Theon asked, "Are there no Ironborn among the Longwing Dragon Riders now?"
"Of course not." The captain shook his head and said, "Only those who are chosen by the Storm God Temple and sent to Summerhall for the Redemption Sanctuary trial are qualified to become Longwing Dragon Riders. So far, no Ironborn has been able to pass the Storm God Temple's selection."
Theon raised his head and said emphatically, "If I become the lord of the Iron Islands, I will replace all the Longwing Dragon Riders with our Ironborn."
Upon hearing Theon's words, the captain and sailors nearby all showed disdainful smiles.
Theon disembarked onto the dock, looking around with a puzzled expression. Before coming to Pyke, he had sent a letter to Pyke using Seagard's raven. Logically, he should have been greeted by nobles at this moment.
However, in reality, the people coming and going were all porters, sailors, fishermen, and soldiers. No one paid him any attention, nor did anyone spare him a second glance; they were all busy with their own affairs.
In Theon's fantasy, his return to Pyke would be met with great attention, with countless Ironborn nobles welcoming their king's return. There was no way he would be ignored by just anyone like this.
A strange sense of indignation made his face flush. He looked around and saw a person who looked like a dock official behind a desk, registering something for a captain. So, he quickly walked over, pushed aside the captain who was waiting in line to register, and came to the desk.
"Don't you understand the rules? Get in line quietly, don't cause trouble." The official registering the ships looked at Theon coldly and warned him.
At his warning, the soldiers behind him stood up and glared at Theon.
Theon glared at the official and said in a deep voice, "I am Theon Greyjoy, the true heir to the Seastone Chair of the Iron Islands, your rightful liege. How dare you speak to me like that!"
"Theon Greyjoy?" The official was stunned, looked him up and down, and said unhappily, "Damn it, you're two days late. The higher-ups almost sent people out to sea to look for you." With that, he turned to a fully armored knight who was standing up behind him and said, "The person you've been waiting for is here. Take him to your superior! You sitting here for two days has been truly unpleasant." Then, he instructed his attendant, "Go notify the other registration desks and tell them Theon has arrived. Don't wait any longer."
At this moment, the knight walked up to Theon, looked him up and down, and said, "Follow me!"
After speaking, he didn't interact much with Theon and turned to walk towards the town behind the docks.
Theon quickly followed, wanting to talk to this unusually tall knight to gather some information, but he didn't know how to start the conversation. Moreover, the pressure the other party exerted on him was immense, making him feel as though he would be crushed if he spoke.
Soon, the knight led Theon to an office building outside the dock area and entered an office. He said to an official who was handling affairs inside, "Sir, Theon has arrived."
The official looked up at Theon, closed the unfinished documents in his hand, then stood up and said, "Go inform them to resume patrol duties." Then, he gestured to Theon, "Come with me!"
The official then led Theon out of the office building, boarded a carriage waiting outside, and drove towards Sea Hag Castle on the mountaintop.
"Are you from House Farwynd?" Theon saw the family crest on the official's collar and proactively tried to get closer, saying, "I know your House Farwynd is..."
"Shut up!" The official glared at Theon coldly and said, "I don't want to talk to you. Because of waiting for you, I lost an opportunity to go out to sea and could only deal with trivial matters behind a desk, and for half a year. If your name wasn't Greyjoy, I'd tie you to the back of this carriage right now and drag you back to the castle."
Seeing the other party's fierce expression, Theon's anger flared up. Just as he was about to say something, the other party had already acted first, grabbing him by the throat and pressing him against the wooden floor of the carriage, while a dagger was pressed against his eyeball.
The official then said, "Asha's order was only to bring you back, not necessarily in one piece. I suppose it wouldn't be a big deal if you were missing an eye or an ear."
"No, no!" Feeling that the other party genuinely intended to gouge out his eye, Theon quickly begged for mercy, saying, "I won't say anything, I won't say anything!"
Seeing Theon beg for mercy, the official stopped, withdrew his dagger, released his hand, and sat back in his original position, as if nothing had happened.
Theon, still shaken, tidied his clothes and sat on the other side, far from the official, watching the constantly moving scenery outside the window, not saying another word.
The carriage passed through the town and drove along the main road all the way to the castle on the mountaintop. After the carriage stopped, a servant waiting in the square opened the carriage door. A middle-aged woman stood at the entrance, looked at Theon who was stepping out of the carriage, and said, "Young Master Theon, I am Linda, the steward of Pyke. Asha has been waiting for you in the study for a long time. Please follow me."
After speaking, she turned and walked directly towards the castle. Theon had a million questions he wanted to ask, but the attitude displayed by the Farwynd official just now made him dare not say anything more, so he could only silently follow Linda.
Theon had lived in Winterfell for over ten years. In his impression, Winterfell was much larger than Pyke, and he believed the best castles in the world were similar to Winterfell.
However, when he entered Sea Hag Castle, he felt that Winterfell was simply as ugly as a country farm. The castle, built from massive stones, was towering and majestic, and its interior decoration was exquisite and luxurious. Various ornaments transported from across the Narrow Sea adorned the entire castle, and even the castle windows were all movable glass-paned windows, allowing sunlight to directly illuminate the castle, making it bright and airy even without artificial light.
"This castle should belong to me, this should be my castle!" Such thoughts constantly appeared in Theon's mind, but he didn't realize he was speaking them aloud, causing Linda, the steward leading the way, to turn back and look at him with some surprise.
Soon, Linda led Theon to the outside of the study in the castle, motioned for Theon to wait a moment, and after she entered the study, it wasn't long before a voice came from inside, saying, "Come in! Theon, my brother."
Theon pushed the door open and walked in. The walls of the spacious study were entirely lined with bookshelves filled with a large number of books. In the center of the room, near the fireplace, there was a desk made from a broken ship's bow. Judging by the Black Iron Maiden figure on the bow, it was clear that this broken bow came from his uncle Euron Greyjoy's Silence.
Across from the desk, a lithe, short-haired woman quickly signed a document, handed it to an attendant nearby, then looked at Theon with a hint of inexplicable emotion and said, "We haven't seen each other since that banquet in Lannisport. You are still the same, my brother Theon Greyjoy, still so weak and incompetent!"
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