Chapter 176: Forging Ahead

As Robert's words fell, both Cersei and Jaime in the room were taken aback, exchanging puzzled glances.

"What?"

They had just been catching up with their long-absent father, but he had not mentioned any ulterior motive for his visit.

Tywin, faced with the gazes of the three people in the room, had thoughts swirling in his mind, wondering when he had revealed his intentions. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded in admission.

"You're right, Your Grace. Your guess is quite accurate."

"There is indeed another matter at hand."

Since Robert had seen through him, Tywin decided not to hide any longer and openly admitted it.

"The first matter is to inform you..."

Tywin glanced at Cersei and Jaime, then spoke.

"Your uncle Gellian has passed away."

"What?"

Tywin's sudden revelation shocked everyone, especially Cersei and Jaime, who had not expected this news, particularly Jaime.

"Father, what are you talking about?"

When he and Tyrion were younger, they had loved playing with their uncle Gellian.

Unlike their other uncles and their father, who were stern and serious, only Uncle Gellian was lively. Moreover, the age difference between Gellian and Jaime was not significant, making him feel more like a friend than an uncle.

Jaime knew that at eighteen, Uncle Gellian had set sail on a ship to search for the family's lost Valyrian steel sword and had disappeared for a while. In recent years, he had gone off the grid, still claiming to be searching for it across the world.

However, Jaime never expected to hear the news of his death from his father so abruptly.

"What happened?"

"Father, how could Uncle Gellian have died for no apparent reason?"

Jaime's carefree demeanor vanished, his face turning grim as he clenched the hilt of his sword.

Tywin looked at his son but shook his head without offering any explanation.

Gellian's undercover mission in Andalos was a top-secret affair, known only to Tywin, the king, and Hand of the King Jon. No one else was aware.

Not long ago, Tywin had received a message from the other spies in Andalos, revealing that Gellian's cover had been blown and he had been executed by Viserys with a cup of poisoned wine.

Two of the four Tywin siblings had now perished at the hands of the Targaryens.

This made Tywin wonder if there truly was some form of retribution at play.

He had once betrayed his old friend Aerys and showed no mercy when dealing with the Targaryens, even going so far as to harm women and children.

Now, it seemed that retribution had befallen him one by one.

Tywin, however, was stubborn and resolute. His grief only caused him to briefly doubt himself before dismissing such thoughts.

But in Tywin's heart, the name across the Narrow Sea left an even deeper impression, and he vowed to make them pay in blood someday.

With Robert calling for the lords of the Seven Kingdoms to assemble their forces and invade Andalos, Tywin, as the Warden of the West, had naturally received the news.

He, too, was in favor of cutting the problem out at its root.

"Because if there ever comes a day when the Targaryens return with their dragons and a great army, the fate of House Lannister might be even more dismal than that of the Baratheons.

At the time, Tywin had been ruthless, thinking he could eradicate the Targaryens root and Benjench, yet he never imagined that things would develop to this point, with the Targaryens appearing poised to rise again.

However, as the Lannisters were gathering their forces in the Westerlands, bad news arrived.

Word spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms that their good days were over, and winter was approaching.

Although Tywin's authority in the Westerlands allowed him to demand his bannermen to fight during winter, the cost would be immense.

Undecided, Tywin ultimately set out for King's Landing to discuss the matter face-to-face with the king.

On the matter of eliminating the Targaryens, the Lannisters and Baratheons undoubtedly stood on the same side.

"The second matter."

Tywin calmly announced the death of his brother, and then continued.

"That is to help Your Grace deal with the current troubles."

"Like allowing a dragon to grow, it will bring a catastrophe upon the realm."

"Oh?"

Robert knew of Gillyan's existence; in fact, the first to bring word of the dragons was Gillyan.

But he didn't care about Gillyan's fate; in his view, an agent in enemy territory like Gillyan was bound to die sooner or later.

What concerned him more was how Tywin could resolve the current problems.

"How does the Lord of Lannister intend to proceed?"

"There are two methods, Your Grace."

The middle-aged man sat upright in his chair, dressed in a fine red garment, with a golden roaring lion on his chest.

...

In the Red Keep, Tywin was scheming against Viserys.

Meanwhile, in Andalos.

Time swiftly passed, and three months flew by.

Year 290 AC was drawing to a close, and Andalos was about to welcome a new year.

The sword commissioned from Master Blacksmith Tobho Mott and assisted by Melisandre was finally forged.

Several prisoners who helped Master Tobho forge the sword were suddenly pushed into the furnace by him, shocking his young apprentice, who never expected his master to take such a ruthless action.

Melisandre, on the other hand, remained unperturbed, as if she had long foreseen this turn of events.

"The blood sacrifice is an indispensable step in the Qohorik process of reforging Valyrian steel."

"This is also why those heretics hide this so carefully."

Melisandre spoke softly before turning to look at the frightened black-haired boy.

Soon enough.

News of the sword's completion reached Viserys' ears, and now the silver-haired youth, dressed in a loose robe, sat in a chair reading a letter.

It was a letter from Pentos, which had arrived a few days earlier; however, Viserys had not been at the castle at the time.

Instead, he had been touring the borderlands of his domain in preparation for winter, to see what preparations had been made for the impending cold.

He had just returned this morning.

The letter was written in the name of the Prince of Pentos, but in fact, it conveyed the intentions of several Magisters.

To celebrate the traditional festival of Pentos and promote friendship between the two city-states, Pentos once again invited Viserys to visit the Pearl of the Bay.

Subsequently, a guard came to report.

"Your Grace."

"Master Tobho invites you over, saying the sword is now forged."