Chapter 86: Bronn's Prisoner
Bronn, chewing on a piece of straw, threw a large burlap sack at Ian's feet, then squatted down, brushed away the rotted leaves on the sack, and dragged out a man with his hands and feet bound.
"Who is this?" Ian needed an explanation.
"You don't know him?" This time it was Bronn's turn to be surprised, but soon, Bronn added, "That's right, it's normal for the captain's son not to know every sellsword," Bronn said, pulling the prisoner's hair to make him look at Ian. "You should know him, right?" He asked the prisoner.
"I don't know a damned thing!" The prisoner looked at Ian with a bewildered expression.
"Oh, friend, that's your mistake for playing dumb," Bronn showed a cruel smile. "You were very forthcoming when you surrendered just now."
"Enough," Ian interrupted them both. "Don't play games in front of me. Just tell me, who is he?"
"The rebel sellsword from your ship." Bronn replied.
How could this guy fabricate this out of thin air? Ian was somewhat confused. "How did you figure that out?"
"I was in Flea Bottom investigating the origins of the 'Stranger's Curse' and I happened to run into this fellow." Influenced by Ian's habit of referring to everyone as 'my friend,' Bronn had also begun to call everyone 'friend.'
"He was asking the innkeeper I was planning to question if there were any underground ruins related to death nearby, and I happened to overhear him from a distance..."
The player who bought the third clue! Ian instantly came to a conclusion.
"My first reaction was that he was one of your first mate's men, after all, the clues you'd received came from your first mate in a letter. You'd previously said you couldn't contact your first mate, so I followed him.
He was quite careful, and for a moment he slipped out of my sight, but I eventually caught him in a secluded alley.
But when I mentioned your ship, the Laughing Lion, and asked about the first mate, he pretended not to know anything.
So I told him more, and when I mentioned the chest and the Valyrian steel sword, he suddenly started begging for mercy.
That's when I realized he wasn't your first mate's man at all, but one of the rebel sellswords.
Furthermore, the sellswords were fighting among themselves, searching for whoever had taken the treasure chest," Bronn concluded.
If it weren't so inappropriate, Ian would have applauded Bronn. Such brilliant improvisation! Since your presence could perfectly cover up my lie, your journey to Westeros wasn't in vain.
"So, traitor, do you have anything else to say?" Ian looked at the captured player.
The captured player didn't know what to say for a moment. When Bronn had captured him, he thought Bronn was a player, but now after hearing the conversation between the two, he realized that the man claiming to be the son of the captain of the Laughing Lion was the real mastermind behind everything.
"Well, since you have no last words, then..." Ian said as he drew his sword and walked toward the unlucky player. When possible, he preferred to do it himself to get the full point reward.
"In the name of Robert of House Baratheon, First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, and Ser Gerion Lannister, Captain of the Laughing Lion, I, Lucien Lannister, sentence you to death for treason and mutiny."
"Wait, ser, wait!" The captive did not expect the other party to strike immediately, and begged for mercy quickly. "I surrender! Let me go, I... Can we talk alone?"
"Fine," Ian raised his eyebrows, then ordered the people around him, "Everyone step back... you two stay."
Ian's last words were directed at Roel and Kes. Even if his opponent's hands and feet were bound, he did not intend to be alone with a hostile player.
It wasn't until Bronn and the others had withdrawn that Ian spoke: "Tell me, what do you want to say to me in private?"
"Them?" The prisoner looked at Roel and the others hesitantly.
"They're my NPCs, you can ignore them."
"Are you the player who got 'First Blood'?" the captive exclaimed in surprise.
"This is your time to prove your worth, my friend."
"Do you have any allies?"
"No," Ian said, shaking his head.
"As expected of the player who got 'First Blood'—you've built such a massive operation single-handedly," the captive said with admiration, then excitedly declared,
"I'd like to invite you to join our alliance. There are three of us, and our current forces are considerable. If you join us, we're practically guaranteed to win!"
Guaranteed to win two hundred and fifty thousand dollars split four ways? Risk our lives in another world for such a pittance? Do you actually believe that? "Oh?" Ian feigned interest. "Where are your other allies?"
"No, ser," the captive forced a smile. "Only if you join our alliance first can I tell you about my other allies. Otherwise, revealing their information would be considered betrayal, and I can't afford the penalty."
"So you still have quite a few points?" Ian smiled.
The captive's face paled, but now he couldn't deny it. "Yes, still quite a few."
"After buying the third clue, you still have plenty of points left. Your alliance has eliminated quite a few players."
The captive didn't respond. His intuition told him that this 'Ser Lucien' had no intention of forming an alliance.
"If my guess is correct, you were the winners of the first phase of the player competition in Pentos? You cast a net around Illyrio's manse, eliminating many careless players who wanted to approach Daenerys? Perhaps you also completed some complex side quests and earned substantial points?"
The captive remained silent, but the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed his panic.
"And this time, you didn't come to King's Landing on the same ship. You split into two groups. Your two allies led your main forces to the Street of the Sisters and stayed there to attract the attention of other players, while you secretly investigated the treasure chest in Flea Bottom using those clues?"
"You? You..." The captive wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.
"There's no way I'm joining a four-person alliance. You should know that coming to this godforsaken place and risking your life for two hundred fifty thousand dollars split four ways is a joke. Unless you can show me some other value." Ian once again touched the hilt of his sword.
"I know where the treasure chest is." Unexpectedly, this time the captive spoke directly and shockingly.
"What did you say?"
"I can tell you where the treasure chest is, but you have to agree to my terms first."
"You're not in a position to negotiate with me."
(End of Chapter)
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