Chapter 74: Arrival in King's Landing
Before closing the Points Mall, Ian suddenly remembered that he had failed to enter the Level 2 Mall last time because his total points were less than 10. So he clicked on the Level 2 Mall again.
This time, he successfully entered the preview:
[Level 2 Mall:
Medium Gold Coin Bag (Contains 100 Gold Dragons): 5 Points,
Large Gold Coin Bag (Contains 500 Gold Dragons): 10 Points]
"What the hell? In the Level 1 Mall, doesn't 5 points only buy 20 Gold Dragons?" Ian was shocked. While 100 Gold Dragons wasn't a fortune for him right now, the price difference still left him somewhat confused.
"The higher the level of the system mall, the deeper the discount on currency," Annie explained in Ian's mind.
"That's good news," Ian nodded. While 500 Gold Dragons for 10 points in the Level 2 Mall was still too expensive for him, what about the Level 3 Mall, or even the Level 4 Mall?
If 10 points could eventually buy 5,000 or more Gold Dragons, he might actually purchase some coin there.
Thinking this, Ian continued reading.
[One (area) self-selected A-rank NPC: 10 points.
Double-curved Goldenheart Longbow with Quiver: 5 points (exceeds the backpack capacity, currently unavailable for purchase).
Blessing of the Great Shepherd (a magical potion created through secret techniques by the High Priest of the Great Shepherd Temple. It possesses powerful life force and can quickly heal the wounds of a dying person. One use per person): 20 points.]
"The Great Shepherd? Isn't she a fraud?" Ian couldn't help but facepalm.
He was afraid that he, even if not seriously injured, might be killed by this.
In the books, upon learning of Daenerys's pregnancy, the Usurper sent a wine merchant to Vaes Dothrak to assassinate her.
Although the assassin's attempt failed due to being discovered by Jorah Mormont, it also enraged Khal Drogo.
Determined to conquer Westeros, Drogo led his khalasar into the Lhazareen lands to plunder in order to raise funds for his fleet.
While fighting another khal's khalasar outside a Lhazareen city, Khal Drogo was wounded. Daenerys had Mirri Maz Duur, a godswife of the Great Shepherd whom she had recently rescued, treat him.
Drogo was subsequently killed by her.
However, Mirri Maz Duur's original intention was to kill Drogo to avenge her city, so blaming the Great Shepherd for this poor treatment seemed inappropriate, Ian thought.
So, was this a trap the designers had set for the players?
If the description wasn't false advertising, it was a truly miraculous item, practically a second life.
But if this was some kind of "easter egg" thrown in for cruel amusement, it was a far more serious trap.
Ian didn't purchase anything yet, but continued on to the Level 3 store.
Then, two notification boxes popped up.
[Level 3 Mall: Preview available after you have 100 points and unlock the Level 2 Mall]
[Level 2 Mall Unlock Conditions: Spend 10 points in the Level 1 Mall or unlock with a 10-point purchase]
"All right, I almost forgot about the 'most players have little chance of obtaining resources from the system' part," Ian facepalmed.
The Level 2 Mall requires 10 points spent in the Level 1 Mall to unlock, so does Level 3 require 100 points spent in the Level 2 Mall?
Given the poor value of the Level 1 and Level 2 Malls, spending coin there is essentially the same as wasting points.
Exiting the system interface, Ian found a spot beneath a tree to sleep. It was then that he truly experienced the feeling of being a 'hedge knight' for the first time.
Thankfully, summer wasn't over yet; Ian couldn't imagine what it would be like to sleep outdoors in the dead of winter.
After changing his plans, Ian returned to the crossroads inn.
He canceled the hunting contract at the inn and led two teams of sellswords—Ser Grantham the Turncoat and Denzel the Dornishman—on their journey to King's Landing.
En route, Ian sent Denzel, now his new squire, to Duskendale to replace Roll, making him Ser Daeron Grafton's new guardian and recalling Roll to his side.
The journey from the crossroads to King's Landing took Ian and his companions six days of hard riding. On the evening of the seventh day, they finally entered the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, situated on the banks of the Blackwater Rush, through the Gate of the Gods.
Once upon a time, this area was a forested hill, inhabited only by a few fisherfolk.
It wasn't until 300 years ago, when King Aegon the Conqueror landed at the mouth of the Blackwater, that its fate was transformed.
Aegon constructed his first crude fortress, the Aegonfort, from mud and timber atop the highest hill here. After conquering the Seven Kingdoms, he ordered the construction of his capital here, naming it King's Landing.
In the years that followed, Targaryen kings gradually expanded the city, transforming it into the structure Ian saw today.
After entering the Gate of the Gods, Ian and his companions passed through a bustling urban area, a patchwork of mansions, courtyards, stables, brick warehouses, timber inns, market stalls, taverns, graveyards, and brothels.
Passing through wide avenues and commercial districts, the group soon crossed Cobbler's Square.
Soon, Ian could see the marble walls of the Great Sept of Baelor, its seven crystal towers rising from the summit of Visenya's Hill. On the other side, on Rhaenys's Hill, the ruins of a massive, collapsed dome loomed. Ian knew that this was the remains of the Dragonpit.
Going east from this intersection, through the Street of the Sisters, one would reach Flea Bottom. However, Ian didn't intend to go directly to Flea Bottom. He needed to prepare his and his men's equipment first.
After all, Flea Bottom was a slum, so while it was understandable that sellswords roamed there, it was somewhat suspicious for a young nobleman to wander around with a knight in perfectly polished armor.
Therefore, after sending Ser Grantham with two-thirds of his men to the Street of Flour to find a tavern, Ian, along with a few others including Keith and Roll, turned west into the Street of Steel, where most of the city's blacksmiths were located.
The man Ian was looking for lived atop the hill. His name was Tobho Mott, the finest armorer in King's Landing, and indeed in all of Westeros—or so he claimed.
Ian had come to him primarily to order a batch of brigandine disguised as ordinary sellsword armor.
Brigandine is a torso armor composed of iron plates riveted onto fabric. The name is often misunderstood; its essence is more similar to layered defense than the full plate armor it might evoke.
Ian chose brigandine for two main reasons.
First, unlike plate armor's obvious construction, brigandine can be tailored with a fitted design. By riveting the iron plates to the interior of the fabric, opponents can't judge the quality of your armor, and they might mistake it for inferior gear worn by common sellswords.
Second, high-quality brigandine offers excellent defense against less powerful foes, and other players' early-game strength could be considered "less powerful."
(End of Chapter)
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+10 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