Chapter 83: The Show Begins
The letter to the Wall had been sent. Separated by thousands of miles, Egger was powerless to exert any further influence on the Night's Watch. He knew well that since he was not yet the sole—or even the primary—source of logistics for the Order, the so-called influence of logistics on the frontline might be extremely limited. All he could hope for now was that the messenger raven would arrive safely and swiftly, and that whoever read the letter would take its contents to heart.
Life in King's Landing had to continue. Having discovered that Arya could serve as his ears within the core of power, Egger put even more effort into winning her over. Aside from certain matters she absolutely could not know, he was generally happy to take her along wherever he went. While the deepening master-apprentice bond was a positive, it was also true that their familiarity meant he was often worn out by her constant pestering. Had the girl not been a rather pretty noble lady when dressed up—allowing Egger to enjoy the dual gratification of playing mentor and character raising—he wasn't sure if the immense effort spent for a few scraps of information would be worth the cost.
He found himself missing the compulsory education of his home world; a brat with no homework was truly a terrifying thing.
...
While a brat was troublesome, she was manageable once you found the right method. Another individual, however, gave Egger a real headache: Jaqen H'ghar. He had not hit it off with Arya as originally expected, but neither had he departed early as predicted. Instead, he seemed to settle in quite honestly at the lodgings Egger provided. He donned the black clothes and accompanied Egger to work every day, performing light chores at the office as instructed, and taking over the storefront whenever Egger had to step out. Even after Egger hired a local King's Landing employee, Kon never breathed a word about leaving.
What use was a top-tier spy and assassin if he wasn't gathering intelligence or killing people? Egger decided to pit him and Arya against each other—either to lighten his own load or to let the brat drive him away. "Kon, I'm busy today. Go accompany Lady Stark in her sword practice for a while."
"Eh?" Arya's face immediately fell. "No! I only practice with Master. You're not allowed to palm me off on someone else!"
"You're so unskilled that practicing with you every day is a waste of my time. Once you've mastered what I've taught you and can defeat my subordinate, come find me again."
"A man does not know how to use a sword, my lord."
"You could infiltrate the Royal Library, yet you can't handle a little girl?" Egger narrowed his eyes at Jaqen. "I don't ask about your past, and I don't restrict your movements. Please, be a bit more honest; don't take everyone for a fool. If you don't know the sword, teach her something else. Your mission is to not be defeated by her... until I am free."
Jaqen hesitated for a moment before finally conceding. "A man understands."
To avoid making Jaqen feel constrained, Egger didn't watch them practice in the backyard. The girl was unhappy at first, but she was soon excitedly pitting herself against her new sparring partner. Egger finally breathed a sigh of relief: if Jaqen had intended to stay in King's Landing with unknown motives while shamelessly pretending to be completely helpless, Egger truly wouldn't have known how to deal with him.
Following the incident where a bond purchaser arrived while he was out, Egger and Tyrion learned their lesson and established a precise daily schedule for bond sales. On designated days, Egger would stay strictly at the office from dawn to dusk to wait for the clients Tyrion brought in. At other times, the hired staff kept the office open while Egger ran about attending to other matters—such as supervising the papermaking progress at Neil and Nina's workshop, discussing improvements, urging the mining of obsidian, and purchasing supplies for the Night's Watch.
...
Summer in King's Landing was as hot and odorous as ever. But without Catelyn Tully's reckless actions or Petyr Baelish's interference, life in the capital of the Seven Kingdoms seemed somewhat mundane compared to the original timeline. The King was eating, drinking, and sowing his seed everywhere; the Queen was fearfully continuing her affair with her brother; and the Hand was overwhelmed by the mystery of his predecessor's death and the rumors flooding the city.
Beneath this unpeaceful surface of calm, the sale of the first batch of Night's Watch bonds and the improvement of papermaking progressed quietly. Once the first shipment of ore from the ancient obsidian mines of Dragonstone was loaded at the port—crammed into a hull alongside the various auxiliary items Egger had purchased for the Wight Capture Plan and beginning its rocking voyage toward Eastwatch-by-the-Sea—the first sheet of plant-fiber paper with practical value in Westeros, and perhaps the entire world of Ice and Fire, was finally born in that tiny workshop.
This was a momentous historical occasion, especially for those involved who hoped to make a fortune from it.
Egger and Tyrion arrived at the workshop together, standing alongside the siblings... and, of course, Arya, who never missed out on any excitement.
Looking purely at its appearance, the paper before Egger—aside from being a bit yellowish-gray and having uneven edges—already had the texture of the low-quality pirated books or joss paper from his previous life. He tried folding and rolling it; the flexibility was acceptable. He gave it a slight tug; it only deformed slightly without tearing. Now, if the ink remained clear without bleeding when written upon, this was exactly what they needed.
"Bring a pen," Egger reached out.
Nina quickly brought a pen and ink, but Arya snatched them away. "I'll write it!"
Egger gave a helpless, somewhat fond sigh. "Fine, you can be the first."
The girl was not actually the first, of course; the siblings wouldn't have dared call both bosses over without having tested it themselves. The girl dipped the pen in ink and excitedly wrote her name: Arya Stark.
Not content with that, she doodled beneath her name, drawing a cloud, a tree, and a little person...
The room fell silent. The siblings stared nervously at Egger and Tyrion, while Tyrion looked at Egger with an inquiring gaze.
"How is it?"
"How is what? Aren't you in charge of the printing? Do you think this paper can be used for the press?"
Tyrion looked at Arya's name and drawings, stroking his chin in thought for a moment before nodding. "I think it will do."
"Then it will do," Egger said decisively. "Nina, tell me, what is the cost of a single sheet?"
"Cost?" The young inventor blinked her bright eyes. "The raw materials... the cost for a single sheet is almost negligible. It's mainly the equipment, the processing chemicals, the fuel... and the labor!"
"Excluding equipment and the venue, just give me a rough figure."
"About ten copper groats."
"Very good. Once we move to mass production, even factoring in equipment and rent, the true cost will continue to drop and approach that figure. Furthermore, that number should decrease as the process matures." Egger calculated in his head, then suddenly turned to Tyrion. "What is the current market cost of parchment?"
Two months ago, Tyrion wouldn't have been able to answer that, but he had done his homework. "For a sheet this size, over a silver stag. If you want it thicker or of better quality, there's no telling."
"Then the situation is clear. Even without further improvements, the cost of our paper is only a fraction of parchment." Egger took a deep breath. "The show is about to begin. To commemorate this historic moment, let's give this paper a name."
Nina was the first to suggest: "Lord Egger provided many suggestions for the birth of this paper and made the greatest contribution. Let's call it 'West Paper'."
"Ha, I wouldn't dare claim the greatest contribution. But calling it 'Neil and Nina Paper' sounds a bit strange—how about 'Lannister Paper'?"
"Call it 'Arya Paper'! Look, my name is already written on it!"
Amidst the lighthearted laughter of the group, Tyrion made the decision. "How about you let me take the lead this once? I say we call it 'Night's Watch Paper.' It not only highlights who funded the research but also serves as free advertising for our bonds!"
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