Chapter 68: Buying Horses

(The previous two chapters have been revised)

"Are you sure you want this horse?"

The owner of the stables asked uncertainly.

He was the owner of the largest stables in all of King's Landing, and he was currently accompanying these newly arrived noble lords to look at horses.

The Tourney was set to begin in three days, so it was actually a bit late to be picking out a mount now.

That was why business at the stables was a bit slow, allowing him to accompany the customers as they made their careful selections.

Arthur looked at the giant red horse, which looked exactly like a Shire horse from his past life, and nodded, saying, "This is the one."

He had only gone out of the city with his companions and attendants to buy horses after dropping off his Great Hammer at his lodgings.

Arthur was quite tall himself—he basically hadn't seen anyone taller than him on the streets—but he only reached the shoulder height of this horse, which showed just how massive it was.

Even more exaggerated was that the horse's muscles were as sturdy as a wild ox, yet it was even larger.

Even a half-ton camel would appear thin and weak in front of it.

"But this horse's shoulders are too wide; it will be very uncomfortable to ride."

Desmond was a Master-at-arms from Riverrun, so he naturally knew why this type of giant horse was not adopted by armies as a warhorse, and he kindly reminded his companion.

"Exactly, and besides, this horse is too clumsy; it only knows how to walk and trot, not gallop, so it is much slower than other types of horses," the stable owner added.

Normally, horses have several gaits: the four-beat walk, the two-beat trot, the three-beat canter, and the four-beat gallop, with speed increasing in that order.

As for special gaits like the amble, only a very small number of warhorses trained from a young age could perform them; they did not help increase speed and were only for shock absorption and aesthetics.

The bronze artifact originally named "Horse Stepping on a Flying Swallow," now renamed "Bronze Galloping Horse," depicts a horse in an ambling gait.

The fact that it could not canter or gallop meant that this horse was truly slow.

But for Arthur, it was just right.

Because only this type of giant horse could carry Arthur, who would be clad in heavy armor and carrying several heavy weapons.

"Don't worry about speed; I'll just buy a faster warhorse to use as my daily riding mount. This horse is specifically for the battlefield; when the time comes, I will be fully armored, carrying my Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Dadao and Great Hammer, so a weak mount won't do."

Seeing that the customer had made up his mind, the stable owner did not try to dissuade him, "As long as you can get on it, I will sell it to you cheaply."

Patrick, who was standing to the side observing the giant horse closely, asked curiously, "Why must one ride it to be able to buy it?"

"Although this horse hasn't been sold for a long time since it came into my hands, I can't cheat a customer just to make money, can I?" the stable owner explained.

Because this type of giant horse could not be used as a warhorse, and ordinary farmers could not afford to feed such a big fellow, there was no large market for them in Westeros.

Only a very few noble lords who took a fancy to them would buy them back to keep as pets.

The stable owner had originally thought about offloading this giant horse during the Tourney to make a little money, but he hadn't expected that the knights and nobles coming to King's Landing would either bring their own good horses or be picky hedge knights who wouldn't even look at such a showy but useless beast.

And the horse's appetite was extremely astonishing; just the cost of normal horse grass and concentrated feed made his heart ache for his Silver Stags.

The current move by this sucker to buy it was exactly what he wanted, but for the sake of his business reputation, he still offered a word of caution.

Arthur acknowledged these words; this was also an honest man.

"If I ever form my own Cavalry unit in the future, I will definitely prioritize buying horses from you."

"Alright, my lord, my name is Sangdela; horse traders all along the east coast of Westeros can reach me. If there's a big order, you can't go wrong with me."

Although Sangdela did not recognize which great noble house the antler-and-serpent pattern embroidered on this tall and handsome lord's clothing belonged to, just by looking at this high-end silk attire and the noble air about him, he knew this person was definitely a wealthy noble.

Perhaps he was the Bastard of some Duke!

After directing his men to lead out the giant red horse, Sangdela first calmed it down before handing the reins to Arthur.

"Not bad." Touching its smooth, shiny coat and sturdy muscles, Arthur felt he had found a treasure.

With a vigorous leap, he vaulted onto the horse.

The giant horse naturally refused to be ridden, so it began to struggle.

But it was a bit too clumsy; it couldn't lift its front hooves to throw the person on its back off, and after twisting a few times, it obediently resigned itself to its fate.

Although Arthur felt very uncomfortable with his legs spread wide, he managed to sit steadily.

Sangdela was very satisfied that the customer had succeeded on his first attempt: "It must be fate between you and this horse that you managed to get on it in one go. It hasn't been bought for dozens of days; it must have been waiting for you."

He rambled on for a long time with auspicious words.

Feeling that he had familiarized himself enough, Arthur dismounted and let his servant lead the giant horse.

When no one was riding on its back, this huge creature was quite quiet.

Arthur then picked out a tall, large red horse to serve as his mount for when he wasn't wearing armor, and then he settled the bill.

The giant red horse was named "Red Hare" by him, and the red horse for daily riding was named "Dilu."

Although the problem of mounts was solved, a new problem troubled him.

The saddle for Dilu was given for free by Sangdela at the stables, but because Red Hare was too huge, there was no saddle for it.

If Arthur wanted to ride this horse to participate in the jousting, he had to get a saddle.

Otherwise, he would be at a great disadvantage.

A set of horse armor also had to be custom-made, otherwise, once the great battle began, there wouldn't be such a good opportunity to prepare everything.

"We could go to Tuobu's smithy and have him find a way, though it will be a bit expensive," Desmond suggested.

Arthur also felt it was feasible, so he had his servant lead the horses through the Gods Gate and into the city, heading to Iron Street at Qiding.

"It's not easy to forge horse armor for this big fellow, and besides, we are a smithy, we don't make custom saddles, not to mention there are only three days left."

Tuobu declined in this manner.

Arthur took out three Gold Dragons and slapped them on the table in front of Tuobu.

"It's not a matter of money; although we can forge it, there isn't enough time."

Arthur took out another three Gold Dragons.

"The horse armor will definitely be finished within three days, and it will match the color of your golden Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Dadao; as for the saddle..."

Another two Gold Dragons appeared on the table.

Now, Tuobu's eyes could no longer look away.

A horse coat was not a project of massive scale; it could be finished by rushing the work, and the saddle could also be made by one of his carpenter friends.

"Rest assured, the day after tomorrow—no, tomorrow evening, you can come to pick up the goods; I will absolutely not delay your participation in the Lance competition."

"I can already see how you, riding such a giant horse, will unhorse all your opponents with a single strike of your Lance and become famous throughout King's Landing and the Seven Kingdoms in one fell swoop."

While signaling his apprentices to measure the giant horse, Tuobu flattered him.

"What you say is extremely correct; I could not agree more." Arthur accepted the flattery quite calmly.

At the moment, basically all the necessary preparations had been made, and he was just waiting for the Tourney to begin.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)