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Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 15 chapters ahead
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—
Storm Kingdom
Weeping Town
10 BAC
"Princess, I can not begin to tell you how sorry I am for my brother's negligence. I assure you, he will carry out his duties properly from now on." Lord Tommen was on his knees, pushing his brother's head down in an attempt to portray their apologies.
"I hope so, Lord Tommen, because neither I nor my father will be pleased knowing another kingdom managed to build their own means of producing iron and steel like Weeping Town does, just because your brother couldn't be bothered to do his task." Ei said dryly, unimpressed with the knight.
"Yes, Princess, he understands." Tommen let Caelan raise his head to give him a pointed look, and the man bowed his head down again in shame at having been scolded so publicly.
"Was there anything else?" She asked, wanting the man out of her sight. Had someone like Kujou Sara or Sasayuri been with her, they would ensure slackers like him did not get the chance to hold a sword, let alone be a knight.
"We have started keeping an eye on all the suspicious individuals reported and increased the number of men guarding the Iron Works," Lord Tommen reported, giving the good news to ease the princess's irritation.
"Good, now you may see to your duties, as I will to mine." Ei dismissed them promptly.
Lord Tommen left, dragging his brother by the arm, furiously whispering to Caelan about not failing again.
Ei shook her head and turned to the papers, pleased at the numbers. The amount of coin flowing in due to the Iron Works was impressive. It wasn't just it, as the economic growth it pushed meant that the town saw an increased number of visitors and trade.
Maester Conley of the Weeping Tower approached, bowing his head in greeting, a smile on his old and wrinkly face.
She actually considered having the man retire so he could rest due to just how old he was, but he shook his head, saying he hated being idle.
"Princess, there is a letter from the Parchments; they have discovered a sizable source of coal twenty miles away from the keep." The old maester smiled warmly. He had seen the Iron Works and was content to help the marvel of engineering and the intelligence behind it in any way he could.
"My grandfather must have been overcome with joy at hearing this." Ei replied, amused at the news.
"He indeed looked joyful at hearing it, and he has already started writing letters to start a mining town there." Maester Conley remembered the old lord's eyes lighting up like a bonfire, and he knew in his creaking bones the only reason Lucan Penrose did not jump for joy was because he was in public.
"Thank you for your hard work, Maester Conley."
"My pleasure, Princess." Maester Conley turned back, leaving with the slowness his age had brought.
First the crushing victory they had over the Reach, then just how profitable the Iron Works was, and now the discovery of a coal mine. Good news was piling up, but Ei knew
Something was bound to go wrong eventually.
She would be ready, of course.
Turning back to the papers once more, Ei considered possible ways of boosting production but was interrupted once more.
"Princess, there is an envoy from the Kingdom of the Rock, King Loren's good brother, Edwar Marbrand." A guardsman came, getting on one knee before reporting.
Ei raised an eyebrow at the unexpected news. The Kingdom of the Rock and the Storm Kingdom did not have any altercations since they shared no borders, and a modest amount of trade passed between them, so they should have had no reasons to send an envoy in person.
Though she had an idea as to why they had.
"Let him in," she ordered, seeing no reason to deny the lord, even if he came unannounced.
A six-foot, burly man, dressed in gold and black, with sand-brown hair and a beard, entered the room, bowing shallowly in greeting to foreign royalty.
"Welcome to the Weeping Town, Lord Edward." Ei greeted the dignitary.
"Thank you, Princess. I bring you greetings and a letter from my king, Loren Lannister, first of his name and the King of the Rock, to see if an alliance could be made between our kingdoms." Edward held out the letter, and the guard took it to pass it to Princess Argella.
He took care not to show it, but he was surprised to find King Argilac had left his daughter in charge instead of his good-father.
Quickly reading through the letter, she wasn't surprised to find it was an offer of alliance centered around the Iron Works, with the King of the Rock requesting assistance in the construction of several of them in his territory in return for lower tariffs, gold, and men against Harren the Black.
It was a good offer for the short term but ultimately not that enticing in the long term, not when Ei could annihilate any invading force with a single swing of her naginata.
"An alliance offer? I distinctly remember King Loren refusing King Argilac's offer years ago." Her grandfather entered with a rush in his steps, standing next to Lord Marbrand, observing the man who gave an empty smile.
"Times change, Lord Lucan, and now King Loren believes an alliance would be beneficial for both kingdoms." Edwar Marbrand said, but he was aware that the old lord did not buy it.
"Beneficial because the Iron Works threaten Lannisport's income from iron and steel." Lucan sneered; he never liked the Westerlands and how they flaunted the wealth their gold mines had brought.
"No such thing, my lord; Lannisport is and always will be the wealthiest port in all of the Seven Kingdoms," Edwar said with pride and certainty, unaware there was a three-thousand-year-old god in the room who knew how quickly those titles could change hands.
"Not when we—" Her grandfather started, intending to boast about the future Iron Works that would be built in his territory.
"Grandfather, enough. He is an envoy, and it is unsightly for you to argue with him." Ei warned, not in the mood for their childishness. Edward genuinely smiled at the cutting remark before the princess turned to him.
"As for King Loren's offer, the Iron Works is too valuable to even consider giving its plans to another kingdom, much less build one." Ei declined the offer, wiping the smirk from the lord's face.
"That is unfortunate." he replied, having already expected it.
"However, if King Loren is interested in trade deals, I am sure we can come to an agreement." Ei extended an olive branch, as more trade would be welcome and Lannisters could offer that.
"Such as?" Edwar asked. He thought it was a good sign that the princess was willing to negotiate rather than outright reject the offer.
"We need iron ore and coal; in return, tariffs and fees could be removed, and we can give the Kingdom of the Rock priority in buying iron and steel from the Iron Works." Ei offered. It had more to do with their need for coal and iron ore. They might have found a coal mine, but it would take time to develop before regular shipments could be made, and the Westerlands were known for their mines.
"I shall relay your offer to King Loren." The Lord of Ashemark looked pleased at the offer.
Cheap but good-quality iron and steel were good for coffers.
"Then enjoy the hospitality of the Weeping Town, Lord Edwar." Ei would keep an eye on the noble just in case.
"Many thanks, Princess," Edward said, bowing and leaving the room.
"Can't believe Loren had the guts to propose this," Lucan muttered after the other lord left. He knew Argella wouldn't give something like that away; she was just too damn smart for it, but even the mention of it boiled his blood.
"Loren knew that we would never part with the secrets of the Iron Works; he simply wanted to try his luck and see how we would respond, nothing more." Ei said. Just as the nobles of the Kingdom of the Rock were possessive of their mines due to how valuable they were, they also knew Storm Kingdom would be the same towards a source of valuable income.
"Hmph. Lannisters aside, you already heard the good news." Lucan smiled now. The source of coal on his lands was unexpected but welcome, and he had taken great care to ascertain the size of it.
"A coal mine near your castle—how fortunate. You can start paving roads for ease of transportation and build a mining town. The crown will waive your taxes for the next year to ensure work proceeds quickly. In the meantime, I will instruct the blacksmiths to produce the necessary parts." Ei said, giving the old man what he had been craving for months.
"As you wish, granddaughter."
—
A couple of hours later, Ei had finished reviewing the reports. She didn't need that long but had nothing to do for the rest of the day, so she took her sweet time.
Increasing production, other than a night shift, which would disturb the residents of the town, wasn't really possible, which meant Ei had to focus on building the second one as soon as possible.
The Bronzegate, where the majority of the iron came from, and the Parchments, her grandfather's lands, where the newly discovered source of coal was, were close to each other, only having lands of House Errol of Haystack Hall between them.
House Penrose also had a shore, so a port, even a small one, would mean they could transport the iron on land from Bronzegate to there and ship it to the Weeping Town, cutting down on time and costs.
Her grandfather would be building the coal mine and a small town around it, while roads were paved from Bronzegate to Parchments, passing through the Haystack Hall. The three houses would receive tax breaks for a year and financial support depending on the state of their coffers.
For now, she would order the Iron Works of the Weeping Town to start on the necessary steel parts. Time tables would have to be adjusted, but Ei was only going to direct a small part of their efforts to produce the parts, avoiding any critical delay on the current orders.
Moving out of the inn and avoiding the guards assigned to her for the thousandth time, the Electro Archon took a leisurely stroll through the growing town.
There was a stark difference between the first time she had visited the growing town and now. More workers meant more people, more houses, more shops, traders, and stalls.
It was livelier.
She found Master Aren directing carts full of ore towards blast furnaces and waited for the man to finish before approaching.
"Master Aren." Ei called out, walking towards the blacksmith.
"Princess Argella, welcome once more. How may I be of service?" The muscly man bowed, putting down his tools on a bench.
"I want you to start producing these parts for a second Iron Works that will be built. They are not urgent, so take your time and ensure the orders are not delayed." Ei explained her reason for arriving today, handing over the drawings.
"How long do we have?" Aren examined the papers. They were the same parts as the ones they were using now, and since they were familiar with them, it would be simple but time-consuming to forge them.
"Six months at the least." The construction of the building they were standing in took so long because of the lack of parts, but now they had the means and the experience. Ei knew the construction would be swifter.
"That is more than enough." Aren nodded, shoving the drawings into his apron.
"One last thing, keep them secure and don't hand them over to anyone but me. I don't want any leaks." Ei warned. One careless step, and they would lose a clear advantage.
"Ah, I understand." Arren knew she was cautious because of the recent increase in the number of guards around the Iron Works, which most likely happened due to those overly curious merchants.
"Good, continue the good work, Master Aren." Ei turned back, leaving the blacksmith to go back to work.