Chapter 79: Paxter

The speaker wore a velvet doublet with a black silk lining, embroidered all over with roses.

This man was tall and possessed an extremely handsome and refined face, bearing a certain resemblance to the Knight of Flowers, Loras.

Beside him was a middle-aged man with a shaved head and a white beard; his face was cold and his expression stern, making it clear at a glance that he was not a man to be trifled with.

"Lord Tarly, welcome to my home." Duke Mace, sitting behind a massive table, first expressed his welcome to the middle-aged man before asking his son:

"Why not provide this Mr. Arthur with weapons? This is something Loras wrote to us about and agreed upon."

Hobber followed behind Arthur and whispered an explanation to his friend:

"That is Duke Mace's second son, Garlan, and that one is Lord Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill; the latter absolutely loathes the Dornishmen."

Once reminded, Arthur roughly understood where things had gone wrong.

Horn Hill was situated at the border between the Reach and Dorne, and the Tarly family had led the defense and counterattacks against the Dornishmen for hundreds of years; how could they possibly have any fondness for them?

Moreover, this Lord Tarly, who had defeated Robert at Ashford fifteen years ago, was himself extremely valiant, combative, and possessed a rigid personality.

Rumor had it that to ensure his family heir was an iron-blooded warrior, he had summoned two Warlocks to perform Blood Magic on his weak eldest son, Samwell Tarly.

After it proved ineffective, the two Warlocks were given a sound beating and left in disgrace.

Afterward, his second son, Dickon, became his primary focus for cultivation, and to pave the way for Dickon to inherit the family, he had sent his eldest son, Samwell, to the Wall to serve as a member of the Night's Watch.

Encountering such an iron-blooded and ruthless man, Arthur could only consider himself unlucky.

Who told him to bring a dozen Dornishmen here?

Garlan Tyrell provided an explanation to his father.

"Because this person brought the notorious mercenary company, the Brave Companions, to the Reach, I have judged that this Lord Arthur is not a good man. Providing them with armor and weapons might allow them to harm other innocent people; I suggest Father not sell to him."

"Is that so?" Duke Mace's expression turned cold, and his attitude clearly shifted.

His third son might have been deceived by this man; his second son was right after all.

He turned to Arthur, "You have heard my son's words, so I have decided that Highgarden will no longer sell weapons and armor to you. As for the fifty-eight thousand Gold Dragons you have on deposit, you may withdraw them at any time. If there is nothing else, you may leave."

Having said this, he began to handle the next matter, regarding a territorial dispute between the Oakheart family and a minor noble under the rule of the lions of the Westerlands.

There are only wrongly given names, never wrongly given nicknames!

Arthur had a profound understanding of this saying.

Duke Mace Tyrell had used his actual actions to interpret why his nickname was "The Oaf."

Although the Brave Companions did not have a great reputation, the fact that they could travel freely across Westeros clearly could not be a reason to refuse a trade.

It could only be that Randyll Tarly, who extremely detested the Dornishmen, had persuaded Garlan to stop this transaction.

With just a few words from his second son, he could make a dignified Duke retract what he had just said.

I truly do not know from whom he learned his lordship education.

Can such measures make his vassals convinced?

The one on good terms with Arthur was Loras, who was far away in King's Landing and could not help him now.

The matter of buying weapons and armor from the Tyrells was a bust.

Fortunately, the Redwyne family could still provide three hundred sets, and he could still recruit some free swords; this trip was not entirely in vain.

Arthur did not hesitate anymore and had the twins take him to see Lord Paxter.

After walking a long way through the massive castle, they finally found the Lord of the Arbor, who was visiting his aunt and mother-in-law's home.

"Just such a small matter, a mere greeting, yet it made you run all the way to Highgarden."

Perhaps due to long-term contact with various merchants coming to the Arbor to buy wine, this middle-aged man, Paxter, appeared extremely adept at handling social matters.

As soon as they entered the room, the Lord first offered a seat, then had servants bring fruit platters and pastries, and began chatting with Arthur about the trade.

His tone was very enthusiastic, and his attitude was also very peaceful.

Upon their first meeting, he made Arthur feel as if they were already quite familiar.

It formed a sharp contrast with the attitude of the Tyrell family members.

"Not a wasted trip, at least I got to know you, my Lord," replied the Lord of the Red Mill, having taken his seat.

Arthur was the type of person who treated others well if they treated him well.

Heart for heart!

Ever since the twins, Hobber and Horas, were beaten into submission by him, they had performed quite well, going to great lengths to maintain Arthur's face on certain occasions, and even forced-marched back to Highgarden just to help him buy some armor and weapons.

Now that their father was so amiable, it made Arthur feel that he could build a deeper friendship with them.

The Lord asked again about how Arthur had come to know his two sons, and how Arthur had managed to take two championships from among a crowd of renowned warriors.

Arthur and the twins cooperated in recounting the events in King's Landing.

"Seven Hells," Lord Paxter exclaimed, "Who in the entire continent can block that hammer of yours now?"

"The Mountain? He is too clumsy and can only be beaten to death by you. I can only say that your enemies are unfortunate; they might not even be able to leave behind a whole corpse."

The Lord of the Arbor chatted on for a while longer before sending two stewards to take Arthur to the ferry town to inspect the goods.

Although he treated people equally, his status was set there; it was impossible for him to accompany Arthur on a trip for some weapons and armor.

Arthur had no objections to this.

Although interactions between nobles often disregarded rank, the distinction between high and low was still very clear.

The twins did go with Arthur, considering themselves half-hosts, so the hospitality was very thorough.

The road was similar to the one they had traveled last night, and after half a day, they arrived at the ferry town.

"It is all here, please inspect it."

The two stewards led Arthur and his party onto the Longship docked there and then directed the boatmen to move out the items Arthur needed.

Longbows, hand-and-a-half swords, and spears were the three main types of weapons, while the armor consisted mainly of Chainmail covering the torso and neck, along with thirty sets of full Plate Armor.

"Full of sincerity, your father is truly an honest man." Arthur was very satisfied with the armor provided by the Arbor.

Just these thirty sets of Plate Armor covering from head to toe were already worth this trip.

Chainmail is for common foot soldiers to wear, lamellar armor is for veterans, and plate armor is the equipment of the true elite.

With Arthur's combat power, leading a formed unit of a hundred men in plate armor like this, he could pierce through an infantry formation of ten thousand men several times over.

These weapons and armor cost a total of two thousand one hundred Gold Dragons; an average minor noble basically could not produce that much money.

But compared to the sixty thousand Gold Dragons Arthur obtained from two championships, it was a piece of cake.

This also made Arthur feel once again just how much Robert loved to spend money.

The prize money from a single Tourney could arm a military force of no small strength.

After the inspection was finished, the group went to the small town to eat lunch.

Of course, they went to the best tavern in the entire small town, and then the twins recognized a few acquaintances.

"Cousin, why are you here?"

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)