Arthur stood up, personally picked up the wine jug, and poured a cup of ale for Roderick. Then, he walked to the silent captain of the guards and poured him a cup as well:
"It seems Lord Roderick has had a tiring journey. We won't keep you long."
Arthur raised his own wine cup, gesturing for the three of them to drink together:
"Cheers to our cooperation!"
For him, once the money was received and the goods delivered, his objective was achieved. As for who these people were or what their schemes might be, it was none of his concern. As for helping Roderick, they were at most nodding acquaintances, so there was no need at all. Not getting involved was the best outcome.
The captain of the guards looked down at the wine cup in front of him, then looked up at Arthur, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He picked up the cup and took a small sip.
Watching the other party take a small sip, Arthur turned to Lucien, who was attending him:
"Lucien, mobilize a hundred soldiers to escort Lord Roderick's party out of our territory."
Arthur emphasized the words "escort" and quietly added to Lucien:
"You must personally watch them leave our borders completely."
This Roderick and these people would become a problem, but as long as they left his territory, it would have nothing to do with him.
After sending off the party, Arthur immediately issued a second order:
"Barna, transfer all the gold dragons to the secret vault deep within the mountain, behind my room."
Everyone dispersed as ordered, leaving only Evelyn, who was nominally still Arthur's maid. The woman had been silent since she was in the meeting room, but now she finally broke her silence: "Those people are not from Tyrell Family."
Arthur smiled at her: "How can you tell?"
The woman slowly spoke: "Roderick and these people didn't mention a single word about the agreement until the end, that within this period, no more eyes were to be produced or sold."
"Roderick didn't say it, and that captain of the guards, the actual leader of the party, didn't say it either."
"Roderick made it too obvious; he kept trying to signal you. Why didn't you help him?"
Arthur picked up his wine cup and took a big gulp of the wine, which was like water: "I've received the gold dragons, I've delivered the goods, and I've sent the people off. The matter is no longer my concern."
"Getting involved in things beyond one's capability leads to a swift demise."
"Go and rest for a bit. I still have a meeting tonight, right here."
Arthur watched Evelyn's retreating back. There were some things he didn't say. In Westeros, families that dared to oppose Tyrell Family were rare. If he had truly acted, he would have made an enemy of them. Anyway, Tyrell Family already had a sample that could be replicated.
As night fell, inside the Lions Den council hall, torches crackled loudly.
Arthur had summoned his principal courtiers in the Lions Den: Evelyn, Lucien, Hakon, and Barna. The other four military forts each had three semi-literate officials in charge of civil affairs, taxation, and military affairs. Although they were all semi-literate, they still needed to accumulate experience. Olivier remained at the Terry Family's old castle.
Arthur looked at everyone, indicating that this was a purely military meeting. His gaze swept over each person, and his fingers tapped on the table: "We have money, and we have sturdy fortresses."
"But that's not enough."
"We must not only have the strongest shield but also the sharpest sword!"
"The idea of forming cavalry is not realistic at the moment; it's temporarily shelved."
Lucien and Hakon were a bit surprised, but they didn't contradict Lord Arthur. They knew that Lord Arthur had always wanted to form a cavalry unit and had mentioned it many times, wanting to let some old soldiers take turns riding horses to learn horsemanship.
"Warhorses are strategic resources. Each family tightly controls the warhorses in their hands. We cannot obtain enough excellent warhorses to equip a charging formation through normal channels."
Arthur stood up and walked to the precise map drawn by Evelyn, which hung on the wall.
"Since we have the natural defenses of the mountains and strong fortresses to rely on, we must invest all our resources into one thing: heavy infantry."
Arthur pointed to the wooden stand that Barna had just instructed someone to carry in. Everyone looked back:
At the doorway, a complete set of plate armor stood silently on the wooden stand. Barna proudly brushed away non-existent dust from the armor's shoulder, his voice filled with uncontainable pride: "Gentlemen! Behold!"
Lucien, Hakon, and even Evelyn's eyes widened. This set of plate armor was entirely black, its surface seemingly treated with a special blackening and oil-quenching process, absorbing most of the light and only reflecting a deep, dark cold glow at the edges.
In the center of the breastplate, a roaring black lion's head with bared fangs stood out in relief. Every mane, every fang was clearly visible. The lines of the lion's fur were as coarse as thorns, and the opened massive fangs were outlined exceptionally wide, almost filling the entire head,
revealing four sharp fangs, radiating intense killing intent, as if it would let out a deafening roar the next moment.
The accompanying exquisite longsword was named Lion's Fang, and the end of its hilt also featured a meticulously carved lion's head.
Most striking was the helmet, crafted into a writhing lion's head. When the visor was lowered, the wearer transformed into a black male lion, with only cold killing intent emanating from the eye slits.
Arthur stroked his chin with satisfaction. Armor and military uniforms needed to be handsome, even capable of providing a combat bonus.
"By the Seven Gods...!" Lucien's eyes gleamed. He quickly walked up, unable to resist reaching out, his fingertips tracing the cold surface of the breastplate, producing a faint metallic scraping sound.
"This is what Lord Arthur's soldiers should be!" Hakon also stepped forward with Lucien, nodding vigorously beside him. He tried to lift one of the gauntlets, feeling its heavy weight, his face filled with fanaticism.
Exclamations of admiration echoed in the stone hall. This set of Black Lion Armor perfectly embodied all their imaginations of what Arthur's soldiers should be: battle-hardened and invincible. They began to imagine how magnificent it would have been if all three hundred of them had such equipment back then.
Just as Lucien and Hakon's emotions were at their peak, the financial officer, Qiba Nana, who had originally been the most emotional, cleared his throat: "My lords, this masterpiece is indeed something to be proud of."
Lucien and Hakon's gazes converged on him, anticipating his upcoming praise.
Qiba Nana paused, feeling the intense gazes of Lucien and Hakon, seeming a little reluctant, and finally slowly uttered the second half of his sentence: "However, crafting it, from smelting to forging and finally to fine finishing, almost consumed one-tenth of all the iron ingots obtained from the goods Roderick intended to sell in the North, which were eventually used as payment."
The noisy council hall instantly fell silent, with only the crackling sound of burning torches to be heard.
Barna looked at Lucien and Hakon's frozen expressions and continued to announce the cruel conclusion in his low tone:
"In other words, with our current total iron reserves, at most, we can only forge nine more sets of such equipment."
The atmosphere plummeted from the peak of fanaticism to freezing point. Nine sets—this number was like a block of ice, freezing the fervent scene. Lucien and Hakon knew that Arthur intended to form an army, not a nine-person squad.
Arthur slowly walked forward and placed his palm on the cold breastplate.
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