Bab 27: 27. Good News, Bad News Maester Brayan
A/N I am aware that some people don't like Edwyle Stark as the current Hand of King Aegon V, but I assure you at the time it was feasible to me due to the lack of info on the period. I am asking you to bear with it as it will not significantly affect the later chapters. Thanks for your continued support and constructive criticism. if you had enjoyed thus far, leave a positive review, don't be an asshole.
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As I continued to pump rhythmically, the sound of flesh slapping flesh, the soft sensual moans, it was enough to put me into a trance. I must have been going at it for more than a few hours since I had awoken. I admired the small beads of sweat that trickled down the fair skin of her back. It was so intoxicating I bent forward and bit her shoulder and inhaled her fragrance.
"M Lord" was all that she could squeak out before she let out another moan. I could feel that I was quickly approaching my climax, even if it was the 3rd time for the morning, it felt like I would explode if I didn't. Puberty was a bitch, I though as I wrapped a hand around her neck and the other around her chest grabbing her soft breast.
I had never removed my mouth from her shoulder and as I embraced her, I could feel her lower region begin to tremble in anticipation, she was close again. "Cum for me Mya, you know you want to, why do you deny what I give to you? Don't you want to please me, cum for me," With that I felt her tighten around me and the sensation was enough to make me peak as well.
"Knock, knock, knock" "My Lord, pardon, a messenger from the King."
Was all I heard, as the door swung open as both me and Mya had climaxed. All Maester Brayan must have seen was Mya bent over the side of my bed climaxing in a moment of ecstasy along with me. But it was only for a moment as I immediately turned around and shot Maester Brayan a deadly glare. He quickly "eeep" before pulling the door shut again.
The truth was that I had heard him a while ago and had chosen to ignore him, as what I was doing at the point of time was simply to engrossing. As I felt Mya slowly loosen up in my arms, I let her gently rest herself onto my bed next to Delia and Darcy.
After the close to 3 months on the road, with no opportunity to relieve myself as I didn't wish to play Russian roulette with any random hole. After we returned to the King's Landing after noon yesterday, I didn't return to my manse until sundown.
After a warm bath and a delicious meal, I had unleashed my pent-up lust upon Mya as I had missed her. Unfortunately, I couldn't wear her out so I had sent for Delia and Darcy. After I fell asleep last night, I awoke early this morning and proceeded to continue and after a few rounds with each, they were now asleep soundly on my bed.
As I admired the beautiful brunette and the two blondes, I was amazed at what a difference in their appearances from the last year. Just from a better diet and hygiene practices, there physique, complexion and body Odors had drastically improved. From what I had seen their hair, skin and nails were also superior to some of the noble women I had seen at court. Also, the fact that they were always busy, always on the move kept their bodies toned, which added to their charm in a way.
I quickly got up and started to clean myself and then got dressed as I needed to find out what Maester Brayan had wanted. I had skipped my morning routine in favour of staying in bed and enjoying some of life's simple pleasures; such as the small harem that was available to me.
I had also reached a point where training normally alone was barely increasing my stats, I would have to find a way to intensify my training. My stats had still shown some progress during this campaign and I had gained something unexpected while in Maidenpool.
I had snuck out one night to look for some robbers or thieves to complete my 'Slay 100 opponents in battle' quest as I only needed 6 more to hit my goal. Instead, I found 7 degenerates who had dragged a young girl onto a ship down at the docks. Fortunately for her I had seen when it had happened as I had been watching the men a while before, they had been looking suspicious while hiding in a dark alley waiting for a victim.
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Name; Tywin Lannister
Age; 11
Blessings; Divine Guidance, Warrior's Luck
Titles; Heir to Casterly Rock, The Young Lord of Casterly Rock, The Basilisk
Bloodline; (Inactive)
Status;
Attributes;
Vitality- 13/15(+2), Strength- 11/15, Stamina- 13/15(+2), Agility- 15/15, Mind- 15/15, Will- 12/15(+1), Charisma- 13/15, Luck- 15/15 (+4)
(Free Attribute Points 0)
Skills-
Expert-
*Archery (expert-3/40)
*Observation (expert-1/40)
*Controlled Breathing (expert-1/40)
*Spatial Awareness (expert -1/40)
*Riding Proficiency (expert-1/40)
Proficient-
*Sword Proficiency (proficient-15/30)
*Dagger Proficiency (proficient-12/30)
*Shield Proficiency (proficient-9/30)
*Reading (proficient-15/30)
*Arithmetic (proficient-13/30)
*Sexual Performance (proficient-9/30)
*Striking (proficient -8/30)
*Intimidate (proficient -25/30),
*Climbing (proficient -10/30)
*Fine Motor Control (proficient 25/30)
*Deception (proficient 7/30)
*Memory Recall (proficient-21/30)
*Inspire (proficient -18/30)
*Stealth (proficient-12/30)
*High Valyrian Language (proficient- 12/30)
Moderate-
*Handwriting (moderate-3/20)
*Alchemy (moderate-16/20)
*Spear Proficiency (moderate- 1/20)
Abilities-
Time Perception – An ability derived from a high 'Observation' skill which has been continuously used in synergy with other skills. This skill allows the user to perceive time as if it is moving slower, even though the user themselves is not moving faster. The drawback is that this ability utilizes the adrenaline produced by the body to activate.
(Free Skill Points- 13)
Quests;
*Slay 1000 opponents in battle. (101/1000) (rewards- 5 free AP on completion)
*Gain knowledge by reading 100 books. (58/100) (rewards- 1 Free AP)
*Increase 5 skills to the master level. (0/5) (rewards- 5 free SP)
*Notice-
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I had gained +2 to both Vitality and Stamina naturally, so I decided to +4 to my Luck as I could see that there was probably no way to train my Luck, also +1 to Will. The true reward was what I got when I gained a new blessing after maxing out Luck.
Warrior's Luck- Increases the probability of reckless actions during combat by 3 to 1 in your favour.
'Dam, it wasn't plot armour, but, every little bit helped in this messed up world." I thought, this was awesome, I had expected a luck-based skill. Was my system growing or was I only now starting to tap into its potential. Recently I had gained my first ability out of the blue and instead of gaining a skill for maxing an attribute I gained a blessing, maybe my system was more dynamic than I had thought.
As always, I could only wait and see. Now to find out what Brayan wanted as well as get an update on my projects and what had been going on in King's Landing while I was gone.
…..
Maester Brayan looked sheepishly at me, he knew he had messed up by entering my room even though he knew I wasn't alone. However, he had taken the chance since the messenger from the King had said that I was expected in the Small Council Chamber at noon together with Robar. Half the morning had already gone and if I wanted to get there on time I would need to get moving.
"Before I leave, send one of the servants to tell Ser Ilyn and Ser Forely to meet me for dinner, I have some matters to discuss with them. A nice slow roast lamb will do. On to more important matters. How is the collection of the list of ingredients for my latest project?"
"My Lord, it is proven to be most difficult to collect them all in the manner in which you described. By the time we have them all under the conditions you requested, most will be spoil. I have taken it upon myself to order the seeds of those that will not be able to tolerate winter.
The 3 that are able to survive in the sunroom, are just that, just surviving, we will not be able to germinate any seedlings from them. The Citadel has advised that Spring should begin by some time next year, so we could probably put your project on hold till then?" he asked sheepishly.
There was no way around it, the sunroom I had built was too small, as glass in this backwards world was extremely difficult to come by in the sizes I needed. Fortunately, I had scavenged a few panes from an abandoned manse not too far away. Unfortunately, they were barely transparent and closer to translucent, only enough to allow light through. It was also expensive and labour intensive to keep the rooms heated with a fireplace.
Steam heaters would also be and issue because too much humidity would also ruin the plants. There was no way around, the logistics of collecting the viable plants from around Westeros and Essos. This was a nightmare, not to mention in the conditions required. I would have to shelve The Draft of Cleansing temporarily until this winter was over. The Citadel had predicted that it would be a short winter of 2-3 years, so I was hopeful it would be over within the year.
"Fine, preserve the samples you can, I will find some uses for them later. Also the seeds, if my project works out we will have to find a way to grow more of these plants, that should solve our sourcing issues.
What about the 3 improvements you've been working on?"
A small smile now covered his face which made me anticipate some good news.
"The improved moon tea, it has proven to be most successful, so far. As you suggested Ilyn, Forley and a few of you guards who frequently visit the same brothel, was able to convince the owner to test the concoction. It has worked as you estimated it to.
The only sides effect that some of the women experienced, was the missing of their moon blood occasional, but some even say that that is a blessing as none of them have conceived since. The others are that some complaints of feeling unwell for a time after taking the dose and others say that they would lose their appetites.
Perhaps after a few more months of testing the concoction we will know if it is truly safe and the conditions that it might fail under. I am still trying to figure how far apart the dosages should be."
"Continue for a year, no charge to the brothel owner, if at the end of the year, any of the women conceive while they are taking the correct dosages, then make notes. Also, if any choose to stop taking it before the year, note if they are able to conceive and under what circumstances." I said but then stopped as I noticed a troubled look on his face. "What's the matter?"
"My Lord, it's not that I do not understand what you are saying, it's just that, we lacked the ability to produce the concoction in the quantity you want due to the scarcity of the additional herbs we added to the original recipe. Also, I am just one man, I am barely keeping up with the tasks, even with the limited help of the assistance of the servants that you allow me to use." He said now looking fearful, and I couldn't blame him. As daft as he acted sometimes, he was fully aware of some of the things I had done and what I was capable of.
This was indeed an issue that I had overlooked. Logistics was killing me, another project where scarcity of ingredients and manpower was keeping me back. "Fine, it's not your fault, I'll have Ilyn inform the brothel owner that due to a scarcity on the market, we won't be able to continue the supply until sometime in spring.
In the meanwhile, I will send some promising recruits your way, while we wait for our supply issues to even out, you can train them to do the more menial task for you." This got me a smile from him. The most feasible solution in my mind right now was to partner with a Crownlands noble and have them grow the plants I required, but this would require for the weather to improve before I could even start to plant them.
I also had a few candidates in mind, as I would regularly interact with nobles at court, many would try to stay on my good side as I had the King's ear and they would often request favours of me to bring their requests and complaints before him. I would need to investigate their properties to make sure they were suitable as well as their financial situations and their past business dealings.
The last thing I would want to do was partner up with someone who would become too greedy for their own good. Also, one who was well off enough or not nosy enough to care what I was up to. This would be a headache but was worth the effort.
I would have to increase the amount of recruiting I was doing. Loyal as well as skilled workers were an issue, one I did not intend to take shortcuts with. Only time an effort would solve this problem as well, I would have to actively recruit. I already had a plan to start to take in some more of the destitute, they would have to be carefully screened for any potential red flags and then trained, so that would add to the time. 'Whoever said life in a medieval fantasy world would be easy?!'
"What of the other 2?"
"Oh, the Basilisk Blood Paste concentrate was a success, with a single drop, it carries the effect that would be expected from coming into contact with the paste." He said proudly.
This was good news, as this was the basis for a further improvement that I had in mind that I could start working on right away. I would just need to find test subject for it which there were no shortages amongst the criminals of Flea Bottom.
"Finally, some excellent news."
"And lastly my Lord" he said. He got up and went over to the stove and retrieve a tea pot and from a desk picked up a cup and handed it to me. He carefully pored the contents into the cup and waited for me.
I looked at the slightly cloudy, orange liquid and the noted the improvement in the look. I blew on it a few times until I could feel the heat lessen and then took a sip. I went silent for a while before I looked at Maester Brayan with a cold look. "Why wasn't this the first thing you gave me?" I asked and he only let out a slight "Eeep" in fright.
It was lightly fragrant with a citrus-like taste to it, there was none of the horrible acrid bitter taste from before. What also hit me shortly after was the invigorating feeling that I got not too long after. This was my coffee substitute that I had him working on for me and to my surprise, this was just brilliant.
"Why did you tell me that you have had success with improving the recipe?" I asked coldly as there had to be a reason why he didn't start off the update by giving this to me to taste.
"Mmmm, my Lord, I, didn't want to disappoint you as this was only the results after fermenting the Igisia Roots for a period of 2 moons and then drying and grounding it with Crowne Berries. The berries add the colour and the flavour while the longer the fermenting process, the smother the flavour without the harsher effects.
I tested it myself for a moon. The first batch which had fermented for a moon was still slightly bitter and a small cup kept me up the entire day and night. After 2 months this is the results, you have before you, no bitter taste while a small cup will invigorate you for more than half a day."
This was great however I now understood Brayan's hesitation to tell me, if I had to ferment for 2 months to get this quality, it would eat into my profits, which meant it wouldn't make sense to try and mass produce it. It would mean that it was a failure. I began to feel a little dejected at first but then I had a flash of inspiration.
"Don't worry about the process, the Igisia tea is a success, I will just have to change my strategy, instead of selling to the masses, I will need to target the nobles." This was good news that perked him up again. In my brain I chuckled as Brayan had been on an emotional roller-coaster ride within a short space of time.
As I sat in silence for a little while, I was planning on how to make the most of this new tea, what will gain me the most benefits. "How much of the finished tea do you have or can pull together right now?"
His eyes slightly widened, as he turned around and began looking around on his desk before he was able to find a small jar the size of my hand. "This is as much as I have for now, I can have double the amount within a week my Lord." He said as he quickly handed me the sealed clay jar that was about the size of a tea cup.
'I guess this will have to do for now.' "Very well, see to it, I will have the rest when you are finished. Also, I want you to order a larger shipment of Igisia roots as soon as possible." I instructed, also asking for the brewing directions, before turning and leaving. I would need to find Robar but I suspected he was somewhere about already waiting on me, before heading to the Red Keep to find out what the King wanted from me.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone