-75- A condition he can't refuse

It was nearing noon, and the sun was getting hotter.

Gallen was waiting for the next challenger when Rossel hurried over.

"My lord, the next challenger insists on using a spear against you."

Gallen raised an eyebrow and asked, "Which house?"

"He is a member of House Crane, said to be the elder brother of the Crane swordsman you defeated yesterday."

Gallen's brown eyes shifted slightly as he said, "In a duel between swordsmen, if he insists on using a spear, it's going to cost extra—charge him 100 Gold Dragons."

Rossel nodded and hurried away.

...

Before long, a Crane spearman, looking to be in his thirties and wearing a grim expression, stepped onto the arena.

Facing Gallen, the Crane challenger lowered his visor.

The sound of the horn announced the start of the match.

The Crane spearman took advantage of the spear's length and thrust at Gallen first.

Gallen moved his longsword, and with a clang, deflected the spear aside and charged forward.

Gallen's movements were swift, and by the time his opponent reacted, he was already upon him.

With a thud, Gallen's shoulder struck the chest of the Crane spearman.

The Crane spearman immediately lost his balance and began to fall backward.

With a bang, Gallen smashed the pommel of his sword into his opponent's visor.

After a muffled sound, the Crane spearman, with a slightly deformed visor, lay flat on the ground, motionless.

Gallen coldly said, "Take him away!"

This was an honorable duel between swordsmen, and using a spear was out of place.

Despite charging an additional challenge fee, the spearman dared to show a grim face to Gallen.

As a man who valued "honor" above all, Gallen would naturally end the fight decisively to maintain the purity of the duel and the honor of swordsmen.

People must know that no one valued honor more than Gallen Crabb.

...

Gallen glanced at the sun and made a hand gesture.

Receiving Gallen's signal, Rossel loudly announced the end of the morning challenges.

As Gallen stepped down from the arena, he saw the three siblings from House Tarly.

Rossel had already reported to Gallen that the Tarly siblings wanted to meet him.

On the arena, Gallen seemed invincible.

Off the arena, Gallen's face was fair and gentle, making it easy for people to like him.

Gallen took the initiative to bow and greet, "Good day, Samwell Tarly."

Samwell, plump and bearded, had a shy smile, "Good day, Lord Crabb. This is my sister, Talla Tarly."

The youthful Talla Tarly had clear eyes, fair skin, and a beauty that was not stunning but very pleasing.

Gallen looked at Talla Tarly and greeted, "Good day, My Lady, your presence adds a touch of radiance here."

Talla Tarly blushed slightly, lifted her skirt a bit, and said, "Good day, Lord Gallen, thank you for your compliment."

Gallen nodded slightly and then turned his gaze to Samwell's younger brother, "And good day to you, Dickon Tarly."

Dickon Tarly's eyes were bright as he looked at Gallen, his salute very proper, "Good day, Lord Gallen, your swordsmanship was amazig!"

Gallen's smile was humble as he encouraged, "I believe you will also be an excellent swordsman in the future."

After the formal greetings, Gallen invited the Tarly siblings to have lunch together.

...

...

Red Keep, Maegor's Holdfast.

Early this morning, Queen Cersei had another fierce quarrel with King Robert.

Now, Queen Cersei's anger had subsided.

Holding a goblet, Queen Cersei frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

She could no longer tolerate King Robert.

To Queen Cersei, every time King Robert indulged himself, it was an insult to her.

Moreover, the most important thing was that her Joffrey had grown up.

As the self-proclaimed true heir of the old lion Tywin Lannister, Queen Cersei wanted to prepare a flawless plan to remove the repulsive King Robert.

Calm now, after much thought, Queen Cersei still believed there was no more certain plan than having Jaime personally assassinate Robert.

Such matters were best left without evidence!

Queen Cersei thought, Jaime's nature was weak, and he tended to hesitate, convincing him would take considerable time.

Her cousin Lancel was now King Robert's squire… Queen Cersei smirked and drained her goblet of Summer Red.

...

...

Red Keep, Tower of the Hand.

To assist the ailing Lord Arryn in handling the kingdom's affairs, Master of Coin Petyr Baelish had moved his office to the Tower of the Hand.

Petyr sat motionless at his desk like a statue, only his gray-green eyes occasionally flickering.

Petyr was a man adept at summarizing, and now he had to admit, Gallen Crabb from Crackclaw Point had given him a lesson in intrigue.

...

For Petyr, the Vale was sooner or later to be his.

Petyr was now contemplating the problem of ruling the Vale once he had it.

Gold Dragons might buy loyalty, but such loyalty was unreliable as it might turn against you for more Gold Dragons.

Petyr frequently used Gold Dragons to buy people he needed, so he was deeply aware of this.

...

Petyr's family was not a traditional military house; they lacked vassal houses that were both martial and loyal, as well as soldiers who recognized only their lord.

In Westeros, without this kind of familial foundation, even if Petyr had an army, it would be hard to control and could easily be bought by opponents.

Without the threat of an army, even if he gained the Vale, he would be constrained by the Vale lords.

He would also have to be constantly vigilant against being assassinated by some opposing lords due to conflicts of interest.

...

This was not the result he wanted.

Petyr had specifically investigated in recent days, and the hatred between Gallen's forces and the lords of the Vale had accumulated over time, making it almost irreconcilable.

Therefore, in dealing with the lords of the Vale, Gallen was, to some extent, a reliable natural ally.

Petyr thought that the location of Crackclaw Point was just right; he might be able to use Gallen's troops to check the lords of the Vale.

With this check, a certain balance could be achieved, allowing him to control the situation.

In this way, Petyr would have enough time to deal with the disobedient lords while gaining their loyalty.

Eventually, Petyr would retain only the loyal lords, fully controlling the Vale and becoming its true master.

Petyr squinted slightly; this was a large-scale transaction.

For this transaction, Petyr needed to precisely calculate Gallen Crabb's needs and weaknesses.

Though their contact was brief, Petyr believed Gallen's shrewdness was no less than his own.

Petyr thought he needed to offer a condition Gallen could not refuse.