Spring, 296 AC
After holing up in Griffin's Hold for over four months, Marco finally welcomed his "old friend," Lord Roose Bolton's army.
Three days prior, Marco's Wolf Spirit Squad had already brought back intelligence on this army.
Because the long summer hadn't ended, the Shivering Sea wasn't that cold this year. Marco wanted Moonlight to adapt to the climate and currents of Seal Bay early.
He sent them out a month in advance to search the coastline for the Bloody Hand. However, his men didn't find any trace of them at their original base.
Therefore, Marco deduced that they might have already set out to rendezvous with the main force. He kept a close eye on these guys, after all, they were all "Special Forces" carefully cultivated by Roose Bolton.
"Knock, knock, knock"
At that moment, a knock on the door interrupted Marco's thoughts, making him lift his head from the mountain of intelligence reports.
"Come in."
After the door opened, an old man with a white beard, dressed in a gorgeous, floor-length blue robe, entered. He also wore a magnificent hat with a long feather on top of a red gemstone.
He first bowed to Marco, then took out a notebook and said to him, "My Lord! Naxius greets you! I have prepared the statistical data you requested!
But! My Lord! I'm just a small mage, why do you entrust me with everything? Isn't the Bloodstone Elder and Caspar Ed capable of doing such things?"
Marco looked at him expressionlessly, rolled his eyes, and scolded, "You are the strongest and the most knowledgeable among everyone, so why wouldn't I look for you? Also, after you signed the contract with me, you always slack off! Therefore, I have to give you these tasks! If you don't want to do it, I can 'stuff' you back in!"
The uncle in front of him, with an Arabian style, was a level 4 unit, an Archmage, summoned by Marco from the refugee camp.
The Archmage was a level 4 unit of the Academy faction in the game Heroes of Might and Magic V. After being summoned from the space-time rift, it cost Marco a total of 3400 units of gold resources.
This guy once brought Marco to the brink of bankruptcy, and, from then on, Marco never received any tasks again, making Marco wonder if he was carrying some kind of bad luck aura.
Fortunately, this guy's traits were worth the cost, otherwise, Marco might have actually sent him back through the portal.
Archmages came from the Silver Federation of Ashan. They were masters who had studied orthodox magical knowledge, and they were the nightmares of enemies on the battlefield.
Traits:
Caster: Can cast the spells Raging Iron Fist (Intermediate), Chain Fireball (Basic), Just Power (Intermediate), and Magic Purification (Advanced) during battle.
Energy Tunnel: Reduces the mana consumption of the hero by 25% when casting spells.
The "Energy Tunnel" trait, in particular, was the most practical in Marco's opinion, due to the limitations on mana and level.
Marco always felt that he didn't have enough magic. With Naxius, he could save a lot of mana every time.
However, the only downside was that this guy was really too cunning. He avoided many things whenever he could. When he couldn't avoid them, he would complain to Marco like he was doing now!
So, to punish him, Marco assigned all the paperwork in the territory to him, completely freeing up the Bloodstone Elder and Caspar Ed to teach the residents.
After hearing Marco's response, the old man stopped complaining and began his work report in a serious manner.
Although Marco hadn't received any new quests, he had still accumulated some resources during these four months.
With Marco continuously recruiting soldiers and expanding his army, he now had 310 Ruffian Soldiers and 109 Archers. He also summoned the remaining three Griffins.
All of this was to prepare for the upcoming battle. A force of 500 men was a force to be reckoned with in The North, especially considering the Dreadfort, known for its infantry tactics.
Northerners were brave and fearless, with very strong combat abilities. Although they seemed poorly equipped in the TV series, they actually had complete armor and military training. They definitely weren't the kind of idiots who charged into a dead end with just a spear.
During these four months, Marco had continuously brought out all the knowledge he had from Blue Star, experimenting and producing finished products everywhere.
Because the area was rich in Obsidian Mines, Marco came up with the idea of creating glass crafts and products. Of course, he also tried making ceramics, but it wasn't as successful.
After conveying the ideas and basic methods, Marco turned to other matters, as these were things that could be exchanged for money and food, and there were plenty of people who would think about them for him.
Of course, Marco also wouldn't forget about the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. Because the island had many rivers and streams, Marco took advantage of these unique geographical conditions to raise fish in spring water.
The fish species on Westeros were also quite diverse, and because both salmon and eels had migratory characteristics, the Rockborn could enjoy a good meal every year during their breeding season.
Moreover, a very strong freshwater fish, the pike, also lived in the streams here. It was an extremely fierce carnivorous fish, and its meat was also very delicious.
Pike basically ate whatever they could find. In other seasons, they preyed on eels and some small animals. Although they were fierce, they were still just fish, and they would die if the water was drained.
Marco's plan was to establish a complete freshwater fish farming system within two years in the area near Griffin's Hold.
Of course, the Rockborn on Skagos Island had previous related farming experiences. Their long-haired rhinoceros and sheep farming had always been done very well.
Marco's arrival gave them some different suggestions and taught them how to domesticate wild boars and castrate pigs.
Over this period, these industries had made significant progress and developed considerably, leading to a substantial improvement in the Rockborn's living standards.
Furthermore, to facilitate trade among the Rockborn, Marco had established a Mint. However, the island's precious metal resources were limited.
For the time being, large-scale minting wasn't possible, and Marco had also stored away the gold and silver. Currently, the island was solely using Copper Coins.
After listening to Naxius's report, Marco nodded in satisfaction. Starting this year, Marco would officially begin trading with the Northerners.
However, due to the Rockborn's infamous reputation, no Northerners dared to come here for trade. The merchants who previously traded with them would only exchange goods from a distance using small boats.
But now, House Umber of The North presented a good opportunity. After the war with House Bolton, Marco would set off to The North.
In the eyes of the Northerners, the Rockborn were barbaric and xenophobic, only slightly better than wildlings. What Marco needed to do was change this perception, starting with commercial trade, and gradually altering the Northerners' mindset. Only then would it be possible to achieve the ultimate goal of conquest in the future.
At this moment, approximately 50 kilometers from Griffin's Hold, three oar-powered warships were slowly making their way across the sea, their destination being Griffin's Hold.
Dominic Bolton stood at the bow, gazing at the large island in the distance. He was the direct son of Lord Roose Bolton of Dreadfort, and he had become a knight just last year upon returning to Dreadfort.
Upon hearing from a servant that his family was going to eliminate pirates, the young lord had wanted to join the troops on their expedition.
This idea was immediately rejected by his father, Lord Roose Bolton, who locked him in his room. However, the young man, thanks to his agility, managed to escape the castle.
He even snuck onto the last warship departing for the campaign. He hid in the ship's hold for a week. If a soldier hadn't discovered him, he might have landed on the island with the rest of the troops to fight.
The person in charge of this expedition was the Bolton family's knight, Black Eel Yorke. He was also the Bolton family's naval defense officer and possessed extensive combat experience.
He looked at his young master, who was gazing at the distance from the bow, and sighed inwardly. He slowly walked to the bow of the ship.
"Young Master Dominic, you should go back to the cabin! It's your first time at sea, so you should be careful!"
Dominic Bolton turned around, his eyes fixed on Yorke, and said word by word:
"Sir Yorke! Tell me the truth, are those people on the ship behind us pirates? Also! This is the Trembling Sea! What exactly is our purpose for going out to sea?"
Black Eel Yorke seemed to have expected his young master to ask this, and sighed:
"Young Master Dominic! It's better for you not to know some things! You just returned from completing your knight's trial, and the Lord Earl was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept these things, so he didn't let you come.
Because the Bolton family has a hereditary feud with House Stark, they have always been suppressed in the entire North. Your father has been silently working for the family, and our troops need gold dragons and food!"
The last two words were like arrows piercing Dominic's heart, making him stunned.
"But! But! This doesn't conform to The Seven..."
Black Eel Yorke's voice suddenly rose a notch, and said:
"Young Master Dominic! The North doesn't believe in The Seven, and they can't save us either. You will be a great noble who rules over all people in the future. The spirit and faith of a knight cannot help you rule those unruly commoners! Only gold dragons and spears are what can help you!"
"I! I!..."
Dominic Bolton's mood was extremely complex at this moment. In his impression, his father wasn't a cruel lord, although he had some quirks and was a bit cold.
But in Dominic's heart, his father had always been a great lord and a caring father. Discovering his father's unknown secrets today made him feel somewhat at a loss.
However, years of knightly education still made him politely say goodbye to Yorke, and then he staggered back to the cabin.
Black Eel Yorke looked at the sky and estimated the distance, thinking about arriving at that castle before noon.
He personally didn't believe that those "Skagosi" had the ability to build a castle, but Bucktooth Manson, the current head of the "Bloody Hand", had sworn that he had seen the castle with his own eyes.
This made Yorke a little worried. If his 500 men were just coming to deal with those natives with glass weapons, Yorke was still full of confidence.
But if they were really going to attack a castle, the difficulty would likely be much greater, and it was even possible he could get himself killed here.
Bucktooth Manson had said his 200 men would handle the problem of the city gates and drawbridge, but Yorke was skeptical of the pirates' strength.
Even having heard of their "reputation," Yorke didn't think they could compare to the famous "Winter Wolf Army" of The North.
After about two hours, the three rowing warships finally arrived at the designated location. They had been using sails to save the soldiers' energy, which had slowed them down a bit.
The "Bloody Hand" soldiers had already scouted the coastline. This place was about 5 kilometers away from Griffin's Hold, with a deep-water area about 100 meters from the shore.
This was the most suitable gathering place, and Bucktooth Manson had already arranged for soldiers to scout ahead.
Everyone had discussed it before. Since they didn't have many warships, to avoid unnecessary losses in the siege, these three warships wouldn't participate in the attack.
After the warships dropped anchor, Black Eel Yorke began to gather everyone. There were over 300 people on the warship, including soldiers and sailors. After arranging for the soldiers to stay behind.
Yorke began arranging for the soldiers to board the ships. To prevent enemy sneak attacks, he stationed crossbowmen on the small boats and along the ship's sides. The giant crossbows and small catapults on the warships were also ready.
Just then, Dominic Bolton ran out of the cabin. He was already wearing the standard soldier's armor. He hadn't even brought his own knight's armor, as he had been in a hurry.
"Sir Yorke! I am ready. I am the direct descendant of House Bolton, and family interests come first. I demand to participate in the battle!"
Yorke looked at the young master of his family with satisfaction, thinking to himself: It seems those heretics in the south haven't worn away his bloodlust. He is still a 'Bolton'. (The Flayed Man, is it?)
"Young Master Dominic! I need you to guard our three warships here. This is very important to us!"
"Black Eel is right! Young Master! You should stay here!"
Dominic was about to object when a voice interrupted him. Both men turned their heads and saw a young man with messy hair standing on the deck, smiling at them.
"Who are you?" Dominic asked, puzzled.
"Young Master Dominic! Greetings! I am Bucktooth Manson, and I am currently in charge of the Bloody Hand. I am happy to be of service!"
After speaking, Bucktooth Manson even performed a mock bow, which looked somewhat convincing.
"Young Master! Please believe us! We absolutely do not look down on you! But these three warships are our only way out. The enemies this time are difficult to deal with, and five of our brothers died here! Therefore, we must leave ourselves an escape route!"
Then he turned his head towards Yorke and said, "My Lord Black Eel Yorke! Are you ready to deliver House Bolton's 'greetings' to our enemies?"
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