Highgarden is situated on a hill by the Mander River, with the entire castle built in layers along the hill. This castle was not completed all at once; its construction began when the Gardener Family settled here, spanning over a thousand years.
The most recent construction occurred several hundred years ago when House Tyrell took over Highgarden. The hill where Highgarden stood was already fully built upon, making it impossible to add new structures upwards. However, House Tyrell still enclosed a ring of land at the foot of Highgarden, building a circular wall and towers. The enclosed area was then filled with trees, which were arranged into various labyrinthine gardens.
Among the nobles and lords of the Seven Kingdoms, the most magnificent structure is undoubtedly the Wall in the North; anyone who has seen the Wall will marvel at its grandeur from the bottom of their heart. But when it comes to the most splendid castle, everyone thinks of Highgarden; any lord who has visited Highgarden will lament that their own castle is nothing short of a slum.
Flowers, trees, and vines cover the entire Highgarden castle, inside and out. The white marble walls, seen through the green foliage, emit a faint glow under the sunlight. Various fragrances from the plants constantly permeate Highgarden, making everyone feel at one with nature.
There is a rumor that when Highgarden was first built, the Gardener Family prayed to all the Old Gods and received their blessings, which has since ensured Highgarden always enjoys favorable weather. Surrounding it are countless farmlands and orchards; if one stands on a tower of Highgarden's walls and looks around, even at the very limit of sight, it is impossible to see the end of the farmlands and orchards.
Hundreds of villages are scattered across this land, enjoying bountiful harvests after every labor. The concept of hunger does not exist here; as long as one has hands and feet, they can eat their fill. Thus, in the eyes of many, this place is a paradise on earth.
The area from Highgarden's northwest wall to the Mander River is Highgarden's outer city. The Coastal Bridge crosses the Mander River, connecting directly to this area. Dock districts, commercial districts, tavern districts, and other areas typically found in other towns can also be found here, with the sole exception of slums.
Highgarden's dock district is very large; almost all areas near the river belong to it. A rough count reveals at least thirty-plus mooring docks.
However, even with so many mooring docks, when Linde's ship arrived, he still couldn't find a place to dock and had to wait on the river for some time. Only when another ship had finished unloading and departed could he finally moor at the dock.
Linde stood at the ship's entrance, looking at the city before him, and couldn't help but marvel at its beauty. This city also reminded him of another city he had seen in a game in his previous life: Beauclair Castle in Toussaint.
Although the architectural styles of the two castles were vastly different, the feeling they evoked in Linde was remarkably similar.
"You don't need to wait for me. Once the cargo is loaded and unloaded, you can head back! I won't be returning to Tengshi Town for a while." After donning his armor, Linde instructed the captain.
"Yes, Lord Linde," the captain replied.
"Lord Linde, your arrival will likely cause quite a stir, won't it?" Jon asked, looking at Glory, who had stood up on the cargo in the ship's hold, sounding worried.
Linde understood Jon's meaning. He turned to look at Glory, who was already eager to leave the ship's hold, and wondered if bringing Glory was a mistake. However, he then thought that if he lost his mental connection with Glory due to too much distance, things might be even worse.
Now Linde could only let nature take its course, so he instructed: "Lead the way! You're familiar with this place."
"Should we find a place to stay first, or go to the castle to see Duke Tyrell?" Jon asked.
Linde casually said, "Of course, we'll go see Duke Tyrell."
Jon nodded in understanding, then followed him out of the ship's hold and walked across the gangplank onto the stone dock.
Linde led Glory out of the ship's hold and jumped directly onto the dock.
Before Glory's four paws even touched the ground, a series of panicked screams erupted from the dock area. People on the dock then scattered frantically, some even jumping directly into the water and swimming away from Linde.
Although they had already anticipated such a scene, its actual occurrence still made Linde and Jon feel a mix of amusement and helplessness. Glory, the culprit, was completely unaware of the commotion he had caused, currently lying on the ground stretching, trying to shake off the discomfort of being on the ship for the past few days.
House Rose's guard patrol was also very diligent. When the commotion broke out, two teams of thirty guard warriors, armed with long spears, rushed from the street at the end of the dock.
However, when they reached the mooring dock where Linde was and clearly saw the cause of the disturbance, they were all so scared their hands and feet turned to jelly. Yet, their sense of duty and honor still compelled them to grip their long spears tightly and maintain their formation.
Watching the performance of these House Rose guard warriors, Linde couldn't help but exclaim, "It seems House Rose's ability to firmly hold the position of Warden of the South is not merely due to their skill in political maneuvering."
Jon stepped forward at this moment and loudly addressed the captains of the two guard teams: "Sunuo, Conti, have I only been away for a few months that you two fellows have already forgotten me?"
The two captains heard the familiar voice and immediately recovered from their panic, shifting their gaze from Glory to Jon. Then, they exclaimed in unison, "Young Master Jon, why is it you?"
"Why wouldn't it be me?" Jon and these two captains were old acquaintances. Before he became Ser Roger's Official, he had served as a captain in the guard patrol for several years, and these two men were once his subordinates.
"Young Master Jon, what is that?" one of them asked nervously, pointing at Glory.
"That is Lord Linde's pet, Glory. Duke Tyrell knows about it, so you don't need to worry. With Lord Linde present, Glory won't harm anyone casually," Jon explained. "Lord Linde received orders from Duke Tyrell to return to Highgarden this time, and I am accompanying him as his Official."
"Lord Linde?" The two men paused, and only then did they see Linde standing beside Glory.
Although they hadn't heard of any prominent figure in Highgarden named Linde, the magnificent armor worn by the other party was enough for them to confirm that this was absolutely a powerful figure they couldn't afford to offend.
However, even if the two captains didn't recognize Linde, several warriors in the guard patrol who frequented taverns immediately realized who Lord Linde, as mentioned by Jon, was.
They all asked curiously, "Young Master Jon, is Lord Linde that Bear Hunter? Did he really kill a hundred men in King's Landing a few months ago?"
Hearing these questions from their subordinates, the two captains also realized who Linde was.
"Young Master Jon, Fotimo instructed that when Lord Linde arrives, he should be immediately brought to the castle," one of them quickly informed Jon of the order, though he then added with some difficulty, "However, Fotimo didn't mention such a gigantic beast. Young Master Jon, can you confirm it's not dangerous?"
Jon patted his chest and said, "I guarantee there's no danger. You two lead the way and disperse the crowd to prevent anyone from getting too close, that's all."
The two immediately agreed, then led their men to spread out. When Linde approached, they led the way.
At this point, the people who had earlier fled in panic realized that the giant beast that jumped off the ship hadn't made any aggressive moves, and there was also a person standing next to it, making it seem like a domesticated beast.
For a moment, curiosity overcame fear, causing them to irresistibly gather near the mooring dock, hiding in corners of walls or houses to peer out, softly discussing the identity of the giant beast and the heavily armored knight beside it.
At this time, some also recognized Jon's identity; after all, Jon had been somewhat well-known here, and they also seemed to know what Jon's current position was. Seeing Jon's attitude towards the heavily armored knight, they quickly deduced the knight's identity.
As Linde led Glory, following behind the escorting guard patrol towards the castle entrance gate, some people who were particularly fond of the hunter of bears song and had guessed Linde's identity stood in the houses along both sides of the road, shouting towards Linde: "Bear Hunter! Bear Hunter!"
Linde heard the shouts, looked over, and waved, not lingering.
Linde's action undoubtedly confirmed his identity, and he had underestimated his own reputation in Highgarden.
Wine, poetry, and knightly legends are always the themes of Highgarden. From noble lords to common folk, they all love these romantic things.
The hunter of bears song is undoubtedly the most captivating song of the past few decades, some even think of the past hundred years. More importantly, the hunter of bears song completely broke the pattern of all currently popular poems, forming a new system of poetry.
Bards residing in Highgarden tirelessly studied the composition of this song, examining every note, and even developed the Bear Hunter Chanting School within just a few months.
Unlike bards who focused on the song structure of the hunter of bears song, ordinary people were more interested in the content sung within the hunter of bears song.
While Linde was still on his way to King's Landing, the hunter of bears song had already reached Highgarden and became the most frequently sung piece in Highgarden's taverns. Bear Hunter Lind's reputation had already spread throughout Highgarden by then.
Later, as Duke Tyrell returned to Highgarden with those who attended the martial arts tournament, the story of Bear Hunter Lind continued. He received a Shadow Lynx cub in the Kingswood, completed a hundred-kill feat at the martial arts tournament, and was knighted by the king after defeating the queen. Such stories, previously only appearing in legends, now appeared in their midst, and this legendary figure was also from The Reach, which made them even more excited.
The common people of Highgarden even regarded Bear Hunter Lind as an idol, especially after learning that Bear Hunter Lind had accepted Duke Tyrell's bandit suppression mission and was currently suppressing bandits north of Bitterbridge. Many Lost Country Knights lingering in Highgarden had already begun to consider heading north of Bitterbridge to find Linde's team and follow him.
Subsequently, news of Linde annihilating over a thousand bandits, assisting the lord of Tengshi Town in rebuilding Tengshi Town, and restoring the Mander River's upstream navigation route arrived in Highgarden with the longboats, making Bear Hunter Lind's reputation even more resounding.
Now, the news of Bear Hunter Lind's appearance in Highgarden's outer city quickly spread throughout the dock district, and along with this news, the giant beast Glory, who accompanied Linde, also became known. Many citizens rushed to the streets wanting to see what Bear Hunter Lind looked like. Upon learning that Linde had already gone to the castle entrance, the crowd then surged towards the castle entrance.
By the time they reached the plaza at the castle entrance, it was already packed with people, even the rooftops of some houses were full. Eight outer city guards were responsible for blocking the surging crowd, preventing them from getting too close to Glory, which also made Linde, standing at the castle entrance waiting for a reply from inside, even more conspicuous.
Before seeing Linde, everyone had their own idea of what Bear Hunter Lind would look like, but now seeing Linde, dressed in Lost Country Knight armor and accompanied by the giant Shadow Lynx Glory, everyone felt that this truly fit the legendary figure described in the hunter of bears song.
At this moment, some mischievous bard suddenly struck up the hunter of bears song, and other bards watching the excitement also joined in one after another. Immediately after, ordinary citizens also began to sing the familiar lyrics. Although the voices were chaotic, they sounded grand and inspiring, making people's blood boil.
"You brat, why do you cause such a big… Ah, what is that?"
Fotimo, who had been notified by the castle guards, rushed over. He had already heard the hunter of bears song being sung outside the castle before he even reached the castle gate. As he turned the corner of the gate, he couldn't help but scold, but before he finished speaking, he saw the enormous Glory standing before him. He immediately jumped back a few steps, instinctively placing his hand on the longsword at his waist.
"Lord Linde, it's been a few months, and you're still as energetic as ever," Linde stepped forward, blocking Glory, and bowed to Fotimo.
"Linde, are you Linde?" Fotimo heard the familiar voice coming from inside the dragon-crested helmet. He looked at the knight in magnificent heavy armor before him, his gaze falling on the longsword emblem at the bottom of the armor, and asked in surprise.
Linde took off his helmet, holding it in his hands, and said, "Yes, Fotimo."
"Where did you get that armor?" Fotimo asked, pointing at Linde's armor in shock.
It was no wonder he was so surprised, for he had never seen such a full suit of armor before. Neither its magnificent style nor its full-body plate armor design was something he had ever encountered. If Linde hadn't walked a couple of steps in front of him just now, he would have even doubted if one could move while wearing such a heavy suit of armor.
"A friend helped me forge it," Linde replied vaguely.
Fotimo didn't press further about which friend. He suddenly thought of something, pointed at Glory, and said, "Is that your Shadow Lynx cub?"
"Yes," Linde nodded.
Fotimo gestured to indicate the size of Glory the last time he saw him and said, "It grew this big in just a few months?"
"Perhaps it eats a lot," Linde responded with a smile.
Fotimo's face immediately showed an expression of "Are you kidding me?" Just as he was about to ask other questions, a chorus of "Bear Hunter! Bear Hunter!" suddenly erupted from the castle entrance plaza.
"Come in first! If I let you stay outside any longer, there's no telling what kind of commotion you'll cause." Fotimo looked at the chaotic scene of people pushing and shoving in the plaza and immediately ordered the guards to open the city gate, letting Linde enter the castle first.
Indeed, after seeing Linde and Glory enter the castle and the castle gate close again, the public's inexplicable enthusiasm quickly subsided. However, the crowd did not disperse but instead conversed in small groups about what had just happened.
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