Because the waves were not too rough, the ship "Telescope" sailed quickly but not in a jarring manner.
The vessel would follow the coastline of the Stormlands and then pass the front end of the Stepstones on its way to Myr.
An old man and a young one sat facing each other: the aged, mad maester and the sturdy young blacksmith.
"Forgive my boldness, my boy. I suspect you might be the product of wildness and romance," Maester Qyburn said as he poured a cup of warm juice for Gendry.
"You needn't fear offending me, nor speak so delicately. Maester Qyburn, I am indeed a bastard. The truth is like a sharp knife, but we all have to face it sooner or later," Gendry replied nonchalantly. Qyburn, as a learned and experienced man, was definitely in the minority in the known world.
"It seems I was right. Don't be puzzled, my boy. Although I don't study noble histories, I do study human anatomy, bloodlines, and heredity. Noble lords, with their good diet and living conditions, plus their ancestral blood, are mostly known for being tall and robust, like lions, stags, and direwolves," Qyburn said, fiddling with a human anatomy model in his hand and showing it to Gendry.
"By looking at a person's neatness and wear of their teeth, whether they are tall or short, whether their muscles are full or flabby, as well as their clothing and appearance, one can often determine if they are a noble or a commoner, even a bastard. You are tall and well-built, yet you are alone, with cheap clothes and shoes and no jewelry. Nobles would never allow their legitimate children to become blacksmiths and travel alone. So the answer is obvious."
"You not only know medicine well, but you are also very observant!" Gendry praised. Qyburn was indeed a shrewd man.
"I'm growing more and more fond of you, Gendry. Frank and fearless. That's the mark of a strong man. We are in the same boat. I am also a bastard! When I was in my teens, I used to think being called a bastard was a kind of malice and humiliation, and I would even get angry, hurt, and cry. In this regard, I can't compare with you," Qyburn laughed and then began to tell his own story.
"I was born into a minor noble family not far from Oldtown. You know that the Reach is the breadbasket of the Seven Kingdoms. It has the largest population and the most diverse and proud nobles. My mother was a laundress by the river, and somehow she had the lord's child.
When I was in my teens, my father was already dead. My brothers gave me three choices. They would never allow a child of a laundress to become a knight. They offered me money to go to the Wall, the Citadel, or the church.
The Wall was too cold, and the church was too boring. In the end, I chose to become a maester. Of course, I don't have your physical build. Otherwise, I might have become a blacksmith too," Qyburn said with a smile.
"An amazing life, Maester Qyburn!" Gendry said.
"I have already forged my chain and ring. I thought I would spend the rest of my life at the Citadel, but I was still driven out. I admit my experiments were somewhat immoral, but they were about the nature of the world!" Qyburn sighed.
"The nature of the world?" Gendry was puzzled by the term.
"That's right, my boy. The nature of the world is magic and diversity, not science and truth as the Citadel preaches. The world is influenced by magic, which is why there are chaotic climates, dragons flying around, and those magical bloodlines, like the legends of the White Walkers in the North!"
Qyburn's eyes lit up with passion. "But power also comes from within a person. The human body is a treasure trove. Combining medicine and magic can not only heal but also create invincible warriors."
"That's madness, Maester Qyburn! You need to be careful!"
"It sounds a bit ridiculous now. After leaving the Citadel, I first have to make a living for myself. There won't be such a good experimental place anymore. Maybe I could join some obscure mercenary group. No one needs a magician, but doctors are always in demand," Qyburn reined in his wild ambitions and said sarcastically.
"What do you mean by those magical bloodlines?" Gendry asked, interested, as he indeed had a diverse bloodline.
"Most nobles claim to have the blood of gods or heroes, like the Green Hand or the Storm God, but only a few have shown their power.
The bloodlines of the Targaryens, Baratheons, Starks, and Martells seem to have some kind of magic.
The Targaryens could ride dragons, the Martells inherited the Rhoynar bloodline, which could once summon great rivers, and the Baratheon warriors were like storms."
"If the bloodlines could be activated, perhaps we could create warriors like the legendary ancestors. But unfortunately, these people are not someone I can provoke. Some extraordinary commoners would be good too. I heard that under Lord Tywin, there was a giant seven feet tall."
This seven-foot giant, of course, was the Mountain, the most dangerous knight in the Seven Kingdoms.
"These nobles are not people we can afford to provoke," Gendry thought Maester Qyburn might be obsessed with necromancy and those immoral live experiments.
"You're right, my boy. But I think there might still be a chance to return to Westeros, and by then, Westeros will probably be a land of war!" Qyburn said mysteriously.
"War!" Did Qyburn also foresee the war?
"It's not my guess, Gendry. Many people probably think the same way. The king won the war but didn't expand his gains. Robert gave Dragonstone to Stannis as a reward, and Storm's End to Renly out of love.
But Storm's End belongs to Renly, the younger brother of the second son.
Is there any legal basis for this?
It will only make the younger brother arrogant. Stannis, the second brother, got Dragonstone but was full of resentment.
And King Robert himself has the Crownlands. For the love of the Seven, the king could consider merging Storm's End and the Crownlands into one.
Then the royal family would be unbeatable. But he didn't. Technically, he is the king, but in reality, he is just the leader of a grand alliance."
"There are so many ministers under the Iron Throne. There must be one or two who can see the situation clearly, right?" Gendry asked deliberately.
"There are many ministers in King's Landing, but I don't think anyone can persuade our proud king!" Qyburn concluded.
"Wine and women are the king's favorites. As for the rest, leave it to the Seven and our old Arryn! Anyway, the country was left to Old Arryn, and the court was left to the Lannisters. We have a mediocre king and a jolly king. The mediocre king is too eager to prove himself, while the jolly king doesn't think about tomorrow or the future."
"But this is just my speculation. After all, the alliance of the wolf, fish, eagle, stag, and lion is still the strongest on the surface. The only fear is that some ambitious people can't sleep because of the wildfire and like that deadly Iron Throne!"
"You're talking about Renly!"
"I hope not. I am from the Reach, and I know that Duke Renly seems to be too close to the Reach. Look, the Tyrell family is also excluded from the core."
Gendry thought about it, and indeed it was the case. Stannis, though resentful, was still loyal to his brother. But Renly, he was very ambitious, especially with the Tyrell family being excluded from the core on the surface, he was not willing to be idle.
"You have to speak in a low voice, Maester Qyburn. In King's Landing, saying these words would cost you your head!"
"You're right, my boy. My old head isn't worth much, and you are still young. But we are both insignificant, a down-and-out blacksmith and a dismissed maester. I don't think the crows and the spiders will pay any attention to us!"