Chapter 269: Saving the World Through Finance

Dany studied the short, bearded old man in front of her with surprise. She hadn't expected that someone who had been in seclusion, practicing magic all this time, would have such a clear and penetrating understanding of the situation in the Seven Kingdoms.

"Your evaluation of Tyrion is surprisingly high—very different from the common opinion about him in the real world."

"Sigh, if Tyrion had the looks and build of the Kingslayer, he would be the most terrifying man in the Seven Kingdoms.

You could say Cersei and Jaime inherited Lord Tywin's appearance, but Tyrion inherited his soul—and took his wisdom even further.

Your Grace, think about it—if he were truly useless, why would so many people go to such lengths to eliminate him?"

"Was it the Tyrells who killed Joffrey?"

"I don't know how involved the Reach was, but I swear before the Seven, Tyrion was innocent."

Dany gave a faint smile. "Anyone with a brain knows the Imp wasn't the killer. What I'm more interested in is who masterminded the Purple Wedding."

"Well…" The old man stroked his long beard, thinking aloud. "Lady Olenna and Queen Margaery were definitely involved. The poison was placed in the wedding cup shared by Margaery and Joffrey, yet only Joffrey died.

However, Sansa Stark is also a suspect. Joffrey hated her deeply, and she vanished from King's Landing immediately after the wedding—that's the key. A fragile young girl like Sansa couldn't have escaped the Red Keep on her own. Someone was helping her, and that person must also be one of the masterminds behind the Purple Wedding."

Dany asked, "Who do you think was behind Sansa?"

"I can't say for sure. The only one I can think of is Varys, but even that seems unlikely," the old man replied, shaking his head.

No wonder he was known as the number one schemer and manipulator in Game of Thrones—Littlefinger's thoughts and actions were so unpredictable, he committed countless misdeeds without ever drawing suspicion.

Even this wise old man from Oldtown, who had watched the tides of power shift for decades, hadn't paid much attention to him.

"Earl Leyton, even if you've sold out the Reach, that doesn't wash away your crime of plotting against me," Dany said calmly.

"The Hightower family wishes to atone. I, and my heir, swear allegiance to you. When you decide to reclaim the Iron Throne, all the military and financial resources of House Hightower in Oldtown will be at your service.

And there's my second son, Garth—he greatly admires you. When he learned the Citadel planned to assassinate you, he was ready to sneak out to warn you.

He's unmarried, and has no betrothal. I've currently confined him on the fourth floor of the Hightower.

If Your Grace is willing, I can exile him to Slaver's Bay under the pretense of punishment, where he will become your most loyal Kingsguard—just like my uncle, the 'White Bull' Ser Gerold Hightower."

Wow, this old man dropped to his knees without hesitation—he even offered up his own son.

Then again, becoming a Kingsguard is quite a prestigious future for a second son.

Dany frowned, lost in thought. Originally, she had planned to dismantle the Citadel, relocate it to the harsh northern lands, claim its books for herself, and send the archmaesters and maesters involved in the plot to the Wall in black. As for House Hightower—if not wiped out entirely, then at the very least, its direct male line would be executed, and its lands and titles stripped.

But she hadn't expected the old man of Oldtown to be so sharp—not only managing to contact her through the thinnest threads, but also selling out both his liege lord and his in-laws without a second thought.

Of course, Dany also understood: if the tide ever turned against her, this old man wouldn't hesitate to betray her too. But that's what nobles do—that's the rule of the game of thrones.

True loyalty is rare. That's why it's so valuable.

With a long sigh, she nodded. "I accept your loyalty."

When someone rises to challenge you, you must answer with iron and blood. But when they kneel, you must be the one to lift them up—otherwise, no one else will ever kneel again.

—Words of Lord Tywin to Joffrey in Game of Thrones.

Dany remembered them clearly. So she wouldn't imitate Joffrey the Mad King's son.

"House Hightower will go through fire and water for you, Your Grace, without hesitation!" the old man said passionately.

"I'm asking you—how much gold can House Hightower command? Be honest."

"Does Your Grace need money?" The old man hesitated.

Loyalty is cheap. Gold is hard to give.

"I need your loyalty," Dany said coolly.

Grimacing as though in pain, the old man gritted his teeth and spat out a number. "Three million. House Hightower can produce three million gold dragons in cash."

"Three million… that's not much." Dany thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Fine. Three million it is. I want you to immediately contact the merchants of the Free Cities and buy as much grain as you can across the Narrow Sea."

"Three million gold dragons… for grain?" The old man's eyes widened in disbelief. "That might wipe out half of Westeros' stored food! How many troops do you have? You need that much grain?"

"No. I won't start any wars in Westeros before this winter ends."

The old man's eyes suddenly lit up with understanding. "Your Grace wants the allied forces to run out of food?"

But then he shook his head again and warned, "That may be difficult. Setting aside whether the allied lords would be foolish enough to sell off their grain, the climate on Essos is warmer. The fields of the Rhoyne are vast and fertile. Even if Westeros falls into winter, they can still plant winter wheat there."

"Have you heard of the White Walkers beyond the Wall?" Dany asked.

The old man replied casually, "I've heard of them, but the maesters believe the Night's Watch exaggerates their stories to gain support from the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms. Most likely, it's just wildlings raiding the North again, like they've done for thousands of years."

"I'm in King's Landing right now. I'll return to the Wall soon enough and see for myself whether the White Walkers are real."

"You're in King's Landing?" The old man was startled and quickly said, "Are you here to contact King Aerys' old supporters? Your Grace, forgive me for saying so, but be very careful. There are few in King's Landing worth trusting."

His concern was genuine—he wasn't just afraid Dany would be deceived.

Hightower had just pledged allegiance to the Dragon Queen in secret. If she, in an effort to rally morale and win allies, revealed Oldtown's defection to other nobles, and that news leaked out, would the Iron Throne or the Reach ever forgive Oldtown?

If the Dragon Queen didn't act quickly enough, the Hightowers might be wiped out before she even made a move.

Dany frowned, annoyed. "Old man, are you senile? Didn't you catch the real point in what I said?"

White Walkers!

"I'm going beyond the Wall to find the White Walkers!"

"Heh, Your Grace, you won't find them," the old man chuckled dismissively, then nervously added, "You can win over the nobles, but don't tell anyone that House Hightower has pledged allegiance to you. I still hope to keep this old body useful and serve you loyally in the future!"

Dany rolled her eyes and said irritably, "The allied forces can't wait to rally the entire world against me. Doesn't that, in a way, prove how powerful I am? If I really wanted the Iron Throne, would I need to come to Westeros to gather a bunch of nobodies?"

The old man's face twisted. He wanted to shout: I am not a nobody!

But deep down, he breathed a sigh of relief—and even felt a bit proud: It seems House Hightower is the first great house in Westeros to swear allegiance to the Dragon Queen!

"Your Grace, why are you going to King's Landing?" he asked.

"To assess the situation there—and I met with the High Sparrow as well."

"The High Sparrow?" The old man was startled. "That man is a lawless and dangerous figure!"

"Heh, we hit it off immediately and had a delightful conversation. He even accepted my proposal and will begin buying large quantities of grain from across the Narrow Sea."

Hit it off immediately?

The old man's mouth twitched. He asked suspiciously, "What are you planning?"

"Let me ask you this: if the White Walkers are real, what would that mean?"

"The Long Night?" The old man shivered as he spoke the words. Then his eyes bulged in disbelief as he looked at Dany and said, "If the Long Night truly comes, there would be a winter lasting at least a generation. And you're buying up all the grain from the Free Cities... then the allied forces—"

So ruthless. So poisonous!

The old man's body went cold. The woman before him seemed more terrifying than Tywin—perhaps even more than the devil himself.

Seeing the fear on his face, Dany immediately guessed his thoughts. She gave a bitter smile and shook her head, "You've guessed wrong. I'm not trying to create a food shortage in the Free Cities."

"On the contrary, I hope to raise grain prices so that, within the next year or two, all the Free Cities will be pushed to the limit to grow as much grain as possible. If the Long Night comes, that extra food could save countless lives."

"This..." The old man was bewildered. "What do you mean? You'll give the grain back to them?"

"Do you know what futures are?"

The old man shook his head gently.

Dany asked again, "Then do you know how much gold I have?"

"Uh..." The old man paused, then hesitantly guessed, "A hundred million Gold Glory coins?"

"Heh, more than that. Just gold and silver alone, I have one hundred and fifty million Gold Glory coins—around fifty million gold dragons."

"Seven Gods above!" The old man grabbed the table beside him, nearly fainting.

"What are you planning?" he asked, lips trembling, completely lost.

"You and the High Sparrow buying grain in bulk will drive the price up significantly—fivefold, maybe tenfold. Meanwhile, one of my Queensguard is en route to Braavos. He'll go to the Iron Bank."

"He'll deposit all the gold and silver from Slaver's Bay there. With the Iron Bank's guarantee, we can pre-purchase grain from all the Free Cities."

"During this time, I'll take Dragonstone and announce to the world that, once the allied forces are repelled, I will lead 300,000 men across the Dothraki Sea, then the Rhoyne River plains, and finally reach Pentos."

"From Pentos, we'll sail across the Narrow Sea, use Dragonstone as our stronghold, and launch a campaign eastward to reclaim the Iron Throne that rightfully belongs to House Targaryen—no one will doubt it."

"And naturally, no one will question my motive for buying grain. Think about it: what would the grain prices look like then?"

If the High Sparrow and Hightower sweep up the existing stock, and then the Dragon Queen shows up buying in unlimited quantities...

"It might lead to the most terrifying prices in history," the old man muttered. "A hundred times, two hundred times—maybe even higher—because you're their enemy."

"Exactly!" Dany smiled and continued, "Because I abolished the slave trade in Slaver's Bay, and because the war with the allied forces is looming, East-West maritime trade has become extremely difficult."

"With seaborne commerce stalled and grain prices soaring, farming will clearly be the most 'profitable' venture."

"My gold is secured in the Iron Bank, and with their guarantee, merchants won't fear I'll default."

"At that point, I'll sign contracts with all the grain merchants—to purchase their grain for the next three years at the prices driven up by the High Sparrow and Hightower. I'll take as much as they can offer. They don't have to deliver immediately; it can stay stored in their granaries."

"I'll even swear that, even after defeating the allied forces, I will never break the contracts or send troops to seize the stored grain."

"With these guarantees, landowners and merchants will uproot all their cash crops, open up all available land, and push every farmer to the limit."

"If the White Walkers are real, and the Long Night does come, then three years from now, that stored grain could save hundreds of thousands, even millions of lives."

(End of Chapter)

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