Seagull Town is the largest and most important port in The Vale. It's a natural "U"-shaped bay, located southeast of Eyrie, at the mouth of Crab Bay. It's a crucial military stronghold and a source of wealth for The Vale, particularly renowned for its tailoring, considered the best in the Seven Kingdoms.
It has always been ruled by the Grafton Family, a noble house that rose to prominence during the Conquest. As one of the first Vale lords to bend the knee, the Grafton Family was granted Seagull Town by Visenya, the queen of Ying Geng. Consequently, the Grafton Family has historically been a staunch loyalist house.
During the War of the Usurper, Count Marco Grafton of the Grafton Family chose to side with the royal family instead of his liege lord. He even established a loyalist army in Seagull Town, rallying the Vale nobles against Jon Arryn's rebellion.
However, his loyalist forces were defeated outside Seagull Town by the combined armies of Jon Arryn and Robert Baratheon. Count Marco himself was killed by Robert Baratheon with a single blow of his warhammer, and the loyalist forces in The Vale were crushed.
Although Robert did not punish the Grafton Family after he took the throne, life in Seagull Town has been difficult in recent years. The high taxes imposed by the crown left them resentful but powerless. Even their family's most important landmark, the Seagull Tower lighthouse, was given to the Royce Family of Runestone by Jon Arryn.
Furthermore, after the War of the Usurper concluded, Jon Arryn installed a branch of his own family in Seagull Town, and the Royce Family of Runestone followed suit by placing their vassals, the Shett Family, there as well.
Although the Grafton Family nominally still ruled Seagull Town, it was clear to everyone that they had been suppressed over the years.
Fortunately, Seagull Town is one of the five largest port cities in Westeros. While its size is comparable to White Harbor, it is the closest port to King's Landing. The massive trade volume has allowed the Grafton Family to barely survive under such immense pressure.
Moreover, Seagull Town was home to a large number of wealthy merchants. Some of The Vale's nobility would marry into these merchant families for money. After Robert Baratheon ascended to the throne, the Grafton Family, in an effort to maintain their position, had married into the merchant class three times, which barely managed to curb the encroachment of the other two families.
At this point, more than a week had passed since Markol and his crew had been caught in the storm. Because the map Widow's Watch had showed of Seagull Town was largely accurate, Henk's speed had increased significantly.
Markol stood at the bow of the Snow Bear, gazing at the enormous harbor before him. He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the severe disparity in wealth between the North and South of Westeros, particularly when comparing Cod Village's docks, belonging to the Umbers in The North, to this place, which made the former seem like nothing at all.
After paying an extra fee for entering the port, Markol and his crew were allowed to enter Seagull Town's docks without any hindrance. The soldiers didn't conduct any inspections. Looking at the crest on the chests of the soldiers collecting the fees – a black and white checkered background with three golden wings – Markol found it quite strange. He realized these individuals didn't seem to be soldiers of the Grafton Family.
Markol had seen the flag flying on the main flagpole of the docks earlier, a red background with a black triangle emblazoned with a yellow burning tower. However, the soldiers collecting fees didn't have this emblem on their armor. Generally, these various taxes and fees were handled by the ruling family, as a lord wouldn't entrust such matters to a vassal family.
"It seems the Grafton Family is really being suppressed badly, even losing control over the port fees to other families. But that's good. I'll throw the opportunity in their faces and see if they dare to take it!"
Markol muttered to himself, then beckoned the three women to disembark. Widow's Watch's docks simply couldn't compare to Seagull Town. The place was like a maze; if it weren't for the guidance of the specialized guide boats, the Snow Bear would likely have gotten lost.
After Henk spent a copper star to hire a guide, they followed him to a luxurious inn called "Golden Oak." It was a massive five-story building that looked incredibly opulent.
It seemed this was a frequent haunt for traders from Essos. Upon entering, Markol found the place filled with merchants in opulent attire.
Braavos, Myr, Tyrosh, Lys—merchants from almost every city-state on Essos could be found in this inn. Markol and his companions' peculiar clothing quickly drew the attention of those present.
After paying for their rooms, Markol prepared to take Moonshadow and the others upstairs. He had rented a luxurious two-story suite with five bedrooms and a dedicated meeting hall, costing about one silver stag per day.
Just as Markol, holding Moonshadow's small hand, was about to ascend the stairs, a richly dressed middle-aged man suddenly blocked his path. His gaze swept over the group before settling on Markol.
"Greetings, my friend. Are you with Gao De's merchant guild? I haven't seen you before. I heard from the ship-reporting boys at the docks that you use their guild's emblem."
His Common Tongue was impeccable, his tone full of concern and inquiry.
The ship-reporting boys were a unique profession found only in large port cities. In major ports like Seagull Town, numerous ships came and went daily, with countless docks for them to berth at.
These ship-reporting boys were needed to keep track of the ships' arrivals and departures, helping merchants locate their guild's incoming vessels or find potential trading partners promptly.
But this kind of thing takes time and effort, and the workers and local residents usually demand high prices, which makes many stingy merchants unwilling to hire people to guard the docks.
However, as time went on, some clever children at the docks discovered a way to make money. They would memorize the flags and emblems of various merchant guilds.
When new ships entered the harbor, they would run around the inns, shouting the names of the ships. Those who were lucky might receive rewards from the merchants. Although the merchants were reluctant to spend a lot of money, they were willing to give out some copper coins and food.
In this way, the children of the commoners found a way to pass the time and earn some pocket money. Later on, many dockworkers' children, after the age of seven or eight, would be taken by the adults to learn the emblems of some merchant guilds, giving them the opportunity to earn a little extra money to help support their families.
Just as Markol's Snow Bear had entered the docking area, a few children ran up and called out, which also allowed some interested people to get an early idea of their numbers and the number of ships.
Seeing the other person's polite manner, Markol couldn't just leave, so he could only patiently answer:
"I am a friend of Gao De's in The North. You can call me Markol! Since I also happen to be going south, he asked me to help him deal with the goods and accounts. Using his merchant guild's flag is also for convenience in collecting payments. May I ask what you need?"
"Haha! Nothing, nothing, I apologize! I was just a little curious, nothing more. Right! I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Todd, a weapons merchant from Myr."
The "weapons merchant" named Todd introduced himself to Markol with a smile, unaware that Markol had already perceived his inner thoughts.
Ever since Markol had obtained the skill "Magic Control," the mind-reading and mana regeneration functions of the soul link had been retained. He could still hear many of the other person's real-time thoughts.
This fellow named Todd, although seemingly a weapons merchant, was actually a spy from the military intelligence of Myr, codenamed "Fireblade."
Myr was one of the nine Free Cities, renowned worldwide for its excellent craftsmanship. Its vast overseas trade network was the lifeblood of Myr's economy.
Due to the sudden death of Jon Arryn, the rulers of the nine Free Cities had sensed something unusual. To ensure their trade on Westeros wasn't affected, people like Todd had been dispatched in large numbers to various locations on Westeros to gather intelligence. Todd had been sent to Seagull Town to investigate.
So, when Todd first saw Markol and his companions, he instinctively regarded them as investigation targets. It was a very strange feeling, a feeling that had once saved Todd's life and allowed him to obtain very important intelligence, so he had always trusted this feeling.
After Markol perceived his thoughts, he admired the guy's professionalism. Therefore, Markol pretended to be interested and asked, "A weapons merchant from Myr? Do you have any Valyrian Steel weapons? I heard some blacksmiths in Qohor have mastered the method of forging Valyrian Steel. As a qualified weapons merchant, you should have connections, right?"
Todd said with a somewhat helpless tone, "Lord Markol! Do you think Valyrian Steel weapons are just ordinary steel? They are as rare as dragon bones and dragon eggs, absolute treasures! I only have a few Valyrian Steel daggers. Are you interested? There are a few meeting rooms over there, why don't we go and sit for a while?"
After saying that, Todd whispered to a servant beside him and made some arrangements. Then, he called a waiter and asked him to find a quiet meeting room.
This hotel was built specifically for foreign merchants, so it naturally had dedicated meeting rooms. When Markol and the others arrived at the meeting room, it was already stocked with all kinds of fruits and cakes.
Moonshadow and the other two were arranged in a small alcove within the room. Nymph, seeing so much delicious food for the first time, excitedly took off her hood and began to eat with gusto.
Her exquisite features and fiery red hair made her look incredibly beautiful, and even the curtain couldn't completely block her unique, alluring aura. Todd, who caught a glimpse of her face, was momentarily stunned. Before Markol could say anything, Henk next to him let out a cold snort.
Realizing his reaction, Todd was drenched in cold sweat. He quickly pinched his own thigh, repeatedly apologizing to Markol, while inwardly cursing his own rudeness and mistake.
As an intelligence operative, Todd prided himself on having seen all sorts of exotic beauties, but never had a woman made him so impolite. This made him inexplicably afraid, as well as a bit embarrassed.
Fortunately, his servants and guards arrived at this moment, carrying a bundle of things, which timely eased his awkwardness.
Then, in front of Markol on the table, he unwrapped three daggers encased in cowhide. The designs were essentially the same, clearly the work of the same craftsman.
Todd told Markol that the three daggers were from Qohor. The masters of Qohor had indeed replicated some of the Valyrian Steel forging techniques, but the Valyrian Steel weapons they produced couldn't compare to the genuine article.
In the early years, Tywin Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock from the Westerlands, had spent a fortune to buy a Valyrian Steel sword forged by Qohor artisans, intending to use it as his family's heirloom sword.
Only later did Tywin discover that it was just a facade, nothing like the real Valyrian Steel.
Feeling cheated, Tywin sent a message to Qohor, demanding that their council hand over the blacksmith who had deceived him and return the gold dragons. Terrified of the Lannister family's reputation and Tywin's fearsome nature, the blacksmith's guild in Qohor compensated with a substantial amount of gold to save the master's life.
Seeing the traces of lingering resentful souls and life energy on the daggers, Markol seemed to have guessed the origins of the Qohor forging technique. He then asked Todd:
"How much can these daggers be sold for?"
Todd smiled and said, "Although these aren't the most authentic Valyrian Steel weapons, their overall quality is only slightly inferior. We can usually sell them for around 100 gold dragons each. So, what do you think of these three daggers?"
Markol didn't speak, but instead gestured for Henk to draw a longsword from his waist. Markol took the longsword and placed it with the dagger, then signaled to Todd.
From the moment the longsword was drawn, Todd's eyes had not left it. After receiving Markol's signal, he eagerly picked up the longsword.
After carefully examining it, he cautiously turned his gaze to Markol, as if wanting to test the sword. Markol, understanding his thoughts, nodded and said:
"You can try it. I'm not worried about you breaking it, as long as you don't mind your dagger!"
Todd, upon hearing this, ecstatically picked up the dagger on the table and slashed it at the longsword. Although this sword was the same as an ordinary steel longsword, its luster and sharpness were exactly the same as Valyrian Steel.
"Swish!"
The "Valyrian Steel dagger" in Todd's hand was easily cut in half by the longsword, like cutting butter with a knife. Looking at the dagger handle he held, Todd felt his heart leap.
-------------------------
Fully Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Patreon.com/Ramzane