Chapter 48: Savior

The villagers whispered among themselves; they felt that what this young, handsome lord said was false.

Patrick, Desmond, and the attendants were more experienced; just from the descriptor "the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms," they knew Arthur was talking about The Mountain.

The most powerful thug under Duke Tywin, and also the Knight with the least chivalry, Gregor Clegane!

Ironically, the person who knighted him was named Rhaegar, that Prince of House Targaryen known throughout the Seven Kingdoms for his kindness and charity.

"How is that possible? If The Mountain did such a thing, King Robert wouldn't even need to give the order; Lord Tywin would skin him alive himself," Patrick said, looking unconvinced.

Although Desmond also felt this was impossible, out of trust for Arthur, he did not voice his opposition.

After the nearby villagers talked to each other, they reached the conclusion that this was a lie.

But out of respect for the lord's face, they did not deny these words.

"Whatever this lord says, it is so."

"Even if he truly committed all the sins of the world, we can only endure it; who are we to be but lowly commoners?"

Only one little girl asked curiously: "This is not the same as the stories the grandmothers tell; there should be a hero coming to save us."

Patrick laughed and said: "Silly child, if The Mountain really came to attack, how could any hero come to save you? Under The Mountain's greatsword, heroes cannot even protect themselves."

Hearing these words, Arthur swallowed the advice he had intended to give the villagers to flee early, changing it to another version.

"The prophecy is not yet finished; there will be a tall, handsome, and dashing man who, upholding the beliefs and hopes of all the upright and kind people in the world, will come here to save you from fire, water, life, and death."

Since he had already decided to side with the Fish-Wolf Alliance, why should he let these villagers flee for their lives?

Why not start from here, stop The Mountain, or even kill The Mountain?

Once this thought arose, it took deep root in his heart and could no longer be shaken off.

Right here, right in this Xieercun, let all of The Mountain's evil deeds end, and let all the people in the Riverlands who have suffered because of this no longer face such unprovoked disasters.

The little girl who asked the question earlier clapped happily, "Then who is this tall, handsome, and dashing gentleman? Could you reveal his name?"

Arthur replied in a clear, resonant voice: "His name is Arthur Bracken, and he is called Arthur the Justice by kind people. Of course, after this battle, people might call him Arthur the Brave, because he heroically repelled the demon and kept the people of the Riverlands from being disturbed."

Hearing this, Patrick laughed uncontrollably, slapping the table beside him frantically.

Desmond and some of the attendants desperately suppressed the urge to roar with laughter.

The old Village Chief did not understand and asked: "Who is this Arthur the Justice? Is he a very famous Knight?"

Desmond laughed and pointed at the Lord of Red Mill, saying: "It is this gentleman."

Although the Village Chief was baffled by the actions of Arthur and this group, he maintained the proper etiquette.

Perhaps he was just a young man full of fantasies; hadn't he been the same when he was young?

Longing to protect the village, longing for the recognition of the villagers.

The sixty-year-old Village Chief looked out and saw only his own sixteen-year-old self.

His tone became increasingly sincere: "Then I shall thank you on behalf of all the villagers, and thank you for traveling from afar to save us."

Hearing this slightly more genuine remark, Arthur also felt that his choice was not wrong.

"We shall meet again in over a month."

Having said this, he gave the order to leave.

Although Patrick and the others had been moved to laughter by Arthur's actions and words, they still obeyed their companion.

After the group packed up quickly, they mounted their horses and left.

As for that poor red horse, one would hope it would be treated well.

After traveling for a long time, once Patrick felt he could face Arthur without laughing, he spurred his steed and wandered over to Arthur's side, asking:

"I still don't understand, why did you say those things in that village?"

Desmond also hurried to their side, pricking up his ears to listen to Arthur's explanation.

The Lord of Red Mill thought for a moment and decided to continue playing the mystic: "You don't need to understand; this is what I saw and heard in the prophecy."

Patrick suppressed his surging laughter and continued to ask: "Which god told you? The Seven, the Old Gods, or the Lord of Light who has been very active lately?"

"This god is named Martin," Arthur replied, "Not a well-known deity, but his divine power is far beyond what the world can imagine."

Desmond, who had been expressionless, shook his head with a smile after hearing Arthur's words repeatedly: "I originally thought Mr. Arthur was a serious and upright man; I didn't expect him to be such an interesting soul."

Arthur denied his statement, "This is by no means me being interesting; this is real. Martin is truly a powerful new god, and he tells me many things. Later, as our relationship deepens, I will slowly tell you about this new god."

Since he was going to play the mystic, he would play it to the end.

The god is named Martin, the only believer is Arthur himself, and the miracle is that everything Arthur says is true.

"But your new god has no miracles, no temples, and no serving priests!" Patrick felt he had found the flaw in Arthur's words and said eagerly.

"What kind of mistaken viewpoint is that?" The Lord of Red Mill managed to squeeze a look of surprise onto his face so he wouldn't laugh out loud, "Does a true god need these useless things that only false gods require?"

Seeing that Arthur had been acting very serious and didn't seem to be joking, Desmond said sternly: "But how can you prove the existence of this god Martin?"

Arthur was also trapped by this question.

How does one prove the existence of someone who does not exist in this world?

But he reacted quickly, deciding to fool these two first.

"I will make more prophecies for the god Martin; by then, the successful verification of a few things will prove his existence. Time will be on our side."

Patrick was quite serious about the challenge, "Then prophesy what I will encounter in King's Landing."

Arthur looked at him, "Your influence is too small; the god Martin does not want to waste divine power to prophesy for you."

"Then I'll name an influential figure. If your god Martin cannot prophesy about him, then he is just a joke you made up."

Patrick pondered for a moment and gave the person he wanted to know about: "Let's talk about the newly appointed Hand of the King, Warden of the North, Lord Eddard Stark, the Jiaodu of House Stark."

Arthur carefully considered the plot direction of the original work and realized that as a minor lord, he could not influence Eddard's death in any way, so he decided to speak about the events following Eddard.

But before the prophecy, the complex "skill wind-up" had to be displayed.

This was the first step to making people believe.

PS: I had things to do today, so I rushed to write this chapter; I might revise it tomorrow.

(End of chapter)