Saying it was a pretense is not entirely accurate. Aegor truly had a pile of things to busy himself with.
With the Three Dragons causing a stir, the archery competition's intended conclusion and awards ceremony were effectively canceled. It clearly was not worth gathering the entire population of Crown Town again for such a trivial matter, but things needed closure. Aegor planned to find time to hold a small supplementary ceremony within the castle, just to complete the procedures.
This was not a major issue, but war preparations were never-ending. The ship of niter brought back from King's Landing looked like a lot, but most of it needed purification. The high-purity niter produced in the end was only about a thousand kilograms, yet as the largest component by mass in the black powder formula, it was consumed terrifyingly fast. After being put into large-scale production, it was quickly used up within a few days, ultimately only assembling a little over four hundred Dragon Crystal Bombs, though there was a large surplus of charcoal and sulfur.
At this point, Qyburn, whom Aegor had specifically brought back to Crown Town, had a new task. The North's climate was certainly unsuitable for niter production, but boiling niter was unaffected by weather. By sending him to the many castles and Winter Town in the North to train personnel on-site, using the method of digging earth to boil niter and finally purchasing the finished product to ship back to Crown Town, even if it was not in time to deal with the White Walkers, it would be excellent preparation for the future.
Ideally, a Dragon Crystal Bomb could kill wights within a radius of over ten meters. As a hidden superweapon, this power was basically sufficient. And the number four hundred-plus sounded like a massive amount, after all, even a major name like "lightbringer" was only forcibly produced in seventy-seven units. Unfortunately, considering The Gift had a total of twenty-one strongholds, when distributed, this number was not much.
Furthermore, Dragonsteel Arrows, as items with more morale-boosting effect than actual combat power, could not all be stockpiled in Crown Town. All strongholds along the Wall except Castle Black did not send people to participate in the archery competition due to the long distance, but Aegor hoped to spread the news of lightbringer's appearance throughout The Gift. The best way to do that was to have it appear at every location for on-site demonstration.
Looking at The Gift's defense schematic, Aegor pondered for a long time, gradually completing the Dragon Crystal Bomb distribution plan he had roughly drafted earlier. Ice Canyon Port, Shadow Tower, Nightfort, and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, as the absolute priorities for defense, each stronghold would be allocated thirty Dragon Crystal Bombs and two "lightbringer" units. Among the remaining strongholds, the seven controlled by the Mountain Clans and the Night's Watch that had military value and would be defended at all costs during the decisive battle, twenty bombs and one "lightbringer" each. Some would also be equipped along the Great Canyon. As for the remaining nine residential strongholds filled with New Gift People, which were not very sturdy due to average repair work and lacked stairs to the Wall, they would be evacuated if threatened during wartime, and no resources would be allocated.
Soon, a large amount of precious war materiel would be transported and dispersed along the Wall. This seemingly greatly scattered valuable supplies, but the existence of the Wall actually provided an unexpected advantage. As long as the top of the Wall had not fallen, personnel and supplies between the strongholds could be transported back and forth via the straight road on top of the Wall. Any enemy attack on a stronghold other than Ice Canyon Port, as long as it was not captured instantly, would essentially be fighting against the entire length of the Wall.
After dinner, Aegor received wave after wave of visitors.
Melisandre came to inquire about the success of Aegor's efforts to persuade the Queen to stay. Perhaps there were unwritten rules within the Red God like "do not steal clients other priests have talked to" or "one priest serves only one Prophet." The Red Priestess clearly cared deeply about Daenerys's every move but refused outright to accept Aegor's suggestion that she "go talk to the Queen herself." After learning that she had agreed to participate in the battle with her dragons, Melisandre left satisfied.
Next was Beric Dondarrion. As Stannis's vassal, he inexplicably showed little hostility toward the Dragon Queen, but Aegor would not let his demeanor make him careless. When he casually asked "what did you talk about with the Queen," Aegor casually made up some lies and brushed him off.
The first two visitors had just come to ask casually, but as night deepened, Jarman Buckwell mysteriously came to see him.
This young Crownlands noble, who had once defected on the battlefield, betraying Stannis to seize the Red Keep for Renly, indeed possessed the passion, ability, and means that made one feel "no wonder he dared to rebel." Even after being forced to take the black and exiled to the Wall, he remained unwilling to be idle. After swallowing the big pie Aegor drew for him, Jarman not only organized and integrated many other Crownlands nobles who had also backed the wrong side with Renly and faced the same fate into a group, but even used his cousin, Jarman Buckwell, as an intermediary to lobby and win over a large number of nobles from various regions who had been exiled by Robert over a decade ago for supporting the Targaryen family during the Deposed King War, successfully persuading them to support Aegor's bid for Commander and his reforms.
Whether it was helping him rise to power or later assisting Aegor in managing The Gift, Jarman Buckwell provided immense help.
Besides this seemingly innate ability to network and organize, Jarman was also a military talent capable of leading troops independently and commanding a region. Suppressing the Tulle tribal rebellion, inspecting to ensure the New Gift People remained peaceful, and his composure in retrieving the fleeing tribes when false alarms occurred, a series of events proved his capability. The soldiers in the Logistics Department were barely adequate as mid-to-low level officers, but when it came to the comprehensive ability to handle matters independently, the young men from commoner backgrounds were ultimately not as capable as those from noble families who had been exposed to such things since childhood and had been tempered through experience in the City Watch of King's Landing.
Jarman's purpose in seeking out Aegor today was extraordinary. He also saw the immense potential and value in aligning with Daenerys Targaryen. The Dragon Queen was the best springboard for Aegor to fulfill his promise to the noble faction within the Night's Watch, leading them to leap out of The Gift and return to the political stage of the Seven Kingdoms.
The young noble's analysis and suggestions were certainly correct, but after listening to Jarman's solemn presentation of ideas, Aegor simply laughed heartily. If I needed you to remind me to see something like this, how could I possibly be the Lord of The Gift?
"Regarding the Queen, I have settled and arranged everything. Specific details, with the great enemy upon us, I will not go into specifics now to prevent you from being distracted. In short, keep your spirits up. After this battle is fought, there will be a time for everyone to show what they can do." Aegor put away his smile, his face stern as he added the latter half of the sentence, "Go back and greet the Ser and Lord, and keep your people in line. No one is allowed to go over my head and talk nonsense or anything else directly with the Queen."
The strategizing and dedicated service of the many exiled nobles indeed made Aegor's control over The Gift easy to manage, but these people with past records were not loyal because they admired and worshipped him. It was purely a matter of vested interests. Aegor was short on people and had to use them, but he was also keeping a close eye on them. As a Crossing with no foundation, if he were betrayed once like Stannis, he would surely be left without even bones, with no chance of recovery.
Aegor had reached an agreement with the Queen. She would fight for the Night's Watch once, and the Night's Watch would return her to the Iron Throne. But if Daenerys suddenly learned from others that there were actually many people within the Night's Watch who could not wait to defect to her to shed their black clothes, it would obviously greatly diminish the meaning of his previous posturing.
After a conversation that mixed explanation and persuasion, Aegor finally managed to satisfy and send this guy away. Before he could relax for long, the last visitor of the day arrived.
Arya stormed in, asking irritably before she even stood steady, "Where is my sword!"
"Not even calling me Master anymore?" Aegor looked up and glared at her, subtly exhaling through his nose. He took out Lady Stark's Needle and put it on the table. "Here is your sword back, but did you understand what I told you today? I do not want to have to catch you outside the tower again."
"Hmph."
Arya took back her sword, drew it out to confirm it was her little sword, put it back, and plopped down in the chair across from Aegor's desk, the one Jarman had just sat in, staring at him with bright, piercing eyes.
Under such an unwavering gaze, Aegor soon found himself unable to continue with his official duties. Helplessly, he put down his pen. "Is there anything else?"
"You were not there during dinner just now, where did you go!"
Why does it sound like you are checking up on me. Aegor shrugged. "I did not go anywhere, I ate right here. If you do not believe me, ask the guards at the door, or the kitchen boy. I am afraid I will have to be this busy for a while longer in the coming days."
There was indeed a smell of food in the room. Arya bit her lip and continued to press. "I just went to the lakeside and saw light in the tower. You, you actually let the Mad King's daughter stay here overnight!"
I just let her stay the night, I did not stay the night with her, why are you acting like an overturned vinegar jar. Afraid the girl might cause some more trouble, Aegor could only explain patiently. "She is my guest now. Have you ever heard, can a host refuse to arrange lodging for a guest just because they do not like them?"
"Are you, are you falling for the Mad King's daughter!"
"Stop overthinking things. Have I not already explained to you? Recognizing her as my guest is just so the Three Dragons will participate in the battle!" Aegor put on a stern expression and raised his voice slightly. "If you keep asking these nonsensical questions and wasting my time, I will send you back to your room."
"Master's authority" used occasionally finally had some effect. Her questions were all parried back without yielding an inch, Arya's arrogance was suppressed, and she quickly ran out of words, only able to sit there sulking with a troubled expression. She was angry that her parents had not given birth to her prettier than the Mad King's daughter, angry that she was certain Master had changed his heart but had no proof, and angry that there were no skilled assassins among her own guards.
After her assassination attempt failed and she was sent back to her room, she had mentioned it to her own guards, demanding they find a way to deal with the Mad King's daughter, but those big men who usually swaggered around, acting like "nothing is too difficult for us North men," all became timid turtles when the time came. One said their job was just to protect the two young ladies, and assassinating enemies was not within their scope of work. Another said harming the host's other guests on someone else's territory was extremely impolite behavior. There was even one who seriously lectured her on "how terrifying dragons are," mentioning that even the ancestors of the Stark family had bent the knee.
In any case, not a single one was willing to act, and she did not know if their balls between their legs had shriveled up from being scared by the dragons.
Master was about to be snatched away, yet she could only watch helplessly. The more the girl thought about it, the more panicked she became. She wanted to ask Myrcella if she had any good ideas but felt too embarrassed, so she ran around like an ant on a hot pan. Now she rushed into Aegor's room and spouted a bunch of nonsense, even getting a little dizzy herself.
Arya dropped her questioning posture, set her little sword aside, and lay on the desk, resting her head on her arms. She looked up, blinking her eyes as she stared at Aegor.
She spent all day with Myrcella and had long found her little sister's appearance, fluttering her beautiful big eyes and fanning her curved eyelashes, to be utterly charming. Even she, also a girl, sometimes felt her heart flutter. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and she wanted to imitate Myrcella's look, hoping that maybe Master would find her cute and forget the Mad King's daughter.
Arya's eyes were very large, and blinking them was indeed quite cute. It might have a miraculous effect against some weird uncles with special preferences, but Aegor was perfectly normal. At this moment, he was also completely on guard, afraid of revealing any flaws, so how could he guess Arya's little thoughts?
Facing each other, after being blinked at for half a minute, he could not help but ask, "Are your eyes uncomfortable? Should I get someone to look at them for you?"
"Your eyes are uncomfortable!"
Arya's face turned red with anger. After gritting her teeth for a moment, the little bit of reason in her small head was finally swallowed by shame and frustration. No more foolish moves, time for the ultimate move. She sprang up, ran with quick steps, and went into the inner bedroom.
What has gotten into this little girl?
Aegor rubbed his head, deciding not to bother with her. He buried himself in official duties for a while longer. After about ten minutes, he finally finished the task at hand and closed the file, but still did not see the girl come out. At this point, a faint sense of foreboding began to stir in his heart. Carrying the oil lamp, he walked into the bedroom to look, and sure enough, she was nowhere to be seen, only a bulging lump under the covers.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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