tightened, and he quickly pulled Little Griff behind him to protect him.
Lynd bowed his head slightly, looked at Little Griff, and retorted, "Who are you? Why would I kill you?"
Little Griff raised his head and puffed out his chest, saying, "I am Aegon Targaryen, grandson of Aerys II Targaryen, son of Rhaegar Targaryen, and the rightful heir to the Targaryen Dynasty and the Iron Throne."
Lynd smiled and said, "The last person who gave me a similar introduction was Viserys Targaryen. It sounded a bit comical then, and your self-introduction sounds equally comical now."
As he spoke, Lynd walked towards Little Griff. None of the Golden Company warriors around dared to stop him, because what had just happened had made them all realize that all the legends they had heard in the past were true; this person was not someone ordinary mortals could defeat.
And the people around Little Griff, seeing Lynd walk over unimpeded, couldn't help but become nervous, and they all, without prior agreement, shielded Little Griff.
Although Luo Li Duckfield also looked a bit troubled, he still loyally walked to Little Griff's side and stood in front of him.
Lynd did not walk too close; he only stopped after walking out of the Golden Company warriors' encirclement, then continued to speak to Little Griff, saying, "Although Viserys's words were laughable, he at least had a legal basis. As a survivor of the Targaryen family, he indeed had the right to publicly declare his claim to the Iron Throne. But what about you? What right do you have to make such a claim? It is well known that Rhaegar's son, Aegon Targaryen, was killed by the Mountain. What right do you have to call yourself Aegon Targaryen?"
Little Griff frowned, gathered his courage, and said, "I am Aegon Targaryen. This needs no proof."
"Then I can also say I am Aegon the Conqueror? And it needs no proof," Lynd quipped, pointing at Jon Clinton, and said, "He can also call himself Daeron Targaryen, no proof needed." Then he pointed at the others and said, "Aerys I, Maegor I, Jaehaerys I, Queen Rhaenyra—they all need no proof."
"You..." Little Griff looked at Lynd, annoyed, not knowing what to say.
"Lord Linde, you didn't suddenly come here just to make fun of us, did you?" Jon Clinton, seeing that Lynd showed no malice, approached with a hint of expectation and asked.
"Of course not. I just happened to pass through Myr, and you happened to be here, so I came to take a look, satisfy my curiosity, and by the way, understand what ability you have to overthrow the current Iron Throne," Lynd scrutinized Jon Clinton and said, "However, it's a bit disappointing. You don't even have legitimate legal standing, so what right do you have to contend for the Iron Throne?"
Jon Clinton immediately emphasized, "This is indeed Prince Aegon, the only descendant of Prince Rhaegar, and the succession rights are..."
"I'll say it again, where's the proof? Who can prove that he is Aegon Targaryen?" Lynd retorted, "Everyone in the world knows that Aegon Targaryen is dead. Now another one pops up, who can prove whether he is real or a fabricated puppet?"
"I can prove it with honor," Jon Clinton said.
"Your honor is worthless. It's well known that you, Jon Clinton, harbor extreme hatred for Robert Baratheon. You'd do anything to kill King Robert, let alone fabricate a false Aegon?" Lynd chuckled and said, "Besides, you yourself need to prove you are Jon Clinton. Don't forget, in outside rumors, you've already died of grief. Don't you find it ridiculous for a dead man to prove another dead man?"
Jon Clinton was unable to retort for a moment, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
"Or do you want to use Varys's words as evidence? And who would believe the words of a eunuch?" Lynd continued to question, saying, "Or, you could ask Prince Oberyn to testify for you. Setting aside whether he would testify for you, even if he could, how many people would believe him? It is well known that he harbors deep resentment over the death of Princess Elia and utterly despises the Iron Throne and the Westerlands. His testimony would only be seen as a lie he intentionally fabricated for revenge."
Jon Clinton's expression turned somewhat grim. It was clear that his initial idea was indeed to have Dorne attest to Little Griff's identity when he landed in Westeros, thereby garnering widespread support.
"His hair and eyes are the best proof of his identity," the maester beside Little Griff said in a deep voice.
"Silver hair and purple eyes? I can find a whole bunch of those in Lys," Lynd replied disdainfully, then looked at the people in front of him and said, "You have no evidence to prove he is Aegon Targaryen, but I can find plenty of evidence that he is not of the Targaryen family."
Jon Clinton and the others were stunned, looking at Lynd in confusion.
Lynd then pointed to Mis Toyn and the surrounding Golden Company warriors, saying, "It is well known that the Golden Company was founded by the Blackfyre descendants, and their lifelong goal is to overthrow the Targaryen Dynasty and place a Blackfyre on the Iron Throne. Now the Golden Company has become your collaborator. So, in the eyes of others, do you think it's more likely that this young man is a descendant of Rhaegar Targaryen, or a descendant of the Blackfyres?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces turned exceptionally pale. Lynd had no intention of staying longer, as he had already seen the rumored Little Aegon and the would-be restorers who would return to Westeros when the Seven Kingdoms were at their weakest. His objective had been achieved.
If Lynd had not appeared, these people would have landed at Griffin's Roost and then conquered cities and lands all the way to King's Landing. Although Lynd did not know what happened later, given their momentum upon landing, it was highly probable they would eventually reach King's Landing, unless Daenerys returned to Westeros riding dragons. Otherwise, Little Aegon would most likely ascend the Iron Throne.
But now the situation was different. The territories Lynd currently controlled and would control in the future were all blocking the path of this army. They would only be able to detour and land in the Crownlands, and whether the final outcome would be as smooth as at Griffin's Roost was unknown.
Seeing Lynd about to leave, Jon Clinton suddenly asked, "Lord Linde, if the Usurper Robert dies, you..."
"Lord Jon, you haven't understood one thing from beginning to end," Lynd interrupted Jon Clinton, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Taking the Iron Throne has never been about bloodline, nor reputation. It has always been about military might. Aegon the Conqueror was able to establish the Targaryen Dynasty because he had three dragons and could subdue his enemies by force. King Robert was able to become the master of the Iron Throne because he defeated the Iron Throne with force. What powerful strength do you think you have now that could make me submit? Honestly, although you have the support of the Golden Company and many other allies, in my eyes, you are no better than Viserys, whom you jokingly call the Beggar King, and perhaps even worse than him. At least he had the courage to declare his origins and identity to anyone, but do you dare?"
After speaking, without waiting for these people to react, he directly ascended into the air from where he stood, flew over the high walls surrounding the courtyard, and disappeared from their sight.
After leaving, Lynd didn't care about Jon Clinton and the others' reactions. As he had said, he had already seen the person he wanted to see. Although his words just now sounded as if he held Jon Clinton in great disdain, he actually admired Jon Clinton very much.
He honestly asked himself, if he were in Jon Clinton's position, and without any external help, it would probably be very difficult to achieve what he had achieved so far.
One must know that Jon Clinton had fled in a hurry, carrying very few possessions, and even less money. In the early days, to support himself, he even became a sellsword.
However, such a terrible start allowed him, through various means of alliances, to connect influential figures such as Dorne, the Golden Company, the Archon of Pentos, and the Sealord of Braavos, gradually building a powerful force with tens of thousands of troops and immeasurable wealth.
"To be able to become King's Hand, he is indeed extraordinary." This was Lynd's assessment of Jon Clinton after reviewing the information about him.
Dahaks, who had been waiting at the street corner in some disguise, saw Lynd leave the White Gull Garden and immediately walked out, coming to Lynd's side. He asked, "My Lord, since you already know these people will invade the Seven Kingdoms in the future, why don't you deal with them now?"
"They are just minor troubles; it's not difficult to deal with them," Lynd shook his head and said, "But if we deal with them, will the matter be over? You know the Golden Company has ten thousand men. Even if not everyone wants to inherit Blackfyre's will, if even one-tenth of them have such an idea, then the matter won't end. So, it's better to let them become a banner, let everyone who wants to invade the Seven Kingdoms gather under this banner, and then capture them all in one fell swoop. That would be easier."
Dahaks hesitated after hearing this. Just as he was about to ask what would happen if these people gathered together and couldn't be dealt with, he looked at Lynd again and swallowed his words. In his opinion, no matter how many people gathered, Lynd would find a way to deal with them.
Lynd stayed in Myr for two days. During these two days, he wasn't idle; he incidentally dealt with some of Dahaks' enemies, making Dahaks' control over Myr's underworld even tighter.
Jon Clinton and the others left shortly after Lynd, in a great hurry. Although they believed that since Lynd hadn't killed them then, he wouldn't act against them afterward, they dared not gamble on Lynd's character and could only choose the safest method: to get as far away from Lynd as possible.
However, they did not know that Lynd's next destination was also Braavos.
When Lynd left Myr, the Council of Governors' ruling on Fenya had already been issued. Fenya was acquitted but was required to compensate Archon Patch for the batch of weapons.
In the council, some governors defended Fenya, using past shipping schedule records to analyze that Fenya's delivery speed was not slow and there were no delays on the way. She was just unlucky; the goods had not yet been delivered when the recipient had already been annihilated.
Her only mistake was trading goods that didn't belong to her, but this wasn't a major offense, as all the governors present had done similar things. So, she only needed to compensate for the cost of the weapons and give a portion of the profits to Archon Patch.
The connections established by Fenya's ancestors also played a role at this time, with various parties exerting influence to separate Fenya's matter from the power struggle within the Council of Governors, preventing Fenya from being drawn into it.
For Fenya, this ruling was undoubtedly the best outcome she could have imagined. Although she had to cede a portion of her profits and return all the weapon payments, this loss was clearly insignificant compared to her ultimate earnings.
After the ruling was issued and she had paid all the various fees, she did not rush to use the remaining funds to re-establish her merchant fleet. Instead, she went to the Miracle Merchant Guild and accepted her next high-level member task, and then built her merchant fleet around this task.
Although Fenya, as the initial cause, escaped the vortex of power struggles in Myr, this power struggle did not end there; instead, it intensified. What was originally just a tentative challenge by merchants and nobles against the armed Archon of Myr gradually escalated into a full-blown melee within the entire Council of Governors, even beginning to affect ordinary merchants and commoners.
Under these circumstances, some of the pieces Lynd had previously placed in Myr began to play their role, gradually expanding their influence and control, subtly infiltrating all aspects of Myr, and then lying dormant, waiting for Lynd to awaken them.
After leaving Myr, Lynd no longer paid attention to matters in the Disputed Lands. He had already gained an understanding of the situation in the Three City States of the Disputed Lands and confirmed that now was not the right time to intervene. He also believed that he did not need to concern himself with the large-scale Dothraki melee in the Disputed Lands. The only thing he needed to do was to continue expanding Summerhall's influence, using the Miracle Merchant Guild as a starting point, and patiently wait for the right moment.
Now Lynd's attention was entirely focused on the fallen knight armor. Although previous intelligence indicated that the fallen knight armor should have fallen into the hands of the Sealord of Braavos, Lynd still felt that this trip to Braavos might not yield any results.
Because while in Myr, he learned from Dahaks that a Myr Archon had once attended the Sealord of Braavos's treasure appreciation event and had seen that magic armor. The Archon described the armor as extremely magnificent and exquisite, adorned with numerous gems that glittered even at night.
If that Myr Archon wasn't lying, then the magic armor in the Sealord of Braavos's possession might not be his.
Because although the fallen knight armor is magnificent and exquisite, it has no gems inlaid and cannot have gems inlaid, as that would destroy the stability of the Dragon Rune's magic.
However, even if the magic armor in the Sealord of Braavos's possession is questionable, it is still the only clue Lynd has found related to the magic armor. So, no matter what, this trip must still be made.
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