...Early morning.
The grand royal procession arrived before the gates of King's Landing.
The obese Robert rode at the head of the column. Seeing the desolate scene, with only a single squad of Gold Cloaks guarding the Gate of the Gods, his displeasure was palpable.
"Hey, Gold Cloaks!"
Hearing Robert's angry shout, the leading Gold Cloak finally seemed to react, hurrying forward.
"Oh, Your Majesty, please forgive my clumsy eyes for not seeing you."
Jeyne stood before the King on tiptoe, hypocritically burying his head as low as possible to show a respectful appearance, though in truth it was to hide the contemptuous smile in his eyes.
Knowing that Robert's party was about to arrive, Arthas had consulted with several of his captains during the morning shift change.
The others had all made various excuses to decline, but Jeyne, adhering to the principle that one can never watch too much drama, had volunteered for the task.
"Where is your commander!"
Robert's voice was booming; having brought Eddard back to King's Landing seemed to have given him more confidence.
Furthermore, it was bad enough that Arthas hadn't come, but he didn't even see the shadows of Renly or Barristan, which made him even more furious.
However, looking at the seemingly trembling Jeyne, the displeasure in Robert's eyes softened slightly.
Having been away from King's Landing for so long, it seemed these low-level fellows hadn't completely forgotten their King.
"Lord Arthas... he has important matters to attend to."
Before coming, Jeyne had thoughtfully avoided wearing the Lannister family crest and wore a heavy helmet that completely covered his signature long golden hair, lest his identity provoke the sensitive King.
Just as Robert was about to burst into a tirade, Eddard Stark, who was beside him, stepped forward.
Compared to the short-tempered Robert, his attitude was much more amiable, yet his expression remained very serious, as if everyone owed him hundreds of thousands of Gold Dragons.
"What matter could be more important than welcoming the King?"
Eddard had always valued etiquette and law, and he had heard many bad things about Arthas from Robert on the road.
Now, seeing no welcoming party at the Gate of the Gods, he became even more dissatisfied with this Lannister commander who disregarded protocol.
But he was unwilling to make things difficult for a low-level guard, so he questioned him in a voice only those few could hear.
Looking at the serious Eddard, who wore the silver-white Direwolf on his chest, Jeyne instantly realized his identity.
He quickly feigned fear, though a smile flickered in his eyes:
"Respected Lord Lord Stark, today is the day the Flea Bottom sewage System officially begins operation. Lord Arthas is currently there performing a final inspection."
"If you wish to see Lord Arthas, please condescend to go to Flea Bottom to find him."
"Sewage System?"
"Inspection?"
"Flea Bottom?"
Robert and Eddard exchanged a look, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
But since things had come to this, Robert had no choice but to suppress the fire in his heart for now. He turned to Jaime beside him and ordered:
"Take the Queen and Joffrey back to the Red Keep first. I'm going to Flea Bottom to see what the hell this brother of yours is up to!"
Receiving the King's command, Jaime immediately rode his horse toward the rear, but his gaze swept over the seemingly frightened Jeyne.
Even though most of his face was hidden, he recognized this distant cousin of House Lannister at a glance.
But Jaime did not intend to expose his disguise; he was equally curious in his heart about what Arthas was trying to do.
Arriving at Cersei's carriage, he leaned down and whispered a few words to her, then immediately returned to Robert's side.
"Your Majesty, the Queen says she was a bit bored on the road and wishes to go with you; it's a good chance for her to clear her head as well."
"Hmph..."
With a disdainful sneer, Robert said no more, simply nudging his horse's flanks and taking the lead toward Flea Bottom.
Led by the King, the massive procession began to move forward once again.
However, as soon as they entered King's Landing, everyone was shocked by the sight before them.
Clean streets, orderly vendors, and every so often, one could see Gold Cloak guards standing incredibly straight.
Sniff sniff—
Taking a deep breath, the fresh scent of earth wafted over. Even Robert, full of rage, felt his mood instantly soften, though anyone could see the shock in his eyes.
"Is this still my King's Landing?"
He looked doubtfully at this land he had ruled for over ten years. He hadn't expected that after being away for barely a month, she would seem to have transformed from a filth-covered whore into a noble Queen.
"Arthas, you fellow, what exactly have you done to my King's Landing!"
..."My Lords, please follow me."
A man with slightly graying hair, dressed as a middle-class craftsman, walked at the front, introducing his life's work of the past few days in detail to Arthas and the others.
"We have built a total of seven large pipes here in a spider-web pattern, which can fully meet the people's daily needs."
"The largest main line leads directly to the sea, allowing domestic sewage to be discharged directly into the ocean."
"The other secondary pipe networks lead to collection points outside King's Landing, where they are handled uniformly by specialized personnel."
Arthas looked at the eloquently speaking Claford and thought to himself that he had indeed found the right person.
This professional designer was someone he had specifically invited from the Westerlands. This man's ancestors had designed the sewage System for Casterly Rock, and to this day, it had never failed.
Since both Casterly Rock and King's Landing were coastal cities, having him design a sewage System for the capital was truly the most appropriate choice.
"Truly shocking, Arthas."
Renly looked at the wide main sewer pipe and couldn't help but praise loudly. The internal space here was so vast that one could even take a small boat for a tour inside.
It was precisely because he disliked the stench of King's Landing that he, as the master of laws, chose to stay in his own fief, Storms End.
If Robert hadn't left King's Landing and there was an urgent need for someone to manage things, he would never have been willing to come to this foul-smelling place.
Renly had seen all the changes in King's Landing over these past few days, and he felt increasingly fortunate that he hadn't stopped Arthas's purge of the city.
"Indeed, Lord Arthas."
Barristan, who was about the same age as Craft, also sighed with sincere admiration:
"The skill of the craftsmen you've brought is truly admirable."
From Jaehaerys II to the Mad King Aerys, and then to Robert, he had lived in King's Landing for decades as a member of the Kingsguard.
Whenever he stepped out of the Red Keep, an unbearable stench would assault his nose.
The slums of Flea Bottom and the shantytowns outside the walls were a chaotic mix where bodies were carried out every day.
But not one of the monarchs he served had ever thought of improving the lives of the people under their rule, spending their days only on their own food, drink, and pleasure.
Now, finally, someone had emerged who could truly improve King's Landing, and that person was actually a mere fourteen-year-old youth.
"Perhaps he is more suited to be King than Robert."
Looking at Arthas standing under the wide, curved archway, such a thought actually surfaced in Barristan's mind.
Immediately reacting, he quickly shook his head and threw this treasonous thought out of his mind.
Hearing the praise from the two men, a warm smile appeared on Arthas's face.
Although King's Landing belonged to Robert, from the day he became the commander of the city watch, he had already viewed this city as his own territory.
In the eyes of the prince of lordaeron, doing practical things for the people under one's rule was a responsibility every monarch should fulfill.
Rather than being like these fellows who sat on the iron throne in turns, viewing the common people as lambs to be exploited and oppressed at will.
The three of them followed closely in Craft's footsteps, walking along the pipe that was as wide as a corridor in the Baylor Great Sept, with harmonious laughter breaking out from time to time.
As for the other member of the Small Council, Varys... sorry, this fellow had not received an invitation from Arthas.
The lich king stated that he had been too busy these days, occupied with cleaning up King's Landing, and hadn't had time to deal with this Master of Whisperers who was so good at reporting secrets.
Thinking of the corpses collected a few days ago, a trace of a smile flashed in Arthas's golden eyes. He believed this Spider would surely be very satisfied with the "gift" he was going to give him.
"Lord Arthas!"
Just as the group was about to finish the tour, the dutiful Lancel arrived with hurried steps, his chest heaving:
"The King... the King is waiting for you at the entrance with his procession!"
"What?"
"The King is back?"
Hearing Lancel's report, Renly and Barristan both exchanged surprised looks and then looked at Arthas.
Because they hadn't received any news at all!
It was one thing for Renly; he was the master of laws, the Lord of Storms End, and even Robert's brother. Even if he didn't go to the city gates to welcome him, at most he would just be scolded by Robert for a bit.
But Barristan was different. As the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, for the King to have already arrived at King's Landing without him knowing was a serious dereliction of duty!
Looking at their suspicious and uncertain gazes, Arthas only gave a faint smile and explained nothing.
That's right, he did it on purpose.
As the Commander of the Gold Cloaks, and with all the squad captains being Lannister knights who had already sworn fealty to him, not even a fly could fly into King's Landing if he didn't want it to.
Deliberately keeping the news of Robert's return from the two of them was to create a rift.
After all, if he didn't first get Robert to drive Barristan away from his side, how could he easily move to turn him into a Death Knight?
Arthas was very covetous of this battle-hardened old knight.
Whether it was his superb swordsmanship, horsemanship, or leadership ability, the man had already been internally designated by him as the commander of the Death Knight legion.
"Hahaha—"
With a hearty laugh, ignoring the gazes of the two, Arthas swept his robes and took the lead in walking out, as if he were the leader of this place.
Taking bold strides, he even thoughtfully reminded the two who were still standing in place:
"What are you standing there for?"
"Hurry and welcome our 'King' back to King's Landing!"
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