Flipping through the long list of deaths and disappearances, Clay finally understood what the old man meant by the smell of blood.
Westeros had been at peace for more than a decade now. Although there was Balon Greyjoy's rebellion, it wasn't a nationwide war.
But in the unseen places, this kind of unknown, bloody killing was happening day after day, year after year.
Clay didn't know anyone on the list, not a single one, so he couldn't feel sad for these people. But he could still feel the cruelty behind it.
"The compensation for these deceased, I don't want to see any deductions."
After a moment of silence, Clay slowly spoke.
"No, no one would dare to deduct from them. It's the rule, and no one can violate it." It was Snow who spoke, and he was a little surprised that Clay would care about this. He had a slightly better impression of the young lord of White Harbor.
Nodding, Clay frowned in thought, organizing the White Sea Guard's information in his mind.
There was no way to compare it with similar organizations, but overall, it was a large operation with some effect, but not very efficient.
Except for the Reach, Stormlands, and Dorne in the south, which were simply out of reach, the rest of the places had branches, and they could also obtain information such as Lord Tully's serious illness and repeated fainting, and the Vale nobles' doubts about whether Robert Arryn could shoulder the responsibility of the Vale of Arryn.
But this information, especially the news from King's Landing, was almost always bloody. Clay wasn't afraid of sending the not-so-rich compensation to the families of the death agents; with the old man behind him, he could certainly get the money.
The problem was, that wasn't how things were done. It was so difficult to obtain information in a time of peace. Clay really doubted how long his White Sea Guard could last in these places once war broke out and other noble intelligence agencies were in full force.
At the moment, Clay, who had just taken over, couldn't change this situation for the time being, but he had an advantage: he knew who were the targets worth monitoring and could consolidate the White Sea Guard's scattered forces in these places into a few powerful points.
"Am I already able to exercise the commander's power, Ser Bartimus?"
"Of course, when you put on this ring, this meeting room, this tower, the entire White Sea Guard has already been at your command, my lord."
Ser Bartimus nodded in response to Clay, his tone quite relaxed, as if relinquishing his commander duties was a relief.
After much thought, Clay issued his first order in the meeting room:
"Since I am now the commander, this is my order:"
"First, remove all surveillance from the North, except for Winterfell. Reorganize the personnel and send them to Winterfell, focusing on two points:
Whether Bran Stark has undergone any recent changes, in any sense. Monitor Lady Catelyn's whereabouts and report immediately if she attempts to travel south."
"Snow, you are in charge of this. Avoid personnel buildup and reduce the risk of exposure."
Snow nodded slightly in agreement. He didn't want to argue with Clay, the newly appointed commander. To put it bluntly, the White Sea Guard belonged entirely to the Manderly Family, and as the young master, Clay's orders were inherently difficult to disobey.
Besides, he was also curious why Clay was concentrating all his efforts on monitoring Winterfell, specifically mentioning Bran Stark and Lady Catelyn. What information was he trying to obtain from them?
Having arranged the North, Clay then turned to the River Steward:
"River Steward, continue to monitor Lord Tully's condition in the Riverlands. Also, concentrate your forces on The Twins. While I am visiting the Frey Family, provide me with a means of contact. I may need your assistance."
"Yes, my lord, the White Sea Guard will do their utmost to ensure your safety during your stay at The Twins."
The River Steward's voice came from the shadows. Clay continued,
"Also, a long-term task. I need a structural map of the gates of The Twins, but there's no rush. I don't want to smell too much blood on this."
The River Steward didn't reply. Clay assumed he'd heard. This no-holds-barred approach was indeed a North-style, but Clay didn't encourage it.
For Hishan Steward, who managed the Westerlands intelligence network, Clay told him not to clash with the Lannister Family's spies anymore. Competing for information on Lannister territory, Clay didn't think it was necessary.
"No matter what method you use, get a hold of some leverage over one or two Lannister members, and control them. Preferably members who can enter and exit the Lannister family castle."
Unexpectedly, Hishan Steward shook his head and sighed,
"My lord, we've tried that before, but it didn't work well. We even exposed several people because of it. Lord Tywin has very strict management over those who can enter and exit the castle."
Hishan Steward's words made Clay realize that the situation in the Westerlands was more complex than he had thought, but it couldn't be ignored. Once war broke out, the North and the Westerlands would definitely be opponents.
Sometimes, the success or failure of a war hinged on a simple piece of information.
Since there were difficulties, Clay didn't plan to drastically change the situation right away. He took a step back, only asking Hishan Steward to maintain the intelligence network there, and that it was acceptable to preserve themselves and contract in the short term.
When he had the time, he would definitely want to properly manage the intelligence system in the Westerlands.
There wasn't much to say about the Vale. Clay hadn't figured out how to deal with this area either.
As for the Crownlands, Clay's order was simple: the White Sea Guard should absolutely not become sacrificial lambs in the power struggles of King's Landing.
Clay asked them to simply find out where the Minister of Finance, Petyr, and the Master of Whisperers, Varys, often appeared.
He himself would definitely be going to King's Landing in the future. Regardless of his identity, he wanted to let those two experience the taste of the Axii Sign.
Finally, he gave the River Steward, Wei Shui, a special task, concerning a name: Hall Lyco.
This name brought about the first assassination attempt in his life. It happened in a rush, and Clay was helpless, so he had to let him go, planning to have Petyr take care of him.
But now, Clay, who had taken over the White Sea Guard, wanted to know if this small figure from the Lyco Family was still alive. If he was, Clay would send him greetings from the Manderly Family.
The Wei Shui Steward frowned. He had never even heard of the name Hall Lyco. He had vaguely heard of the Lyco Family; it seemed they were a vassal family of the Lake Family in Misty Vale Town.
Putting aside where Lord Clay had learned this name, why did he care about someone who might not even be worth a single gold dragon? "My Lord, this..."
"Don't worry about it. Execute the order. I want his information!"
.....
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