Because he had written to Nameria beforehand, asking her to go to Summerhall, Lynd took the Stone Giants directly to Summerhall after leaving the Kingswood.
When passing through Green Valley City, the city gates were a bit too small and the streets too narrow, forcing the Stone Giants to wade through the Blueburn River outside the castle.
Upon arriving at Summerhall, Nameria, along with the stewards and managers of Summerhall, stood at the entrance of the town to greet Lynd.
"You've worked hard." Lynd dismounted a short distance from Nameria, led his horse to her, and embraced her.
For Nameria, although managing two territories simultaneously for several months had been exhausting, hearing Lynd's words of appreciation and feeling his embrace made her feel that everything was worth it.
"Everyone, you've worked hard these past two months. Thank you for keeping everything in the territory running smoothly after I left," Lynd said, holding Nameria's hand, to the officials of Redemption Town.
Everyone responded, their eyes filled with admiration for Lynd.
During this time, all the discussions about Lynd inside and outside Redemption Town made them feel honored, and their respect and admiration for Lynd grew exponentially. Even a small thank you from Lynd was enough to satisfy them immensely.
Lynd then led Nameria to their respective horses, taking the Stone Giants and subordinate officials into Redemption Town.
The stonemasons who built Summerhall Castle, the settlers who had made Redemption Town their home, and residents from surrounding villages gathered inside and outside Redemption Town below the castle to welcome Lynd back, and also to see the legendary giants.
Redemption Town, only recently built, was now packed with people. They stood by the streets, on balconies, and on rooftops, cheering loudly at the procession of giants walking down the central avenue. Their cheers, initially chaotic, gradually became unified, with only the designation of Godsworn echoing throughout the town.
In Redemption Square at the town center, Nameria announced that all drinks would be free today, and the cheering reached its peak.
Lynd did not stop in the town but passed through it, going directly along the main road to the outside of Redemption Sanctuary.
Bishop Huren, Sister Melissa, and Elder Colin had been waiting there for a long time, and when they saw the figures of the giants, they all became very excited.
When they learned that Lynd had subdued the legendary giants, they had vaguely guessed that these giants would eventually belong to Redemption Sanctuary, because only by placing them in the church would others not gossip.
Later, they received Lynd's letter, confirming their suspicions, so they had already begun construction next to Redemption Sanctuary very early on, creating a place for the giants to live and move around, and even specially building a separate food warehouse for them.
Although the wights captured by Lynd could not be placed in Redemption Sanctuary to display the glory of the Seven Gods, the giants were clearly more practical than the wights. Bishop Huren had already thought about how to use the giants' reputation to make Redemption Sanctuary a holy site of the Seven Gods' faith comparable to the Great Septs.
"This is Marg, the leader of the giants. I have taught him some simple common tongue, so you can communicate with him simply. However, it would be best if you also learned some of the Old Tongue of the First Men, which would be more convenient."
Lynd introduced the giant Marg to the three subordinates of Redemption Sanctuary, and also introduced the three to the giant Marg, as they would be working together for a long time in the future.
After having the three from Redemption Sanctuary lead Marg and the giants to their resting place, Lynd introduced Tob Mott to the accompanying officials of Redemption Town, asking Moroa to arrange Tob Mott in the blacksmith camp that had already been built but had not yet had a supervisor appointed.
He then dismissed his officials and supervisors, deciding to handle all other matters tomorrow.
"When you have time, come to my laboratory. Qyburn and I have discovered some interesting things," Moroa whispered to Lynd as she left.
Although Lynd was also curious about Moroa and Qyburn's discovery, he felt that now was not the time to discuss such matters.
As for celebration banquets and the like, Lynd had no intention of holding any. After dismissing the officials, he was immediately pulled by Nameria into the room of the temporary official residence outside Redemption Town to make up for the several months of 'public grain'.
After a passionate session, the two leisurely lay in the official residence's bath, with the twin handmaidens and some other maidservants attending to them.
Nameria leaned against Lynd, curiously asking, "Are the Ancient Others really that terrifying?"
"Given your strength, if you were equipped with the right weapons, you should be able to defeat a human Ancient Other," Lynd thought for a moment, then answered truthfully.
"It seems the Ancient Others aren't that scary after all," Nameria said, taking a freshly made glass of juice from one of the twin handmaidens and handing it to Lynd.
"How many people in all of Westeros are as strong as you? Ordinary knights have no chance against an Ancient Other," Lynd shook his head and said, "And human Ancient Others aren't the strongest; those Ancient Others are truly powerful."
Nameria reached out and smoothed Lynd's furrowed brow, saying, "Don't overthink it. Everything can wait until tomorrow. Today, you should enjoy yourself and rest well."
With that, she lowered her head and submerged herself in the water.
The next day, a refreshed Lynd left the temporary official residence with his sworn sword, Ser Brienne Tarth. Because yesterday had been so exhausting, Nameria was still asleep.
Brienne had not been there to greet him outside Redemption Town yesterday due to her daily training, so when she came in the morning to fulfill her duties as a sworn sword, her mouth didn't stop, constantly asking about Lynd's experiences and the giants.
To satisfy Brienne's intense curiosity and make her quiet, Lynd, upon leaving the official residence, did not immediately go to his office in the Council Chamber of Redemption Town but took Brienne to the place where the giants were housed in Redemption Sanctuary.
As he had hoped, the moment she saw the giants, Brienne fell silent, not out of fear, but out of immense curiosity.
Elder Colin and Sister Melissa had not left since yesterday. They had been communicating and conversing with the giants, familiarizing themselves with the Old Tongue of the First Men they had already mastered, to help the giants get to know them faster.
Surprisingly, the first person to engage in normal conversation with the giants was not Sister Melissa or Bishop Huren, but Elder Colin, who had taken a vow of silence and could not speak. He quickly conversed freely with the giants through a set of gestures.
Lynd informed Bishop Huren that the Archbishop of the Great Sept of Baelor had agreed to fund the creation of bronze armor and weapons for twenty-six giants, and instructed him to discuss the specifics with Tob Mott.
Afterward, having inquired about Marg and the other giants, he left Redemption Sanctuary with a still-curious Brienne and went to his office in the Council Chamber of Redemption Town to deal with the backlog of several months of affairs.
Although Lynd had left all matters in the territory entirely to Nameria when he departed, there were some things Nameria still could not decide for Lynd, such as matters related to the Miracle Fleet.
When building Miracle Port, Lynd had requested that the docks and warehouses be built first, and that the urban part of the port be built gradually later.
Before Lynd went to the Wall, news had already arrived from the shores of Miracle Port that the port was nearing completion. So Lynd had people send the ships remaining in Oldtown to Miracle Port, to arrange captains and fleet Commanders for these ships upon his return.
However, what he hadn't expected was that his trip to the Wall would take several months, and the docks had been completed a month after his departure. Hundreds of longships and armed merchant ships had already been transferred from Oldtown to the docks of Miracle Port, where they had been docked ever since.
The appointment of captains for these ships was simple: while in Oldtown, Lynd had already entrusted Hightower with recruiting a group of captains and sailors for him. These were the captains who had sailed the ships from Oldtown to Miracle Port, and a formal appointment only required signing an appointment order.
This was the first thing Lynd dealt with upon his return: signing and stamping the captain appointment orders. However, he did not directly appoint these captains but instead assigned them to the naval camp at Miracle Port to serve as instructors for a period.
Lynd had no intention of forming those longships into a single fleet; instead, he planned to select three hundred longships, divide them into three, and form three separate fleets, entrusting them to Dagmer Cleftjaw, Bale Blackteas, and Asha Greyjoy, these three Ironborn.
He wanted them to continue the Ironborn tradition of piracy in the Stepstones waters, both to prepare for the future conquest of the Stepstones and to escort the Miracle Port's fleet.
"These are your respective appointment letters. Go to Miracle Port immediately today to take up your posts.
Each of you will be responsible for one hundred longships, and you yourselves will select and recruit the captains and crew from the naval camp in Miracle Port.
Additionally, each of your personal vessels will be an armed merchant ship, and you may decide its name." Lynd called Dagon, Beller, and Asha into his office, handed them the signed appointment orders, and said, "Of course, you can also select captains and sailors from other places, but whether they are captains or sailors, they must undergo five months of training in the naval camp.
Only those who are fully qualified can board the ships, do you understand?"
"Understood, Lord," the three replied, each exceptionally excited and unconcerned about anything else.
Although they had long known that Lynd had been training them to be Commanders of his fleet, they only felt at ease once they actually held the appointment orders in their hands.
Lynd continued, "After the supervision period set by the Iron Throne, if you wish to leave, you may do so; you only need to inform me, and your personal vessels will also be yours.
But I do not wish to see anyone hot-headed enough to take all the ships; if that happens, you will have to consider how to endure my wrath."
"We will absolutely never betray you, Lord," Dagmer Cleftjaw was the first to loudly declare, thumping his chest.
"Yes, we will absolutely never betray you," Beller and Asha also vowed solemnly.
Lynd was noncommittal about the trio's promises.
Then, he signed three material allocation documents, handed them to the three, and said, "Furthermore, I will cover the initial expenses for the fleet; after six months, you will be responsible for raising your own funds."
"Ah? We have to raise our own funds?" The three looked at Lynd with bewildered expressions.
"Your future area of activity is in the Stepstones; you'll have to use your brains to figure out how to raise funds," Lynd said, looking at the three.
"You mean we can… plunder?" Asha cautiously inquired.
"I said nothing; you are Ironborn, and I respect the customs of the Ironborn." Lynd seemed to answer Asha's question, yet it was as if he said nothing at all, only adding later, "No matter how you raise the funds, you must hand over half; the remaining half is yours."
Dagon immediately grumbled, "Ah! Lord, that's too much! To take half at once…"
"If you don't want to, you don't have to," Lynd directly interrupted Dagon, turning to Asha and Beller, and asked, "What about you two? Do you also think it's too much?"
"No, we think it's very reasonable, not too much at all," Asha and Beller quickly responded, not sparing Dagon a single glance from beginning to end.
"You…" Dagon was speechless for a moment at their behavior, finally lowering his head and saying to Lynd, "I now think it's not too much; after all, both the ships and the men are yours, Lord, so it would be reasonable even if you took everything.
It's already very good that you're leaving half for us."
Lynd nodded, waved his hand, and said, "Get ready and depart! I wish you smooth sailing in the future."
"Yes, Lord," the three saluted Lynd and then exited the room.
"Lord, will Asha be in danger?" Brienne, standing nearby, asked in a low voice.
"The sea is unpredictable; there will always be danger when one is at sea," Lynd said, handing the signed documents to Brienne, instructing her to send them to the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the Privy Council for archiving and task assignment according to the document's contents.
After a year of training, Brienne had begun assisting Lynd with some affairs.
Every day, in addition to her routine training and studies, Lynd would also have her challenge the knights of Summerhall Town to increase her combat experience.
From initially losing more than winning to now having an even win-loss record, Brienne had completed over seventy challenges.
Now, everyone in Summerhall Town knew Brienne's name, and due to Brienne's own performance, coupled with Lynd's address at the Lannisport banquet that day, the knights of Summerhall also called Brienne Ser Brienne Tarth.
"Lord, Halls Redwyne has been waiting outside," Brienne reminded him after delivering the documents, as he was reviewing the construction progress report for Red Guard City sent by Brin-He Wen.
"He's here already?" Lynd looked up and said, "Let him in!"
Brienne went down to announce him, then returned with a slightly short, bearded middle-aged man.
From his complexion, it was evident he had Summer Isles blood.
"Greetings, Godsworn," the man respectfully saluted Lynd.
Lynd looked at the man before him and said, "You are a talent specifically introduced by Lord Rhys, so I won't waste time with meaningless pleasantries.
I'll ask a few direct questions; if your answers satisfy me, then you will be the Commander of the Miracle Fleet."
"Understood, Lord," Halls Redwyne nodded.
Originally, Lynd had wanted to train one of Asha's group to be the Commander of the Miracle Fleet, but Nameria, Moroa, Lord Rhys, and others advised against it.
The Ironborn's reputation at sea was simply too terrible; once Miracle Port became associated with the Ironborn, it would inevitably suffer damage and affect the confidence of sea merchants in Miracle Port.
Therefore, Lord Rhys, who had made a living at sea for many years, suggested that Lynd establish two fleets, one overt and one covert.
The covert fleet would be commanded by Asha's group, the Ironborn, and would specialize in doing things that were inconvenient to do openly.
The overt fleet would be commanded by someone with a good reputation and would be responsible for the security of the waters around Miracle Port.
Lynd had initially wanted Rhys Farwell to serve as the fleet Commander, but Lord Rhys preferred to trade at sea and declined Lynd's recruitment.
However, upon leaving, he did recommend a talent to Lynd: the Sir Halls Redwyne standing before him.
Halls Redwyne had already proactively pledged allegiance to Lynd when Lynd planned to begin constructing Miracle Port.
At that time, he was traveling in Yronwood; upon receiving the news, he immediately went to Miracle Port, was recruited by Jon, and served as a military instructor for the Miracle Port naval camp.
"You are from the Redwyne Family.
Logically, with your talent and status, you should have been able to secure a good position in the Redwyne fleet.
Why did you abandon everything on Arbor to pledge allegiance to me?" Lynd asked directly.
Horth answered truthfully, "I am from a distant branch of the Redwyne Family, and I am also a second son.
Coupled with my mother's lineage, even if I were more capable, it would be impossible for me to become a fleet Commander, which is why I came here to try my luck."
"What is your relationship with Rhys Farwell?" Lynd asked again.
Horth immediately replied, "I once saved him at sea, and this time I asked him to recommend me.
Of course, if I were not capable, Lord Rhys's character would never allow him to recommend me."
Lynd then asked, "If you become the fleet Commander, what will you do next?"
Horth knew this was the crucial part, so he openly outlined his plan, saying, "I will first establish Miracle Port as the center and expand patrols around the Dorne Sea, testing the tolerance of the lords on both sides of the Stormlands and Dorne.
Then, I will send people to occupy several uninhabited islands off the coast of Cape Wrath to establish transit bases for the fleet.
If possible, I will also take control of Grimfang Keep, which would allow us to completely control this area of the sea.
After that, if conditions allow, we will gradually turn the Dorne Sea into Terra's internal sea."
"An ambitious plan; it will be somewhat troublesome to implement," Lynd nodded.
This plan was essentially the prelude to his entire maritime strategy.
Lynd's plan was to directly start with the Stepstones, using both an overt and a covert fleet, plus himself, to eliminate the pirates of the Stepstones, completely control the Stepstones, and thereby control most of the trade on both sides of the Narrow Sea.
However, before implementing this plan, the Dorne Sea had to be controlled, and Horth's plan was clearly well-suited as preliminary preparation.
Lynd was very satisfied with Halls Redwyne's answer, and since he couldn't find a better replacement for the time being, he picked up a pen, quickly signed an appointment order, and then placed it in front of Halls Redwyne, saying, "Swear your oath, Ser Horth."
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