Chapter 75: A Letter from the Wall
A collective gasp filled the air, and even Tyrion looked at the speaker with a ghostly expression: "Hey, although we agreed to offer rewards early on, such major decisions should at least be discussed first, right?"
Tyrion struggled to hold back his urge to object on the spot, only speaking up after they left the room: "Brother, that's ten percent! Although I don't oppose using some means to retain talent, have you considered how much investment we'll need to continuously inject to expand this business? You didn't make any further agreements and just decided to give them ten percent on the spot. Who knows how much that ten percent will grow in the future! Even if Nina is a cute girl, you don't have to do it this way. If you want a girl, I can find one for you tonight. With the way she looks at you with such admiration, if you're willing to put in some effort, it wouldn't be a problem to win her over. There's no need to impulsively offer ten percent."
"Nina is going to be my master's wife?" Arya only caught the latter part of the conversation and was completely confused about why the topic had changed so quickly. She looked puzzled: "But the Night's Watch vows not to marry."
"What nonsense is this?" Aeg snapped out of his illusion of being a leader giving a speech and realized he might have gotten too carried away. But words spoken were like water spilled, impossible to take back. He could only apologize to Tyrion repeatedly and quickly explain: "Don't worry, it was just a suggestion. No agreement has been signed, so there's still room for adjustment. Let's change it to 'ten percent of the profits from this paper mill,' meaning just the paper workshop in the yard we just saw. Any expanded parts won't count, nor will it involve subsequent parts of the industry chain. Furthermore, the paper produced won't be sold externally for a certain period and will only be supplied to our own printing press. The pricing and profits of the paper are still up to us, right?"
"If you intentionally set the price low, they're not fools. Won't they seek other ways?" Tyrion pondered for a moment and accepted the first proposal: "Well... if it's just a portion of this workshop, giving them half wouldn't be too much. Let's decide on that."
"Hmm... actually, what's wrong with giving them a bit more? We're playing a game of money, and the most important thing in this game is to share the benefits with the direct participants. Once the paper mill expands, we can distribute dividends to the siblings in the form of bonds. This way, they get the benefits, but most of the money still stays within our financial chain. Isn't that a win-win?"
"But what if they exchange the bonds for money immediately?"
"Of course, we'll pay up happily. The most important thing in finance is credibility. Don't worry about who takes the money away. As long as we ensure that we still have enough money, it's enough. Once credibility is solid, those who take the money will deposit it back." Aeg said, "Once usable paper is produced, we can start preparing for expansion. During this process, remember to cooperate with wealthy and influential families and merchants in King's Landing and the Crownlands. Don't think about monopolizing the benefits. The Lannisters may have a big name, but a strong dragon doesn't suppress local snakes. The best way to prevent others from competing for business is to turn potential threats into partners."
"Forming an 'interest community,' you've mentioned this before. Do I look that stupid?" Tyrion seemed to be in a good mood, "Having cooperative projects for 'borrowing money' and attracting investment is much more appealing than the Night's Watch bonds with nothing to show. I'm considering whether to open another investment-type bond project."
...
For Tyrion, a core member of House Lannister, this yet-to-be-formed "interest community" was probably just a matter of earning more or less. For Aeg, however, it would also be a quick way to gradually contact the upper echelons of resource holders... and squeeze into their ranks to secure a position, influence, and a voice.
With Arya and the Stark guard responsible for protecting her present, the two men were very cautious in their conversation. When it came to core secrets, they consciously changed the subject.
"That small house over there is the printing place I've prepared. Want to take a look?"
"Sure, let's go."
So, the group also visited Tyrion's "printing press." Since the papermaking issue hadn't been resolved, the so-called printing press was temporarily just a place where two engravers lived and worked... Here, Aeg saw the already engraved bond printing plates and the ongoing engraving of the contents of the Seven-Pointed Star.
"Have you contacted the church?" Aeg asked.
"Not yet, if the church doesn't want it, then I'll just sell it myself. Cheap copies of the Seven-Pointed Star shouldn't have any trouble finding a market. That would be unbelievable."
"You can't be sure. What if the church declares that printed copies of the Seven-Pointed Star are not devout, that it's a blasphemy against the gods or something..."
"Pfft." Tyrion spat on the ground: "To hell with their devotion. If it really comes to that, I'll bribe the High Septon with a solid gold statue of the Seven. That'll make him loosen up. If that doesn't work, then they're cutting off my, Tyrion Lannister's, financial path, and I won't let them get away with it!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Arya cheered loudly: "If you kill them, we'll all worship the old gods!"
"You little rascal, you've got it all figured out!"
"Don't corrupt the child." Aeg rolled his eyes at Tyrion, who was pretending to be fierce: "Just do your printing. I'll support you fully."
***
Joking aside, Aeg's concerns were not unfounded. A large number of printed copies of the Seven-Pointed Star entering the market would indeed enhance the church's influence in the short term, but in the long run, it would have a negative impact on the church's ability to control the populace. The reason was simple: the Seven-Pointed Star was generally only read by mid to high-ranking clergy, and lower-ranking preachers and ordinary believers could only listen to the priests' interpretations of the scriptures and doctrines. Once printed copies of the Seven-Pointed Star became widespread, literate people could read and understand the contents themselves, making it difficult for the church and clergy to maintain their interests through lies and falsehoods. Adding to this, the spread of knowledge through other books would soon lead to a significant religious reform in Westeros.
But he didn't voice these thoughts and speculations. He could think of these things not because he was smart, but because he had historical examples to learn from. The people of the Faith of the Seven might not have such divine foresight and strategic vision. Besides, the potential future changes weren't really that relevant to him: no matter how the religious situation in King's Landing and the Seven Kingdoms turned upside down, his current priority was to make money for the Night's Watch and himself. Let Tyrion handle it. After the suppression by "Cruel Maegor," the Faith of the Seven's influence in Westeros was nothing like the all-encompassing power of Christianity in Europe. Even if the church eventually realized the harm of printing to its interests, would it dare to confront the Lannisters, or even the powerful interest group that might have formed by then?
***
Woodblock printing had no technical difficulty, and Aeg didn't find another opportunity to give instructions and earn admiring glances. So, he explained the principles of movable type printing to Tyrion and the two craftsmen. After some discussion, they ultimately decided to abandon this more advanced technology, for reasons that were somewhat complex: carving letters into small blocks, then spending time arranging, padding
padding, proofreading, and printing... these steps required high standards for material selection, the craftsmen's skills, and the printers' proficiency and knowledge level, not to mention the subsequent categorization and management...
With insufficient levels of light and heavy industry, handcrafting movable type was inefficient and could easily lead to uneven letter sizes and inconsistent stroke thicknesses. Add to that the potential for misaligned text and upside-down letters during the printing process, and the end result might be "spending a lot of money but producing something less aesthetically pleasing than woodblock printing." And—both calendars and the Seven-Pointed Star contained numerous illustrations and charts, which didn't give movable type much of an advantage.
At this stage, his goal was to complete the initial accumulation of wealth by printing items with high demand and digging out the first pot of gold. What was needed was "reliability" and "stability," not the awe-inspiring "advancement" that no one fully understood.
***
Tyrion was shocked by the concept of movable type printing and felt regret that his business couldn't immediately adopt this advanced technology. He sighed helplessly.
"Don't sigh, this technology will come in handy one day." Aeg comforted him: "When funds are more abundant, you can print all the scientific and literary books you've dreamed of. Then, movable type printing will have its moment."
"Yeah, we'll see about that. The most important thing now is to make money."
The two adults had been busy with serious matters all day, while Arya, the carefree girl, had enjoyed a day of running around, exploring, and broadening her horizons. As dusk approached and her family's guard urged her, the girl reluctantly bid farewell to her master and the Imp, following her bodyguard back to the Red Keep.
Aeg and Tyrion then returned to the inn, dismounting and handing the reins to the inn's attendant, ready to end the day's work.
As they walked in, they were greeted by the attendant Jack, who had closed the office and was waiting in the inn's lobby: "Aeg, someone from the Red Keep came and delivered a letter for you. It seems to be from the Black Castle."
A letter from the Black Castle? Aeg took the scroll sealed with black wax, frowning as he opened it. The scheduled time for the second batch of supplies was still far off. A letter at this time—could it be good news?