Edgar raised his eyebrows: "Not happy? I can't think of any bad news I can hear right now."
"It's not bad news." The dwarf said with a smile: "I did convince the Night's Watch leaders to send you back to King's Landing with me to be a 'supply collection officer', but in the process - I boasted a little for you, Maester Aemon decided to give you a chance to show your abilities... So, in addition to what I just said, you have some other tasks."
No matter how many tasks there are, it's better than patrolling outside the wall - especially going out to find the White Walkers. Edgar's heart was calm, and he was even more curious: "For example?"
"Yuren will go south with us in a few days. He will go to King's Landing to recruit some more people to join the Wall. I have decided to go with him." Tyrion quickened his pace. The weather was too cold. If he stopped, he would freeze to death. "Commander Mormont means that the first batch of recruits will be brought back to the Wall by Yoren. After he arrives at the Wall, he will immediately come back to find you and bring back another batch of recruits... and so on. In other words, in the interval between this trip, you have to recruit new soldiers for the Legion."
...
The "Wandering Crows" are nominally recruiting officers of the Night's Watch, but a rough man like Yoren... How can he recruit volunteers? Their job is basically to go to various places, find the lords, and let them allow them to enter the cells to pick people. Some of the more diligent ones will at most go around the slums to see if there are any hungry people willing to go to the Wall to make a living.
Before he traveled through time, Edgarr was just an engineer. He made a living based on his skills and qualifications. He didn't accept red envelopes and didn't need to please others. He rarely organized activities or drank with clients and owners. How could he be good at recruiting soldiers? Thinking back, it was probably because of the ability and quality he showed in his self-defense in the desertion incident that impressed several senior executives who were used to seeing peasants and scumbags. They unconsciously thought that he could do anything.
Recruiting soldiers is fine. Even if he can't do it well, can he be worse than Yuren and others? Edgar sighed: "Anything else?"
"Yes, Dragonstone has replied, agreeing to allow the Night's Watch to mine obsidian on its island, but they can only provide convenience, manpower, facilities and other specific work, and the Night's Watch will be responsible for it." The dwarf continued:
"Now, Mormont means that you are in charge."
"King's Landing and Dragonstone are separated by only Blackwater Bay." Edgar took a breath, no wonder, "So, I have to be responsible for the mining of obsidian? On the one hand, I have to collect food, supplies and manpower for the Night's Watch in King's Landing, and on the other hand, I have to be responsible for mining for them. Do I have three heads and six arms? How much manpower and funds did he give me?"
"Sorry, the Night's Watch is also in a difficult situation right now, so funds do not exist. As for manpower..." The dwarf showed a gloating expression: "Commander Mormont said that he will request support from various families in the North for the workers, but you will arrange the start of the mining work, and you will find a way to advance the expenses of tools and items. The Legion will try to reimburse them later. Well - the Night's Watch fleet is also at your disposal."
The Night's Watch fleet? Edgar didn't know what expression to make. Eastwatch did have a fleet, but its scale was only slightly larger than the legendary Mongolian navy: two slender rowing warships, the Storm Crow and the Claw, were responsible for clearing out smugglers who sold weapons to wildlings in Seal Bay; a slightly larger transport ship, the Blackbird, which could cross the Narrow Sea, was responsible for trading with the free trade cities in the south or across the Narrow Sea; the crew and port garrison added up to less than two hundred... The so-called being at his disposal was actually asking him to ship the excavated obsidian back to the Wall.
The arrangement of the mining work was easy to say, at most he could find a coal or gold mine owner to ask for advice, but the advance payment?
Where would he, a real "proletarian", get the funds to pay? If he had to wait for the North to gather mining workers for him, he might as well go down the mine himself. If he didn't want to dig "coal" himself, he could only recruit... In short, it was clear that Tyrion would have to bleed more.
...
Edgar had just been slightly touched by the fact that the top brass of the legion were willing to let him go, but now he was overwhelmed by all the things thrown at him...The price of freedom is really not low.
"Since I am also responsible for this matter, I will help you find a solution."
"Tyrion..." Edgar said with some embarrassment, "I'm really sorry for making you spend another sum of money."
"What do you mean by another sum of money? Do you think I will advance you the money? Given the rogue temper of your immediate superior, if I dare to advance it, they will definitely drag their feet and not pay it back. As a Lannister, how can I pursue this little bit of 'small money'?" Tyrion raised his eyebrows, "I will contact a few blacksmith shops, wealthy people who made their fortunes in the mining industry, etc., and provide tools, items and industry guidance for your 'coal mining' project on credit. Then let them ask Mormont for the debt, and see if your commander dares to ruin the reputation of the Night's Watch for this little money."
"That's right." Edgar suddenly realized, isn't this the trick of risk transfer? When it comes to money, Tyrion still has some brains: "Then thank you for your trouble."
"Don't be happy in a hurry. There is one last task - to improve the image of the Night's Watch in the eyes of the nobles and people of Westeros south of the Neck." Tyrion said with a cruel expression in Edgar's gradually widening eyes: "Now, you are a busy man who is also a material collection officer, a recruiter for King's Landing and King's Territory, the person in charge of dragonglass mining, and the image ambassador of the Night's Watch. Instead of saying thank you to me, you might as well go back and think about how to complete this task."
....
Edgar raised his hand and pinched his nose under Tyrion's curious gaze to prevent himself from fainting from suffocation. He took a few deep breaths of cold air before suppressing the urge to stay in Castle Black and continue to be a ranger.
It was obvious that the Night's Watch leaders had no intention of letting him leave comfortably. He was still thinking too simply. If he could leave the Wall by finding a rich man to pay a ransom, leaving only the Night's Watch label and living a normal life, the world would have been in chaos long ago.
And these tasks, these naked and undisguised difficulties, are the ultimate means of the Night's Watch leaders. If any of the tasks are not completed well enough, it will provide a handle for the officers who stayed at the Wall. At that time, whether to recall or let me go for Tyrion's sake is just a matter of words.
A year ago, I tried everything but failed to attract the attention of the senior officials above. I finally attracted their attention and got the opportunity to leave by chance. Instead, I ran into trouble because of the increase in my "value"... This is really ironic.
Can I complete all these tasks?
Impossible, this is far beyond my personal ability. Knowing the plot and understanding the character's personality is indeed a huge advantage, but it is far from being outrageous to the point of becoming a superpower. Without the help of external forces, it is impossible to move forward at all... And now, the only external force I can rely on is Tyrion. Only such a distinctive character can let me get close to him with a little trick. But such a kind and enthusiastic dwarf, how can I have the nerve to make him bleed just because he is willing to help to maintain my so-called "freedom"?