To be honest, with the story's direction changing so drastically, the fact that Varys still appeared before Daenerys as if nothing had changed already made Aegor feel uneasy and suspicious. But he had to temporarily focus his energy on the Queen, with no time to think about the details. Who knew, Aegor didn't want to bother with Varys, but the spymaster decided to make the first move against him, and it immediately knocked him off balance.
Aegor felt annoyed, but he knew the other party was likely not fabricating slander. The matter of the Dragon Hunting Ballista should be true. Yet this was not the fault of himself, Nina, or any of the mid-to-high level decision-makers of the Night's Watch Industry. The Industry still sent financial reports and operational details regularly to the Gift without reservation, but he could not put aside the primary task of establishing defenses in the Great Gorge to find time to look at such "unimportant" documents. Not to mention, the Dragon Hunting Ballista was likely just one item in the Industry's normal military production, and even if he read the report, he would likely ignore such details.
To put it mildly, this matter was just a necessary outcome of normal operations. To put it strongly, it could be blown up into "aiding the enemy." It all depended on how Daenerys thought. The initiative was lost, and finding a way to remedy it quickly was the right thing to do. The Night's Watch Commander, suddenly questioned, quickly organized appropriate defensive words, but before he could speak, a second unexpected voice came first:
"Commander Aegor is in the Gift, he likely can't manage his subordinates in the South. The False King is powerful in King's Landing, and his demands are probably hard for anyone to refuse. A small accident occurring is understandable."
The words were quite fair, but the speaker's identity was too strange, so much so that everyone's gaze instantly focused on the source of the voice.
Anyone had the right to hold their own opinion. This explanation, if spoken by Aegor, by Melisandre standing behind Aegor, by Moqorro, Petyr, Missandei, or even anyone else in the room, would just be a matter of stance and perspective. But it unexpectedly came from the mouth of the person who should least be saying it, Daenerys Targaryen, seated on the throne.
As the ruler of this place, the Queen whom Varys served, Daenerys was the host. An advisor questioning a visitor was, at least on the surface, meant to ensure the Queen was not deceived or tricked, to protect her interests. Even if she, the host, did not want to make things difficult for the guest, she should at least go through the necessary formalities, listen to Aegor's defense, and then accept and acknowledge it. How could she preemptively answer with such confused positioning, crossing the line of identity, rushing to help the outsider explain, and putting Varys, her own person who raised the question, in an awkward situation?
Daenerys, stared at by everyone like this, also suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing. It wasn't that her emotional intelligence was so low that she didn't understand basic social rules. It was just that part of her mind was still caught on the Gift the other party had given, and another part was immersed in the joy of having such a reputable figure come to her immediately upon returning to Westeros. Not wanting this friendly meeting to go wrong, her thoughts were elsewhere, and she blurted out what she was thinking.
Of course, words once spoken could not be taken back. Since the water was spilled and could not be retrieved, Daenerys simply decided to act like a stubborn Queen. Anyway, no one in the room dared to criticize her openly. Her face burned hot. After forcing down her embarrassment and coughing, she straightened her face and pretended nothing had happened. "Hmm, that's true… Commander, how do you explain this?"
Explain? You have already spoken for me first, what else is there for me to explain?
Aegor had no idea that the Queen already knew and expected things about him from Moqorro, and he was bewildered by this over-the-top show of goodwill, falling into even greater confusion than when he was just cornered by Varys. From the moment he entered, he had sensed the atmosphere was strange. He was not the King in the North, yet the Queen not only received him quickly and solemnly in person as soon as he arrived, but even her initial attitude seemed too friendly, completely unlike a mature ruler meeting a stranger. And that strange preemptive answer just now pushed this strangeness to the extreme.
If she had finished reading The Prince that he sent and considered him a confidant, thus causing her goodwill towards him to skyrocket, that would be understandable. But Aegor clearly saw that the Queen had only lifted the silk cloth and glanced at the cover, not even turning the first page.
How can someone get hooked before even taking the bait?
To say Daenerys was playing some trick to set him up would be overestimating himself as the Night's Watch Commander. Was it because he also carried a prophecy aura, so the Mother of Dragons fell in love with him at first sight? Or were the side effects of her True Dragon blood causing mental abnormality starting to show early signs?
…
Aegor muttered inwardly, but at least did not show it on his face. One reason had already been stated by the Queen, so it was naturally inappropriate to simply repeat it. He had to start thinking from scratch, looking for other angles of defense. Because Daenerys was so attention-grabbing, he only now remembered to observe the others beside the Queen while thinking. A row of identically dressed Unsullied made it impossible to tell if Grey Worm was among them. The young girl who had just announced the names and presented the Gifts was obviously Missandei, anyone could tell. He had seen Varys twice from afar when he frequently entered and exited the Red Keep, and Petyr he had met once as well. Only the dark-skinned man in a red robe who always stood in the corner as if melting into the shadows left Aegor unable to figure out his background.
Perhaps, having a Red Priest assisting was standard issue for Prophet candidates? Was the Red God's Church ensuring they didn't miss the right person by casting a wide net? He also didn't know if this Red Priest had the same kind of relationship with Daenerys as Melisandre had with him.
Afraid of overthinking and making mistakes, Aegor quickly reined in his thoughts, calmed his mind, and began to defend himself.
"Replying to Your Majesty, although the Night's Watch Industry has 'Night's Watch' in its name, it is not a subordinate of the Night's Watch. Its operational staff and workers are selected and recruited from the Crownlands and even the Seven Kingdoms, not drawn from the sworn brothers of the Wall." Although the other party's strange behavior just now made Aegor somewhat worried about the Queen's mental state, it at least made him confident in his defense. It was obvious that the Queen would accept whatever explanation he gave. "Rather than saying it is a part of the Night's Watch, it is better to say it is an organization spearheaded and organized by myself, jointly founded by nobles and ambitious people from all over the Seven Kingdoms who contributed funds and effort. Part of its profits support the Wall's defense construction, thereby preventing the Black Cloaks from weakening to the point of forced disbandment. Its task is actually to take on the function of the few remaining residents of the Gift, to 'support the Night's Watch,' avoiding adding financial pressure on the North or the Iron Throne. The Night's Watch benefits from its existence, but it is not controlled by the Night's Watch. Although I am the Night's Watch Commander, I do not directly command it. The situation of conducting weapons trade with King Stannis was truly an accident, and I will deal with it as quickly as possible, cutting off the parts of the Industry that have cooperative relationships and military dealings with King's Landing's defenders, and continue to maintain the neutrality that the Night's Watch should uphold."
Nicely put. But cut it off? All production and operations were conducted almost entirely within the "Black Wall" of the Long Night Industry Park, how could it be cut off? Moreover, the design and improvement of the Dragon Hunting Ballista were almost entirely done by the Night's Watch Industry's R&D department. Wouldn't this initial investment of technology and brainpower count for nothing?
If he wanted to continue making things difficult for Aegor, Varys, who held a large amount of information and insider news, had thousands of ways. But Daenerys's friendly posture was already so obvious, why bother making things awkward for himself? After all, his opening just now was only to reinforce everyone's impression of his omniscience, not because he felt this Night's Watch Commander posed any threat to his own plans and schemes.
Daenerys didn't rush to speak this time. Only after confirming that none of her ministers had anything to add did she breathe a sigh of relief. "Alright, Commander, I believe you providing heavy ballistae to King's Landing was not entirely out of personal will. But since you are not here to swear allegiance to me, what is the purpose of this visit?"
(To be continued.)
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