The morning light was crisp and cool. Gendry and Qyburn followed their captain, The Handsome Man, away from the Wolf's Den. They were headed to their employer's manor in the Disputed Lands. The grey Wolf Pack Company banner fluttered in the wind. The Disputed Lands were further south than King's Landing, and the climate was milder, with the shared characteristic of being not far from the sea.
Gendry followed his companions across plains, seeing many villages, towns, low hills, and small rivers. Many slaves toiled here, and many Magisters and nobles owned estates. The Wolf Pack numbered about forty men, and Gendry and Qyburn were among them, participating in their first mission with the Wolf Pack Company. Occasionally, the Wolf Pack Company would encounter other Mercenaries; they would exchange greetings and then quickly part ways, as Mercenaries did not trust each other.
Gendry wore black scale armor, and on his horse, he had his spiked warhammer, a yew longbow gifted by Dick the Fletch, a Myrish crossbow, and daggers. Maester Qyburn was much more at ease; the old doctor was respected and had a gentle, kind old horse.
Four Lookout cavalrymen rode ahead, scouting the situation for the company.
The Disputed Lands were always turbulent, a region in southwestern Essos. The three Free Cities of Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh constantly vied for control of the area, with Volantis sometimes joining the struggle. Since the collapse of the Three Daughters, the endless disputes in the Disputed Lands had sustained numerous Mercenaries.
"The Disputed Lands are in two parts," The Handsome Man said, raising his riding crop. "Closer to the Three Daughters are the towns and manors controlled by them. There's some order here, and Mercenaries generally don't offend Magisters and wealthy merchants. The Myrish people plant gunpowder herb, the raw material for Myrish wine, in their manors, while the Tyroshi people plant pear trees and raise pigs. As for the Lyseni, they plant red and white grapes, and also lavender to make perfumes."
"But in the middle ground, it's a chaotic area where the Three Daughters fight each other, and Mercenaries and adventurers kill each other! If you want to live longer, try not to venture into that circle."
Gendry nodded. The Disputed Lands were somewhat like a 'gu' pot, the deeper you went, the more dangerous it became. More chaotic, more evil. For cities with developed handicrafts like the Three Daughters, raw material production relied on the towns, lands, and manors near the city-states. The largest, Volantis, had three vassal towns whose scale rivaled cities in Westeros.
"Be careful, lads! There are more Mercenaries in the Disputed Lands than fish in the river!" The Handsome Man said. "And many of them are exiles and Bandit Mercenaries!" When a Mercenary abandoned order, he would become a bandit and a robber.
"The fall of Valyria set the stage for the current state of Essos!" It was like the invasion of barbarians and the division of an empire after the collapse of a great civilization. Gendry looked at the changing curves of the land beneath his feet; there were almost no high mountains. It was a pity that such fertile soil had been embroiled in conflict ever since the fall of Valyria.
The Three Daughters fought over the Disputed Lands and the Stepstones, while the war between Pentos and Braavos ended in a crushing defeat for Pentos. The reasons for the war, besides slavery, also included control over the fertile lands and waterways between the two cities.
The most terrifying was the rise of the Dothraki. Four hundred years ago, the Dothraki advanced from the east towards the Free Cities, sacking and burning every town and city in their path, including the Kingdom of Sarrabi, the cities of the quartesi people in the Red Waste, and the ibbenese people settlements of the Kingdom of Ifequevron, until Khal Temo and his Khalasar of at least fifty thousand were stopped by the Unsullied of Qohor. During the Century of Blood after the Doom of Valyria, the Dothraki drove commoners from their huts and nobles from their manors, leaving only grass and ruins from the Qohor forest to the source of the Sarhoru River.
"This is the place we are to protect! Firegrass Manor!" The Handsome Man said. After looking at him for a while, Gendry thought his scar even looked quite kind. The Wolf Pack stopped when they saw a Myrish-style manor, a whole large hillside being part of the estate.
Gendry saw a vast expanse of lush green plants, about Half-man high. The edges of the lush green plants had already turned iron-brown.
"Those are all gunpowder herb! Very valuable!" The Handsome Man introduced. gunpowder herb could be used to treat cuts and was quite expensive.
"This is my first time seeing a gunpowder herb manor!" Qyburn said. As a Maester, he certainly knew the efficacy of gunpowder herb, but it was indeed his first time seeing such a large hillside of it.
Gendry had heard from his companions about the employer: a Myrish Magister who hired the Wolf Pack Company. Myrish Magisters owned their private properties in the Disputed Lands, large farms and mines, though the Magister himself rarely visited. This Firegrass Manor was special because of the immense value of gunpowder herb, which could be used to make Myrish gunpowder paste and Myrish firewine. Furthermore, being close to the heart of the Disputed Lands, the Magister had to hire Mercenaries to protect the manor during harvest.
Upon seeing the Wolf Pack Company banner, the Lookouts of Firegrass Manor blew their horns, the sound long and drawn out, not short.
"They're here! My old friends! I've already prepared hot water and food for you!" The Steward of Firegrass Manor stepped out, accompanied by some slaves, to welcome The Handsome Man and the Mercenaries. The Steward was a Myrish Free Folk with an olive complexion, not a slave.
"Thank you, Steward Luv!" The Handsome Man stepped forward and said.
"I've been waiting for you for a while! This time of year is always my most anxious!"
"Don't worry, old friend, you're always like this. With us protecting it, this gunpowder herb will surely be safely delivered to Myr." The Handsome Man laughed heartily, waved, and the Mercenaries followed him into the manor.
"How's the harvest this year!" The Handsome Man and Steward Luv were at the front together; they were very familiar friends.
"This year is the same as previous years, the yield is still the same. But some manors suffered from insect infestations, and their gunpowder herb harvest was halved, so we can make a big profit instead. This is also why the Magister sent for you! Once the price of gunpowder herb skyrockets, those Bandit Mercenaries will become even more frantic!"
"Gold is the hard currency of the Disputed Lands!" "gunpowder herb and wine are also good!" The Handsome Man remarked.
"Yes, that's precisely why the Lord Magister is even more uneasy. gunpowder herb isn't like wheat or corn; it's comparable to gold."
Gendry listened to their narration; Mercenaries loved gold the most. Without gold, gunpowder herb and wine were their next favorites.
Steward Luv had already made arrangements; the horses were sent to the stables, and all the Mercenaries headed together to the manor's great hall. There was hot water and warm food.