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Game of Thrones: Archer's Ordinary Life
Game of Thrones: Dragon Knight of Harrenhal
Game of Thrones: Archer's Ordinary Life
Game of Thrones: BLOODTHIRSTY BASTARD
Game of Thrones: House of Black Dragon
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking on the door snapped Arthur back to his own perspective.
He blinked his sore eyes, withdrawing from Keenwing's vision, just as Jerry and Fat Karen's son, Kellen, walked in one after the other.
Jerry held a notebook, and Kellen clutched a parchment scroll. Both had fresh mud stains on their boots.
Arthur had assigned the two of them to coordinate the implementation of the various plans and to report on their progress periodically.
Today was their first reporting day, and they looked a bit rushed and nervous.
Arthur gestured for them to move chairs over to his carved oak desk and sit down, telling them to relax. "First, tell me what difficulties they have reported back?"
Jerry habitually opened his notebook. "The most frequent feedback is the shortage of manpower in the Starfall domains, which is affecting the completion time of various projects."
His finger traced a line on the paper. "Another issue is the continuously rising wages for recruits and the price of construction materials. This may require a re-evaluation of the budget."
"The daily wages for craftsmen and laborers have risen by thirty percent compared to last month, and the price of construction materials has doubled..."
Arthur chuckled lightly. "Pouring a million gold dragons into construction... a short-term rise in wages and material prices is inevitable."
Market supply and demand determined prices, and he didn't intend to intervene artificially. After all, most of the stone, timber, and tools in the Starfall domains were under his control anyway.
Moreover, he didn't think the rising labor costs were entirely bad.
Manpower shortages and high wages would attract people from the surrounding areas to Starfall.
This was already evident from the crowded ships he had seen at Starfall Port—proof of Starfall's economic vitality.
Kellen chimed in at the right moment. "The good news is that many ships have arrived at Starfall Port. Most come from surrounding territories—Oldtown, Old Oak, the Arbor, and Sandstone.
"According to reports, they were all attracted by the news of the million gold dragons. Just last week, we gained over two hundred skilled craftsmen, which has alleviated some of the labor shortage."
Arthur nodded in satisfaction. He envisioned Kellen's future role as something akin to a Master of Whisperers. His father, Fat Karen, had been the steward of Starfall long before Arthur arrived and possessed numerous connections and information channels within the domain.
Plus, the boy had learned the skills of caring for ravens and handling correspondence while looking after the elderly Maester Oswell. Arthur decided to let him and Jerry train together as partners.
Then, Jerry handed Arthur a document.
"Fleet Commander Jimmy Sunderland reports that recruitment for sailors and crew has stalled over the past few days. He believes it might be due to the fleet lacking a name. He and Mallick came up with some suggestions for you to choose from."
Hearing this, Arthur slapped his forehead. He had been so buried in reviewing various proposals recently that it had consumed most of his energy.
Naming the fleet... he had actually forgotten about it.
A fleet's name was a big deal. Arthur read the document carefully. Jimmy had come up with many names, densely listed over several lines.
Some used place names, like the Starfall Fleet, Beacon Tower Fleet, or Torrentine Fleet. Others related to Arthur personally, like the Snow and Peach Fleet or the Sword of the Morning Fleet.
From this list, Arthur could tell Jimmy had tried his best, but he felt these names were all too conservative.
After thinking for a moment, Arthur said, "Let's call it the Summer Sea Fleet!"
The Summer Sea was the ocean south of Dorne, extending east to the southern coast of Essos. Slaver's Bay was a gulf within this sea.
The Summer Isles were located in the Summer Sea, south of Westeros.
Although the Summer Sea Fleet currently only had seven warships—all captured from the Arbor—that didn't stop Arthur from hyping up the name first.
"And pair it with this recruitment slogan and promotional image." Sensing the puzzled looks from Jerry and Kellen, Arthur said calmly:
"A man's ambition should flow south like the Torrentine into the Summer Sea; how can one grow old idly among fields and mountains!"
"Pair this with an image of a warrior with Dornish and Faith of the Seven characteristics, pointing out of the picture at the viewer. Yes... execute it like this."
Jerry's eyes lit up. His pen flew across the paper, quickly recording the instructions. "Yes, my Lord."
Kellen, who had experienced Arthur's tough love when Arthur posed as a blacksmith, looked at him with admiration. Lord Arthur was not only a supreme warrior but could also come up with astonishing slogans.
Next, Jerry reported some issues regarding authorization in the domain, such as profit distribution for salt pans and watermills built on vassals' lands.
Salt pans were easy to handle. None of the coastal lords in the Starfall domains produced salt on a large scale; most was crude salt made by fishermen spontaneously. There were no major conflicts of interest. As long as profit distribution was negotiated, it could proceed smoothly.
However, in the Torrentine valley, some minor vassals already owned mill industries or were millers themselves. Naturally, they would resist and be dissatisfied with watermills occupying their land and squeezing their profits.
Realizing this, Arthur understood why the watermills currently under construction along the Torrentine were all located in the Smithing District or on lands directly controlled by Starfall.
Meanwhile, work on the salt pans was proceeding extremely smoothly, spreading almost across the entire coastline.
Arthur asked, "Do you have a list of the nobles whose land is designated for the watermills?"
"Yes, my Lord." Kellen produced a prepared parchment scroll marked with the locations of all watermills and salt pans in the Starfall domains, along with the names of the relevant nobles.
"I've also compiled the list of nobles involved in land use for the salt pans."
Arthur scanned the list. "For the nobles related to the salt pans..."
"Have Tim, who is in charge of the salt pan project, tell them: profit split is seventy-thirty. If they are willing to provide manpower and workers for construction and subsequent operation, we can split it fifty-fifty."
The crude salt produced by the pans was bitter and low in price. Arthur planned to build a salt refinery at Beacon Tower. The refined salt processed there would be where the real profit lay.
Arthur felt that if these coastal nobles were willing to take over the operation of the salt pans, he would be happy to sell the pans to them entirely for a one-time construction fee.
"What about the twelve nobles for the watermills?" Arthur asked.
Kellen pointed to the Torrentine valley section on the map.
"Except for Viscount Dimitri of High Hermitage, Ser Carlo, the Acting Lord of Blackmont, and Ser Craig of Vulture's Roost, the other nine have all voiced opposition to building watermills on their lands."
"Voiced opposition?" A cold glint flashed in Arthur's eyes. "Take this scroll to Ser Lothor. Have him lead a cavalry detachment to 'invite' the nine men on this list to Starfall. I want to speak with them personally."
In truth, whether or not watermills were built on the lands of these nine men wasn't critical. Unlike salt production, he didn't plan to make money from the watermills; he just wanted to use them to free up labor in the Starfall domains.
But now that his orders were being publicly opposed, he had to respond to maintain his rule over Starfall.