Chapter 125: A Great Family Estate
From a great distance, Egger could already see the fruits of his labor.
There was no helping it; assembly-line production inherently required a certain amount of space and span. Furthermore, the reliance on the Blackwater's torrents for hydraulic power dictated the orientation and shape of the production lines, which in turn influenced the factory's location and design. The workshop was a rectangular monolith—sixty meters long, forty meters wide, and eight meters high. From afar, it looked like a colossal brick laid perpendicular to the waterway along the banks of the Blackwater. A footprint of several thousand square meters might be unremarkable in a modern industrial zone, but here—in the open wilderness outside King's Landing—it was a striking eyesore that commanded attention. Even to Egger, who had manned the Wall, it was impressive; to the natives of this world who had seen little of the horizon, it was staggering.
Nina told Egger that when the merchant investing in the second factory saw this spectacle from several hundred meters away, he immediately announced his intent to join the game. In hindsight, such decisiveness wasn't without reason—hearing is hollow, but seeing is believing. No matter how much he and Tyrion hyped the Night's Watch industries, nothing was as persuasive as bringing someone here to witness the sheer scale of the factory and the industrial park with their own eyes.
Aside from the workshop already in production and the one under construction, many smaller, elongated buildings were scattered around—likely the living quarters. At this distance, the specific structures were unclear, so the group pressed on.
As they drew closer, Egger made a new discovery: the entire Night's Watch Industrial Park had been enclosed by a wooden fence over a man's height. The fence curved away toward the edge of his vision; gods only knew how much land Tyrion had cordoned off. The gap in the fence served as the entrance, and much like a modern school or corporation, it featured a gate, a massive sign... and a security booth. The words Night's Watch Industries, carved half a man high, were visible from quite a distance.
A line of people, about a dozen in total, stood by the roadside at the gate, gazing toward the road from King's Landing. Though their faces were blurred by distance, the silhouette of a certain dwarf was unmistakably prominent. It was almost certainly Tyrion. Jaqen must have arrived dozens of minutes before Egger; there was no telling how long this welcoming committee had been waiting.
Egger felt a bit flattered. He and Tyrion were partners; the man held noble status, and his contributions to the industry were second to none... yet in public, he always gave Egger the utmost face. Having a teammate who was both a tactical genius and willing to yield the spotlight was a luxury few could truly appreciate.
Giving his horse a light kick, the four of them soon reached the gate.
"Egger! Marching with King Robert must have been exhausting work!"
"I did absolutely nothing! I played around for two months and accidentally stumbled into a great merit at the very end." Returning the favor, Egger replied with equal modesty, "But you, Tyrion—you've turned this place into something I barely recognize!"
Egger dismounted and walked toward his brilliant partner. Their height difference made a hug awkward, so they settled for a forceful high-five and a firm handshake.
"Listen up, everyone! This is Egger West—the world-traveling legend, Chief Logistics Officer of the Night's Watch, Supreme Manager of Night's Watch Industries, and the big boss and highest leader for everyone here, myself included!" Tyrion turned and shouted to the others waiting at the gate. "Don't let me catch you failing to recognize him next time!"
"Welcome, Lord Egger!" Because the arrival was sudden, the first batch of managers for the Night's Watch industries greeted him with a loud, albeit uncoordinated, roar.
"Hello, everyone." Egger smiled and waved. When he had inspected the papermaking workshop before, he had indulged in the thrill of leadership; this time, however, he truly felt like a high-ranking executive. "For various reasons, I, the founder who should have been leading you in our struggle, was silent for two months. Fortunately, we had a man of such means and wisdom as Tyrion at the helm... Of course, your hard work and diligent management were indispensable. Allow me to say thank you!"
"It was our duty!"
"Lord Egger is too kind."
...
"Alright, let's skip the meaningless pleasantries. We're still expanding; it isn't time to happily pat each other on the back and divide the spoils just yet," Tyrion interrupted the politeness. "This is Ledger, the head of the First Workshop."
A workshop director, Egger noted, nodding to him to memorize his face.
"And this is Enoch, the boss of the construction team partnering with the Watch."
The general contractor? Egger likewise noted his name and appearance.
"It's the first time I've taken on such a massive job. We've been hiring constantly, and we still don't have enough hands," the contractor complained playfully, though he couldn't hide his grin. In an era where infrastructure evolved at a glacial pace, those in the construction trades—masons, carpenters, and bricklayers—spent most of the year twiddling their thumbs at home. A golden age like this, where the work was non-stop and the coins were overflowing, was unheard of.
...
Tyrion continued the introductions, and soon Egger was acquainted with all dozen men. Remembering them all was difficult, so the Watchman promised himself to try his best. He noticed most of these men lacked surnames; even those who had them belonged to minor houses he had never heard of.
This was good. it would effectively prevent the Great Houses from infiltrating or influencing the Night's Watch industries, ensuring its commercial purity.
With the introductions over, Tyrion waved a hand. "Alright, let's go! Let's take our big boss for a tour of our industrial park!"
Within the vast fenced area, large tracts of undulating, weed-choked land had been leveled. The roads already in use had been prioritized with gravel to ensure they were sturdy. Walking along the gravel path, one's boots stayed entirely clear of mud... Egger could see directional signs by the road and drainage ditches dug on either side. These channels connected to the Blackwater; even in a heavy downpour, the industrial park would not become a swampland.
Inside the massive First Workshop, hundreds of workers were busily engaged; shouts, calls, and commands were incessant. Raw materials were transported to the factory via wheelbarrows, entering the production line from the feeding port and passing through over a dozen processes until the pulp was scooped out at the end, then sent on another cart to be dried... Despite the lack of machinery, these high-spirited workers created a palpable atmosphere of industrial heat.
Moving from plant fibers to final paper actually took several days, but relying on the advanced system of assembly-line production, several large sheets of undried, uncut raw paper flowed from the end of each production line every minute.
Resource controllers hiring free laborers for large-scale production based on market demand... reaching this level meant the first sprouts of capitalism were truly beginning to show. But Egger knew that, in the end, this was merely a localized illusion of prosperity confined within the small fence of the Industrial Park. Inside the paper mill, the level of management and planning was indeed ahead of this world, but aside from the crushing step which utilized hydraulic power, the rest of the process still relied almost entirely on human labor. Outside that wooden fence lay a vast world—Westeros, and the entire world of Ice and Fire—that remained backward and unenlightened.
In a world with irregular climate shifts, if a long Winter arrived, it could easily freeze this prosperity in its tracks. Slow development—then a devastating blow—lingering on through the bitter cold—and then another Summer of unknown duration for society to slowly recover... It was this hopeless cycle that caused the people of this world to live day-to-day, with low expectations for the future and little subjective will to develop society. For thousands of years, it had remained in this primitive state.
(Only by allowing society to develop rapidly during a Long Summer—progressing to the point where it can calmly deal with Winter without letting the cold destroy commercial and technological achievements—can we escape this damned cycle of backwardness.)
Of course, that was a problem for the highest ruling class, a level Egger had yet to reach. Winter was coming, but from the cooling temperatures of Autumn to the formal descent of Winter, there was a short buffer of a few years. What Egger had to do now was seize the moment and ensure he could survive safely and with dignity.
By tradition, when a leader visits, they must say something. However, capital is truly the best way to attract talent. Under the planning and improvements of the clever men Tyrion had gathered, the paper mill's production model was already at the forefront of the current era. As the saying goes, expertise has its fields. A navigator who spent his days thinking about how to drum up business and steer the great ship of the Night's Watch industries could no longer provide detailed technical guidance.
In that case, there was no need for nonsense. In any era, an amateur leading professionals or a superior giving blind commands based on personal whims only resulted in wasted labor and resentment.
Egger spoke highly of the workers' morale and their smooth coordination, then signaled to move to the next area. It was the same in the cutting and printing workshops; the group passed through without lingering and arrived at the scattered small buildings he had seen earlier.
He hadn't guessed wrong; these elongated buildings were the employee living quarters. The dormitories consisted of straw mats inside wooden huts; the canteen was a few large pots and countless crude stools... Though he knew these conditions were no worse than those of the average farmer in this world, Egger couldn't help but sigh. Even a man like Tyrion, who seemed good by any standard, revealed the exploitative nature of a capitalist once he became one.
"The dormitories must not leak wind or water; that is the baseline. When we have enough funds, equip them with wooden beds—they don't need to be fancy, but they must be off the ground to guard against bugs and dampness. The food must be hygienic, filling, and nutritious. Once we are able, add a medical clinic," Egger said to the head of logistics. He then turned to the head of human resources: "We cannot have 'communal pot' wages among the laborers. There must be a hierarchy of pay. Identify ordinary and excellent workers; increase the wages for skilled labor, and find ways to retain talent with multiple skills. They are our most precious resource!"
"Write that down, quickly!" Tyrion chimed in from the side, playing his part in the performance.
"Alright, I've seen most of the place. On the whole... no, you've done a fantastic job. Keep it up!" Egger encouraged the crowd. "Next, take me to see the training and work of the Security Team."
Outsiders thought he was recruiting so many men just to guard the factory, but only Egger—and perhaps Tyrion—knew the truth: he wanted a professional army.
Making money—his subordinates could do that however they pleased: standing, sitting, lying down, or running... so long as the coffers were full when he needed them, Egger didn't care how it was done. But the Night's Watch Logistics Security Department was something he would personally watch grow, ensuring it developed strictly according to his own vision!
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