Chapter 46: Downpour

Arthur looked at the clothes scattered all over the ground, feeling a bit depressed; it seemed he would have to travel on foot from now on.

But how can a man say he can't when he can?

To reduce the burden, the luggage this horse had been carrying was Arthur's change of clothes, which included the silk shirt and trousers he wore in King's Landing.

After all, one had to maintain some decency when going to the capital.

But these clothes now lay quietly on the ground, letting the rain soak them.

His personal attendant Meidan immediately dismounted and ran over to pack them up.

Desmond, who was riding in the lead, also stopped and turned back to check on the situation.

"Who is the lightest? Share a horse with Mr. Arthur," the Riverrun Master-at-arms shouted loudly.

A sharp-witted attendant immediately replied, "I can, I am lighter."

Arthur rejected this proposal: "I'd better carry the Hammer and Shuo Yue myself; these two items are very heavy combined, and burdening another horse would only make it collapse too."

"As for this poor little horse, just let it lie here."

Arthur still felt a bit of regret for the horse; when they came ashore, he had specifically chosen a red steed to match the red horse on his own golden shield coat of arms.

"My lords, it looks like you've run into some trouble. Can I help?"

Just then, an old farmer driving a cart passed by; seeing this group of nobles and attendants standing in the rain, he asked.

"Hey, you've come at just the right time. We need your cart," Patrick said cheerfully.

"Take this lord to your village, and take us along too; I'll give you a Silver Stag."

The old farmer jumped off the ox-cart, walked over to the head of the red horse that was still foaming at the mouth, took a look, and said, "This horse is just exhausted; it can be saved if it rests. Do you really want to leave it here?"

Hearing this, Arthur suddenly had an idea: "Your ox-cart looks large; besides carrying the two of us, can it pull this horse too?"

He was a kind and friendly man, and when circumstances permitted, he was capable of caring for the beasts that served him.

The old farmer looked at the red horse and hesitated: "My cart can pull it, but it won't be easy to get it onto the cart."

Seeing that Arthur intended to take the horse, Desmond suggested: "Gentlemen, there are twenty of us. If we work together, we can surely get this poor thing onto the ox-cart."

Arthur handed the Hammer and the meteor-iron Greatsword Shuo Yue to his attendant Meidan, then wiped the rainwater off his hands and said, "Do you really need help for this? I can lift it up by myself."

Seeing that this group was quite easygoing, the old farmer stopped holding back his words: "It's already come to this, my lord, don't try to be a hero. Let them help, otherwise you'll just be standing in the rain for nothing."

Although Desmond knew Arthur possessed innate superhuman strength, he didn't think he could lift a horse alone, so he dismounted and ordered: "Everyone, let's do it together. All dismount and help Mr. Arthur."

The attendants received the order and dismounted one after another.

But Arthur was clearly a step faster.

He squatted beside the red horse, hooked one arm under the horse's neck, and reached the other under its belly.

Then, exerting force with both his legs and arms simultaneously, he actually lifted the behemoth up in one go, walked a few steps, and slowly placed it onto the ox-cart.

Although the ox-cart was large, it could only keep the red horse's torso on the bed; its four hooves and head hung off the edge.

The old farmer stared blankly at Arthur, his mouth agape, unable to speak.

Desmond and the attendants also widened their eyes; they knew Arthur was strong, but they hadn't expected him to be strong to this degree.

This was an adult, sturdy horse, and it had been lifted up just like that.

Is this something human strength can accomplish?

"What are you standing there for? Let's go, we're still standing in the rain!"

Arthur reminded the stunned group, then took the Hammer and Shuo Yue from Meidan and jumped onto the front of the ox-cart.

The others reacted as well, filled with shock, doubt, admiration, and other emotions; those who needed to mount their horses did so, those who needed to get on the cart did so, and the party set off.

Along the way, even though they were in the rain, the old farmer continued to express his astonishment and admiration.

"To be honest, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really wouldn't believe anyone could lift a horse."

Arthur ignored the old farmer's chatter and asked, "Does your village have an inn?"

"An inn? That's a fancy thing only found near the Kingsroad; we only have our own homes."

"Then it looks like we'll be troubling you." Arthur rubbed his stomach, wondering what good food might be in the villagers' homes.

They had left Harrenhal yesterday morning and traveled for a full day and night to get here; he hadn't eaten since this morning.

According to his own experience, every time he added points to his strength, his appetite would increase significantly.

And on days with strenuous exercise, he tended to eat even more.

So he wanted to eat something good right now; beef or mutton would be best, chicken or goose would also do.

Trout would be a no; the most common meat for a Riverlands Peasant was trout, and he was already sick of it.

Get some meat, pan-fry it over a low flame, and the pure aroma of the meat would make anyone drool.

If there were some bird's-eye chili, minced garlic, and vinegar to dip it in, that would be even better.

A slight spicy sensation on the tongue, combined with the sourness of the vinegar and the rich aroma of the meat—ah, pure bliss!

The heavy rain came quickly and left just as fast.

Just as they arrived at the old farmer's village, the rain stopped.

"What rotten luck," Desmond said, smoothing back his hair.

"New rain washes away old dust; it's a good omen." Although he was soaked through, Arthur actually quite liked this rain.

He fished a Silver Stag out of his coin purse and tossed it to the old farmer.

"This is what I promised you. Now go and rouse your villagers, find us some clean clothes to change into, and get us some meat; we are hungry."

The old farmer had been staring at the Silver Stag ever since Arthur pulled out the money, and now he said with great joy: "Very well, my lord. What kind of meat would you like? The village has chicken, mutton, fish, and dog for you to choose from, all fresh and slaughtered on the spot. As for the price, we'll go by market rates, how does that sound?"

Arthur was very satisfied with this service attitude: "Then slaughter two lambs and get seven or eight chickens. You handle the staple food; go quickly."

The appetite of twenty adult men was quite large.

The old farmer drove the ox-cart to the center of the village and then jumped off to find the Village Chief.

The rest of the group also found a dry place, dismounted, and waited.

Arthur moved the red horse down, letting it lie more comfortably.

After resting for a while, it was already able to open its large eyes, and its belly rose and fell; it looked like it was recovering well.

"This village is quite wealthy; there is a stone perimeter wall outside, and dozens of households even live in stone-built houses," Patrick stated his opinion.

Desmond couldn't help but laugh: "You don't even look at whose territory this is; does House Whent have the ability to come here to collect taxes? Without having to pay taxes, they are naturally prosperous."

Patrick agreed with this point of view, and he added: "What's even better is that this place is only a three or four-day ride from King's Landing, so there's no need to worry about the harassment of bandits at all."

Arthur, however, was in no mood to discuss these things; he was worried about what he should ride next.

After all, they still had to travel today, but this horse would not be able to stand up for a while.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

Tomorrow is a day off, so the Game of Thrones geography introduction that has been delayed for a week can finally begin.

(End of this chapter)