Roman knew that the Free Folk and the locals of Harrenhal would inevitably clash, and he had considered various possibilities, but he had never expected the people of Crabs Claw Peninsula and the Free Folk to get into it.
After these "semi-savages" from Crabs Claw Peninsula experienced a normal life in Harrenhal, they had no desire to return to their homeland.
Whoever wanted to go to that swamp and dense forest could go; the locals certainly wouldn't.
Especially the lower classes of Crabs Claw Peninsula; after experiencing the high-quality life in Harrenhal, which was second to none in Westeros, they became the most fervent supporters of the Hean Family.
When the Free Folk arrived, the peninsula residents could tell at a glance that they were not locals of Westeros.
The residents of Crabs Claw Peninsula thought to themselves: "Who do you think you are, daring to eat the food provided by Lord Roman with us?"
For a time after that, Roman had to use the constables to keep these people in check and make them work properly.
Of course, these were just petty squabbles caused by having too much free time; once they got to work, they became obedient.
The main point was the targeting of Harrenhal by the riverlands nobles, because Roman had brought giants with him, and these clever people knew at a glance that people from Beyond the Wall had arrived.
The nobles used this as an opportunity to complain to Hoster.
Roman couldn't be bothered with them; he knew this group was purely looking for trouble, but Hoster seemed happy to watch Harrenhal and the other nobles fight among themselves.
Hoster was now terminally ill; in just over a year, the old man had become thin and weak, completely lacking his former vigor.
What he worried about most now was Edmure; his son absolutely could not suppress Roman, and if he himself were to die, what would happen to the Riverlands?
Moreover, Hoster himself had no way to deal with Harrenhal, as Roman had built up Harrenhal entirely on his own.
All his actions were within the rules, not to mention his deep dealings with the iron throne, The Reach, and the North; this time, it was rumored that he had even established close cooperation with the Nights Watch at the Wall.
Roman was even a maintainer of the existing political framework; he was adept at maneuvering in front of Robert, obtaining various benefits, and in turn, strengthening Robert's power.
This caused Harrenhal to gradually become independent from the many nobles of the Riverlands, and the vassals under Tully were all afraid that one day Roman would tear the Riverlands apart.
Therefore, Hoster wanted to use various methods to balance the power between Harrenhal and the various nobles of the Riverlands, but Roman couldn't be bothered to play such games with them.
"You fight your battles, and I'll fight mine."
Harrenhal continued to expand its influence, and Roman would avoid attending invitations from other nobles whenever possible, focusing entirely on business.
King's Landing, The Red Keep.
Robert looked at the report regarding Roman, bursting into loud laughter from time to time, his sturdy body shaking uncontrollably in the soft chair.
"Hahaha! King-Beyond-the-Wall? That so-called Mance is nothing special; that kid Roman did a good job! Now the Wall can be quiet for a while, and in the future, I'd like to see what excuse they have to ask us for money!"
Varys reminded him from the side: "Your Grace, Ser Roman has brought giants and wildlings south of the Wall; shouldn't we issue a slight warning?"
"Warning?" Robert put down his cup after hearing this. "Varys, isn't your intelligence network very strong? Have you received any news of wildlings causing trouble within the Seven Kingdoms?"
Varys was choked by these words; his intelligence network could not even reach Harrenhal, and now there was only speculation regarding the wildlings.
"That guy Eddard also allowed wildlings south of the Wall, and there haven't been any problems so far, so I don't see any need to worry about it."
Seeing that even Eddard allowed wildlings in, Robert cared even less; the Warden of the North and the Lord Commander of the Nights Watch both agreed, so what did it matter if Varys disagreed?
The King casually took out a pile of orders and threw them in front of Baelish, saying playfully:
"My diligent Master of Coin, Harrenhal has brought in another batch of new goods; you must vet them carefully!"
Robert's smiling face gave Littlefinger goosebumps. After the King uncovered Littlefinger's embezzlement, he did not dismiss him but instead made him cough up a large sum of money and arranged for members of House Baratheon to monitor him.
Now, let alone gathering intelligence, Littlefinger had ten years of debt to pay off.
In a great mood, Robert called for Barristan to go riding.
On the road, Robert and Barristan chatted and laughed: "Look at that kid Roman, he's truly not simple; he's made a name for himself in Westeros at such a young age. When I was his age, all I had in my head was wine and women; I really can't compare."
Robert suddenly thought of Myrcella again, and his desire to have Roman marry Myrcella grew stronger.
The Riverlands, being a place of frequent warfare, had been turbulent since ancient times, and Harrenhal was the central hub. That Roman could establish a career here was enough to prove his strength.
According to common practice, Myrcella should marry the son of a duke, which would better unite the Seven Kingdoms.
But Robert remembered Cersei, that detestable woman; his political union with her, besides making his life a mess, had also profoundly affected his children.
"Myrcella, oh, I only now realize what a wonderful child you are; I will not let you experience my pain. By the gods, I swear!"
Robert thought of his two sons; who said that a princess must be the one to secure the support of a duke? Those two brats could just as well marry the daughters of lords.
The King, in a great mood, asked the Kingsguard by his side: "Barristan, what do you think of Roman?"
"Ser Roman?" Barristan pondered for a moment, an expression of admiration appearing on his aged face. "He is a knight, a great lord, and a kind-hearted man; among his peers in the Seven Kingdoms, few can compare to him."
"I heard he defeated both you and Jaime. Damn it, I've kept forgetting to ask for the details; what exactly happened that day?"
Barristan: "Nothing special, Your Grace. Ser Roman's strength and speed were far superior to mine, so I was defeated."
"Jaime was even worse; his complacency earned him a shameful punch. If Ser Roman had carried even a hint of killing intent, we wouldn't have survived even 10 seconds."
Robert's smile deepened after hearing this: "Ha! That's more like it! If the young are stronger than us, then Westeros has a chance for change; it's not good to always listen to old stories."
The King thought even more highly of his prospective son-in-law. When he returned to The Red Keep, reports about Roman keeping wildlings and giants arrived once again.
This time, Robert didn't even look at them and told Old Arryn to handle it; he only said one sentence.
"As long as Roman does not harm Westeros, do not make things difficult for the kid."
Roman had written down his experience of dealing with the wildlings exactly as it happened. Except for the fact that he used magic, the rest of the events were recorded in full detail.
These materials became excellent subject matter for Minstrels, and related ballads were composed and continued to be sung throughout Westeros.
People had begun to get used to Roman appearing frequently in poems; his achievements in these few years alone were higher than what many accomplished in a lifetime.
But Roman had no time to pay attention to these things now; he was crafting a gift.
A sword.
Roman infused his magic into the steel forged by his White Flame.
When the core blacksmith of Harrenhal forged that greatsword, the entire room trembled.
It was a dark silver two-handed greatsword, with White Flame and thunder circling the blade; it was graceful and tough as a whole, with a sharp edge, yet its weight was lighter than an ordinary steel sword.
The appearance of this sword represented that Harrenhal's metallurgical level had reached a new level, and Roman could finally say that his magic attainments were somewhat accomplished.
Roman looked at the sky; he had a premonition that the comet was coming.
"Is this world destined to fall into chaos after all?"
more chapter available in p@tréøñ(Atoki_29)