Carter's death did not cause much disturbance. However, Todd did as Samwell had suggested, declaring that Carter was murdered by passing bandits. Upon hearing this news, the soldiers of the Tyrell family clamored to avenge Carter. In desperation, Todd took some people to sweep the area. In the end, they caught a few bandits wandering around. The crowd, excited and seeking justice, prompted the bandits as the murder and they were subsequently executed to pay homage to Carter.
This action could be regarded as eliminating harm for the people. Samwell continued to conduct military training for recruits and the pioneering team resumed their previous slow pace.
At noon that day, Samwell finished his training and was roasting a deer leg by the campfire when he saw a person traveling alone on horseback, without any visible protection or escort. When the man saw the pioneering team, he turned his horse and headed towards them. Gavin immediately led several people to meet him. After cross-examination, it turned out that this person was the messenger of the High Court, who had brought Margaery's reply letter and a large bag of golden dragons for Samwell.
Overjoyed, Samwell ordered Gavin to entertain the messenger well while he opened Margaery's reply letter. The special ink on the parchment exuded a faint fragrance, but the contents inside were impolite.
Margaery sternly expressed her dissatisfaction with Samwell's extravagance and asked him to speed up the march immediately. Samwell directly ignored the request. However, he still sincerely thanked the daughter of the duke who was far away in High Court when he received the bag of golden dragon coins. Then, he began to think about what reason he should change the next time he asked the other party for money.
At that moment, there was movement on the road near the camp, and a team of hundreds of people and dozens of carriages approached with quite a commotion.
Gavin checked and returned to report, "Master, it's a caravan from Old Town, and it's going to Upland City."
Samwell nodded as he had already seen the caravan clearly. The caravan's banner displayed a stepped white tower with a burning beacon on top of a soot background, the coat of arms of House Hightower, lords of Oldtown.
Initially, Samwell didn't intend to deal with the caravan, but he remembered something, changed his mind, and instructed Gavin, "Reveal my identity and ask the steward of the caravan to come here."
Gavin nodded and shortly after, a short middle-aged man trotted over behind him. "Dear Sir Caesar, I am Jess, the caravan steward of the Hightower family, the lord of Old Town. Please allow me to extend my greetings to you on behalf of Earl Layton."
"Mr. Jess, what are you transporting?" asked Samwell.
"It's a batch of weapons and equipment shipped to Upland City for sale," replied Jess.
"Weapons and equipment? Can I have a look?"
"Of course, sir " Jess replied.
Jess brought Samwell to the caravan and showed him various weapons and equipment, including long swords, steel knives, bows and arrows, long spears, and leather armor.
When Samwell saw a cart of leather armor's, his eyes lit up and couldn't help but pick one up and look at it carefully.
Seeing this, Jess explained with a smile, "My lord, this is a leather armor made of gray lizard skin. It is durable and very comfortable to wear. Would you like to try it?"
Samwell didn't try it on himself but asked Gavin to try it on. Jess saw Samwell's intentions and quickly started advertising , "My lord, if you are satisfied with this, I can send someone back to Old Town immediately and let the cobblers rush to make a batch of leather armor for you. The price is absolutely fair!"
Samwell rubbed his chin noncommittally and asked again, "Are there any other armors?"
"Yes, there are a few more chain armors. Would you like to see them?" said Jess.
"Where's the plate armor?" asked Samwell.
Jess smiled wryly, shaking his head, "I'm sorry, my lord. The manufacturing cycle of plate armor is long and the cost is high. The blacksmith shop in our Old Town is also one of the best in the River Bend, but at most, only three or four pairs of plate armor can be made every year, and they are already pre-booked by the major families before they are done well."
Samwell was not surprised when he heard that.
As the armor with the highest level of protection in the cold weapon era, plate armor is extremely difficult and expensive to manufacture.
A pair of well-made plate armor can be passed down from generation to generation by many small nobles as heirlooms.
Even if Jess's caravan had one, he doubted that he might not be able to afford it.
As the eldest son who had been abandoned a long time ago, Earl Randyll would naturally not prepare armor for Samwell. When he left Highgarden, he considered that conscription would cost a lot of money, and he would lose a lot of weight on way , so he didn't buy armor.
This time, he had just received a large sum of money from "Rose of highgarden", and Samwell couldn't help but want to upgrade his equipment and those of the recruits.
You must know that whether one has armor or not has a great impact on battles .
"Then show me your chain armor."
"Okay, this way please." Jess took Samwell to another carriage and took out a piece of chain armor from it. "It' look's good , do you want to try it?"
"Okay."
Jess helped Samwell put on the chain armor with a smile and introduced, "My lord, it took the best blacksmith in Old Town three months to connect thousands of iron rings, and it weighs about thirty-five pounds. It can also effectively protect against attacks from swords, arrows, and spears. Do you like it?"
Samwell wore the chain armor, moved his hands and feet a bit, and felt that it was not bad, so he asked: "If I want this chain armor, plus one hundred and eight sets of the leather armor just now, how much will it cost?"
Jess's eyes lit up, showing the joy of meeting a big client, and l said quickly: "My lord, we need seven hundred and thirty-five gold dragons together. If you are sure, I will send someone back to Old Town..."
Samwell lifted his hand and interrupted him : "The price is no problem, but I want this stock, and I want it immediately."
"This..." Jess looked embarrassed, "But my lord, these are all ordered by the Mullendore family."
Samwell shrugged and said, "I understand your difficulties, but our team is going to explore the Red Mountains and urgently needs this batch of equipment, so if I can't get it as soon as possible, I'd rather buy it elsewhere."
Jess hesitated for a moment, but thought that the Mullendore family in Highland City was a vassal of his own lord, and the delivery time was completely negotiable, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay! My lord, I will deliver this batch of goods first. As for the Mullendore family, I'll send someone back to ask my people to make another batch."
"That's right!" Samwell smiled happily, and took out the unheated golden dragon just received. Coupled with some of the funds from before , the full amount was handed over to Jess.
Afterwards, he asked Gavin to bring someone to pick up the leather armor, and distribute it to the recruits to wear.
Holding the leather armor, Gavin was very excited, but still couldn't help but say with a pained expression: "Master, you are so kind to us! But... I'm worried about spending money like this..."
"There's nothing to worry about," Samwell waved his hand carelessly, "Didn't I tell you, your master, I , am not short of money."
[END]
NOTE-
what are messengers of high court?
Messengers of the High Court on Game of Thrones are individuals who are tasked with delivering important messages and carrying out various missions on behalf of the ruling powers in the Seven Kingdoms. These messengers are typically trained and skilled individuals who are trusted to carry out their duties with speed, accuracy, and discretion.
Messengers of the High Court may be tasked with a wide range of missions, from delivering letters and documents to carrying out covert operations such as espionage or assassination. They may also be responsible for transporting valuable items such as weapons, gold, or other resources that are necessary for the functioning of the realm.
Throughout the series, messengers of the High Court are shown traveling to various locations throughout the Seven Kingdoms, often facing dangers such as bandits, rebels, or hostile forces along the way. In order to complete their missions successfully, these messengers must rely on their skills, knowledge, and resourcefulness to overcome any obstacles that they may encounter.
Overall, messengers of the High Court play an important role in the political and military affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, and their actions can have a significant impact on the course of events throughout the series.