Robert shouted loudly, calling for Barristan, who was standing guard at the tent entrance.
Wright was about to take on his fourth official disciple, and the child was from House Lannister. Robert didn't think too deeply about it, but since it was Wright's matter, he felt reassured. He immediately ordered Barristan to find the girl's father.
After hearing Robert's instructions, Barristan took Rosamund Lannister out of the tent. The girl's father was also in the camp. He was an ordinary knight, not a noble. Barristan looked at the girl, who was still crying as she walked beside him, not realizing that her family's life was about to change forever.
The closer they got to Casterly Rock, the more Lannisters there were. By the time they reached Lannisport, you could shout "Lannister" on any street, and at least a dozen people would turn around.
This was all thanks to the founder of House Lannister during the Age of Heroes, the most legendary trickster, Lann the Clever. The origins of Lann Lannister were already impossible to verify, and his many versions of the story were as varied as his nickname. Some records claimed he was the illegitimate child of Florys the Fox or Rowan Gold-Tree.
Lann's greatest feat was that he conquered Casterly Rock from House Casterly without using swords or knives—just his words. From then on, House Casterly vanished from history. After moving into the grand castle, Lann displayed the Lannister family's natural talent for reproduction, fathering many children.
It was said that Lann had a hundred sons and a hundred daughters, with a high probability of twins. After several generations, Casterly Rock could no longer hold them all, and so the descendants moved to the seaside fishing village below Casterly Rock, which later developed into Lannisport, the largest city in the Westerlands.
Robert was a man of principles and never interfered with other people's wives, especially not Lannister women. However, he was a little concerned about Wright. "Is your health not good? Why is it that Nymeria only had one child, and Tyene hasn't had any more after the twins?"
"The truth is, we're all so busy, the three of us can't keep up," Wright replied honestly. Tyene, besides looking after the children, was focused on studying magic and would fall asleep the moment she entered her room. Nymeria had to deal with Dorne's affairs during the day, and at night, there were always many women in her room, which he had no interest in entertaining, so Wright could only visit her once a week.
Robert laughed and said to Wright, "Margot is fine. The Lannister women don't usually have fertility problems. It must be Lord Titus's fault. Though she's a little older than you, having a few more children shouldn't be a problem."
"Why are you so concerned about my children?" Wright asked. Robert was usually flippant, but he had never talked about such things seriously with him.
Robert sat up straight and said earnestly, "There are too few Baratheon heirs! And too few magicians in the family! Only you can do it."
The secret about Renly's son couldn't escape Robert. Storm's End was also Robert's homeland. Even though he had moved to King's Landing for many years, he still had many familiar faces in the area, with his uncle being one of the event's instigators.
After venting his frustration on Highgarden, Robert came to realize that relying on himself wasn't enough. His inevitable death from the disease was a certainty, and the Baratheon family's dominance could only be preserved if there was a dragon. If not a dragon, then it must be a magician.
Robert now believed that even if Tywin and his family suddenly perished, the Lannister family could still rise again and take the title of Warden of the West because of their numbers. Only with a large family could there be stability and longevity.
Wright didn't deny Robert's words and nodded. "I'll work hard on it. But I'm not interested in Margot. I only know her name, and my involvement with Lord Titus is because he supported the Targaryen restoration."
"Let's get back to business," Varys interjected with a sly grin. "Lord Wright, you've hurried to the Westerlands for the army of the Riverlands, haven't you?"
Wright knew that Varys had found some clues about Renly's son through his channels, but no one had found solid evidence. Renly's son looked exactly like Renly had as a child. Anyone who had known Renly when he was younger could clearly see the resemblance, and no one could find fault with it. People said that Wright and Margaert were close? But was it Wright with Margaery? No, that was Renly!
Wright ignored Varys and turned to look at Lady Jayne beside Robert.
Robert held Jayne's hand in his lap, a clear gesture that she didn't need to avoid the conversation. The five surviving daughters of House Bracken, who would die alongside Robert, had gained his complete trust. Robert wouldn't let them interfere with political matters and would not let them leave in most cases.
Wright then shared the information he had obtained from Davos Seaworth, along with his analysis from conversations with Stannis and Renly.
Bang! Robert slammed his fist on the table in anger. "That Edmure!"
Wright asked, "What's wrong with him?"
Robert replied, "Varys, go to my bedroom and bring me the letter Edmure sent me."
Varys, being a eunuch, had no qualms about entering Robert's bedroom. He quickly retrieved the letter and handed it to Wright.
Wright read the letter and couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "That's truly Edmure's style."
The real situation in the Riverlands was unknown, and all Edmure's letter conveyed were his own interpretations of the events.
"His letter says, 'Another witch has appeared in the Frey lands. They plan to gather an army to hunt and burn the witch.'"
Witch hunts were a common occurrence on the Westerlands, and the lords enjoyed the activity. It gave them the perfect excuse to raise war taxes and take women from the people, pushing the blame on witches. If they refused, they would be branded witches and thrown into the military camps.
"How do vampires compare to the Others in terms of individual strength?" Varys asked. The strength of the Others had been demonstrated when Wright used the demon in Highgarden, and everyone had a clear understanding. Even the top fighters in the Seven Kingdoms, like Lannister's swordmaster, had trouble facing the Others unless wielding Valyrian steel.
"They are both magical beings," Wright explained. "The Others can revive large numbers of wights, while vampires can turn vast numbers of humans into their own. Their weaknesses are clear. Under the right circumstances, normal humans can handle them. The one I brought to King's Landing should have been killed after the public display this morning." Wright tapped his foot on the carpet, and a large vampire, made of ice, rose from it.
"I'm more concerned about their intelligence!" Wright added. "The Others' physical traits make them like cold-blooded reptiles. They can only briefly unleash physical power, and their thinking is slow and limited. But vampires, being former humans, retain their ability to learn and think."
"That is troublesome!" Robert walked over to the vampire, which towered over him by a good half-foot.
War, Robert was familiar with. It was easy to fight an army without a general, but fighting one led by an excellent commander could turn the tide in the final moments.
"Edmure's letter says nothing. I'll have to go to Riverrun myself!" Wright turned to Varys. "From now on, I want all intelligence on magic, witchcraft, and unusual occurrences to be treated seriously. If you can't make sense of it, bring in the mages to analyze it with you."
"Understood," Varys nodded, smiling.
His intelligence network in King's Landing, mostly composed of children, worked fine within the city, but once outside, its limitations became clear. Thankfully, the mages accompanying them were graduates of the Citadel's magic school. Though their power was average, their foundational knowledge was solid enough to help analyze any gathered information.
Robert looked at Wright. "I'll send you a royal order to supervise the military situation in the Riverlands. When are you leaving?"
Wright thought for a moment. "Odahviing won't stop flying until we reach there. I'll leave tomorrow morning."
Dragons weren't like airplanes that could fly without stopping once filled with fuel. Wright needed to let Odahviing eat well and rest for the night.
"Fine. I'll have the servants prepare the meat for you," Robert said.
Wright smirked. "It's rare for you to be generous. This time, you're treating Odahviing."
Robert laughed loudly. He wasn't one to host guests—people from Lannisport would do that.
As the business was concluded, Lady Jayne leaned forward, refilling Robert's glass. She subtly tugged her sleeve to cover the red marks on her forearm and smiled at Wright. "Lord Wright, your 'exposed statue' is now being sold everywhere. Aren't you going to stop it?"
"I saw it in Oldtown. There are some in the Westerlands too. I didn't expect you to be so fond of that!" Robert had intended to order a halt to its sale but hadn't heard any news from Tyrosh and thought it was something Wright had done on his own to sell.
Wright rubbed his forehead. "Stopping it is useless. Now, I've given up on the matter."
"How did you try to stop it?" Varys asked, intrigued. Anyone who knew Wright was curious how someone so powerful allowed such a thing to spread.
Wright sighed. "Tyrosh gathered a lot of artists—musicians, sculptors, and painters—and even opened their own school. When a sculptor first made my statue, I issued a ban, but the artists united against me."
Robert raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't stop them, a Lord?"
Wright gritted his teeth, recalling the incident. "There are so many statues in Tyrosh, it would take forever to tear them all down. One night, the largest of my statues in the temple square had its… parts… knocked off."
Robert looked shocked. "Ah! That's a public insult! The thief must be punished!"
"Exactly!" Wright nodded. "So I ordered Ashara to investigate the thief. He didn't escape; the next day, he was found standing by the statue with the stolen parts, and was brought to my castle."
Varys raised an eyebrow. "And then?"
"But Tyrosh is a place of laws, and I cannot break the law I set myself, so I couldn't just destroy the statue myself. After catching the thief, I was furious and declared him guilty of insulting the statue of Lord Wright." Wright pointed to the table.
Varys laughed. "Lord Wright, you've trapped yourself. Destroying your own statue is illegal, so making one must not be, or else where did they come from?"
Wright sighed. "The artists are clever. I didn't realize I was tricked until later. The thief was a well-known sculptor, and when he was brought to the square for his punishment, the artists in the crowd cheered, celebrating their victory."
Robert: "Is that it? This isn't your usual style."
Wright: "When you mess up and embarrass yourself, you have to own it. But things can't just end there. Later, I declared that anyone who makes a statue of me will be heavily taxed, all within the legal framework of Tyrosh."
Robert was startled. "So, you're saying that on the whole continent of Westeros, every statue of you is taxed?"
Wright chuckled. "I don't really want to take the money, but so many people are buying them."
"Hey, Wright, I need to talk to you privately." Robert muttered, rubbing his hands together.
Wright spent a little more time talking to Robert about the recent events in Tyrosh, then called the Kingsguard and the mages to the tent to explain how to deal with vampires.
Unlike Dickon Tarly, who needed to be taught from scratch, these were top-tier warriors and highly capable mages. As soon as Wright explained, they had a good idea of what to do and began practicing with weapons, simulating battle with the ice vampires.
Wright also instructed Robert to melt down the silver stags he brought; each Kingsguard and mage would need a silver dagger.
After dinner, Wright walked alone outside the camp, watching blindfolded pigs being herded toward Odahviing's head. The crackling sounds and the light from the flames kept going.
"Lord Wright!"
A man's voice came from behind, and Wright, sensing the magic aura, already knew who it was. He turned around and said, "Have you made up your mind? If you become my disciple, your whole family will move to Tyrosh. If not, I'll write a recommendation letter for her to attend the magic School in King's Landing."
"Hurry! Call someone!" A middle-aged man with clean, finely made clothes, although somewhat old, rushed forward.
"Master!" The little girl, Rosamund Lannister, let go of her father's hand and bowed deeply to Wright.
"You can call me Master or simply by my name." Wright took the necklace off his neck and handed it to her. "Take this; it's a gift for you, and also a token."
Wright then turned to the middle-aged man and said, "I have tasks at hand, and magical instruction will begin in Tyrosh. Take this to Tywin, and he will issue you a pass. Quickly take your wife and child to the magic school in King's Landing, and there will be arrangements for you to sail to Tyrosh."
"Thank you, Lord Wright." The middle-aged man left Rosamund with Wright, excusing himself to return to the camp to pack. His work involved receiving high-ranking attendants of the King, so he needed to hand over duties.
"Is this a dragon?" Rosamund asked, holding the pendant of the necklace, which was a bit large for her and had sharp edges.
Wright looked over at Odahviing, who was eating. "A dragon! It's modeled after the one eating the pig right now."
"Oh!" Rosamund put the necklace around her neck. The smoky black necklace didn't quite match her pale green dress, but anyone with an eye for quality would recognize that it was made from Valyrian steel.
This necklace was something Wright had crafted the first time he visited the ruins of Valyria. The craftsmanship wasn't perfect back then, but now he planned to make a new one for his little disciple.
The King's traveling party had many luxurious spare tents prepared to accommodate visiting nobles.
Wright settled into a tent, feeling as if he had returned to the ruins of Valyria. Without Odahviing, and without being a Lord, with no particular attachments, he was free to roam the world. Only he, Nymeria, and Tyene were close.
As he was almost falling asleep, Wright felt the magical array near the tent entrance activate.
"Why bother?"
He muttered quietly, turning over and going back to sleep.
It would have been a joke if anyone had been guarding the Archmage of the Seven Kingdoms' tent. There were no guards around Wright's tent.
Only Margot Lannister stood motionlessly at the entrance, her eyes vacant. She held the sides of her robe tightly, wrapping it around her body, revealing that she was not wearing anything beneath. She had entered an illusion and got lost in a maze of tents, probably not finding her way out until dawn.
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