The two leaned against the railing, chatting for a while as Aegor recounted his experiences in the coalition camp over the past two months. He started with Robert’s assault on the Bloody Gate. Naturally, he also mentioned the large-scale matchmaking event among the nobles of the six kingdoms. To secure dozens of investment prospects, he had to make the right connections and ensure every department was prepared for the necessary receptions.

He had offered some advice to Robert, and thanks to Ser Blackfish, he had inadvertently made a significant contribution, earning himself two rewards of his choice—both of which he had kept as a surprise for later.

Still, it was a minor achievement, barely worth mentioning compared to what Tyrion had accomplished.

—

“Tax-free?!”

After being stunned several times that day, Aegor finally managed to shock his companion for once. Upon hearing the news, Tyrion displayed an unprecedented look of disbelief, remaining silent for a long while before finally speaking:

“Robert… is he mad?”

“If he had come here in person, he probably wouldn’t have made such a reckless decision. But what’s done is done.” Aegor smiled. “Regardless of anything else, just saving one-twentieth of the trade tax is no small amount.”

“Yes, no small amount indeed… Do you have any idea how much effort I put into building a relationship with Ed’s newly appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer? I went out of my way to entertain a whole group of tax officials—dinners, drinks, whores, everything—just to get on their good side. And now all that effort was for nothing?”

He had meticulously laid the groundwork, forming connections and preparing every means possible to reduce tax burdens, only for the Night’s Watch industry to suddenly be declared tax-exempt. The unexpected turn of events left him both thrilled and incredulous.

“If you’re so unhappy about it, we can always keep paying taxes,” Aegor shrugged. “Robert’s not going to give us a refund.”

“If you’re still not happy, then I’ll never be happy,” Tyrion shot back, making an obscene gesture. “I’m convinced. When it comes to flattery, you truly are the best in Westeros. Now, my tax officer has no work left to do. Send him to you in the city tomorrow—train him to be a receptionist. When your clients come, handle the important ones yourself. Have Nina take care of the big fish, and let the smaller ones be dealt with by the lower employees. You may not be a noble, but you’re a well-known figure now. Don’t undervalue yourself.”

“Alright, as you say. Though I think we’ll need more than one receptionist, so we’ll have to hire additional staff.”

“That’s your decision. Our assets far exceed our liabilities. In your words, our capital chain is quite stable, so we can afford to take bold steps.”

—

Tyrion finished speaking and turned his gaze westward. His face, never particularly handsome, was now filled with an ambition that belied his small stature. The sun had already touched the horizon, its brilliant light fading into warm orange-red hues, casting a golden glow over their faces.

Though the sun was setting, Tyrion’s spirits soared. He was about to invite Aegor to stay the night, to drink, feast, and continue planning their future, but just as the words reached his lips, he suddenly remembered something.

“Seven hells! Arya has to be back at the Red Keep before dark, or she won’t be allowed into the city. You should take her back now, we’ll talk later. Oh, and you’ll love your new place.”

“A new place?” Aegor raised an eyebrow. He had almost forgotten about that. Arya’s parents were not the type to take such matters lightly. Even though some money had exchanged hands, leaving their youngest daughter outside the city overnight without warning… that was asking for trouble. It was time to head back.

“Alright, see you later.”

—

The two descended the watchtower and parted ways. Aegor, accompanied by two women and one man, exited through the gates, where they met Haier, who was waiting for his lady. Under the last rays of sunset, they began their journey back to King’s Landing.

“What were you and Tyrion talking about?” Arya asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. “What took so long?”

“We were discussing whether to open a brothel in the industrial park. Interested? You could invest some of your pocket money,we’ll give you dividends like always.”

“Ugh! If you don’t want to tell me, just say so. Stop joking like Tyrion! You always treat me like a child. Don’t you understand?” The girl huffed in frustration. Then her expression shifted as she leaned in eagerly. “Did anything interesting happen while you were in the Vale, putting down the rebellion? Tell me!”

Sharp as ever. And truthfully, there were quite a few entertaining stories. In fact, she was about to learn something before any other Stark—aside from the one involved.

“You have a sister-in-law now. Her name is Roslin Frey… well, now she’s Roslin Stark. But you probably won’t see her for a while. Robb chose her himself and sought the king’s approval for the marriage. Afraid of your father’s reaction, he took his new wife straight back to Winterfell.”

“Robb got married? He picked his own wife and even got the king’s blessing? Seven hells!” Arya practically vibrated with excitement. For the first time in her life, she felt genuine admiration for her elder brother. She didn’t care about the Freys’ reputation or their status as upstarts. She was simply overjoyed.

“How old is she? What does she look like? Does she like riding and archery?”

“She’s about fifteen or sixteen. As for her looks… she’s considered quite beautiful. As for her interests, you’ll have to ask her yourself when you meet her.”

“How did she and Robb meet? Who courted whom? Did you see them kiss? Wait, you said they’ve already shared a bed?! Was there any argument before that? How did it happen? Were you involved? Tell me everything!”

—

“Alright, alright, stop!” After enduring a rapid-fire barrage of questions, Aegor finally had to put a stop to it. “That’s all I know! It’s not like I married your sister-in-law myself!”

Before Arya could protest, Aegor quickly turned to the other woman in their group.

“Nina, back on the watchtower, your master praised you for your intelligence. I have some tasks for you—let’s see if you truly live up to his expectations.”

By now, the girl had composed herself. She blinked twice, lowered her gaze slightly to avoid Aegor’s, but didn’t blush or stammer as before. “Please, give me your orders, sir.”

“Oversee the dormitory bedframes and the medical facilities I mentioned earlier, make sure they’re implemented as soon as possible. Also, find someone literate and good with numbers to teach the young men in the Night’s Watch Security Team. I’ll cover the costs. The lessons will be during training breaks, free but voluntary. Let them know in advance—future officers in the Night’s Watch Logistics Department, squad leaders and above, must be able to read and count.”

“Understood.”

“Casey, you have a task as well.” Before Arya could interrupt, Aegor turned to his squire. “In King’s Landing, you won’t need to follow me around every day. Starting tomorrow, you’ll train with the Night’s Watch Security Team. I’ll draft regulations for the Logistics Direct Armed Forces soon. You’ll be the first inspector, responsible for overseeing training, maintaining discipline, and ensuring my rules are enforced. Report directly to me.”

“Inspector? I report directly to you?” Casey’s eyes lit up. “So I don’t have to answer to anyone else?”

“Exactly. Warn those who ignore the rules, then reprimand them. If that doesn’t work, dock their pay. If they still refuse to comply, or dare to defy orders, dismiss them.” Aegor smirked. “The more the soldiers hate you, the better you’re doing your job. And if you need help, recruit one or two assistants but no thugs. Whatever rules apply to the men apply to you as well. Lead by example, and no one will complain.”

Casey grinned. “Got it!”

—

After setting his affairs in order, Aegor finally turned back to Arya.

“So, Arya, how has your father been these past two months? Has the Hand of the King been keeping busy?”

“He never stops. Jory says the king’s arse is too dirty, and no matter how hard my father scrubs, it won’t get clean.” The girl pouted, then snickered at the image she had conjured. “Let him be busy. I’d rather practice swordplay with Akun.”

There was nothing useful to be gleaned from Arya’s response. It was only natural for the Hand of the King to be busy. Who knew whether he was investigating the rumors about the Lannister twins? Asking outright, “What has the Hand been busy with lately?” would be far too suspicious. Even if Arya didn’t think much of it, her bodyguard was still present.

Better to have the Night’s Watch brothel spies keep a close eye on things. Since they were now in place, they had to be put to good use.

—

“Hey, did you eavesdrop when Robb and my sister-in-law entered the bridal chamber? Come on, just tell me a little, Master, please!”

This was bad. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing that Arya and Tyrion got along well, but children were easily influenced. The dwarf’s irreverence seemed to have imparted an overly free-spirited view on certain matters. This was really… Aegor frowned.

“Alright, what kind of girl chases after people asking questions like that? Is that ladylike behavior?”

“Seven hells with being a lady…” Arya grumbled, sounding exactly like Tyrion.

Fortunately, Aegor was relieved and even a little proud, that despite being gone for two months, his authority over his student still held. After receiving two stern glares, Arya pursed her lips so tightly that a bottle of wildfire could have been hung from them, but she finally fell silent.

No one disturbed his thoughts after that. Sitting astride his horse, Aegor calmed himself and considered how to stop Eddard Stark from investigating the Lannister twins’ scandal. Unfortunately, after a thorough mental exercise, the conclusion he reached was—almost impossible.

Within the Night’s Watch Industrial Park, he was the founder, the leader, the ultimate authority. Everyone showed him respect, and none dared to disobey. But in King’s Landing? Who was he there? A Night’s Watchman. A Night’s Watchman who happened to do business.

Even though he had been received by both the Hand and the King, had secured tax exemptions, and was running a thriving operation—so what? He was still a man who wasn’t even qualified to sit at the game table in the grand contest for the Iron Throne.

Not to mention stopping Eddard Stark from pursuing the truth of the rumors—logic dictated that it would be best for him to stay as far away from this matter as possible. Whether as an enemy or an ally of Cersei, he could easily find himself in deep trouble.

Lost in these thoughts, they soon approached the King’s Gate. Beyond this city wall, the powerful figure of the Night’s Watch Industrial Park would become merely the head of the Night’s Watch Office in King’s Landing. Under the shadow of the Iron Throne, they had neither the standing nor the power to be arrogant.

—

The gate was half-closed, offering a brief, final chance for all manner of latecomers to slip through before it was shut for the night. The Gold Cloaks standing guard didn’t recognize Arya, but they did recognize Haile, the Stark retainer who frequently passed through. That alone was enough for them to allow the group entry without questions or delay.

The sun had already set. Once inside the city, Aegor learned more about recent developments at the office from Nina’s briefing.

The employee Aegor had personally recruited, the one who had joined at the same time as Casey, had not resigned and left, as Aegor had initially assumed. Instead, he had taken charge of a second Night’s Watch office. Operating out of a small shop in the western district of King’s Landing, this branch independently handled labor recruitment for the Night’s Watch enterprises. Thanks to this, residents on the west side of the city no longer had to cross most of King’s Landing to the garrison’s eastern camp in search of job opportunities.

Since it was already late, there was no need to make a detour to check on the new “chain store,” which was likely closed for the night anyway. After Nina pointed out its location, they continued eastward until their path no longer aligned with Arya’s route back to the Red Keep.

—

“Haile, I lost track of the time today and delayed Arya’s return. I’d appreciate it if you could get her back to the Red Keep as soon as possible. If she’s late for Lord Stark’s family supper, please apologize on my behalf and make it clear that it wasn’t Arya’s fault. Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. This is the duty Lord Stark entrusted to me. If anything goes wrong, the responsibility is mine.”

“Well, my father won’t be mad if I’m just a little late. But hurry up, I’m starving!”

As she was led away, Arya turned back when she was barely ten paces away and shouted, “Master, I’m challenging you tomorrow! Don’t forget!”

Aegor grinned. He didn’t believe for a second that a girl who had only been learning swordplay for two months could defeat a Night’s Watch ranger with real combat experience.

“Alright, sleep well tonight. Let’s see if you can surprise me tomorrow!”

Nina then led Aegor and Casey through several winding streets, eventually stopping before a mansion in the eastern district.

With their funds growing and their workforce expanding, it had become both impractical and expensive for the Night’s Watch office staff to keep lodging in inns.

Thus, Tyrion had rented this residence from a friend, providing a place for the office’s core personnel and managers to live.

(To be continued.)

***

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep