Game of Thrones: Oath of Iron and Fire-Chapter 36: Stannis’s Doubts

In the dark dungeon beneath the Gunpowder Grass Manor, the bound Myrish assassin let out a cry of agony.

The manor had been transformed into the headquarters of the Wolf Pack. The banners of the Wolf Pack fluttered above the manor, with wolves howling.

Mercenaries of the Wolf Pack, the high command of the Free Army, and runaway slaves seeking refuge under the Gunpowder King's protection all gathered here.

In the Myrish manor, there was never a shortage of tools for punishing slaves—whips with barbs, iron rods, and thorny chairs that could inflict great suffering and a slow death.

"What pitiful creatures," Maester Qyburn muttered, watching the Myrish assassin, who was near death from torture.

The seemingly amiable old man now looked more like a mad scientist. Although the Myrish slave owners hadn't sent a large force to wipe out the Wolf Pack, their assassins had already arrived.

With white hair, Qyburn was still prepared to mix scorpion venom with a coagulant, skillfully preparing a small knife, syringe, rubber tubing, and cotton balls.

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Qyburn performed a dark magic ritual, injecting the mixture into the Myrish assassin.

"Ah!" The assassin let out a cry of pain, his heart beating violently for a moment before he died. The killer's eyes were filled with blood, as if they were about to burst. His small body couldn't withstand the combined ravages of the poison and coagulant.

"Your Grace, this is the second experiment this month! Honestly, these Myrish people do have poor physical fitness!" Qyburn said with a hint of regret. Such substandard assassins needed to be burned after they were done.

"There's no other way, this is the best sample we could find!" Gendry looked at the dead Myrish assassin. Torturing these people was normal.

"You need to be careful! Power is like the Iron Throne, full of thorns. These assassins are like hounds attached to power."

"Assassins are hard to guard against; we can only improve intelligence and security. Although our numbers are growing, like a snowball! But the Free Army is made up of freed slaves; they are still novices. The most reliable are still the veterans. You have to work hard!"

"I am more than happy to contribute to your cause! I can't wait until we return to Westeros and see the old lion's face!" Qyburn was eager; his age notwithstanding, he was in good health.

"Who hired the assassin?"

"Governor Joy, he must hate us to death!"

"Unfortunately, this body is just not suitable. I feel we need to upgrade the sample. As far as I know, a physique like the Mountain would be perfect—tall, with strong resistance to poison!" Qyburn sighed.

"The Mountain is not easy for us to get our hands on!" Gendry said. "He is a good dog by Lord Tywin's side."

"You need such capable men around you to protect your safety! In the future, if our power grows, assassinations will come in cycles."

"Let's make do with the current group for now!" Gendry said. Handsome assigned several good hands from the Wolf Pack to protect his safety and selected many young men from the Free Army who were loyal to the Wolf Pack's commander as guards.

"War is probably imminent; my experiments may have to be put on hold for now!" Qyburn said with some regret. The Wolf Pack's regime in the Disputed Lands was indeed in its infancy.

"There will always be opportunities. Adventurers, bandit mercenaries, Meereenese, Unsullied—they are all good samples!" Gendry comforted.

"Your Grace, are you ready?" Qyburn asked. "For the war that is to come!"

"War is inevitable; I can only take up my weapons!"

"War is not all bad for us. We can gain supplies, territory. More importantly, it boosts morale. There are still many runaway slaves in the Disputed Lands. If we win, our army will grow stronger. Let those runaway slaves see that we have the strength to protect them!" Gendry's ambition was great.

Besides the places they had conquered, he also wanted to recruit those runaway slaves willing to join them. These slaves, also entrenched in the Disputed Lands, were a relatively strong armed force.

Seagulls flew across the sea, to the other side of the Narrow Sea, Westeros.

"Clear the way! Clear the way! The king is hunting!" King Robert's hunting party emerged, a procession like a river of gold, silver, and white. The riders holding the crowned stag banners charged ahead, shouting.

King Robert rode a fine horse, though his current portly figure made one fear the horse might collapse under his weight.

The king, indulging in wine and women, was no longer the heroic figure of his youth. Beside the king were two White Knights, the most famous of whom was the old knight Barristan, renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms for his unwavering strength.

Then came his eldest son, the heir Prince Joffrey. Joffrey sneered, a contemptuous smile on his face. Like his Lannister relatives, he was tall, fair-haired, and very handsome. He had green eyes and an upturned lip.

Joffrey was dressed in crimson velvet, with lions on one side and stags on the other, showing his pride. There was also a knight, the tall knight with a snarling hound helmet, the loyal-to-the-Lannisters Hound.

Behind the king was his squire, Lancel. Lancel, the son of Ser Kevan, was young and strong, with sandy brown hair, light green eyes, and a handsome face, often said to resemble Jaime Lannister.

"I need to save this country. There are too many lions around the king!" Alone in the tower, Stannis watched his brother's departure in the sunlight, thinking to himself.

Stannis counted the Lannister forces around King Robert, which seemed to overwhelm the king.

The king's squire, the Kingslayer among the White Knights, and the Hound sent by the Lannisters, some lion soldiers. Even the names of these children had a Lannister flavor, rather than the traditional Baratheon names.

"Indulging in wine and women, where is the young Robert?" Stannis worried, not only about the unfairness Robert had brought him but also about the Lannisters' growing influence.

The sunlight shone on the Lannister banner, the roaring lion on the crimson field making the lion seem even more radiant. Stannis also noticed Joffrey's golden hair, so shining and brilliant at this moment.

"No matter what the mother's hair color—bronze, honey, chestnut, cream—children born with hair as black as a raven! But Joffrey and his siblings, their hair shines like the sun," Stannis thought to himself, finding it very strange.

Stannis thought of many people: his daughter, his three brothers, and Edric Storm, raised in Storm's End, who made him lose face, looking very much like the young king.

"Why!"

"Why is this so?"