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At dawn the following day, the kingsroad outside King's Landing was already crowded with smallfolk, wanderers, and merchants waiting to enter the city.
Creeeak, creeeak!
With the heavy groan of the enormous gates and iron portcullis of the Gate of the Gods opening, a troop of fully armed Gold Cloaks wearing grim expressions came out from the city and split into two lines, blocking the entrance.
"There was a rebellion in the Red Keep last night. By order of Her Grace the queen, everyone entering or leaving King's Landing must be searched!"
One of the Gold Cloaks, holding a scroll, shouted loudly in front of the gate.
After repeating that three times, he waved his hand, and the other Gold Cloaks moved into the middle of the gateway, splitting the passage into two lines. From then on, both entry and exit depended on their inspection.
"Torrhen, take two men and the last wagon. Wait for us at that inn we passed earlier."
Standing roughly in the middle of the line, Robb heard the message being passed along through the crowd ahead and turned his head to speak to Torrhen.
"Yes, boss."
Torrhen nodded, using Robb's alias with the same care as always.
Since the line to enter through that gate was enormous, Robb and the others were still far from the front.
So when Torrhen and two more men turned away with the special wagon carrying Bloodwind, the Gold Cloaks did not even notice.
The inspection to enter the city was extremely slow. It was only when the sun was nearly overhead that Robb and the others finally reached the front.
"Where are you coming from?"
Several Gold Cloaks standing in the middle of the Gate of the Gods looked over Robb's and the others' faces, comparing them to the scroll in their hands as they asked the question.
"My lord, we're a small caravan from Flint's Finger. Some time ago we received an order. We're bringing a bit of wool to a shop in Cobbler's Square.
Here, look, this is the cargo slip."
Rather than deliberately trying to hide that he was from the North, Robb answered in the thick northern accent he used for the disguise.
First, he bowed. Then, with a fawning smile, he answered the question. At the end, he pulled the cargo slip he had already prepared from inside his cloak.
"Mm, nothing wrong with the slip. I'm going to inspect these two wagons."
"Of course, of course. You there, open the wagons at once so the good ser can take a look!"
Hearing that the Gold Cloaks wanted to inspect the cargo, Robb immediately raised his voice, ordering Edd and the others to open the compartments.
"Mm, nothing wrong with the cargo."
The Gold Cloak drew his sword and prodded through the wool in the wagons. When he found nothing suspicious, he sheathed the weapon again. Then he hesitated a little and asked,
"But you lot... let me count... one, two... sixteen men escorting only two wagons of wool?"
At that question, Robb immediately pulled a few silver coins from inside his cloak and slipped them quickly and discreetly into the man's hand.
At the same time, he answered loudly,
"My lord, perhaps you're not too familiar with this kind of cargo. This is northern sheep's wool, and it fetches a high price in King's Landing.
Besides, there was a war in the North recently. A lot of deserters turned to banditry. So I'd rather earn less and hire more guards."
Feeling the coins in his palm, the Gold Cloak pocketed them discreetly. A smile appeared on his face.
"I've heard there's been war in the North. Taking precautions like that is the right thing to do. Very well, move along."
"Thank you, my lord!"
Hearing that they could pass, Robb smiled and called for Edd and the others to lead the wagons through the Gate of the Gods and into King's Landing.
The stench inside the city was even worse than outside. Robb resisted the urge to cover his nose, pretending he was already used to it.
Since Cobbler's Square was right beside the Gate of the Gods, it did not take long for the group to reach the square, crowded with people coming and going.
After ordering most of the Winterfell riders to continue with the cargo to the shop listed on the cargo slip, Robb took Edd and two more men southwest from the square, toward the Street of Steel, which was full of smithies.
After searching for quite a while using the address written on a scrap of paper, they finally found Master Anguy's Smithy.
The four of them went in, and the first thing they saw was a workshop full of bare-chested, sweat-covered men hammering unfinished weapons and farming tools amid showers of sparks.
"I'm Master Anguy. May I ask what you want to buy?"
Seeing customers enter, a short old man with graying hair approached with a cordial smile.
"I want to commission a dagger that can still be seen in the dark."
Robb studied the old man for a moment before answering slowly, placing special emphasis on the word dark.
At that, Anguy's smile did not change, but a different light passed through his eyes.
"That kind of special order doesn't come cheap. How about we talk in private?"
"So long as it can be done, the price won't be a problem."
Robb nodded, then turned to Edd and the other three.
"Wait for me outside. I'll go in with the master to discuss the details."
"Yes, boss."
Robb followed Anguy through the smithy, where the men were still working, until they reached a resting room in the back.
The moment Anguy shut the door behind them, Robb went straight to the point.
"I want to buy the latest information on the Hand of the King, Eddard Stark."
"That isn't a particularly rare piece of information. Two gold coins, please."
Smiling, Anguy named the price.
Robb nodded, pulled the coin purse from inside his clothes, counted out two gold coins, and tossed them to him.
"To tell the truth, you would've heard it soon enough anyway. Last night, the Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, tried to seize power and rebel with his own guard.
Ser Jaime Lannister and Ser Gregor Clegane, together with the Gold Cloaks and the Kingsguard, captured him. He's now being held in the black cells of the Red Keep."
Pocketing the coins, Anguy gave the information immediately.
Robb listened and nodded.
So it was exactly as he had expected. His father, incapable of resorting to underhanded means, had never had any chance of turning things around in King's Landing on his own.
Even so, there were differences from what he remembered from his previous life.
Because of Robb's influence, Eddard had not immediately concluded that Tyrion Lannister was behind Bran's attempted murder. So his hostility toward the Lannisters had not gone nearly so far.
Besides, the knights of the Vale sent by Lysa Arryn had forcibly taken Tyrion away in Catelyn's name.
Jaime, uncertain whether that was true or false, had not acted on impulse and attacked Eddard. Because of that, he also had not fled King's Landing or returned to Casterly Rock.
And if even Jaime had managed to restrain his impulse, Tywin, being far more calculating, would be even less likely to move rashly.
Thus, Gregor Clegane had not been sent into the Riverlands to begin raiding and slaughtering villages.
"Now tell me about his two daughters."
Robb continued, seeking information about his two sisters.
"One more gold coin, please."
After receiving another coin, Anguy answered:
"That one's even simpler. Sansa Stark was taken into the Red Keep by the Hound. As for Arya Stark... we don't know where she went. She vanished without leaving a trace."
"Understood. Mm, I'll also need a detailed map of the Red Keep."
"That'll cost you twenty gold coins."
"A single map costs that much? For people like yours, that should be easy enough to get."
The first two pieces of information had still been reasonably priced. But hearing that outrageous amount, Robb frowned, in no mood at all to be made a fool of.
"Heh, an ordinary map of the Red Keep, of course, wouldn't cost that much. But I assume what you want is a detailed map of the dungeons of the Red Keep, including the black cells.
That isn't the kind of thing just anyone can get. So the price matches the value."
Anguy let out a short laugh and explained why the map cost so much.
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