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

It was July, and I was in Junlin.

Arthur has already delivered the gifts to the Red Keep on behalf of the River Anne family, and now all that's left is to wait for the formal investiture ceremony.

Besides the royal Baratheon family, members of the Lannister family, the Hoster family, and envoys from the North can reside in the Red Keep.

The other lords would come to Red Keep, deliver their gifts, and then find their own places to stay.

In this medieval Western feudal society, the influence of the royal family was much greater than in traditional Eastern societies.

The main Red Fort is indeed not very large, resembling a densely packed building.

The Maeger Tower, the Prime Minister's Tower, and the White Sword Tower are all inhabited, except for the Virgin House, which is not open to the public.

If there are any more guests, they will have to be crammed into the Red Keep courtyard, while the Godwood Forest will have to pitch their own tents.

The Royal Maeger Tower is a massive, square fortress located in the very center of the Red Keep, behind 3.66-meter-thick walls and a dry moat with barbed wire. It is a castle within a castle.

The royal bedroom is located in the Megalos. The king's bedroom has two fireplaces.

The Prime Minister's Tower serves the Prime Minister and his retinue, while the White Sword Tower is the residence of the White Knight.

The Red Fort is more like a military fortress than a comfortable royal palace.

The Targaryen family once had a beautiful summer palace, Summerhall, which was much more comfortable and peaceful than the Red Keep.

Later, it was burned down by wildfire, leaving the royal family with only the Red Keep in King's Landing and Dragonstone.

When Robert arrived, he also ceded Dragonstone fortress.

Most of the mansions in King's Landing are not far from the Red Keep or the Great Cathedral of Baelor, as well as industrial hubs such as Steel Street, Flour Street, Silk Street, and Shoemaker's Square.

The docks, fish market, and the royal fleet's King's Landing base are all located south of King's Landing, north of the Blackwater River.

The financial system of the seven kingdoms was quite strong. Although it was a prosperous agricultural feudal country, its handicrafts and commerce were also very developed.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is an important position, and under the hands of absentee managers and easy-going people like Robert and Arryn, it's practically an independent kingdom.

Judging by the timeline, Littlefinger might be taking office soon.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer can oversee and even promote a large number of officials, including the chief steward of the four treasuries, the royal accountant, the royal weigher, the heads of the three mints, the port master, the tax collector, the customs officer, the wool agent, the road toll collector, the ship captain, and the wine agent, etc.

Arthur first went to the River House's warehouse in King's Landing, where the treasurer, who was stationed there, reported to Arthur on the recent sales of various products, which were selling very well.

The products of the River An family are transported to King's Landing and also stored in their own warehouses.

Harrenburg is not Mugolville, nor is it Nussen or Salt Field.

Without their own port, goods are often transported out to be sold.

Other ports are too small; King's Landing is still the largest market and port.

River Ang's warehouse is also located south of King's Landing, near Mudgate, not far from the docks, making it convenient for direct sea travel.

The warehouse doorplate is thoughtfully decorated with a bat symbol, representing the He'an family.

"Young Master Arthur, because sweet corn sells well and is popular with gentlemen and wealthy merchants, our income is increasing rapidly. However, besides paying taxes here, we also use some of it to bribe officials and dignitaries," the treasurer said to Arthur in a low voice.

The money to bribe the gold-robed man was unavoidable; otherwise, the warehouse would be harassed by many thugs and hooligans, and dead rats and fish would appear from time to time.

The King's Landing's Gold Robes are good at this; many of them come from the Flea Nest and are very skilled at this kind of extortion.

The merchants in King's Landing are all shrewd people; they basically pay money to ensure peace of mind.

The current commander-in-chief of the Golden Robes is 'Frog' Genos, a notorious outlaw known for his bribery and buying and selling of official titles.

As he continued in office for some time, towards the end of his insane career, essentially half of the officers had to pay him from their own salaries.

At this point, the Frog Commander-in-Chief isn't being so blatant.

"Give him the appropriate amount of money," Arthur said to the treasurer. "I need to make sure my warehouse doesn't catch fire and my goods aren't harassed by thugs."

This frog is selective in his treatment of people; he would never have dared to do so when the He'an family was at its peak.

Now that the River family has long been removed from the power structure of King's Landing, River also has to pay.

"Understood." The treasurer nodded.

However, while frogs are not trustworthy, they are extremely fond of money.

Since he could be Littlefinger's friend, Arthur believed that with the lubrication of gold, he could also be River's friend.

There's no need to be impatient right now. This butcher's son isn't the kind of person who can be patient; he'll sneak over to him on his own.

The rest of the time, Arthur was free to ride around King's Landing.

King's Landing is the youngest city in the Seven Kingdoms and even on both sides of the Narrow Sea, possessing a wild and untamed vitality.

Three hundred years ago, this highland was completely covered by forests, with only a few fishermen settling on the north bank of the Blackwater River, where the currents were swift and the waters flowed deep into the sea.

Later, King Aegon I the Conqueror crossed the sea from Dragonstone, and his army landed there. He then built his first crude defensive fortress on the highest hilltop using wood and mud, which was the prototype of the Red Keep and King's Landing.

Now, everything Arthur could see had become a bustling urban area, with mansions, pavilions, barns, brick warehouses, wooden inns and market stalls, taverns, cemeteries and brothels, one after another.

Even from a distance, he could still hear the hustle and bustle of the fish market, the meat market, and the farmers' market.

Wide tree-lined boulevards, winding alleyways, and narrow lanes that can't accommodate two people walking side by side weave through the buildings.

The marble walls of the Belor Grand Cathedral surround the top of the Vissania hill, with seven crystal towers standing within.

On the other side of Rhaenys Hill, there sit the charred ruins of the Dragon's Lair, the collapsed ruins of a huge dome, and a bronze gate that has been closed for a long time.

Between the two hills, the Silent Sisters Street runs straight like an arrow, surrounded by solid high walls.

More than a hundred docks line the banks of the Blackwater River, and countless ships are moored in the port.

Deep-water fishing boats and river rafts came and went in an endless stream, boatmen poled back and forth in Blackwater Bay, and merchant ships unloaded cargo from Braavos, Pentos and Rees.

Besides the merchant ships, there was also the Queen's ornately decorated yacht, with a deep draft and its hull covered in black tar, next to a whaling ship that had come from Iban.

Upstream, there were about a dozen long, narrow golden warships with their sails rolled up and iron rams gently striking the water.

Arthur chose the Riverbank camp on the south bank of the Blackwater River for the River Angkor camp, and many other lords did the same.

The air is fresher by the river, and martial arts tournaments are often held there.

The shields displayed outside the tents were engraved with the bat symbol of the Hean family. Servants and grooms were all in place, and the horses were tied up.

After the tents were set up, Arthur sat on a folding chair in front of the tent, boiled a pot of water, and chatted with Sir Lucas and others.

The trip was quite relaxing, even without meeting the King and Prime Minister.

"Has the King not appointed a regent for the Duke of Renly?" Veri Ward asked curiously.

"I haven't heard of it. It seems that only Sir Cortana Penrose is Duke Renly's patron," Lucas Dayne replied.

This is actually quite bizarre; Robert simply swung his arm all the way through without even a monitor or any other monitoring personnel present.

This is tantamount to giving children enormous power without properly restraining them.

"Once we see the King bestow the title of Duke upon Renly, we can return," Lucas Rutter said.

"Yes," said Sir Lucas Dayne.

Arthur felt it wouldn't be that simple; someone else would definitely come looking for him.

However, it's unclear whether Commander-in-Chief "Frog" or Sir Barristan will arrive first.

The White Knights either protect the King, or they are in the White Sword Tower or have their own activities.

Given their status, not every knight could meet them whenever they wanted.

The following morning, Sir Barristan arrived to visit during a break from guarding the King.

The White Knights were not all locked up to the king; they all had a certain amount of private space and rotated shifts.

Some could participate in martial arts tournaments, while others went out to have affairs.

Sir Barristan wore an intricately carved, porcelain-glazed white scale armor, so radiant it resembled a pristine white earth covered in the first snow, with white silver threads and hooks gleaming in the sunlight.

When he took off his helmet, his hair was half gray and half white, the white parts being the same color as his armor.

Despite this, he appeared to be in excellent health for his age, and his every move was very elegant.

A pure white cloak, symbolizing the Imperial Guard, hung down his shoulders.

"Arthur Hoan, your great-uncle has mentioned your name. You seem to be a novice knight." Ser Barristan looked at the boy in front of him, a blood relative of Ser Oswell.

"Fearless Sir Barristan, my grandfather and great-uncle both say you are the greatest knight of our time," Arthur said, looking at the old knight.

Ser Barristan is undoubtedly a top-tier knight, an epic knight. As Tywin put it, whoever he follows gains prestige.

Although "Dawn Sword" was also famous for a time, he was relatively young and his fame was concentrated in the aristocratic circle.

Unlike Palestine, it is not as approachable and widely loved in the seven countries.

Sir Barristan had too long a career and too many heroic deeds.

Of course, if such an experienced knight mentors a younger knight, the young man will easily rise to prominence.

As for the reputation of the king killer, let's not talk about it. Once a king killer kills a king, he is no longer considered a royal guard in the eyes of the world.

The same words, even if they are very insincere and flattering, can sound very different when spoken by a child and an adult.

"Your great-uncle is different from you; he likes to make dark jokes." Sir Barristan laughed, and Arthur welcomed him into his tent.