"Lord Varys, I believe I am the one who is disturbing you." Tyrion forced himself to be polite. "When I entered just now, you seemed to be in pleasant conversation."
...The group continued to chat. The eunuch was indeed amusing; earlier, Varys had complimented the chieftainess's ear necklace, which had delighted everyone. Even Shae called him Lord Varys, a term usually reserved for intimate moments, 'my Lord' being a woman's address for her man.
"But why should I be angry?" Tyrion asked himself. She was just a whore who wanted his gold, a woman he had met in the camp. King's Landing had plenty of such women. But she was The Imp's new favorite, and The Imp felt a strange pang of jealousy.
The atmosphere instantly became a little strange. Tyrion knew a war had begun, a war fought in the shadows. Varys was making overtures to him, and also displaying his power.
Varys the Master of Whisperers chuckled, "My Lord, would you care to have a drink with us?"
"Just a little." Tyrion sat beside Shae. He understood full well what the whole thing meant, but unfortunately, Qira and Shae didn't seem to.
The women didn't understand, but Varys, why had Varys come to him? Tyrion had anticipated visiting many people: his cousin Lancel, Old Maester Pycelle, but he hadn't expected Varys to make the first move.
Tyrion understood Varys's deeper meaning. Varys's visit was to convey a message. Varys's words, "I suddenly felt the urge to call upon your young lady," actually meant: You tried to hide her, but I not only know who she is, I also know where she is, and now I've come knocking?
Tyrion wondered who had betrayed him: the innkeeper, the stable Boy, the city gate guards, or... his own men? The Spider's intelligence network was all-pervasive, and he was merely a fly caught in its web.
Varys the Master of Whisperers then boasted about the splendid carvings of the Gods' Gate, the gate he always used when returning to the city. Tyrion's heart tightened. What nonsense carvings? The Spider was implying that he was closely monitoring them, and their movements were known to him as soon as they entered the city.
"Be careful when you go out, my Child," Varys told them. "King's Landing isn't very safe these days... Alas, times are perilous, outlaws roam freely, their swords are cold, and their hearts are even colder." This meant: If I can come here alone and unarmed, others can certainly come knocking with swords in hand.
"Your young lady is truly most amiable; if she were mine, I would take great care of her," Varys said calmly, completely disregarding Tyrion's feelings.
"I intend to do just that."
Tyrion understood in his heart that he had to remember every word Varys spoke. The master of whisperers was elusive and spoke in riddles.
Varys was threatening or showing his value. He knew where Tyrion's little whore lived, he knew about the comings and goings of visitors to King's Landing, and he could help Tyrion protect the girl.
The Spider continued to tell stories, chuckling, about kings, rich men, priests, and Mercenaries, even though Tyrion didn't really want to listen.
But The Spider's words had a hidden meaning: kings represented authority, priests represented faith, rich men represented wealth, but all these people depended on the lowest of Mercenaries.
The Imp quickly understood that Varys was that Mercenaries who sold himself to live, who could sell all sorts of information to buyers. His willingness to meet him now indicated his willingness to make overtures.
"What does this eunuch mean?" Tyrion pondered. "Does he believe that intelligence has the power to play both sides and change the situation? After all, in the game of power, whoever wins is the true power. But he is at best an information peddler; does he really consider himself a king? Winning a country relies on war, power is built on war, not these trivial matters, not a perfumed eunuch master of whisperers. Power is power. Although intelligence is indeed very important these days."
Varys's words also reminded The Imp that faith, the High Septon, was also an important part of King's Landing.
In short, the war had begun.
His father Tywin had his battlefield, and Tyrion had his own battlefield... Before the ford of the Trident River, the Lannister army's horns blared as the Northmen advanced south under the cover of night and launched an attack. Those rugged Northmen became a reality, but the blue steel scale mail on their bodies filled Tywin with anger; those useless Freys, their equipment had benefited the Northmen.
Beyond The Bloody Gate, at the end of the stone fortifications, the mountains suddenly opened up, revealing green fields, blue skies, and snow-capped peaks, breathtakingly beautiful to Gendry and the others. At this moment, The Vale of Arryn was bathed in the morning light. They had to descend quickly and reach The Gate of the Moon by night.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"