BXBX NOVEL Chapter 44: old town
The sea surface of Whispering Bay has always been known for its tranquility. It is rare to see waves higher than ten feet. No matter how unruly the sea breeze comes here, it will become gentle, as soft as a lover\'s whisper.
As the merchant ships sailed into the bay, Samwell could already see the iconic buildings of the old town from a distance—
Towering Tower.
This huge tower of stone steps is one of the most magnificent and magnificent buildings in Westeros.
It is more than 800 feet high, and the spire of the raging fire burning day and night goes straight into the sky, which can be clearly distinguished even hundreds of nautical miles away.
For thousands of years, this bright lighthouse standing at the mouth of the Mead River has pointed out the direction for countless captains.
As the merchant ship slowly approached the port, the majestic figure of the towering tower became clearer and clearer to everyone.
Everyone\'s eyes widened, looking up at the miraculous building in front of them, unconsciously holding their breath.
Qieman, who had no knowledge, was even more unbearable. His whole body began to tremble, as if seeing a god, and he almost knelt down to worship.
Even though he was used to seeing skyscrapers in his previous life, Samwell couldn\'t hide his surprise at this time.
It is really hard for him to imagine how to build such a lighthouse with the productivity of Game of Thrones close to the middle ages.
Unless it\'s magic!
An idea came to Samwell\'s mind.
Such a building, apart from magic, he couldn\'t think of any other way to build it.
As the busiest port in Westeros, the sea area here is extremely crowded, and the merchant ships that Samwell and his party are on even have to wait in line to enter the port.
Under the afterglow of the setting sun, this ancient city looks peaceful and elegant, like an old man who has experienced thousands of years of wind and frost, watching the vicissitudes of the world with calm and indifferent eyes.
In addition to the towering tower, there are two famous buildings in the old town—School City and Starry Temple.
School City is the place where bachelors are trained, and it is also the place that the original owner most yearns for. Countless well-educated people set out from here to the lords of Westeros, big and small, to give them advice and suggestions.
As for the Starry Church, it has been the center of the belief of the Seven Gods for thousands of years, and the seat of the archbishop until it was replaced by the Baylor Cathedral in King\'s Landing more than a hundred years ago. But in the hearts of many believers of the Seven Gods, this place is still the closest to the kingdom of heaven.
Of course, when talking about Old Town, one cannot fail to mention its lord, that is, the family that lives in the Tower—
The Hightower family.
As one of the oldest families in Westeros, Hightower\'s bloodline can be traced back to the ancestors. As early as the distant Dawn Era, they once ruled the Mead River Valley-the King of the Tower.
However, such an ancient and influential family did not show the strength in line with its identity at all.
In fact, in the eyes of many people, the Hightower family is not only not strong enough, it can even be called weak.
As the king of the ancestors, when the Andals invaded, Hightower chose to submit and marry; when the Gardener family expanded from the Mande River valley, Hightower chose to submit and divorce his wife and marry When Targaryen rode a giant dragon to kill him, Hightower still chose to surrender, united…
Uh, no marriage this time.
It\'s not that Hightower doesn\'t want to, but the Targaryen family follows the tradition of intermarriage between brothers and sisters, and generally won\'t let the "blood of the real dragon" flow out.
This series of behaviors is indeed difficult for the Hightower family to establish enough prestige, let alone generate enough awe for them.
However, Samwell never underestimated this family.
In fact, anyone who takes the Hightowers lightly pays a heavy price for it—often in ways they don\'t even realize.
Those bachelors who came from the academy city to serve as advisors to the major lords, even though they claim to have no surname, no position, and no political inclination, who dares to say that the Hightower family has no influence on them at all?
What is the purpose of those bachelors who pretend to be pious in order to study the mystery?
That Xuecheng cardinal who rejects outsiders, what is he discussing in the dark room?
What secrets are hidden behind those ancient and heavy doors?
…
In Samwell’s view, the Hightower family is well versed in the principle of “conquering the strong with softness, and defeating the strong with the weak”. They never face strong enemies directly, but change the world in a silent way.
Countless ancient and powerful families have been wiped out in the long river of time, and it is certainly no coincidence that only the Hightower family has survived to this day.
As soon as they got off the merchant ship, Samwell and his party boarded another ferry boat—the towering castle tower of the Hightower family is located on the Battle Island, and they had to change boats.
Conquest Island is an alluvial island at the mouth of the Mande River. It is said that in the distant Dawn Era, there were giant dragons entrenched on the island until the first Hightower appeared, wiped them out, and built towering towers on the island.
When Samwell stood in front of this man-made miracle, he finally felt his own insignificance uncontrollably.
This is really not like a masterpiece of mortals.
"Dear Sir Caesar, welcome to the towering tower." In front of the gate of the castle, a handsome middle-aged man with an extraordinary bearing showed a bright smile at Samwell.
This person is the lord of Oldtown, the eldest son of Earl Leighton—Ser Baelor Hightower.
However, what really caught Samwell\'s attention was the beautiful figure beside Sir Baylor—
Miss Margaery Tyrell.
The daughter of the duke is wearing a green pleated skirt. The waist line outlined by gold silk highlights her perfect figure. Her soft brown curly hair is fixed by a headband and falls from the top of her head. Her gentle eyes see Sam When Will, he couldn\'t help showing a look of surprise:
"Ser Caesar, I almost didn\'t recognize you!"
Samwell was also stunned, apparently he did not expect to see this "Highgarden Rose" under the towering tower.
But soon, he came back to his senses, bent down and saluted:
"Good day, Sir Baylor, Miss Margery, the road to pioneering is not so easy, so I lost some weight."
"It\'s not just \'some\' thinner, it\'s completely changed." Margaery looked Samwell up and down, pursed her lips and smiled, "And I heard that you have subdued tens of thousands of savages, It\'s amazing."
"I also helped the Hightower family get rid of a nasty wanted criminal, my poor cousin can finally rest in peace." Sir Baylor added with a smile, it seems that he has received the wildling sent by Viscount Brandon head.
"It is my honor to be able to help the Hightower family." Samwell smiled at Baylor, and then turned his gaze to Margaery, "It is my responsibility to expand the territory of the Tyrell family."
Margaery’s eyes turned into crescent moons when she smiled, and cute dimples appeared on both sides of her cheeks:
"I\'m proud of you, my knight. This month\'s funding will also be very generous!"
Hearing this, the smile on Samwell\'s face grew brighter: "Thank you for your generosity! Your efforts will definitely be rewarded."
Afterwards, he asked curiously: "Miss Margery, I would like to ask, why did you appear here?"
"I came back to visit relatives with my mother, and I didn\'t expect to meet you. What a coincidence."
It was only then that Samwell remembered that Margaery\'s mother, the Duchess of Highgarden, was the daughter of the Lord of Old Town, Earl Layton.
"Okay, stop standing outside, come in." Baylor invited with a smile.
Samwell nodded, took the bread and salt from the servants on the side, put them in his mouth, and then walked into the gate of the castle.
(end of this chapter)