More and more nobles arrived from various regions. However, the first thing they did was enter the castle to greet Robert and ingratiate themselves, hanging banners bearing their family crests in the castle hall.
Wight, seeing Stannis bustling about, said casually:
"There are more people coming than expected this time. We could make the jousting arena bigger and collect more money."
Stannis paused, thought for a moment, and replied without turning around, "I'll go take a look," before leaving.
Wight often, seemingly casually, offered a few tips based on his experience before the transmigration regarding different aspects of holding a jousting tournament. Whether Stannis would listen was another matter. After all, he was too young and his words carried little weight. Given Stannis's personality, offering direct advice would surely be met with a face full of anger: [Do you, a three-year-old, think you can lecture me?]
Renly was nowhere to be found. Wight returned to his bedroom, used Light to exhaust his magic, and his proficiency in the Transformation school gradually improved through several days of practice. A servant knocked on the door, announcing that his uncle's family had arrived.
In the hall, Robert, Stannis, and Renly were all present. His mother was from the Yisimon Family, who were also his family's vassals. Their fief was Yisimon Island, and their seat was Greenstone Fort. Because they were on an island, the family possessed a large number of ships and merchant vessels.
Today's ship brought Earl Elton Yisimon, the head of the family and my uncle, and Sir Lomas Yisimon, my other uncle, along with my cousins, Yimon Yisimon and Andrew Yisimon. Their banner was already raised. Well, how to put it... a green background with a large green turtle. It was... something.
After a few words with my uncles, I was chatting with my cousins when a guard announced, "Earl Leyton Hightower of Oldtown in the Reach, Earl Randyll Tarly of Horn Hill in the Reach, and Earl Jason Mallister of Seagard in the Riverlands have arrived."
Robert apologized to my uncles, asking Stannis to take them to rest in the castle while he continued to greet the guests.
Hearing a familiar name, the future king of luck, Samwell's father, Randyll Tarly, the first man in eight thousand years to kill a White Walker, Wight was also curious and looked towards the hall's entrance. A group of people entered the doors, and the three leading figures were undoubtedly the three Earls, followed by their families or attendants.
I couldn't recognize them, but I learned who was who as Robert greeted them.
Randyll Tarly had a stern face, a small mustache, and was already starting to lose his hair. As the three approached, Wight felt an increasingly obvious magical fluctuation.
After Robert invited them to sit down and the four began to exchange pleasantries, I took advantage of my young age and went over. The magical fluctuation came from the two-handed greatsword held by Randyll Tarly's attendant: the Valyrian Steel greatsword, Heartsbane.
It was the first time I'd seen a magical item, and it was one of the most legendary Valyrian Steel products in Westeros. The temptation was too great. Wight, shamelessly pretending to be innocent, asked, "Lord Earl Randyll, may I touch your sword?"
Before X could even speak, Randyll turned around, only to be cut off by Robert, who barked at Wight.
"No disrespect, that's Earl Randyll's ancestral sword."
Then, turning to Randyll, he said,
"This is my youngest brother, Wight Baratheon. He's not even three years old yet. He's been training with us recently, and we've told him about the great swords of the world. This lad has a good eye, he recognized the quality of your sword at a glance, Earl."
With those words, Robert first scolded his brother for his rudeness, then revealed his identity, and also spoke of his diligence in martial arts and his cleverness. He then went on to praise Randyll's sword, effectively flattering him.
Randyll, though not particularly skilled in martial arts himself, was a man of martial spirit. He was courageous and resourceful in battle, and possessed a strong sense of integrity. In the original story, he was the only one to defeat Robert during the rebellion—in the Battle of the Trident. His loyalty was unparalleled, always remaining loyal to the Tyrells of Highgarden from beginning to end. His only flaw was his overly strict way of raising his children, believing that his sons should only be warriors.
Randyll looked at Wight and said,
"This is a greatsword. Can you even lift it?"
The Wight, hearing an opportunity, immediately said, "I can lift Dawn, the sword Dawn."
Randyll, upon hearing this, signaled a guard to hand over the sword. The guard held the scabbard and presented the hilt to the Wight.
The hilt and guard of Heartsbane were adorned with intricate patterns. The Wight grasped the hilt and slowly drew the blade. The sword's surface was faintly dark, with smoky patterns. Using his forging and enchanting skills, he could feel the blade was made using a folded forging technique, similar to Damascus steel. Holding the hilt with both hands and drawing the sword, he felt it was much lighter than Dawn. He slowly swung it twice, and the surrounding people couldn't help but sigh softly.
"In the future, when Randyll disciplines Samwell, I'll probably be the other son he mentions."
The Wight didn't dwell on it. After examining the sword and sheathing it, he touched the blade with his other hand. He immediately sensed the materials: Skyforge Steel +4/6 flawless grinding process + purification enchantment (sends undead back to their original world).
"This Valyrian steel sword feels a lot like the forging and enchanting in The Elder Scrolls V! Could I make Valyrian steel weapons in the future?"
And as old man Martin also said, Valyrian steel wasn't mined; it was made by repeatedly forging steel to remove impurities and adding magic.
After gathering his thoughts and thanking the Earl Randyll, he returned to his bedroom to consider how to improve his forging skills.
He recalled there was a blacksmith in the castle named Donnel Noye. This blacksmith had crafted Robert's warhammer and Stannis's first sword. He'd been lightly wounded in the Battle of the Trident, and after the injury became infected, he'd had to have his left hand amputated. He then joined the Night's Watch as a blacksmith, and later worked with Jon Snow.
Robert's warhammer was able to kill Prince Rhaegar, who was clad in full, well-made armor, without breaking. This blacksmith's skill should be decent, so he could learn from him.
Deciding to act immediately, he went to the blacksmith's shop. There were still a few days before the beginning of the tournament, and the shop was bustling, as more and more weapons and armor were being damaged during training. Blacksmiths were not paid for the crafting and repair work of the castle's vassals, but were given a fixed monthly salary by the lord. Blacksmiths outside the castle charged per item, but their craftsmanship wasn't guaranteed.
With the guard's introduction, Wight found Donnel.
"Mr. Donnel Noye, I want you to forge two swords for me, a one-handed sword and a two-handed sword."
Donnel thought for a moment. It wouldn't require much material for a child. He took a long dagger and a ruler from the rack.
Donnel measured Wight's height and hand length. The long dagger was suitable as a one-handed sword, and the weight felt right when tested. However, Donnel put the dagger back.
"But I can't give it to you now. Lord Robert has to agree."
"Big brother will definitely agree."
The blacksmith was fine with it. Then, Wight went to Robert to talk about it. Robert was surprised that a child not yet three years old wanted to practice with an iron sword. Other three-year-olds were still playing in the mud.
"Wight, I'll only ask two questions. Will you hurt yourself?"
Robert wasn't stupid. At least when he was young, he was diligent, had a wide circle of friends, was brave, and fearless. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to lead the armies and seize the throne. It's just that he didn't like managing the affairs of the realm. After becoming king, he indulged in luxury and pleasure, and no one could control him. He relaxed completely and eventually became a fat man in debt of several million golden dragons.
"My toy sword has never hit me."
Hearing the answer, Robert asked his second question.
"Will your sword hurt others?" Robert often heard the maids say that Wight used his toy wooden sword to make Renly cry. He was worried that Wight would take a real sword and not know his own strength, hurting Renly and others.
The Wight naturally knew what Robert was thinking.
"Toys are toys, and iron swords are weapons. Iron swords protect family and friends, and only harm enemies."
Robert didn't dwell on it. His precocious younger brother, not yet three years old, had already begun to learn to write the Common Tongue, but even the brightest had limits. He seemed very satisfied with the answer.
"I agree. But if you hurt someone, you'll have to go back to using a wooden sword. And go tell your second brother."
The Wight was content. He told his second brother and the blacksmith, and received two iron weapons. Actually, Robert was overthinking things. The weapons he received had sword-shaped handles, but the blades were just rectangular iron plates! They had no edges or points, just the right weight.
From then on, everyone in the training yard watched with amusement as the Wight swung his iron plates around every day. To them, they were just toys. He followed different people every day, learning their martial skills. Prince Rhaegar was highly skilled, but he always stopped first when sparring with Arthur. Arthur could also easily handle Eddard. Oberyn used a spear, which the Wight didn't particularly like. Robert's warhammer focused on strength, so he mostly trained his physique.
More and more banners were hanging in the castle.
The Dondarrion, Fossoway, and Swann families. These three families guarded the Stormlands and the border of Dorne. Each had substantial forces and fortresses in strategically advantageous, easily defensible locations.
The Caron, Wellington, and Bolling families, each with a stag on their sigil, were families that had been granted independence after the Baratheons had achieved merit, generations ago.
The Selmy, Tarth, Pentos, Grandison, Buckler, Mullendore, Wilde, Fell, Errol, Bessbury, and Merryweather families were all vassal families that possessed cities and large amounts of land.
Then there were the Hastwyck, Heston, Hopper, Connington, Longmouth, Musgood, Rogers, Stokeworth, Vysser, Tudbury, Wagstaff, and Clifford families, families of knights who garrisoned fortresses or had property.
Adding to them, the families of his uncles, the entirety of the Stormlands' vassal families, had arrived, and were only waiting for the opening of the competition.