Game of Thrones: King of Harrenhal, starting with a blue hand stat panel

Chapter 116 The Lords of the Three Rivers Came for Profit

The four knights pointed their longswords at the king.

The swords of Jaime Lannister, the White Knight, and Ser Barristan Selmy; the Valyrian steel swords of Arthur Hoan, the Black Knight, and Jorah Mormont, the Great Bear.

Arthur drew the Darkbringer, and the bear drew the long claws of the bear's head; the luster of the Valyrian steel sword was indeed extraordinary.

"It is getting late. The semi-finals will be held tomorrow morning, and the finals tomorrow afternoon!" Robert Baratheon personally ordered. "The semi-finals are Ser Jaime Lannister versus Lord Jorah Mormont, and Ser Barristan Selmy versus Ser Arthur Hoan!"

Robert's voice was like a booming bell; he used this loud voice to roar out orders on the battlefield.

The tournament in Lannisport was not a full-fledged tournament; it only included a spear fighting event.

"Black Knight versus White Knight!" The crowd gradually dispersed, discussing the day's grand martial arts contest and the main event the following day, while the nobles and dignitaries went to the temporary high platform at the seaside camp for a meal.

The plump goats, seafood, and roast chickens were slowly turning on the roasting forks, having been turning for some time.

The kitchen boy next to him was busy spreading butter and herbs until the meat was roasted until it was fragrant, crispy, and juicy.

A large dining table and benches were set up outside the tent, with beets, strawberries, and freshly baked bread piled high on the table.

The four finalists are all of high caliber and were all seated in the VIP section.

Even Count Jorah, who was of slightly lower rank, managed to get a seat among the VIPs because of his outstanding performance in the tournament and his heroic deeds in the Iron Islands war.

The knights had already changed into formal attire inside their tents after removing their armor.

The VIP seating area was dazzling with a variety of colors.

Arthur, dressed in a half-gold, half-black outfit, looked magnificent and handsome—the attire of a true lord.

In the VIP seats.

Sir Arthur Lucas Dayne is positioned close to Earl Royce and Earl Parker, which is actually similar to their status, as they are all among the top twenty non-major lords.

Only the Tower King, Layton Hightower, broke into the top ten. Even though the Hightower family wasn't a major lord, they still had considerable prestige and were treated like kings, with dukes crammed together.

The seating arrangement was King Robert in the center, followed by the Starks, Stannis, Lannisters, and Hightower.

On one side were Redwin, Royce, River, and Dane.

On the other side are the Earl of Layton's children, Big Bear, and others.

"How did you come up with that helmet-flipping technique?" "Bronze" Yorn asked, quite surprised.

"I've studied Lord 'Long Thorn' Leo's techniques, which are his forte. Combined with my horsemanship and riding skills, it took many experiments to finally get a grasp of the basics," Arthur explained.

About a hundred years later, Lord Leo Tyrell, during the Blackfyre Rebellion, was still considered the finest knight from House Tyrell.

He was a top-level master of long spear combat on horseback, and many people believe he may be the greatest long spear combat champion in history.

He was an undefeated champion in the tournament, and was known as "Long Thorn" Leo because of his excellent skills.

"Amazing! Amazing!" Earl Jon Reus exclaimed repeatedly.

It's easy to say.

However, this technique of flying helmets is extremely difficult to accomplish without exceptional talent and exquisite skills.

The difficult move of throwing off a helmet is far more impressive than breaking a spear.

"Your technique is going to make Duke Mays jealous," Earl Parker laughed heartily.

Mace was also doing his best to train the next generation of "Long Thorn" from among his sons, but Arthur had already taken the lead and used Long Thorn's signature move in the same way.

"What a pity." Count Parker also appreciated talent.

Unfortunately, Earl Parker had already become acquainted with Randy Tallila and had considered a marriage alliance, so he had to keep his thoughts to himself.

Moreover, young men are attracted to beautiful women.

Unfortunately, his children were all rather unattractive, with freckles all over their faces and plain looks.

Compared to the handsome and exceptionally brave heir of He'an, it is indeed difficult to bring them together.

Arthur, Pexter, Bronze Yorn, and others chatted and laughed, drinking and eating meat.

Although Whitewall City was also developing its own wine business, Earl Parker didn't pay much attention to it.

For the wine industry, the Redwin family's greatest strength lies in its production volume and overseas sales channels.

The Redwyn family maintained their overseas trade with a large fleet and had dedicated wine agents.

Even if Arthur's Whitewall City wine is slightly inferior to or comparable to Greenwood Island's, its production volume and overseas sales channels are unlikely to surpass those of the Redwyn family in the short term, so it's not a particularly big problem.

On the other side, Big Bear also had mixed feelings. He was happy that he had made it into the top four, which was already a great achievement.

However, the problem is that the opponents in the top four are all very strong. Judging from the current situation, I can only have to unleash my full potential again tomorrow.

As Jorah drank, he secretly glanced at Lynise, admiring his goddess.

"Jora, she's really bewitched." Ed sighed inwardly. Unfortunately, the flame of love is easy to ignite but hard to extinguish, and few people can truly control it.

To be fair, Eddard valued Jorah highly.

Judging from Jorah's performance this time, he is a rare talent in the North who is proficient in infantry, cavalry, and sea combat, and can definitely serve as a top fighter and vanguard.

Bear Island, as an island, also has a small fleet of longships, which is rare in the North.

Unfortunately, even the most dashing and wealthy Bat Knight in this tournament was not captivated by beauty and wanted to find a more valuable and suitable marriage partner.

But Big Bear, disregarding everything, went completely overboard.

Big Bear and Lynise are too different in age and status, why should they get involved in Hightar's circle?

Although he had such thoughts in his mind, Ed remained silent and let it be, since it was ultimately Lord Layton's decision who had given his consent.

The Earl of Layton, surrounded by his children, appeared as a kind old lord, simply chatting and laughing with the king and dukes, never mentioning politics.

Earl Layton glanced at Arthur with a hint of regret: "The little bat has amazing warrior talent, but unfortunately he is still just a mortal."

""

Since he was just a mortal, at best an agile version of Robert, Earl Layton put aside his thoughts.

Earl Layton naturally noticed Jorah's clever idea today.

During the duel, the bear tried to take Lynn's handkerchief, but Earl Layton was too lazy to get involved.

After all, Layton's mind was on magical research rather than the operation of family power.

Besides, Haitar is currently using humility as a pretext; it wouldn't be a good thing if he were to actually befriend all the powerful and influential people.

Layton had already arranged for the older children, and he didn't really care whether the younger children were chosen based on their age or social standing.

At the banquet, a deformed dwarf also received astonished greetings from everyone.

Big-headed doll, little devil, Tyrion.

As Robert's brother-in-law, Tyrion naturally had the prestige to attend the banquet, and no one dared to openly mock him.

Tyrion's head was disproportionately large, with a prominent forehead, ugly features, and one black eye and one blue eye.

He had long, straight hair that was almost entirely white, and a beard with alternating brown and golden hues on his chin.

Tyrion looked on with envy at the heroes of today's tournament.

They were all tall, upright, and muscular, natural-born knights.

But he couldn't get the knight's body; he only had a big forehead.

Apart from the knights who will be competing tomorrow, everyone else was completely drunk and staggering.

They even struck up conversations and flirted with the maids.

As the youngest of the top four contestants, Arthur naturally became a valuable liaison for various parties.

The lords of the Riverlands, the Knights of the Valley, the lords of the North, the lords of the Royal Domain, and of course, the lords of the West who were the hosts.

Trade exchanges, equestrian skills exchanges, servant training, and even discussions on marriage alliances are all available.

Those of the highest caliber and most willing to befriend Arthur were undoubtedly the lords of the Riverlands.

It wasn't just a matter of distance, but also the allure and charm of the Great Knight.

Arthur, as the leader of the Riverlands knights, possessed an aura that made the lords and knights of the Riverlands proud.

After all, in the past, the martial arts performance of the feudal lords in Hejian was that they were whipped with tops.

None of the five members of the Frey family made it to the quarterfinals; it was Earl Jason who was trying to save face.

Reaching the quarterfinals would be the best result, and international matches often set new records for eliminations. It's easy to imagine how useless the Sanhe Warriors are given their level of competition.

The worst problem for the Riverlands Knights was the lack of successors.

Although the Valley Knights haven't won many championships in recent years, the Valley has a very well-rounded talent pool, much stronger than the Riverlands.

Bronze Jon, Lynn Cobley, the sons of Earl Jon, the sons of Earl Redford, especially his youngest son Michel, who is very talented.

The Valley Knights have a talent structure that is passed down from the oldest to the youngest, ensuring a smooth succession.

As for the knights of the Riverlands, apart from the older Blackfish and Earl Jason, and some Frey who possessed brute strength, the younger generation was also a large group of mediocre talents.

Not only are there few veteran riders who make it to the top, but the middle and new generations are also extremely mediocre.

If it weren't for Arthur's unexpected rise to prominence, the Riverlands would have truly fallen to the bottom.

The most powerful young knightly team in the Riverlands right now is undoubtedly Arthur's Dark Knights. As the tide rises, so does the skill level; knights improve rapidly when they are with experts.

For this reason, many lords of the Riverlands were also interested in sending their sons as servants to Arthur.

"You've done a truly good job, Sir Arthur. That sea monster Balon killed my sister and my child, and I've remembered it for years. Now that bastard has lost two of his sons, it's a case of divine retribution," Earl Piper said to Arthur with great gratitude.

Count Clement Piper was short and stout, with bow legs and thick, messy red hair.

Count Piper also showered Arthur with praise, mainly because the Piper family and the Kraken family did indeed have a blood feud, especially with King Baron.

This is an old story.

Count Piper's sister was the third and last wife of King Coron Greyjoy.

King Coron, a maverick and anti-Ancient Sea Monster, enjoyed good relations with the Iron Islands and the land-based lords at the time.

Lady Piper married King Coron in Pink City, officiated by a monk. She brought a maester to Pike City.

When King Coron fought on the Isles with his three older sons, Balon, Euron, and Victarion, during Robert's Rebellion.

Park City's youngest son, Ur, lost half of his hand while playing finger dance with his brother, Iren.

Madame Piper, who was pregnant at the time, had her maester sew her severed finger back on, but the wound became infected, and Urgon died as a result.

After returning to the Iron Islands, Baron heard about what had happened to his brother.

King Coron had died in the war, and Balon, who was eager to restore the ancient road, became its leader.

In retaliation, King Balon cut off three of the maester's fingers and forced Lady Piper to sew them back on.

The scholar naturally died as a result, and Mrs. Piper was also greatly frightened.

Mrs. Piper died shortly after giving birth, and the baby girl also died.

The Piper family's power was naturally no match for the sea monster, and Duke Horst was speechless, advising Earl Piper to be more magnanimous.

Count Paiber originally thought he would have to endure this for the rest of his life.

Unexpectedly, the Iron Islands War broke out, and Baron's two sons were killed in succession, which made Count Piper extremely happy.

"I am deeply saddened by Lady Piper's fate. King Baron was a man without chivalry, a follower of false gods, and deserved such punishment," Arthur said to Earl Piper. "We Riverlands must remain united."

.

Although Earl Piper was a staunch supporter of Horst, he had offered himself up, so there was naturally a basis for cooperation.

If military victory is not achieved, then everything else is nonsense.

Money and land are certainly a temptation, but the protection of force and power is another.

"That's right, Sir Arthur. The lords of the Three Rivers are of one mind." Earl Piper laughed heartily, then raised his glass and clinked it against Arthur's, the glass making a crisp whistling sound.

The lords of the Three Rivers region were, after all, lords of the Three Rivers region; they were all very shrewd and clever.