章節 37: Chapter 37 Meeting (2)
Valarissa entered the prepared study room, a spacious hall with a round redwood table and six chairs. Without hesitation, she took a seat and ordered, "Bring two more chairs!"
The guards promptly obeyed, adding two chairs beside Valarissa. Shortly after, the study door slid open, revealing Cerdic's, his two friends and Valarissa's other subordinates.
"Princess," they greeted with bows.
"Skip the formalities and take a seat," Valarissa said casually, and the five members, including Cerdic, Grace, Elena, Measter Alden, and Gideon, settled into their chairs.
Measter Alden and Gideon are two new measter send to the red keep, under the guidance of Measter Mellos, Valarissa requested for some assistance from measter Mellos and he send these two. Though not thrilled, they obediently followed their teacher's orders.
Leaving that side she glancing at the newcomers, Valarissa learned from Cerdic that both were former palace guards who served with him before his promotion to her personal guard. She was particularly intrigued by one of them, noticing the familiar Targaryen features.
"Introduce yourself to me," Valarissa ordered.
"I'm Rowen Stone, my Princess," said Rowen, showing excitement in his words and obvious features of the people of the Vale.
Valarissa nodded and then turned her attention to the other person. As he stepped forward, Alistair introduced himself, but she keenly noticed his resistance when revealing his last name. "Alistair Water, Princess," he said.
The last name "Water" indicated a connection to bastards or their sons in the Crown Lands, and judging by the knight's appearance, Valarissa was certain he was a Targaryen halfling.
Unlike other lords, Valarissa didn't judge individuals based on their birth. Whether they were bastards, nobles, or civilians, she saw no distinction. Her criteria were talent and loyalty.
"Both of you, I don't care about your pasts, loyalties, or last names. Once you take a seat here, you're all my subordinates, and to me, you're all equals. I seek only your loyalty to me, You'll receive your rewards, status, and honor, but betray me, and my sword will find its way into your heart. So think twice before you sit down," Valarissa declared with a serious tone, casting a meaningful glance at the two.
Rowen hesitated, but Alistair, seeing no disdain in Valarissa's eyes, confidently took a seat. This assurance prompted Rowen to follow suit.
Valarissa smirked with satisfaction, officially starting the meeting. "Let's begin this meeting."
She explained the purpose of their gathering—to discuss recent events in the kingdom and collaborate on addressing them. "Before I left for Dragonstone, I entrusted each of you with your responsibilities to ensure everything is in order."
Turning her attention to Elena and Grace, Valarissa inquired, "Elena, Grace, report! What about the recruitment?" The two glanced at each other before Elena began to speak.
"Princess Valarissa, the recruitment has progressed not so well but we did manage to recruit a total of 18,000 people enlisted, including 1,000 women of various age from 15 to 65, 5,000 men in an aged between 15 to 25, and the remaining above 25. As per your instructions, everyone who registered was given an worker ID, and detailed records were made," Elena explained.
Valarissa wasn't satisfied. "You must know, King's Landing alone houses more than four times the number of refugees and criminals than these 18,000 workers. Why are the numbers so low? Didn't you announce the remuneration for the work?" Valarissa inquired.
"We did, Princess, but..." Elena hesitated.
"Speak up; I don't have time to waste here," Valarissa spoke with some anger.
"Princess, the people were very suspicious of the remuneration. It was so generous that they didn't believe it, and later on, many rumors unfavorable to us also surfaced, making it even harder to recruit people," Elena explained.
Valarissa closed her eyes, a mix of anger and annoyance washing over her—annoyed by the people's foolishness and angry because she sensed someone pulling strings to cause trouble. A vague image of Otto's face crossed her mind, but she wasn't certain. Deciding to investigate later, she gave orders.
"Elena, continue recruiting people. As for the ones already recruited, record their names and transfer them to farmwork for reclaiming the land. These individuals will receive superior treatment—daily provisions of milk, meat, and eggs, along with extra wages compared to our initial offer."
"Princess, what can this achieve?" Elena inquired.
"Once the work starts, people will discern the false from the truth. They'll also realize what they missed by not believing in the Targaryens," Valarissa explained with determination.
"But Princess, if we give these people two different treatments, won't they..." Elena's words were cut short as Valarissa spoke with a serious expression. "Elena, it is what they get for believing some rumors over House Targaryen."
Elena sat down after reporting other related matters. Valarissa issued further orders, including assigning women who knew how to cook to the kitchen to prepare food for the workers.
With Elena seated, Grace stood up and reported on her part of recruitment, which involved recruiting outside King's Landing in different territories within the Crown Lands. This effort yielded a total of 25,000 people. Valarissa assigned these individuals to various smaller units and tasked them with different territories for work.
The next report came from Measter Alden, in charge of recruiting blacksmiths and carpenters to ensure an ample supply of tools for the workforce.
Alden proved quite competent in his role, not only gathering enough people but also successfully adapting and mass-producing many tools according to the plans Valarissa provided. As he spoke, Valarissa saw a glow in Measter Alden's eyes, recognizing that these tools were revolutionary for the era. Being a scholar, Alden could already foresee their influence on the world.
He continuously praised Valarissa while speaking, and she was satisfied to note that these two measters had set aside their initial resistance to work for her.
After Alden sat down, Measter Gideon stood up. Gideon was in charge of Valarissa's treasury, resource management, and the allocation of funds for various projects. Additionally, he handled negotiations with the lords of the Crown Lands.
Gideon began his report, stating that he had gathered various lords in the name of Valarissa and Rhaenyra, the heir to the Iron Throne, after two meetings. After discussions, all the nobles agreed to lend their land to Valarissa's project, and many lords were extremely cooperative.
The majority allowed Valarissa to use unclaimed and waste lands within their territory for free, while the rest were content with the offer of 25% of the harvest in their territory.
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