Early the next morning, Dagmer returned to their lodgings and reported to Euron about his meeting with Lord Whent.
"My Lord, the letters were delivered," Dagmer's voice rasped as usual. "Lord Whent opened and read them in front of me. He said, 'Thank Lord Greyjoy for informing me,' but I saw it clearly..." The rugged warrior showed a rare expression of keen observation. "When he read the letters, his face sank instantly. Especially with the second one—his fingers gripped the paper so tight I thought he'd crush it. The veins on the back of his hand popped. Heh, that wasn't gratitude. He was furious, just holding it back."
Dagmer continued, "Lord Whent asked me to wait aside. After a while, he wrote a reply to old Frey..."
Euron nodded. Asking Dagmer to wait was a gesture of goodwill from Lord Whent, a way to express his thoughts and stance on the matter.
Dagmer described the scene: Lord Whent sat in his high tower study at Harrenhal, his face dark enough to drip water. He repeatedly read the two letters taken from the dead man, especially the one proposing a sixth wife, as if every word burned his eyes. Finally, he took up his quill and, with extremely restrained but hiddenly sharp strokes, wrote a reply to Lord Walder Frey of the Twins.
In the letter, Lord Whent didn't mention the interception of the letters at all. Instead, he wrote in a tough tone bordering on a reprimand:
"Respected Lord Frey, recently a group of your family members, within my jurisdiction, openly used extremely despicable and rude language to harass and insult the female companion of Lord Euron Greyjoy. Their conduct was so low it trampled upon the honor of any noble."
"Out of the legitimate defense of his and his family's honor, Lord Euron executed these arrogant ruffians on the spot. In my view, such men deserved their deaths, and Your Lordship need not trouble yourself further over them. In the future, please pay closer attention to the moral upbringing of your descendants and subordinates. Remember this!"
"'Moral upbringing of descendants and subordinates'? Haha! Old Frey must be angry enough to burst a blood vessel!" Euron laughed loudly.
Lord Whent left no room for maneuvering, not even bothering to write a polite line of condolence for Frey's fifth wife. Clearly, he was extremely dissatisfied with Old Frey treating his kinswoman merely as a breeding tool, and disgusted by Frey's haste to marry a sixth wife before his late wife was even cold.
Having finished his report, Dagmer was about to leave when he saw Lisa walking slowly down the corridor. The sharp old warrior immediately noticed that her gait today was completely different from usual—marked by an obvious unnaturalness and subtle awkwardness.
Dagmer froze for a moment, then a knowing, slightly crude grin spread across his scarred face. He winked at Euron, his look saying "I understand everything," then tactfully shut his mouth, bowed, and retreated, leaving the space to the two of them.
Euron mounted his horse, then swept his arm out, lifting Lisa lightly but firmly to sit in front of him on the magnificent warhorse, Falulu. Falulu snorted, steadily bearing their weight as they continued their journey southeast along the Kingsroad.
Their first stop was Maidenpool.
This town sat on the Bay of Crabs, ruled by House Mooton. The Lord of Maidenpool, William Mooton, was known across the Seven Kingdoms for his obesity and cowardly nature.
Euron had no dealings with him and no intention of visiting the castle, which was said to be full of salty sea air and mediocrity. They simply rested for a night at a clean inn in town, replenished supplies, and left quietly the next morning, leaving no extra trace.
Next, they arrived at Duskendale.
The atmosphere here was noticeably heavier and more oppressive. It was once ruled by House Darklyn, but now belonged to House Rykker.
As Euron stepped into the town, his keen senses seemed to catch a faint, stale scent of blood in the air—a remnant of the Defiance of Duskendale in 277 AC, where the Mad King Aerys had exterminated the entire House Darklyn.
The shadow of that tragedy seemed never to have truly dispersed. The former prosperity and ambition had been thoroughly crushed. Now, Duskendale appeared desolate and cold, with pedestrians on the streets carrying an inexplicable caution and silence.
They would rest here for a night, feeling the heavy scars history had left on this place.
Glancing at Lisa, who had fallen asleep beside him, Euron rose gently and walked to the adjoining room to review the gains of this journey.
What he thought would be a smooth trip south had turned into two bloody conflicts—slaughtering the mountain clans and wiping out the Freys. But this had also brought Euron rich "spoils."
Every time a blade cut a throat, every time flames consumed a life, a cold, invisible energy flowed into the depths of his consciousness—Soul Points ticking upward. At the same time, defeating these worthy opponents accumulated considerable Kill Points.
Meanwhile, their wheels and hooves had crushed the long Kingsroad, their eyes had swept over the ancient ruins of Oldstones, passed through bustling Fairmarket, weathered the storm in Lord Harroway's Town, and finally reached Maidenpool and blood-soaked Duskendale. Every new land stepped on, every landmark seen, quietly accumulated Exploration Points.
When Euron's consciousness sank into the system interface only he could perceive, a series of cold numbers jumped silently, totaling up clearly before his eyes:
Total Points Gained: 2180.
Soul Points: 1120.
These numbers were far more precious than gold dragons. They were the direct currency of power, waiting quietly to be converted into deeper authority and greater strength.
Of the Soul Points, he injected a full 1,000 points into the fire elemental Apollo. Apollo grew slightly larger, now the size of a fist, and its flame burned hotter. The remaining 120 points nourished the thundercloud Thor. The cloud seemed to become thicker, but the change wasn't significant; it was still hard to use effectively.
[Rokushiki - Soru! Lv1 -> Lv2]: Consumed 1000 points. At Lv2, it could be used 2 times per day.
[Rokushiki - Tekkai! Lv1 -> Lv2]: Consumed 1000 points. At Lv2, physical defense was enhanced.
With the remaining points plus the leftovers from last time, he could draw 2 times. He drew immediately.
1. [Door-Door Fruit (Doa Doa no Mi)]
Type: Special Item. Restricted to System Binder. Since the Binder has already consumed a Devil Fruit, this fruit automatically converts into a One-Time Consumable Devil Fruit.
Source: Blueno, CP9 agent of the World Government.
One-Time Effect: Can transform any touched object into a door of any shape. Can open passages in air, fire, and on the human body. Allows spatial jumping through Air Doors to dodge attacks or travel.
Usage Count: 2 times. Cooldown: 24 hours.
Good stuff. With this, I could even reach the other side of the Narrow Sea in an instant.
2. [Tone Dial]
Effect: Can record and replay sounds.
[Lamp Dial]
Effect: Can emit light for a period of time, or glow itself. Used for indoor lighting. A primitive electric lamp. No substantial use.
Leaving Duskendale, the mode of travel changed.
Arriving at a port capable of docking seagoing vessels, Euron took Lisa and his necessary retinue aboard a ship bound for the final destination of this southern journey—Dragonstone. The black Kraken banner rose in the salty wind, sailing toward the ancient island fortress of House Targaryen, standing amidst legend and smoke at the mouth of Blackwater Bay.