A year and a half had passed since Arthur received his fief and took charge of the wildling captives.
During this time, Arthur devoted most of his energy to developing his two territories, reforming the wildling captives, tutoring his cousin and page, Lord Edric, and assisting in the governance of Starfall's lands.
Standing on the balcony of his room in Starstation Castle, Arthur sighed. "By the count of time, I should have passed my fifteenth name day."
Starstation Castle was a newly built small holdfast. It consisted of five bastions constructed around the original four-story watchtower on the bank of the Torrentine, connected by curtain walls to enclose a large area.
In the center was the keep and the courtyard, where food and water were stored and people lived. This was Arthur's current residence.
Beside the courtyard were specialized stables for warhorses, pack horses, and other beasts of burden.
The stables included covered stalls with troughs, as well as an open-air paddock fenced off within a third of the curtain wall area.
This allowed the horses to rest in the stalls or stretch their legs, graze, and enjoy fresh air in the paddock.
Next to the horse resting area were dormitories for the stable hands and a hayloft for storing fodder.
Two gates were opened in the curtain wall to the northeast and southwest. Both gates were reinforced with stone and equipped with battlements and murder holes.
The northeast gate faced the completed stone arch bridge. This sturdy structure spanned the Torrentine, its two foundations standing firm against the rushing current.
The bridge deck was wide enough for three wagons to pass side by side, and small to medium-sized galleys could pass underneath the arches.
To the southwest, near the road, many civilian houses had sprung up, including simple inns.
There was also a small caravan station—a simple rectangular building providing basic conveniences for merchants and travelers to rest and recover during long journeys.
The station's fresh horses and coaches allowed people carrying important letters, perishable goods, and other urgent necessities to travel day and night.
Starstation Castle's location—by the river, controlling the bridge, and situated between Starfall and High Hermitage—made transportation extremely convenient.
Therefore, Arthur positioned Starstation Castle as a major logistics and cargo transfer center, raising horses and establishing a station here.
In peacetime, horses and wagons transferred goods here, generating revenue.
In wartime, it could rapidly assemble soldiers and project force, strengthening Starfall's control over the surrounding territories.
Looking out at the scenery, Arthur spotted a dark shape flying rapidly towards him in the sky. He walked out of his room to the adjacent chamber, where a servant was holding a basin of bloody meat.
Screech— Screech—
Before Arthur even entered the room, he heard the short, sharp cries of the vulture.
Pushing open the door, Arthur saw the massive body of the vulture, wings spread, landing on a wooden perch as thick as an arm.
This room was semi-open, specially built as a vulture's roost to allow the bird easy access.
Arthur tossed the pieces of meat from the servant's basin to the vulture one by one, watching it obediently perch and eat, flapping its wings.
"My Lord, the horses are ready. We can depart for Violet Canyon."
Just as Arthur finished tossing the meat, Wick entered from the hallway.
"Understood." Arthur wiped his bloody hands with a towel handed to him by the servant.
He went downstairs to the stables, where his other three squires and his page, Edric, were waiting with the horses.
Zach acted as standard-bearer, flying the banner of Starfall. The party of six crossed the arch bridge and headed for Violet Canyon.
Riding his pony, Edric asked, "Cousin, will this finally solve the wildling problem of the Red Mountains for good?"
Arthur replied, "Not necessarily, but it's only a matter of time. It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go from extravagance to frugality."
Violet Canyon had changed even more than the watchtower-turned-Starstation.
Violet Canyon was now planned into three zones: the Mining District, the Smithy District, and the Pasture District.
The Mining District was close to the Red Mountains. It had watchtowers for vigilance and a small hillfort built against the mountain.
Simple mine shafts lined the foot of the mountain around the fort, allowing workers to easily access the iron ore from surface deposits.
The workers here consisted of reformed wildling captives, Dornishmen attracted by the wages, and free wildlings from the Red Mountains.
There were also released captives who, having performed well, chose to stay for the pay and treatment.
The Pasture District was in the lowlands in the middle of the canyon. Mostly hired wildlings from the Stone-Goat Tribe grazed cattle, sheep, and horses here. The fodder stored in Starstation Castle's hayloft also came from here.
Septon Arles' sept was built in this area. Believers cultivated vegetable gardens, tended fruit orchards, and raised poultry and goats around the sept.
The sept served the spiritual needs—prayers, weddings, funerals—of the faithful in Violet Canyon and the surrounding area.
The Smithy District bordered the Torrentine. Rows of smithies formed a contiguous belt.
Iron ore from the Mining District, charcoal purchased from other territories, and resin binders were all transported here.
In the smithies, apprentices used bloomery furnaces and bellows to turn the mixture of iron ore and charcoal into sponge iron.
Then, smiths operated simple cam-driven trip hammers powered by water wheels to lift heavy hammers and let them fall with a steady rhythm.
After forging the metal into rough shapes, they refined them into the tools, weapons, and armor needed by the surrounding regions.
These water-powered hammers saved immense effort and time in the forging process.
Rattan armor, extremely suitable for the hot Dornish environment, was also mass-produced here, along with derived rattan shields.
A specialized Smiths' Guild was established in the district. The guild provided a place for organization and skill practice, as well as setting unified standards and norms.
Master smiths taught techniques, demonstrated skills, and assessed ranks here.
Following the model of the Smiths' Guild, Arthur had Jal Bhar build guildhalls for other trades. Now, besides the main Smiths' Guild, the Smithy District also hosted guilds for carpenters, stonemasons, carvers, goldsmiths, tailors, and hunters.
The weapons, armor, tools, and crafts produced by these guilds and smithies satisfied local demand, with the surplus transported to the warehouses Arthur built in Starfall Port for storage and sale.
Arthur's fleet, along with other Braavosi captains who had signed agreements, came here to stock up and sell goods to various ports.
As the six-man squad passed through the noisy Smithy District and arrived at the Pasture District, seeing the orderly pastures and herds of cattle and sheep grazing under the watch of shepherds and dogs...
Wick sighed at the sight. "Violet Canyon really changes every day."
Admiring the scenery along the road, the six soon arrived at a tall, spacious sept.
Jimmy Sunderland looked at the rows of houses around the sept and the attached gardens and orchards, sighing.
"The first time I accompanied Septon Arles here, there was nothing but grass, rocks, and the Red Mountains in the distance."