Eagle of the Valley of Ice and Fire.

Chapter 324 Rainforest
The castle is a withered soldier pine, lost in the mist created by the children of the forest.

Long houses in the rain, forests in the fog, earthen ramparts surrounded by insects. Many castles in the rainforest are named after these features.

Since I was a child, I lived on a desolate coastline at the edge of the hills. I practiced swordsmanship every day facing the dry sea breeze. It was hard not to fantasize about the rainforest on the other side of the sea where it rained day and night.

"Clang ping pong! Clang clang clang!" The steel sword was in his hand, and the swords collided and made a clanging sound as he practiced with the coach who taught him swordsmanship and chivalry.

Memories were like the rising and falling tides at sunset, flooding into his mind whether he accepted them or not.

He gripped his sword tightly, collected his thoughts, and stood quietly in front of the coast, listening to the friction sound of the dry gravel lumps being trampled by the mercenaries' boots. Compared to the warmer south coast, the gravel here seemed larger.

He didn't dare close his eyes, even though many years had passed. But that battle, that town, and the incessant bell ringing were like ravens bringing dark news that kept circling in his ears, causing him to almost have tinnitus. Apart from the bell ringing that evoked painful memories, he could hear no other sound.

"Adjutant! Adjutant!" The herald Kieran Frode was walking towards him, leading a horse with a lot of dust on his boots.

Kieran approached and whispered, "This is not a good place to gather the troops. Where did the storm on the sea bring us?"

The sailor looked at himself guiltily for a few times, then quickly turned his head away.

He knew it well, and patted the herald on the shoulder. "Stormland has always been like this. There was even a Duke's ship that hit a reef and sank right outside his home."

Jilan grumbled rather unhappily: "It's a long way to go, and plans can never keep up with changes."

Yes, he agreed in his heart, and his thoughts drifted towards that day. He was just a little bit away from killing the usurper with his own hands.

Unfortunately.
The herald's words interrupted his thoughts, "There are woods and fog ahead. To ensure safety, it is best to divide the army into several groups and sweep in batches while maintaining communication between the teams."

"However," Kieran Frode sighed as he looked at the dense woods around him and shrugged uneasily, "Captain Harry is missing. I'm afraid that according to the designated marching plan, he might be in Griffin's Nest Castle?"

Harry Strickland? The old treasurer knew very well that he would never fight a battle without preparation or confidence. Even though he still followed the promise made by the previous captain to participate in the war to counterattack Westeros, his march was still cowardly, which hindered the progress of the march from beginning to end.

"Ser Harry Strickland is not around, so I can command you." He looked at the herald Kieran Froed, a young man with light blond hair and blue eyes. When he was introduced to the Golden Group by him, he was just a young boy who knew a little about archery at most, but now he has participated in many battles and has become an experienced herald and scout cavalry.

Kieran nodded, his tone rather excited, "Continue to follow Lord Griffin, there must be wealth and food waiting for us if we pass through this rain forest."

"No," Griffin looked at the dark rain forest with a stern gaze, "We must," he held the sword, "take over this rain forest."

Less than a thousand Golden Company mercenaries followed their commander, looking through the rainforest in front of them. Many of them had traveled across the ocean from Westeros to join the Golden Company. Some were the second and youngest sons of their families, some were veterans on the losing side of the war, and some were poachers who would have their fingers chopped off or sent to the Great Wall if they weren't so lucky.

Griffin thought of himself as a group of frustrated people. His eyes became more determined and his hand holding the sword became more forceful.

Rainforest, Amberly

The miners held chisels and hammers, with thick ropes hanging from their bodies, and walked down the hillside. Every time they stepped on a rock layer buried by the soil and an amber stone wall left over from mining, they had to make sure that they were solid before deciding to continue exploring.

There were extinguished torches everywhere, emitting white smoke. At night, the place would be brightly lit, and the deep caves would be as bright as day. The miner touched the amber rock under his feet, brushing away the debris and some dust. He opened his eyes wide and saw a complete insect wrapped in a golden amber cage, with its transparent thin wings with several lines clearly visible.

He took out a chisel and began to knock along the edge of the amber and the rock, "bang~bang~bang~"

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Along the ore bed, the sounds of knocking and the miners' conversations flow down the layers, just like the straight strings of a harp, plucking, vibrating, and spreading.
Amber is inlaid in the folds and cracks of the rock strata, and colors such as golden, orange, and pewter are scattered around the rock strata, like a starry sky.

The silver unicorn flag of the Rogers family was quietly planted at the front and center of the mine. Several soldiers with daggers hanging on their waists stood there, staring at the miners swinging their hammers with boredom.

Berger Rogers stood on the high wall, looking down at the mine in the distance.

The castle in Amber Land had only three high walls, and the other side was backed by the woodland on the mountain. Although the surrounding woods had long been bare, only the buildings of farms and livestock pens could be seen on the ground, but there was not a single tree.

He listened to the clear bird songs in the sky above the castle, and occasionally took the time to listen to the noise of the miners in the distance. Berger closed his eyes, leaning comfortably on the cushions prepared by the servants, enjoying the rare sunshine in the rainforest.

"Is there still no news from Rain House City?" Berger recalled the disturbing news from Stonehelm City and Rain House City a few weeks ago, saying that bandits were surging in the rainforest, causing him to spend a lot of money to hire a lot of natives from Isle of Ethmon as guards. As a result, the area around his own castle was calm, and there were even fewer birds and animals in the deep rainforest than before.

The servant poured honey on him and shook his head, "Master, the maester has not received the letter."

"That's good," grumbled Burgir, gnashing his teeth as he chewed the frozen fruit. He pressed his tongue against his aching teeth. "When the fighting stops a little, I'll take you to King's Landing and bring cartloads of amber to King Joffrey and Hand Artis Arryn."

The birdsong in the air stopped abruptly, and the mines in the distance seemed to have stopped making noises. Berger frowned, and he stretched his head to look down at the top of the city wall. Why didn't those country bumpkins from Ismen Island gamble? In the past, the sounds of these Ismen Island natives who took money but did nothing were fighting and gambling under the city wall, but now it was strangely quiet.

"Strange." As Berger was speaking, he felt a chill on his neck. He lowered his eyes and looked down to see the spiked spears of the natives of Ismon Island.

"You guys took the money, you guys."

"Plop!" The servant fell in a pool of blood, and the fruit plate was overturned to the ground.

Berger was stunned, slumped on the cushion, and breathed heavily.

A long sword stood upright in front of him, with the tip of the sword stuck in the fruit flesh. Golden greaves and silver elbow pads appeared in his sight first. Looking up, a flag was erected in front of the steps of the city wall. Embroidered on the flag was a pile of gilded skulls.

The Golden Company? Berger's mind was blank.

"Amberland is finished, including your amber baby, Rogers, surrender to us," the mercenary of the Golden Group whispered, "It seems that the gods in the sky, your subjects and bodyguards have all abandoned you. Who knows what atrocities you have committed against them? When you saw our weapons and flags, you surrendered without even a shout."

Berger's mind was a blur.

"It seems you need a true king." The mercenary looked at him with pity, "Otherwise how can your crimes be pardoned?"

(End of this chapter)