Chapter 173: Dividing Eggs into Different Baskets
Getting out of the city was easy, but getting back in proved difficult. After tipping off Tyrion and deceiving the small squad of Gold Cloaks sent to arrest him, Egger returned to King's Landing only to find the gates barred. With no other choice, he turned back to the Night's Watch industrial park. There, he maintained an approachable image by sharing lunch with the grassroots managers in the staff canteen and spent the afternoon waiting. It wasn't until just before sunset that the King's Gate opened halfway—allowing entry, but strictly forbidding exit.
By the time he returned to the Night's Watch office, it was nearly dark. The events of this single day and night had been more exhausting than the past few months combined. Egger, who had barely closed his eyes, felt mentally and physically spent, yet a mountain of tasks still awaited him.
The office was swarming with people. Stepping inside, he saw a crowd of outsiders mixed in with the Watchmen. Dywen was perched in the receptionist's seat in the lobby, animatedly recounting tales of his ventures beyond the Wall with the Eastwatch rangers and their battles against the White Walkers. Inside and out, the building was packed with people listening intently; even the office staff, who should have been working, were listening with rapt fascination.
The Night's Watch had been looked down upon for far too long. Now that they finally had a chance to stand tall, the men couldn't resist showing off. Egger understood the sentiment, but turning the office into a rowdy storytelling hall was crossing a line. Unfortunately, these were his sworn brothers, and he couldn't very well undermine them in front of outsiders.
Egger squeezed through the crowd, casting a disapproving glance at Dywen, and pushed through the door into the inner office under the gaze of the onlookers.
Nina was sitting behind the desk, speaking with Ser Alliser Thorne, who was leaning back in a guest chair. She stood up as he entered. "My Lord."
Standing at the door, Egger locked eyes with Ser Alliser and suddenly realized—this man in black was the only true Night's Watchman besides himself to ever set foot in the inner office. "Right. Are the summer clothes ready? Distribute them to the brothers. Have Kon take them to find an inn to settle in. Then close up and go get some rest."
Find an inn? The large residence the office owned in King's Landing was more than enough to house the wight escort team. Nina blinked, seemingly sensing something. She didn't voice her confusion but stood up to carry out Egger's orders. "Ser Alliser, please follow me. Kon will help you find lodgings."
Alliser gave Egger a thoughtful look, rose, and followed Nina and Jaqen (Kon) out of the office.
After dispersing the King's Landing residents who had come for the stories, distributing the summer tunics to the escort team, and having Jaqen lead them away, Nina returned to the inner room.
Egger sank into his boss chair, leaning back into the soft cushions. "What did Ser Alliser talk to you about?"
"He asked about the operational status of the Night's Watch industries, the income... and he asked for details about our conflict with Slynt."
"Nina, I won't explain the specific reasons, but remember this: the 'Night's Watch Industries' belongs to the Logistics Department of the Night's Watch. And I, the Chief Logistics Officer, am a commander without an army—aside from me, the Logistics Department has no other members. I require you to report only to me, accept orders only from me, and be responsible only to me. Any other Watchmen from the Wall are merely guests of the industry. Treat them well, feed them, but do not let them interfere with the business—not even in the slightest. Understand?"
...
Nina had already suspected as much when Egger told Jaqen to take the men to an inn. His words now confirmed it. She nodded. "Understood. If Ser Alliser asks again, I'll say I'm not sure and refer everything to you."
"Good. That's for the best."
Egger didn't know, nor did he want to know, what instructions Mormont had given Alliser before sending him to King's Landing. He only knew one thing: harm no one, but trust no one. As a man standing alone, the Night's Watch industries were his only source of authority and influence. He had no intention of letting others reap the rewards of his hard work. To prevent being cast aside once the goal is reached, he would never allow any other Watchman to gain a foothold, even if Mormont himself came.
He stared at Nina for a moment to ensure she understood the subtext. Satisfied, he nodded. Nina's intelligence was as understated as her beauty; it revealed itself more the longer they worked together. Tyrion truly had a keen eye for talent.
"Anything else happen at the office today?"
"Well... the four security members who stayed behind in Flea Bottom last night didn't engage the enemy. They spent the night blocking the street until they were taken away by the City Watch near dawn. However, this morning, two officers from the East Barracks personally brought them back. They seemed to want to speak with you, but you and Ser Alliser were in the Red Keep."
So much had happened that Egger had almost forgotten those four. He felt a sudden pang of guilt. "Were the four brothers injured or mistreated?"
"They were smart. Once they saw it was the City Watch, they didn't resist. Aside from a few punches during the arrest, they're fine. I gave them leave to go home and rest."
"Very well." The officers who brought them back were undoubtedly Slynt's subordinates. Slynt, a man with no noble birth and no backing other than Robert, shared many similarities with Egger. The biggest one was this: as the head of a faction, if the leader falls, the entire organization collapses instantly. Slynt's men were likely terrified, looking for a way out. "If they come back, tell them that 'cooperating' with the Hand's investigation into Slynt is their only way out. The Night's Watch industries have no desire—and no ability—to do anything to them."
"Understood," Nina nodded. "Also, before Ser Alliser brought the wight into the city this morning, he showed the thing to many people at the River Gate... Now the whole city is talking. Many people have come to the office asking to see it with their own eyes. Some, after talking to the Watchmen, donated on the spot. Today the office received a total of one gold dragon, forty-six silver stags, and one hundred eighty-five copper groats. How should we handle this?"
Donations? That was good news. From day one, the office had posted notices calling for support for the Wall, but feeding an army on spontaneous local donations was impossible. Egger had never counted on it; in fact, the office hadn't received a single copper until now.
"Get a box. If people want to donate, let them, but don't force it." The Night's Watch industries saw hundreds of gold dragons moving in and out daily; frankly, he didn't care much for those small amounts. But money was money. "Start a new ledger to record it daily. I'll leave that to you as well. It'll be more work, I'm afraid."
"It's no trouble... it's what I should do." Nina was perfect in every way, except she was terrible at taking compliments; she immediately turned shy.
Egger smiled and pulled out the paper Tyrion had been writing before he fled. It was a list of short-to-medium-term development suggestions for the industry. However, Egger knew most of it was now obsolete—Tyrion hadn't factored Jaime attacking Robert into his calculations.
The Night's Watch industries had no presence inside the Red Keep. Egger didn't know exactly what was happening in the residence, but he knew one thing for certain: no funeral bells had rung in King's Landing today.
Was the King safe, or was Ned suppressing the news of his death to buy time for political maneuvering?
If Robert lived, war was inevitable. If Robert was dead, Ned would surely notify Stannis to take the throne. Egger didn't have a deep understanding of the second Baratheon brother—would he launch a war against the Lannisters to avenge his brother? And then there was the third brother, Renly—if Ned didn't die, would Renly be content remaining the Lord of Storm's End?
There were too many unknowns. As a Night's Watchman, he had no right to place bets or take sides in the game of thrones. All Egger could do was take every possible precaution to ensure that no matter which way the wind blew, the losses to the Night's Watch industries were minimized.
"I have some more arrangements. I'll list them now, and you start on them tomorrow as quickly as possible," Egger said. "First, halt the project for the third paper mill. For the workers we've already trained, distribute the best of them to the Reach and Dorne to fulfill our contracts. Reassign the rest. Per our agreement, your brother is going to the Reach. Don't give Lady Tyrell any excuses to find fault with us."
"Halt it? But by our estimates, the third mill is necessary. Otherwise, paper production won't keep up with printing, let alone meet the orders."
"Trust my judgment. On the orders, drop some of the lower-profit ones!"
"As you command, My Lord... But the third factory building is already finished. Should it just sit empty?"
"What about the new projects I asked you to plan? Solid detergents and cosmetics... soap and lipstick production. Have those been mapped out?"
"The soap production is ready. But the lipstick... Blair's formula uses certain plants and insects. That requires cultivation and breeding. Large-scale production won't be able to start for at least several months."
"Then start with small-scale production. Sell them as luxury goods first. Once the products are out, send a sample to each of our investors. Once the wives and mistresses of these Great Lords start using them, it'll be the best advertisement possible." Eggs should not be placed in one basket. History was full of commercial entities that expanded rapidly on a single project but collapsed instantly when war or upheaval struck because their revenue pillar was too narrow. Egger didn't want to follow in their footsteps; he had to plan for the future of the Night's Watch industries early. "Furthermore, hire more miners for the obsidian mines on Dragonstone. Dig up more dragonglass and send some to King's Landing. We'll hire people to carve them into various ornaments and pendants. Have our people spread the word—obsidian isn't just the bane of wights and White Walkers; it also wards off evil and expels 'chill' from the human body."
"Ward off evil? Truly?" Nina blinked. "And what is 'chill'?"
"It's fake, but the Night's Watch industries needs to survive!" Egger looked at Nina with amusement; no matter how smart she was, she was still just a young girl. "If possible, I will try to get the wight back from the Hand. I'll find an opportunity to demonstrate the obsidian's effectiveness against it in public."
Truth mixed with lies, and lies mixed with truth. Like any advertisement or rumor, as long as the fact that obsidian can kill wights was true, then the claims that it could ward off evil or expel chill would naturally become true as well.
"I see. That truly is a brilliant idea, My Lord!" Nina's eyes lit up. So, this was how business could be done.
"Whether it's a brilliant idea or not, time and the market will tell. One last thing—I'll likely be called for questioning by the Hand or someone else in the next day or two. During that time, don't panic. Keep the industry operating normally and wait for my return!"
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