Goldgrass.
Outside a small parlor adjacent to the main hall of the keep.
A servant brought in a wooden tray.
On the tray were two thick loaves of black rye bread, a small stone bowl of rock salt, and a cube of dried cheese.
The salt grains were coarse and greyish-white, products of the salt mines near Barrowton.
The one-armed Harwood Stout looked at his two guests, Rodney and Don Quixote, and said gruffly:
"Bread and salt.
"Heh, my two guests.
"Welcome under my roof, welcome to my table."
Don Quixote broke off a small piece of bread, dipped it in the coarse salt, and ate it.
...Hard, dry black rye bread dipped only in salt was truly a bit difficult to swallow.
Don Quixote quickly pinched a small piece of cheese and put it in his mouth.
The creamy cheese seemed to perfectly neutralize the dryness in his mouth.
After eating the coarse bread mixed with the salty, milky flavor, Don Quixote and Rodney bowed slightly:
"Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Harwood."
Lord Harwood nodded and smiled:
"Let's go. We'll head to the table, drink, and discuss trade."
The group followed Lord Harwood into the small parlor.
Inside were a long stone table and several decent wooden chairs.
Tapestries bearing the russet and gold chevron sigil hung on the walls.
Lord Harwood sat first in the high-backed wooden chair at the head of the table.
He shifted his weight, and the wood beneath him creaked.
Lord Harwood waved his remaining arm:
"Sit!"
Don Quixote and Rodney sat on the left, while other members of House Stout sat on the right.
Three servants entered silently, bringing coarse pottery mugs and a bulging leather wineskin.
The dark liquid slid down the sides of the mugs, thick enough to cling to the clay.
At the same time, a rich aroma of roasted malt instantly filled the air.
Lord Harwood downed a mug of black stout in one go and sighed:
"Good wine. House Manderly's Black Stout, unique in the North.
"This is the kind of good wine that warms the body!"
"Indeed!" Rodney agreed, drinking and smiling:
"In our Northern climate, we need strong drink like this to feel right."
Don Quixote lifted his pottery mug and looked inside.
Pitch black as ink, thick and clinging, heavy.
It tasted of burnt sweetness from roasted malt, with a lingering aftertaste.
Then, like a warm fire, it burned from the tip of his tongue all the way to his stomach.
"Good wine!"
Don Quixote drank slowly while listening to the conversation between Rodney and Lord Harwood.
Before long, food was served.
White bread, salted cod, roasted chicken, and honey-roasted wild boar.
As the group finished the rather rich meal, the haggling between Rodney and Lord Harwood also came to a close.
Finally, Lord Harwood stood up and said:
"Rodney, the gates of Goldgrass are always open to you.
"My castle will always have a bite of bread and a bowl of rock salt for you, as long as you come with sincerity."
Rodney also stood up hurriedly and said respectfully:
"Thank you for your accommodation and hospitality, My Lord. Whenever I come to Barrowton in the future, I will definitely visit you.
"Bringing you the freshest seafood and the strongest Black Stout from White Harbor.
"May the Old Gods protect Goldgrass, and protect you, My Lord."
Soon, Don Quixote and Rodney were led out of the parlor by guards.
————
The cargo from three wagons was unloaded and handed over to House Stout.
After receiving a bag of coins, Rodney directed the caravan to move on.
Not long after.
The caravan arrived at the eastern gate of Barrowton.
Barrowton was one of the core settlements in the North, second only to the winter town of Winterfell.
It was also the only large settlement in the Barrowlands.
The entire town was built around the Great Barrow, and Barrow Hall, the seat of House Dustin, was built at the foot of the Great Barrow.
The Great Barrow.
—A massive hill covered in wild grass and snow.
It was the most magnificent and ancient relic on this plain filled with ancient tombs.
Legend has it that the First King of the First Men, who led the First Men across the Narrow Sea to land in Westeros, is buried here.
This is one of the supreme holy sites of the First Men faith in the North.
Don Quixote looked up at the massive hill, which looked like the spine of a sleeping giant, and muttered in his heart:
"This land is indeed ancient."
The wilderness outside the town was dotted with stone barrows of the First Men.
The wind blew through the grave grass, making a sobbing sound.
The air was perennially mixed with the smell of earth, withered grass, and faint decay.
Even in midsummer, it felt cold and gloomy.
Several guards wearing sable cloaks and carrying longswords stopped the caravan.
Rodney went forward to negotiate, handed the guards many gifts, and underwent a thorough inspection.
Only then was the caravan allowed to pass.
This was a town surrounded by wooden walls.
The wide, straight streets were lined with elms, and the Great Barrow rose from the center of the town.
Merchants, mercenaries, and Night's Watch recruiters from White Harbor, Winterfell, and the Wall would stop at this market.
Taverns, stables, smithies, and warehouses were all available.
The caravan finally stopped in front of an inn with a sign depicting a bundle of golden wheat stalks.
Don Quixote looked at the golden wheat stalk symbol and shook his head with a smile:
"Lord Rodney, a normal inn is fine for us. There's no need to stay at the Golden Wheat Inn."
The Golden Wheat Inn was located on the elm-lined main street.
It was one of the few high-end inns in Barrowton qualified to host noble entourages.
Rodney smiled too:
"It's just for a night or two; it won't cost many Silver Stags.
"Besides, if I let you and your men stay in those low-end inns, Ser Don Quixote, I'd be worried about hiring the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company next time.
"I might not be able to hire you then!"
"Haha, the Bloody Hand Mercenary Company aren't noble knights. We can accept even harsher conditions!" Don Quixote laughed.
Soon, he looked at the eight fully loaded wagons around him in surprise and asked:
"Lord Rodney, can you sell all these goods in just two days?"
One must know that House Dustin was not a minor lord like House Stout.
House Dustin was a direct descendant of the Barrow Kings who had ruled the Barrowlands for thousands of years.
At the end of the Thousand Years War, the last Barrow King submitted to the King of Winter from Winterfell.
The King of Winter married his daughter, uniting the two houses.
Since then, House Dustin had been loyal to House Stark for generations, becoming one of the core pillar vassals of the North.
They could be called one of the oldest and most powerful top-tier vassal houses in the North.
Ruling Barrowton and the Barrowlands for generations.
Especially the current ruler of House Dustin, Barbrey Dustin.
She was the second daughter of Lord Rodrik Ryswell of the Rills.
House Ryswell was famous for breeding fine horses.
Even their house sigil was a black horse's head.
Barbrey Dustin relied on the cavalry strength of her maiden house, House Ryswell.
And House Dustin's own heavy cavalry forces, firmly controlling the entire Barrowlands.
She was one of the few female lords in the North ruling a top-tier vassal house independently.
After the Red Wedding.
Due to her hatred for House Stark, Barbrey Dustin allied with her brother-in-law Roose Bolton.
Becoming a core military pillar of House Bolton's control over the North.
But at the same time, she secretly maintained contact with Wyman Manderly of White Harbor.
She was the most critical swing power in the North during the War of the Five Kings.
Such a powerful figure in the North would never personally receive a small merchant like Rodney.
Or rather, Barbrey Dustin had likely never even heard of Rodney.
The two were simply not on the same level.
Therefore, in Barrowton, Rodney had to promote and sell his goods at various places in the market himself.
Unlike at Goldgrass, where he traded directly with House Stout.
...