After returning to King's Landing, Lancelot first went to visit the children at the North Sea Kindergarten. When they saw Lancelot flying down on a white lion (Note: Hrakkar is a wingless lion; presumably "flying down" means leaping from a height or using magic/terrain, or Lancelot is using hyperbole for dramatic effect or magic), they were terrified at first, but soon they were clamoring for a ride into the sky.
"Whoever can take first place in the exams seven days from now, I will take for a flight in the sky. Do your best, young ones!"
Lancelot set both a written exam and a physical test for them.
The written exam tested literacy: whoever could write the most characters correctly would be first.
The physical test was a competition of speed, strength, and jump height.
Lancelot planned to identify the most talented children among them and cultivate them from a young age.
"Director, we won't let you down!"
Lancelot now held multiple titles.
Ser: Earned when he was knighted.
President: Earned when he founded the Lionheart Club.
Director: Earned when he established the North Sea Kindergarten and South Mountain Nursing Home.
Special Envoy: Used when he and Tyrion represented Robert at the Wall, though this title had now expired.
Leaving the North Sea Kindergarten, Lancelot went to the South Mountain Nursing Home. He found that the old men there hadn't been idle either.
They had recently banded together to write a book. They even had a title: Memories of King's Landing.
They told Lancelot they planned to chronicle the past hundred years of King's Landing history.
Lancelot told them to notify him when the manuscript was finalized. He intended to publish the book under the collective pseudonym "The Elders of South Mountain." It would be a shared honor for them.
Leaving the nursing home, Lancelot headed to the Street of Steel in King's Landing. The street was lined with smithies, but Lancelot went straight to the best blacksmith in the city.
Tobho Mott's Smithy.
"Ser Lancelot, do you need armor or a weapon? You know my craftsmanship. Just yesterday, the Knight of Flowers, Loras Tyrell, picked up his new armor from me. Truly magnificent and unparalleled!"
Old Tobho boasted.
"Magnificent and unparalleled? But how is the practicality?" Lancelot asked.
"Practicality is there, but not great! However, the Knight of Flowers doesn't care. He cares about whether the appearance is glamorous," Old Tobho said.
"Master Tobho, I came here to trade the steel I have for your apprentice. I want him to be the captain of my guard. What do you say?" Lancelot asked.
"You mean Gendry?" Old Tobho asked.
"Who else? Do you have other apprentices?"
"I do! But the others are just learners. He is the only one who has officially completed his apprenticeship!"
Old Tobho said.
"However, this apprentice of mine has a special identity. He might be the bastard of some high official in the palace."
"A bastard. I was a bastard once too. It's nothing. Let him come with me!" Lancelot said.
"Fine. But I need to see your steel."
Lancelot took out the piece of rebar (threaded steel).
Old Tobho struck it with a hammer and immediately knew it was high-quality refined steel, capable of forging a hundred-fold refined sword.
"I agree to trade Gendry for this steel. I'll go call him."
Shortly after, Lancelot met a burly young man with broad shoulders, thick black hair, and blue eyes. He was about fifteen or sixteen but already stood six feet tall (around 1.8 meters).
"Gendry, grab your things and come with me!" Lancelot said.
"I don't want to be your guard captain. I just want to be a blacksmith," Gendry replied.
"Oh, is that so? But if you become my guard captain, I can give you a blade!"
Lancelot pulled out the Damascus Knife. The complex, rippling patterns on the blade instantly caught the eyes of both blacksmiths.
"Is this... is this a Valyrian steel knife?" Old Tobho asked.
He had seen Valyrian steel swords before but never touched one, as their owners were always high lords or knights.
"Oh, you have a good eye, Old Tobho! So, Gendry, become my guard captain, and this knife is yours!"
"I'll do it!" Gendry agreed immediately.
"Good! It's yours!" Lancelot handed him the knife.
Gendry took the knife carefully. He tested the edge—it was razor-sharp. A mere touch sliced his finger.
"Good blade! A blade that cuts iron like mud!" Gendry laughed.
"Lancelot, please wait for me. I'll make a sheath for this knife, then I'll leave with you."
"I have other matters to attend to. Just come find me at the Red Keep when you're done! Take this Golden Lion token."
Lancelot handed him a token cast in brass but plated with gold, shaped like a lion.
Leaving the smithy, Lancelot returned to the Red Keep. First, he retrieved Little Fire from the stables.
Then he summoned Melisandre, for he was about to start transmuting gold.
Lancelot gathered all his silver and brought out a crucible.
He placed all the silver into the crucible and propped it up on several volcanic rocks.
Beneath it, he placed the Energy Amethyst.
"Breathe fire! Little Fire, ignite the Energy Amethyst," Lancelot commanded.
The Ember Fire Dragon Steed neighed and spewed a stream of intense flame from his mouth.
The fire engulfed the Energy Amethyst, igniting it. It emitted a blue flame with an incredibly high temperature.
Quickly, under the heat of the blue flame, all the silver in the crucible melted into liquid.
At this moment, Melisandre brought a mysterious liquid and handed it to Lancelot.
"Use it carefully. It might explode! One slip and... BOOM!"
She demonstrated an explosion with a gesture.
"Then stand back!"
Lancelot used a long pair of iron tongs to pour the greenish-brown solution Melisandre gave him into the crucible from a distance.
Then, standing far away, Melisandre began to stir the mixture slowly with magic (implied, or using a tool).
Once the liquid in the crucible was thoroughly mixed, they stopped stirring.
"Gold Transmutation, Radiance Infinite," Lancelot chanted. simultaneously, his hands began forming seals, completing six different hand signs in a single second.
A smell like something burning wafted from the crucible, accompanied by crackling sounds.
Lancelot knew this was the critical moment; he couldn't back down. He sped up his hand seals.
After a quarter of an hour, the liquid in the crucible turned a brilliant golden yellow.
Lancelot poured it out. Once cooled, he confirmed it was indeed gold.
"Hahaha! I finally transmuted gold! Alchemy is real!" Lancelot laughed.
"It's my turn to be rich! Hahaha!"
"Ser Lancelot, don't celebrate too early. Do you know what the mysterious liquid I added was?" Melisandre asked.
Lancelot thought of the greenish-brown liquid. He shook his head.
"It was a mixture of Wildfire and human blood. Mass-producing it is difficult. Leaving aside the human blood, the Wildfire is even harder to get. The Pyromancers refuse to share the secret recipe for making it."
Melisandre spoke with less optimism.