Chapter 371: Twists and Turns (Part 2)
It seemed the Queen was of an impatient nature. Egger hesitated for a moment, then decided to ignore the two consecutive surprises and proceed as planned. "In the North, the White Walkers, absent for thousands of years, have arrived at our gates with an army of the dead. A war without precedent is about to begin. The Night's Watch has made countless preparations, but one crucial element is not yet in place—a substance capable of restraining the Others. It is currently being manufactured day and night at the Night's Watch Industrial Park, and everyone's hopes rest upon it."
Petyr Baelish would never have guessed that the harmless-looking Lord Commander before him was the very architect of the parchment incident he had been desperately trying to solve. At this moment, Littlefinger had no room in his mind for schemes other than solidifying his own position as Hand of the Queen. He frowned, assuming another rival had appeared to persuade the Queen to delay her assault on King's Landing. "So, you wish for us to postpone the attack to avoid collateral damage to your Industrial Park? That is impossible! Her Majesty has been back in Westeros for some time; if she does not act quickly to prove herself..."
"Lord Petyr," Egger interrupted, remembering that when Littlefinger fled overseas, the Industrial Park was still in its infancy. Petyr's impression of the Night's Watch Industry likely remained stuck on that first office located opposite the East Barracks of the City Watch in King's Landing. "The Night's Watch Industrial Park is not inside King's Landing. It is several miles to the southwest, nestled against the Blackwater River and enclosed by high black walls. Because it is so close to the capital, it doesn't show up on small-scale maps... but in actual combat, as long as the army commanders give the order in advance, it is impossible for soldiers to confuse it with the actual target!"
Petyr was relieved and ceased his interruption. He was currently focusing all his energy on persuading the Queen to strike the capital immediately. As long as Egger wasn't here to oppose him on that point, he had no reason to act like Varys and question the visitor. Avoiding unnecessary enemies was Petyr's cardinal rule—especially when dealing with someone of Egger's power and resources. More friends meant an easier path, and for a high-level player like Littlefinger, a friend held more layers of value than most realized: each one was another soul to be squeezed for utility, a scapegoat to be sold out, or a sacrifice to be offered at a critical moment.
"I see." Daenerys also grasped what Egger was seeking. "You want me to do my best to avoid your Industrial Park during the reclamation of King's Landing, so as not to delay the production of this substance that 'restrains the Others.'"
"Your Majesty is wise." Egger found that even after standing there for several minutes, he still couldn't adapt to or ignore the powerful aura she radiated when looking at her directly. "The Night's Watch resists the enemy of all living things and protects the realm of Westeros itself. Regardless of who sits on the Iron Throne, no one wishes to rule a Seven Kingdoms filled with scorched earth and wights. I believe that with the Dragon Queen's wisdom and reason, you will understand the intent behind the Watch's efforts and grant this small request, which in no way harms your interests."
"You are quite skilled at flattery, Lord Commander, but it is wasted on me." The Queen gave a radiant smile—a lie, as she had heard countless praises far more sycophantic and ornate than this. "I have not forgotten that if the Night's Watch fails to hold back the dead, the North will be the first to suffer—and the North supports my enemies."
Daenerys only gave a casual smile, but in the eyes of a man, she seemed to suddenly gather all the world's charms into one spot. If her beauty and aura were both tens in a static state, this dynamic expression multiplied those factors into a hundred-fold temptation. Egger had never imagined that the phrase a single smile brings a hundred charms could be so vividly personified.
In contrast to the intense physical attraction was a sudden surge of psychological dread. Egger realized with a jolt that he was feeling an impulse to abandon all long-term plans, kneel at the Dragon Queen's feet as a sycophant, and bet all his resources and power on her cause just to win her favor. The self-control he once prided himself on—the ability to keep it in his pants—seemed pathetically fragile before the nearly tangible... no, actual tangible charm cheat of this favored daughter of the world!
Egger suddenly thought of a phrase seemingly unrelated to his current situation: In online games, free-to-play players are also part of the paying players' gaming experience.
In this massive magical world of Ice and Fire, in the grand game being played between the Lord of Light and his ancient foe, was he perhaps playing the role of the free player or the utility man? Was everything he had fought so hard for simply meant to be part of the service provided to the true Chosen One, once he met and became infatuated with Daenerys?
Was the love he was currently experiencing... this affection that his reason could hardly suppress... generated because his subconscious was being interfered with by R'hllor?
Fortunately, even if his guess were true, being charmed was not the same as being controlled. At least Egger still had control over his body, and at least he had sensed the anomaly, rather than falling in completely and blindly like the likes of Jorah Mormont or Daario Naharis.
"Lord Varys, I have heard that your ears are everywhere in Westeros and that your intelligence-gathering abilities are unmatched in the Seven Kingdoms." The inner palpitations were so strong when looking at Daenerys that Egger had to shift his focus, turning to the man who had questioned him earlier to retaliate. "Surely you haven't forgotten the incident a year ago, when the Night's Watch captured a 'living' wight and sent it to King's Landing for the high and mighty of the realm to witness with their own eyes?"
Varys could not lie about something so well-known. He maintained his smile and nodded. "Indeed, that did happen."
"And is it true that wights fear no ordinary weapons? That piercing the heart, hacking off limbs, or even severing the head cannot truly kill them?"
"True," Varys replied with unruffled poise. "The spectacular commercial performance by the Night's Watch Industry left me in awe, Lord Commander. By relying on that 'wight execution' show and the subsequent frenzied selling of dragonglass products for massive profit, you have earned more money this year than your predecessor received in a decade of grants and donations."
"That is my talent, and not a single copper of the money I earned was stolen from the Queen. Furthermore, why doesn't Lord Varys mention that I have killed more White Walkers than the previous nine hundred and ninety-seven Lord Commanders combined? War burns through coin, and every penny the Night's Watch earned from selling dragonglass has been poured into the construction of the Wall's defenses." Egger spoke with righteous conviction; he had nothing to be ashamed of on this point. "Your Majesty, you say the North supports your enemies. This cannot be refuted. But even if House Stark rallies the Northern armies, they will not exceed thirty thousand at most... Do you wish to contend with these thirty thousand ordinary men who can be killed by swords and diminished by plague, hunger, and fear? Or do you wish to wait until the White Walkers breach the Wall and ravage the North, and then face a million wights who are impervious to pain, tireless, and will not stop until every living person in the world is dead?"
"But I have heard that wights fear fire," Daenerys replied dismissively. "It is a pity that Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion are out hunting; otherwise, I would be happy to show the Lord Commander some dragonfire."
"I have heard that the fire breathed from a dragon's mouth originates from a liquid secreted by a gland in the chest, though I have never had the chance to verify it," Egger responded without thinking. "But regardless of the truth, I believe a dragon cannot breathe fire without limit. Against a million wights, three dragons would not be enough even if they vomited up every drop of acid in their stomachs. Perhaps you could burn for a day and rest for two, resting for a few days after every few tens of thousands of wights destroyed... but by the time the dead cross the Neck and enter the Riverlands, the Crownlands, and the Reach, one million will quickly become two million, then five million... In the end, death will swallow the entire world, leaving behind only a useless iron chair with no one left to fight you for it."
"Hmph—" Daenerys stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly gave a light laugh. "Lord Commander, your eloquence is as legendary as they say, but at this critical moment, save your breath and your wit. Your request is not excessive, but ordering an army to bypass your little park during the siege of King's Landing sounds like a simple sentence, yet in practice, it will cost my officers significant time and effort. Therefore, I want something in return. Like your request to me, this is a simple matter for you, but it holds great significance for me."
The young Queen stood up from the crude, unadorned stone throne that her ancestors and her current enemy Stannis had all sat upon, and walked down the steps with slow elegance. "I want you, in your capacity as Lord Commander, to publicly announce to the lords of Westeros that the Night's Watch recognizes me as the one true, legitimate ruler of the Seven Kingdoms."
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