"What happened... this... where do I even begin?" Nina became nervous again, stammering for a long time, unsure how to start: "Let me think."
(Where was the shrewd and capable businesswoman from just now when I asked myself 'contract signing, bond purchase, investment negotiation, or loan application or joint venture?' How can she communicate normally with visiting customers like this?)
Aegon was a little worried for her, but vaguely understood that his presence might be making the girl flustered, but... was talking to him that scary?
Unable to make things difficult for her, the Night's Watch simply took the initiative to speak: "Never mind, I'll ask and you answer. When did you come here to manage things?"
"I came a few days after you left. Lord Tyrion managed things here with me for over a month... He only let go and left after teaching me everything. I've only been managing independently for less than half a month..."
"Hmm, what were you doing when I came in?"
"Calculating accounts... income and expenses for each factory of the Night's Watch Industry, salaries for members of the logistics and security department, etc."
"Each factory?" Aegon was stunned: "How many factories do we have? Also, how many men has the security department recruited now?"
"The second factory is under construction. The investment came from the merchant you bought grain and fodder from before you left... the one who finally paid you liquidated damages. As for the security department members, there are nearly a hundred. As you said, we only recruit local people under thirty with good character and clean family backgrounds." Nina wanted to touch her head in embarrassment but was afraid of messing up her hairstyle, so she put her hand down again: "Each factory has a dedicated person to calculate their own accounts first, and finally they are submitted to me for review. It looks like a lot, but it's not tiring. The most troublesome part is the startup loan application. Lord Tyrion stipulated that anyone applying for a startup loan must provide as detailed an explanation and cost budget as possible, down to the silver stag... I am to judge the risk level and profitability. Only those I deem qualified and feasible are submitted to him for final decision."
"What, loans?" Aegon sat up abruptly from the backrest. He had asked casually, but the news he heard was more astonishing than the last. He had heard the word 'loan' when he entered, but due to travel fatigue, he only just reacted now. He widened his eyes: "You, no... we've started lending? Is the capital that sufficient?"
"No--" Nina was startled by Aegon's sudden movement and quickly waved her hand to explain: "It hasn't started yet. The capital is only just enough for now, there's no surplus yet. But Lord Tyrion's analysis of the net profit suggests that surplus funds will start appearing around next month. He said, 'golden dragons can't lie around in the warehouse getting moldy, we need to find channels to spend them and make them generate more money.' So he set up a startup loan... specifically to help people like me and my brother used to be, who have good ideas and new inventions but no money to make them big."
Aegon took a breath. This was not something he had arranged. He had only mentioned the idea of lending as an example to Tyrion before, never expecting the Little Imp's initiative to be no less than Robert's. He sat up straight and began to look through the stacks of "loan applications" on the table.
...
There was everything: people wanting to open snack shops, clothing stores, and even bookstores following the trend... These types of loans weren't particularly interesting. The interesting part was the stack of new invention and new concept applications. Few people were literate in this era, and even fewer could describe things in simple, concise language—perhaps one in a hundred. Aegon read with effort for a while and found that the first application he read described solid soap. Detergents in this era were mostly powder or paste. This improver had made the detergent into solid blocks and proposed the idea of adding spices and medicine to them to give people a body fragrance and even remove unseen "dirt" from the body while bathing—scented soap and medicated soap! Westerosi people had no concept of germs yet, so this was already a very advanced idea.
The second application was somewhat similar to the first. The writer had improved the formula for lipstick, using the juice of fruits and vegetables and fats containing pigment from certain insects to greatly reduce the toxicity of cosmetic dyes which were originally mainly composed of minerals. Not only that, he also used plaster, wax, and grease to solidify it and shape it into a stick... Aegon's heart stirred. He picked up the first application and compared them, finding that these two applications were indeed by the same person.
Looking up at the young office lady in front of him again, Aegon had a bold guess: "Nina, where did the lipstick you're wearing come from?"
"It's... a sample sent by this applicant..." The girl looked at Aegon with wide, innocent eyes: "I just wanted to try the effect. The stuff is still in the drawer, I didn't steal it home!"
"Why are you panicking? I didn't say you couldn't use it." Aegon smiled: "You look beautiful now, but don't overuse it. The inventor wrote 'non-toxic' on the application, but it might not be truly harmless. Try not to get it in your mouth."
"Yes... Lord."
"Approve these two directly. Tell Tyrion that this stuff will definitely make money. As for the funds, no need to wait two months, they will be available immediately." Aegon used the opportunity to discuss lipstick to frankly admire Nina's appearance after putting on makeup, then lowered his head to continue looking at the next application.
There was a wide variety of ideas: someone proposed the most primitive concept of a lottery, someone hoped to make loose and comfortable underwear from special fabric to allow commoners to get rid of the current situation of not distinguishing between inner and outer clothing... After reading several applications, Aegon found that almost all of these ideas were feasible. When did this backward place Westeros get so many talented people?
The girl seemed to understand Aegon's thoughts and explained softly: "There are many more unreliable ones that I threw in the trash... If Lord wants to see them, I can go get them."
"No need. Since you threw them away, there must be a reason. I trust you." So that was it. The loan applications he was looking at were already the selected and filtered essence. "For those that have passed the review, disburse the funds quickly. Is there a specific plan for this step?"
"Yes, Lord Tyrion has divided loans into three main categories, distinguished according to the specific circumstances, with different rules. I can briefly explain them to Lord..."
After chatting with Aegon like family for a few sentences, Nina gradually overcame the embarrassment and panic of suddenly facing her "boss and idol" without any psychological preparation. The redness on her face gradually faded, and her mind finally returned to its usual state. Under her clear and organized narrative, Aegon quickly learned more about the recent changes in the Night's Watch Industry.
***
The first factory was fully operational, which Aegon already knew. With the continuous maturity and improvement of technology, the cost of papermaking had further decreased, now less than half of the original... Paper was actually no longer valuable, but its impression as a luxury item in people's minds had not changed. Since no competitors had appeared yet and the order prices had not decreased, it showed a state of several hundred percent exorbitant profit in a short time. Last month, the three production lines operated continuously for the first time for the entire month, bringing in a total of over four hundred golden dragons for the Night's Watch Industry. Since the capital had just been recovered, it was hard to say how much the profit was.
The Night's Watch Bonds had passed the initial difficult stage. After enduring the test of the large-scale redemption last time, their reliability was recognized, and the returns of real golden dragons and silver stags made their reputation spread even further by word of mouth... With the appearance of people actively coming to buy, Tyrion decisively announced a reduction in the return rate to maintain the stability of the capital chain and highlight the higher returns of investment and cooperation. Lord Buckwell had not yet returned to King's Landing, but the first investment of over a thousand golden dragons had already occurred.
As for loans—Tyrion divided them into three categories: short-term small loans of less than five golden dragons, which were issued with low thresholds as long as the applicants were King's Landing citizens who could provide identification and address; temporary residents could not enjoy this. Ordinary store-opening loans required asset collateral or guarantees and faced "appropriate" interest.
The last category, risk investments in new inventions and new things, strictly speaking, could not be considered loans—the rule was: after the application was reviewed and approved, the Night's Watch Industry would directly buy out the invention or creation. All subsequent expenses for research and development, promotion, and market development would be fully borne by the industry, and what the inventor and creator needed to do was provide all information, such as formulas, principles, and production methods, without any concealment to the project leader sent by the industry. In return—half of the income from the first related workshop and storefront would permanently belong to the inventor!
In other words, the ownership of this new invention would belong to the Night's Watch, and the inventor could only enjoy a portion of the benefits!
Why did this clause sound so familiar? Aegon was dumbfounded. Before crossing over, wasn't this how the studios and websites that specifically supported creation in modern society operated? The works created by the authors belonged to the studios and websites, and they could only take a portion of the sales income!
Inventors and creators faced two choices: either their inventions, creations, and novel ideas would forever be hidden at home or even kept in their minds until they were taken to the grave, or they would bring them out and hand them over to the Night's Watch Industry... Aegon and Tyrion would eat the meat, and they would follow along and have some soup!
It seemed very unfair, but this... was the rule set by those who controlled resources—capitalists for short!
If you don't like it, don't participate. Since you've joined, don't complain about being exploited. Without the possibility of extremely high returns, which rich person would make this kind of risky investment that could result in total loss?
Besides this, there were many, many more changes. Oral explanation simply couldn't cover it all. Aegon's current feeling was like playing a game with friends, getting disconnected at the beginning, and finally reconnecting only to find that their side had already pushed to the opponent's high ground—he had been away from King's Landing for two months, acting as an AFK player for nearly sixty days, yet the Night's Watch Industry had developed at a speed he could hardly imagine!
Fortunately, his trip to the Vale was not without gain, otherwise, he wouldn't have the face to meet Tyrion in the capacity of the "Night's Watch Industry's top boss"!
He had originally planned to rest for a day before doing anything, but after hearing so much news, Aegon couldn't sit still—he was eager to see what his commercial empire, which he had personally created, had grown into.
—