Chapter 15: Encounter
Just past the Kingsroad, shortly before its intersection with the east-west River Road and High Road, about 40 miles from Harrenhal, lay the Trident River stretching north. This was the territory of Lord Harroway's Town, Ian concluded.
At the end of Ian's line of sight lay a small salt mine. Beyond the mine, near the treeline, a caravan was loading its cargo. The mine foreman directed the workers as they loaded sacks of salt onto horse-drawn carts.
This caravan was exactly the scale Ian remembered—four old draft horses, two wagons, seven mules, four servants, and a lean young merchant.
While it was unclear why this player had been so foolish as not to change their starting loadout, the significance of Ian encountering such a caravan here was obvious.
"What are the odds?" Watching this scene from a distance, Ian's grip on his sword tightened.
Ian's original plan for hunting involved staking out a location, assessing the terrain and the enemy's strength, and then planning deception and ambush—not stumbling into an unprepared encounter.
But now he had no choice. He was already traveling along the Kingsroad, and naturally hadn't concealed his presence. So, when he spotted the caravan, they naturally spotted him as well.
If he'd just continued north on the road, he could have avoided suspicion and passed the group by, but turning back after coming this far would seem strange.
To approach the merchant player without raising suspicion, he could only pretend to have business at the salt mines and ride straight there.
"Thankfully, my disguise is solid; no one should suspect me," Ian muttered, glancing at his castle-forged sword and regaining some confidence.
With his resolve firm, Ian adopted the haughty demeanor of aristocrats he'd often seen in period dramas back home. He veered left off the Kingsroad and headed directly for the nearby salt mines.
But before he'd gone far, he felt his heart start racing. "I absolutely cannot show weakness!" He quickly warned himself.
Ian realized he'd overestimated himself. Although he could theorize about his hunting plan, it was ultimately just empty talk—risk-free strategizing on paper. When it came to online arguments, Ian, who had fought countless flame wars on Reddit, didn't think he could outperform any keyboard warrior.
But when faced with this life-or-death situation, he found his rationality struggling to suppress the anxiety within him. For a moment, he couldn't even tell whether he was afraid of killing or of dying.
The short distance of a few dozen yards felt like an eternity to Ian.
"With only four incompetent servants and no sellswords by his side, he's completely vulnerable. I just need to approach him without raising suspicion, take his head with one swing, and then make my escape," Ian constantly told himself. "There's no real risk. I have nothing to fear."
Suppressing his fear, Ian rode his courser at a measured pace, observing the situation at the mine ahead.
Soon, he spotted something odd.
The salt miners and the merchant's servants were loading salt onto the wagons at a leisurely pace, with no one pushing them to hurry. This was clearly wrong.
Ian suddenly had a suspicion and came up with a test. He then passed through the salt mine's gate, bypassing the convoy of wagons blocking the entrance, and approached the foreman and the merchant player.
"Who is the owner of this salt mine?" Looking at the foreman approaching him, Ian put on an arrogant expression and addressed him in a superior tone.
"It's Lord Lucas Roote, the lord of Lord Harroway's Town, m'lord." The foreman looked at the sword at Ian's waist, obviously aware of his noble status. He lowered his head and spoke respectfully.
"How's the mine's business? Do you have a fixed, long-term supply contract?"
"No, m'lord. All the salt we mine has been sold to passing caravans," the foreman explained respectfully, but inwardly he was complaining, "None of your business! This is the Riverlands. Aren't you Lannisters meddling a bit much?"
"Good. I intend to purchase this salt mine. Show me around." That was Ian's plan.
This way, he could explore the salt mine and learn the surrounding terrain, while also forcing the merchant player to approach him. After all, the merchant wanted to buy salt, and Ian was about to become the new owner of the salt mine.
On the other hand, it would be strange for a high-born Lannister to approach a lowly merchant first.
Ian didn't even glance at the merchant player, knowing this would minimize suspicion.
"This..." the foreman's face suddenly fell. "The young lord is currently serving as squire to Ser Andrey Charlton. He's away from his lands. Everything in town is under the bailiff's control, including this salt mine."
"And the bailiff has no authority to decide whether to sell the salt mine?" Ian raised an eyebrow.
"No, m'lord."
"Then I'll take all your current inventory," Ian said without hesitation. "Refund his payment and have the salt brought to me instead." Ian gestured toward the merchant player and the wagons blocking the mine's gates.
It doesn't matter if I can't buy the mine. Taking his goods will still force him to come to me, Ian thought to himself.
"This..." the foreman broke into a cold sweat. "Do you need salt immediately, m'lord? We still have some left in our warehouse. Perhaps..."
"Need I explain myself to you?" Ian interrupted the foreman curtly. "You say you have no authority to decide on the mine, and now you're making excuses when I want to buy salt. Do you bear some grudge against House Lannister?"
The foreman, terrified, looked to the merchant for help.
The lean merchant was momentarily at a loss, and had no choice but to look at the heavyset servant beside him.
Seeing this, Ian's eyes narrowed.
He'd wondered why a merchant would dare to ride to the salt mine with his starting equipment to buy goods, and why the workers in the mine were moving so slowly. It turned out this guy had swapped clothes with his servant, and was baiting players here!
He knew that the merchant's starting equipment was conspicuous, so he deliberately exposed this weakness and waited for other players to hunt him.
This was indeed a good place to bait players! Because it was so visible—located north of the intersection of the Kingsroad, the River Road, and the High Road, and south of the Ruby Ford of the Trident River. Any player entering the Riverlands from the North, the Crownlands, or the Vale (or traveling from the Riverlands to these three places) would definitely pass by here and spot him.
But with such a pathetic group of servants, why did he think he could kill anyone by ambushing them?
(End of Chapter)
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