Victar's proposal, like Kojja Mo's, had been mentioned to Arthur long ago: purchasing ships to expand the fleet and opening new trade routes.
His third son, Victarion, had spent a year exploring and surveying the route from Braavos to Pentos, charting the seas, and had now returned.
Arthur had seen the sea charts, which detailed the water conditions, currents, climate, and wind directions between the two places.
In maritime navigation, currents and wind directions were crucial. The time difference between sailing with the wind and against it to the same destination could be more than double.
Moreover, capsizing, hitting reefs, or running aground due to unfamiliarity with sea conditions happened frequently.
"This is amber sweet wine produced in Pentos. The locals love it." Victar pointed to the amber wine on the table.
"Besides that, trade in Pentos cheese, spices, dragonbone, and gems is flourishing. Occasionally, saffron and chili peppers traded from distant lands appear in the market."
Arthur took a sip of the amber sweet wine, found it cloyingly sweet, and put the glass down.
"Expanding routes and charting seas requires slow accumulation of surveys, bit by bit. But expanding the fleet doesn't necessarily depend on buying ships."
Before Victar could ask, Arthur asked first, "What is the situation with those Braavosi captains we invited?"
Victar: "After the news was conveyed, there were all kinds of reactions. Most are waiting and watching. Hearing this news, many captains have stopped buying insurance contracts and halted recent sailing plans."
Victar hesitated for a moment and said, "Sabel Kaffi's people sent word that he accepted the invitation and will come tomorrow."
"Oh?"
The one-eyed fat man actually accepted the invitation to meet him? This genuinely surprised Arthur.
Since the dog head incident, Sabel Kaffi hadn't shown his face again, relying solely on his servants and stewards for outside affairs. He even declined the Sealord's invitation, claiming illness.
"Sabel Kaffi, the captains... Since the main players are all here, tomorrow is when the results will come out."
After discussing the details of fleet development and warehouse preparation with Zaren, Victar, and Vickon, and explaining the arrangements and plans for tomorrow, the three went to prepare separately.
After everyone left, Arthur went to 'Ledger' Pate's room. He was the only one who hadn't submitted a proposal or suggestion yet.
Pate looked very haggard at the moment, with gaunt cheeks and withered hair. There were many documents on the table, but they were arranged neatly.
As Arthur's operations expanded, Pate, who managed the accounts, became busier, especially since the languages and scripts of White Harbor and Braavos were different.
Seeing Arthur, Pate poured out his grievances:
"In Braavos, people are happy to swing swords and hack away, but they don't like to lower their heads to check accounts or learn to read and write.
"Those who can read and write both Braavosi and the Common Tongue are even rarer."
"Even if there are, most are recruited by Customs or the Iron Bank."
"Older people's thinking is already set." Pate rummaged on his table for a while looking for his written proposal, couldn't find it, and simply dictated it:
"I think, if possible, we should recruit more orphans, or the children of sailors and oarsmen in the fleet.
"For just a piece of black bread and a bowl of porridge a day, they would be very willing to learn the knowledge we teach them."
Pate himself was born an orphan in Flea Bottom, King's Landing. Growing up eating bowl of brown, he learned reading, writing, and the Common Tongue by following a septon.
Later, by chance, he became a sailor on the Windrider and subsequently learned the Braavosi script and language.
He knew the hardships of orphans and their desperate desire for a chance to change their fate. This desire was enough for them to spend their energy on studying hard every day.
It was this force that supported him to where he was today.
"Excellent suggestion. I will adopt it. Remember to rest." Arthur readily agreed to Pate's proposal.
After consolidating everyone's proposals and suggestions, Arthur had to admit that his subordinates seemed to be quite capable.
Arthur sorted through the proposals and suggestions, prioritizing them.
Vickon's warehouse establishment and Weiss's swordsman guild could be done in Braavos and had the highest priority.
Next was Pate's proposal to recruit and train talent.
Then came Kojja Mo's plan for a blacksmith district, which could only be implemented later when going to Starfall.
Finally, Zaren's proposal to establish an intelligence agency and Victar's proposal to buy ships and expand the fleet were discarded by Arthur.
Although Arthur wanted them all, he knew clearly that with limited manpower and money, spreading his forces too thin would result in achieving nothing.
Establishing an intelligence agency and expanding the fleet undoubtedly required huge investments of manpower and financial resources, faced strong competitive pressure, and wouldn't yield direct, stable returns in the short term.
After careful consideration, Arthur decided to use the 100,000 Gold Dragon loan as follows:
50,000 Gold Dragons to Victar and Vickon for renting and building warehouses in Braavos and White Harbor.
35,000 Gold Dragons to Zaren and Weiss to build the framework of the Swordsman Guild.
5,000 Gold Dragons to Kojja Mo and Pate to recruit skilled personnel, preparing for the Swordsman Guild, warehouses, and future development in Starfall.
The remaining 15,000 Gold Dragons would serve as working capital for emergencies.
After scrutinizing all details and finding no issues, Arthur signed his name on the document with a sense of ceremony.
Afterward, Arthur handled some personal correspondence and wrote a few letters. For one letter's wax seal, he specifically used the mermaid pendant hanging on his chest as a stamp.
By the time he finished, it was pitch black outside the window.
Arthur stood up and stretched, took a final look at the three sandalwood boxes on the table, and muttered to himself:
"Whether those captains are obedient tomorrow depends on you."
---
Sabel Kaffi's Mansion.
"Master, are you really going to that bast... Arthur's house tomorrow?" The servant stammered, his voice full of fear.
"He... he... even the Faceless Men refuse contracts to assassinate him."
"That is my mansion, merely rented to him," Sabel Kaffi corrected hoarsely, then cursed.
"As for the Faceless Men, why won't they kill a bastard from the Sunset Kingdoms?
"Mouthing 'Valar morghulis'... damn it all. Did that priest tell you the boy isn't mortal, but a god?"
Faced with Kaffi's question, the servant seemed to recall something and became even more terrified, trembling involuntarily and repeating the prayer:
"Valar dohaeris, valar dohaeris..."
"Serve, serve my ass! If you read some books, you'd know the first Faceless Man was a slave in the Valyrian mines." Sabel Kaffi grew angrier at the servant's cowardice, kicking him while screaming curses.
"Back then, they served the Valyrian slave masters!"
The servant held his head, daring not move, letting the one-eyed fat man vent his dissatisfaction.
Sabel Kaffi kicked him twice more, then panted as if tired. "Speaking of which, those peers of mine were stupid too. Colluding with slave masters of all things... do they still consider themselves Braavosi?"
"Prepare all my money, contracts, and every usable contact and resource."
Enduring the physical pain, the servant got up and asked in confusion, "Master? What are you going to do?"
"Now that those annoying, stupid peers of mine have been crushed by the Sealord, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." A gambler's fanatical light burst from Sabel Kaffi's single eye.
"Tomorrow, I'll let those captains see whose hand is harder—mine or that bastard's!"
Seeing the servant still frozen in place, Kaffi kicked him again in anger. Only then did the servant run out quickly like a kicked dog.
"I've operated in Braavos for thirty years. How could I lose to him... a bastard from the Sunset Kingdoms!"
"Right... definitely won't lose."
"Mm... definitely..."