Chapter 52: The Value of a Unicorn

Inside the tent, the Heir of Driftwood Hall, Baolaisen, refused to disclose any information, so Eddard had to have the Captain of the Guard of Winterfell, Jory Cassel, drag him away and lock him in a cage.

Theon was very puzzled, "Lord Eddard, Baolaisen refuses to provide us with information and even contradicts you to your face; what is the use of keeping such a hostage? It would be better to just kill him."

Eddard said, "Do not forget, we also have hostages in the hands of the Rockborn."

Lord Herman Tallhart of Torrhen's Square, the Heir of White Harbor, Wylis Manderly, and his brother Wendel Manderly were all captured by "Iron Bitch" Helene Pyke during the naval battle in Seal Bay.

Domeric Bolton, who was standing to the side, said, "Lord Eddard, do you think the Rockborn will leave any survivors? Ancient books say that the Rockborn are extremely barbaric, and they even have the custom of cannibalism."

Theon smirked, "The Rockborn love to eat meat; to them, what could be more delicious than the brothers Wylis and Wendel of House Manderly of White Harbor? Wylis and Wendel are practically like fat sausages."

The Heir of Torrhen's Square, Benfred Tallhart, was startled; his father, Lord Herman Tallhart, had been captured alongside the Manderly brothers, and his thick neck turned bright red, "Do the Rockborn really eat people? My father won't be in danger, will he?"

Theon mocked, "Your father is too thin; he is suitable for rib soup."

Benfred Tallhart was good friends with Theon, but Theon's joking still angered him, and Benfred said angrily, "Greyjoy, if anything happens to my father, I will settle this account with the Ironborn. It was the damned Ironborn Pirates who captured my father!"

Just as Theon was about to retort, Eddard said, "Enough! Benfred, trust me, your father will be fine. We will attempt to exchange hostages."

The Rockborn guide Nonda, who was standing to the side, had been silent, and Eddard said, "Nonda, do you Rockborn really have the custom of cannibalism?"

Nonda stroked his thick beard, "When I was a child, whenever I was disobedient, my parents would often scare me by saying, 'If you don't behave, I'll let the Cannibal Tribe catch you and eat you!' In stories, the various clans and tribes of the Rockborn seem to be cannibals, but Lord Eddard, I can tell you that at least in my clan, the Maple Leaf Clan, there is no such thing."

In other words, it was not certain for other clans; some things could not be looked into too deeply.

At this moment, Maester Wuse of the Dreadfort walked in, followed by two soldiers carrying the horns of a unicorn.

Maester Wuse had white hair and a thin build; he stroked the chain around his neck, "Lord Eddard, in this skirmish, the warriors of the North killed three unicorns, and we have finally obtained the unicorn horns. You must know that the Citadel has always debated whether unicorns exist; if this horn is sent to the Citadel, it will be a priceless treasure."

Eddard smiled, "So this thing must be sent to Winterfell. This is the spoils of war of the North, and the unicorn is a specialty of Skagos; Skagos is a part of the North, so I am taking this thing back to Winterfell."

Maester Wuse was somewhat disappointed, "The Citadel has trained every maester, and in return, maesters have an obligation to provide the Citadel with things of academic value that they encounter. Unicorns have great research value and should be sent to the Citadel."

Eddard said calmly, "If the Citadel wants it, they can come to Winterfell to buy it; I will not give it away for free."

When the Winter Town outside Winterfell was being expanded, Eddard had once asked Maester Luwin to send a letter to the Citadel, hoping for a few more maesters to serve in Winterfell, but the Citadel refused to help, replying that they had no extra maesters to provide to Winterfell. Now that Eddard had the precious unicorn horns in his hands, he would certainly not send them to the Citadel for free.

"Cut up the unicorn meat to serve as rations." Since the Northern Army was trapped in a shortage of food, Eddard naturally would not waste the unicorn meat; the meat provided by the three behemoths was quite substantial.

"As for the bones and horns of the unicorns, store them away; I am taking them back to Winterfell." Eddard believed that the Citadel would pay a high price to purchase the unicorn horns and bones; the Citadel had never lacked money, and their patrons were spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms, especially House Hightower of Oldtown, which was practically as wealthy as a kingdom.

At the thought of how valuable the unicorns were, Eddard could not help but regret that the Northern Army had not been able to kill more unicorns on the battlefield.

Billy Stern fled to Abyss Keep with a dozen unicorns and the remaining Rockborn warriors; in the hall of the castle, he met the Rock King and the Iron Bitch Helene Pyke.

The Rock King Samlo Crowl was a strong and burly man; his temples were still gray, but he remained a formidable warrior. The leader of the Stern Clan, Billy Stern, was thin with a hooked nose, and his eyes were cold and ruthless.

In the Rock King's castle, Helene Pyke was not wearing armor, but had changed into a sea-green gown adorned with amethysts and sapphires; Billy Stern found it difficult to move his gaze away from Helene Pyke's graceful figure, and as the Iron Bitch's skirt rustled, every step she took was a temptation.

Billy Stern recounted the skirmish with the Northern Army in the wild mountains.

"This is simply a foolish act!" the Rock King said angrily, "I sent my nephew Donald Crowl to the north to notify you to bring the warriors of the north and the unicorns to gather at Abyss Keep, not to attack the Northern Army."

Billy Stern said gloomily, "The Sistermen pirates and the Pentos Mercenaries were plundering in my territory, killing the innocent, and other clans and tribes suffered as well. We were all filled with anger, and upon seeing the enemy, we naturally had to take the initiative to attack; besides, the casualties of the Northern soldiers were also very heavy."

Helene Pyke said, "Leader Stern, may I ask how many people the Rockborn have? How many people does the Northern Army have? A one-for-one exchange of heads—Eddard Stark would be very happy to exchange with us. That is not how a war is fought."

Billy Stern was furious, "Woman, watch your language; is it now a woman's turn to teach me how to fight a war?"

Helene Pyke smiled, "I led my Ironborn Pirates to destroy the North's grain ships; the Northern Army is short on food, and as long as we hold Abyss Keep, in a month, the Northern Army will exhaust their food supplies. Without food, the Rockborn and the Ironborn can counterattack."

Billy Stern said disdainfully, "This is your strategy? You don't want the rest of Skagos? What if Eddard Stark leads his army to attack other places? What if he leads the Northern Army to attack my Driftwood Hall?"

Helene Pyke shook her head, "You can rest assured; the North's food supplies are simply not enough to support them in attacking Driftwood Hall."

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(End of chapter)