Chapter 28: The Secret Room in The Red Keep
King's Landing, The Red Keep, Underground Secret Passage
"We are guards of the hand of the king, Lord Eddard Stark. We were ordered to find secret passages in the cellar. This passage leads to the cellar, who are you?"
As the leader, Jon also loudly answered the other party's question.
An encounter here meant that the other party's secret passage must also connect to a certain area; it was just unknown which area they had come from.
"I am Jaime Lannister, you may come over!"
The other party's answer gave Jon and the others a shock. They had thought they encountered other Kingsguard, but they hadn't expected to run into this rival.
Due to the conflict between Eddard Stark and the Queen, House Stark and House Lannister had always looked upon each other with distaste, even if both families said nothing on the surface.
But in private, when the servants of both sides met, there would be instances of spitting at each other. So meeting Jaime Lannister at a time like this made the House Stark guards feel as if they had swallowed a fly.
"Let's go! An ugly daughter must eventually marry; since we can't avoid it, let's face it bravely!"
After seeing his companions' concerns, Jon spoke directly to comfort them.
"Hello! Respected Ser Lannister, I am the captain of the House Stark guards, my name is Jory Cassel, it is a pleasure to meet you!"
Jon spoke very politely, making it impossible for anyone to find even a hint of fault.
Since the "Dragon Lord" had merged and upgraded a portion of the Skinchanger's abilities, the current Jon could be said to have completely merged with Jory Cassel.
This power was not like the previous parasitic or invasive mode of a Skinchanger, but rather a fusion that seemed to fill in the gaps.
In this situation, the host wouldn't even notice Jon's Skinchanging, remaining in a state like being half-awake from a dream. Jon suspected this ability might be an extension of the Targaryen Family's Dragon Dream power.
In the records of the Targaryen Family, some Targaryens possessed a certain prophetic dream ability. This ability was somewhat similar to the Greensight of the Children of the Forest, both being a power to glimpse the future.
"Oh, not bad! I didn't think people from House Stark could be so polite. I thought you were all country bumpkins!"
"Hahaha..."
Jaime Lannister's insulting words made the House Stark guards behind Jon very dissatisfied.
The palace guards also laughed along cooperatively. This scene, like adding fuel to the fire, left the House Stark guards in a state of suppressed fury.
However, after noticing this problem, Jon naturally blocked the way in front of his companions, trying his best to prevent them from causing any trouble.
"Lord Eddard has always taught us to learn understanding and respect. Although we Northerners do not worship the new gods, the gods of our two sides share the same concept of order. We observe guest right and oppose incest, kinslaying, and oathbreaking."
Jon's tone was very peaceful, without a trace of other emotions, and he specifically emphasized the pronunciation of those last three terms at the end of his speech.
Jon knew very well that the other party was a ruthless character. He didn't want to die at his hands like in the original story. As the youngest Kingsguard in history, Jaime Lannister's average attributes were definitely between 20 and 30.
With Jon's current strength, he would likely be killed in one move. Once Jon synthesized the dragonstone, this guy would be dealt with in a single move as well.
So for now, he would just let him be arrogant for a while. Once Jon stacked more attribute points, this guy would at most be a slightly tougher bone to chew.
"Fine, kid, since you're somewhat respectful, that difficult path is yours to explore. We're taking this one!"
Seeing that the House Stark guards weren't taking the bait, Jaime Lannister lost interest. After casually pointing to one passage, he led his men toward the other road.
As the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Barristan Selmy, gradually aged, Jaime Lannister also felt a sense of loneliness at the top.
In his eyes, in the entire continent of Westeros, only the generation of Kingsguard like the "Sword of the Morning" Arthur Dayne could be compared to him.
The knights in the Seven Kingdoms now were like clay chickens or pottery dogs in his eyes. He was, of course, genuinely convinced by Barristan "the Bold."
But when facing Eddard Stark, who legendary accounts said had killed his idol, Jaime Lannister felt a sense of confusion.
In Jaime Lannister's view, it was impossible for Eddard to have killed Arthur Dayne, so he always wanted to prove it. If he could defeat Eddard in a fair fight, would that mean he had caught up to his idol Arthur Dayne?
In fact, just now he had an idea: to kill all these House Stark guards here. If he did, Eddard might actually have a proper fight with him.
But even as a noble, Jaime Lannister couldn't just kill a group of people at random. If he did, what awaited him would be the King's judgment, not the duel he dreamed of.
If the other party had a conflict with him because of his words, then Jaime Lannister could kill these people with a legitimate reason.
But these House Stark guards simply wouldn't fall for it, which made Jaime Lannister a bit unhappy. So, at this three-way junction, he left that somewhat damaged secret passage for the House Stark guards to explore.
"Pah..."
"That damned 'Kingslayer.' The old gods and the new gods he believes in will punish him. A piece of oathbreaking trash actually managed to live until now."
"Look at his disgusting expression and hair; it's just like the shit I took yesterday."
...After Jaime Lannister and his group left, the House Stark guards all started cursing him. As the famous "Kingslayer," his reputation in Westeros was completely rotten.
To be honest, if his personality weren't so arrogant and if he didn't truly have compelling reasons, anyone else would have been unable to bear the pressure and would have committed suicide long ago.
In the difficult and harsh medieval world, things like contracts, oaths, and honor were a noble's capital for survival. If these were lost, their family would be despised by everyone.
Take House Frey of the Riverlands, for example; though their strength was immense, even rivaling their liege lord's family, in private, all the nobles of the Riverlands looked down on them.
"Alright, let's finish the mission quickly and leave! Remember, don't provoke this guy. He's a lunatic, his head is full of thoughts about dueling Lord Eddard. Don't let him find an opportunity."
Seeing that everyone had vented enough, Jon gave orders at the appropriate time.
As everyone went deeper, Jon realized that this secret passage seemed to be gradually descending. Perhaps there was a water source nearby, as water droplets and green moss were everywhere in this passage.
"Hey! Jory, come over and look, there seems to be a mechanism here!"
At Wyl's call, Jon, who was walking in front, ordered everyone to stop.
The place Wyl mentioned was a corner where there was a statue in the shape of a three-headed dragon, and the top of the statue's heads seemed to be for placing candlesticks.
At this moment, Wyl seemed to be fiddling with the middle dragon head of the three-headed dragon statue. By the time Jon walked over, the other had seemingly found the mechanism, as he reached his hand into the dragon's mouth.
After fumbling for a while, Wyl seemed to have found the mechanism, and then he gently pulled the statue's tongue.
"Rumble..."
Amidst the sounds of grinding boulders and turning mechanisms, a very well-hidden, massive stone door slowly opened following the noise.
"Be careful, let me go in first to test it out!"
Sensing a powerful aura emanating from within this secret room, Jon hurriedly held back his companions who wanted to go in and explore.
Ceng...
Jon's current identity was Jory Cassel, the guard captain. The obedience accumulated over a long time made these guards stop their thoughts of exploring ahead.
After arranging the follow-up matters, Jon took a whale oil lamp and entered this somewhat hidden room.
This secret room was triangular, located exactly opposite the three-headed dragon statue, and the entrance was precisely at one of the triangle's points. Upon entering, Jon also seemed to feel a series of breezes; it appeared there were specialized ventilation ducts within.
Maegor Targaryen was the second son of Aegon Targaryen the conqueror. According to the succession order of Westeros, his claim could only be elevated after his brother's offspring were all dead.
However, with the help of his mother, Visenya Targaryen, this man seized the throne that should have belonged to his Nephew.
Jon suspected that these secret passages in The Red Keep were likely contingencies left by Maegor "the Cruel." Due to his illegitimate claim, this third king of the Targaryen Family had always ruled the Seven Kingdoms with blood and Dragonfire.
Perhaps this king had long considered that if an emergency occurred, he might not be able to summon his dragon in time.
In that case, a safe passage would ensure he could leave the relatively enclosed Red Keep in time and reach an open area outside to summon the descent of the "Black Dread."
"What is this?"
As the light of the whale oil lamp gradually spread, the secret room completely unveiled its mysterious veil before Jon.
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