Chapter 37: Full-Time Night's Watchman
Egger raised an eyebrow. "Not be so happy? I truly can't imagine what kind of bad news I could hear right now."
"It's not exactly bad news," the dwarf said with a grin. "I did convince the Watch leadership to send you back to King's Landing as a 'Provisions Officer,' but in the process—I may have bragged a little bit on your behalf. Maester Aemon decided to give you an opportunity to showcase your capabilities... So, in addition to what I just mentioned, you have a few other tasks."
Any number of tasks was better than ranging beyond the Wall—especially specifically hunting for Others. Egger felt no internal turmoil, only a growing curiosity. "Such as?"
"Yoren will also be heading south in a few days to recruit more men for the Wall. I've decided to travel with him." Tyrion quickened his pace; the weather was so cold that stopping for even a moment felt like freezing to death. "Commander Mormont's idea is that Yoren will bring the first batch of recruits back to the Wall, then immediately turn around to find you and bring back another batch... and so on. This means that in the intervals between his trips, you'll also be responsible for recruiting for the Night's Watch."
...
The Wandering Crows were recruitment officers in name, but men as coarse as Yoren... what talent did they have for gathering volunteers? Their work essentially consisted of traveling to various lands, finding lords, and getting permission to pick men from their dungeons. The more diligent ones might do a lap through the slums to see if any starving souls were willing to trade their lives for a meal at the Wall.
Before transmigrating, Egger was just an engineer. He lived by his skills and credentials, never taking bribes and rarely needing to flatter others. He seldom organized events or handled social drinking with clients. How could he possibly be good at recruiting? Thinking back, it was likely his performance during his self-defense in the deserter incident. His competence had left such a deep impression on the leaders—who were used to dealing with peasants and dregs—that they unconsciously assumed he could do anything.
Recruiting is fine, then. Even if he did a poor job, could he really be worse than Yoren? Egger sighed. "Anything else?"
"Yes. Dragonstone has replied, agreeing to let the Night's Watch mine obsidian on the island. However, they can only provide the convenience; the manpower, facilities, and specific logistics must be handled by the Watch itself." The dwarf continued, "Now, Mormont's intent is to put you in charge."
"King's Landing and Dragonstone are only separated by Blackwater Bay." Egger took a breath; no wonder. "So, I'm also responsible for mining obsidian? While I'm in King's Landing raising supplies and men for the Night's Watch, I also have to run a mining operation? Do I have six arms? How much manpower and funding is he giving me?"
"Sorry, the Night's Watch is in dire straits right now, so funding is non-existent. As for manpower..." The dwarf wore a look of schadenfreude. "Commander Mormont said he will petition the Northern houses for laborers, but you are to arrange the start of the mining work. You'll have to find a way to advance the costs for tools and supplies yourself; the Night's Watch will try its best to reimburse you later. Oh—and the Night's Watch fleet is at your disposal."
The Night's Watch fleet? Egger didn't know what expression to make. Eastwatch did have a fleet, but its scale was only slightly larger than the legendary Mongolian Navy: two longships—the Raven and the Talon—responsible for clearing smugglers selling weapons to wildlings in the Bay of Seals; and one slightly larger transport ship capable of crossing the Narrow Sea, the Blackbird, for trade with the South or the Free Cities. The crew and harbor guards totaled fewer than two hundred... Being at his disposal effectively just meant he could use them to ship the mined obsidian back to the Wall.
Arranging the mining was manageable; he could just consult a coal or gold mine owner. But advancing the initial funds? As a truly propertiless man, where was he supposed to get the money? If he had to wait for the North to scrape together laborers, he might as well go down into the mines himself. If he didn't want to dig coal personally, he'd have to hire people... In short, this was clearly a move to make Tyrion bleed a little more.
...
A moment ago, Egger had been slightly moved by the leadership's willingness to let him go. Now, he was left feeling battered by this massive pile of responsibilities... The price of freedom was indeed not low.
"Seeing as I bear some responsibility for this, I'll help you find a way."
"Tyrion..." Egger spoke with some hesitation. "I'm truly sorry for making you spend more."
"What 'spend more'? You think I'm going to advance that money for you? Given your superior's shameless temperament, if I dared to advance it, they would certainly dare to delay repayment indefinitely. As a Lannister, could I really chase them down for such 'small change'?" Tyrion raised an eyebrow. "I'll put you in touch with a few blacksmith shops and wealthy families who made their fortune in mining. You'll provide the tools and guidance for your 'coal digging' project through credit. When the time comes, let them go to Mormont for the debt; we'll see if your Commander dares to ruin the reputation of the Night's Watch over a bit of coin."
"True enough." Egger had a sudden realization; this was a classic risk-transfer move. In terms of money, Tyrion certainly had a head on his shoulders. "Then I'll leave it in your capable hands."
"Don't be too quick to celebrate. There is one last task—improving the image of the Night's Watch in the eyes of the Westerosi nobility and commoners south of the Neck." As Egger's eyes gradually widened, Tyrion said with a cruel expression: "Right now, you are a very busy man, serving as Provisions Officer, recruiter for King's Landing and the Crownlands, obsidian mining director, and Ambassador of the Night's Watch. Instead of saying thank you to me, you'd better get back and think about how to handle this heap of assignments."
Under Tyrion's curious gaze, Egger raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose to prevent himself from fainting from the shock. He took several deep breaths of the icy air before suppressing the urge to stay at Castle Black and remain a ranger.
It was obvious now: the leadership of the Night's Watch had no intention of letting him leave comfortably. He had made it sound too simple. If anyone with a wealthy friend could pay a ransom to leave the Wall and live a normal life with just a Night's Watch label, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.
These tasks—this blatant, unmasked obstruction—were the final move of the Watch leadership. If even one task was performed poorly, it would provide the officers at the Wall with leverage. At that point, whether to recall him or give him a pass for Tyrion's sake would be a matter of a single sentence.
A year ago, he had tried everything and failed to catch the attention of the high-ups. Now that he finally had their attention and a chance to leave, his rising market value had brought a different kind of trouble... Talk about irony.
Was it possible for him to complete this mountain of tasks?
Impossible. This far exceeded the capabilities of one person. Knowing the plot and the characters' personalities was a massive advantage, but it wasn't a superpower. Without external help, he wouldn't get anywhere... And currently, the only external help he could leverage was Tyrion. Only a character with such a distinct personality would allow him to get close with a few small tricks. But for a dwarf this kind and warm-hearted—could he really have the heart to keep making him bleed just to maintain his own so-called freedom?
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