The martial arts tournament at Summerhall lasted ten days, and in terms of grandeur, it was not much inferior to the martial arts tournament in King's Landing.
More than four thousand people participated in the team martial arts tournament, which was almost equivalent to a small war, and the archers in the archery competition numbered over five thousand.
As for the jousting tournament, more than two thousand people participated, and the vast majority of these two thousand people were famous knights in the Seven Kingdoms. Every knightly joust was incredibly exciting, and everyone was there for the Valyrian steel sword, naturally giving their all.
The final was between Brienne and Jaime Lannister. Although their duel was not as spectacular as Brienne's and Barristan's in King's Landing, it was still extremely exciting. They fought eleven rounds, breaking eleven lances, and ultimately, Brienne narrowly won, claiming the Valyrian steel sword. From then on, Ser Brienne Tarth truly became famous across Westeros and Essos.
During the martial arts tournament, Lynd met with the visiting King Robert, but the meeting's process and outcome were not very pleasant.
However, from his conversation with King Robert, Lynd still gained some information, such as the fact that the increased tax categories targeting Summerhall were not King Robert's doing, but Jon Arryn's unilateral decision, and at that time, the Iron Throne was experiencing financial problems, which was why he tacitly approved it.
Furthermore, he could also understand the reason for his strained relationship with Robert: it was more because he had subdued the Sea Dragon.
While Robert claimed to believe that he could not have Targaryen blood, what he truly thought in his heart was unknown. Moreover, Lynd could see the unconcealed jealousy and envy in his eyes whenever he mentioned the Sea Dragon.
Through this meeting with Robert, Lynd could confirm that he could no longer gain Robert's complete trust. Their relationship would only grow colder, and whether it would eventually turn hostile remained unknown.
However, for Lynd, none of this mattered. His wings were now fully grown, and as long as he was careful to avoid becoming a public enemy of the Seven Kingdoms, there would be no major problems.
However, this martial arts tournament also made Lynd realize his current standing in the eyes of the top Great Lords of the Seven Kingdoms.
Aside from King Robert, none of the other Wardens of the Seven Kingdoms came to Summerhall; all of them sent representatives. From this, it could be seen that although they acknowledged Lynd's strength, they still considered Lynd merely an upstart without any deep roots, perhaps even inferior to the lords of The Twins and the Crownlands who only had a hundred years of heritage.
Their long lineage made their gaze focus only on the history and Glory of their family's heritage, completely forgetting that the pillar supporting this history and Glory must be formidable strength.
The martial arts tournament was just a small interlude for Lynd. While the martial arts tournament was still ongoing, Lynd had already begun preparations for unifying the Stepstones. He planned to set off for the Stepstones once the little one grew a bit older and passed the most dangerous infancy period.
Just as he was preparing for the unification of the Stepstones, the arrival of two people slightly disrupted his plans.
"The Iron Throne wants to reclaim my right to use the Stepstones?" Lynd looked at the Iron Throne envoy who had arrived, a slight surprise in his eyes. The reason for his surprise was not the Iron Throne's actions, but the envoy before him, for he was Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, whom he had previously been extremely wary of.
Lynd had known for a long time that Littlefinger had been transferred by Jon Arryn from Gulltown to King's Landing, and he also knew that Littlefinger had quickly gained importance through his financial means, becoming the Master of Coin on the Small Council in less than a year.
However, what puzzled Lynd was that Jon Arryn had sent Littlefinger as an envoy, and at such a crucial moment when he was planning a war to unify the Stepstones.
He did not understand Jon Arryn's intention in doing this: was it to have Littlefinger persuade him to abandon the signed agreement and return the Stepstones rented to him by the Iron Throne, or was it to provoke him into losing his temper and accidentally eliminating the Duchess's lover, the man who had cuckolded him?
"This decision was made by the Hand of the King in the Small Council. Although many people disagreed, it has already passed, and I hope Your Lordship can understand." Littlefinger lowered his posture, explaining respectfully to Lynd, his words almost explicitly stating that this was all Jon Arryn's unilateral decision, and not to take his anger out on him, the envoy.
When looking at Lynd, although Littlefinger tried his best to conceal his inner emotions, always maintaining a harmless smile on his face, a hint of jealousy inevitably surged from his heart.
One must know that when he first heard Lynd's name, Lynd was just a small fry whom he could step on at will, but now Lynd had become someone he needed to look up to. And though he was now the esteemed Master of Coin, he was still merely a pawn, even forced to undertake this dangerous diplomatic mission, which made him feel inexplicably frustrated.
"I can withdraw from the Stepstones under the Iron Throne's name, but according to the terms of the agreement, for early termination of the lease, the Iron Throne must compensate me three times the rent, which means in addition to the principal of five hundred thousand gold dragons, you must also compensate me one million five hundred thousand gold dragons, totaling two million gold dragons." Lynd calmly looked at Littlefinger and said, "Your Excellency is the Master of Coin on the Small Council, you should be very clear that the Iron Throne's finances cannot possibly pay these two million gold dragons. In other words, you are preparing to renege on the debt while tearing up the agreement, correct?"
"It's not reneging, merely delaying repayment." Although Petyr had a smile on his face, he had clearly cursed Jon Arryn in his heart.
"Then tell me the plan and process for the delayed repayment, such as when and how much will be repaid, or in what manner?" Lynd continued to press.
Petyr knew very well that the Iron Throne had no plan whatsoever to repay the rent and the breach of contract fee, so he could only forcefully twist his words and say, "This is still under discussion."
Lynd sneered and said, "In other words, you have no plan whatsoever, and then you want me to give up the Stepstones that I rented at great expense. How is this different from a bandit? Is this the way of the Warden of the East, a lineage of a thousand years?"
Saying this, he paused, and without waiting for Littlefinger to explain, he continued, "Lord Petyr, you are a smart man. Do you think if I were to comply with your wishes and return the rented Stepstones, who do you plan to send to hold them? You should know that the Stepstones are rampant with pirates, and there are also mysterious sea monsters. Can you hold them?"
Petyr could hear that Lynd's words were a blatant threat, just short of saying that if the Iron Throne dared to send anyone to the Stepstones, he would make sure those people sank to the bottom of the sea.
Although Littlefinger greatly desired to create turmoil in the Seven Kingdoms to climb higher, it was definitely not now. His foundation was too shallow at the moment; even if turmoil arose in the Seven Kingdoms, he would not be able to profit from it, and might even lose the power he had already gained. He knew this very well, and Lynd, sitting across from him, also knew it very well.
Therefore, in Lynd's view, it was extremely interesting that Littlefinger, who would be the source of future turmoil in the Seven Kingdoms, now needed to stabilize the situation in the Seven Kingdoms.
Petyr carefully considered the chips he had at hand and said, "As long as Your Lordship agrees to cancel the lease agreement and return the Stepstones, then we can abolish the additional taxes on Summerhall and fully open the market in King's Landing..."
"You don't need to say more, Lord Petyr." Lynd stopped Littlefinger from continuing, saying, "If it were a year ago, I might have agreed to such an unreasonable request, but now my plan to unify the Stepstones has already begun to advance, and it's impossible to change it. So that part of the Stepstones cannot be returned." Saying this, he raised his hand to stop Petyr from speaking and continued, "However, out of my respect for the Iron Throne, I will additionally provide one hundred thousand gold dragons as compensatory rent to the Iron Throne. Furthermore, I will give you twenty thousand gold dragons as remuneration, Lord Petyr, for helping me persuade Lord Arryn."
Petyr was silent for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "I am willing to serve Your Lordship."
After speaking, he quietly withdrew.
Although Petyr's expression remained consistently smiling as he left, Lynd could clearly sense a hint of anger in Petyr's eyes, as if Petyr felt that his direct attempt to bribe him with money was an insult.
Lynd did not care about this. When his strength reached his current height, Littlefinger's schemes and tricks no longer seemed important to him, and his apprehension towards Littlefinger was not as strong as before.
What's more, he had already laid out contingency plans long ago. Not only was Varys watching Littlefinger for him, but he also had people placed around Littlefinger. If he wished, Littlefinger could die silently at any time, leaving no trace.
After meeting Littlefinger, Lynd then met another uninvited guest, though this guest was an old acquaintance of his, Prince Oberyn Martell.
"I didn't see you at the martial arts tournament, but now you suddenly come to see me in secret, Prince Oberyn. You shouldn't just be here to see Augustus, should you?" Lynd looked at the Red Viper, who was casually slumped in a chair, and asked with a smile.
"Of course not, I don't like children." The Red Viper said bluntly, then looked at Lynd and said, "I came with a mission this time. Our Sunspear is willing to give up control of Grey Gallows and its surrounding islands, which Dorne currently holds, and we are also willing to send troops to assist when you move against the Disputed Lands in the future."
Lynd was stunned for a moment and said, "You figured out that I'm going to move against the Disputed Lands?"
"Selling so many weapons to the Three City States of Tyrosh, Lys, and Myr, and then stirring up their conflicts, the entire Disputed Lands are now like a pile of dry tinder soaked in oil. Just a spark will make them burn completely and fall into war." The Red Viper smiled, casually picked up a decorative bottle of wine from the table, pulled out the cork, and drank two sips directly from the bottle, saying, "Your method is not clever, but it is very effective. Even if the high-ranking officials of the Three City States see through your intentions, they cannot stop the hearts of their subordinates, who have already been provoked into a fervent desire for war. They can only let things develop according to your plan."
"What do you want to gain?" Lynd asked in a deep voice.
"Revenge and judgment." The Red Viper sat up straight and said very seriously.
"Are you planning to go to war with the Iron Throne? Or are you going to war with the Westerlands?" Lynd asked in a deep voice.
"Of course not." The Red Viper shook his head and said, "If we just wanted revenge, I have thousands of ways to easily kill Tywin and those beasts under him, and make them die in immense pain. But I haven't done that, because what I want is judgment, a grand judgment that will make everyone in the Seven Kingdoms aware of Tywin's atrocities."
Lynd understood the Red Viper's meaning and said, "You want me to push for a Church trial." Then he smiled and said, "Have you considered the consequences of a Church trial for such a Great Lord?"
"Of course I know the consequences." The Red Viper nodded and said, "Don't worry, the trial won't happen immediately, and it might even wait a long time. We just hope that by then you will be able to stand up and support us."
"You must have just returned from Essos not long ago, right?" Lynd suddenly asked a completely irrelevant question.
The Red Viper was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "Yes."
Lynd looked at the Red Viper and said seriously, "On what basis do you believe that Targaryen can regain the Iron Throne? Relying on the Blackfyre descendants of the Golden Company? Or relying on the mercenary company you and Jon Clinton formed? You should know that Aegon the Conqueror, with three dragons, could not conquer the Seven Kingdoms back then. What makes you think you can do it without dragons?"
The Red Viper was also somewhat surprised that Lynd knew about his activities in Essos, which made him wonder if there were any traitors hidden among his subordinates, and his expression darkened slightly.
However, he quickly returned to normal and said, "You forgot, there's also our Dorne, The Reach, and your Summerhall."
Lynd was not surprised that Dorne and The Reach had secretly reached some kind of agreement, because Velas's accident could not be blamed on the Red Viper nor Arianne. Although their relationship still seemed unfriendly on the surface, in reality, their relationship was very close, as could be seen from the increasing trade between them year by year.
However, the Red Viper including himself in the calculation made Lynd want to laugh a little. Then he very formally said to the Red Viper, "King Robert has been kind to me. As long as King Robert is alive, I will not do anything against House Baratheon."
The Red Viper was silent for a moment after hearing this, then said, "I understand. In that case, our agreement is still valid. Grey Gallows will still be handed over to you, and we will still send troops to support you when you attack the Disputed Lands. I hope you will honor your commitment to the agreement then."
Hearing the Red Viper's words, Lynd realized that the other party had misunderstood his meaning, but he did not intend to explain further. He had not thought so much about future matters; his primary goal now was to take the Stepstones and the Disputed Lands.
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