Chapter 43: RoWE - Chapter 43
Chapter 43: Settling In
Complying with Tyrion's wishes, the two Night's Watchmen ceased their protests and trailed the Lannister and his two servants along the main thoroughfare of King's Landing. They navigated through Cobbler's Square and the Central Plaza before veering left. Ascending the gentle slope along Nun's Street, they rode until they neared the summit of the lowest of the three hills encircled by the city walls.
With each rise in elevation, the surroundings transformed. Streets widened and cleanliness improved. Pedestrians exhibited a more leisurely demeanor, their attire more refined. Even luxury goods stores began to dot the roadside.
Aeg soon recognized that they had entered the affluent quarter of King's Landing. For outsiders to reside here indefinitely would likely incur costs beyond his means. Eventually, they halted before an inn named "The Albatross." Following Tyrion inside, Aeg gazed into the distance, realizing they stood higher than the city walls. dozens of meters above the lowest point in the city, yet below the peak of Rhaenys's Hill where the Dragonpit stood. The elevation was perfect, significantly reducing the stench without overly inconveniencing the residents' daily activities. It was indeed an ideal location.
"Innkeeper, prepare four rooms. One for me, one for each of my two black-clad companions, and one for my two servants. Ensure they are interconnected," Tyrion announced upon entering, clearly familiar with the establishment. The inn's decor rivaled the hall of Winterfell, and the innkeeper, recognizing the Imp, greeted them warmly. He directed the servants to tend to their horses and luggage, ushering everyone to the second floor.
"As representatives of the Night's Watch, you must be mindful of your appearance when venturing out. Nun's Street is lined with shops, some offering ready-to-wear garments, others providing custom tailoring. I suggest you acquire a few outfits," Tyrion advised the Night's Watchmen before they entered their respective rooms. "Also, turn right when you exit, and upon seeing the breach atop the Dragonpit, turn left onto Silk Street. Half of King's Landing's brothels are there. Mention my name, and you can enjoy yourselves even without coin. If you're hesitant to go alone, I can accompany you another day. Today, however, I need to rest my weary behind. perhaps lying on my stomach will do. Until later."
Truthfully, Aeg felt a twinge of temptation. He was a normal adult male with natural desires. Having been in this world for a year and a half without the touch of a woman, the thought of the so-called prostitutes in Mole's Town near Castle Black, who were merely village girls moonlighting, had never appealed to him. Perhaps things would differ in King's Landing?
The fantasy was fleeting, and he swiftly quelled it. Burdened with favors owed to Tyrion and a heavy task at hand, where would he find the audacity to indulge in pleasures at another's expense?
Pushing open the door to his single room, Aeg stowed his belongings before requesting paper and pen from the innkeeper. Seating himself at the small table by the window, he observed the bustling street below. King's Landing was a perilous place, but so long as he steered clear of the game of thrones, at least for now, his life as a member of the Night's Watch was not in jeopardy. Yet, if he wished to avoid returning to that forsaken place, the Wall, he needed to meticulously plan his future.
***
As Aeg watched the street's hustle and bustle, he took a few minutes to center his thoughts before jotting down his four tasks: gathering supplies, recruiting personnel, mining dragonglass, and improving the Night's Watch's image.
Compared to his initial bewilderment upon receiving these tasks, after a month of southern travel and contemplation, coupled with discussions with Tyrion, he had formulated some ideas and strategies. Now, he needed to commit them to paper before the press of duties caused him to forget his plans.
First, both Aeg and Tyrion concurred that the task of "improving the Night's Watch's image" was virtually non-existent. In an era of underdeveloped communication, could the Night's Watch truly dispatch numerous individuals to the South for surveys and statistics on the Southerners' perceptions? Whether he genuinely committed to this task or not was known only to him, and its quality of completion was entirely subjective. In essence, this task served as a pretext should he excel in the other three tasks but the Night's Watch leadership, for specific reasons, still wished to recall him.
Barring the worst-case scenario, no one would raise this issue.
Aeg struck through the last task with his pen.
The remaining three tasks had to be approached with seriousness.
But what defined completion? There was considerable leeway here. Clearly, scenarios where he failed to present any recruits when Yoren arrived from the Wall, neglected to send supplies for months, or delayed dragonglass mining until the Night's Watch transport ship reached Dragonstone. these must be avoided at all costs, or recall would be inevitable.
The quantity couldn't be too meager, at least not consistently. failure to pay the ransom would not allow for a carefree existence beyond the Wall.
Yet, excess was equally undesirable. Human appetites grow, and so do organizations. new recruits would swell the Night's Watch, necessitating more supplies, especially as winter neared and Northern lords' support dwindled. The supply gap would only widen. Setting an expectation of unlimited provision would be catastrophic.
This world's productivity was limited. Beyond air, water, and land, few resources were abundant. Even if he convinced King's Landing's elite to bankrupt themselves for the Night's Watch, it wouldn't fill a bottomless pit.
The optimal scenario was for his contributions. supplies, recruits, and dragonglass. to be modest enough to keep the Night's Watch leadership "somewhat dissatisfied yet not to the point of recall." This would set a lower baseline for future demands.
But where was this safety threshold? He would need to determine that himself.
Aeg established the core strategy for his work and organized his schedule: first, he would manage the logistics of sending Tyrion's "sponsorship". his "ransom" to the Wall, then proceed to Dragonstone to initiate dragonglass mining exploration. With these two matters settled, he would return to King's Landing to focus on recruiting and "gathering" subsequent supplies and equipment.
After finalizing his schedule, he hesitated and added two more lines at the bottom of the paper in Chinese, a language no one in this world could decipher:
Take off the black cloak.
Find a way home.
Fulfilling Mormont's tasks was a means to an end. a way to buy time. The ultimate goal was to leave the Night's Watch. He had hoped Tyrion could facilitate this, but realized that even leaving the Wall presented numerous challenges, let alone shedding his identity. No one had the power to do that; he would have to find a way himself.
Moreover, he couldn't forget he was an outsider in this world. If possible, he aimed to uncover the reason for his crossing and find a path back.
As the saying goes, "Better to be a dog in times of peace than a man in times of chaos." For Aeg, reigning in the tumultuous world of Ice and Fire paled in comparison to living as a middle-class citizen in his original world, in a powerful and stable nation.
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