"Todd, I have some good news for you. The pen and paper you brought were well received by Lord Earl and the young nobles. Quickly, get the rest of your supplies—I want to buy more!" Chelman smiled, his tone much friendlier than before.
Todd, trying to control his excitement, responded after a moment, "It's an honor to be favored by the Count! I still have 8 gel pens, 49 refills, and 49 sheets of white paper left at home."
"Is that all? That's not much..." Chelman frowned slightly, but then nodded. "I'll take everything! Name your price, Todd."
"Four silver deer for each pen, two silver deer for a refill, and fifty bronze stars per sheet of paper," Todd said, nervously quoting a high price, unsure of how Chelman would react.
"Well, it's a bit expensive..." Chelman muttered. The price was indeed higher than quills and parchment, but for the Mandalay family, it wasn't a problem.
Without haggling, Chelman bought all the supplies Todd had.
Overjoyed, Todd rushed home, his heart racing with excitement. He couldn't believe his luck—he had really struck gold this time!
Ignoring his wife's complaints, Todd quickly gathered the remaining supplies and dashed back out. Within twenty minutes, he was back at the castle gates, panting and sweating.
Chelman inspected the supplies and counted everything. No issues.
Ten gel pens cost 40 silver deer, 50 refills totaled 100 silver deer, and 50 sheets of white paper added another 25 silver deer.
Chelman pulled out a golden dragon and 65 silver deer from his purse and handed them to Todd.
Todd carefully pocketed the money, beaming under the envious gazes of the castle guards, and cheerfully said goodbye to Chelman before heading home.
He was ecstatic. The materials had cost him just 40 silver deer, and he had made 1 golden dragon and 65 silver deer, leaving him with a profit of 1 golden dragon and 25 silver deer—his biggest earnings ever.
Excited, Todd almost shouted out loud in joy. He decided to head to Winterfell's market tomorrow to buy more gel pens and paper from Lord East. He figured other nobles in White Harbor would love these as well.
Despite his excitement, Todd struggled to sleep that night. His wife had to scold him to settle down. Even so, he lay in bed wide awake, his mind racing with plans.
Meanwhile, outside Winterfell, over 200 workers had cleaned up the site for construction the previous day. Masons were already drawing lines to start digging the foundation.
The workers arrived early, eating the breakfast provided by Old Rhode, Hogg, and Dillion—black bread and hot carrot soup—which brought smiles to their faces. Even the masons were in good spirits.
They all expressed their gratitude to Lord Jason-East for his kindness and generosity, pledging to work hard and build his house as quickly as possible.
Even though the food seemed basic to Jason, the workers praised him for it, and word of his generosity spread even further.
In the morning, Jason visited the bustling construction site. The laborers, used to hard work, were efficiently digging, moving stones, and carrying wood. Jason, as the client, was quite satisfied.
Afterward, he returned to the room prepared for him at Lena's house and teleported back to the modern world.
The 100,000 bars of soap and 10,000 bottles of liquid soap he had ordered from Boss Ma's factory had already arrived.
Jason contacted the logistics driver, had lunch at a restaurant downtown, and then headed to the warehouse by taxi.
A large truck arrived, and two workers unloaded the goods.
After thanking them, Jason closed the warehouse door and selected 10,000 bars of soap and 1,000 bottles of liquid soap, shipping them to Westeros in batches.
He called the Barlow brothers, McCann, and Dick—five young men who had been assisting him lately—to help him move the goods downstairs.
Although Lena and others were curious about how Lord Jason-East transported so many items, no one dared ask after Jason's warning that it was a family secret.
Later that evening, in the great hall of Winterfell, the Stark family and key members of the castle gathered at the long dining table.
Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, sat at one end of the table, his brown hair and gray eyes looking as serious as ever. His short beard, showing a touch of gray, was neatly trimmed.
Seated beside him was his wife, Lady Catelyn Stark, followed by their children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and little Rickon.
On the opposite side sat Maester Luwin, the castle's advisor, healer, and tutor, followed by Winterfell's steward Bernard, the master-at-arms Ser Rodrik Cassel, and the captain of the guards, Jory Cassel.
Jon Snow, Eddard's illegitimate son, sat further down the table, separated from Catelyn's children.
Though he was not recognized as a true Stark, Eddard insisted Jon dine with them, despite Catelyn's coldness toward him. Her displeasure was apparent, and Eddard was well aware of it.
He bore the weight of his wife's resentment, along with the tarnished reputation for being unfaithful, all to protect the secret of Jon's true parentage—that Jon was actually the son of his late sister, Lyanna.
Only a few close to Eddard, such as Maester Luwin, Vayon, and Ser Rodrik, knew the truth. They sympathized with Lady Catelyn, who felt humiliated by Jon's presence.
It was rare for any noble in Westeros to openly acknowledge an illegitimate child, let alone raise them in their own household. For most, this would be an insult to their wife.
But Eddard Stark, known for his unwavering honor and integrity, had done just that.
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