Twenty days have passed since Edmure took charge of Stoney Sept. The town is a modest, walled settlement with a small market, but Edmure has already begun transforming its outskirts. While he billeted the craftsmen inside the walls, he and his guards pitched their tents in the fields beyond. In less than a moon's turn, he has overseen the construction of a large stable, several palisade walls, and a series of watchtowers.
His daily routine is grueling. Edmure spends hours on patrol, slowly cycling in reserve guards to acclimate them to his pace. Thus far, only two household knights have managed to keep up with him for five consecutive days before exhausting themselves; such is the relentless intensity of his movements. He has established a strict rotation: four days of camp duty for every one day of high-intensity patrolling.
Word of his dedication has begun to spread. The border towns have heard rumors of a Tully heir born to the saddle, and merchant caravans from across the Riverlands have started arriving in succession. Edmure's goal is clear: ramp up the infrastructure so that even a hundredfold increase in traffic could be handled without a bottleneck during the war.
Edmure was busy working on a suit of chainmail when his most persistent headache arrived. Elaena, a Lyseni prostitute has made a habit of harassing him daily. On his first day, Edmure had shut down the town's most prestigious brothel, buying the inn for a generous sum and tearing it down. He had hoped the payout would encourage the women to find new trades, but his experience with Elaena suggested otherwise.
"What is our young lord doing? Still sewing his coat?" she teased, leaning against a tent pole. "How about I soothe those aching hands in my warm bosom instead?"
"It's chainmail," Edmure grunted, not looking up. "I am linking rings, not sewing."
"Well, you could sew the links onto a heavy cloth backing," she suggested. "It might help keep the shape you want. I might be a lowly woman, but even I wear clothes... sometimes. When I'm sober."
Edmure paused, considering the logic. The girl had realized over the last few days that the Tully heir was all bark and no bite when it came to women.
"I'll try that," Edmure admitted. "And I don't think you're a fallen woman, Elaena. I've told you: closing that establishment wasn't about morality or the Faith. It's simply an unfair enterprise."
"Then enlighten me, oh wise lord. Shall we continue this conversation in a comfy bed? I heard you like drinking milk; perhaps I have a surprise for you later."
"Don't get touchy," Edmure said, backing away slightly. "We can talk as we are. My issue is the nature of the service. Can the girls quit when they want? Can they decline a client without any repercussion? Can they return to society without a blemish? And who keeps the coin? A peasant's son might distinguish himself in battle and raise his family's status in village. I don't see a future where most of your girls leave with the lion's share of the profit."
He fumbled with a leather strap he was using as a holder. Elaena stepped in, her fingers nimble as she tied a secure knot. "See? Sometimes words aren't enough, boy."
"Thanks, Elaena. You never told me if its your original name. Now I'll leave for practice." Edmure said, already moving toward the exit. "You can just tell everyone that you and the other girls are taken by me. No one will dare to touch you."
"Are you off for another naked stroll?" she shouted after him with a wink.
"That was an accident! I wanted to see how fast I could run!" Edmure yelled back, his face heating up as he fled his own tent.
"Ohhh!" Elaena winked, "Master, do you need some warmth for sleep? Just to check, you know. Maybe few more young girls."
"I'm leaving. See you tomorrow. If this leather idea works, I'll reward you with coins."
Since his arrival, Edmure had planned his training sessions to maximize only the most relevant stats. With zero prying eyes, he threw himself into a routine, barely sleeping between patrols and physical training. He had become so accustomed to the grueling pace that he could now take naps while still on his horse. In just two weeks, his stats rose rapidly.
The foundation remained Learning. Supplemented by Valyrian scrolls, it sat at Level 30, providing a flat quadruple experience boost in all activities and an eidetic memory.
Healing had never been his favorite; he still shunned wounds and surgery. All his levels were earned by grinding herbal poultices despite his encyclopedic knowledge. It sat at Level 19, granting thrice the treatment effectiveness. Edmure only cared about the potential for healing magic at the threshold of Level 100; until then, he hoped to be the man who could cure mild aches with plain water. The side benefit of his knowledge of animals had already improved his stables and cattle stocks, though this remained a long-term project.
Running had leveled up considerably, reaching Level 50, which granted a six-fold speed increase. The naked incident had happened because of this. That day, Edmure wanted to see just how fast he had become but was worried about his brain not keeping up or wind resistance messing with the results. This bright boy decided to strip and run in a straight line without a care. The test was a success; he was halfway to catching up with a horse at full sprint with a sustained speed. However, at that same moment, he found himself appearing naked before several girls near a stream.
His other stats had also left the human realm:
Painting Level 30: +300% drawing speed, exact replication.
Archery Level 40: +400% reflex, unending quiver.
Shield Level 90: +900% threat anticipation, flesh like thick hide.
Verticality Level 30: +300% vertical mobility, can walk on all surfaces.
Sword Level 40: +400% strength, knowledge of all weapons.
Stealth Level 60: +600% stealth, obscurity from human magic.
Lordship Level 12: +120% training speed, can designate professions for advancement.
Swimming Level 20: +200% speed in water, negates all penalties underwater.
Because his skills did not always mesh perfectly, Edmure constantly tried to exploit synergies. His Shield level increased significantly due to Swimming. Swimming on its own provides a speed boost, but so does his Running; these overlapped to make him eighteen times faster than any human in the water. The perk to negate penalties underwater was intended mainly for breathing, vision, and pressure challenges, but Edmure exploited this by training his Sword skills underwater, which the system registered as much more difficult for XP gain. As for his Shield, he took a trick from the old movies by sitting beneath a waterfall curtain and holding his shield up.
In a few days, he would be bulletproof by default. Edmure chuckled, singing aloud:
"I'm bulletproof,
nothin' to lose...
Fire away, fire away.
You shoot me down,
but I won't fall,
I am titanium!"
[The song is a snippet of 'Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia'.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5658084/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6_tt_4_nm_4_in_0_q_titanium%2520]