LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 79: Chapter 79
"You're so slow, Master!" Arya jumped up as soon as Aegor entered and complained with dissatisfaction.
"Where have you been?" Tyrion frowned, giving Aegor a hard stare. "You left Miss Stark to watch the office and made customers who wanted to buy bonds wait for you! Ha! What a fine chief logistics officer of the Night's Watch you are!"
Damn. Aegor immediately realized the identity of the other two people in the room and quickly apologized. He had promised Tyrion he would stay in the office at all times but had broken that promise to secure Jaqen's release, nearly creating a disaster. That such a mistake happened at the very start of the bond campaign was inexcusable, even to himself. No wonder even the usually affable Tyrion sounded so sharp.
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"That's alright. It was quite pleasant chatting with Miss Stark," said one of the men Tyrion had brought. He had only come to give face to the Lannisters, but unexpectedly meeting the daughter of the Hand of the Seven Kingdoms had turned out to be a stroke of luck. With the Stark family's position and influence, such an encounter was rare for someone from his station. Waiting a while had been worth it.
"This is Ser Lian Brune, and this is Ser Roger Hogg—two noblemen from the Crownlands," Tyrion introduced them.
"Greetings, my lords. I apologize again for being late." Aegor greeted the two courteously and quickly straightened his clothes. "Please, come in."
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Making others wait while borrowing their money was never a wise move. If these two potential investors had expressed displeasure or walked away, Aegor could only have accepted it with a smile. Fortunately, Arya's presence had softened the situation. Both knights were polite, which gave Aegor a small sigh of relief. Spending time fostering a relationship with the youngest Stark was already proving to have unexpected benefits.
Leaving Akun to guard the outer room, Aegor invited the guests into the inner office for a detailed discussion. After introducing the bond system and answering their questions, both knights purchased 100 gold dragons each. Once the signing and sealing procedures were completed, Aegor exchanged some polite conversation with them before personally escorting them out of the office.
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"I understand that you're busy," Tyrion said once the knights had left, "but if you're going to leave, you need to let me know ahead of time. Better yet, set a proper schedule. Tell me which days you'll be here without fail and which days I shouldn't bring anyone. Is that too much to ask?"
Aegor nodded quickly, knowing he was in the wrong. For several reasons, he couldn't delegate the signing of bonds to anyone else, but he also had to leave the office from time to time for other matters. After giving it some thought, he realized he needed to establish set workdays and rest days.
"I've got some new ideas to discuss with you," Tyrion said, his tone softening. He wasn't one to dwell on mistakes. "You've seen that I can attract people. I know who has spare money, and who's easy to persuade. But even with all that, they'll only buy the minimum—100 gold dragons. Without something tangible to show them, you can't expect them to invest more. Words and promises alone won't make them spend their fortunes."
"That's true," Aegor admitted, "but once the first and second groups receive their returns—"
"That will take time," Tyrion interrupted, waving a hand. "My idea is to create something similar to a bond but focused on investment and cooperation. Write down agreements for future profits and dividends as a certificate."
"You mean… a new bond product?" Aegor caught on immediately. "An investment voucher, maybe? We calculate the funds needed to build an industrial chain, papermaking, printing, even bookstores and use the voucher to represent a shareholder's stake in those ventures?"
"Exactly," Tyrion confirmed. "It would complement the bonds we're already selling. Bonds offer a low return and can be withdrawn at any time. Investment vouchers, on the other hand, would tie the principal to the venture. They might yield much higher returns, but the money would be locked in. Investors couldn't withdraw it, only transfer ownership to someone else. That way, we cater to two types of people: those with some spare money who need liquidity and those with significant wealth looking for long-term opportunities."
"That's a great idea. Once the product is ready, we can create some high-quality samples to attract investors," Aegor agreed but couldn't shake a vague sense of unease. "You'll handle the business side and operations, and I'll focus on the technical and creative aspects. I'll also visit Nina frequently to oversee their progress on papermaking improvements."
"Good."
Taking a deep breath, Aegor suddenly understood where his unease stemmed from: everything was moving too fast. Initially, he had only intended to run a simple Ponzi scheme to establish himself. Now, he was delving into financing and shares before even paying the first round of interest. Could someone like him, with his limited experience and resources, truly control the beast of capital?
He wasn't confident, but there was no turning back now. Unless he chose to betray Tyrion, pocket the money, and flee across the Narrow Sea to live in obscurity, his only option was to push forward.
This... must be the mental journey every entrepreneur goes through, he thought grimly.
Thankfully, he had the advantage of operating in an undeveloped market, with almost no competition, and had a resourceful Lannister as his partner.
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"Have you two finished talking yet? Are we practicing today or not?" Arya interrupted, clearly fed up. She hated discussions about bonds and shares. Aside from knowing they were related to money, she didn't understand a thing. What she did know was that she had spent the entire day waiting and doing nothing. "Those two guys just now… they kept asking me questions! Then they started asking if I was married or if I liked anyone. It's none of their business!"
"Well, it is none of their business," Tyrion said with a laugh. The two knights he had brought in were relatively wealthy, but Arya Stark's status was far beyond their reach. Even if she were to marry, it would be to a powerful earl or marquis, not someone like them. Still, Tyrion couldn't fault their curiosity. "Your sister Sansa is already engaged to Prince Joffrey. For the next century, the Starks will be one of the most powerful families in the realm. Of course, the marriage of the queen's sister is going to attract attention."
"Tsk, Sansa's such an idiot," Arya muttered, crossing her arms. "She's perfect for Joffrey, that lying jerk. I don't want to end up like her!"
Aegor cheered internally but couldn't let her continue. "Where's my little lady apprentice? Don't say such rude things!"
"Hmph." Arya pouted but suddenly grew quiet, her thoughts drifting elsewhere. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of Mycah, the butcher's boy who had practiced swords with her before his untimely death. She sniffled and stayed silent.
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Yes, Sansa is already engaged to Joffrey, and Eddard is not only the current Hand of the King and Robert's sworn brother but also the father-in-law to the future king. It's likely that even Eddard himself didn't fully realize that this connection was part of what gave him the confidence to come to King's Landing, despite knowing the dangers that awaited him.
Unfortunately, in the original timeline, after being lured by Littlefinger, Eddard quickly uncovered the truth about Cersei and Jaime's secret. What had been his greatest source of confidence turned into his greatest threat. With Eddard's unyielding pride, there was no way he would allow his beloved daughter to marry the product of incest, especially the illegitimate child of Jaime Lannister, whom he loathed above all others. However, his unwavering sense of "honor" wouldn't permit him to harm the children. Trapped in this conflict, Eddard's every move after that inevitably led to disaster.
Thinking about this, Aegor's thoughts shifted to the rumors he had spread several days ago. Out of caution, he hadn't shared this plan with anyone before or after carrying it out. He hadn't even tried to probe the situation indirectly. Given how preoccupied he'd been with other matters recently, he might have completely forgotten about "dealing with Littlefinger" or "preventing the War of the Five Kings." If things continued down the same path and the war broke out as in the original plot, it would lead to nothing but trouble for him.
He needed to know now whether the rumors had gained traction, so he could decide whether to take additional steps to destabilize Littlefinger's position.
"Oh, right," Aegor said, pretending to have just remembered something. "I heard a rather nasty rumor circulating these days. I wonder if you've heard it too…"
"Are you talking about the rumor that Littlefinger poisoned Jon Arryn?" Tyrion interrupted with a smirk, curling his lips in disdain. "It's spread across the entire city already. Even I just heard about it this morning."
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