The life of seasickness on the Narrow Sea had finally come to an end; when Muffasa emerged from the cabin again, he looked noticeably thinner.
I didn't expect to get seasick the moment I stepped onto a ship, just like the Dothraki. It's truly shameful.
After the ship docked, Muffasa stepped onto the soil of Pentos. This was a land vastly different from the continent of Westeros.
The cultures of the two regions were fundamentally different.
The Free Cities were colonies, or perhaps invasion sites and places of exile, of the Valyrian Freehold.
The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, however, were feudal kingdoms.
After Muffasa disembarked, he was found by a Lannister soldier, who was holding a waterskin.
"Ser Muffasa, we have prepared accommodations for you. Please rest for a few days while we purchase enough horses and supplies, and then we can travel along the Valyrian Road to the ruins of Valyria!" said a young Lannister soldier.
"Podrick Payne, you truly are the most loyal friend of House Lannister." Muffasa took the waterskin he offered and began to drink.
Podrick Payne was the squire Tyrion had found for Muffasa; after all, Muffasa was a knight now and should have his own squire.
He followed Podrick to the inn.
The travelers here had varying hair and skin colors: silver hair, likely from Volantis; red hair, possibly from Asshai; dark skin, perhaps from the Summer Isles; and bronze skin, clearly belonging to the Dothraki.
Muffasa rested for three days in a Pentoshi inn. Every night, he used his warging ability to enter the body of a stray cat in the city, controlling the cat to scout the home of Illyrio Mopatis, the Magister of Pentos.
However, Muffasa never spotted the siblings Viserys and Daenerys. Perhaps they had not yet arrived.
But what Muffasa most wanted to find were the three dragon eggs that Illyrio had hidden.
But Illyrio was extremely cunning; he always managed to send others away and spend time alone.
Muffasa guessed that it was during those moments that he entered a secret chamber or similar hidden space.
"It seems my luck isn't good enough! I've been to Illyrio's house more than ten times and still haven't found the whereabouts of the dragon eggs. Could the eggs not be in his possession yet?"
The possessed stray cat lay on the eaves of Illyrio's house, stretching lazily.
Its pair of vertical pupils stared intently at Illyrio's front door.
A tall man, dressed like a knight from Westeros, appeared at Illyrio's doorway. This made Muffasa perk up.
"This knight, could it be Ser Jorah?"
The stray cat lightly jumped off the eaves and followed the knight into a reception room in the inner courtyard.
Separated by a single door, Muffasa listened to their conversation.
"Magister, when will the Prince and Princess arrive here?" the knight asked in a rough voice.
"Don't rush, Ser Jorah the Andal! They just left Braavos and still need half a month of sailing! If the wind is against them, it will take even longer," Illyrio said, his voice sounding similar to Varys's.
"I wish I had wings on my ribs right now so I could fly before the Prince and swear my allegiance to him!" said Ser Jorah.
"Hahaha, he will know of your loyalty. Ser Jorah, are you no longer serving as a sellsword in the Windblown?" Illyrio asked.
"No matter how much money I earn, it's not enough to support her."
Ser Jorah was referring to his wife, Lynesse Hightower.
"Bear Island is, after all, a cold and desolate place. Even as its Lord, the taxes aren't enough for her spending. But what if you were the Duke of the North? As long as you swear fealty to Prince Viserys, when he returns to Westeros, the position of Warden of the North and Duke of Winterfell will be yours. This is your merit for following the Dragon!"
Illyrio continued.
The conversation between the two lasted for a long time, but it was mostly meaningless chatter, with Jorah boasting about how brave, strong, and loyal he was.
Illyrio, meanwhile, was painting a grand future for Jorah on behalf of Viserys.
Muffasa detached from the stray cat's body, and his consciousness returned to his own body.
"I need to hurry up and explore the ruins of Valyria! Although I really want to meet Daenerys, time waits for no one!"
The next day, Muffasa informed Podrick Payne.
"Podrick, gather all the Lannister soldiers. We will disguise ourselves as a mercenary company and proceed along the Valyrian Road."
"Yes, Ser Muffasa."
Podrick Payne was highly efficient. He quickly gathered all one hundred Lannister soldiers scattered throughout Pentos.
"You all know who I am, but you don't know why I came here. Now I tell you, I came here to search for the ancestral sword of House Lannister: Brightroar."
Hearing Muffasa's words, the Lannister soldiers began whispering among themselves.
"So that's it. Lord Muffasa truly is Lord Tywin's eldest grandson! If he really finds the ancestral sword, his status as heir is absolutely secure."
"Exactly. If House Lannister's ancestral sword is recovered, it means the Seven Gods are protecting us!"
"However, Lord Gerion also attempted this before, but he died at sea."
"Lord Gerion was betrayed by the sailors he hired. But we are all our own men here! Who would betray us, you?"
"No, no, no, I am a loyal soldier of Lord Tywin Lannister!"
Muffasa also heard their whispers. He continued,
"Besides recovering the ancestral sword Brightroar, I also intend to tame Hrakka, the white lion of the Dothraki Sea."
Hrakka is the lion king of the white pride living on the Dothraki Sea. He is an albino male lion twice the size of a normal male lion.
Just as direwolves are twice the size of ordinary wolves, the albino lion is also twice the size of an ordinary male lion.
Even people far away in Westeros have heard rumors of Hrakka; it is a giant beast more terrifying than a shadowcat.
"Ser Muffasa, do you really intend to tame Hrakka? Won't that be too dangerous? We might have to go deep into the Great Grass Sea to find him. What if we encounter Dothraki?" someone asked.
Muffasa hadn't yet considered how to handle a direct confrontation with the Dothraki.
"If we truly encounter the Dothraki cavalry, fight if you can win, run if you can't, and surrender if you can't run. House Lannister will ransom us," Muffasa finally said.
"Alright, let's hurry up and change clothes. These are the customized uniforms belonging exclusively to our mercenary company, the Lionheart Association. Until we return to Westeros, we are members of the Lionheart Association, and I am the first President, Muffasa Lannister."
Muffasa had Podrick bring out one hundred newly sewn uniforms. There was also a large banner, depicting a red lion roaring amidst flames.
The Blazing Lion banner was different from the roaring lion of House Lannister. It was the exclusive standard of the Lionheart Association.
Every member of the Lionheart Association also had a Blazing Lion emblem on their left chest and back.
"Ser Muffasa, I feel like I've joined some kind of organization," Podrick said.
"That's right, Podrick, you've joined my organization, the Lionheart Association!" Muffasa replied.