Chapter 93: No More Nonsense, You're the One
Arya had absolutely no idea that she had inadvertently become the greatest benefactor of the Night's Watch industries. Thanks to the girl's timely report—which could truly be described as worth a thousand gold pieces—Egger had narrowly navigated the most severe financial crisis since his arrival in the world of Ice and Fire.
This entire maneuver relied purely on luck, and there was no shame in admitting it. But as the old saying goes, isn't luck a part of one's strength? Through the dual forces of fortune and calculated operation, the Night's Watch venture had not only survived the crisis but had achieved a leap in capital. Now, the funds theoretically owned by the Order—but practically managed by Tyrion—exceeded their liabilities. The capital chain was strong enough to withstand 100% divestment and redemption!
On the very day procurement was finalized, over half of the deposits miraculously returned to the Night's Watch office doubled. As for the remaining portion, after Egger took his men and the contracts to demand delivery, the funds were reluctantly handed over to him. It is worth noting that Tyrion advised Egger to remember the order in which these merchants paid the penalties: the sooner they had received the inside information, the more powerful their backing likely was. He suggested creating a list; it would highly likely prove useful when assembling a future interest group.
It was a valuable suggestion, and Egger accepted it readily.
Next came the phase where the bonds were gradually redeemed.
King Robert—the most powerful and hot-tempered person in Westeros—hardly bothered with multiple rounds of negotiations with the Lords Declarant. He issued an ultimatum and, just a few days later, before receiving a response, sent out a call to arms. He formally summoned the lords of the Crownlands and the nobility of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to gather the hosts of all Westeros to crush the rebellion.
In this context, it was perfectly reasonable for bondholders to want their gold back to purchase grain and gear for themselves and their knights. Since these were not malicious redemptions, Egger and Tyrion humanely waived the penalties for early withdrawal. Any bondholder who came to the office received their principal plus at least one month's interest. The first batch of those who had held their bonds for over a month even received a two-month return.
This single decision meant an extra expenditure of dozens of gold dragons, but it wasn't a reckless scattering of wealth. It was done in the hope that by parting on good terms—ensuring that borrowing was easy and returning was certain—these wealthy men would remember to place their gold back into the Night's Watch capital chain once the war ended and they returned to the Crownlands.
While the remaining net assets belonging to the Night's Watch were already a significant sum, as the projects expanded—no one ever complains about having too much capital.
Under the brilliant summer sun, the Crownlands' army began to muster ten miles north of King's Landing. Similar scenes were unfolding simultaneously in the West, the Riverlands, the Reach, the Stormlands, the North, and even as far south as Dorne. It was true that the man on the Iron Throne merely held the title of King; in terms of status and strength, he was on the same level as the other seven Great Houses. Control over the Seven Kingdoms was determined entirely by the strength of one's arm and the cunning of one's methods.
Fortunately, the deterrent force of Robert's personal martial prowess and his record of victory was immense. Furthermore, under Jon Arryn's decade-long management, the alliances between the Great Houses had not yet fractured. Combined with the fact that Littlefinger—who had intended to provoke conflict between the Starks and Lannisters—had been taken down, the Lords Declarant who had suddenly jumped out in the Vale became the common target. The Lion, the Wolf, the Stag, and the Fish were naturally committed to rescuing the Eyrie. Even the remaining two houses—the Tyrells of the Reach and the Martells of Dorne, who had been Robert's enemies during the Usurpation and remained outside the core of power—dared not defy a royal mobilization in their position as defeated subjects and legal vassals.
Tyrion asserted confidently that both the Tyrells and Martells would send significant figures accompanied by a modest force—just enough to keep Robert from complaining.
Westeros suddenly presented a picture of unified resolve and preparation for war. The last time such a scene occurred was during Balon Greyjoy's rebellion. This time, even the Ironborn—professional rebels themselves—responded to the call by sending a fleet. Though ships would be largely useless in an assault on the Vale, the gesture had to be made.
None of this had much to do with Egger, or so he thought. Taking a share of the spoils of war wasn't something an outsider with no foundation like him could manage. What he wanted now was to establish the first factory, quickly digest orders from the Faith and other small clients, and collect final payments to inject fresh blood into the capital chain. Once his footing was secure, he would continue to expand.
The advantage of a backward era was that nothing was overly complicated. Two weeks after narrowly passing the first financial test, the first production line was operational within the partially completed factory. Hundreds of pounds of papermaking raw materials were tossed into large stone mortars, where wooden pestles thicker than a man's torso, driven by a waterwheel, crushed everything put before them. The pulpy mash, mixed with alkaline powders, flowed into the next stage of steaming and boiling. The secret to ensuring a steady output from an assembly line is simple: as long as the initial input is constant, production continues nonstop, regardless of how many days the intermediate process takes.
Woodblocks for the Seven-Pointed Star and calendars were already prepared, waiting only for mass quantities of paper to come off the line. Hired bards and writers also began steadily converting stories from oral tradition into text and physical books. Since Egger promised them bylines on their works, the writers were working quite hard. Among these stories, the one Egger cared about most was a novel based on his own story. Titled The Fantastic Adventures of a Night's Watchman, the book began with the protagonist's first journey as an adult, detailing his travels and adventures across the world. After countless trials and growth, the protagonist began to grow curious about the shape of the world.
At the start of the final volume, this adventurer had traveled the entire continent and resolutely boarded a ship for the first attempt at a global circumnavigation. Ultimately, he was shipwrecked and ended up in Westeros, forced to join the Night's Watch. By a stroke of luck, he became an officer of the Black Brothers and came to King's Landing to raise supplies and men for the defenders of the Wall.
This world lacked professional story writers, and the works produced by bards were somewhat rough in prose and scattered in structure, but the story itself was novel and interesting enough. That was all that mattered. The name Egger West never appeared in the text, but anyone even slightly well-informed would know it was about the Chief Logistics Officer at the King's Landing office.
This was a bold public relations attempt. The more copies of the novel sold, the more people would know of his past. When the day finally came for him to leave the Night's Watch, the negative impact and outcry would be minimized. Egger looked over the drafts of several other novels; compared to the one he had outlined, the knightly tales passed among bards were far too cliché. He had a feeling that even looking strictly at economic profit, his story would be the best-seller.
In addition, the unsavory materials Tyrion had mentioned were also being prepared. Since they couldn't find experts in this field, Tyrion simply hired painters and bards to move into his favorite brothel—the environment best suited for such a collaboration—to create a work rich in both text and illustration.
The dwarf showed the draft of the smutty book to Egger. To be honest, compared to the famous adult publications from Egger's home world, this thing was garbage. Egger felt absolutely nothing... though, as a novelty, its market performance remained to be seen.
Having promised his little apprentice, Egger casually handed the booklet to the hovering, eagle-eyed Arya. He expected the girl to throw it back with a red face, but instead, she muttered "Master, you're so wicked" while her cheeks flushed slightly—yet she continued to read with great relish, giggling all the while. Tyrion nearly couldn't get the draft back from her.
...
Everything was progressing well. The paper from the pilot workshop was currently reserved for the Seven-Pointed Star and calendars. Once the factory outside the city was running smoothly, all the preparation would pay off.
Egger was waiting for that day, but instead, he received an unexpected visitor. A servant from the Red Keep suddenly arrived at the office, claiming that King Robert required a sworn true man of the Night's Watch to accompany the army.
Unluckily, Egger was the only one in King's Landing who fit the description.
"Why does the King need a Night's Watchman for the campaign?" Egger asked, eyes wide. He immediately produced his most reliable shield: "The Night's Watch takes vows not to participate in the internal struggles of the Seven Kingdoms."
"His Grace says that once the Bloody Gate is broken, he will allow the rebel nobles to take the black," the servant said, nose upturned with arrogance. "That requires a true brother of the Watch to receive them and oversee their transport to the Wall."
"But that is the business of a 'Wandering Crow.' That falls under the Chief Multiplier... I mean, the Chief Civil Affairs Officer. I am the Chief Logistics Officer!"
How could the messenger distinguish between the Watch's civil affairs and logistics? The servant frowned. "Either you come with me to explain to His Grace, or I go back and tell him you refused his command. I don't care about the details. No more nonsense, you're the one!"
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