-42- Tower of the Hand (3)

Lord Arryn's murky gaze sharpened considerably.

Facing the intimidating stare of Lord Arryn, the confusion on Gallen's face deepened.

Gallen, with his innocent appearance, seemed genuinely curious in the piercing gaze of Lord Arryn.

Did I misjudge?

But Lord Arryn quickly dismissed this ridiculous thought.

Nobles from Crackclaw Point are all fierce, and fierceness equals bloodlust.

According to the information provided by Varys, the young man before him not only reclaimed his family's old lands but also had been conquering the eastern mountain tribes of Crackclaw Point.

How could these half-wild noble spare a Gulltown merchant who dared to insult their lineage without shedding blood?

Lord Arryn's gaze softened a bit. "Everyone understands it was you who acted against the Meyers," he said.

Gallen had already guessed Lord Arryn's purpose; he wanted Gallen to admit to being the culprit.

But why? Gallen speculated that Lord Arryn wanted to exile him from King's Landing.

Why would he want to exile Gallen? Gallen thought of the Lannisters.

Things he hadn't seen clearly before were now becoming clear to Gallen.

...

Gallen wasn't interested in answering Lord Arryn's interrogation. He countered, "My Lord, I've always been curious. The war ended fifteen years ago, so why artificially cultivate hatred between Crackclaw Point and the Vale?"

As soon as Gallen finished speaking, the atmosphere in the study grew heavy.

Lord Arryn's gaze became even sharper, silently staring at Gallen.

Gallen continued, "Fortunately, Crackclaw Point has no ships, and the sea separates it from the Vale."

A small Half-Wild noble from Crackclaw Point dared to offend his authority; Jon Arryn, rarely angered, felt a surge of anger.

But along with his anger, Lord Arryn felt puzzled. The young man before him was no simple-minded brute. Why did he say this?

Lord Arryn inwardly sighed at his own lack of mental fortitude. He was truly getting old.

Lord Arryn hadn't forgotten the purpose of meeting Gallen today: "Young man, are you trying to evade your guilt through these questions? That's cowardly."

Gallen raised an eyebrow.

The main reason for Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon being political idiots was found in Jon Arryn.

No wonder Petyr Baelish wasn't satisfied with just fucking his wife but he even dared to covet his power.

Lord Arryn's various illustrious titles only forged his superficial strength.

And in face-to-face encounters, Gallen, already sensitive, could feel Lord Arryn's aging.

...

Gallen sighed lightly and respectfully said, "My Lord, you keep mentioning guilt, which confuses me. Forgive my ignorance, but could you please tell me specifically? Such as the course of events and evidence of my involvement?"

...

Lord Arryn silently stared at Gallen for a while, his eyes flashing with evident contempt. "Do you still remember the honor of being a noble?" he asked.

Gallen remained unmoved. "Just because I'm a minor noble, does that mean I must admit to a crime?"

Suddenly, Lord Arryn remembered the prickly little creature covered in thorns that Eddard Stark had told him in his youth... what was its name again?

Lord Arryn almost fell into a reverie.

Lord Arryn suppressed his fatigue and said, "I can waive the debts of House Crabb."

Gallen's ears perked up. That amounted to 7500 gold dragons.

Gallen's brown eyes flickered. "Then I... thank you for your generosity?"

Gallen's peculiar expression actually made Lord Arryn smile. "You should leave King's Landing."

Is this the condition for waiving House Crabb's debts?

Gallen shrugged. "My Lord, Crackclaw Point's land is barren, and for survival, everyone is a hunter. Nobles of the Vale have blockaded us for over a decade, and hunters bleed every day fighting for limited resources."

"The old and weak have no place to survive in Crackclaw Point. My Lord, I don't want you to misunderstand; the hatred in Crackclaw Point terrifies me too."

"Tens of thousands of hunters are born warriors. If someone instigates them, even I will have to follow the flow."

"As long as I'm not in Crackclaw Point, no one else has the charisma to rally the forces of Crackclaw Point. That's why I came to King's Landing."

Gallen's explanation was calm and sincere.

Apart from the figure of tens of thousands, Lord Arryn received Gallen's goodwill.

Including the war threat hidden beneath Gallen's goodwill.

Lord Arryn couldn't help but feel puzzled. Was the young lord truly from Crackclaw Point? He seemed more like a noble from the south.

Lord Arryn's next words confirmed that he was truely the foster father of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon.

"Young man, the Lannisters' influence in King's Landing is already too strong. You shouldn't ally with the Lannisters."

...

Wasn't that too direct? Gallen was momentarily speechless.

Lord Arryn was also administering medicine to Gallen's "special" condition.

A slight smile appeared on Lord Arryn's lips. "But what you said makes sense too. Sending you back to Crackclaw Point now would waste your efforts."

Leaning forward slightly in his chair, Lord Arryn said, "I can appoint you as the Guardian of Crackclaw Point, overseeing the entire peninsula."

Indeed, one's position shapes them. Despite Lord Arryn's possibly naive political abilities from years in high positions, his political foresight was not lacking.

Lord Arryn immediately seized upon the key point, something that would undoubtedly appeal to Gallen.

Gallen shrugged. "That won't be easy."

Lord Arryn's face showed a hint of "kindness" again as he returned to his earlier amiability. "In the past, you were too loyal to the Targaryens. Though the Targaryens have disappeared, without an opportunity, it's difficult for present-day Red Keep to establish mutual trust with you."

Gallen inwardly sneered at the old man.

After coming to Lord Arryn's study today, Gallen had already confirmed the fundamental reason why the Baratheon dynasty had persistently suppressed Crackclaw Point.

The fundamental reason was Crackclaw Point's tradition of loyalty to the queen, and the queen of the Baratheon dynasty had the surname Lannister.

When Cersei Lannister became queen, the Lannisters had become too powerful to suppress, only to restrict.

So, suppressing Crackclaw Point was to restrain the growth of Lannister power.

Fortunately, Lord Arryn's continuous suppression over the years had yielded significant results, weakening Crackclaw Point enough to reassure everyone.

Weakened to the point that even if Gallen became the affair officer of Queen Cersei, it didn't make Lord Arryn uneasy.

No rush, it could be solved slowly. Lord Arryn was in full control.

Gallen's words also had an effect; Lord Arryn realized that the hatred in Crackclaw Point needed to be somewhat alleviated, lest it be exploited by malicious individuals to incite war.

Nobles of the Vale were the vanguard of suppressing Crackclaw Point. If there were war, the Vale would inevitably be the first to face the hatred of Crackclaw Point.

Lord Arryn still remembered the strength of Crackclaw Point's people during the War of the Usurper, especially the concept that Crackclaw Pointers didn't surrender. They fought until the last man, until the last moment.

More accurately, they didn't surrender to anyone outside of Crackclaw Point.

Lord Arryn added, "Of course, loyalty is a virtue and deserves praise."