Chapter 152: The Black Stone Tablet of House Shett
The Vale, Gulltown, Tax Hall
The harbor tax hall of Gulltown was a five-story square building. It was here that Petyr Baelish had once worked in obscurity, and it was precisely because he uncovered tax evasion schemes committed by certain individuals that House Grafton accumulated an enormous fortune.
Countess Jeyne Grafton became close friends with "Littlefinger" because of this. It could be said that Littlefinger's later rapid rise and control over the Vale's power was not solely because he controlled the still-unweaned Lord Robert Arryn. If that had been the only reason, he would have long ago been removed through poison or assassination.
At this moment, Aegon Targaryen and Jeyne Arryn were drinking flower tea on the third floor of the tax hall. The Vale's rose tea, mixed with honey, tasted somewhat similar to tea beverages from later generations.
"Welcome, esteemed Lord Ben Leer. I have wished to meet you for a long time, and I never expected you to come here personally this time."
The tax official receiving Aegon was Lawrence Grafton, a member of a branch line of House Grafton. The thieves of The Chainbreakers had maintained extensive contact with him and had sent him many gifts over time. Therefore, upon meeting Aegon, the hidden mastermind behind everything, Lawrence Grafton became overwhelmingly excited, nearly to the point of waiting on him hand and foot.
"I am also pleased to meet you, esteemed Ser Lawrence. Our cooperation has always been pleasant. The main purpose of my visit this time is to tour the Vale and determine whether the surrounding castles and noble houses have interest in our new products."
"Hahaha, the goods you brought this time are truly marvelous, my lord! In my opinion, high-quality crystal glass was already the finest vessel imaginable, but I never expected the white porcelain you brought this time to be as beautiful as the legendary Winter Rose."
Lawrence Grafton was referring to the blue-flower porcelain Aegon had brought. Porcelain in this world was exceptionally rare, mostly imported from Yi Ti in the far east of Essos. High-quality porcelain could even sell for prices equivalent to gold.
This trade had long been monopolized by the people of Qarth, but this time Aegon had brought a batch of somewhat cheaper porcelain. It immediately aroused Lawrence Grafton's interest. If the shipment had not been so expensive, he might have wanted to swallow the entire stock himself.
"If you like it, I'll give you a set later. In my eyes, such things are merely material possessions; friendship is the most precious thing."
"Oh! By the Seven! Thank you very much. I will definitely discuss this with our lord and lower your taxes by another one percent."
Aegon's gift-giving strategy was indeed effective. Upon receiving the items, the other party immediately expressed willingness to reduce taxes further.
"By the way, Ser Lawrence, do you happen to know anyone from House Shett?"
After some casual conversation, Aegon prepared to leave and then casually asked Lawrence Grafton about House Shett.
"Gull Tower of House Shett is northwest of here. I can have one of our men lead you there. Why? Do you have business with them?"
House Shett was an extremely ancient family of Gulltown. Or rather, during the era of the First Men, Gulltown itself had originally belonged to House Shett. It was only after the Andal invasion, led by House Grafton, that Gulltown changed hands.
Many families in the Vale had endured since the age of the First Men, but the number of surviving ancient houses had gradually dwindled. Today, House Shett had already declined into a landed knightly family. If nothing changed, in another few hundred years they might vanish into the river of history entirely.
Aegon chose House Shett because they were few in number and easy to control, and because in the future he could potentially use their family claims to contest ownership of Gulltown.
"It's like this: I have a Maester friend deeply interested in the history of the First Men across Westeros. I heard House Shett possesses ancestral bronze armor carved with runes, so I wanted to contact them and purchase it."
"Hahaha, my lord! You seem to have confused House Shett with House Royce. The family possessing bronze runic armor is House Royce of Runestone. As for House Shett of Gull Tower, I fear they only possess a few stones now."
Upon hearing Aegon's words, Lawrence Grafton immediately pointed out his mistake.
House Royce was the family of that minor Royce from the Night's Watch who died first in that terribly adapted television series. Since House Royce possessed First Men blood, many younger sons of the family often chose to join the Night's Watch.
"Furthermore, I should tell you that House Royce would never sell that bronze armor. Although many members of their family died because of their faith in its protection, believe me, it is one of the few treasures they still possess. They would never sell it."
House Royce had an ancient history. Their Valyrian steel sword and bronze armor were symbols of their family's glory and legacy. However, after their Valyrian steel blade, Lamentation, vanished, they became especially protective of those heirlooms passed down through ancient generations.
"Oh? Is that so? Since the armor cannot be acquired, buying a few runestones should still be possible. Judging from your words, has this family already declined?"
"Yes, this family lost its ancient glory long ago. Now they are merely a knightly household."
The decline of House Shett was directly related to the secret manipulations of House Grafton. Over the years, although House Shett had never openly spoken of reclaiming Gulltown, there was still a saying in this world: one could not allow another to sleep peacefully beside one's bed.
Thus, through the "efforts" of House Grafton, House Shett became weaker with each generation, eventually falling to the level of landed knights.
After bidding farewell to Lawrence Grafton, a Vale bastard named Thomas Stone led Aegon and the others toward Gull Tower of House Shett.
Gull Tower stood northwest of the harbor tax hall, a structure located on the outskirts of Gulltown's main urban district and connected by a narrow gravel road. Through Thomas Stone's explanations, Aegon and Jeyne Arryn learned more about House Shett's situation.
"House Shett now possesses only a farm, a small fishing village, and a forest. Although Ser Uther Shett has worked tirelessly to revitalize his house, none of it has had any effect."
In Thomas Stone's eyes, House Shett had little hope left. Uther Shett himself was not an especially formidable knight, nor did he possess talent in managing lands. He was merely struggling to keep things afloat.
But now, with Aegon's arrival, this family would experience a completely different future. Guided by Thomas Stone, Aegon and the others walked for around fifteen minutes. After passing through the forest, an old lighthouse finally entered Aegon's field of vision.
Gull Tower was a stone-and-brick structure approximately twenty meters tall, topped with a glass dome. Under normal circumstances, whale oil was burned there, while specialized reflective devices projected light far into the distance.
Normally, when the lighthouse operated, passing merchant vessels were required to pay fees to the family that owned it. However, because of long-term shortages of maintenance funds, Gull Tower had gradually transformed into a structure more akin to a residence.
Uther Shett was a middle-aged man around forty years old. Though his blond hair made him appear somewhat handsome, the pockmarks covering his face greatly diminished his appearance.
"Esteemed Lord Ben Leer, this is the current head of House Shett, Ser Uther Shett."
After introducing Aegon to Uther Shett, Thomas Stone quickly added:
"Ser Uther! Lord Ben Leer is one of the most honored guests in Gulltown. You must receive him properly!"
Seeing Thomas Stone intending to continue following Aegon and the others after making introductions, Aegon quickly gave a subtle look toward several guards beside him. Immediately afterward, those guards loudly suggested taking Thomas Stone out for drinks.
After hearing Thomas Stone's introduction, Uther Shett felt warmth and excitement rise within his heart. In his eyes, those inherited black stone tablets in his possession were useless objects. Since someone wished to buy them, he naturally welcomed the opportunity.
Thus, Aegon and Jeyne Arryn were soon invited into the "castle" by the old knight. Uther Shett had no wife—only an elderly servant and a bastard son living with him. The bastard boy had been fathered in the nearby fishing village.
If not for the fact that the boy looked exactly like him and possessed a sturdy frame, Uther Shett probably would never have brought Uther Stone back here.
After a period spent rummaging through boxes and storage chests, Aegon and Jeyne Arryn, seated at a broken table, finally saw the stone tablet carried out by the three members of House Shett.
The tablet was pitch black and densely carved with countless circular runes, giving off a profound and mysterious feeling.
This caused Aegon, who had originally intended to speak directly, to stop and instead stare fixedly at the strange black stone.
The tablet appeared approximately one and a half meters long, similar to an ordinary standing stone. The symbols upon it resembled pictographs. Perhaps because of memories from his previous life or some other influence, Aegon found that he was actually able to decipher the meanings hidden within those runes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics