The cargo ships from Harrenhal finally docked at the port of the Blackwater Rush, and Roman and his party immediately drew attention on the pier.
Even though King's Landing, that great seaport, saw an endless stream of cargo ships every day, it was still uncommon to see someone who could bring out so many ships at once.
But when the crowd saw the nine-bat crest of the Hean Family, they understood.
"That's not strange, that's not strange."
The Hean Family naturally had this kind of strength, and everyone tactfully moved aside to avoid getting in the way of important business.
After Old Jessy went ashore, he immediately organized the boatmen to unload the cargo. Roman naturally didn't need to help, but having nothing to do, he simply stood to the side and kept watch.
For this trip, in order to conceal the black dragon tail behind Roman, the entire team had specifically changed into black armor and black robes.
The passersby in King's Landing only thought Roman was an ordinary soldier.
"Look, that soldier is truly sturdy! He fills out his armor completely; he's entirely different from the people next to him."
"By the Warriors, I bet this guy is definitely a skilled hand!"
"If this guy participates in His Majesty's tournament later, I'll definitely place a bet on him!"
Roman was instantly surrounded by all kinds of comments—some admiring, some dismissive, some infatuated, and others eager to spar with him.
There was no helping it; he was currently just an unknown minor figure, and combined with his handsome face and imposing physique, he naturally became the focus of the crowd.
Roman showed no reaction, simply gripping his weapon calmly and watching his surroundings. It was his first time traveling far from home, and he couldn't mess up Lady Helaena of House Hoare's important business.
After Old Jessy finished all the paperwork, the group, under the escort of the City Watch, transported the tax payments toward The Red Keep.
And what he saw along the way only confirmed Roman's judgment: King's Landing was a cesspit!
The foul stench rushed toward his face; even after smelling it for an hour, Roman still couldn't stand it.
"It seems that having an overly sensitive body after dragon transformation isn't necessarily a good thing," Roman thought helplessly.
However, Roman didn't expect that the "surprises" King's Landing had in store for him were far from over.
Walking along the main road, shops and brothels were visible everywhere, and there were so many pickpockets and beggars that Roman thought a slum had exploded and the people inside had run out.
Seeing Roman's look of disgust, Old Jessy couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"This is King's Landing, a city filled with excrement and whores. You had better get used to it, because we'll have to come back here in the future!"
Roman had a thousand words to say, but in the end, it could only turn into a sigh.
The parade of monsters and freaks along the way had completely extinguished Roman's fantasies about King's Landing; now, he just wanted to hurry to The Red Keep.
When approaching The Red Keep, Roman saw King Robert standing at the gate with people, welcoming them personally.
"This? Instructor Jessy, what kind of formation is this?"
Old Jessy took a look and said calmly, "Robert is likely here because of you. He has never been this serious before. This time, you should speak with him personally, my lord, after all, you are the representative of the Hean Family."
On Robert's side, he also spotted Roman at a glance; he was the most conspicuous one in the crowd.
It wasn't because of Roman's black hair, blue eyes, and delicate face, but rather Roman's demeanor.
"Lord Arryn, look, is that kid Roman?"
"Your Majesty, I have not seen what he looks like."
"Oh! Don't joke around. Look at him, such a sturdy one, and look at his eyes; he must be a good warrior!"
Jon Arryn sighed; his foster son's old habit was acting up again.
For Robert, unless it was a relative, if a thing or a person wanted to attract his attention, they either had to be able to fight, be able to drink, or be able to fuck.
Clearly, Robert wanted to have a bout with this kid Roman, though Robert also knew that was impossible, so in the end, he could only think about it.
Old Jessy stepped forward and led the group in a salute: "Your Majesty, may the Seven bless your reign with long-lasting peace. These are this year's tax payments."
"Additionally, this is our Lord Roman Rivers, the heir to Harrenhal."
Old Jessy specifically pointed out Roman's identity as the heir to Harrenhal, causing both sides' expressions to change slightly.
Robert, however, acted unconcerned.
"Haha! I've long heard about you from Lady Helaena of House Hoare! Welcome to King's Landing, kid!"
Saying this, Robert reached out and gripped Roman's right hand directly.
Roman originally thought this was just a normal return of greeting, but Robert's grip strength was astonishingly great.
"Not right! He really intends to show me what he's made of."
Roman's expression changed slightly, and then he returned the gesture with equal force against Robert.
Robert was surprised that someone's strength could actually match his own, so he continued to apply force.
But what happened next exceeded his imagination; Roman was not grimacing in pain, but was instead increasing his force as well, and the two of them ended up in a stalemate.
At this moment, Old Arryn, Varys, and Littlefinger all noticed the problem.
But Roman reacted faster; he grabbed Robert's hand with even greater force and began to shake it.
"Very pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. I am honored to meet you here."
Robert knew he had lost out, but he couldn't say anything, and could only praise him as a good lad.
Afterward, Roman greeted Old Arryn and the others.
This didn't look like an heir to a great house; instead, it was like a humble junior greeting his elders.
This caught everyone off guard; they had anticipated many possibilities, but they never expected Roman to have this attitude.
There were some things they wanted to say but couldn't bring themselves to; after all, Roman had already shown them face, and they couldn't possibly slap it away.
Afterward, under the instruction of Old Arryn, Robert held a welcome banquet.
Everyone intended to ask Roman for Lady Helaena of House Hoare's opinions, but Roman just brushed them off, saying only that everything would follow Lady Helaena of House Hoare's arrangements.
Roman himself, meanwhile, toasted Robert and talked with him about past battlefield memories.
He knew clearly that what this warrior Robert cared about most was still the battlefields of the past; Robert did not like his current life.
"Your Majesty, tell me about the battles back then. I've been practicing with a warhammer recently, and you are an expert in that regard."
"Hahahaha! You kid are certainly interesting, then let's talk about it properly! Come, let's drink together!"
Being flattered like this, Robert immediately recalled the happy times he lived with Eddard, and his original plans to probe him were thrown to the back of his mind.
At the banquet, Littlefinger and Varys had absolutely no way to get close and find a topic, and Old Arryn only managed to get some ambiguous replies.
"This guy is more cunning than imagined."
This was the thought of everyone in King's Landing.
After eating and drinking to their fill, it was already late at night, and Robert, unsurprisingly, was once again dead drunk.
Ser Barristan Selmy was carrying Robert with other Servants, but the King's fat body made them feel quite strained.
But Ser Barristan suddenly felt Robert's body become lighter. He looked up and was surprised to see it was Roman, who had grabbed Robert's upper body with both hands.
"Monstrous strength!"
This was Ser Barristan's first reaction, and at the same time, a strong sense of crisis filled Ser Barristan's entire body.
He clearly felt that this young man before him was not simple.
But Roman was still smiling gently: "You must be Ser Barristan, right? A pleasure to meet you. Let me help you with this."
With Roman's help, the whole process was exceptionally easy, and for the first time, the Servants did not break a sweat while carrying Robert's corpulent body.
Afterward, the Servants thanked Roman cautiously, and he replied with a gentle smile.
At the same time, Roman also casually asked the Servants about Robert's daily routines.
These actions were naturally seen by the several lords, and they could now somewhat understand why Lady Helaena of House Hoare had sent Roman here.