It was easier to leave the city than to return. After tipping off Tyrion and misleading a small group of gold cloaks who had come to arrest him, Aegor returned to King's Landing only to find the gate closed. He had no choice but to turn back toward the Night's Watch Industrial Park, where he had a very "approachable" lunch with the local managers in the employee canteen. He stayed there for the rest of the afternoon until, shortly before sunset, the King's Gate was partially reopened—entry allowed, but no one permitted to leave.
It was nearly dark by the time he returned to the Night's Watch office. What had happened over the course of this one day and night was more intense than everything from the past few months combined. Aegor, who had barely slept, was thoroughly exhausted, but still had many matters to attend to.
The office was crowded. As he walked in, he saw not just Night's Watch brothers, but also a number of unrelated people... Dommi sat in the receptionist's chair in the lobby, recounting the story of how he and the Eastwatch rangers ventured beyond the Wall and battled the White Walkers. Inside and outside the room, people were gathered and listening with rapt attention. Even the office staff, who were supposed to be working, had joined in.
The Night's Watch had been looked down on for so long. Now that they had a chance to show their worth, it was natural they'd want to boast a little. Aegor could understand the sentiment, but turning the office into a story circle was a bit much. Still, these were his sworn brothers, and it wouldn't be right to publicly scold them in front of outsiders.
He pushed through the crowd, gave Dommi a disapproving glance, and under everyone's gaze, opened the door and stepped into the inner room.
Nina was seated behind the desk, speaking with Ser Alliser, who was in the guest chair. When she saw Aegor enter, she stood and said, "My lord."
Aegor paused at the door, exchanging a glance with Ser Alliser. He suddenly realized that the man in black seated before him was the second true Night's Watch brother, besides himself, to ever step into the inner room of the office. "Right. Are the summer clothes ready? Distribute them to the brothers, and have Akun take them to an inn to settle in. Let's close up shop and get some rest."
An inn? The Night's Watch office in King's Landing was more than large enough to house the entire wight escort team. Nina blinked, seeming to catch his meaning. She said nothing and proceeded to carry out the instruction. "Ser Alliser, please come with me. Akun will help you find a place to stay."
Alliser looked at Aegor thoughtfully, then rose and followed Nina and Jaqen out of the office.
...
...
After dismissing the curious King's Landing residents who had gathered to hear stories, distributing a dozen sets of summer clothes to the escort team, and sending Jaqen to accompany them, Nina returned to the inner room.
Aegor leaned back into the boss's chair and exhaled. "What did Ser Alliser want to talk about?"
"He asked about the current operations and revenue of the Night's Watch industry. He also asked for details about Janos Slynt's opposition to us."
"Nina, I won't explain the full reasons, but remember this: 'Night's Watch Industries' belongs to the Night's Watch Logistics Department, and I am the Chief Logistics Officer—a commander without any troops. Apart from me, there are no other members in this department. I require you to report only to me, follow only my orders, and answer only to me. The other Night's Watch brothers who come from the Wall are just guests. Treat them kindly, but don't let them interfere in our operations. Not even a little. Understand?"
...
When Aegor had Jaqen escort the Night's Watch to the inn earlier, Nina had already sensed something. His words now confirmed it. She nodded. "I understand. If Ser Alliser asks again, I'll say I don't know anything. Should I just blame it all on you?"
"That works."
Aegor didn't know, nor did he want to know, what Mormont had said before sending Alliser to King's Landing. He only believed one thing: never seek to harm others, but always be cautious. As a man without backing, the Night's Watch industry was the only thing supporting his voice and influence. He wouldn't build a foundation for others. To avoid being cast aside, he would never let another Night's Watch brother interfere with it, not even if Mormont came in person.
Meeting Nina's gaze, Aegor saw she understood his meaning and nodded with satisfaction. Nina's intelligence was as understated as her beauty. The more they worked together, the more apparent it became.
"No other incidents at the office today?"
"Hmm... the four guards who were left behind in Flea Bottom last night didn't engage the enemy. They held their post until dawn and were then taken by the garrison. But this morning, two officers from the east garrison personally returned them. They wanted to speak with you, but you and Ser Alliser had already entered the Red Keep."
So much had happened that Aegor had nearly forgotten about those four. He felt a pang of guilt. "Were the brothers hurt or mistreated?"
"They were smart. They held their ground, saw the garrison uniforms, and didn't resist. Aside from a few punches when they were caught, nothing serious happened. I gave them leave to go home and rest."
"Good." The officers who returned them were likely Slynt's subordinates. Slynt, a man without noble birth or powerful backers beyond Robert, shared several traits with Aegor. The biggest was this: if the leader fell, their faction would collapse instantly, and their followers would scatter like birds. Seeing their commander arrested, Slynt's men were likely panicking, looking for a way out. "If they come again, tell them that cooperating with the Hand's investigation is their only path forward. The Night's Watch has neither the intent nor the means to retaliate."
"Understood." Nina nodded. "Also, before Ser Alliser brought the wights into King's Landing this morning, he showed the creature to many people entering at the Riverside Gate. Now the whole city is talking. Quite a few have come to the office asking to see it with their own eyes. Some even donated money after speaking with the Night's Watch brothers. Today, the office received one gold dragon, forty-six silver stags, and one hundred eighty-five copper pennies in donations. How should we handle it?"
People donated? That was a good thing. Since the office was founded, it had encouraged donations to support the garrison on the Wall. But spontaneous contributions from civilians had never been enough to fund an army. In fact, the office had never received a single coin—until now.
"Make a donation box. If people want to give, let them. If not, don't force it." The Night's Watch industry dealt with dozens or even hundreds of gold dragons daily. Honestly, that little bit of money meant nothing, but something was better than nothing. "Open a separate ledger and keep daily records. I'll leave it to you. Sorry for the trouble."
"No... it's my duty." Nina was capable in every way, but still shy when praised. She blushed again.
Aegor smiled and took out the paper Tyrion had been writing before his escape. It contained short- and medium-term proposals for the development of Night's Watch Industries. But Aegor knew most of it was now void—Tyrion had not written this with Jaime's attack on Robert in mind.
---
The Night's Watch had no presence in the Red Keep, and Aegor had no way of knowing what the current situation there was. All he could confirm was that the bells of mourning had not rung in King's Landing today.
Was the king still alive, or was news of his death being suppressed by Eddard to buy time for further preparations?
If Robert still lived, war was inevitable. If he was dead, Eddard would likely summon Stannis to take the throne. Aegor didn't know Stannis Baratheon well. Would he wage war against the Lannisters to avenge his brother? And Renly, the youngest Baratheon—if Eddard was alive, would he be content with being just Lord of Storm's End?
There were too many unknowns. As a sworn brother of the Night's Watch, Aegor had neither the right nor the ability to bet on outcomes in the game of thrones. All he could do now was take every possible hedging measure to ensure that no matter how things turned out, the losses to Night's Watch Industries would be minimal.
"There are a few adjustments. I'll list them now. Start implementing them tomorrow, as soon as possible," Aegor said. "First, suspend the construction of the third paper mill. Reassign the trained workers. The best ones should be sent to the Riverlands and Dorne to fulfill our contracts. The rest can be moved elsewhere. As agreed, your brother will go to the Riverlands. Let's not get caught by Lady Tyrell."
"Stop the build? But according to our estimates, without the third mill, we won't be able to meet production demands, especially with printing orders."
"Trust my judgment. As for orders, reject the low-profit ones."
"As you wish, my lord... But the structure is already built. Are we just going to leave it empty?"
"What about the new project I had you prepare? The production of solid detergents and cosmetics... soap and lipstick. Is it ready?"
"The soap is ready. As for lipstick... Blair's formula relies on certain plants and insects. We need time to cultivate them. Large-scale production won't be possible for at least a few months."
"Then start with small-scale production. Market it as a luxury item. Once the product is ready, give a sample to each of our investors. When the noble ladies and their lovers start using it, that'll be the best advertisement." Never put all your eggs in one basket. There were too many historical cases of businesses that grew rapidly by focusing on a single product, only to collapse during war or unrest. Aegor had no intention of repeating their mistakes. He had to plan for the Night's Watch industry's future now. "Also, expand recruitment at the Dragonglass mine on Dragonstone. Dig more, send a portion to King's Landing, and have craftsmen carve it into ornaments and pendants. Spread word that dragonglass not only kills wights and White Walkers, but also wards off evil and dispels cold from the body."
"Wards off evil? Really?" Nina blinked. "And what is... cold air?"
"It's made up. But the Night's Watch industry needs support!" Aegor looked at her with amusement. No matter how smart she was, she was still a young woman. "If possible, I'll try to get the wight back from the Hand. Then we'll find a chance to publicly demonstrate how dragonglass works."
True mixed with false, false mixed with true. Advertising was like rumor-spreading. So long as "dragonglass can kill wights" was true, the rest would be accepted as truth too.
"I see. That's brilliant, my lord!" Nina's eyes lit up. So this was how business worked.
"Brilliant or not, only time and the market will tell. One last thing. I may be summoned for questioning by the Hand or someone else in the next few days. During that time, don't panic. Keep Night's Watch Industries running as usual and wait for my return."
(To be continued.)
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