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

Neither Sir Baylor, the eldest son of the Earl of Leyton, nor Sir Garth, the second son, appeared.

However, Arthur had already experienced the extravagance of the old town.

The town hall inn arranged by Gunther Hightower and Lynise Hightower was spacious and bright, with a better environment than the residences of ordinary lords.

Rosso, Song, and Tritimo, the three hired knights, lived a life of luxury under Arthur's care and were no longer the poor and destitute men they once were.

A scholar will die for one who understands him.

Now they are Arthur's most loyal hounds, hoping to show off their special skills for him.

"Let me do you a small favor, Master Arthur. Whom do you wish to eliminate?" This was the thought on the minds of all the hired knights.

"No rush, your time to start killing will come." Arthur knew, of course, that his men all wanted to show off their skills.

Now that the assassins have no use for their skills, when the Ironborn land, his Dark Knights will definitely set an example for those useless people in the Riverlands.

After all, when it comes to the number of top-tier warriors, is there anyone in the Riverlands who can compare to his Yasuo gang?

Perhaps only Old Frey, who spawned an army, could do that.

Even Horst, after Blackfish left home, how many capable fighters did he have under his command?

The blonde beauty, Lynise Hightower, has left, but a faint fragrance still lingers in the air.

"They just left like that?" Lucas Jr. said, dissatisfied. "I don't think the Hightoar family is that polite either."

"Maybe they think we're nouveau riche, and Baylor and Garth are already famous," Arthur chuckled, unconcerned.

Dane, Hightower, Stark, Lannister, and the now-vanished Durandon are all known for their long histories.

"Gunsol is just the second son of a few necklaces, while Arthur is the real champion. Even his brother Garth is at best a knight of some renown," said Lucas Jr.

"They probably don't want to see the Starfall City sign either," Sir Lucas Dayne said, pursing his lips.

The Hightower and Dane families are like arch-enemies for millennia.

Previously, the Ironborn's power had weakened, and the Gardener had recruited Hightoar. Only Dane was still alive and kicking and ordered to beat Hightoar to a pulp.

"Lord Layton's daughter is very beautiful, but she doesn't seem very interested in you, Arthur," Veri Ward said with a hint of regret.

"That girl is beautiful, but she's only the eighth daughter. Layton has no shortage of children." Sir Lucas's expression was quite amused.

"It's not very meaningful," Arthur said briefly.

Even marriage alliances have to consider cost-effectiveness, and Linise herself is well aware of this.

She was beautiful and charming, but she couldn't bring much practical benefit to men, especially now that the old town was under the control of the Prince.

Only a lord from a remote region like Jorah could be so easily misled by the halo of Hightoar.

Lynne, a beautiful vase, is better suited to be paired with Jorah. At that time, Jorah had the honors of being a first warrior and a tournament champion.

"Indeed, there is a large age gap among the Earl of Layton's children," Sir Lucas agreed.

The older ones, like Ellery's child Velas, are about the same age as her uncle Gunther, and there are even younger uncles.

The four Beile inherited the family resources of the old town of Hightar, leaving their six children in an awkward position.

Although they came from wealthy families, they were far removed from inheritance rights and resources.

Lynise has three older sisters in the middle, and her marriages are only considered average.

Layton's idea was probably to win over important figures like Tyrell, Rowan, Redwin, and Florent.

Layton devoted himself to the vast world of metaphysics.

The marriages of the other children are not important.

"How much do you know about Baylor and Grey Iron?" Arthur asked.

"I know a little about them," Sir Lucas Dayne said.

The two families lived close by, and the Dane family also paid close attention to the old town.

"Laughing Prince is handsome and dashing, managing the old town's municipal affairs, commerce, banking, and fleet, but he's rather mediocre in the arena. As for Garth, he's a knight of some renown, but he shouldn't be overestimated; at best, he's first-rate," Sir Lucas offered an objective and fair assessment.

Veri said, "Grey Iron isn't exactly outstanding, but Hightar is incredibly wealthy, and it's said that it can recruit three times the number of troops that any Highgarden vassal could ever muster."

"We could recruit even more people by exhausting the resources of the old town, but sheep can't lead lions," Sir Lucas pointed out.

The Knights earned their reputation through action, not through boasting.

The Hightoar family clearly didn't win over many people, and they couldn't even expand beyond the Reach.

This may be the reason why many feudal lords both admired and ignored the old town.

Haittal controlled the city, port, and bank, and his style was more like that of a governor of a free-trading city-state.

Wu De was mediocre, but after three hundred years, a white ox suddenly emerged.

However, many of the reports are just smokescreens that the Tower of Triumph is happy to show people; the real tower needs to be peeled away layer by layer, like peeling an onion.

Arthur wasn't particularly interested in dealing with this group, but Baylor was a valuable business partner.

"We need to recruit a scholar who is proficient in medicine and raven studies," Yasuo said after thinking for a moment.

Arthur's Dark Knights are now a muscular team, with Sir Lucas being more seasoned and experienced.

The other squires, such as Veri, Lucas Jr., Raleigh, Rosso the hired knight, Song, and Tritimor, are more like stormtroopers.

Since he is a Dark Knight, he must need a butler and a strategist.

. . .

The next day, Arthur arrived at the gates of the school in a small entourage.

On either side of the city gate stand a pair of tall, green sphinxes, with the bodies of lions, wings of eagles, and tails of serpents.

One of them has a man's face, and the other has a woman's face.

Arthur climbed the steps and looked at the huge green Sphinx, which resembled a watchdog.

These things are everywhere, in Dragonstone, and in Essos across the Narrow Sea.

One prophecy foretells that a colossal stone beast will rise from a smoking tower and unleash shadow fire.

If this place is the old town, Arthur is very curious about where Hightower or the Citadel have hidden the stone behemoth.

Dragons are born of blood and fire, and breathe real flames.

The stone behemoth may be a product of magic, spewing shadow fire.

Arthur sensed it, but the Sphinx didn't react. Perhaps there were too many seals on the colossus, making it an inanimate object.

Arthur crossed the Sphinx and then entered the Citadel.

At the entrance to the school town is the clerk's desk, where people from the old town come to find assistant clerks to write wills and read letters.

Seven or eight clerks sat listlessly in front of the open stalls, waiting for customers.

"Books, books, cheap books." Other stalls sold books, but Arthur found them to be just ordinary books.

The real mystery book is hidden in the cellar and has never been seen.

"I'll take these maps." Arthur made a bold move and purchased several maps.

There are hand-drawn maps of the City of College, as well as hand-drawn maps of Old Town, Dorne, and Reach, and the prices are not expensive.

"Give Locas, the gatekeeper of the Steward's Lodge, a silver deer. He'll introduce us to suitable people, preferably those skilled in medicine and raven studies. Have any willing maesters meet us at the Town Hall Inn. Money is no object; they must be highly skilled and have impeccable character. There's one named Qyburn; see if he's still around," Arthur instructed Veri.

If Coburn hadn't conducted human trials yet, he would most likely still be a medical doctor.

The occult is a sensitive subject; not many people in the entire city understand it, and it's easy to be targeted.

What is most urgently needed right now is ravenology and medicine.

As for Locas, everyone in the City knew about his reputation for demanding coins.

"I understand." Veri nodded, then strode away.

Locas, the gatekeeper of the Citadel, had served as an assistant maester for thirty-seven years and hated apprentices, especially those of noble birth.

However, he liked noble coins and was happy to serve them.

The City of Learning is not some kind of Eden; on the contrary, it is home to many thieves and prostitutes.

Just as there are PhDs who enjoy having affairs, there are also PhDs who love money.

Varys was even able to obtain the contents of the Cardinals' secret meetings, indicating that the Citadel had also been infiltrated.

"It's done. The gatekeeper guarantees to arrange the most suitable candidate for us. However, he only provides intermediary services; he'll still charge us even if it doesn't work out." Veri returned a moment later.

"No problem." Arthur nodded and then left the school city.