Chapter 76: White Deer

Everything is proceeding according to plan.

On the morning of the second day, Arthur said goodbye to the group heading north at the Gods Gate of King's Landing.

Ninety-seven free mercenaries, the young accountant Hayley, and a caravan transporting two hundred sets of Iron Plate Armor formed the main body of the group, while Desmond, the Master-at-arms of Riverrun, was responsible for leading them to the Red Mill.

The letter for the Steward Amber was also handed to Desmond; Amber would make arrangements for these people when they arrived.

The giant horse Red Hare was taken away by the group heading north; its speed was simply too slow, making it unsuitable for heading south.

The Greatsword was also taken north, as Tuobu, while crafting the Plate Armor for Arthur, believed the Greatsword was for home decoration, so he did not install a mounting point on the Plate Armor.

However, the Golden Guan Dao did have a mounting point on the back.

So, if Arthur were to head south with the Greatsword, he would have to hold it in his hand the entire way; not to mention whether his mount, Dilu, could handle it, Arthur himself felt tired just thinking about it.

Patrick's father, Lord Jason Mallister, was also in the group; he had arrived in King's Landing before the Tourney began and participated in the jousting competition, only to be eliminated on the first day.

With a high-ranking nobleman like him accompanying them, plus the fact that they were traveling along a safe route like the Kingsroad, and with nearly a hundred mercenaries, Arthur felt very reassured.

He figured no one with eyes would dare to target this group.

The composition of the group heading south was much more complex.

There were the twenty-plus retainers of the brothers Horas and Hobber, Anguy and thirteen Dornish spearmen, over a hundred members of the Brave Companions, as well as Arthur and his four retainers, who was riding "Dilu."

The letter from the Knight of Flowers had also been written; one copy was carried by Arthur, and several others had been sent by Raven to the Tyrell stronghold, Highgarden.

At the King's Landing Tourney, Arthur had won two championships and sixty thousand Gold Dragons; the costs for crafting the Plate Armor, Greatsword, Guan Dao, two hundred sets of Iron Plate Armor, over a week of expenses in King's Landing, and the deposits for the hired mercenaries totaled over three thousand Gold Dragons.

Since he had brought over two thousand with him when he arrived, he still had over fifty-nine thousand Gold Dragons on hand.

After leaving fifty-eight thousand Gold Dragons with Loras in King's Landing, Arthur set off with over sixteen hundred Gold Dragons.

They first crossed the Blackwater River, reached the south bank, and then headed south along the Roseroad.

The Kingswood, the second-largest primeval forest in Westeros, was the first challenge the southward group had to face.

Although there were some small inns along the Roseroad through the Kingswood, they were far apart, so they needed to carry enough food and water themselves.

Fortunately, there were two hundred and forty-four horses in the group, while there were only one hundred and fifty-three people, so there was no need to worry about transport capacity.

The issue of food and water was resolved at a small town upon entering the Kingswood.

At Arthur's insistence, the group set off without resting in the small town.

This caused some of the veterans of the Brave Companions to complain incessantly, but out of respect for Arthur's Golden Guan Dao, they obediently accepted their employer's orders.

……

The third day after entering the Kingswood.

"Let's take a break, Lord Arthur," Horas suggested.

He really couldn't take it anymore.

"Exactly, there's less than half a day's journey left before we're out of the Kingswood; let everyone rest for a while, fill their bellies, and drink some water, and we can make it out in one go," Anguy said.

Arthur looked back and saw that most of the people in the group looked terrible, just waiting for a rest.

From the frantic riding for more than half a day from King's Landing to the town outside the forest, to the rapid march over these three days in the Kingswood, the jolting on horseback was more than these grown men could bear.

They could not understand Arthur's urgency, and now there was already some resentment.

"Then let's have a good rest; you all rest, and I'll go hunt some beasts so we can have a proper meal."

The food on the road consisted of hard Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Mianbao, dried meat, and freshly boiled Jiu Jiu Jiu Jiu Maizhou supplemented outside the small town; even Arthur felt his mouth was so bland he couldn't taste the flavor of meat.

People are iron, meat is steel; if you don't eat a meal, you'll crave it.

"Fantastic."

"Long live Lord Arthur."

"Get some wild deer."

The group immediately cheered; Arthur's openness made their moods improve instantly.

Most of them flipped off their horses and found flat spots among the giant trees to lie down and rest.

Except for the two brothers of the Redwyne family, Arthur, and Yule, everyone in the group was a commoner, and all had experience as hedge knights, so sleeping on open ground was quite normal.

Hedge knight is the common term for free knights, wandering warriors, and mercenaries, because these people are reluctant to pay for lodging at inns, so they often spend the night leaning against trees or hedges.

Arthur had a few people who still looked energetic stand guard, then took a few skilled men to go hunting.

Half an hour later.

"Hey, why can't we see any wild boars in this forest?" Anguy asked in confusion.

"Perhaps it's the scent of Mr. Arthur, the wild boar slayer, that has made them all hide," Hobber, one of the twins, explained.

He was much more energetic than his brother and had also come along for the hunt.

Anguy asked, "What is a wild boar slayer?"

Hobber then explained in detail the story of Arthur eliminating the wild boars at Harrenhal.

This made Anguy and several other mercenaries click their tongues in wonder.

"Lord Arthur's bravery is even beyond our imagination."

"A regular warhammer can kill a wild boar, so wouldn't that Greatsword be unrivaled across the entire continent?"

"I think the massive Mountain could probably fight the Lord; at least he can take a beating."

Arthur agreed with this assessment: "If The Mountain were wearing Chainmail and Quanshen Banji, he might actually be able to withstand my Greatsword; if I were to fight him again, it would be a matter of who couldn't take the beating first."

The small conflict with The Mountain at the Tourney gave Arthur a clear understanding of his own strength.

Weaker than The Mountain, but the gap was not large.

And because of the added Agility, Arthur was much more flexible than The Mountain.

As for that Greatsword, he figured The Mountain could swing it, but only just swing it.

Being clumsy, once he took a heavy weapon of that caliber, it would be impossible for him to change his moves in time during a fight, which is why he chose the much lighter two-handed Greatsword.

That was what allowed him to be as flexible as a regular knight in Plate Armor.

Arthur's advantage is that he can maintain agility and nimbleness while wielding a great hammer.

Therefore, his current combat power should be evenly matched with The Mountain for the time being.

If one adds his advantages in stamina and injury resistance, The Mountain would not be able to outlast him.

In short, Arthur is very much looking forward to the upcoming battle with Gregor Clegane.

"Shh, there is a white stag."

As a top-tier archer, Anguy has astonishing eyesight; he discovered a white stag in the distance.

Then the few of them slowly gathered around it, and at a suitable distance, Anguy drew his bow and shot, but he missed.

But coincidentally, this white stag actually charged toward Arthur.

And then it died under the sharp blade of New Moon.

"It is truly a rare color; I wonder what it portends," someone sighed.

"Calamity or good fortune, who knows?"

Arthur, however, firmly believes that this is a good omen.

Baratheon has lost its stag, and Arthur has obtained it.

PS: The character cards for Sansa and Margaery are already up; everyone can click the red hearts, and when the harem truly opens, whoever has the most red hearts will be the mistress.

Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)