Chapter 47

"You're going to the Hornwoods once again?" his aunt asked, looking slightly concerned.

"I need the clay and coal from them in order to make bricks." He said with a shrug.

"Coal. They don't have any coal mines." His aunt said with a frown as she tried to work her memory.

"That's because they don't. At least not yet." He said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I wanted to search for Coal within my lands as coal is one of the best fuel available to us at the moment. But there were no coal deposits within my lands." He said with a shrug "When I finally found the Coal deposits, I realized that it was not within my domain."

"Those deposits fell under the Hornwoods?" she asked, understanding the context and he nodded.

"They have three different coal deposits within their lands. Do you understand what that means?" he asked.

"What?" she asked with a little annoyance.

"It means three different coal mines. Three different sources of fuel. And three more reasons why I plan to create a supply line from the Hornwood lands to Dreadfort." He said "After all, we are already buying timber from them for paper and ships. And I need the coal from their lands. So why not buy clay from their lands as well."

"Wood, Coal, Dirt. It seems like the Hornwoods have everything." She said with a groan and he shook his head.

"Not at all." He replied "We have far more iron mines within our lands than the rest of the North and Riverlands combined. Not to mention the Silver and Copper mines. In fact, we have many things that the Hornwoods don't and probably will never have. And with the creation of the new factories within my lands, our wealth and power will only continue to grow."

"If you don't bankrupt yourself first." She said with a sigh and he let out a chuckle.

"Don't worry. It may sometimes look like I'm wasting my wealth on unnecessary things like the Expedition North of the Wall or selling the Valyrian blade in exchange for skilled men or using the Maesters under me to educate people. But believe me, all of the things that I do will bring huge returns to our house in the future."

His aunt gave him a nod and he nodded back before he rode on Fenerir, a real adult direwolf he had found in the Expedition North of the Wall and left for Hornwood with 50 of his most trusted men along with Baka and Varko.