Perhaps because of the friendly relationship between Lord Jason and Winterfell, Lady Catelyn did not rush them to pay for the timber.
Patting his forehead, Jason Liu realized he had been spending most of his time in the modern world and had almost forgotten to settle the agreement with the Stark family to pay for the lumber monthly.
It had already been well over a month.
So, early the next morning, Jason Liu calculated the number of logs cut down by the logging farm in the previous month, determined the amount owed to the Stark family, and brought a cash box to Winterfell.
When Lady Catelyn heard the young earl had come to pay for the lumber, she considered the matter and asked Jason Liu to come to the council hall.
Eddard had gone to King's Landing, and now that Robb was the titular Lord of Winterfell, Catelyn wanted her son involved in the transaction with the Eastern family.
Jason Liu arrived at the Stark council room with his guards. He glanced at Robb, who was sitting in the seat that had originally belonged to Eddard Stark. Jason nodded slightly and smiled. "You're starting to look respectable now.
Majestic, Robb... or should I say, Lord Robb!"
Originally sitting on the high platform with a sullen face, trying to imitate his father's stern demeanor, Robb suddenly couldn't help laughing when he heard the remark.
He rose from his seat and gave a helpless smile to his mother beside him. "See, I said there's no need to be so formal. Master Jason and I have known each other for a long time."
"You must adapt quickly to dealing with the nobles of the North as the ruler of Winterfell. Whether familiar or not, this is a necessary part of growing up," Lady Catelyn reminded him.
Lady Catelyn had recently begun coaching her son to assume more lordly duties in preparation for inheriting his father's lands and titles.
"Yes, Mother, I'll do my best. Trust me—I won't let you or Father down!" Robb said confidently.
He then walked down from the platform and invited Jason Liu to sit beside him. "Master Jason, I heard you've come today to pay for the logs purchased from the logging farm.
To be honest, I was surprised you were willing to spend so much.
It's been ages since anyone bought timber from the Wolfswood..."
"I guess you must be thinking I'm a spendthrift, right?" Jason Liu joked casually. The age gap between them wasn't large, and Robb didn't yet command the same gravitas as his father, so he was easy to get along with.
"You said it yourself—I didn't!" Robb grinned, blinking his bright blue eyes as Jason sat down.
"You didn't need to pay in such a hurry, Master Jason," Lady Catelyn said gently, sitting across from him with a calm smile on her elegant face.
Jason Liu stood briefly, nodded in respect, and sat again. "I've been busy with the timber business lately and accidentally forgot the scheduled payment date. I truly apologize, so I came to Winterfell as soon as I found the time. I hope Lady Catelyn will not blame me."
The two sides exchanged polite words. In truth, Catelyn was never worried that Jason Liu would default on his debt. After all, he was doing business on Stark territory—how could an outsider dare offend the Lord of the North?
Jason Liu first took out the storage list from the previous month. According to the records, 487,728 logs with diameters between 30 to 50 cm and 95,132 logs with diameters over 50 cm were put into storage.
Lady Catelyn summoned the new steward of Winterfell who had taken over for Vayon Poole. the new steward brought out his own storage record, which matched the logging farm's numbers exactly.
According to the agreed pricing, each log measuring 30–50 cm was worth 1 silver stag, and each log over 50 cm was worth 2 silver stags.
Jason Liu was to pay the Stark family 677,992 silver stags—equivalent to 6,779 gold dragons and 92 silver stags.
Robb watched with wide eyes as Jonett( new steward of winterfell) counted the gold dragons from the chest.
It was the first time he had seen so much money!
Previously, since his father Lord Eddard had overseen Winterfell and its lands, Robb had rarely been involved in any direct income matters.
He couldn't help but swallow nervously as the chest full of gold coins was placed before him.
Catelyn noticed her son's astonished expression but said nothing. As Robb gradually took over the responsibilities of Winterfell, he would become accustomed to such matters.
What truly surprised Lady Catelyn, though, was that more than 6,700 gold dragons had been earned in just one month. If that continued, wouldn't that mean over 80,000 gold dragons in a year?
Eighty thousand gold dragons—almost two-thirds of Winterfell's annual income!
The thought made her breath catch slightly, and her gaze toward Jason Liu gained a flicker of intensity.
Don't misunderstand—it was purely interest in the money, not the man!
After all, the Stark family had practically opened their land and earned two-thirds of their yearly income in one deal!
What could be better than that?
Robb was also doing mental calculations and was stunned by the income from the timber sale.
He had thought Master Jason might buy tens of thousands of trees per month—he hadn't expected him to cut nearly 600,000 in one month, bringing such a windfall to the Starks.
Of course, Robb wasn't worried about deforestation in the Wolfswood. He believed that even if Jason Liu cut trees for a hundred years, he wouldn't even clear half of it.
In fact, part of him hoped Jason would cut more—so Winterfell could reap greater rewards.
As for environmental protection?
What was that—good money?
Lord Robb didn't care about that. Even if the Wolfswood were cleared, there were still other large territories full of trees!
After all, Westeros was brimming with forests—no one would ever run out. Just keep chopping!
"That's amazing, Master Jason! I didn't expect your people to cut so fast. So you can cut this many trees every month?" Robb asked eagerly, his young heart aflame with excitement over the profits.
Such a fat piece of meat—he wanted to keep eating it forever!
Lady Catelyn felt the same. Such an easy way to earn a fortune couldn't be ignored.
Seeing the eager gleam in both their eyes, Jason Liu was quietly amused. Clearly, profit was the most effective motivator in the world. After just one month, the Stark family had tasted its sweetness—and now they craved even greater gains.
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