Game of Thrones: Oath of Iron and Fire-Chapter 34: The Butterfly Effect Across the Narrow Sea

The changes across the Narrow Sea were like a butterfly bringing a storm.

"The Ninepenny Kings, they added several years of excitement to the world. King Robert's grandfather, Mace, died in that very place!" the Queen of Thorns said. "Nine mischievous pirates never expected that someone would follow in their footsteps years later!"

"Just a bunch of pirates, butter merchants, cheese sellers, and slave owners' game!" Mace still dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"This Gunpowder King in the Disputed Lands is freeing slaves and might also cause a stir!" Willas said.

"But the Gunpowder King has completely broken ties with Myr, freeing slaves and now aggressively seizing the manors of Myrish slave owners. The other two daughters of the Free Cities are probably on pins and needles, fearing this storm."

"The merchants of Myr are taking advantage of the chaos to drive the price of gunpowder grass sky-high. The Gunpowder King has more gunpowder grass, and it's more affordable. Gunpowder grass is urgently needed by armies. I think we also need to make contact with the Gunpowder King!" Willas said.

"What kind of logic is that! A lord has to do business with a slave master!" Mace pursed his lips.

"It's always right to observe the world more! Be cautious," the Queen of Thorns added. "Willas, don't be like your father. Sometimes I wish I were a countrywoman, just to have a big wooden spoon to knock him and pour all sorts of considerations into that fat head of his."

"Mother!" Mace's face turned red.

"When a slave master has resources, it's a whole different story. Gunpowder grass has always been expensive!" the Queen of Thorns said. "This is also for the family's future endeavors, for the chaos that may come. The shadow of war lingers, this summer is so long, and the coming long winter nights will be absolutely cruel."

"I will continue to monitor the situation across the Narrow Sea. The sailors from Oldtown and Redwyne will pass messages for us! If necessary, we might have to meet this newly risen Gunpowder King!" Willas said. "But will the Spider add fuel to the fire with our plans?"

"Eunuchs are more slippery than you think. This man won't spoil our business for now! Child, prepare for the future. King's Landing is full of lions, and there's also a stubborn stag who's not happy," the Queen of Thorns declared. "The Spider's mind is much deeper than ours. He seems to be everyone's friend, but who knows what he's thinking?"

"Can I go to the Disputed Lands too? I've read about the wars of the Ninepenny Kings in books. The Disputed Lands are a rich and chaotic place!" Margaery suddenly interjected.

"That's out of the question!" Mace immediately cut off his daughter's idea. "There are pirates on the Stepstones who specifically plunder noble men and women from Westeros."

"What if brave Garlan accompanies our little flower?" A tall and strong knight arrived, draped in a green robe. He looked like the Knight of Flowers but was even taller and stronger.

"Brother! I'm glad to have your protection!" Margaery said happily.

Garlan also stepped into the pavilion. Garlan had a beard; he looked more like a wild warrior than a delicate noble young master. Garlan's personal sigil was two golden roses on a green field, indicating his status as the second son.

Garlan was braver than Willas and wiser than Loras, combining the strengths of both.

"I'm also interested in the Gunpowder King. I suspect he might be an exiled knight from Westeros, as the Wolf Pack has always been like this," Garlan said. "But such a brave knight should have stood out at a tourney long ago."

"Maybe he doesn't love glory and fame!" Margaery said. "Like you, brother, a modest and practical person."

"That makes him even more formidable!" Garlan thought. "A young man who doesn't love empty fame must want more! The Gunpowder King is also a man of action, fighting fiercely with the Meereenese and the Unsullied." Garlan longed to meet such an opponent. Garlan was also good with a sword, usually practicing with three or four people to simulate the situations he might encounter in real combat and prepare himself in advance.

...

In a manor in the Disputed Lands, not far from the gunpowder grass manor, there was another small manor of a Myrish magistrate.

The Free Army swarmed the manor like a tide. The Free Army's banner was black, with a slave breaking his shackles. The liberated slaves shouted the slogan "Freedom! Freedom!"

The crowd parted, and Gendry appeared on a black steed, like a storm. Lance and others followed closely behind him. The mercenaries of the Wolf Pack were the most elite, fully armed. Double-edged battleaxes, sharp daggers, longswords, maces, spiked flails, studded leather and chainmail, greaves to protect the legs, and gorgets to support the head.

"Victory! Victory!" The Free Army also cheered, their equipment much simpler. Chainmail, leather armor, and very rudimentary weapons. Since there wasn't much good equipment in the slave manor, they could only barely arm the slaves. Fortunately, the Wolf Pack wasn't short on money for now and could purchase with gunpowder grass. Steel Fist and Lance trained the Free Army's soldiers to master short swords, shields, and heavy spears.

Gendry wore a crude iron mask, black scale armor, and the infamous black war hammer that had made a name for itself in the Disputed Lands, gleaming with a cold light!

War had tempered him, forged him. Gendry appeared taller and more robust. He raised his mace high, riding his horse back and forth in front of the Free Army several times. Every time he appeared, the soldiers' cheers grew louder. There was a kind of truth in war, and that was victory.

The entire manor was filled with screams and shouts. There was no cheering from the defenders, just desolation.

"Liberator! Chain-breaker!"

"Liberator!" the Free Army warriors cheered.

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The newly freed members of the Free Army were generally thin and sallow, but they had a precious quality, like gold, confidence. "Maybe, I can do better!" Gendry thought. "Seizing the shining moment and then achieving victory, like a shining star."

The manor gates opened on their own. Without resistance from the slave owners, the rebelling slaves killed the Myrish steward and took up the manor.

"The seventh manor!" Qyburn said behind him. Manors meant people and wealth, but also great responsibility.

"Maester Qyburn, you will still be in charge of counting the population, wealth, and measuring the land!"

"Lance, maintain good military discipline. The freedmen are our brothers; we are not a beastly army!"

"Yes, Commander!"

"Enter the city!" Gendry waved his hand and rode his black horse into the manor, the wind blowing his black hair. At this moment, he was the charging stag.

The slaves joyfully poured out of the manor for this brief moment of reunion.

"Freedom! Freedom!" The slaves climbed to the heights of the manor's towers, vying with each other. The slaves threw down the ship flags representing Lys, and there was also a ship on the Lysene coins.