It wasn't until King Robert's three brothers had walked away that the Gold Cloaks relaxed their guard. The King's magnificent procession headed towards the Great Sept of Baelor, while the apprentices' group followed the crowd away from the white Great Sept.
"Stannis, what are you thinking about?" Renly quickly rode forward, asking his somewhat distracted, nearly bald older brother, Stannis. Renly was always frivolous, so it was natural that he wasn't close to his rigid and stubborn brother. Stannis was too stubborn and not handsome enough.
"Nothing!" Stannis waved his hand, but seeing Renly's appearance, he was even more surprised. He seemed to have seen a tall Boy in the crowd, but then he disappeared. His appearance, build, and demeanor were strikingly similar to the King in his youth and to Renly. Edric, who was fostered at Storm's End and had ruined Stannis's reputation, also looked more like a blood brother to that Boy.
"I've never surpassed Robert in anything!" Stannis said with a self-mocking laugh, referring to power, looks, charm, and even the number of Children.
"I must have seen wrong. But why are Robert's three legitimate Children all blonde, lacking the House Baratheon features, while all these bastards have black hair?" Stannis suppressed the doubts in his heart and continued to follow the procession. He knew there was another one of Robert's bastard daughters in The Eyrie in the Vale, and perhaps he could ask Lord Jon.
King Robert's redistribution had already sown the seeds of chaos. Renly received Storm's End without effort and grew close to House Tyrell, while Stannis only had the desolate and barren Dragonstone. If a person is always resentful, then he will always be suspicious. Stannis was like this; he had always been dissatisfied with King Robert's treatment of him, unable to compare to the Queen's relatives or his younger brother, Renly.
"Let's go! Children, it's best not to get close to the King's Gold Cloaks; the Gold Cloaks aren't so good-tempered!" Tobho also led the apprentices back to the smithy the way they came.
"Those Knights are so dashing! I saw Barristan, but it seems Ser Jaime, the "lion," didn't come this time!" The King's procession, this river of steel, had already moved far away, but one apprentice still spoke with envy. Compared to a blacksmith, a Knight was still more dazzling and more popular.
"The lion, you've probably forgotten that Lord Jaime has another nickname!"
"Shut up, Child, watch your mouth. I don't want trouble!" Tobho suddenly became very strict, covering the Child's mouth. There were too many important people in King's Landing; keeping one's mouth shut was the only way to live longer. House Lannister's red-clad lion soldiers were everywhere in King's Landing. House Lannister had operated in King's Landing for two generations; they were not to be provoked.
"Put away your Knight dreams, apprentices! To become an excellent Knight, you need at least one hundred gold dragons, and that price is very reasonable. Do you have that money?" Tobho mercilessly shattered these Children's Knight dreams. Finding an Instructor, forging armor, and Knightly anointment all required gold dragons. For Children from ordinary blacksmiths or landless commoners, being a blacksmith, though tough and tiring, at least provided a livelihood.
Gendry looked at his companions; their faces still showed the feeling of shattered ideals. The fantasy of a Knight and the reality of a blacksmith—such was life.
Tobho felt there was indeed one among this group of apprentices who had hope. Tobho looked at Gendry beside him, tall and strong, handsome, but unfortunately, his identity was truly tricky. Gendry's deep blue eyes also held some envy, but he was much calmer than ordinary Children.
"The King is no longer young; now he's like a wild boar. It's a good thing this Boy hasn't noticed his resemblance to Renly," Tobho thought to himself.
Gendry didn't have too much halo-worship for Knights or the King. He only envied such a free life, unlike his own, filled with anxiety and fear. King's Landing was a mess now, and staying in King's Landing would inevitably be affected. He needed a good way out.
"Children, actually, forging a set of armor, any country blacksmith can do it. But why do our prices go up? Because what I forge are works of art; my craftsmanship is the best in King's Landing." When Tobho was in the mood, he would impart some of his blacksmithing experience to the apprentices. "So you must not only know how to forge iron but also understand the social etiquette of dealing with those lords, know some writing and languages, and understand some mathematics and drawing. This way, you will be a blacksmith who can sell at a high price."
Gendry nodded in agreement. He was indeed the best blacksmith in King's Landing, very skilled at telling his own story. In reality, the iron materials were the same, but to sell them at a high price, one had to please those nobles and lords.
However, Gendry knew Tobho wasn't entirely truthful. Tobho's most impressive skills were two techniques: one was infusing color into steel, compared to which painting and glazing were mere Child's play. The other was his technique for forging valyrian steel, or rather, reforging it. But Gendry was a bit curious, because the Qohorik people valued their techniques highly, and those who stole and leaked them would have their arms cut off.
"Of the several realms of blacksmithing, I can probably only learn glazing and painting. Tobho won't pass on those two top-tier techniques, and furthermore, if I were to stay here for ten or eight years, I'd only have a chance to glimpse the core techniques, which is too unrealistic."
Gendry still liked Tobho's way of training apprentices, because he was a top weapon master. Although it was still a monotonous life of forging, Tobho would also have people teach the apprentices other skills: mathematics, language, and drawing. Without a sense of aesthetics and art, one truly could not become a first-rate blacksmith.
Gendry eagerly absorbed this knowledge so that he wouldn't become illiterate and unable to find a place to eat. A blacksmith apprentice, a skilled worker, was always in demand. Although Gendry couldn't yet compare to the education of great noble sons, who studied languages, literature, arithmetic, music, and history, as well as specialized Knight training in swordsmanship, horsemanship, and archery, this was all temporary. There would be a day when the fish transformed into a dragon and entered the sea.
"Clang! Clang!" Gendry threw an iron sword into the cold water trough, making a "sizzle" sound. Today's task was finished. This sword looked well-proportioned and beautiful; although not the best, it surpassed the level of a country blacksmith.
"Phew!" Gendry untied his leather apron, revealing his muscular arms. Day after day, perhaps tomorrow's ironware would be even better.
The workshop was like the mouth of a fire dragon; Gendry could only feel the scorching heat of the flames. It truly was one of life's three great hardships. He ran his hand through his charcoal-black short hair, and suddenly a panel appeared before him.
[Gendry]
[Bloodline: Storm's Blood (Enabled, Awakened 30%), True Dragon's Blood (Not Enabled), first men's Blood (Not Enabled), Rhoyne River Blood (Not Enabled), green hand Blood (Not Enabled)]
[Talent: Caste Resilience (Descendants of the stag are tall and strong, prolific, giving birth to black-haired, blue-eyed offspring)]
[Skills: Blacksmithing: Master, Drawing: Master, Mathematics: Master.]
Gendry looked at his bloodline, almost stacked with all the BUFFs. If he wanted to escape King's Landing and find a place to settle down, it now seemed not impossible.
Gendry knew that many bloodlines originated from the marriage of his ancestors and Princess Rhaella of House Targaryen. Princess Rhaella's father was King Aegon the Commoner, and Princess Rhaella's mother came from the Blackwood Family, her grandmother from the Dayne Family, and her great-grandmother from House Martell.
Gendry looked at those bloodlines; these bloodlines usually had corresponding magic.
True Dragon's Blood might be for controlling dragons and fire, and Rhoyne River Blood for controlling the waters of the Rhoyne River, like the rhoynar water wizards. Although currently only Storm's Blood was glowing, the other bloodlines were in a solidified gray state, indicating they were not enabled. And only the Caste Resilience talent was enabled.
Gendry felt no longer lost; with his greatest trump card, he still had the hope of changing the world.