Game of Thrones: Joffrey the Chosen

At dawn, the open space between the Blackwater River and the city wall presented a completely different scene.

More than a hundred colorful tents have sprung up like mushrooms after the rain.

Thousands of ordinary people crowded on the earthen mounds built on the outskirts, craning their necks and standing on tiptoe to look into the stadium filled with flags.

After all, the arrival of Duke Tywin Lannister only caused a stir within noble circles.

The real wave that swept the entire city was this one that everyone had been looking forward to for a long time and had been in preparation for over a month.

A martial arts tournament between the Prime Minister and the Prince.

Joffrey deliberately put the Prime Minister at the front so that when people referred to it, they would just call it the Prime Ministers' Meeting.

In the stadium, the compacted sand was covered with flags bearing various coats of arms.

A golden lion on the crimson earth, a gray dire wolf amidst the snow-covered landscape, a golden rose blooming in the verdant fields…

Of course, there is also that supreme flag.

In a golden field, a black crowned stag stands proudly.

The aristocratic stands on both sides were also packed.

Robert always prided himself on being friendly with the people, so he didn't set up a closed royal box. Instead, he brought his family and squeezed in with the lords and noblewomen.

However, the seating arrangement remained strictly based on kinship and social status, with a clear distinction between the two groups.

The bugle sounded loudly, and the drums thundered.

The king, wearing a golden crown, appeared at the very front of the stands.

He casually waved his hand around, which immediately triggered a deafening roar of "Long live the King!"

"I know you're all in a hurry!" Robert raised his hand and pressed it down.

"Because I'm in a hurry too." His booming voice carried throughout the room without any amplification. "So I'm not going to waste any more words, and all those red tape are off the hook!"

"I hereby declare."

"The martial arts tournament shall now begin!"

Cheers erupted again, spreading from the nearby noble stands all the way to the distant commoners' mounds.

Although it was impossible to hear what the king was shouting from there, the people still cooperated and created wave after wave of "Long live the king!" frenzy.

In such a heated atmosphere, even Duke Ed, who was always tense, visibly relaxed a bit.

Only the two Lannister lions looked rather grim at that moment.

Although the opening ceremony is simple, the necessary entrance ceremony cannot be omitted.

The first to ride into the arena were seven Imperial Guards in gleaming white robes.

They were all dressed in milk-colored cloaks and scale armor, except for Jaime Lannister, who was dressed in dazzling gold and wore a lion-headed helmet, making him stand out from the crowd.

Amidst the whispers, Joffrey immediately picked up on those enduring topics.

"Was his armor really made of pure gold? After all, he's from House Lannister..."

"Impossible, it must be gold-plated. Otherwise, it would be so heavy."

The minor debate quickly veered from whether it was pure gold or gilded gold to how much gold Casterly Rock actually had left.

And how much of it was pulled out by Duke Tywin Lannister?

Of course, no one dared to actually say the second half of the sentence.

The arrival of the contestants drew everyone's attention.

As is customary, the most exciting event on the first day is the equestrian spear duel.

Two knights, each wielding a wooden lance, charged at each other along a dividing line.

The spearheads are specially treated to break easily, in order to minimize casualties.

The contest usually lasts for three rounds, with points awarded based on which parts of the opponent's body are hit. If the opponent is knocked off their horse, the contest is considered a direct victory.

Of course, there will be those who disagree and demand to fight on foot after falling from their horses, but unless there is a deep-seated hatred, very few people will fight so desperately in a duel.

Of the fifty guards Duke Eddard brought from the North, three also participated in the competition.

Their clothes were simple and their armor was worn, making them inconspicuous among the jeweled southern knights.

To make matters worse, these people had boasted before the match that one northerner could beat ten southern pretty girls.

However, they were defeated very quickly.

Joffrey only had a vague impression of one of them.

Back in Winterfell, this father, named Hashyo, had led his horse.

Unfortunately, he had bad luck with the draw and was drawn as a member of the Imperial Guard in the first round.

Although the opponent was described by the Hound as someone who "could take on three random bards with a sword," Sir Marin Mafia Tran.

But they still couldn't last even one round.

After that, hundreds of knights took turns going into battle, their names flowing through the air like a stream.

Luo Shiyao, Mei Shiyao, Shi Shiyao, Tang Shiyao... and many other hired knights and free riders whose names I can't even remember the beginning of.

There were also several dozen Freys from the Twins.

The Marquis of Walder, who was over ninety years old, came in person. His cloudy old eyes seemed to be trying to find a promising son among his dozen or so sons, grandsons or great-grandsons who could bring glory to the family.

As a result, the Freys performed in unison, all of them being eliminated in the first round.

In the end, those familiar faces were still the ones who persevered to the very end.

The Hound, Renly, the Red Monk Thoros, "The Mountain" Gregor Clegane...

Those are the knights printed on wooden tablets.

Joffrey’s gaze shifted to the vendors weaving through the stands.

They carried baskets, hawking food while using memorized phrases to promote the novel card-collecting and prize-redeeming game.

Most viewers have never seen this kind of dish before, and out of curiosity, they will buy one to try.

Moreover, these pastries are made with high-quality ingredients and are reasonably priced.

When a lucky person manages to pull out a wooden piece with a knight's image from the complimentary pizza, a small crowd always gathers around, passing it around to examine it closely and marveling at its beauty.

But the one that elicited the most knowing smiles was the one that appeared most frequently.

Commander Genos Slint, the man in the golden robe.

Everyone in Junlin knows the face of this esteemed person.

As for those true masters, would they feel offended by being listed alongside Genos as one of the Five Tiger Generals?

Joffrey didn't care at all.

He's not even afraid of misusing these people's portrait rights, so why would he worry about such a trivial matter?

The martial arts contest continued until dusk.

The snacks were far more popular than Joffrey had expected, selling out completely by noon.

While the food itself is largely to blame, the allure of the three ultimate prizes is also undeniable.

Those were unique pieces he commissioned artists to create: Barristan Selmy, Jaime Lannister, and Loras Tyrell.

All three of them have won the championship in the martial arts tournament. As long as they draw any one of them, they can directly exchange it for a golden dragon.

The nobles might not care about such a small amount of money, but the common people far away were scrambling to buy it.

A single gold dragon pendant is enough to support an average family's basic needs for more than a year.

The monopolistic food supply also brought Joffrey considerable income.

There are approximately 30,000 copper coins.

It's equivalent to less than four gold dragons.

It was just enough to cover a fraction of the cost of the sword he gave Robb.

If we also factor in the cost of ingredients and labor, as well as the bonuses that will need to be paid out in the future.

"They're definitely losing money to gain publicity."

Joffrey gazed at the darkening sky, a faint smile curving his lips.

By this time, the moon had already risen, and the roaring audience was showing signs of fatigue.

The King then announced that the final semi-final and final matches would be held tomorrow morning.

Court officials and participating knights went to the riverbank for a meal.

The former was chosen by the king, while the latter was added at Joffrey's suggestion, specifically because of his outstanding performance.

To be honest, Joffrey didn't really have many men he liked.

Even something like "Drooling Jazz" is already considered quite good.

Moreover, many people were not invited at all and secretly sneaked in.

Take, for example, Sir Hugh, who narrowly escaped death after confronting the Mountain.