Why are they delivering people at this time?" Lynd said, looking helpless after receiving a letter from King's Landing in Ridge City, a newly built city in the western part of the Borderlands.
"You don't have to worry, Moose and Bert are capable of handling these matters, and your prior arrangements were already very thorough," Jon Bulwer said with a slight smile, looking a bit sickly.
Lynd didn't say anything, just nodded, then turned to look at Jon Bulwer and asked, "How's the medicine I gave you recently?"
"Very good," Jon replied with a smile.
After Jon succeeded as Earl of Black Crown City, he fell seriously ill, coming within an inch of death, and House Bulwer even began discussing the succession of the next patriarch and Earl of Black Crown City.
Fortunately, Black Hollow had already developed the initial version of the Seven Mystery Medicine at that time. Upon learning of the situation, Lynd immediately had it sent to Jon by the fastest boat down the river, pulling Jon back from the brink of death.
However, even though Jon's life was saved, his body seemed to have suffered considerable damage, and he had been constantly ill over the years.
Later, Moroa suggested that he move out of Black Crown City and settle in Miracle Port, which has a more pleasant climate. Moreover, it is very close to Summerhall, so any problems could be treated promptly.
Jon deliberated repeatedly and accepted the suggestion, moving with his family to settle in Miracle Port. Conveniently, the manor he used when he was the steward of Miracle Port was still reserved for him, so his family didn't need to buy another house.
Black Crown City was entrusted to Maester Normande, a cousin of Duke Mace Tyrell, who had served Black Crown City since Jon's father's generation and was a trustworthy person.
Black Crown City has always had very close ties with Highgarden, with several generations intermarrying with House Tyrell. Jon's wife, Lady Victoria, was somewhat distantly related to House Tyrell of Highgarden by blood, but her surname was Tyrell, after all, and she was still in the Tyrell family tree. Therefore, they naturally could not miss Garlan's wedding this time.
When Lynd's entourage passed through Miracle Port, they joined Lynd's group, and after Jon joined, Lynd habitually, as before, made him his deputy, assisting in handling various affairs of Summerhall.
"How are those two little ones doing?" With Jon's assistance, the already few tasks were quickly completed. Lynd put his quill back into the pen holder, washed the ink from his hands in the basin brought by the servant, and simultaneously asked.
"I think they should be by the cages looking at the Longwing Dragons," Jon said, tidying up and sealing the documents on the table, then handing them to a special messenger to be sent back to Summerhall.
"Come on, let's go take a look too!" Lynd left the room and walked towards the castle courtyard.
Ridge City Castle is not yet fully built; only the foundations, walls, and main tower are complete, while other facilities are still under construction.
When Lynd's convoy passed through here, he decided to rest for a day and check on Ridge City's situation. After all, he hadn't visited since it was incorporated into Summerhall, and his understanding of it was only from paper.
Although, from the current situation, Ridge City's importance seems to be the smallest among the territories Lynd controls, as the surrounding mountain mines are successively developed, Ridge City will undoubtedly become Lynd's most important resource city, just like Red Guard City. Therefore, he also has a complete plan for the construction of the castle here, not just building a solitary landmark to occupy territory.
Because they were only staying for one day, all the convoy's luggage was not unloaded, and they camped directly in the castle courtyard, as if in the wilderness.
In the courtyard campsite, there was a completely independent camp set up near the city wall, where several large cages were placed. More than a dozen Chosen of God stood by the cages with various fresh meats, feeding the Longwing Dragon hatchlings inside the cages.
One of the cages was opened, and a Longwing Dragon hatchling was carried out by a Chosen of God and placed on a mat in the center of the camp. Lynd's son, Augustus, and Jon's daughter, Alysanne, sat on the mat, playing with the Longwing Dragon hatchling. A noblewoman and her servants nervously watched the two little ones, fearing they would be harmed by the fierce-looking Longwing Dragon.
After these Longwing Dragon hatchlings hatched from their eggs, Lynd began to look for suitable Dragon Riders for them. The Chosen of God, who had undergone loyalty trials, were naturally his first choice. He quickly found more than a dozen Chosen of God who made the Longwing Dragon hatchlings feel comfortable and would not attack them, through mental connection with the hatchlings.
Afterward, these Longwing Dragon hatchlings were assigned to the Chosen of God, who were responsible for feeding and taming them. Although it had only been a few days, the effect was very obvious. Lynd could sense the emotions of the Longwing Dragon hatchlings and promptly point out their incorrect methods when feeding and taming the Longwing Dragons, which allowed them to quickly establish a relationship of trust with the Longwing Dragon hatchlings and begin to accept the feeding from the Chosen of God.
Because this taming process cannot be interrupted—once interrupted, it becomes very difficult to restart—Lynd had no choice but to bring these Longwing Dragon hatchlings with him on this trip to Highgarden.
Although Longwing Dragons have strong attacking habits, because they are hatchlings, they do not cause any harm. With the Chosen of God taking care of them nearby, the two little ones were fine. Instead, the Longwing Dragon hatchling was played with a bit too roughly by the two little ones, which made it feel wronged and annoyed. At least, these were the two strongest emotions Lynd felt from the hatchling.
When Lynd arrived by the mat, the hatchling eagerly crawled to Lynd to seek comfort.
Lynd picked up the hatchling, stroked it twice, and handed it to the Chosen of God to put back in its cage, completely ignoring Augustus, who was clinging to his leg, babbling and wanting the Longwing Dragon hatchling.
"Earl," Lady Victoria said, holding her daughter's hand, as she bowed to Lynd.
Lynd reached out and stroked Alysanne's head, saying, "I told you, given my relationship with Jon, there's no need for all these formalities."
Lady Victoria just smiled slightly and said nothing.
Lynd didn't say anything more, pulling the two little ones to play with building blocks on the mat.
Seeing how well Lynd took care of Alysanne, Lady Victoria smiled. Then, out of Lynd's sight, she gestured to Jon, who, however, frowned and shook his head slightly.
Lady Victoria's idea was to take advantage of Alysanne and Augustus's current closeness, their similar ages, and Lynd's apparent fondness for Alysanne. So she wanted Jon to subtly suggest a marriage alliance between them. If the alliance succeeded, it would be good for both House Bulwer and House Tyrell.
However, Jon knew Lynd's character well and was certain he would not agree to this matter. He also knew his place, understanding that although both he and Lynd held the title of Earl and were lords of their respective territories, their actual statuses differed too greatly. Even if Lynd agreed to the marriage proposal, Summerhall's vassals would absolutely object, so he didn't even bring it up.
Seeing her husband's expression, Lady Victoria naturally knew he hadn't said anything, and a hint of displeasure appeared on her face.
While the couple was discussing matters behind Lynd's back, Lynd suddenly spoke, "Do you know? After I cleared the ghosts from Summerhall back then, I specifically sought out books about Aegon V Targaryen to read. I found that although Aegon V was not a qualified king, he was a truly respectable person."
Jon avoided his wife's gaze and added, "Yes, he was indeed a respectable person. His legendary stories with Ser Duncan the Tall are still circulated throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and I believe these stories will continue to be passed down."
"You don't understand what I mean. I respect him not because of his travels with Ser Duncan the Tall," Lynd said, turning to look at Jon. "I respect him because he was one of the few qualified fathers in the Seven Kingdoms. Even if his children broke their marriage vows and pursued true love, bringing crisis to the family, he still did not punish his children. He simply silently bore all the blame for them."
Jon and Lady Victoria immediately understood Lynd's meaning, their faces showing panic as they slightly lowered their heads.
Lynd smiled and said, "I've also decided to learn from Aegon V. I won't arrange Augustus's marriage, nor will I demand he marry anyone for profit. I hope he can find true love himself. Jon, what do you think?"
"I think that's very good too," Jon immediately replied.
Lynd then looked at Lady Victoria and said, "If you have time, you can visit the castle more often and let the two little ones spend more time together. Who can say what the future holds?"
Lady Victoria smiled upon hearing Lynd's words. Although Lynd had hinted he wouldn't interfere with Augustus's marriage, he had also given Alysanne a chance, which was already very good news for her.
Only Alysanne and Augustus, the two little ones, were still playing with building blocks, completely unaware that the three adults behind them had already made plans for them.
Lynd stayed in Ridge City for a day, handled some affairs of Ridge City, and then continued his journey towards Highgarden.
The convoy left the mountains of the Borderlands and arrived at the south bank of the Zhou Tuo River, passing through the territory of House Fossoway of Fruitwine Hall.
Upon passing through Fruitwine Hall, House Fossoway warmly welcomed Lynd and his entourage.
House Fossoway and House Tyrell of Highgarden have always had a strained relationship. This is because their family descends from Fossow, the Archer, son of Garth the Gardener, and they believe their bloodline is far nobler than House Tyrell's. After the Gardener Family fell, they felt they had a greater right to become the Lord of Highgarden.
However, House Tyrell, the Gardener Family's stewards, occupied the position of Lord of Highgarden and became the Warden of the South, which naturally made House Fossoway unwilling to be subservient.
So, for over two hundred years, House Fossoway tried every means to unseat House Tyrell from the position of Lord of Highgarden, hoping to reforge the Oak Throne of Garth the Gardener.
Unfortunately, successive Dukes of Highgarden from House Tyrell were very clever in resolving House Fossoway's various challenges and gradually dismantled the anti-Highgarden alliance that had gathered under the name of Garth the Gardener, steadily solidifying their position as Lord of Highgarden.
By now, the struggle between House Fossoway and House Tyrell of Highgarden is more a matter of pride. House Fossoway also knows it's impossible to overthrow House Tyrell's rule, so their relationship with House Tyrell has gradually improved.
Leona Fossoway, whom Garlan is to marry this time, comes from a collateral branch of House Fossoway of Fruitwine Hall. With Leona Fossoway joining Highgarden, many knights from House Fossoway have also joined the Highgarden Guard, serving House Tyrell. This can be seen, more or less, as a sign of House Fossoway giving up hostility and acknowledging House Tyrell's rule.
House Fossoway's enthusiastic welcome of Lynd's entourage was not only due to Lynd's relationship with Garlan and Lynd's own influence, but also because House Fossoway hoped Lynd could open a road from Ridge City connecting to Fruitwine Hall.
Since the construction of Miracle Port began, House Fossoway of Fruitwine Hall has always hoped to open up a wine supply to Miracle Port. However, transportation was troublesome, requiring a detour through Summerhall and then south along the Bone Road to Miracle Port, which was more labor-intensive than direct sea transport.
However, with Nameria conquering the southern Dorne March and building Ridge City in the center of the Borderlands, along with a road connecting to the Bone Road, the situation changed somewhat.
Fruitwine Hall only needed to open a road to Ridge City, and then it could pass directly through the Borderlands to reach Miracle Port. Not only was the journey shorter, but there were also patrols by Summerhall's Chosen Legion along the way, ensuring safety.
So, at the dinner welcoming Lynd, the Earl of Fossoway opportunely brought up the topic, probing Lynd's interest in opening the road, and clearly stated during the probing that they were also willing to co-invest in the road construction.
Lynd naturally wouldn't refuse such benefits. In fact, even if House Fossoway hadn't mentioned it, Lynd would have still visited Fruitwine Hall after Ridge City was built to discuss road construction and open up trade links between Miracle Port and the inland of The Reach.
Now that House Fossoway was so proactive, he naturally wouldn't object. He even suggested that the road construction be allocated according to each party's territorial scope, rather than each paying half as the Earl of Fossoway had initially proposed.
This proposal undoubtedly reduced House Fossoway's expenses, and the Earl of Fossoway was naturally very satisfied. Soon, an agreement was revised and signed that very night.
Furthermore, while House Fossoway might be skilled at planting fruit trees and brewing fine wines, construction projects like building roads were clearly beyond their capabilities. And current Summerhall is clearly strong in this area.
Therefore, after the agreement was signed, the Earl of Fossoway drafted another employment agreement, hiring Summerhall's craftsmen to help House Fossoway build the portion of the road within Fruitwine Hall's territory.
Although Lynd was not particularly familiar with financial matters, he could calculate a rough estimate. Under the effect of this employment agreement, building this road from Ridge City to Fruitwine Hall would not only cost him nothing, but he would also make a significant profit from it. After all, almost all the people building the road were conscripted prisoners of war and convicts, and the cost was merely some daily food consumption, which could almost be ignored.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"