Chapter 143: A Race Against Time
When Commander Mormont originally decided to treat Egger's hired help separately from proper Night's Watchmen, Egger had felt a flicker of frustration, sensing his infiltration plan had been seen through. However, as time passed and the Night's Watch industries experienced explosive growth, his perspective began to shift.
The several hundred non-producing professional soldiers of the Night's Watch were certainly a force to be reckoned with, but the poor quality of their recruits meant that only the rangers truly possessed the combat effectiveness of a professional army. Rather than struggling to gain influence over such a motley crew of complicated origins, wouldn't it be far superior to possess a clean, entirely independent force with a better foundation?
Egger had long ago settled on a plan to establish his first base within the Gift, but it was only with the actual arrival of those four thousand Gold Dragons a few days ago that he gained the financial confidence to jump-start the construction. And the reason wasn't what he'd told the two Pyromancers—that it was solely for their wildfire production. On the contrary, providing a site for the Alchemists to produce wildfire was merely one of many covers for Egger to acquire Queenscrown.
Since Mormont intended to partition the Logistics Department from the orthodox Night's Watch, fine. Egger would play along and establish a power that appeared to be part of the Watch at first glance, but in reality, shared no direct subordinate relationship—a faction that was allied in name only, and could eventually stand on equal footing or even in opposition!
While he harbored these thoughts, such treasonous words could never be spoken aloud. Carving out a piece of the Gift for the exclusive use of a Logistics Department that didn't actually follow orders was, if scrutinized, equivalent to a simplified version of partitioning land and declaring a lordship outside the noble games of Westeros. It was a massive leap that required extreme caution and a mountain of legitimate excuses for cover.
Egger had prepared three primary justifications:
Since the Lord Commander decreed that the Logistics Department's mercenaries must be trained outside of Castle Black, they needed a base of operations.As he had told the Pyromancers, it was nearly impossible to transport wildfire thousands of miles from King's Landing to the Wall. Was there a better place to concoct, store, and transport wildfire than a stable, low-temperature environment like the Gift?The demand for supplies was massive—especially grain and meat to improve the diet—items that were high-volume but had expiration dates. According to Nina's calculations, purchasing directly in the North with cash and then sending it to the Wall would not only save time but significantly reduce costs.
All three reasons pointed to one conclusion: the Night's Watch Logistics Department needed a stronghold that was within the Watch's jurisdiction but close to the rest of the North.
Queenscrown—located directly south of Castle Black, near the Kingsroad, and situated almost at the geometric center of the Gift—was the location Egger ultimately chose. Because it was roughly equidistant from the eastern and western ends of the Wall, it was incredibly convenient for sending reinforcements anywhere along the line, delivering wildfire and provisions to any stronghold, or traveling to any lordship in the North.
The place had been abandoned, but Egger had taken a casual look at it while traveling south with Tyrion. The infrastructure, such as buildings and roads, was mostly intact, which would save a fortune in materials and labor. Most importantly, the fact that it was abandoned left Mormont with almost no reason to reject Egger's application. If a Logistics Department that constantly funneled supplies to the Wall wanted an empty village to settle in, could he really say no, even if he sensed something was afoot?
As Tyrion once said, this was an open maneuver. Unless Mormont suddenly lost his mind and chose to ruin the big picture just to spite him, he could only watch as Egger West moved forward plan by plan, eventually climbing to a height where he could sit as an equal and control his own destiny.
"That sounds lovely," Wisdom Garigus said. Having witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, he was a battle-hardened veteran who wouldn't be swayed by Egger's visions of the future. "We'll see what it's actually like when we get there. Even if I trust the Chief Logistics Officer's character, you must first settle us old men of the Alchemists' Guild and our apprentices before we follow your lead!"
"Very well. Whatever the Alchemists' Guild needs, please speak freely. If I can help, I will solve it!"
Flush with cash, Egger was brimming with confidence. But after listening to old Garigus's account, he realized things were more complicated than expected. What he thought was a bargain might look like a burden to others.
The current state of the Alchemists' Guild was even grimmer than the Night's Watch had imagined. During the chaos when the Lannister army sacked King's Landing and ended the Targaryen dynasty, many Pyromancers were murdered or went missing, leaving the group devastated. After the war, Robert Baratheon ordered them to manage the vast quantities of wildfire hidden underground. This order was mandatory, meaning that those identified as Pyromancers or apprentices at the end of the war could never escape the mess; they were bound to guard those dangerous, flammable liquids until death.
There was no reward for doing it well, but they would lose their heads if they failed.
The arrangement itself wasn't the problem; the absurdity lay in the fact that, as a punishment, Robert provided no funding for the task—the work was unpaid!
Alchemists weren't immortal beings who could live on air; they needed to eat. After the Lannister sack, the Guild's remaining assets were negligible. The Pyromancers and their associates, once glorious under the Targaryens, had fallen to a state where they worried daily about their next meal.
The clever and well-connected had long since vanished without a trace. Those left were King's Landing locals or old men with no other skills who couldn't run; they simply ate whatever they could find. Younger apprentices might find part-time work in the city for a few coppers, while the Pyromancers survived by occasionally selling small amounts of wildfire under the table.
Egger had even participated in one such illegal transaction. For that matter, if even Tyrion knew the way through rumors, Robert—who had Varys as Master of Whispers—couldn't have been ignorant of it. The King simply had no money himself and, out of a sense of guilt, chose not to look too closely.
...
The so-called settlement naturally included both those staying in King's Landing and those heading to the Gift. After a good deal of negotiation, Egger finally hammered out a deal with the two old foxes.
The Alchemists' Guild would flood and wall off all the wildfire vaults in King's Landing for permanent storage. The families of the members would be integrated as much as possible into the soon-to-be-opened daily goods and cosmetics workshops run by the Night's Watch industries. All facilities and equipment in the Guildhall would be cleared out at Egger's expense and properly shipped to the North.
Furthermore, new, reliable wildfire workshops had to be built in Queenscrown—stone rooms modeled after the Guildhall in King's Landing that would automatically collapse to extinguish a fire. The Pyromancers would only work under conditions of absolute safety.
Then, there was the matter of compensation... Robert had ordered them to work for the Watch, but the Alchemists' Guild wasn't a government agency; even if they obeyed, they needed something to look forward to. This was easy; Egger simply copied the salary and bonus structure of the lower-level management in the Night's Watch industries. With a slight increase, the two old men, who hadn't seen a good day in over a decade, did a complete U-turn in attitude.
To demonstrate his sincerity and strength, Egger inquired about the Pyromancers' residences and promised to send the first installment of settlement funds immediately.
Once everything was settled and the two Pyromancers—who had arrived aggressive and left joyful—were sent on their way, Egger did a rough calculation. To clean up the Alchemists' Guild mess and move it to the Gift, he would have to sink at least a hundred Gold Dragons in, not counting future wages. His rise to power had only just begun, and Egger was already learning the meaning of spending money like water.
A short while later, the King's herald finally arrived at the door of the Night's Watch office.
...
"Egger West, by order of King Robert, I have already notified the Alchemists' Guild. I expect they will report to you shortly," the young Red Keep squire announced with a hint of arrogance, entirely unaware that the Pyromancers had beaten him there. "Additionally, I have brought you proof, signed and sealed by both the Hand and the Master of Coin—you and the activities you personally manage will henceforth be permanently tax-exempt within Westeros. Furthermore, the Master of Coin asked me to pass on a friendly reminder: this order only exempts you from taxes owed to the Iron Throne. Outside the Crownlands, you may still be required to pay certain taxes levied by the various Lords Paramount."
"Understood, understood. Many thanks for your hard work. Take this bit of coin to buy your horse something nice; it must be exhausted from delivering orders all day." Egger took the royal decree and tax exemption with a beaming smile, slipping several silver coins to the young squire. "This came at the perfect time. However, now that His Majesty's orders have returned... I wonder, when will our King return to King's Landing himself?"
The herald coughed and tucked the coins away. "I cannot say for certain, but matters in the Vale have been concluded. It should be within the next two or three days."
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!