Chapter 377: Associate Dean Qyburn
"Associate Dean Qyburn," Nina repeated, puzzled by Egger's expression, which looked as though he'd just seen a ghost. "One of the three Associate Deans of the Research Institute under the Night's Watch Industry. Is there a problem?"
The problem was massive. Egger composed his startled features. "The scorpions that the Industry provided to the King's Landing garrison recently—was that the work of this Associate Dean Qyburn?"
"Indeed. The scorpions were a military order placed with the Industry by King Stannis through the Master of Coin a year ago. The project was originally intended to be led by Associate Dean Davin, but Mr. Qyburn proactively offered his help after hearing about it and provided many valuable suggestions. Later, at Davin's suggestion, the two of them collaborated on the breakthrough. They successfully produced an improved version before the King's deadline, which passed inspection by the Hand, went into mass production, and is now mounted on the walls of King's Landing." Nina answered truthfully, tilting her head curiously. "My Lord... do you know him?"
"Not personally, but I've heard of him. Do you know his background?"
"I have a general understanding. Per your instructions, we perform as detailed a background check as possible on everyone joining the management of the Night's Watch Industry. Before joining us, Mr. Qyburn was a healer for the mercenary group 'The Brave Companions.' Many say he is proficient in dark magic and is a former Maester expelled from the Citadel for dabbling in necromancy. However, after synthesizing information from various sources, our investigators judged that these rumors likely stem from his experience performing medical experiments on living humans while he was still a Maester. It is a dark history, certainly, but our deep investigation revealed that the subjects were his patients rather than kidnapped bystanders, and he has already been punished by the Citadel... I felt it wasn't our place to punish him a second time for a single crime, nor should we negate everything about him because of a mistake in a different field of study years ago. Besides, the Institute's current research doesn't involve medicine, so what is there to worry about?" Nina explained matter-of-factly. "The fact is, since joining the Industry, Mr. Qyburn has shown extraordinary ability and creativity. He was among the first members when the Institute was founded and was quickly promoted to Associate Dean based on his seniority and numerous achievements."
It really was that Maester Qyburn. This was truly interesting. Egger stood dazed for a moment, wearing a peculiar expression. The former Maester who experimented on the living, who was supposed to treat Jaime's stump and transform the poisoned Mountain into a bio-soldier... a formidable character capable of playing the mastermind villain or mad scientist, had unknowingly joined his camp and had been quietly serving him for some time.
The feeling was as strange and wonderful as pulling a top-tier legendary card from a First Top-Up starter pack.
While Qyburn's character traits in the original story weren't exactly positive, his individual capability was head and shoulders above the rest in this world. He was currently working for the Night's Watch Industry in a technical position where power and resources were granted by Egger himself. As long as he could be managed, he would likely be a highly capable subordinate; there was little fear of him revolting.
Egger suppressed his inner glee and nodded. "Very well. Since you've done a thorough investigation, use him well. Assign a few reliable 'assistants' to Qyburn. If he focuses honestly on research, support him fully. But if he starts dabbling in crooked paths, put a stop to it immediately before trouble arises."
"Understood."
One topic ended, but Egger soon thought of another: if someone like Qyburn was only an Associate Dean, just how incredible was the Dean of this Institute?
Unfortunately, there were no new surprises awaiting him. Nina's subsequent answer was that the Dean was her brother, Neil—the older brother of the original papermaking duo whom Egger had met long ago. As for the other two Associate Deans, one was Blair, who had originally helped the Night's Watch develop the wildfire stabilization scheme (allowing them to haul away the massive underground stores of free vintage wildfire from the Alchemists' Guild); the other was the aforementioned Davin—a skilled craftsman born in King's Landing.
Egger had a decent impression of Neil, who was effectively his brother-in-law. While his abilities were certainly not on Qyburn's level—and likely inferior to all three Associate Deans—he was undoubtedly a young man with an open mind and a flexible brain. The Dean's primary task was supervision: ensuring all activities of the Institute aligned with the desired direction and preventing chaos, such as the misappropriation of research funds or a situation where the Lord Commander wants gunpowder, but the subordinates are busy practicing alchemy. Egger wasn't some naive youth who would foolishly criticize Nina for nepotism. In this backward era of low moral standards, and against the backdrop of the Night's Watch and the Crownland lords jockeying for control of the Industry's money tree, advanced management theories simply wouldn't work. Keeping reliable confidants in key management positions to prioritize control over the Industry was the most practical approach.
That said, Egger still sternly instructed Nina to watch over her brother to ensure he didn't let his layman status interfere with the experts. Only then did he feel at ease, following her down from the impressive walls of Blackwall Keep, crossing the courtyard, and exiting through the East Gate toward the saltpeter experimental site.
"The exploration for saltpeter mines hasn't been very smooth. Because we only knew of its existence through your descriptions, yet no one had ever touched it, we lacked the ability to identify it. The Institute had to spend a lot of time establishing a set of identification methods to teach the scouting teams before the work could truly begin. So far, progress has been quite limited... though some have discovered the presence of saltpeter in the mountains bordering the Reach and the Westerlands, as well as in the salt flats of the Dornish Marches. However, the lords of those two regions are not part of the Royalist faction supporting King Stannis, and both locations are currently shrouded in war. We only conducted scouting by using the neutral status of the Night's Watch 'Wandering Crows,' but we haven't been able to carry out subsequent large-scale mining or quality testing. Recognizing this, we simply narrowed our search area and shifted more funding into finding manufacturing methods..."
Wandering Crows were originally the recruiters for the Night's Watch, traveling the realm to collect the scum and criminals to fill the ranks. But since the Wildlings had surrendered and settled in the Gift, manpower was no longer an issue. After taking office, Egger had announced the closure of the path for common criminals to gain immunity by joining the Watch. However, the Wandering Crows' advantage of knowing the routes and being skilled at dealing with people was still valuable. Thus, at Egger's suggestion, they had been transformed into members of exploration teams.
The plan itself was sound, but Egger had overlooked one point: for various reasons, even if he found a saltpeter mine, he might not be able to mine it extensively like the dragonglass and sulfur on Dragonstone.
As Nina briefed Egger on the project's progress, she led him toward the experimental site. They walked for several hundred meters, and as they moved further from the castle, a strange odor... specifically, the smell of urine, began to drift toward them. It slowly permeated the surroundings, making it difficult for Egger and his companions, who were used to the crisp, cold air of the Wall, to breathe.
Egger realized that the workshop ahead—enclosed by a low earthen wall far from the industrial core—was the main attraction of his visit.
The supervisor of the experimental field—the man who had improved the scorpions and made a fortune for the Night's Watch Industry—had already received word. He stood at the entrance with a crowd of subordinates and assistants, awaiting the leader's inspection.
"My Lord, this is Associate Dean Qyburn, the lead for the saltpeter project."
Standing before Egger was a tall, slightly stooped old man. He had many wrinkles around his prominent blue eyes, but the hair on his head held more grey than white. A constant smile hung on his lips, making him look like a vigorous and kind grandfather. There wasn't a trace of a mad scientist about him.
"My Lord," Qyburn said, bowing respectfully. "Your name precedes you like thunder; it is a profound honor to meet you today."
"You are too kind, Mr. Qyburn," Egger replied with a smile, showing no sign of his inner thoughts. "I've also heard much about your scientific genius from Nina. Knowing the saltpeter project is in your hands puts my mind at ease. Come, show us the fruits of your labor."
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