In the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, King's Landing—inside the Red Keep.
Within the Throne Room, the tapestries King Robert had loved most in life had all been torn down and thrown into messy piles in the corners. The once-grand hall was now bleak and bare.
Sansa Stark, eldest daughter of Eddard Stark, Warden of the North, was invited into Queen Regent Cersei's solar. From Grand Maester Pycelle's mouth, Sansa learned that her father, Ned, had been accused of treason.
She didn't believe it.
Cersei said coldly, "I know you're innocent, but no matter what, you are still the daughter of a traitor. I will not allow you to marry my son, Joffrey."
Sansa, who had dreamed of marrying a king and becoming queen, immediately panicked.
At that moment, the Small Councilor Littlefinger stepped forward at just the right time, suggesting that Sansa should be given a chance to prove her loyalty.
So Cersei took out prepared paper and pen.
"Write to your mother and your elder brother. Tell them to come to King's Landing and swear fealty to my son, the new king, Joffrey."
Watching the two of them sing in perfect harmony—
Sansa the Simple wasn't that simple after all. She understood that doing this would harm her family, so she said she wanted to see her father first.
Cersei replied in disappointment, "Your father, the former Hand of the King, is a traitor."
Sansa shrank back."I just want to know how he is now… and how he'll be dealt with."
Cersei picked up the pen and handed it to her."That depends on what your brother does. And of course—on you."
Before long, the letter from King's Landing arrived in Robb Stark's hands at Winterfell. Maester Luwin saw at a glance that the wording was unmistakably Cersei's.
Robb spread out the letter and said,
"If they want me to go to King's Landing, then I'll go. But I won't go alone. Summon the Northern bannermen—they all swore oaths to House Stark.
We march south and fight our way there!"
Damn it!
—
Outside the fishing village port castle at the southern edge of the North.
A black mass of pirates crowded the shore, standing just beyond the range of the defenders' arrows, craning their necks to observe the reactions of the guards on the walls.
After several pirates who tried to approach the gate were decisively shot dead by Lynn's men, none of the others dared advance recklessly again.
Instead, they began to patiently regroup on the sandy beach outside the walls, as if waiting for something.
Lynn narrowed his eyes and watched for a while before realizing that the pirates had started unloading tall wooden frames from their ships.
Those definitely weren't for barbecuing.
Judging by their shape, they looked very much like small siege engines—something akin to miniature catapults.
Lynn's face darkened. Was that really necessary?
He waved over the guard captain stationed at the watchtower—Hood. The man wore padded leather armor, sported a scruffy beard, and had a vicious-looking face. Upon hearing the call, he jogged over quickly, his attitude respectful.
"My lord, you called for me?" Hood asked.
Lynn studied him carefully. Despite the overwhelming number of pirates outside the walls, Hood showed not the slightest hint of fear. In fact, there was even a trace of excitement in his ferocious expression.
Calm under pressure. Regardless of combat skill, his mental fortitude alone was commendable.
Lynn nodded to himself.
"Hood, have the road in front of the city gate cleared. Don't let the civilians crowd there. Send them up onto the walls to help defend."
Up on the walls? With just a few broken bows in the city, what was the point of putting so many people up there?
Hood hesitated."My lord, if we move everyone onto the walls and the pirates break in, what then?"
"Hold the walls," Lynn said calmly. "Our reinforcements will arrive soon."
Hood's thick lips twitched. He froze for a moment, then said nothing more.
"Yes, my lord."
Watching Hood go off to prepare the defenses, Lynn began thinking about the troop-explosion system as he headed toward his manor.
He entered the front courtyard of the lord's residence and found the open ground where guards usually trained. Most of the people in the manor had already been dispatched to defend the gate.
The training ground was completely empty.
Ding!
[Welcome to the Explosive Recruitment System!]
Lynn immediately entered the system, opened the gift box on the interface, and stared at the golden points draw card. Without hesitation, he tapped it.
A flash of radiant light.
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host! You have drawn 99 exchange points!]
[These points can be used to exchange for any points-based item, but will not increase experience!]
Lynn let out a breath. Ninety-nine points—not particularly lucky, but not terribly unlucky either.
He checked the panel.
[Current Upgrade EXP: 30.1 / 100][Current Points: 400]
He quickly estimated the cost of explosive recruitment.
Cavalry and archers cost 2 points per unit.Infantry and spearmen cost 1 point per unit.
With 400 points…
No idea how strong Level 1 soldiers were, but having more bodies was always better. Food could be dealt with later. Starve them to death or let pirates boil and eat them—pick one?
Lynn chose to exchange for 100 Level 1 archers and 200 Level 1 infantry.
All 400 points spent in one go.
Cavalry would've been nice, but defense came first. Cavalry were better for open-field battles, and Level 1 units probably had poor armor anyway. Losses would be severe. After some thought, Lynn gritted his teeth and gave them up.
Purchase complete.
About two meters in front of Lynn, space rippled violently. One humanoid figure after another, glowing with white light, slowly emerged.
Soldiers of various skin tones—some dark, some wheat-colored—stepped out of the light columns.
Based on Lynn's own age of sixteen and height of 1.73 meters—
Every single one of these soldiers stood at least 1.75 meters tall, with solid, well-built physiques. Most had fair skin, high noses, and blue eyes.
Aside from the longswords, battle axes, or bows and quivers they carried—
They wore nothing but thin short trousers.
Their muscles weren't overly pronounced, but they were firm and powerful.
A standard Westerosi foot soldier template.
"Master, the Explosive Army reports for duty!"
In an instant, the entire training ground was packed with soldiers. Even though Lynn had mentally prepared himself, the sight still left him utterly stunned.
He watched as the soldiers immediately fell into formation, kneeling on one knee in unison.
Clicking his tongue, Lynn felt a surge of awe and pride well up in his chest.
Explosive recruitment… what a name.
Crude, but honest. These were soldiers bought by burning through his entire fortune like a whale spending cash.
Your boy had finally taken the first step toward becoming the most dazzling cub among the Northern lords.
After sighing emotionally, Lynn looked at the nearest infantryman—a short, dark-skinned, sturdy-looking fellow. His shifty eyes were locked onto Lynn, clearly waiting to be called.
Without thinking, Lynn asked, "What's your name?"
"Rodart! My master!"
Lynn nodded. A pretty ordinary name.
He then pointed at a tall, pale, slender archer—nearly 1.9 meters tall—and asked, "And you?"
"Call me Harry Kane, master!"
A surname?
Lynn's eyes lit up."Very good. You two will temporarily serve as commanders of the infantry and archer units."
"By your command, master."
Satisfied, Lynn nodded. Looking at the full formation of three hundred men, it suddenly struck him that they had no clothes or armor. Sending them into battle bare-chested would be a huge disadvantage.
Zero armor.
In close combat, casualty rates would be terrifying.
Lynn regretted spending all his points at once.
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host! Explosive recruitment successful. Game of Thrones World Mission System activated!]
The system's voice rang out again. Lynn startled and listened carefully.
[Beginner Mission 1: Form an alliance with another lord. Reward: 1 Exchange Card][Beginner Mission 2: Conquer another lord's territory. Reward: 1 Exchange Card][Beginner Mission 3: Successfully capture a spy within the city. Reward: 1 Exchange Card]
After a moment of thought, among these three beginner missions, only Mission 3 seemed feasible at the moment.
"A spy-capturing mission? So there really is an inside man in my city. No wonder those pirates dared to attack so brazenly!"
With that thought, Lynn issued his first order.
"Rodart, assemble a small squad. Go to the manor, put on servant clothing, then spread out across the city. Secretly arrest anyone suspicious and lock them up."
The siege could begin at any moment. Lynn had to find the spy as fast as possible. Otherwise, not only would his explosive troops be fighting half-naked, he'd also risk betrayal from behind.
"Yes, master!"
Infantry commander Rodart didn't hesitate. Absolute obedience.
With a single command, over a dozen men followed Rodart, grabbed rough cloth clothing from the manor, and stormed out.
At that moment, a long horn sounded from the city gate.
Another warning signal.
Had the enemy received reinforcements?
Lynn hesitated, wondering whether to send the hundred archers up to the walls first. Shorts were shorts—better to crouch behind wooden palisades and loose a few volleys than stand here staring at nothing.
As he hesitated, an old man in gray-white robes shuffled into the training ground.
It was old Maester Hill.
Standing at the entrance, he stared in shock at the neatly lined soldiers, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
Lynn walked over.
"Maester Hill, is something the matter?"
"My lord… these are?" the old maester asked, pointing at the troops in disbelief.
Lynn smiled and offered no explanation. This was the kind of thing that only invited trouble the more you explained. Better to keep it mysterious.
"Reinforcements," he said lightly, then asked, "So—what did you need me for?"
(End of Chapter)