Although Aegor suggested that she take a day or two off, Nina insisted on going to the office with him. Her first experience with sex left her a bit awkward in her movements, but she could not hide the radiant glow of satisfaction and happiness from being cared for and cherished by her lover. For a long time, she would sit there, smiling inexplicably, and the employees in the office, unaware of the truth, thought she had gone mad from some kind of stimulation.
Fortunately, she did not neglect sharing Aegor's burdens. After being completely honest with each other and establishing their relationship, Nina seemed to shake off the negative effect of "being suppressed by Aegor's intelligence," and her efficiency actually improved significantly.
…
Without Arya as his source of firsthand information, Aegor could only gather news about the current situation through rumors and the women working with the Night's Watch. The only significant news he could hear for the moment was that "the Westerners are sending troops to attack the Riverlands." If the news was true, Tywin must have decided to confront Robert.
The situation was changing rapidly. Though once again it was the Iron Throne leading the six kingdoms against one, this war was completely different from the rebellion in the Vale. The Vale was of average strength, and the League of the Righteous was composed of only a few noble houses, while the Westerlands were powerful, and House Lannister stood alone at the top. Without the natural barrier of the Mountains of the Moon, this was destined to be a bloody war.
The rumors had developed to a point where the situation was entirely beyond the reach of the chief logistics officer of the Night's Watch. If his previous reckless interference in the royal scandal spread by Littlefinger could only have brought him trouble, then in this carnival of all Westeros besieging the Westerlands, a little Aegor Wester could not even make the slightest ripple.
He had learned his lesson and would not repeat the mistake of almost capsizing in the gutter. Aegor firmly decided not to get involved in the war and to focus only on taking care of his own affairs. If the Westerlands were defeated, at worst, he would personally go there and try to persuade Tyrion to take the black to save his life.
The Night's Watch business also had plenty of issues to handle. The first thing affected was the bonds: as war loomed, a new round of redemptions began. Fortunately, with the reputation built during the previous conflict and the cash injection from the earlier sale of patents, Aegor easily withstood this round of pressure, though his capital chain was significantly reduced. To his surprise, however, the loss of cash flow was soon partially compensated from a completely unexpected source—the "Night Watch Donation Box," which he had regarded as a mere formality. Lately, it was filled daily, with donations reaching dozens of gold dragons each day.
At first, Aegor thought this was because the people of King's Landing had higher social responsibility and wealth than expected, but when Nina looked into it, she reported an absurd result: less than ten percent of the donations came from ordinary citizens. The rest came from the garrison soldiers.
…
To be more precise, it was from the half of the garrison soldiers who were "recruited locally by the king and had no backing or support."
…
"The soldiers who donated can be divided into two groups. One group is those who were exploited by Slynt. After that man fell and lost his head, their pay was no longer docked, and their income nearly doubled. They were very grateful to you, sir, and donated willingly—often giving ten days or half a month's wages at a time. Some even asked the staff in charge of the donation box to convey their gratitude and respect to you." Nina gazed at Aegor with her big, bright eyes, as if she were using them to express her admiration for these gold cloaks. Having finally broken through the barrier between them, she no longer avoided the man's gaze. "The other group is from the East Camp, originally under Slynt's command. With their former boss overthrown, everyone, especially the officers, has been panicking, afraid they'll be purged next. You told me to pass along the message that 'cooperating with the Hand of the King's investigation into Slynt is their only way out,' and they clung to that like a lifeline."
"And then, by coincidence, on the day you were released and attended the trial, an amnesty order was issued. No matter what the truth was, they believed it was you who had spared them." She paused, seeming to find the situation amusing. "The Hand arrested you and then released you... In the eyes of some, that looked like a cover-up. The more they tried to explain it, the worse it sounded, which only confirmed their belief that the Hand of the King was your backer. This money they're giving isn't so much a donation as it is protection money or tribute—they want to recognize you as their new boss so they can feel at ease."
"Appoint me as their new boss? Haha, they really thought of that," Aegor chuckled. Slynt's execution had not been overturned, and Eddard had never sent anyone to discuss his appeal. Thinking about it now, the Hand was likely too busy to care about Slynt's life or death. Since the amnesty was issued, it must be genuine.
But the garrison officers did not know Lord Stark as well as Aegor did, and they had been living in fear—unsure whether the amnesty was real or merely a delaying tactic. When the guilty are afraid, their imagination can run wild far beyond what the innocent can comprehend. "What do you suggest?" Aegor asked.
"I think you should find a time to meet with them. Half-threaten, half-coax them, and bring them over to your side. The Night's Watch business in the city will only grow. It would be much easier if the garrison cooperated with us."
…
Nina's suggestion opened Aegor's eyes, and he lit up at the idea.
In this backward era, cities had few administrative departments. Take King's Landing, for example—the garrison was not only the city's defense force but also its police. When the streets were disorderly, they acted as city guards. When fires broke out, they hauled buckets as the fire brigade. Even tax collectors often brought along a few gold cloaks as bodyguards. Now, the half of the gold cloaks controlled by the king's lords were bound to be allies of the industry. But if Aegor could also influence, or even control, the other half, it would be as if a modern businessman had sway over many local government agencies. The convenience this would bring was unimaginable.
Not to mention, Allar Deem, once Slynt's right-hand man, had stepped forward in court to testify against his former boss. According to investigation, he had ties to the underworld. At least half of the criminals in King's Landing took orders from him. What they could or couldn't do depended on his say. The nobles of this world were often so high above that they ignored the existence of the lower classes, but Aegor, coming from the modern world, understood the importance of controlling public opinion and having some subordinates who could handle "dirty work." The Night's Watch business had already established ties with many royal families. If he could also win over Allar Deem, some of the garrison, and the underworld, wouldn't it be like giving wings to a tiger? He would truly be "eating both black and white," becoming the godfather of King's Landing.
---
Rumors about Aegor, the chief logistics officer of the Night's Watch, had already polarized his reputation. In the eyes of ordinary folk, he was an adventurer from beyond the Sunset Sea, a senior officer of the Night's Watch, a slayer of White Walkers, a warrior who despised evil and dared to confront the notorious former commander of the garrison upon arriving in King's Landing. Among the employees and soldiers of the Night's Watch business, he was seen as an omnipotent, all-seeing, approachable leader. But for those with some knowledge of the inner workings and the commercial and political reach of the Night's Watch, he was regarded as a rare business genius, a martial arts master, a God of Wealth, and a powerful emerging boss with strong methods, a solid background, fiercely protective of his own, and vengeful.
Either mythologized or demonized, the stories grew more exaggerated with each telling. Aegor had become the most influential non-noble figure in the Seven Kingdoms. No wonder the gold cloaks from the East Camp, left without support, were so eager to run to him.
Faced with this willing surrender, Aegor hesitated. He knew his own strengths and weaknesses. He was far from being as powerful as others imagined. In fact, the fight against Slynt had been his first real taste of such a power struggle. He had only won by relying on his "steadiness" and the help of capable allies. But then he thought, who is born knowing everything? Many legendary groups and powerful figures existed in this world—the Iron Bank, the Faceless Men, Tywin Lannister. How many of them could truly match their own legends?
Perhaps none of them. It was all about the victor writing the story.
Power lies in the heart. If you believe in it, it exists. If you doubt it, it crumbles. Proper use of bluffing could not only boost his own morale but also scare enemies and win over the fence-sitters. As long as he played his cards right and kept improving behind the mask, what was wrong with wearing one more persona? If he could fool Robert, Eddard, and Renly, why couldn't he handle Alar Dim?
If you don't know how to be the boss, learn it. Only by pushing yourself will you know how far you can go.
Once he thought it through, Aegor made his decision quickly. Slynt had left behind a great "legacy." If he missed this opportunity, it might never come again. Tyrion's departure had created a huge management vacuum. Nina could cover part of it, but the rest… if the well-equipped boss himself didn't step up, could he really expect another Tyrion to appear out of nowhere?
---
"Our daily necessities and dragonglass will be on the market soon," Aegor said, having made up his mind. "Arrange a meeting between Allar Deem and me today or tomorrow. Whether we can win him over or not, we can't afford to make him an enemy. Making money is what matters, not fighting others all day. Also, sort out the list Tyrion left behind. I will personally visit our investors and supporters one by one over the next few days."
As the head of the Night's Watch business, if you don't even know how many resources you have at your disposal, how can you talk about anything else?
Things went much more smoothly than expected. Nina had only just sent someone to inform Deem that Aegor wanted to meet him. The original plan was simply to arrange a meal and get to know each other. Who would have thought that Allar Deem would immediately drop his work without a word and run straight across the street into the office. Aegor had been thinking about how to intimidate him, but to his surprise, this man greeted him respectfully from the start, always addressing him as "sir" and behaving with utter deference. He came in like a mouse before a cat, like a younger brother paying homage to his elder brother, skipping the whole process of being convinced and going straight to asking, "What do you want me to do?"
Aegor was genuinely stunned for a few seconds and had to work hard to suppress his expression. Deterrence truly is the most powerful weapon. Who knew what kind of terrifying image he held in these people's minds?
After "instructing" Allar Deem not to have his men recklessly stuffing money into the donation box and to provide support for the new stores the Night's Watch business was about to open, the captain of the garrison left. The world was strange—this man was working for Aegor for free, even paying out of his own pocket, yet left with a sense of relief and reassurance, convinced that as long as he stayed useful and performed well, nothing bad would happen to him. A mid- to high-level officer of the garrison, after "paying his respects" to Aegor, actually felt grateful and secretly pleased as he walked away.
Watching Allar's departing back, Aegor's understanding of the saying "power lies in the heart" deepened. He silently reminded himself that such people could only be used, never truly trusted. Though things had gone smoothly, he was not arrogant. The deterrence he held now was born of a series of coincidences. This kind of "strength" was like rowing upstream—if you stop moving forward, you will be pushed back. To maintain it, acting alone would not be enough. He would need to keep growing stronger.
…
The White Walker escort team had successfully completed their mission. After enjoying a few days of hospitality from the Brotherhood, they decided not to linger any longer. They boarded the ship with souvenirs and their hard-earned pay, returning to the Wall. Only Alliser Thorne was left behind with a transfer order.
Realizing that he had no way of staying involved with the Night's Watch without Aegor, the old hedgehog finally took the initiative. He handed over Commander Mormont's certificate to Aegor and requested a position in the logistics department.
Aegor arranged it.
The king's army was gathering on both sides of the Goldroad west of King's Landing. Although Robert was injured and unable to lead the army personally, he had brought Aegor with him last time. This time, he sent someone to request "a Night's Watch representative." Without Tyrion, the business could not be left without someone at the helm, so Alliser Thorne received the honor.
Alliser of course, was unhappy about being pushed aside by Aegor. But outnumbered and outranked, after a few arguments and protests, he had no choice but to accept the arrangement. Aegor had not planned to openly fall out with "his own people" too soon, so he made sure Alliser received enough living expenses and even assigned him two attendants—officially henchmen, but in truth, their task was to monitor the old man's every word and action.
Alliser was indeed an annoying person, but not entirely a villain… This was the general consensus among many in the Night's Watch. That said, Aegor would never again give anyone the chance to harm him.
…
The Night's Watch business had been tossed back and forth by the great wave shaking the Seven Kingdoms. But thanks to its massive scale and the right decisions made by its helmsman, the ship had stabilized and ultimately reaped the rewards after all the hardship. After weathering the storm, a piece of good news finally arrived.
Eddard Stark sent men to deliver the wights to the office and ordered the Night's Watch to handle them as they saw fit. Eddard had personally inquired about the reason and received a rather absurd explanation:
The king's wounds were healing slowly, and the High Septon claimed that it was due to the presence of evil spirits in the Red Keep. After some discussion, they finally decided to remove the wights—the most obvious "unclean things"—from the castle.
(To be continued.)
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