Chapter 130: A Small Contribution
Leaning against the railing for a while longer, Egger recounted his experiences within the coalition camp over the past two months. He started with Robert's seemingly grand but fruitless assault on the Bloody Gate, moved on to the massive "matchmaking event" among the nobles of the six kingdoms, and made sure to mention the dozens of investment interests he had secured, warning Tyrion to have the departments ready for the upcoming delegations.
The crowning achievement—offering counsel to Robert, which, thanks to Ser Brynden Tully, led to a stroke of luck and two rewards of his choosing—was saved for the finale as a surprise.
A small contribution; compared to Tyrion's work, it was barely presentable.
...
"Tax-exempt?!" After being stunned multiple times in a single afternoon, Egger finally managed to leave his teammate gobsmacked. Upon hearing the news, Tyrion wore a look of utter disbelief, his mouth hanging open for a long moment. "Robert... has he gone mad?"
"Had he come here to tour the place, he likely wouldn't have made such a reckless decision, but there are no 'ifs' regarding what has already happened." Egger smiled. "Regardless, saving that five percent customs tax alone is no small sum."
"Indeed, no small sum at all... Do you have any idea how much effort I spent buttering up Ned's newly appointed Master of Coin, or how many tax officials I've treated to dinners, wine, and whores just to get close? All that effort for nothing?"
Having scurried about to grease palms and pave the way for a full suite of tax evasion schemes, only to find the Night's Watch industry no longer needed to pay taxes—it was a flavor of surprise Tyrion rarely experienced.
"If it makes you unhappy, we can keep paying. It's not like Robert would return money delivered to his doorstep," Egger shrugged.
"If I weren't happy about this, I'd never be happy again." Tyrion gave him an obscene gesture. "I'm impressed. When it comes to sweet-talking, you're top-tier in all of Westeros. Fine then; the man I hired to handle taxes has no work. I'll send him to report to you in the city tomorrow. You can train him as a receptionist—when those clients of yours show up, you handle the important figures personally, let Nina entertain the 'big fish,' and throw the small fry to the junior staff. Aside from not being a noble, you're a man of status now; don't devalue yourself."
"Fair enough, as you wish. I suspect one receptionist won't be enough; we might need to hire more."
"That's up to you. Our assets far outweigh our liabilities now. As you put it—the capital chain is stable. We can afford to be bold with our experiments."
...
Tyrion finished speaking and looked up at the western horizon. His far-from-handsome face bore an expression of spirited ambition that belied his stature. The sun had touched the horizon, its brilliant rays shifting into a warm orange-red, gilding both men in a metallic glow.
Though the sun was setting, Tyrion felt a surge of heroic pride. He was about to suggest Egger stay the night so they could drink, feast, and continue discussing future plans, but the words died on his tongue as a thought struck him. "Seven hells, Arya has to be back in the Red Keep before dark, or she won't get in. Take her back quickly. We'll talk later—you're going to like your new quarters."
"New quarters? I'm looking forward to it." Egger raised an eyebrow. He had nearly forgotten that Arya's parents were not people to be trifled with. While they were on friendly terms, keeping their youngest daughter outside the city walls overnight without a word... that was a death wish. It was time to head back. "Alright then, see you later."
The two descended the tower and bid each other farewell. Egger took the two women and the boy, meeting Hyle—who was waiting for his lady—at the main gate. Under the last rays of the sunset, the group set off back to King's Landing.
"What 'man-talk' did you and Tyrion have?" Arya asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Why did it take so long!"
"Oh, us? We were discussing whether to open a brothel in the industrial park. Are you interested? Want to invest some of your pocket money for a share of the profits?"
"Pah! If you don't want to tell me, fine. Don't be like Tyrion and try to trick me with jokes. You always treat me like a child, as if I can't understand!" The girl looked disgruntled, huffed, and then continued, "Did anything fun happen while you were suppressing the rebellion in the Vale? Quick, tell me!"
Heh, the girl's sharp. As for fun things, there was indeed something quite amusing—so much so that he knew of it before any Stark other than the parties involved. "You have a sister-in-law now. Her name is Roslin Frey... well, Roslin Stark now. But you likely won't see this new family member for a while. Robb chose her himself and asked the King for his blessing. Fearing your father's lecture, he took his new bride... and headed straight back to Winterfell."
"Robb got married? Picked her himself and asked the King? Gods!" Arya's inner romantic surged; she felt she had never admired her big brother more. She didn't care if the Freys were upstarts or had a bad reputation. "How old is she? What does she look like? Does she like riding and archery?"
"As for age, fifteen or sixteen. Looks... well, a recognized beauty. As for what she likes, you'll have to ask her yourself next time you see her."
"How did she and Robb meet? Who pursued whom? Did you see them kiss? What? You said they've already gone to the bedding! Was there a fuss before they went in? How did they do it? Did you participate? Tell me everything!"
...
"Stop, stop, stop!" Hounded by her rapid-fire questions, Egger had to put an end to the machine-gun interrogation. "Enough, I don't know any more. It wasn't me marrying your sister-in-law!" To shut the little she-wolf up, Egger quickly addressed the other lady before Arya could protest. "Nina, back on the tower, your master was singing your praises regarding your intelligence. I'm going to give you some tasks now to see if you're truly as capable as he claims."
Having had half a day to adjust, the girl had long since regained her composure. She blinked at Egger, her eyes darting away slightly to avoid his gaze, though she no longer blushed or stammered. "Please give your orders, My Lord."
"Those dormitory bed frames and the medical room I mentioned during the inspection—keep an eye on them and ensure they are implemented as soon as possible. Beyond that, do one more thing for me: find someone who can read, write, and is good at teaching to give lessons to the boys in the Security Department. I'll cover all the costs. The teaching will happen during training breaks; it's free, not mandatory, and those who lack ambition can remain common soldiers for life—but tell the boys beforehand that in the future, any officer in the Logistics Department, from squad leader up, must be literate and numerate."
"Understood."
"Casey, you have a task as well." Egger gave Arya no chance to butt in and looked at his young aide. In the building of an army, someone always has to play the "bad cop." As his personal squire, there was no one better suited for the role. "In King's Landing, I don't need you following me every day. Starting tomorrow, you will participate in the daily training of the Security Department. I will draft the regulations for the Logistics Department's direct armed wing as soon as possible. You will be the first Inspector, responsible for supervising training, checking interior management, and seeing if my requirements are being met. Report the results directly to me."
"Inspector? Report the results directly to you?" The boy's eyes lit up at the new title. "Does that mean I don't have to worry about anyone else's feelings?"
"Correct. Note down any personnel who don't follow the regulations or perform poorly. Give a warning first, then a reprimand. If that doesn't work, dock their pay... and if they are unrepentant or dare to talk back, get rid of them!" Egger smiled. "Remember, the more the soldiers dislike you, the better you're doing your job... To avoid being outnumbered, you can recruit one or two helpers. But no thugs; the rules the Security Department boys must follow, the Inspector must follow as well. Only if you can do it yourself will others obey without resentment. Understood?"
Casey's answer was full of confidence: "Understood!"
By the time he finished these two orders, the little she-wolf had processed most of her questions. Not wanting to give her an opening, Egger decided to strike first by asking a question to keep her occupied. "Arya, while I was away these past two months, was Lord Eddard—your father—busy? Did he take you anywhere fun?"
"No, he still can't stop working for a second. Jory says the King's backside is so dirty the Hand is killing himself trying to wipe it but can never get it clean." The girl first pouted in grievance, then seemed amused by her own mental image of Robert's dirty backside and giggled before continuing crossly, "Let him be busy then. I think practicing with kon is more interesting anyway."
No useful intel in that answer. The Hand being busy was his normal state; who knew if he was investigating the rumors about the Lannister siblings? Asking "What has the Hand been busy with lately" in more detail would be too suspicious. Even if Arya didn't think twice, she had her guard with her.
I'll have the female spies at the 'Night's Watch Brothel' keep an eye out; since we bought it, it might as well be useful.
...
"Hey, did you eavesdrop when Robb and my sister-in-law went to the bedding? Oh, just tell me a little bit... Master... please!"
This is a nightmare. While it wasn't a bad thing for Tyrion and Arya to be close, children are easily influenced. The Imp's debauched and unrestrained nature seemed to have given the girl an excessively liberated view on sex. This was truly... Egger composed his face. "Enough. Is it like a lady to go around pestering people for details like that?"
"To hell with being a lady..." Arya's complaints were even starting to mirror Tyrion's style. Fortunately—to Egger's relief and slight pride—even after being away for two months, his authority as a master seemed to hold. After he glared at her, Arya pouted enough to hang a jar of wildfire on her lip, but she finally shut her mouth.
With no one left to disturb his thoughts, Egger sat on his horse and settled down to think seriously about how to stop Eddard Stark from investigating the Lannister incest. Regrettably, after a bout of mental exertion, the Watchman's conclusion was—it was nearly impossible.
In the Night's Watch Industrial Park, he was the boss, the founder, the supreme leader; anyone who saw him was respectful and dared not disobey. But once he entered King's Landing, what was he? A Man of the Night's Watch... alright, a businessman of the Night's Watch. Although he had been received by the Hand and the King, possessed tax privileges, and his business seemed thriving, so what? He was still someone who didn't even have a seat at the table of the Great Game.
Forget "stopping" Eddard Stark's investigation; logic told Egger that his best bet was to stay as far away from the matter as possible. Whether as an opponent or an ally to Cersei, one was likely to meet a disastrous end.
Just as he was thinking this, the group approached the King's Gate. Once past these walls, the big boss of the industry became merely the head of the "Night's Watch King's Landing Office." At the feet of the Emperor, he had no capital to be arrogant.
One half of the great gate had already been closed; the remaining half provided a brief, final chance for various dawdlers and procrastinators to rectify their mistakes. The Gold Cloaks at the gate didn't recognize Arya, but they recognized the guards, the Stark guard who moved in and out frequently. Thus, they didn't obstruct or shout at the group, and they entered the city smoothly.
The sun had set. Upon entering the city, Egger learned of more changes to the office through Nina's introduction. The other employee Egger had hired personally—the one who entered the office in the same batch as Casey—hadn't resigned as Egger previously assumed. Instead, he had become the head of the second Night's Watch office, independently managing a small storefront in the west of King's Landing to recruit workers. This way, residents in the west of the city didn't have to cross half the districts to the east camp of the City Watch just to seek work.
The hour was late, and there was no need to take a detour to see a "branch" that was likely already closed. After Nina explained the location of the second office, they continued toward the east of the city until their path diverged from Arya's route back to the Red Keep.
"I didn't watch the sun today and have delayed things. Please get Arya back to the Red Keep as quickly as possible. If she misses the family dinner Lord Eddard has set, please apologize for me and explain to the Hand that this was not Arya's fault. Many thanks!"
"You're welcome. This is the task Lord Eddard gave me; if anything goes wrong, the responsibility is mine."
"Alright, alright, my father won't be angry for being a little late. Hurry up, I'm starving!"
Even after moving a dozen meters apart, Arya turned back on her horse. "Master, I'm challenging you tomorrow, don't forget!"
"Heh—" Egger smiled. He didn't believe a little girl who had practiced for two months could best a Night's Watch Ranger with actual combat experience. "Fine. Sleep well tonight; I hope you can give me a surprise tomorrow too!"
...
Nina led Egger and Casey through several more streets, finally arriving at a large manor in the east of the city. As their capital grew and staff continued to increase, it was no longer appropriate for the core employees of the office to stay in inns, nor was it cost-effective in the long run.
Thus, Tyrion had rented this manor from a friend specifically for the core employees and management of the office.
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