GOT: Chapter 371/372

Chapter 371: Twists and Turns (Part 1)

To be honest, with the story's direction changing so drastically, the fact that Varys still appeared before Daenerys as if nothing had changed already made Aegor feel uneasy and suspicious. But he had to temporarily focus his energy on the Queen, with no time to think about the details. Who knew, Aegor didn't want to bother with Varys, but the spymaster decided to make the first move against him, and it immediately knocked him off balance.

Aegor felt annoyed, but he knew the other party was likely not fabricating slander. The matter of the Dragon Hunting Ballista should be true. Yet this was not the fault of himself, Nina, or any of the mid-to-high level decision-makers of the Night's Watch Industry. The Industry still sent financial reports and operational details regularly to the Gift without reservation, but he could not put aside the primary task of establishing defenses in the Great Gorge to find time to look at such "unimportant" documents. Not to mention, the Dragon Hunting Ballista was likely just one item in the Industry's normal military production, and even if he read the report, he would likely ignore such details.

To put it mildly, this matter was just a necessary outcome of normal operations. To put it strongly, it could be blown up into "aiding the enemy." It all depended on how Daenerys thought. The initiative was lost, and finding a way to remedy it quickly was the right thing to do. The Night's Watch Commander, suddenly questioned, quickly organized appropriate defensive words, but before he could speak, a second unexpected voice came first:

"Commander Aegor is in the Gift, he likely can't manage his subordinates in the South. The False King is powerful in King's Landing, and his demands are probably hard for anyone to refuse. A small accident occurring is understandable."

The words were quite fair, but the speaker's identity was too strange, so much so that everyone's gaze instantly focused on the source of the voice.

Anyone had the right to hold their own opinion. This explanation, if spoken by Aegor, by Melisandre standing behind Aegor, by Moqorro, Petyr, Missandei, or even anyone else in the room, would just be a matter of stance and perspective. But it unexpectedly came from the mouth of the person who should least be saying it, Daenerys Targaryen, seated on the throne.

As the ruler of this place, the Queen whom Varys served, Daenerys was the host. An advisor questioning a visitor was, at least on the surface, meant to ensure the Queen was not deceived or tricked, to protect her interests. Even if she, the host, did not want to make things difficult for the guest, she should at least go through the necessary formalities, listen to Aegor's defense, and then accept and acknowledge it. How could she preemptively answer with such confused positioning, crossing the line of identity, rushing to help the outsider explain, and putting Varys, her own person who raised the question, in an awkward situation?

Daenerys, stared at by everyone like this, also suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing. It wasn't that her emotional intelligence was so low that she didn't understand basic social rules. It was just that part of her mind was still caught on the Gift the other party had given, and another part was immersed in the joy of having such a reputable figure come to her immediately upon returning to Westeros. Not wanting this friendly meeting to go wrong, her thoughts were elsewhere, and she blurted out what she was thinking.

Of course, words once spoken could not be taken back. Since the water was spilled and could not be retrieved, Daenerys simply decided to act like a stubborn Queen. Anyway, no one in the room dared to criticize her openly. Her face burned hot. After forcing down her embarrassment and coughing, she straightened her face and pretended nothing had happened. "Hmm, that's true… Commander, how do you explain this?"

Explain? You have already spoken for me first, what else is there for me to explain?

Aegor had no idea that the Queen already knew and expected things about him from Moqorro, and he was bewildered by this over-the-top show of goodwill, falling into even greater confusion than when he was just cornered by Varys. From the moment he entered, he had sensed the atmosphere was strange. He was not the King in the North, yet the Queen not only received him quickly and solemnly in person as soon as he arrived, but even her initial attitude seemed too friendly, completely unlike a mature ruler meeting a stranger. And that strange preemptive answer just now pushed this strangeness to the extreme.

If she had finished reading The Prince that he sent and considered him a confidant, thus causing her goodwill towards him to skyrocket, that would be understandable. But Aegor clearly saw that the Queen had only lifted the silk cloth and glanced at the cover, not even turning the first page.

How can someone get hooked before even taking the bait?

To say Daenerys was playing some trick to set him up would be overestimating himself as the Night's Watch Commander. Was it because he also carried a prophecy aura, so the Mother of Dragons fell in love with him at first sight? Or were the side effects of her True Dragon blood causing mental abnormality starting to show early signs?

…

Aegor muttered inwardly, but at least did not show it on his face. One reason had already been stated by the Queen, so it was naturally inappropriate to simply repeat it. He had to start thinking from scratch, looking for other angles of defense. Because Daenerys was so attention-grabbing, he only now remembered to observe the others beside the Queen while thinking. A row of identically dressed Unsullied made it impossible to tell if Grey Worm was among them. The young girl who had just announced the names and presented the Gifts was obviously Missandei, anyone could tell. He had seen Varys twice from afar when he frequently entered and exited the Red Keep, and Petyr he had met once as well. Only the dark-skinned man in a red robe who always stood in the corner as if melting into the shadows left Aegor unable to figure out his background.

Perhaps, having a Red Priest assisting was standard issue for Prophet candidates? Was the Red God's Church ensuring they didn't miss the right person by casting a wide net? He also didn't know if this Red Priest had the same kind of relationship with Daenerys as Melisandre had with him.

Afraid of overthinking and making mistakes, Aegor quickly reined in his thoughts, calmed his mind, and began to defend himself.

"Replying to Your Majesty, although the Night's Watch Industry has 'Night's Watch' in its name, it is not a subordinate of the Night's Watch. Its operational staff and workers are selected and recruited from the Crownlands and even the Seven Kingdoms, not drawn from the sworn brothers of the Wall." Although the other party's strange behavior just now made Aegor somewhat worried about the Queen's mental state, it at least made him confident in his defense. It was obvious that the Queen would accept whatever explanation he gave. "Rather than saying it is a part of the Night's Watch, it is better to say it is an organization spearheaded and organized by myself, jointly founded by nobles and ambitious people from all over the Seven Kingdoms who contributed funds and effort. Part of its profits support the Wall's defense construction, thereby preventing the Black Cloaks from weakening to the point of forced disbandment. Its task is actually to take on the function of the few remaining residents of the Gift, to 'support the Night's Watch,' avoiding adding financial pressure on the North or the Iron Throne. The Night's Watch benefits from its existence, but it is not controlled by the Night's Watch. Although I am the Night's Watch Commander, I do not directly command it. The situation of conducting weapons trade with King Stannis was truly an accident, and I will deal with it as quickly as possible, cutting off the parts of the Industry that have cooperative relationships and military dealings with King's Landing's defenders, and continue to maintain the neutrality that the Night's Watch should uphold."

Nicely put. But cut it off? All production and operations were conducted almost entirely within the "Black Wall" of the Long Night Industry Park, how could it be cut off? Moreover, the design and improvement of the Dragon Hunting Ballista were almost entirely done by the Night's Watch Industry's R&D department. Wouldn't this initial investment of technology and brainpower count for nothing?

If he wanted to continue making things difficult for Aegor, Varys, who held a large amount of information and insider news, had thousands of ways. But Daenerys's friendly posture was already so obvious, why bother making things awkward for himself? After all, his opening just now was only to reinforce everyone's impression of his omniscience, not because he felt this Night's Watch Commander posed any threat to his own plans and schemes.

Daenerys didn't rush to speak this time. Only after confirming that none of her ministers had anything to add did she breathe a sigh of relief. "Alright, Commander, I believe you providing heavy ballistae to King's Landing was not entirely out of personal will. But since you are not here to swear allegiance to me, what is the purpose of this visit?"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 372: Twists and Turns (Part 2)

It seemed the Queen was impatient. After a slight hesitation, Aegor decided to ignore the two consecutive surprises and stick to his plan. "In the North, White Walkers, who have not appeared for thousands of years, are bringing an army of the dead to our gates. An unprecedented war is about to begin. The Night's Watch has made countless preparations for this, but only one thing is not yet in place, a substance that can restrain the White Walkers, which is currently being manufactured day and night in the Long Night Industry Park, eagerly awaited by everyone."

Petyr could never have guessed that this harmless-looking Night's Watch Commander before him was the instigator of the note incident he had been so desperate to uncover. At this moment, Littlefinger had not had time to scheme beyond solidifying his position as the Queen's Hand. He frowned, thinking another opponent trying to persuade the Queen to delay the attack on King's Landing had appeared. "So, you want us to postpone the attack on King's Landing to avoid affecting the Night's Watch Industry? That is impossible! Your Grace has been back in Westeros for some time now. If we don't quickly find a way to prove yourself…"

"Lord Petyr," Aegor recalled. When Littlefinger fled overseas, the Industrial Park was still in its infancy. His impression of the Night's Watch Industry was probably still stuck on the First Office opposite the City Watch's East Camp in King's Landing. "The Long Night Industry Park is not inside King's Landing, but several miles southwest of the city, right next to the Blackwater River and surrounded by high black walls. Because it is so close to King's Landing, it might not show up on a map… but in actual combat, as long as the army commander gives the order in advance, the soldiers cannot possibly mistake it for the real target."

Petyr felt relieved and stopped interrupting. He was now putting all his energy into persuading the Queen to attack the Seven Kingdoms as quickly as possible. As long as Aegor was not here to oppose him on this point, he naturally would not appear inexplicably like Varys to question the visitor. Not making enemies without reason was Petyr's principle for dealing with the world, especially with someone of Aegor's power and resources. The more friends, the easier the path. And for a high-level player like Littlefinger, "friends" held several more layers of value and meaning than for ordinary people. With every one made, there was one more unfortunate soul whose value could be exploited, one more scapegoat to betray, one more sacrifice to offer at a crucial moment.

"I understand," Daenerys also roughly grasped what Aegor wanted. "You hope that in the process of reclaiming King's Landing, I can avoid affecting the Industrial Park you mentioned as much as possible, so as not to delay the Night's Watch's production of that substance that can 'restrain the White Walkers.'"

"Your Grace is wise." Aegor found that even after standing there for a few minutes, he still could not adapt or ignore the powerful aura around Daenerys when looking directly at her. "The Night's Watch resists the enemy of all living beings and protects the Seven Kingdoms themselves. No matter who sits on the Iron Throne, they would never want to rule Seven Kingdoms full of scorched earth and wights. I believe with the Dragon Queen's wisdom and reason, she will understand the starting point of the Night's Watch's efforts and agree to this small request that does not harm your interests in the slightest."

"You are very good at flattering others, Commander, but it is no use on me." The Queen smiled sweetly. This was a lie, she had heard countless praises far more nauseating and elaborate than this. "I will not forget that if the Night's Watch cannot stop the dead, the North will be the first to suffer, and the North supports my enemies."

Daenerys only smiled casually, but in the man's eyes, she seemed to instantly gather all the charm in the world. If her usual state was a ten for beauty and a ten for bearing, then this dynamic expression multiplied those two tens into a hundred percent temptation. Aegor had never imagined that the saying "a single smile can bring forth a hundred charms" could have such a vivid real-life interpretation.

Contrasting with the strong physical attraction he felt was the sudden surge of intense fear in his mind. Aegor suddenly realized that he had actually developed the impulse to abandon all long-term plans, kneel before the Dragon Queen's skirt as a sycophant, push all his resources and power into the game, and pour everything into helping her win the Iron Throne, just to get close to her. The self-control he had once been proud of, the ability to "keep his dick in check," seemed so incredibly fragile before the tangible, no, the substantive charm cheat of the Plane's Daughter.

Aegor suddenly thought of a sentence that seemed completely unrelated to the current situation: in online games, free players are also part of the paid players' gaming experience.

In this vast fantasy world of Ice and Fire, in the great game played by the Lord of Light and his nemesis, could he be playing the role of that free player, that tool, everything he fought so hard to achieve just to pave the way for Daenerys after meeting and becoming infatuated with her today, becoming part of the "service" provided to the true Prophet?

Could the kind of love that reason found hard to suppress, which he was experiencing at this moment, be the result of interference from R'hllor at the subconscious level?

Fortunately, even if the guess was true, being charmed was different from being manipulated. At least Aegor still had control over his body. At least he sensed something was wrong, unlike the likes of Jorah Mormont or Daario Naharis, who fell completely in without even realizing how pathetic it was.

"Lord Varys, I have heard that your eyes and ears are all over Westeros, and your intelligence gathering ability is unmatched throughout the Seven Kingdoms." The inner tremor when looking directly at Daenerys was particularly strong, so Aegor had to shift his attention and return the favor to the questioner from a moment ago. "You must not have forgotten the matter a year ago when the Night's Watch captured a living wight and sent it to King's Landing for the nobles and lords throughout the Seven Kingdoms to witness with their own eyes."

Varys could not lie about something so well-known. He maintained his smile and nodded. "That is true."

"Is it true that wights are not afraid of ordinary weapons, and cannot be completely killed by piercing the heart, cutting off limbs, or even severing the head?"

"True." Varys maintained his smile without a ripple. "That brilliant and grand commercial performance by the Night's Watch Industry left me in awe, Commander. By relying on that 'wight execution' spectacle and the subsequent frantic selling of dragonglass products to earn enormous profits, the money you have made this year is more than all the appropriations and donations received during your predecessor's ten-year term."

"That is my ability, and not a single copper coin I earned was stolen from the Queen. Moreover, Lord Varys, why don't you mention that I have killed more White Walkers than the previous nine hundred and ninety-seven Commanders combined? War requires money, and every penny the Night's Watch earned from selling dragonglass has been invested in building up the defenses of the Wall." Aegor spoke self-righteously; he had no guilt on this point. "Your Grace, you say the North supports your enemies, and that cannot be refuted. But the Stark family gathering the Northern army will not exceed thirty thousand at best. Do you want to make enemies of these thirty thousand ordinary people who can be harmed by swords, and whose numbers can be reduced by plague, hunger, and fear, or do you want to wait until the White Walkers break through the Wall and ravage the North, and then deal with a million wights who are impervious to blades, tireless, relentless, and will not stop until every living person in the world is killed?"

"But I heard wights are afraid of fire," Daenerys replied dismissively. "It is a shame Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion are out hunting. Otherwise, I would be happy to show the Commander some dragonflame."

"I heard that the fire expelled from a dragon's mouth comes from a liquid secreted by a gland in its chest. I have not had a chance to verify it," Aegor responded without hesitation. "But true or false, I believe it is impossible for dragons to breathe fire endlessly. A million wights, three dragons could not burn them all even if they spewed out the acid in their stomachs. Perhaps you could burn for one day and rest for two, eliminating tens of thousands of wights and then continuing after two days' rest, but once the wights cross the Neck and enter the Riverlands, the Crownlands, and the Reach, one million will quickly become two million, five million. Eventually, death will swallow the entire world, leaving behind only a useless iron chair that no one will contend with you for."

"Hmph." Daenerys stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly let out a light chuckle. "Commander, your eloquence is indeed well known, but at this critical moment, save your breath for idle chatter. Your request is not excessive, but ordering the army to bypass your small park when attacking King's Landing seems like a simple matter of a single sentence, yet in practice, it will waste a considerable amount of time and energy for my officers. Therefore, I also want something in return. Like your request to me, this matter is merely a small effort for you, but it holds great significance for me."

The Queen rose from the rough and simple stone throne, which her ancestors and her current enemy Stannis had both sat upon, and walked slowly and gracefully down the steps. "I want you, as Commander, to publicly announce to the noble lords of Westeros that the Night's Watch recognizes me as the sole legitimate ruler of the Seven Kingdoms."

(To be continued.)