Chapter 376: Rescue of Blacktyde Island

Regardless of the reasons, since Blacktyde Island had sent a distress call, as the King of the Iron Islands, Balon Greyjoy was obliged to respond. Otherwise, he would lose face among the Ironborn.

Therefore, Balon dispatched his battle-hardened younger brother, Victarion, to lead the Iron Fleet, docked at King's Port, to Blacktyde Island to investigate the situation.

Among the four Greyjoy brothers, the eldest, Balon Greyjoy, was ruthless but responsible. He was stubborn, fearless, competitive, and uncompromising, a true Iron King who took the revival of the Ironborn as his duty.

The second brother, 'Euron the Crow's Eye', was wicked and cunning, selfish and self-serving. His ambition was in stark contrast to his elder brother's desire for the true revival of the Ironborn. He only wanted to do what was beneficial for himself.

If Euron were here, his ideas might be diametrically opposed to Balon's.

The third brother, Victarion, might not make a qualified Iron King as his ambition could not overcome his sense of responsibility. However, he was an excellent commander and captain.

He greatly admired his elder brother Balon. When Balon spoke, Victarion would close his mouth and not say anything more. He put down his cutlery, pushed away his plate, and stood up from his seat.

"Very well, brother," Victarion said, ready to lead the Iron Fleet to Blacktyde Island.

Watching his tall and mighty younger brother leave, Balon, sitting at the head of the table, nodded in satisfaction.

"Asha, you should learn more from your uncle," he said. "He is the bravest captain in the world. No one can defeat him as long as he is on his ship."

Not long after, the horn of King's Port on Pyke Island sounded, and Victarion, clad in heavy armor and wielding a huge axe, stood on the bow of his flagship, the 'Iron Victory'.

His golden cloak fluttered in the sea breeze, and the kraken banner of House Greyjoy fluttered in the wind.

"Set sail!" With Victarion's command, the Iron Fleet, ready for battle, left King's Port. Under the red sunset, they cut through the waves and headed towards Blacktyde Island.

...

Blacktyde Island was located at the northernmost point of the Iron Islands, while Pyke Island was at the southernmost point.

However, the Iron Islands were not large, with only seven main islands and a few insignificant islets.

It took Victarion only half a day to lead the Iron Fleet from King's Port to Blacktyde Island. However, since they set sail in the evening, it was already midnight when they arrived at Blacktyde Island.

"It's a bit eerie, too quiet," Victarion commented as they approached the island.

The entire Blacktyde Island was silent, as if asleep. There was no sign of an attack, and everything seemed unusually peaceful.

But considering the time, it was indeed the time for the Ironborn to sleep.

"Brother, what should we do?" Victarion's first mate, the 'One-Eared' Woffe, who only had one ear left, asked.

They didn't know what had happened on Blacktyde Island. Victarion had only mentioned that the island had been attacked, and then they had rushed over.

"Something's not right," Victarion said, his unease growing as they neared Blacktyde Island. This was the keen intuition of a seasoned warrior.

After all, Blacktyde Island was too quiet. Only the sound of waves hitting the ship's hull and the Ironborn securing their longships could be heard.

If it was true that the Others had attacked Blacktyde Island as the raven's message had said, why was it so quiet?

And the person who asked for help was not the lord of Blacktyde Island, Baelor Blacktyde, who had gone to harass the Shield Islands recently. It was a priest on Blacktyde Island who had sent the distress message. Could this distress message be a disguise...

Victarion was a seasoned warrior, but he was not a brute. His mind was clear.

He carefully weighed the whole matter and felt that something was unusual.

But if they came to Blacktyde Island and didn't even set foot on the island, and didn't even know what had happened, Victarion wouldn't be able to explain to his elder brother.

After taking a sip of strong wine from his flask, Victarion made up his mind and said to his first mate, Woffe.

"Tell the brothers to keep their eyes open. We're going to land on Blacktyde Island!"

"Understood!" Hearing his captain's words, Woffe nodded.

He then went to tell the brothers to be vigilant. There might be something unusual on Blacktyde Island, and they should be ready for battle at any time.

Not long after, under Victarion's command, the Iron Fleet gradually approached the beach of Blacktyde Island.

The waves lapped against the beach.

It was dangerous to approach reefs in the dark while sailing at night. The sandy beach was relatively safer.

The longships approached the beach, and the Ironborn silently jumped off the ships.

They jumped into the thigh-deep seawater, holding ropes to push the ships onto the shallow beach and secure them to prevent them from being carried away by the waves.

The Ironborn didn't need any command to do these things. They were very experienced, having used these methods to attack the coastal villages of the Green Lands, even carrying their ships to raid.

Victarion also set foot on the beach of Blacktyde Island, holding a huge axe in one hand and watching the Ironborn busy securing the ships. He then looked around.

The surroundings were as silent as death, with only the sound of waves hitting the beach and the Ironborn securing their longships.

"Something's... off," Victarion said, his unease growing since he set foot on the island.

His breathing was slightly heavy, and he kept looking around, as if trying to detect something.

But unfortunately, the night on Blacktyde Island was dark, and the moonlight was dim. His sight was limited, and he couldn't see far.

At this moment, a shadow seemed to flash past Victarion's field of vision.