"What happened next? What happened after that?" Lind pressed curiously.
Joel pondered for a moment, then said, "I heard that after the war, he received a reward from the family and retired from the guard."
"Retired?" Lind felt somewhat puzzled, as if a book had abruptly ended at a crucial point.
"He had no other choice but to retire. What else could he do by staying?" Joel sighed lightly, seeming regretful about Bain's fate. "He was already quite old by then, and he had suffered severe injuries. Even if he recovered, he might not have been able to wield a spear or sword again. Despite the merits he earned, he was from a humble background. All possibilities for advancement were blocked for him, and there was no use staying in the guard."
Lind furrowed his brow. "Can't a commoner become a noble?"
"Not really," Joel shook his head. "While it's not impossible for a commoner to become a noble, it's a hundred times harder than for nobles' descendants. It requires luck, strength, and the ability to navigate political circles. Bain probably lacked the luck and skill in this regard."
As Lind listened to Joel's words, two figures came to mind, both of whom seemed to fit Joel's description and had ascended to positions of power despite humble beginnings.
One was Genos Slynt, the butcher's son, who had somehow risen to become the Commander of the City Watch in King's Landing and later the Duke of Harrenhal. His story was truly inspiring.
The other was Bronn, the sellsword, who had climbed the social ladder through his relationship with Tyrion, eventually becoming the Lord Protector of the Reach and the Lord of Highgarden. He was undeniably one of the luckiest men alive.
Although Lind's memories from his previous life were limited, most were related to hunting. However, these memories allowed him to quickly become proficient in wilderness survival skills, even though he lacked direct experience in forest environments. He had also been fortunate enough to discover the smuggler's passage hidden in the mountains.
Ignoring Ael Morrison, who was still awaiting Lind's response, Lind rushed forward and delivered a punch to his jaw, knocking him unconscious. He fell to the ground, feeling a wave of pain and dizziness washing over him.
Harrenhal had fallen into complete disrepair, and Genos Slynt, upon being named the Duke of Harrenhal, dared not venture there. Moreover, the Riverlands still had many ancient noble families and lords, who were militarily powerful. How could they allow a lowly sellsword to become their leader?
With that, Lind continued walking towards the castle gates.
In that moment, several knight attendants fell silent. Even the one who had called out to Lind was speechless. In their eyes, Lind was no longer the fortunate country hunter he had seemed to be. As Lind placed his hand on his sword hilt, they all felt an invisible pressure, a pressure they had only felt in the presence of Joel Farrow. Their bodies instinctively tensed up, afraid to let their guard down.
"Two silver stags," the leatherworker said, looking at the leather armor Lind had offered and immediately stating his price.
At that moment, he was reprimanded by Joel. Lind could sense that this knight was probably still harboring resentment over their previous encounter and would likely cause trouble for him. While Lind hadn't thought much of it when he watched the show, now that he was in the world of ice and fire and understood the power structure of Westeros, he realized that Bronn's rise to become the Lord Protector of the Reach and the Lord of Highgarden in the show was simply nonsense.
After surveying the terrain around the smuggling passage and selecting several suitable ambush points, Lind began to make his way back. Before nightfall, he returned to Bastion Keep.
"Wait, hold on!" shouted one of the knight attendants, stopping Lind in his tracks.
At this, the leatherworker looked panicked and turned to the knight attendant, seemingly seeking assistance.
Lind turned to the other knight attendants and said in a deep voice, "You lot, carry this idiot back. Next time, I can't guarantee I'll only use my fists."
While the logistics team's leatherworker couldn't make leather armor, modifying it was within his capabilities.
"Why are you helping me like this?" Lind asked, puzzled.
"Thanks for your praise," Lind could sense that Joel had likely seen through his initial plan, but he didn't seem opposed to it and harbored no ill will towards Lind. Therefore, he openly admitted his perception of Lind.
With that, Lind began to walk towards the castle gates, intending to familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain during this time to avoid any unexpected surprises during battles.
As Lind pondered the two examples of individuals successfully rising from commoners to nobility, Joel didn't notice his distraction. Instead, he continued to gaze at Lind and said, "While Bain fell short in many aspects, he did a decent job raising you. I'm not sure about your luck, but you're certainly stronger and more resourceful than he was."
Upon hearing Lind's words, the leatherworker was completely terrified, no longer daring to glance at the knight attendant. He picked up Lind's leather armor and, accompanied by a few apprentices, began to modify it according to Lind's requirements.
Facing the challenge from the other individual, Lind showed no signs of anger. He merely glanced at him and then retrieved two silver stags from his pouch, placing them on the leatherworker's table. He addressed the leatherworker, saying, "Here are two silver stags. I need you to improve my leather armor tonight. If you fail to meet my expectations, I won't just take back the silver stags; I'll also cut off one of your hands as punishment."
The leatherworker was completely stunned. He hadn't expected that merely following the knight attendant's instructions to trouble Lind would backfire and make him the target of Lind's ire.
Lind turned to look at the speaker, who turned out to be the knight attendant who had insulted Lind's status in front of Bain's tavern a few days earlier, questioning Lind's ability to challenge Joel Farrow.
Lind paused, turned to the other knight attendants, and placed his hand on the hilts of his swords. He spoke in a stern tone, "What? Do you lot also want to throw down the gauntlet at me?"
Such an appointment, even if discussed informally, would likely incite rebellion in the Riverlands and possibly lead to another war. Therefore, logically speaking, it was certain that Bronn's appointment as portrayed in the show was absolutely nonsensical.
Lind left the hall and headed towards the logistics team stationed on one side of the castle.
After that, he waved his hand to Lind, indicating that he could leave.
Then, they exchanged wry smiles and immediately instructed their subordinates to carry their unconscious companion back to their quarters.
Joel remained silent for a moment before lazily replying, "Because it's too boring here. From top to bottom, it's all stagnant. I want to add some excitement. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Regardless of Joel's intentions, at this stage, he was an asset to Lind. Lind's only task was to showcase his strength perfectly.
With that in mind, Lind arrived at the dilapidated corner tower where the logistics team was stationed near the castle. He found the leatherworker, removed the ill-fitting leather armor, and handed it over, along with his requirements.
However, he paused in his tracks, turned around to look at the gloves on the ground, and then glanced at Ael Morrison, who had challenged him to a duel.
As Lind's figure disappeared from the city gate, the tense bodies of the knight attendants relaxed, and they simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
However, setting aside the absurd content of the show, Bronn still remained a highly inspirational example, and also a case Lind could emulate and learn from.
Lind inquired, "Was it because of this rumor that you thought to recommend me to Lord Farrow?"
Although they had repeatedly ordered afterwards that the incident should not be spread, especially not to Joel's ears, they were unaware that while they were carrying their companion back to their room, the minor conflict they had with Lind had been meticulously reported to Joel.
"Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name?" Lind suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at the knight attendant, but then he shook his head and said, "Forget it, I don't really need to know your name. You're nothing to me anyway."
Seeing Lind's straightforward admission, Joel's eyes also showed a considerable amount of admiration, and he smiled, saying, "Bearhunter, master of dual-wielding swords. These two titles have spread throughout the Red Lake area, and the Bearhunter ballad has even been sung by minstrels in Highgarden. I heard Lord Willas Tyrell even inquired about you to Lord Farrow."
He could sense that Lind wasn't just speaking off the cuff; he was genuinely prepared to cut off his hand if he didn't complete the task assigned to him. Moreover, he believed Lind had the ability to do so. Although he didn't know Lind's identity, Lind's constant presence by Joel's side in recent days suggested that he was someone out of the ordinary.
Everything happened too suddenly. Not only did Lind's attack come out of nowhere, but his movement speed was also extremely fast. The knight attendants and others nearby only saw a blurry figure, and then Ael Morrison was knocked down by Lind's punch.
At that moment, a voice behind him said, "Repairing weapons and equipment for members of the team is indeed free, but not for you."
The leather armor he was wearing belonged to Bain, and the size difference between them was too great, which would hinder his movements. It needed some adjustments; otherwise, this armor would cause him considerable trouble in battle.
Lind then turned to look at the knight attendant, whose face was flushed with anger, and said, "You shouldn't involve irrelevant people, especially when you can't provide protection for them. Moreover, are you still a little child? Using such childish tricks not only doesn't disgust anyone, but also makes you look very foolish."
On the way, Lind recalled Joel's words and could sense from the snippets that Joel seemed to be someone dissatisfied with the current system in the Riverlands. However, he didn't intend to challenge the system himself but rather wanted to pave the way for himself.
However, Lind didn't even glance at the other person, keeping his gaze fixed on the leatherworker. He said, "If I were you, I'd start improving the leather armor according to the requirements right away. After all, you don't have much time left. Or do you think he can help you out of trouble?" He pointed at the knight attendant and continued, "Indeed, I won't lay a hand on him while he's here. But can you guarantee he'll be here all the time? Will he not go back to rest at night? Will he stay by your side even when you're asleep? As soon as he leaves your side, I'll strike immediately. So do you still feel safe now?"
"Bastard!" The knight attendant had never encountered someone like Lind before and was momentarily at a loss for words.
Joel nodded, acknowledging Lind's guess, and added as a reminder, "The recommendation is conditional on your outstanding performance in this battle."
Seeing that the knight attendants did not respond, Lind ignored them and removed his hand from the sword hilt, continuing to walk towards the castle gate. This time, nobody stopped him until he walked out of the dilapidated gate of the castle.
Lind frowned and asked, "Isn't repairing weapons and equipment for members of the team free?"
Lind didn't take the glove but let it hit him and fall to the ground.
"You stop right there! Ael Morrison of Longship Harbor challenges you to a duel!" The knight attendant, unable to contain his anger any longer, took off one of his gloves and threw it at Lind.
The knight attendant also didn't expect Lind's reaction and immediately stepped forward to block Lind, shouting, "Damn you! What do you think you're doing? Trying to administer vigilante justice in the army?"
Upon hearing this, Joel just smiled and said nothing.
However, at this moment, Firmhold seemed much livelier compared to when he left at noon. There was now an additional temporary camp below the hill where Firmhold was located. A rough estimate of the number of people in the camp was around six to seven hundred, and all of them were equipped with decent weapons. The spears all had iron spearheads, and many people wore hand axes and short swords. There were also more than a dozen knights moving around the camp.
Additionally, a flag was prominently displayed in the temporary camp, bearing the distinctive black spider emblem of House Weber. Although it was in the dim forest, the spider emblem was still very conspicuous, giving off a chilling feeling at a distance.
Obviously, Lind's previous speculation in front of Joel had come true. The suspicious House Weber had eagerly dispatched as many men as they could to assist Joel in eradicating the bandits or remnants of House Lohar in the Red Lake Forest. From their numbers and equipment, it was clear that House Weber intended to completely eliminate the bandits, leaving no excuse for anyone, especially House Loran, to cause trouble for them.