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

It's called White Wall City, but now it's about the size of a town, far smaller than it used to be.

Roughly speaking, the He'an family now controls three relatively large towns and settlements: Helun Town in the north of Shenyan Lake, Shenyan Town in the south of Shenyan Lake, and Baiqiang Town in the east of Shenyan Lake.

Not to mention the farms and villages within the territory, the population around Shenyan Lake is still quite dense.

That's how the Hejian region is; it has no cities, but many towns and villages, and its economy is developed.

With the help of his steward, the temporary city lord Ambrose, Arthur gained a clear understanding of the recent situation in Whitewall City.

The information provided by the housekeeper was very simple.

The Third New White Wall City has been developing at a low level, declining from a first-class lord to a third-class one, and its revenue generation has been consistently unsuccessful.

It's quite simple when you think about it: the Bartway family spent most of their gold on building the White City.

But Blood Raven demolished Whitewall City, took away the white marble, and confiscated ninety percent of the remaining savings of the Batway family.

The cows and vineyards should be taken away and burned as they should be.

Without funds and without good seeds, White Wall City was completely ruined.

Brynden Rivers, the Blood Raven, truly lives up to his reputation as a ruthless figure in Westeros; even today, his name carries a strong sense of taboo.

Like Tywin Lannister, people obeyed Bloodraven not out of love but out of fear.

A patricide, a sworn traitor, a wizard, an albinist, a blood birthmark, a one-eyed man, a master archer, an intelligence expert—the Blood Raven is probably the prime minister with the most buffs among the Seven Kingdoms.

Blood Raven excels in five areas: swordsmanship, archery, witchcraft, intelligence, and governance.

Tywin Lannister was merely domineering and autocratic; he was no match for Blood Raven.

Among the "superhumans" who thrived during the low ebb of magic, Arthur felt that Blood Raven was the only one.

Blood Raven is someone who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, regardless of infamy.

The Duke of Bloodraven made great contributions to the kingdom, and he was also one of the most complex prime ministers in history, a classic example of a tainted prime minister.

Even years later, when people talk about prime ministers, Blood Raven is still the first name that comes to mind.

"I need to find those white stones," Arthur thought to himself.

The stones are difficult to process, and they are all high-quality stones.

The inns at the crossroads all had broken white stones, and many of them must have been distributed to the people and taken away by them.

But the majority of the power should still be on the Iron Throne; it's probably just sitting in some warehouse collecting dust.

As for the weirwood planks inside, Arthur wasn't very interested in them.

Even dead weirwood trees seem to have some connection with the Green Prophet.

Blood Raven monitors the seven kingdoms not only through his spies but also through the ability to see through the weirwood trees.

This person's mental strength is indeed powerful. Blood Raven is a wizard from the end times of magic, a time of low magic.

However, he is still proficient in the art of disguise and transformation.

He was essentially defying the heavens in a time of spiritual decline and the degenerate age of Dharma, relying on his extraordinary talent and abilities.

One can only say that this person's magical talent is truly extraordinary; no wonder he could become the Green Prophet.

While there are quite a few shapeshifters in this generation of the Stark family, they were all born during the period when magic reverted to its highest level in recent years, and their status is incomparable to that of the Blood Raven.

The territory of Whitewall City is still used for farming.

There are also dairy cows and winemaking in vineyards, but production is low and development has remained at a low level.

Income is paid to King's Landing's taxes before it belongs to the lord.

The taxes levied on the Iron Throne also varied based on proximity, and the system was designed to bully the weak and fear the strong.

The Greenlands contribute the majority of taxes, aside from Dorne, the North, and the Iron Islands.

The North and Dorne are both low-tax areas. When Dorne was incorporated into the Seven Kingdoms, it enjoyed some preferential policies, including tax concessions.

This also led to the dissatisfaction of many lords with King Daren, and was one of the sparks that ignited the Blackfire Rebellion.

In the North, the Iron Throne's direct power is limited to the customs officials and mint in White Harbor, and it has very little influence over other lords.

As for the Iron Islands, it seems like they're just playing their own game.

The Third New White Wall was the first castle Arthur inherited, and he had a deep affection for it.

Arthur's mother was also the last Countess of Bartway, and many servants and people were old vassals of the Bartway family.

Arthur doesn't even need to make a big show of himself; he just needs to avoid the exploitative practices and exorbitant taxes that some lords have done to win the hearts of the people here.

Arthur praised Lord Ambrose's dedication and presented him with gifts and blessings.

Arthur prepared an incentive system, similar to a base salary plus sales commission, and this extra money made New Whitewall City bustling with activity.

The entire Shenyan Lake region rests on Arthur's shoulders.

Arthur bid farewell to the steward, servants, and people of New Whitewall, and continued his journey with some of Whitewall's specialties: cheese and homemade wine.

Arthur rode forward; this was the entirety of Whitewall City.

The most precious dragon egg in Whitewall City was taken away by that old wizard Blood Raven long ago, which is truly heartbreaking.

Arthur thought about it and decided that there was plenty of time in the future, and he could explore it when he had the chance.

Today, apart from the three dragon egg fossils in Fat Illyrio's hands, there is nothing else.

Places where dragon eggs are suspected include Dragonstone, Red Keep, Sky Tower, the Moonlit Mountains in the Vale, the cannibal island of Skargos, Braavos, and the Valyrian ruins...

On the King's Road, the gold-and-black-bat banner of the River An family fluttered, and small businessmen and travelers in carriages all gave way.

Some people drove horse-drawn carriages or sat on ox-drawn carts, while many more rode animals: plough horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys—anything that could walk, run, or roll.

The farmers' trucks were loaded with apples, turnips, potatoes, and onions, all destined for King's Landing to sell.

The He'an family is also a prominent family, and even though they have weakened somewhat, these commoners still cannot afford to offend them.

Head south along King's Road, then drive straight to King's Landing.

The King's Road facilitated communication between the seven kingdoms, but the kings mostly made minor improvements based on the work of their predecessors, without any major innovations.

The King's Road in the Greenlands is relatively well-maintained, but it's not so good in the North.

The old city gate was wide open, and a small group of men in golden robes stood under the gate, carrying spears and wearing golden cloaks.

When they saw Arthur's party approaching in a column on horseback, the guards lost their composure and moved aside the carts and pedestrians blocking the way, letting the knights and their entourage pass first.

The guards who led the way through the gate held aloft the banner of the He'an family. The silk banners fluttered in the wind as if they were alive, and the banners featured nine black bats.

"Young Master Arthur has arrived! Get out of the way immediately!"

"Young Master Arthur has arrived! Get out of the way immediately!" the guards shouted.

Arthur glanced at the golden robes; they truly lived up to their reputation as the Seven Kingdoms' infamous useless army.

This garrison in King's Landing is notorious for embezzling funds and extorting money from the people; their training is poor.

Many people join just to find a job, so their actual combat effectiveness is hard to say.

The Gold Robe members are there to earn a wage, just like mercenaries; you can't expect them to risk their lives.

Whether it's the traditional lord-led conscription or this kind of mercenary recruitment.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages; it probably depends on the commander's skill level.

"Sir, are you here to attend the king's investiture ceremony?" asked the junior officer guarding the city gate.

"Yes." Arthur looked at the junior officer who had asked him the question.

The young officer was very tall, with deep-set eyes, prominent brow bones, and a broad jaw that resembled a pumpkin. He had brown hair.

Although the junior officer was considered the leader of the Golden Robe faction, his clothes were quite shabby, suggesting he was an upright person who didn't overstep his bounds.

Moreover, he has muscular physique, which indicates he has trained.

"What's your name?" Arthur asked.

"Jeslin Bywatt," the junior officer said somewhat embarrassedly.

Arthur looked at Jaslin, who was none other than Tyrion's good helper in defending King's Landing, the Lord Commander of the Gold Robes, "Iron Hand".

After Tyrion ousted Toad, he re-employed Ironhand, one of the few heroes in the Golden Robes, at Varys' suggestion.

As expected of the main storyline location, Junlin is spawning NPCs everywhere.

Of course, Iron Hand still has a hand; he lost it a few years later during Greyjoy's rebellion.

Iron Hand is currently at a low point in his life, not even a regular junior officer or a goalkeeper captain. He later sacrificed his hand to gain the positions of knight and captain.

"Good day, Lord Jeslin, it's an honor to meet you," Arthur said to Jeslin.

"Good day, Master Arthur," Jessling said excitedly. For many years, as a lowly working-class man, few people had valued him so highly.

He was not a knight, and it was unlikely that he would ever rise to prominence.

"See you later."

"See you later."

Arthur didn't make it too obvious; feelings are cultivated little by little, and you can get to know someone slowly.

If you make a big show of it from the start, you might intimidate others.

Moreover, no one can criticize such etiquette, since everyone knows that the He'an family is also known for its politeness and chivalry.