Chapter 3.5 Testing

Wolfgang was, as almost always, in his office, staring at a black powder in a jar. Yes, that's what everyone is thinking.

Next to the black powder, there was a group of letters, one of those was the one Lord Manderly had sent him, a little over a month ago. The letter basically contained a very formal and respectful rejection of Wolfgang's own proposal, the engagement to Wyman's eldest granddaughter. It said that, as one of the reasons for the rejection, the girl was too young, and she was; her age was similar to Wolfgang's, but that factor has never been an impediment to pairings in this world.

To the reincarnated one it certainly caused a bit of rejection at first, but he quickly adapted his mentality. If he had to share a bed with a girl, because it was the most politically appropriate decision, he would do it. He was a totally pragmatic man.

In the end he shook his head, with Wyman rejecting his marriage to Wynafryd it left him with little choice of a wife in the North. Support from the other houses was too insignificant. Perhaps he could look further south, but he was not so attracted to the idea at the moment.

But Wolfgang decided not to think about that anymore, since today was a good day.

"Sorry for the delay sir."

"Easy Ander" Wolfgang replied to the newcomer as he made a nonchalant gesture to Ander, who seemed to have a bit of sweat on his forehead, which, despite being wiped off, left a bit of a trail.

Wolfgang rose from his office, and ordered Ander to follow him. The duo began to walk through the corridors of the castle until they reached the exit; Wolfgang held the flask with black powder in his hands.

They began to walk north, with only Beron following them. The orders were clear, and Lord Dustin had not let any guard follow them, no one besides Beron of course.

They walked for quite some time, crossing the Barrowlands, a rocky terrain with wide mountainous plains. This area was obviously lousy for any kind of farming. However, both the area south and west of Barrowton, made up for the bad terrain to the north.

"What's the surprise, my Lord? We're far enough away from everyone" commented Beron.

"Yes..." whispered Lord Dustin, his legs already aching a bit after all that walking; Ander was much worse off than him apparently, he was not one for physical labor. "I think we're far enough."

"So what is it, I, not knowing about science or those disciplines of Maesters, am quite excited."

"Same here," said Ander in a tired tone. "Our Lord has shown me many things, but never has this level of care and caution been necessary. You can hardly see Barrowton in the distance. No, in fact, you only see its silhouette, nothing else."

"Well, just enjoy the show" smiled Wolfgang, and took a dagger hanging from his waist, and plunged it into the center of the lid of the jar carrying the black powder. Through the small hole, he inserted a string, long enough to make contact with the substance, while leaving a considerable part of itself outside the jar.

He took a small torch that was hanging from his belt, and lit it with a flint. She then used the small torch to light the rope, and quickly stepped back.

"Take cover!" he shouted to the two men, who reacted awkwardly, but were able to retreat and hide behind some rocks.

Bam! 

The sound of a powerful explosion echoed through the place, and pieces of rock flew everywhere. Ander and Beron watched the scene in horror, that power... it was almost as if the dragons had returned to Westeros.

After the gravel was lifted, the duo looked on in surprise, as a cocky grin graced Wolfgang's face.

Ander was surprised, but the guy lived in a totally average wooden hut before being recruited by Wolfgang, and everything the young man did caused him surprise, and this was just one more surprise, an incredible one at that of course. But for Beron... it was different.

Beron knew the world, he knew how things worked, and it was that he had served Willam Dustin before Wolfgang himself. Beron knew how incredible what the young Dustin had just shown them was, how amazing such a feat was. Creating this black powder was tantamount to who created Valyrian Fire, and for the first time Beron didn't just feel admiration for the young genius, Beron now felt terror.

'If a nine year old boy does this... What will he do when he is an adult?' was a terrifying thought, but that same fear made any thought of acting against Wolfgang disappear, not that it had existed before. The child was an existence, or at least would be in a while, too terrifying to act against.

"This... can it be mass produced?" asked Ander.

"Yes, it can, but the same problem happens as with sugar. No... this is much more delicate than sugar, so obviously mass production is not an option at the moment."

"That means... the moment you find a way... you will be unstoppable, My Lord. No one in the Seven Kingdoms will be able to stop you" Beron commented.

"I wouldn't say that either, but it would certainly make things a lot easier" Wolfgang replied, and his tone was utterly confident. At that moment, already not only Beron, but Ander as well, realized something undeniable; Wolfgang Dustin was aiming high, as high as one can aim; he wanted the Iron Throne.

An impulse arose from Beron, the Sergeant of House Dustin, and he knelt down, taking a knee. Ander, at first stunned, did the same out of pure instinct, and both knelt in front of Wolfgang.

The figure of the nine-year-old blocked the sun from their faces, but the yellow star at the same time served as a backdrop for the legendary image the duo looked at. The smoke had not yet fully settled, which added even more spice to the scene. Wolfgang was a King, or would be in the future, and they both realized that.

"My lord, I... Beron, I pledge eternal allegiance to you again."

"I, Ander, do the same, undying allegiance, by the new gods and the old gods."

"And I gladly accept the allegiance of both of you. We will go high, very high" smiled Wolfgang, and his gaze turned to the sky. "1000 years" said the young man.

"Pardon?"

"My dynasty will last 1000 years, that's what I'm going to build" added the infant, and the image of the 9 year old boy was replaced by a grown man, with similar features, who looked at them with cold eyes; both Beron and Ander did not dare to look Wolfgang in the eyes anymore, and simply lowered their heads.

Of the smoke there was nothing left, but Beron and Ander's faces still showed shock, they still couldn't release the tension in their facial muscles, but it was time to leave, however, before they could leave completely, Ander frowned, as he saw something glisten on the ground, covered in dirt and granite that had been splattered by the expression.

"What's wrong?" asked Wolfgang as he noticed the strange look on his subordinate's face.

Ander squatted down, and grabbing his sleeve with his hand, began to shake the dirt and granite off the ground. The glow was getting brighter and brighter.

Wolfgang also seemed to see the glow, and a thought crossed his mind. He advanced at a brisk pace to where Ander stood, and fixed his eyes on the glow that was rebelling, more and more.

"This is..." muttered Ander in amazement; he was no expert, but he could recognize it.

"Yes, that's it, and apparently there's quite a lot of it... it looks like fate is smiling on us."

"What is it Milord?" asked Beron, but his very eyes, guided by the sudden brightness appearing within range of his vision, made the answer answer answer itself.

"That is... gold," murmured Wolfgang, "Beneath the rocks of the Barrowlands are gold ores."