Chapter 99: The Journey to Pentos
After clicking on the "Receive Reward" button in the message, Ian was presented with three A-rank character options:
[Veteran Hedge Knight: Strength 24-30, Agility 21-27, Spirit 0-6
Skills: Advanced Swordsmanship, Intermediate Horsemanship, Intermediate Lance, Random Additional Skills
Equipment: Knight's Longsword, Full Chainmail, Destrier]
[Unsullied: Strength 24-27, Agility 27-33, Spirit 0-6
Skills: Intermediate Swordsmanship, Advanced Spear, Intermediate Javelin
Special Ability: Fearless (Immune to Pain)
Equipment: Leather Armor, Short Spear, Pike, Javelins, Round Shield]
[Tiger Cloak Slave Cavalry: Strength 26-30, Agility 23-26, Spirit 0-6
Skills: Advanced Swordsmanship, Intermediate Horsemanship, Intermediate Mace, Random Additional Skills
Equipment: Arming Sword, Morningstar, Full Scale Armor, Destrier]
Perhaps because Ian was currently sailing on the Narrow Sea, midway between Westeros and Essos, the three options represented both continents.
After reviewing the three profiles, Ian analyzed them.
The first, a veteran hedge knight, was unremarkable—just average, slightly below Ian's current theoretical capability, roughly equivalent to the turncoat Ser Grantham in strength, making him a suitable addition.
The second was the renowned Unsullied, castrated slave soldiers from Astapor.
Their base power was on the low side, their upper limit barely exceeding the lower limit of the Tiger Cloaks, but that wasn't surprising. After all, they lacked their manhood, so their hormone levels couldn't match intact warriors, and this wasn't something that could be compensated for through training alone.
However, the Unsullied did have one exceptional feature: their special ability known as "Fearless."
Ian understood the origin of this trait. From the day of their gelding, the Unsullied of Astapor consumed a "wine of courage" brewed from nightshade, bloodfly larvae, black lotus root, and other secret ingredients with every meal. Day after day, year after year, this numbed their senses, allowing them to fight fearlessly and endure any torture.
This special ability was undoubtedly a powerful asset for an entire army, as its steadfastness in the face of adversity gave commanders ample time to find opportunities to turn the tide.
However, just as Astapor never sold Unsullied individually but only in formations of hundreds or thousands, this special ability held little value for a single warrior. After all, even if you didn't feel pain, a sword through the heart would still kill you.
As for whether they'd break and run, Ian could only recruit two NPCs this time, and with just two men, the concept of "breaking" didn't apply.
Therefore, Ian ruled out the Unsullied as an option.
Then there were the Tiger Cloak Slave Cavalry. Honestly, Ian felt the word "Slave" in their name was redundant. The Volantene Tiger Cloaks were already a slave military force, needing no further emphasis. The name "Tiger Cloak Slave Cavalry" sounded as awkward as calling them "Unsullied Slave Spearmen."
Perhaps the developers considered the Tiger Cloaks less well-known than the Unsullied and gave them a more descriptive label.
Looking at the character sheets, Ian was conflicted.
Judging by the stats, the Tiger Cloaks had an advantage over the Hedge Knights. This advantage wasn't just the slight difference in raw attributes, but rather the Morningstar's superiority over the Lance in practical combat.
For Ian at this stage, the Lance was a rather useless skill, as he rarely encountered opportunities to use it. The Mace, by comparison, was far more valuable in urban warfare and dismounted combat.
However, considering his current cover identity, Ian ultimately decided on the Hedge Knights, as it better fit Ian Rivers's "backstory."
A bastard of House Darry gathering several knights from Westeros to travel to Pentos and swear allegiance to the rightful king.
What a perfectly reasonable story!
A Darry bastard showing up with two Tiger Cloaks in Pentos? What in seven hells would that be about?
If he had two more Volantenes who couldn't speak the Common Tongue around him, he'd have to invent another elaborate tale—a complication Ian didn't want to deal with when facing a cunning man like Illyrio.
So Ian clicked on the Veteran Hedge Knight option twice and confirmed his reward.
A system notification soon appeared, announcing that his reward was en route to Pentos and would be waiting for him at the port.
At the same time, the profiles of two new NPCs appeared in Ian's character roster.
[Duncan: Strength 30, Agility 27, Spirit 2
Skills: Advanced Swordsmanship, Intermediate Horsemanship, Intermediate Lance, Basic Common Tongue Reading and Writing]
[Mundo: Strength 26, Agility 25, Spirit 2
Skills: Advanced Swordsmanship, Intermediate Horsemanship, Intermediate Lance, Intermediate Archery, Basic Common Tongue Reading and Writing]
"Good rolls," Ian said, pleased with the results.
One had no extra random skills but maxed-out physical stats, while the other had average stats but intermediate archery as a bonus. Overall, he'd gotten quite lucky.
In the two days since leaving Duskendale, Roel gradually recovered, much to Ian's relief.
This not only meant his 20 points hadn't been wasted, but also meant he had one more piece of intelligence compared to other players who'd hesitated to try: the miracle medicine in the Tier 2 shop wasn't a trap or Easter egg.
With Roel's recovery, Ian's suspended training resumed.
Since Ian and the others had little to do aboard the ship, his training schedule shifted from just two hours before bed to essentially full-time practice.
This significantly accelerated Ian's progress in mastering fundamental techniques.
Thanks to Ian's advanced swordsmanship knowledge providing muscle memory, he completed the entire basic conditioning regimen in just four days—a feat he found immensely satisfying.
On the final day of the voyage, Ian, following Roel's training plan, engaged in continuous live sparring with dulled blades.
During training, Roel sensed Ian's intense desire to improve, and so, true to Ian's wishes, he didn't hold back, striking Ian repeatedly with his practice sword, leaving bruises all over his body. Had the two been fighting to the death, Ian would have died a hundred times over.
It wasn't until the old captain called for supper that Ian escaped his torment.
But he knew this was only the beginning; it was a necessary process to transform his theoretical knowledge into real combat prowess.
"What's for supper?" Ian asked as the old captain approached him.
"Fish soup, of course. What else would we have?" The old captain looked puzzled.
"May the Others take all the fish!" Ian's patience had broken. Gods knew how he'd managed to choke down this unseasoned, reeking fish soup for days on end.
"You go ahead. I'm not hungry yet," Ian waved him off. The mere smell of fish made him want to retch.
"Don't worry, ser. We'll reach Pentos by tomorrow morning at the latest. You'll be free to enjoy whatever food you can afford."
(End of Chapter)
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