Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 156 See you in the arena—I will be the victor!

The sight of the legendary creature, Long Yi, both alluring and terrifying, caused both of them to fall silent. It was as if the enormous, ferocious figure and the terrifying pressure that burned everything had transcended time and space, weighing heavily on their hearts.

The Tower of the Burning Kings, a building permanently etched into the history and scars of Westeros, naturally never lacks visitors.

When Euron and Ashara snapped out of their reverie about dragons, they found several familiar visitors had gathered below the tower.

Brandon Stark of the North was gesturing enthusiastically, commenting on the tower's construction; standing nearby was Tyrion Lannister, brimming with curiosity about ancient and modern legends; somewhat surprisingly, the two Tully sisters were also there—

Caitlin and Lysa were among them.

Lysa had originally intended to invite Ser Jaime Lannister on a trip, given their prior engagement. However, Jaime, a knight renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms for his handsome looks and swordsmanship, showed little enthusiasm for Lysa, and his twin sister Cersei made no attempt to conceal her dislike for the marriage. Neither of them showed up.

Tyrion Lannister, on the other hand, was quite fascinated by the place and came with the Starks and Tully sisters.

Tyrion Lannister spotted Euron and Ashara immediately and, with his short legs, nimbly ran over through the crowd.

He tilted his head back, a signature smile—a mix of wit and self-deprecation—and exclaimed, “Look who this is! Do you two even realize how tormenting it is for this poor, lonely dwarf to be inseparable like this every day? It makes me hate you to the core!”

Euron chuckled upon hearing this. He looked down at Tyrion and said in a gentle and sincere tone, "You are still young, Tyrion. With your wisdom and magnanimity, you will surely meet a girl you love deeply, and who loves you just as deeply."

I have no doubt about it.

At this moment, Brandon Stark burst into a loud, hearty laugh, slapping the charred bricks beside him. His voice echoed through the towers: "Seeing a place like this, I'm truly glad the Mad King Aerys didn't have a dragon in his grasp!" He suppressed his laughter, his tone now carrying the straightforwardness and lingering fear characteristic of the North. "If he really had one, who knows what even crazier things he would have done! He probably would have burned down a castle every day, clamoring to roast everyone he didn't like to the ground. Thank goodness that disaster didn't happen."

Euron frowned slightly upon hearing this, and immediately lowered his voice to warn, "Watch your words!" His self-glow swept warily across the surrounding high, charred walls. "Behind every wall, there may be ears. Varys, the eight-legged spider of King's Landing, is said to have little birds that are everywhere, all over the Seven Kingdoms. He's right next to one of them right now!"

Before he could finish speaking, a clear, reproachful female voice came from behind the crowd. Her voice preceded her words: "That's right! Foolish brother, is this the kind of thing you can say here? No, you can't say it anywhere! Shut your mouth!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lyanna Stark walking briskly towards them. She inherited the Stark family's signature long face, long brown hair, and resolute grey eyes. The famous "blood of the druid" flowed through her veins—which made her appear willful and stubborn, brave and fearless, and her temper as fiery and direct as the cold winds of the North.

She was not alone; Robert Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, and others accompanied her.

Her brother Eddard Stark and the loyal Zealot Holland Reed.

As soon as Robert Baratheon arrived, his eyes were immediately drawn to Euron and Ashara standing hand in hand, and he burst into hearty laughter. He turned around immediately, opening his arms to embrace Lyanna beside him, mimicking that intimacy. However, Lyanna nimbly dodged with a laugh, leaving Robert standing there empty-handed, puffing out his beard and glaring, shaking his head helplessly, yet still wearing a doting smile on his face.

Robert Baratheon patted and kicked the broken stones, showing no interest whatsoever. He gruffly snorted, waved his hand impatiently, and said, "What's so interesting about a charred, broken stone castle! Just a bunch of boring stories."

Brandon Stark wholeheartedly agreed. He crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over the twisted tower, his tone carrying a warrior's pragmatism: "The age of dragons is truly over. To be honest, when dragons existed, this world had no need for warriors. I've heard that a single dragon could rule the entire sky, and ten thousand elite warriors would be no match for it, only needing a few breaths of dragonfire." There was even a hint of relief in his voice. "This is for the best! Without those monsters, it's truly the era for us warriors to show our worth."

Lyanna Stark, upon hearing this, glared at her brother and Robert with annoyance, her gray eyes flashing with displeasure: "Are all you men thinking about is war and fighting? Are you so eager for bloodshed?"

Robert was taken aback by her words, then burst into laughter, trying to infect her with his enthusiasm: "Even without war, there are still tournaments and contests! Like this tournament, the best warriors from the seven kingdoms have gathered to fight for glory! Isn't that exhilarating?"

"Glory?" Lyanna scoffed, cutting to the chase. "I think most people are here for those gleaming golden dragons!"

"What would a woman like you know about the glory that warriors pursue!" Robert was taken aback and waved his hand in annoyance, trying to change the subject by mentioning gender.

These words ignited Lyanna's anger. She retorted without backing down, revealing her stubbornness: "What's wrong with women? Are women born only to stay at home or lie in bed giving birth?"

"Hmph, don't forget, the blood of the Stark wolf flows in my veins too! Give me a horse and a sword, and I'll be ready for battle!"

Robert, clearly not wanting to continue arguing with her on this issue, wisely chose to change the subject. He glanced around at the men present and asked loudly, "Alright, alright, let's get down to business! What programs did you all sign up for this time?"

Brandon was the first to respond, confidently counting on his fingers, "A spear duel is definitely in order!"

There will be individual duels and seven-team group duels, and we Northerners will never be absent!

"Haha, good! Just like me!" Robert thumped his chest with a deep, resounding thud, clearly extremely excited. He looked at Euron, "And you, little sea monster?"

Euron calmly replied, "The same."

Robert was overjoyed upon hearing this, his eyes blazing with intense fighting spirit. He shouted, "Haha! Excellent! It's a deal then, see you in the arena! My warhammer won't hold back!"

Brandon grinned and said, "Only by giving it your all can you earn the glory of a warrior! Just you wait! I won't hesitate to wipe you out!"

Euron's lips curled into a confident smile as he succinctly replied, "To give it my all, that's only right. But in the end, I will be the one standing on the arena!"

Tyrion Lannister stood aside, listening to the crowd's fervent discussion of duels and glory, and couldn't help but sigh deeply. His voice carried a sense of desolation and self-mockery that was beyond his years: "Alas, all these glories you're discussing are probably destined to be out of reach for a little dwarf like me in this lifetime."

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst into a good-natured but somewhat rough-around-the-edges laugh, without giving much thought to the bitterness in his words.

Euron was the only one who didn't laugh. A knowing smile played on his lips as he calmly looked at Tyrion, his tone sincere and meaningful: "There are many kinds of honor, Tyrion. Force is just the most direct, but also perhaps the cheapest." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the burly warriors around him, and continued, "But the respect and achievements earned through wisdom are the highest and most enduring honor."

These words gradually quelled the laughter in the room. Lyanna Stark immediately echoed loudly, her gray eyes sharply sweeping over the group who had just laughed, her tone filled with undisguised contempt: "Exactly! Well said! Ignore them! Gaining a sense of superiority by mocking someone's physical defects is the most shameless and cowardly behavior in the world!"

Lyanna stood firmly on Tyrion's side, her sense of justice, fueled by the blood of the wolf, now fully revealed.

Physical disability...

Tyrion was speechless for a moment, as if Tyrion was the only one there who was making fun of him.