However, now that Ian had seen through the devious scheme of the developers, this information instantly became the strongest card in his hand.
His next move was clear: alter his starting appearance, then stake out the most likely meeting spot for alliances.
He was currently at Harrenhal. The nearest and most logical rendezvous point for other players was obviously the Inn at the Crossroads, located at the intersection of the Kingsroad (running north-south), the River Road, and the High Road (running east-west).
Sitting at the junction between the North, the Riverlands, the Vale, and the Crownlands, it was a major hub. Ian was certain many players would pass through there, either to meet allies or simply traveling.
The next problems were: How to disguise himself? And once he hid successfully and spotted a target, how to defeat them?
Neither was easy.
First, changing his appearance. The idea sounded nice, but execution was tricky.
Every piece of equipment he wore—weapon, armor, horse—was essential. He had chosen the Hedge Knight class specifically for this gear.
With only 200 Silver Stags to his name, he couldn't afford better armor. To change his look, he'd have to downgrade to worse gear, which would severely cripple his combat power.
If he did that, he might spot another player, try to ambush them... and get his ass kicked.
Unlike his past life as an office worker relying on system stats, many of the players attracted by the massive prize pool were real-world martial arts champions or HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) experts.
With their rich combat experience, they could fight far above their stat sheet.
Unless... his target's average stats were under 5?
"The Traveling Merchant!" Ian suddenly thought of that class.
If the target was a Merchant, it wouldn't matter if you put the soul of The Mountain or Arthur Dayne into their body. They wouldn't even be able to lift a heavy weapon.
It would be like Arya Stark trying to stab The Hound with Needle before her Faceless Man training—she could poke him all day and not pierce his armor.
So... was it possible to hunt a Traveling Merchant?
As soon as the idea popped into his head, connections started firing in his brain.
First, the Traveling Merchant was definitely a popular starting pick. There would be plenty of them.
Second, driven by the "First Blood" mission, a defenseless Merchant wouldn't dare meet their pre-arranged allies. They didn't have the strength to kill anyone, and they couldn't trust their "friends" not to kill them for the bonus.
Unless they hired mercenaries. But mercenaries (Sellswords) were the exact class with the least obvious starting features (generic leather and sword). Hiring one right now would be incredibly risky for a Merchant—they'd have to avoid mercenary hangouts like the plague.
Therefore, in the early game, Traveling Merchants were perfect prey. No allies, no mercenaries.
But if Merchants were too scared to meet their allies, Ian had no clue where to find them.
"No, wait," Ian shook his head. "There is a clue."
Since they couldn't kill players for points, a Merchant's only hope to gain points (and avoid assassination) lay in the Main Mission.
So, what was the Main Mission for a Traveling Merchant?
Ian couldn't guess the missions for every class, but for a Merchant? It had to be "Make Money through Trade."
And Merchants had a massive advantage: unlike the broke Hedge Knight, they started with 100 Gold Dragons.
For Ian, a mission like "Earn 1,000 Gold Dragons" was a fantasy. But for a Merchant starting with 100? With the right moves, it was actually possible.
So, Merchant players would almost certainly start trading immediately.
And if they were trading, the Riverlands—where Ian was right now—was the perfect place.
The Riverlands had roads leading everywhere. And right now, before the War of the Five Kings turned it into a slaughterhouse, the region under House Tully was peaceful and prosperous. Banditry was rare.
It was a great place to do business.
The question was: What goods would they trade?
Northern Furs? That was a solid option. Buy cheap in Northern villages, sell high in Southern cities.
It was a perfect trade route; fur prices could triple in the South (even more if you smuggled to avoid taxes).
But the timing was off. Westeros is huge. Even spawning in the North, a trip south would take at least two months. Spawning in the South would take even longer.
For players facing a leaderboard assassination check in one month, fur trading was too slow.
If not furs, then Westerlands Iron Ore?
High profit margins, and the route was much shorter—less than a third of the distance compared to the North.
But with an Inventory of only 1 cubic decimeter (1 liter), they couldn't store ore in their pocket. They'd have to use mules and carts. And if the volume was too small, the profit wouldn't justify the effort.
Plus, iron ore might be a government-controlled monopoly... wait, no. In the feudal system of Westeros, with hundreds of lords managing their own lands, the Crown couldn't monopolize trade. Lords and merchants traded freely.
Smuggling salt and iron was a capital offense in ancient China, yet people still did it because the profits were insane.
So, ask yourself: For a Merchant player spawning in or near the Riverlands, who could refuse the temptation of Salt?
"If they're going for the salt trade..." Ian visualized the map of Westeros in his mind.