"Kas, once you're done cleaning the eyrie, go to the feed storeroom and get some meat to feed these little ones." The Master of the Eyrie at Summerhall Castle assigned the tasks, and the tasks assigned to Kas were always the heaviest and the dirtiest.
"Yes, sir." Facing the Master of the Eyrie's deliberate Make things difficult, Kas showed no intention of resisting. After responding, he obediently took his tools to clean the eyrie.
Although he heard a burst of laughter behind him, he didn't care at all. For him, as long as he could work in the castle, it was enough; at least it was much better than being a slave in Rhys.
There were seven people responsible for the eyrie in Summerhall Castle. The other six, including the master, were all from a place called the Vale, so they banded together and ostracized Kas, who was from the continent of Essos.
And Kas was well aware of this, and knew he had no advantage in front of these people from the Vale. Patiently enduring and not giving his colleagues any excuse to cause trouble was the only way he could think of to deal with it.
Those people from the Vale also knew to act with discretion. Ostracizing a foreigner was not a big problem, but if they went too far and caused trouble, alarming the Earl, then even if the foreigner was driven away, they wouldn't be able to stay. There had been more than one example of this before, so giving the foreigner a bit more work to do, and making things easier for themselves, was already the heaviest measure they could use.
Although these falconers believed their actions were secretive and wouldn't give anyone an excuse, in reality, their every move was watched by the castle guards and reported daily to Master Moose, recorded in a roster. Next to each name on it was a score, and once the score reached its limit, the corresponding person would be transferred to work elsewhere, usually not a good place.
However, on the list, next to Kas's name, there was no score written, but rather the word "Master," circled with a pen.
Kas didn't know that he had already been marked by the Castle Master Moose in his mind. Even if he knew, he wouldn't have any thoughts. He was a very content person; he was already very satisfied that he could become a free man and get a job with a good salary. His next goal was to save up some money, then marry a wife, and adopt a child, and his life would be perfect.
Although his mind was thinking about his future happy life, Kas's work was not slow at all. He quickly cleaned the droppings from the perches, changed all the water in the basins, and repaired a damaged support pole.
After cleaning the eyrie room, he released all the messenger ravens from their cages to let them move around outside, and also cleaned the cages. He was busy until the afternoon before he finished cleaning the entire eyrie.
Just as he was about to prepare food for the messenger ravens, a Red Falcon flew in and landed steadily on the perch.
Seeing this Red Falcon, Kas was stunned, and quickly recognized that this Red Falcon was not the one that had just been released, but a Red Falcon from Miracle Port, and the copper message tube on the Red Falcon's leg was very conspicuous.
Kas did not remove the message tube himself, but hurried to the Master's office below the eyrie.
"Sir, from Miracle Port, Red Falcon." Kas reported to the Master in his not-so-fluent common tongue.
The Master was stunned after hearing this, and quickly realized what Kas was talking about. He quickly stood up and went to the eyrie. After seeing the Red Falcon, he carefully approached, took down the copper tube, then instructed Kas to take good care of the Red Falcon, and then hurried out of the eyrie.
The eyrie is located on the western cliff of the castle. The entire eyrie room is built from the cliff rock wall. From the eyrie, through a stone wall walkway, one arrives at the castle's plaza platform. This is the central area of the entire Summerhall Castle. A fountain statue, whose craftsmanship comes from Braavos, is built on the plaza. Underground water flows out from the spout of the statue's kettle, and along the surrounding waterways, gathers into the reservoir.
Beside the reservoir is an aerial garden, where flowers from various places are planted. A not-so-large pavilion is built in the garden, and next to the garden is Lord Linde's study, which also serves as a temporary Council Chamber.
In addition to bookshelves, desks, and other facilities, the study also houses a huge conference table.
This conference table is about eight meters long and two meters wide, capable of accommodating twenty seats around it. On the tabletop is a stone slab with a full map of Westeros, carved by skilled craftsmen. All the cities, mountains, rivers, and some special locations of the Seven Kingdoms are marked out.
This stone slab was not made by Lord Linde's subordinates, but was excavated from a collapsed basement in Summerhall when the Redemption Sanctuary was being built. According to Maester Thorne's research, this stone slab should have been re-carved by Aegon V based on the map of the Seven Kingdoms on Dragonstone. It had just never been used, stored in the basement, and finally buried underground until they discovered it.
When this stone slab map was found, it had broken into seven pieces, and the number seven also seemed to carry a kind of destined fate. After Maester Thorne repaired this stone slab map, he transported it to the castle on the mountaintop and placed it in Lord Linde's study, becoming one of Lord Linde's favorite items.
General ordinary matters would be discussed here. Only when major affairs arose, requiring the summoning of all department heads and army commanders, would they go to the Council Chamber in Redemption Town.
Although Summerhall Castle is not yet completed, the main facilities such as the eyrie, study, bedrooms, dining hall, kitchen, etc., have all been built. The remaining are some secondary facilities, such as warehouses, libraries, etc., which can be built slowly.
Lord Linde had already moved into this castle, built on top of a hundred-meter-high columnar peak, half a year ago, and began working within the castle.
At first, it was a bit unaccustomed because people who came to report matters needed to take the elevator, which was quite troublesome. However, this actually accelerated the classification of various affairs. Some ordinary minor matters were all resolved in the town hall below, and only when they encountered matters that the Privy Council could not handle would they directly meet with Lord Linde to report.
Just like the matter now personally delivered to Lord Linde by Nameria, it was an affair that Lord Linde needed to handle personally.
"Has he been Archbishop for too long, that his mind has solidified into a rock?" Lord Linde's angry roar came from inside the room. Servants passing by outside, upon hearing who Lord Linde was cursing, all lowered their heads and hurried away, fearing that walking too slowly and hearing another word would invite disaster.
Nameria tapped the edge of the conference table with her finger and said in a deep voice, "It's useless to curse the Archbishop now. When he asked King Robert to abolish the agreement prohibiting the Church's armed forces, signed by Jaehaerys I and the Church, he had already involved us. The reason he had the confidence to make such a demand to King Robert is that our growth has given him too much foundation for his delusions."
Rhys Farwell, who had just returned to Redemption Town, also came to the castle to report everything he had seen in King's Landing, saying, "King sent the Archbishop back to the Great Sept of Baelor, and issued a prohibition order against the Archbishop, forbidding the Archbishop from leaving the Great Sept of Baelor by a single step."
"How can King do this?" Bishop Hulen stood up, agitated, and said, "Is he going to wage war against the Seven Gods Church? Just like Maegor the Cruel?"
At these words, everyone present looked at Bishop Hulen, stunned.
"Sit down. If you can't speak, then shut up. You represent not only the Redemption Sanctuary, but also my Summerhall." Lord Linde coldly rebuked Bishop Hulen, "Do you know what the consequences would be if your words were to get out? Use your brain when you speak, don't just say whatever comes to mind without thinking. There are some consequences you cannot bear."
Bishop Hulen also realized his slip of the tongue and dared not offer any rebuttal in the face of Lord Linde's rebuke. He lowered his head and sat back down in his chair.
"When I returned, I heard news from the Red Keep that King approved the Prime Minister's proposal to levy an additional tax on goods we sell to the Seven Kingdoms, and also a currency tax on the currency we mint. I heard he also plans to take back control of the Stepstones islands that were just given to us. In short, half of the dozen or so newly enacted decrees are aimed at us." Rhys said with a serious expression, "It seems King Robert has completely regarded us and the Church as one entity."
Bert Farwell, who had also come to Summerhall to work with Nameria, looked at his father with a puzzled expression and asked, "Hasn't King always admired Lord Linde? Why…"
"Fool, in the face of imperial power, even blood brothers will attack and harm each other, let alone a lord whom one merely appreciates," Rhys rebuked his son unceremoniously, although Bert was a rank higher than him. "The Archbishop's demands have threatened the imperial power of House Baratheon, and he will, of course, be regarded as an enemy. And since we are too close to the Seven Gods Church, we will naturally be targeted."
Lord Linde listened to Rhys's words, his expression growing somewhat grim. When he had decided to use the Seven Gods Church's influence to strengthen himself, he had already considered the possibility of being influenced by the Seven Gods Church, and had even prepared some countermeasures, such as establishing the Redemption Sanctuary and Miracle Sanctuary, which would be entirely under his control.
However, before all his countermeasures could be fully implemented, something went wrong at the Great Sept of Baelor. His rise as the Godsworn gave the Archbishop a misconception that he could re-establish the Seven Gods Church's armed forces, allowing the Seven Gods Church to regain lost power and become an existence above the lords.
"Earl, I have received the latest news from other regions," Knight Baelon, who had been transferred to Intelligence Chief, took out the intelligence he had received that morning and handed it to Lord Linde. He said, "The Vale, Riverlands, Westerlands, Stormlands, and the North have all responded to King's Landing, imposing an additional tax on our goods. There is no news yet from Highgarden and Sunspear; it seems Highgarden and Sunspear will likely not comply."
"Well then! The Archbishop caused trouble, and we ended up being punished." Whether it was due to extreme anger or because he had already understood, Lord Linde suddenly smiled, muttered to himself, and asked Baelon, "What about the Starry Sept and Great Sept? Is there any news?"
"There is no news at all, nor have they raised any objections to the Archbishop being placed under house arrest in the Great Sept of Baelor," Baelon shook his head and said.
"It seems they are all waiting for your decision." Spending a long time in the Council Chamber had caused Nameria's political acumen to advance by leaps and bounds, leaving Lord Linde behind. Just like now, she immediately saw the intentions of the bishops from the Starry Sept, Great Sept, and other Great Septs.
Lord Linde was clearly a bit off, not understanding Nameria's meaning, and asked, "What do you mean, waiting for my decision?"
Nameria analyzed, "You underestimate your position in the Seven Gods Church. Although you don't hold any substantial ecclesiastical duties or positions in the Seven Gods Church, your influence has far surpassed that of the Archbishop of the Great Sept of Baelor. You could say you are the spiritual leader of the Seven Gods Church. Now that the Archbishop has caused such a big commotion, the bishops of the various Septs naturally need to see how you, as their leader, make a decision before they can make their corresponding policies."
"Do I really have such great influence now?" Lord Linde had spent most of the past year cooperating with Moroa in researching new potions and training the power he gained from the Dragon Feast Ritual. Most external affairs were handled by Nameria and his subordinates, so he didn't know much about his current situation.
Bishop Huren quickly replied, "Yes, Godsworn, you are already the de facto spiritual leader of the Seven Gods Church. The bishops of various Septs have close correspondence with us, and their relationship is far closer than outsiders imagine." As he spoke, he took out some letters and placed them in front of Lord Linde, saying, "These are all letters sent by various Septs after the news about the Archbishop spread, inquiring about how we plan to respond."
Lord Linde picked out a letter written by the Bishop of the Starry Sept. The content was very simple: it asked how the Redemption Sanctuary planned to deal with the Archbishop's matter. The content of the other letters was also similar, only some letters used more respectful wording.
"The Seven Gods Church governs faith, and kings and lords govern the secular world," Lord Linde put down the letter and thought for a moment, then said, "Bishop Huren, tomorrow you and Bishop Josais will represent the Redemption Sanctuary and Miracle Sanctuary, respectively, to issue a public statement. It should roughly state that the Archbishop's actions have overstepped the Seven Gods Church's authority and will not be supported, emphasizing that the Archbishop's actions are personal and unrelated to the Seven Gods Church."
"Yes, Earl, I know what to do," Bishop Huren quickly responded.
Moose frowned and said, "If we do this, we will truly offend the Archbishop to death, and it might be difficult to get financial support from the Great Sept of Baelor in the future."
"Are we short of money now?" Lord Linde retorted.
Moose was stunned and said nothing more.
"What about us? Should we also issue a statement or something?" Nameria asked doubtfully.
Lord Linde shook his head and said, "No need, Bishop Huren is enough; his statement represents our stance."
"What about the new tax decrees from King's Landing targeting us?" Moose asked again.
"Don't worry about it. Just pay the taxes that need to be paid," Lord Linde waved his hand, then asked Moose, "What impact will the increased additional taxes have on us?"
"Our income will decrease by about thirty percent, because more merchant ships will go to King's Landing, so they can reduce an extra tax," Moose said while looking at the documents in his hand, "However, our trade with Essos will not be greatly affected; it will remain as it was before." He paused and then said, "Actually, we can also use this reason to raise prices, probably by about ten percent, which should offset…"
Lord Linde interrupted Moose's suggestion and said in a deep voice, "No need to raise prices. The price will remain what it was before. Continue to increase weapon exports. Send people to negotiate preferential weapon exchange agreements with Tyrosh, Rhys, and Myr. They can get cheaper weapons from me, and we can get cheaper local products from them. But local products are not our goal. Our goal is to ensure that every person in these cities has a weapon produced by us."
With the invention of the hydraulic hammering machine, the forge hidden deep in the mountains by Lord Linde had become the core industry of Summerhall. Weapons that other blacksmiths needed one or two months to forge now only took less than a day, and not just one, but thousands. Furthermore, they didn't require skilled blacksmith masters, only apprentices with a basic understanding of forging techniques, or even ordinary people who could be trained in a few days.
However, weapons produced on this assembly line also had significant flaws. For example, they could not feel as comfortable for the user as custom-made weapons. Additionally, due to the forging process, these weapons were more fragile than meticulously crafted ones; in a clash, most assembly line weapons would break. Their advantage, however, was their low cost. The money required to buy one meticulously crafted longsword was basically ten times that of a Summerhall assembly line weapon.
"What about armor?" Moose asked again.
"Still not for sale, not a single piece of armor is allowed to be sold," Lord Linde said very sternly to Rosso Brun, who was sitting at the end of the table, "Your Blood Armor must keep a close eye on this for me. Anyone who dares to be involved in smuggling armor must be arrested. Remember, anyone."
"Yes, Earl," Rosso Brun nodded solemnly in response.
Lord Linde then continued, "Don't bother with the matters in King's Landing. Let them impose taxes if they want, and set up checkpoints if they want. Do not conflict with them, and do not pay attention to the people from the Great Sept of Baelor. All our work priorities from now on will be only one: unify the Stepstones, and provoke wars between Tyrosh, Rhys, and Myr. This is the most important thing for us in the next few years; everything else can be put aside."
"What if King's Landing and those kingdoms to the north continue to pressure us to make the Seven Gods Church bow?" Nameria asked with some concern.
Lord Linde smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about that. If they really continue to bother me, I don't mind letting the Seven Kingdoms fall into chaos ahead of schedule."
At this moment, the Eagle's Nest Steward, led by a servant, arrived in the Council Chamber of the study, handed over a copper tube, and informed everyone that the copper tube letter was sent by the Red Falcon.
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions immediately became serious, and their gazes fell on the copper tube.
Lord Linde opened the copper tube, took out the letter, and quickly read it, a strange expression appearing on his face.
"What's wrong?" Nameria asked anxiously.
Lord Linde handed over the letter and said, "Sea dragons? Sea dragons have appeared in the Dorne Sea."
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