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

Chapter 82 Hunting the Sea Monster

Riverside land, coastal city.

Earl Jason Merison, wearing an eagle-winged helmet, gripped the letter delivered by the raven of Casterly Rock.

"It seems the bronze bell of the Hongzhong Tower has rung for the first time in three hundred years," Earl Jason thought.

The Iron Islands are adjacent to the western border and the Riverlands.

However, when House Greyjoy ruled the Ironborn, their favorite targets for invasion were the more fertile Westerlands, followed by the Reach and the North, with little interest in the Riverlands.

This is probably because the western coastline of the Riverlands is relatively short, and the Ironborn nowadays do not like to venture deep into the Riverlands to plunder.

The Greyjoy family is not the Hall family; they don't have the concept of lingering for long. Their plan is to grab something and run.

King Dalton, the "Blood Sea Monster," wreaks havoc in the West, plundering Lannisport and Fairy Island.

In 211 AD, during the Conquest, Dagon Greyjoy and his Ironborn took advantage of the turmoil caused by the Blackfire Rebellion to plunder the Sunset Sea and the coast of Westeros once again.

Dagon's men burned down Little Dok, plundered half of Fairy Island's wealth and a hundred women, and abducted them to the southern part of Green Pavilion Island.

The Ironborn also attacked the North.

King Dagon ran rampant and turned the entire Sunset Sea into the domain of the Iron People.

He ventured deep into the lion's den, tearing off the lion's whiskers and tying a knot in the direwolf's tail, but even he was no match for the dragon family.

"I will appeal to the lords of the Riverlands for help," Earl Jason said to his son, Ser Patrick. "With Lannisport fallen, the Sunset Sea will become a paradise for the Ironborn. Once the Redwyn and Oldtown fleets of the Reach are ready, the Ironborn will surely plunder the Riverlands."

Although Earl Jason is a renowned knight of the Riverlands, now is not the time to be reckless, as it is hard to say how many troops Ironborn will send.

The best course of action now is to call in reinforcements like Tywin did; there's no shame in that.

"I understand, Father, but will anyone come to our aid? Only those who see the benefits will rush to our aid. But given Lord Hoster's current situation, he will surely ask the Iron Throne for reinforcements first," Ser Patrick, heir to the Seafront City, said suspiciously.

Duke Horst was severely wounded and on the verge of death after being brutally attacked by the "Griffin" in Stonehall.

Although he survived, he was left with a chronic illness.

In addition, he's getting old and doesn't have much ambition anymore.

As for Edmure, he's unreliable; the only one we can rely on, "Blackfish," is in the valley.

Patrick was a close friend of Sir Edmure, but he also had deep doubts about his drinking buddy's abilities.

They're all buddies; he knows exactly what Edmund is capable of.

The Riverlands lords have always acted independently, truly befitting a weaker version of the Reach.

Like Tywin Lannister, who made the entire Riverlands his enemy and engaged in widespread burning, killing, and looting, he actually managed to unite the Riverlands together.

"Some people see trouble, while others see opportunity in trouble. To become a renowned knight, honor can only be earned on the battlefield," Earl Jason shrewdly remarked.

"You mean Arthur River?" Ser Patrick asked. "He's the most promising young man in the Riverlands right now, and he won't miss such a good opportunity. But this is a battlefield, not a tournament arena."

"That's right. To gain fame, you need to take risks." Earl Jason nodded. "Release our ravens to Riverrun, Lee River, Harrenhal, and the like. Whoever comes will be the true hero."

In truth, Earl Jason knew that the only people who could come to his aid were probably the people of He'an.

The Horst father and son clearly lacked leadership skills.

The Frey family is wealthy, but old Frey always benefits and never suffers a loss.

Moreover, the Frey family and Earl Jason are at odds, and they might even be hoping that Seafront City will fall.

Brecken and Blackwood were only interested in arguing; there was no need to talk about the other mediocre princes.

"Okay." Patrick wrote down the order.

"Father, won't doing this offend Lord Horst?" Patrick asked.

"We can't worry about that now. Seafront City is the fortress and gateway to the Riverlands, and besides, I can't let my family's fortune be destroyed by the Ironborn's plunder. Even with King Robert, the king has a great fondness for warriors. Duke Horst couldn't do anything to Lord Frey, let alone these warriors who defend the honor of the Riverlands," Earl Jason said calmly.

Ravens brought bloody news, first from the ravens of Casterly Rock, then from the ravens of Seafront.

The ravens of Casterly Rock announced the destruction of the Lannisport fleet, and the ravens of Seafront sent a plea for help.

Even the valiant Earl Jason was anxious about the large-scale invasion of the Ironborn.

In the Flowstone Courtyard, Earl Walter, Sir Lucas, and Arthur stood together on a makeshift platform, below whom sat solemn riders.

Arthur clutched the Dark Knight's helmet, his hands tightly gripping the two letters.

The opportunity finally arrived, and Baron, just like in the original story, went mad and rebelled.

Arthur looked at the cavalry he had gathered, the cavalry that would be the trump card in this operation.

The cavalrymen wore yellow robes embroidered with black bats and black armor.

Under the sun, the spear gleamed with a cold, sharp light.

Every cavalryman was handpicked, clad in yellow robes and black armor. Their equipment, nutrition, and training were unmatched among the soldiers of He'an.

There are also sharp blades like Rosso and Clayton, all aiming to win this sea monster hunt.

Arthur took three hundred cavalrymen with him, while the other two hundred would remain at Harrenhal.

After the Iron Throne reacts, it will inevitably summon the lords of the North and the Riverlands to join the counterattack.

This is something that can be imagined.

Arthur had a legitimate reason for going, as he accepted the invitation from Earl Jason of Sea Frontier City, and no one could criticize him for it.

"Did you know? Baron has rebelled and proclaimed himself King of the Iron Islands," said Earl Walter. "The Riverlands are about to be engulfed in war again, and we will be dispatched to aid Seafront City at the invitation of Earl Jason Melliscent."

"Damn those bastards!" Commander Rosso and Craton roared, feeling their blood was freezing after not fighting for so long.

Unexpectedly, the opportunity came, and I killed several iron-type enemies.

"Kill those bastards!"

"Kill those bastards!" The cavalrymen were silent for a moment before raising their fists.

The people of Hejian have suffered greatly from the iron seed, but they have only been spared so much suffering in the last three hundred years.

"Arthur Hoan, my successor, will be your commander. War is always dangerous, but I cannot bear to see the rivers of blood flow," Earl Walter gestured.

This is perfectly normal; if you're afraid of war, then you shouldn't call yourself a knight.

Just like the War of the Usurper, Robert, Eddard, and Arryn's successors all fought on their own, perhaps lacking an Edmure who was still quite young at the time.

"Arthur! Arthur!"

"The Dark Knight!" the crowd chanted his name.

Arthur waved his hand, and all the sounds subsided.

In the new year, Arthur has grown even taller and stronger, becoming the warrior in the eyes of the knights.

After a period of training, rewards, and gifts, the knights had come to regard Arthur as their most respected commander.

"I cannot promise you too much. I only guarantee that I will lead you to victory, that I will be braver and more fearless than anyone else, and that I am certain you will not lack spoils! Now let us go to the Sea Frontier City to hunt, the prey is the Golden Sea Monster. Whoever takes the head of the sea monster will receive rewards from his family and the king." Arthur spread his palms, and the cavalry cheered.

"Kill the sea monster!"

"Kill the sea monster!"

The family has the financial resources, and Arthur has the ability.

What the knights had to do was seek fortune in danger.

"The River family, united as one!" Earl Walter shouted, and Arthur joined in the chant.

This is the family motto of the River An family, and Arthur calls it out with complete confidence.

A tribal language is just a tribal language; it doesn't represent everything.

Just like House Arryn, who successfully assassinated the Bronze King and became the rulers of the Vale through their shameless "Shadow Warrior" tactics, their family motto is "As High as Glory!"

The Hean family betrayed their master and acquired Harrenhal, shouting "All people are of one mind," and it didn't seem like a big problem.

"Let's go!" Arthur raised his longsword, ready to step onto this stage of blood and fire.