Margaery departed gracefully after the ceremony concluded.
Dickon was also sent away by his father.
Only Earl Randyll and Samwell Caesar remained in the empty knight's hall.
The father and son stood in silence. The atmosphere was heavy and stagnant.
Samwell was anxious to return and study his attribute panel, so he spoke first.
"Father, you kept me here. Do you have further instructions?"
"You hate me," Earl Randyll said suddenly as he looked at his eldest son.
He continued before Samwell could answer.
"You do not need to deny it because I do not care."
The corner of Samwell's mouth twitched, and he chose to remain silent.
Earl Randyll looked at the son who suddenly seemed like a stranger to him. An indescribable emotion rose in his heart, but his tone remained as cold as ever.
"If a hunter returns with empty hands, his family starves. If a lord loses a battle, his castle is burned to the ground. For thousands of years, countless families in Westeros have vanished into the river of time simply because of a cowardly and incompetent heir.
House Tarly sits on the border. We need a lord who can wield Heartsbane to kill our enemies. You are not even qualified to touch it.
Therefore, no matter how much you hate me, I will not hand the fate of the family to you."
Samwell listened quietly. He did not feel much resentment in his heart.
The original owner of this body indeed failed to meet the standards Earl Randyll required of an heir. Although Samwell had tried to change things after his transmigration, it was already too late.
However, that was all in the past.
He had changed his surname to Caesar after the ceremony. Everything regarding House Tarly had nothing to do with him anymore.
Suddenly, Earl Randyll tossed something to his son.
Samwell caught it hastily. He looked down and found a bag full of gold dragons.
"Since you voluntarily gave up your inheritance rights, this is the share you deserve," Earl Randyll explained with a calm expression.
"Thank you, Father." Samwell certainly would not refuse. He needed funds for his pioneering efforts.
"In addition, I killed James, your riding instructor, before coming here."
Samwell was startled, but he reacted quickly.
James must have been the mastermind behind his riding accident earlier.
His father had discovered the truth and executed the man.
"No matter how useless you are, you were still the eldest son of House Tarly! Even if judgment is to be passed on you, it should be done by my hand alone," Earl Randyll stated with domineering authority.
Samwell felt a mix of complex emotions and lowered his head in silence.
regardless, his father had avenged him.
After a moment of silence, Earl Randyll spoke again.
"Sam, do you remember our house words?"
Samwell nodded.
"First in Battle."
As the words left his mouth, he realized why Earl Randyll was so determined to replace his heir. The original Samwell was clearly incapable of living up to the words of House Tarly.
The expression on the face of the Earl softened slightly.
"Although you no longer bear the name Tarly, I hope you remember these words.
Schemes and lies may win political victories, but when it comes to dominating the battlefield, House Tarly has the final say.
Since you had the courage to accept the Pioneering Order, it proves that the blood of House Tarly flows in your veins after all. Remember this motto. In the difficult task of settling new lands, it will be far more useful than gold."
Samwell nodded solemnly. A warm feeling surged in his heart.
However, the next sentence from Earl Randyll felt like a bucket of ice water.
"But if you fail in your pioneering, do not return to Horn Hill. If you do, I will cut off your head myself."
Earl Randyll turned and left after delivering this warning.
Samwell was left alone. He watched the tall figure of his father fade into the distance with a complicated expression. Finally, he shook his head with a laugh and rolled his eyes.
...
In a courtyard filled with blooming flowers, Samwell held a silver sword and practiced thrusting against a target made of ironwood.
Unfortunately, his bloated figure was far from graceful. His weight severely affected his speed, and his footwork became a horrible mess before long.
Yet Samwell did not give up. He persisted clumsily.
He did not stop until the sun began to set in the west and his clothes were thoroughly soaked with sweat.
He moved his exhausted body with difficulty to the steps and sat down. He grabbed a cup of water and gulped it down.
Once he caught his breath, he focused his attention on his attribute panel.
The data had not changed much. Only his agility had shifted from 0.52 to 0.53.
It seemed his guess was correct. Training could change the attribute values.
However, the change was not significant.
He had practiced thrusts for an entire afternoon, yet his agility had only increased by 0.01. His strength and spirit remained unchanged.
Perhaps they had not remained completely static, but the changes were too small to be reflected in the numbers.
After all, the values on the attribute panel were only precise to two decimal places.
Agility likely changed the most because the original value was so low, making it easier to improve.
Samwell guessed that the three values for a normal adult should be around 1. Because of his excessive obesity, his agility was indeed the furthest from the norm.
His strength attribute was slightly higher than that of a normal person. After all, one needed strength to move such a heavy body. His highest stat was spirit at 1.12.
Samwell felt this might be related to the natural intelligence of the original host and his love for reading.
Strength and agility were easy to understand, but Samwell was unsure about the final attribute, spirit.
He suspected that the spirit stat might be related to the magic that had supposedly vanished from legends.
This was a magical world with dragons, White Walkers, Children of the Forest, warlocks, and both Old and New Gods.
Although these magical creatures were either extinct or reduced to myths, and divine miracles had not appeared in Westeros for a long time, the game of thrones was beginning again. The long summer was ending, and winter was coming. These mysterious elements would gradually revive.
Perhaps when his spirit value reached a certain level, he would be able to open the door to the mystical side of the world and explore it.
But the problem remained. Samwell had not found a way to add points.
He could indeed increase his strength and agility through knightly training, but the speed was too slow.
Moreover, as the two values increased, the speed of improvement would decrease further while the difficulty would increase.
As for how to improve spirit... did he have to read books?
Samwell did not feel discouraged. Even if he could not add points directly, simply having his three attributes quantified was extremely useful.
He could try various methods and observe the changes in the values to research the most suitable path for his own improvement.
For example, he could use the feedback from the attribute values to streamline and perfect the swordsmanship he inherited from House Tarly.
Furthermore, although he could not add points directly now, that might not be the case in the future.
Samwell guessed that the attribute panel might undergo new changes once he developed a territory and knighted some vassals. Perhaps then he would be able to add points.
Footsteps suddenly sounded behind him while he was lost in his ambitious thoughts.
Samwell turned around and saw a maid walking over. She spoke respectfully.
"Sir Caesar, the steward sent me to remind you that the banquet will begin at six o'clock sharp. It will be held in the banquet hall of the main keep."
"Very well," Samwell stood up and gave an order. "Prepare hot water for me. I wish to bathe."
"Yes, Sir Ceaser."
…
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading.
I wanted to let you know that I'll be releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
15 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
30 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!