GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

The letter to the Wall had been sent. A thousand miles away, Aegor could do nothing more and had no other way to influence the Night's Watch. He was painfully aware that, since he was neither the sole nor the primary source of logistics for the Night's Watch, the so-called "logistics impact on the front line" would likely be minimal. All he could hope for now was that the raven carrying the letter would reach its destination safely and quickly, and that whoever read it would take the contents to heart.

Life in King's Landing went on. After realizing that Arya could serve as his eyes and ears in the city's power core, Aegor began putting more effort into winning her over. Except for matters he absolutely couldn't let her know, he was willing to take her along wherever he went. On the bright side, their "master-disciple relationship" was growing stronger. On the downside, the closeness also meant that Arya frequently pestered him. If the girl hadn't occasionally dressed up as a proper noble lady or been capable of surprising him with her spirited nature, Aegor might have wondered if all the effort he'd spent just to gain a bit of information was worth it.

At times, he missed the compulsory education system from the world he came from. Kids without homework? Far too terrifying.

---

Though Arya's antics could be troublesome, she was easy to handle if you found the right approach. However, someone else was giving Aegor a headache: Jaqen H'ghar. Jaqen hadn't gotten along with Arya upon first meeting her, but more unexpectedly, he hadn't left King's Landing as quickly as Aegor had initially hoped. Instead, he seemed to settle comfortably into the quarters Aegor had arranged for him. Clad in black every day, Jaqen accompanied Aegor to and from work, completed minor tasks at the office when instructed, and occasionally watched over the place in Aegor's absence. Even after Aegor hired another local employee to help with the workload, Jaqen never mentioned leaving.

What was the point of having such a skilled assassin and spy around if he wasn't collecting information or killing people on Aegor's behalf? Irritated, Aegor decided to test the situation by bringing Jaqen and Arya together—either to share the burden or to annoy Jaqen enough to make him leave.

"Akun, I'm busy today," Aegor said, addressing Jaqen with the alias he had given him. "Go practice swordplay with Miss Stark."

"What?" Arya immediately frowned in displeasure. "No! I only practice with you, Master. Don't try to push me off on someone else!"

"You're so useless," Aegor said with mock disdain. "It's a waste of my time to practice with you every day. When you've mastered what I've taught and can beat my men, come back and find me."

"But he doesn't even know how to use a sword!" Arya shot back, glaring at Jaqen.

Aegor narrowed his eyes and fixed Jaqen with a sharp gaze. "You can sneak into the royal library, but you can't handle a little girl? I won't ask about your origins or try to restrict you from staying or leaving, but don't treat me like a fool. If you can't use a sword, then teach her something else. Your only task is to avoid losing to her until I have time to take over again."

Jaqen hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Someone understands."

To avoid creating tension, Aegor didn't watch their practice session in the backyard. Arya was sulky at first but quickly became enthusiastic once she started sparring with her new partner. Watching from a distance, Aegor finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Jaqen had both remained in King's Landing for unknown reasons and shamelessly pretended to be useless, Aegor truly wouldn't have known how to deal with him.

---

After a mishap where potential bond buyers came to the office when Aegor wasn't there, he and Tyrion agreed on a stricter schedule for the sales of Night's Watch bonds. On designated days, Aegor would stay in the office from morning to night while Tyrion sought out customers. During other times, Aegor left the office in the care of his employees and focused on other matters, such as supervising the siblings' progress on papermaking, refining their processes, urging the mining of obsidian, and purchasing supplies for the Night's Watch.

---

Summer in King's Landing remained as hot and foul-smelling as ever. Without the interference of Catelyn Tully or Petyr Baelish, the city's political landscape seemed duller than the original plot. The king spent his days drinking, feasting, and indulging in every vice imaginable. The queen nervously continued her incestuous affair with her brother, while the Hand of the King fretted over the mystery of Jon Arryn's death and the increasingly worrisome rumors spreading through the city.

Beneath this uneasy calm, however, the first batch of Night's Watch bonds had been issued, and papermaking technology had quietly progressed. On Dragonstone, the first shipment of obsidian mined from the ancient quarries was loaded onto a ship, packed tightly alongside the supplies Aegor had purchased for his "wight-capturing plan." Meanwhile, in a small workshop, the first sheets of plant-fiber paper with practical use in Westeros and perhaps the entire A Song of Ice and Fire world were finally produced.

---

This was a historic moment, especially for the small group of individuals hoping to make their fortunes with the new invention. Aegor, Tyrion, the siblings, and an excited Arya gathered in the workshop to inspect the results.

From appearances alone, the paper in front of Aegor, despite its slightly grayish-yellow color and uneven edges resembled the low-quality, pirated books or ghost money he had seen in his past life. He picked up a sheet to test it, folding and rolling it. It was flexible enough. Pulling at it with some force, he found that it deformed slightly without tearing. The next test was writing on it.

"Bring me a pen," Aegor ordered.

Nina hurried to fetch pen and ink, but Arya snatched them up. "I'll write on it!" she declared excitedly.

Aegor sighed, a hint of affection creeping into his voice. "Alright, I'll let you be the first."

Of course, Arya wasn't really the first to test the paper. The siblings wouldn't have dared to summon Aegor and Tyrion without conducting their own experiments. Nonetheless, Arya eagerly dipped the pen in ink and wrote her name: Arya Stark. Beneath it, she added a drawing of a cloud, a tree, and a stick figure.

The room grew silent as the siblings watched Aegor and Tyrion nervously. Tyrion gave Aegor a questioning glance.

"Well?" Aegor prompted.

"What?" Tyrion shrugged. "Aren't you the one in charge of printing? Do you think this paper can be used for printing?"

Tyrion studied Arya's scribbles and doodles for a moment, then stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I think it'll work."

"Good." Aegor nodded decisively. "Nina, what's the cost of producing this paper?"

"The raw material cost is negligible," Nina replied. "The main expenses are equipment, chemicals, dyes, fuel, and labor."

"Exclude the equipment and venue. Give me a rough number for production alone."

"About ten copper coins per sheet."

"Very good." Aegor began calculating in his head. "After mass production, even factoring in equipment and rent, the cost will decrease further. As the process improves, we'll drive that number even lower." Turning to Tyrion, he asked, "How much does parchment cost on the market right now?"

Two months ago, Tyrion wouldn't have known, but he had since done his research. "For a sheet this size? More than a silver stag—maybe even a silver moon for higher quality."

"Then it's clear." Aegor exhaled deeply. "Even without further improvements, our paper costs a fraction of parchment." He paused and smiled. "Now the fun begins. To mark this historic moment, let's give this paper a name."

Nina spoke first. "Master Aegor made the greatest contribution to its creation. Let's call it West Paper."

"Haha! I don't deserve all the credit.

"No, it should be 'Arya Paper'!" Arya chimed in. "Look, my name is already on it!"

Amid the laughter, Tyrion raised his hand. "Let me be the boss this time. I say we call it 'Night's Watch Paper.' Not only does it honor the sponsor of its development, but it also doubles as free advertising for our bonds!"

***

For every 100 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 30+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.