Chapter 54: Local Leader Wilder (Part II)
"So I conducted a test," Ian replied with a smile.
"A test?"
"As I said, the Blackfyre treasure is no secret in these parts, but so far neither the Iron Throne nor any great house has sent anyone here. Why?"
"Uh..."
"Because the Blackfyre treasure's existence remains mere speculation. No one has found any definitive clues or evidence to convince those powerful lords this isn't nonsense. I certainly don't have any such evidence.
So my earlier threat to report this to the Lannisters must have seemed more like a child's boast. Even if I did send word, they'd probably dispatch someone to take a quick look before returning empty-handed.
You shouldn't have paid any mind to my threats. If you simply wanted to avoid complications, you could have offered me a token share at best.
But your reaction was exactly the opposite. You offered a generous twenty percent, which shows you desperately wanted to reach an agreement.
In other words, you're extremely worried about the Lannisters sending someone. This can only mean one thing: you've found the key clue and don't want anyone disrupting things now."
"Gods be good!" Wilder and Willy exchanged glances. Willy, standing in his own hall, felt strangely uncomfortable.
"This, in turn, explains why you told me the operation was over after hearing my name. You didn't want the Lannisters involved. You feared I'd report the key clues to my family, leaving you empty-handed," Ian continued.
"So even though you agreed to let me join the alliance, you had no intention of letting me participate in the next operation. You simply wanted to keep me placated. As for my share..."
"Your share will definitely be yours, Ser Lucien. We wouldn't dare cheat the Lannisters on this matter," Wilder hurriedly explained to the young lord, who could be his grandson's age. He found himself inexplicably wary of him.
"But I can't accept this arrangement," Ian shook his head. "You want me to do nothing and still receive twenty percent? That's robbery, and it's not my style. I must participate in your operation."
In the novels, Ser Willy Ward still looked impoverished when Catelyn kidnapped Tyrion. This proves you never found the Blackfyre treasure in the first place! "What's the point of a share if I don't participate?" Ian thought.
"Well..." Ser Wilder hesitated. Agreeing risked Ser Lucien revealing crucial clues, but refusing would anger him.
"At the same time," Ian didn't wait for Ser Wilder's reply and continued, "I don't want you to see me as some uninvited interloper disrupting your plans, but as a true partner.
I swear on the honor of House Lannister that I will never report the matter of the Blackfyre treasure to my family, or may the gods' judgment fall upon House Lannister."
"You needn't go so far." Seeing 'Ser Lucien' swear so solemnly, Wilder finally shed his last doubts, though he still spoke courteously.
"The foundation of cooperation is trust. I must dispel your concerns so our alliance can prosper." Ian showed a frank smile.
"You truly don't act like someone your age." Wilder couldn't help but remark.
Guessed right, but there's no prize. "What should I be like at my age?"
"Greedy and reckless. Though I don't mean you, of course."
"Well then, let's discuss business. Shall we start with your current operation?"
"Very well, let's start there." Ian phrased it as a question, but Ser Wilder instinctively followed his lead. "You were correct earlier. We did make a significant discovery. We found a key stronghold of the Whitewalls ghosts."
"Another ghost camp? Is it a gate to one of the seven hells?" Ian joked.
"Oh, not their camp." Ser Wilder ignored the jest. "In fact, we only found their camp once, during the initial joint operation, and it was abandoned." Wilder chuckled.
"Only once during the entire joint operation?" Ian sensed something odd. "Can you tell me more about that?"
His adopted son Dorian had mentioned this before, but Dorian had provided so much information at once that Ian had overlooked this detail. Now, thinking carefully, he felt there might be something unusual about this 'only' camp discovery.
"Hmm?" Wilder asked, puzzled. "Why are you interested in that?" Shouldn't a normal person be concerned about the stronghold we discovered this time?
"Curiosity," Ian offered a casual excuse. "After all, you've been fighting them so long, yet you only discovered their temporary camp once. This puzzles me."
"Well..." Wilder didn't want to waste time, but Ser Lucien seemed determined. After a few seconds' hesitation, he yielded.
He didn't know why, but when faced with this young Lannister knight, he instinctively didn't want to refuse him.
True lordship, Wilder thought. But he's likely just a cadet branch. If Lord Tywin had a grandson like this, perhaps he wouldn't need to worry about his sons—one in the Kingsguard and the other a dwarf.
"Very well, ser, let me recall that temporary camp."
"First, how did you confirm it belonged to the Whitewalls ghosts?" After Wilder remained silent for some time, Ian took the initiative.
"The patrol from Toman's village reported they'd discovered a bandit cavalry force operating north of their settlement. We immediately sent a light cavalry detachment to the area, and we found this abandoned camp in the woods north of the village."
"Was there any evidence connecting it to Blackfyre or the Whitewalls ghosts?" Ian asked.
"No, but the camp was quite large, with signs of fifty men cooking. There were no armed forces that size in the area except us and the Whitewalls ghosts. Plus the patrol captain from Toman's village confessed—he saw a cavalry company enter those woods after raiding a caravan, so we concluded it was the ghosts' temporary camp."
"Besides the signs of habitation, were there any other findings? Leftover supplies, or goods they'd looted from caravans, perhaps?"
"None." Ser Wilder shook his head.
(End of Chapter)
[+100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (30+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01