From a hired knight to a master of Game of Thrones

The morning mist, carrying the salty sea breeze, drifted by.

The outer harbor's fish market was the first to become lively, followed by Fish King Square, which also became bustling.

After enjoying a hearty breakfast at the inn, including lamprey pie, fried bread, boiled eggs, and fried sausages, Don Quixote and his companions left the inn with their horses.

Not long after.

They arrived at a two-story stone house with a small courtyard.

The stone wall is made of white stone unique to Baigang, and there are two short, thick stone pillars at the entrance of the courtyard.

Many withered vines climbed the oak gate, and the yard was paved with smooth stone slabs.

There was also a simple stable in the corner, which, judging by its size, should be able to accommodate three or four horses.

Don Quixote glanced at Tom and the other two, his gaze lingering for a second on Warren and Shane's bruised and swollen heads.

He laughed:

"I'll probably be living here from now on. If you find out any useful job information, you can come here to find me."

"If you successfully complete a job assignment in the name of the Bloodhand Mercenary Group and have the corresponding documentation, come to me for extra compensation!"

At this point, Don Quixote's smile vanished, and he said coldly:

"Of course, if any of you dare to act recklessly in the name of the Bloodhand Mercenary Group, I will make sure you suffer!"

"Yes, Captain!" Tom and the other two responded with varying expressions.

Soon, Tom and his two companions left.

Don Quixote and his companions watched as Tom and his two companions disappeared into the distance.

They waited quietly for the owner of the house behind them to arrive.

I waited quietly for a while.

Footsteps came from the end of the alley.

An elderly man with gray hair and beard strode over, accompanied by a burly man dressed as a knight.

The old man had not yet spoken.

The burly man then spoke directly:

"So you're going to rent this house from me long-term?"

"Yes," Don Quixote said.

The burly man thought for a moment and said:

"I plan to travel south for a few years, and I can rent this house to you before I return."

"Two gold dragons a year, give me six gold dragons, and you can live here for three years."

Seeing Don Quixote deep in thought, the burly man continued:

"My location is very good, close to Snow Sanctuary and the new castle where Earl Wyman lives."

"So I think this price is very reasonable, and I have no intention of haggling with you."

"If you don't accept this price, then there's no point in negotiating!"

Don Quixote laughed:

"What if you come back within three years? What will happen to this deal?"

The burly man breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Don Quixote had no intention of haggling.

He planned to travel south to see the sights and participate in the tournaments held for knights.

Now is the time when money is most needed.

He still very much hopes that his house can be successfully rented out.

The burly man quickly said:

"Don't worry! Uncle Kane is here to witness for us, and we also need to register with the White Harbor Garrison."

"If I return within three years, I will return the money!"

Uncle Kane was the white-haired old man standing to the side.

He is both an information broker connecting renters and tenants and a reputable guarantor in Baigang City.

If the deal goes through, both the tenant and the landlord will need to pay Kane a fee.

Don Quixote nodded and said:

"That's the price then. I plan to check in today. Let's go and complete the deed of sale and file the documents now."

"No problem," the burly man laughed.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Time flows by slowly, neither too fast nor too slow.

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three months, Don Quixote, Adele, Cole, and Alden were mainly busy learning the common language of Westeros.

Of course, the four of them continued their basic daily training without slacking off.

Meanwhile, Tom and his two companions spent their days loitering in various taverns, gathering information on hiring opportunities and loudly boasting about the Bloodhand Mercenary Group's tarnished reputation.

In the first month, Tom and his two companions were new to the area and had not yet been able to integrate well into the local Free Rider community.

Most of the information overheard was outdated or just boring gossip.

On several occasions, he stumbled upon useful job information, only to have other free knights beat him to it.

If Don Quixote hadn't suddenly considered that taverns, places where information spreads so rapidly, might contain important information that isn't related to employment.

He instructed Tom and his two companions to report to him each day the important information they gathered.

For any valuable piece of information, even if it is outdated, he will pay Tom and his two companions a varying amount of copper.

With the income from this information gathering, plus the 1 silver deer that Don Quixote gave them each month for living expenses.

It was only during Tom and his two companions' first month in White Harbor that they barely managed to break even, without having to spend their own money to support their impoverished lives.

In the second month...

Don Quixote gave Tom and his two companions some silver deer, encouraging them to get to know some of the free knights in White Harbor.

Offering those free riders a glass of ale was enough to win over their superficial enthusiasm.

With a good social start, Tom and his two companions, who were already Free Knights, quickly got to know many Free Knights, sailors, and fishermen in White Harbor.

Before long, the results were achieved.

In the second month, Tom and his two companions found a total of four job openings.

Although they were all very simple, low-paying jobs.

However, Tom and his two companions breathed a sigh of relief and completed the four employment tasks with great enthusiasm.

Because they wanted Don Quixote's extra reward, they didn't try to appease their employer.

On the simple credit documents designed by Don Quixote, the employers gave three "good" and one "excellent" ratings.

Don Quixote also gives an extra 10 silver deer as a reward.

This is significantly more than the compensation Tom and his two companions would have received for the four jobs they completed.

By the third month...

Tom and his two companions found two more easy jobs.

The credit rating is either excellent or good.

Five mercenary missions have improved the Bloodhand Mercenary Group's reputation, providing real evidence to prove their worth.

Within a very small area, the Blood Hand Mercenary Group did gain a little bit of fame.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Boom boom boom!

A knock came at the door.

Don Quixote put down his quill and looked with satisfaction at the cheap paper on his desk covered with the common language of Westeros.

"After three months of hard work, my handwriting isn't bad; it should be presentable now," Don Quixote muttered to himself, then exclaimed:

"Come in."

Tom immediately pulled open the wooden door and went into the room.

He quickly approached Don Quixote and respectfully said:

"Captain, I've found a mercenary job that might interest you!"

Don Quixote was taken aback, then exclaimed with delight:

"Tom, please explain in detail."

Tom collected his thoughts for a moment and slowly said:

"A fishmonger planned to transport a batch of goods to Huangzhong Village, and he intended to hire four or five free knights to guard the caravan."

"This is information that a free rider I know accidentally said when he was drunk."

"The Free Knight is also planning to find a few trustworthy people to take on this employment mission together."

"Then I told him about our Bloodhand Mercenary Group. Hehe, Captain, I often treat him to drinks, and he trusts me."

"He's willing to take on the fishmonger's job with our Bloodhand Mercenary Group, but he wants 2 silver deer as a referral fee."

……

PS: (Please recommend and read this!)