"Prepare yourselves, we're going to the factory to take a look."
Nina was startled: "Now?"
"Mm." Lord Aegon had secured quite a bit of business in the coalition army camp, and the numerous nobles from the Six Kingdoms, including Margaery, who had promised to visit the Office to discuss cooperation and investment, could arrive at any moment. If, at that time, a client requested to visit the Industrial Park, and he, the boss, took them to the site only to be startled himself by the booming factories, it would be too embarrassing.
Lord Aegon preferred the feeling of having everything under control and never fought unprepared battles.
"Understood... right away." Nina immediately stood up, walked towards the door leading to the Office's backyard, and pushed it open. "Arya, Lord Aegon is back!"
What, Arya was in the backyard? No one knew he was coming back. Could it be that this girl had been coming every day while he was away?
As that similarly replaced door was pushed open, crisp laughter and a thudding sound came from the backyard, followed by an excited shriek. The soundproofing effect of the thick layered door was so good that after talking with Nina for half the day, Lord Aegon hadn't even realized there was someone in the backyard.
Why was Arya still practicing swordplay here? Oh, right—before he left King's Landing, Lord Tyrion had said he would take over and continue to keep an eye on this Stark girl... But who was she practicing with?
An ominous premonition surged in his heart, and Lord Aegon finally understood why he hadn't recognized anyone when he entered just now.
Before he could think too much, a small, agile figure darted in from the back door: "Master, master, master!"
Cheering happily, Arya rushed over, not even letting go of the training sword in her hand. Lord Aegon only had time to stand up before the girl rushed into his embrace, hugging his waist and rubbing her small head against him a few times: "You're finally back. No one tells stories, practicing swordplay all day is so boring."
"Didn't I write all the stories in the books? Read them yourself. How did you learn to be so clingy? You're a young lady, mind your manners!" Lord Aegon rubbed Arya's hair helplessly. It had been two months, and the little girl seemed to have grown taller. After they separated, the man discovered something else that left him dumbfounded: "You're wearing lipstick too?"
"Didn't you say girls should know how to dress up?" Arya stuck out her tongue and explained softly, "I saw Sister Nina wearing it so beautifully, so I had to try it!"
That was true, and it did look good on her—lively and charming, with red lips and white teeth. She used to be a tomboy and "Troublemaker Arya," but now she looked like the beloved reincarnation of Lyanna. Lord Aegon put away his scattered thoughts and immediately remembered a problem: Arya's "bodyguard" had always dropped her off at the Office and then waited on the bench outside the door. But when he entered just now, he hadn't seen anyone. What if such a fresh and lovely noble little girl went to and from school alone and encountered a strange uncle on the street?
"Where is your guard?" Lord Aegon's face became stern. It was understandable for a child to be ignorant, but he was an adult and had to be responsible for the people around him.
"He went outside the city to teach swordplay to the people you recruited!"
"After Lord Haihua brings the young lady every day, he goes outside the city to teach swordplay to the people we recruited," Nina interjected, explaining. With others in the room, her speech became much more fluid: "He rushes back here before returning in the evening to take Arya back to the Red Keep."
"Teaching swordplay? That's good, but he is Lord Eddard's subordinate after all, ordering him around like this..."
Nina immediately cleared up Lord Aegon's confusion: "Lord Tyrion pays him... no, it should be called hardship allowance."
So that was it. A hardship allowance paid by a Lannister surely wouldn't be small. As a Stark guard, being able to earn extra money outside of work, it was likely that all the Stark guards envied "Lord Haihua" for having such a good gig. His worries were unnecessary from the start. With Lord Tyrion's mind, how could he let someone work for him for free?
This Eddard Stark, it seemed he was treating his Night's Watch Office as a free daycare? Fortunately, Arya had made significant contributions to the Night's Watch Industry, which could be considered her having prepaid a hundred years of daycare fees.
He had intended to tell Arya not to treat cosmetics as toys in the future, but then he thought: The Hand of the King's daughter using the Night's Watch's products, and it actually looked good after applying it, wasn't that advertising for the lipstick? He should support her and even pay her advertising fees, right? He would check the lipstick production process later. If nothing harmful to the body was added, he would let her be. "Mm, I'm going to the Industrial Park outside the city. Are you coming?"
"Yes!" Arya cried happily. She was full of energy and was never afraid of running around, only afraid of having no one to accompany her: "I want to ride one horse by myself!"
...
In the backyard, Arya's private swordplay instructor also came through the door and greeted him: "Lord Aegon."
"Mm." Lord Aegon nodded in response. After returning to the Office, he had heard a lot of good news, but only Jaqen's presence was not a surprise, but a shock.
Why hadn't he left yet? As a top spy and assassin from Braavos, if he had stayed in King's Landing before to continue the mission of infiltrating the royal library to gather intelligence, three or four months had passed now, and he still wasn't finished?
Lord Aegon had reason to suspect that Jaqen was still here purely to monitor the development of the Night's Watch Industry and seize the opportunity to steal business secrets. If this guy, relying on the advantage of being among the first batch of Office employees, inexplicably became a "veteran" of the Night's Watch Industry based on seniority, becoming a nail the Iron Bank hammered into his business empire, then it would be troublesome.
Also, since Lord Tyrion had begun preparing to lend money, did the Night's Watch Industry now constitute a competitive relationship with the Iron Bank? Would he and Lord Tyrion face the threat of the Faceless Men?
...
Nina had no idea what Lord Aegon was thinking. She turned and instructed the Faceless Man: "Aqun, ride out of the city first, find Lord Tyrion, and inform the others that Lord Aegon is coming for inspection."
"Mm." Jaqen nodded. Without saying another word, he actually pushed the door open and left.
Huh, this girl Nina could actually command Jaqen! Was it because her words were particularly effective, or was Jaqen too dedicated and immersed in his role as an Office employee?
***
After thinking for a while, Lord Aegon gave up on the trouble caused by Jaqen's presence or the worry about the Iron Bank's attitude—he was the legal manager and highest leader of the Night's Watch Industry, the actual helmsman and navigator. Since he was well aware of Jaqen's true identity, he just needed to be careful not to let him enter the core management layer; if the rulers of Braavos wanted to obtain information about the Night's Watch Industry, with his current influence, driving away one Jaqen couldn't stop the other party at all; as for competition, it simply didn't exist, because the Iron Bank couldn't lend money in Westeros at all.
The basic national policy of "preventing the Iron Bank's influence from entering the Seven Kingdoms" was established as early as the Targaryen Dynasty era. Although the Baratheons overthrew the previous dynasty, they basically inherited the former's policy: although they borrowed money from the Iron Bank, the Seven Kingdoms explicitly and clearly rejected Braavos's political and financial penetration on the surface. In short—even if Lord Tyrion didn't lend money, the Iron Bank couldn't develop this market.
"While preventing direct financial influence from foreign powers, not establishing Westeros's own financial institutions." This was a mistake by the rulers of the Iron Throne, but it inadvertently left such a large blank market for Lord Aegon, waiting for him as if only waiting for this transmigrator to come and stir things up.
Having no competitors and doing finance like playing a single-player game was simply too awesome!
As for the Iron Bank's thoughts... business matters were never about life and death. Rather than strangling it, the rulers of Braavos should support and secretly help him. As long as he ensured that the core management was all his own people, even if he died, the Night's Watch Industry would not fall into the hands of others—by not giving opponents the chance to seize the nest and steal the fruits of victory, his life would naturally not be inexplicably threatened. The Iron Bank was impressive, at least seemingly so in public opinion, but at its core, it was a commercial institution. Since they were merchants, they wouldn't just go straight to destroying someone without even discussing cooperation.
***
After figuring this out, the Night's Watch felt much more relaxed. He took the two women, one big and one small, and Casey, who was waiting outside the door with a proud "I'm an old employee" look, and led the horses onto the road, starting towards the Night's Watch Industry Park outside King's Landing.
The weather was no longer as hot as it had been a few months ago, which directly resulted in King's Landing's smell being much fainter. This experience was even more noticeable after riding out of the King's Gate. Facing the constant cool breeze blowing across the open land outside the city, the few of them chatted as they traveled. Arya was in high spirits the whole way, talking non-stop. One moment she would talk about how amazing Aqun's skills were; the next, she would tell Lord Aegon how quickly her swordplay had improved recently and demanded to challenge her Master; she even talked about how her hidden little yellow book was discovered by Sister Mordane, and how she kept her mouth shut and almost got beaten but didn't betray Lord Tyrion, looking quite proud of her loyalty and seeking praise... The whole way was filled with the chirping sound of this little wolf.
According to Arya's account, Lord Aegon was at least pleased about one thing: Jaqen might not have taught her everything he knew, but he was indeed teaching her real skills. He was genuinely looking forward to seeing if Arya would eventually become a formidable female swordswoman.
Of course, it was just anticipation. As a transmigrator familiar with the plot and knowledgeable, a grown man, and the girl's "Master" and "idol," he should use his abilities to protect the friends, disciples, and subordinates around him who admired and were loyal to him, and whom he also trusted and cherished—to expect Arya to go through hardships and become a formidable assassin like in the original plot and then protect him, wouldn't that be utterly lacking in ambition?
About half an hour later, Lord Aegon arrived at the Blackwater Rush southwest of King's Landing, where he had participated in the site selection initially. After being offline for two months, he was back online.