Chapter 178

Just entering the Tiger Cloak Army camp to act as an envoy is suicide. He unhesitatingly abandoned this idea; he is not the Melin Queen's Queen's Hand, nor her advisor, nor does he have any responsibility to her; he is merely a small member of a weak mercenary band, lacking sufficient reputation and strength, unqualified to meet any leader, let alone persuade them.

Check if we missed "He is not the Queen's Hand of Queen Mirel, nor her advisor, and he bears no responsibility toward her at all." We included.

Are the leaders of the Tiger Cloak Army slaves too? If not, should we bypass the leaders to persuade their subordinates, and how would we coordinate those many subordinates? Furthermore, even if we manage to coordinate them, how would we align with the queen's forces inside the city? Would the Tiger Cloak Army have to act in unison with this small mercenary band?

He currently has no idea whatsoever about the composition of the Tiger Cloak Army.

The premise of success is built on the willingness of slaves within the Tiger Cloak Army.

Willingness is one thing, actual action another; without concrete pressure, most fools are unwilling to move an inch. He understood this long ago.

In short, this is a task not worth serious consideration; after all, he doesn't need the queen's forgiveness, nor does he need to risk danger just to earn a glance from Moermeng. After all, he already said that if he dies now, everything will end.

He still doesn't want to end this soon, at least before completing a venture that satisfies himself.

If the world lacked the Dragon Queen, achieving this goal would surely be extremely difficult; moreover, if this world lacked the fantasy brought by that girl, the heavens and earth would surely lose their luster, draining his motivation; perhaps right now he would rather buy a barrel of wine and drown himself to ease the pain in his legs.

Damn it!

He looked at the impatient Masheng and Gangju below the hill, and sighed helplessly again.

After he turned them into free men by the creek, he then promised a great deal before persuading the two to accept his employment, following him to mingle in the mercenary corps, though the two were not actually part of the corps, so all expenses and costs had to be borne extra by him. If Tuo Lei Mi's accounts are not far off, hiring the two and putting them on the corps' tab already amounted to ten gold dragons, which also thanks to Mo Er Meng; if Mo Er Meng had not been willing to guarantee—although he would not be driven out of the corps—those two original Tiger Cloak Army soldiers would have left him for lack of pay, especially since the Tiger Cloak Army's camp is right nearby, they could go on duty at any time.

Luo Ge Si, Tai Luo, let's walk beside the Tiger Cloak Army's camp; maybe we can see a lone leader." He smiled at the two, "Sorry, I made you lose your Tiger Cloak Army identity, but being free is better than being slaves." Seeing them give no response, he then realized they didn't understand the common tongue, so he switched to awkward Valyrian, "We're now going to the Tiger Cloak Army's camp; you can choose to rejoin or continue as my guards—this is your freedom, though I strongly suggest you be my guards, at least my pay is timely, right?"

In a short time, I have seen a dragon, a ghost knight, and the mother of the lake; I saw her say something to you, and I want to look again—what miraculous power does a dwarf have?" Ma Sheng said.

He doesn't much care whether Ti Li Ang calls him Luo Ge Si or Ma Sheng, but Gang Ju won't do—you must call him Tai Luo, otherwise he'll pretend not to hear. He admits that between the two, he likes Gang Ju a bit more, because he looks more like a free man; you can guess his thoughts from a free man's mindset, and of course, you can control him, whereas Luo Ge Si seems rather dull, sometimes acting strangely foreign and foolish, leaving him at a loss.

What a wonderful thing about dwarves!" He hated the word dwarf, "You could see it forever and never get tired. But I know this doesn't attract you; you should know, the one you follow is destined to be the greatest dwarf in the world, and most importantly, he is the most promising and generous dwarf, damn, he is the most promising and generous person in the world." He gave an impassioned speech under the big sun, but seeing no sign of appreciation or any expression from the other, he doubted whether his Valyrian could really be understood, "Damn! I say, you fucking..."

Luo Ge Si finally showed a smile, Ti Li Ang was immensely grateful. The big guy's approval always made him a bit happier, even if it was foolish.

"Sir, you're talking too much." Tai Luo gave a light smile, patted his chest, "You pay, we work."

"Excellent!" He immediately agreed, grinning widely, "But please remember, if one day someone tries to bribe you to take my life, know that I can offer double."

"Double?"

"Double."

"Double!" Luo Ge Si cheered.

He considered it fortunate that the two guards had recovered; too many die from a slight wound, but after the two pulled through the first two days, they could walk and followed the mercenary corps all the way over the Evil Road to the battlefield.

He mounted his horse and passed through the chaotic army camp; two bored camp followers leaned on the poles holding up the canvas, curiously watching several people walk by. The blazing sun had drained the passion of their flirtatious airs, each now like dried waterweeds.

He whistled at the weary camp followers with a smile, then rode past on his horse.

The scorching sun failed to quiet the camp even a bit; from ahead came the frightened bleats of several small goats, a man in an apron cloth seized one of the little ones with one hand, and with the other lifted the bigger one, hoisting them and walking off; no matter how the larger goat kicked its legs, it made no difference to him delivering the sheep to the slaughterhouse. The slaughterhouse held yet another distinct scene and smell.

Yi Li Ou told him that the meat of startled animals always tastes a bit worse; he didn't know how these two sheep would taste, whether they'd be burnt-smelling.

After riding forward for a while, he felt his whole body already sweaty, and the dust kicked up on the road made him feel itchy all over. Coming toward him were several servants in ridiculous straw hats driving a series of large wagons, loaded with goats and pigs packed in a circle, trudging toward his direction; this was already the third such group he had encountered.

The wagons kicked up dust like a high wall, but the wagon drivers seemed oblivious, creeping along the stony, dusty passage, carefully urging their three draft mules, emitting strange, unknown soothing sounds as they went. Ti Li Ang wondered whether those sounds really had a soothing effect; regardless, the mules walked steady and calm, far better than his warhorse beneath him.

Upon seeing Ti Li Ang, the wagon drivers cast curious glances. He was familiar with that look. An ugly dwarf appearing in the camp was already abnormal, and with burly guards on either side it was even stranger.

"How many sheep do you have to deliver each day? How many of you are doing the hauling?" he asked the wagon drivers.

They glanced at Ti Li Ang, gave no answer, not even indicating they'd stop, and continued driving the livestock forward. He wanted to keep questioning, but the smell of dust made him stop in time.

"They make a good point," Ti Li Ang said indifferently to the guards on either side, "An ugly, foul-smelling dwarf barging into the Tiger Cloak Army's main camp would be cut down by Ma La Zi Ao, so he suggests we first go wash up upstream at the Si Ka Zha Dan River, give the Tiger Cloak Army some bath water, then talk," he glanced at the empty waterskins, then recalled the Mother of the Lake, that miraculous way of watering he would never see again in this lifetime, "Before bathing in the river, I need to fill my waterskin."

"I hope there are no stone folk in the river, and no man-eating fish."

After confirming the target, they raised the picnic banner and hurried along the edge of the camp, following the river's direction upstream at full speed, until all the camps had shrunk to tiny dots, then he gradually slowed.

The closer to the river, the richer the vegetation; some small olive trees and stinkwood lined the banks, between the trees were strange weeds and wildflowers he couldn't name.

The woods weren't dense, but even a bit of shade made him feel much cooler; now he just wanted to take off his armor, step down the embankment, jump into the river, and give himself a good rinse.

"Do you think the water is deep?" he watched as the two tied their horses to a nearby tree and caught up. If the water were too deep, he'd worry about stone folk appearing; he had earlier heard there were no crocodiles in the river, "Hey, you know I'm small, I can't just go in to test, right? I heard the scholars of Kai Yan Cheng say that some water looks shallow but is actually deep."

"Then is that scholar a dwarf?" Tai Luo asked.

"Since my old man, the Duke of Tai Wen, had a dwarf son, he no longer welcomes a second dwarf showing up in Kai Yan Cheng, so this scholar is a big guy," also a lecher who loves blondes, so Kai Yan Cheng is undoubtedly his paradise, "he knows how to scare children or dwarves away from swimming adventures." This undoubtedly violates the Duke of Tai Wen's wishes, "but I believe this statement is truth, not intimidation."

Tai Luo laughed once and paid him no further heed.

They glanced warily at both sides, then took off their waterskins and went down the embankment. Ti Li Ang followed them down, seeing them first empty the water inside, then fill it to the brim, take a hearty gulp, and only then attempt to go into the river.

The water just reached their waists. At least in this stretch, the river wasn't too unpleasant; perhaps his horse would be willing to wade through it on an adventure.

At this moment he also didn't bother about possible enemies around; the hot, dry weather had already robbed him of patience, he quickly stripped naked, dove in like a fish, then happily floated about on the calm surface.

Ha ha, he shouted loudly, switching among various swimming poses; finally he simply closed his eyes, lay back on the river, and stroked toward the opposite bank. The far bank looked lovelier than this weedy near bank, a stretch of white sand, and he unconsciously kicked his short legs like a frog toward the opposite shore.

The Si Ka Zha Dan River was now in low water season, the banks less than three hundred feet apart, and this spot belonged to a narrow part of the riverbed, making the distance even smaller; he wanted to check the condition of the east bank, even if only for a short while.

He seemed to hear the two guards shouting something, just as he felt the need to open his eyes, a shadow fell over him.

"'Ti Li Ang Lan Ni Si Te!'" a nonstandard common tongue entered his ear; he couldn't at once recall which place's common tongue it was, he gave a start, flipped over, nearly sinking into the water, hands and feet working hard for a while before stabilizing his body; fortunately the water at the bank was shallow, he only swallowed two mouthfuls before planting his feet firmly in the mud and sand.

"Wow, I never expected to still encounter a 'familiar' accent on this land." He covered his vital spot, "It's really a pity, showing up like this to see a friend—this is my fault."

"You're wearing nothing." One of the men laughed, "The water is still fairly clear; we can see everything clearly."

"You're truly cruel, actually wanting to expose that poor lie."

The newcomers numbered seven, either six men and one woman or all seven men; he was somewhat uncertain.

He was now in the shallows, having played in the water for so long that he truly lacked the strength and confidence to escape before so many people.

"At first I wasn't sure you were a little devil, but now I can tell." He turned his head, smiling at a young man nearby, "Prince, come over and look—we've caught the little devil!"

He instantly understood why the accent of that common tongue felt so familiar.

"Aren't we friends, Prince?" he said to the one called Prince, "Thanks to your uncle I'm able to live to this day!"

"Because of you, my uncle died." The Prince said.

"My fate was prematurely bound with his, which is indeed regrettable, but because of his actions I remain eternally grateful," he wiped his hair, trying to squeeze out a tear, "I even thought we were kin. May I ask, how is Princess Mi Sai La doing?"

"She's in my father's flowing water garden; of course she's fine." The Prince and his uncle were worlds apart, his flat chin and stern face showing no charm, a rather ordinary young man. "Why are you here?"

"Damn, I should have asked that." "Of course it's to escape the capital; you must know that!"

"You've fled too far, then." A handsome young man laughed and said.

"If it's for safety, I think we haven't fled far enough." He gave a forced smile, "This Prince should be named Quentin Martell; surely he isn't Prince Trystan engaged to my niece, otherwise I'd truly be heartbroken. Hey, handsome young man, may I know your name?"

"Garelis, Garelis Dentwat." He answered with a grin.

"Why would Dornishmen run all the way to the faraway Mire? You won't tell me you're also fleeing danger, right? Could it be you're also trying to marry the Dragon Queen? Oh, if that's the case, I'd have to worry about my older sister—her kingdom isn't stable at all. You should thank me; I've sent you a useful hostage. To be honest, after escaping from King's Landing, the place I most want to go is Dorne!"

"What are you going to Dorne for?" another person interjected.

"Of course it's to support Princess Mymyra, to have her crowned queen of the Seven Kingdoms! Prince Oberyn personally told me this strategy; I believe I can convince the Prince!" He slightly swayed in the water, "And how should I address you, sir?"

"I am Archibald Ironwood." The bald man replied.

"Ironwood, that makes me even more curious about your purpose."

"We came to find the queen; what exactly are you doing here?"

"Seeking the queen and presenting Dorne, he understood. 'Here there's only sand and water, no queen willing to swim with me; I came here to bathe, more nicely put, also called bathing.'"

"How should we deal with him, Prince?" Archibald looked at Quentin Martell.

He didn't want to leave his fate to the Prince's decision, so he immediately spoke.

"Alright, I came here also to find the queen, wanting to borrow her power to cut off my older sister's head, of course, also including my dear nephew." The innocent, pitiful nephew.

"We're all Westerosi," another burly man said, "Although meeting each one here feels rare, adding one more is still quite dangerous, frog," he looked at Prince Quentin, "Either take him away, kill him, tell him the secret to let him join us, damn it, we have no time or energy to stand by the river enduring the sun's scorching just to look at a naked dwarf."

"You know, our purposes are all the same," he bent his legs, ready to dive into the river at any moment, trying to escape, but hope is slim, "But letting me know the secret is definitely not wrong." Prince Quentin seemed unmoved; he might not look like Prince Doran, but his personality is surely similar, "Ah, if you kill me, wouldn't that disappoint Prince Oberyn? He gave his life for me."

The last sentence successfully made him think a bit more.

Quentin walked to the water's edge, threw over a robe, he caught it casually, then laughed loudly, jumped out of the river, casually wrapped himself in the large robe, his whole appearance looking like a monkey.

"We, following the order of the commander of the Windblown Corps, the Prince of the Ragged Cloth, have turned against the queen." The Prince spoke concisely, revealing their secret and plan.

"I'm afraid this order suits you just fine." The beach heat scorched the feet; after waiting for several people to fill dozens of bags with river water, they then continued onward, "Your two Dornish companions beside you can only give you muscular support, but I can provide mental support," the previous Prince seemed satisfied with my service, otherwise your rivals would be too strong, "I always can give the Prince the best advice."

"What advice can you give the Prince?" Bald Ironwood asked.

"First advice: play to strengths, avoid weaknesses."

"What does that mean?" the Prince asked.

"Make good use of your surname; your surname is your strength," any wise person can understand the value of Martell, "avoid your weaknesses."

"What weaknesses?" the Prince pressed.

"Certainly not the sword between your legs; this thing only gets sharper with use," Tyrion suppressed a smile. "You clearly aren't like your uncle, so I advise you not to whip that thing out as soon as you see the queen."

The Prince instantly flushed red with embarrassment, barely holding back his anger.

"Oh, did I anger you?" he shook his head inwardly, "Ah, looking at you, you're at least cuter than the two Princes I've met before. To be honest, I still like you a bit more."

He stared at him intently, "What weaknesses should I avoid?"

Tyrion looked at his serious expression and actually recalled that bastard boy on the Wall, feeling a twinge of sympathy.

"The Dragon Queen Daenerys is a young girl; there are too many rumors out there, but the only thing truly believable is that she is very young and also very pretty..."

"What do you want to say? What exactly are my weaknesses? I'm not worried about them being exposed here." The Prince said, face red, firmly.

"Your face." Tyrion let out a long sigh. "Women aren't saints, especially young women."