Chapter 61

They still couldn't rest even after nightfall. Aegor and Tyrion squeezed into their shared room, and under the dim light of a dozen candles, they began crafting the first-ever Night's Watch bonds.

A stack of the finest-quality parchment available in King's Landing sat on the table. After finalizing the content of the bonds through one last discussion, they began working. Tyrion's appearance might not inspire confidence, but his handwriting was elegant and refined. Aegor, on the other hand, had grown accustomed to using computers in his past life, and his handwriting—even if he could mimic the characters of Westeros—was subpar. As a result, the task of writing the first bond fell squarely on Tyrion's shoulders. The dwarf copied the draft carefully, word by word, without the slightest sloppiness perhaps the most effort he had ever put into writing anything, even compared to letters to his father, Tywin Lannister.

"Whew…" Tyrion exhaled as he carefully lifted the corners of the first sheet and blew on it to dry the ink. Setting it aside, he picked up a fresh sheet to continue. It had been a week since he returned to King's Landing, and for once, he hadn't visited a single brothel. He couldn't believe it himself—this sense of purpose, this work that filled the emptiness inside him, was almost intoxicating.

Aegor, seated across from him, was absorbed in revising a draft. The parchment before him was covered in scribbles, words struck through and rewritten. He wasn't yet satisfied. The bond itself couldn't hold every rule or detail; it was just a piece of paper. He planned to draft a larger poster to hang in the Night's Watch office, explaining everything clearly to visitors.

"Just jot down a basic outline for now and get some sleep," Tyrion suggested without looking up. "What matters isn't the bond's content but the signatures, seals, and anti-counterfeiting measures."

"Yeah, I'll hire someone to handle it tomorrow," Tyrion added.

"Hire someone to copy the bonds? Why bother? Find a shop to print them instead…" Aegor's words trailed off as he realized he didn't know how to say "print" in Westeros's Common Tongue.

"What are you trying to say?"

Aegor struggled to explain, resorting to gestures and examples, but Tyrion still didn't understand. Finally, Aegor said, "Imagine taking the bond's content and turning it into an oversized seal, then stamping it onto each piece of parchment."

"How clever! Why didn't I think of that?" Tyrion's eyes lit up. "Is this another one of your Tsenaar tricks? Your people are frighteningly innovative. Sometimes I'm grateful the Sunset Sea lies between us."

"Wait—Westeros doesn't have this technology? How do you produce books?"

"By copying them, of course," Tyrion answered casually. "There are scribes who do it for a living, painstakingly copying text for miserable wages…" His voice trailed off, and his expression shifted as realization struck. "Seven hells! Are you saying…"

Aegor came to the same conclusion. The reason he didn't know how to say "print" was simple: printing didn't exist in this world.

The two men stared at each other in stunned silence. Then, almost simultaneously, they thought the same thing: This is a business opportunity!

They immediately launched into a deeper discussion. Aegor asked Tyrion about the state of books in Westeros and quickly learned the shocking truth. Books in this era were copied entirely by hand, and their prices ranged from several silver stags to multiple gold dragons, depending on the neatness of the handwriting, the book's content and accuracy, and the quality of its binding. For some volumes, calling them "luxuries" would not be an exaggeration.

"Is this why Tsena is so advanced and powerful?" Tyrion mused aloud, his quick mind grasping the implications immediately. He realized how printing could revolutionize the spread of knowledge and culture. "This could change everything. We could open a printing house, sell books, and make a fortune. We could even fund it with the money from your bonds… No, we shouldn't wait. I'll front the money myself and get started right away!"

But Aegor shook his head. "It's not that simple," he said. "With Westeros's current level of technology, printing might not even be cheaper than manual copying. If we put in the effort to create molds but only print a few dozen or a few hundred books, we'd lose money compared to just hiring scribes. And if we print in large volumes, the real issue arises—who's going to buy them?"

Tyrion frowned but listened as Aegor continued.

"You're a man of learning and refinement. Of course, you'd hope for a world where everyone could read and appreciate books. But for now, we need to focus on making money, not cultural advancements. The money we raise has to create immediate value; otherwise, this becomes a Ponzi scheme that collapses under its own weight. We can't afford to print a bunch of excellent but highbrow books that no one will buy, even if they'd enrich the cultural landscape of Westeros in the long run."

Aegor leaned back and sighed. "To put it simply, we need to focus on practical opportunities. If we're not part of the ruling class yet, it's a waste of time to think about reshaping the entire world."

After pondering for a while, Aegor quickly identified several items that society urgently needed, ones with a massive market where printing costs would undoubtedly be cheaper than manual copying. Calendars, the Seven Sacred Scriptures, and ghost stories that were simple and entertaining for all ages! He could collaborate with institutions like the Faith of the Seven, local churches, or even bards to ensure the funds he raised were put to work effectively.

The idea came so suddenly that it caught him off guard. Excitement surged through him, and with a flourish of his quill, he crossed out an item on the original schedule.

"What did you cross out?" Tyrion asked, noticing the sudden change.

"I originally planned to limit the number of bonds issued," Aegor explained, his voice brimming with excitement. "If there's no real way to make money, the faster the fund grows, the quicker it collapses. But now that we have a project that can generate revenue, limiting the bonds is pointless!" He leaned forward eagerly. "We already know what to do with the first round of funds. First, we'll recruit people with seal-engraving skills. Not the master craftsmen from the King's Landing Seal Shop they're too expensive but apprentices or anyone with some experience will do. Next, we'll contact paper merchants. We need a large, stable supply of cheap paper. We finally have something solid to work toward!"

Tyrion smirked and folded his arms. "Huh. You were planning to limit the number of bonds? Are you seriously confident enough that people will beg to lend you money?"

"If things go as planned, I might even raise the interest rate. By then, people will line up from the Red Keep all the way to the Gate of the Gods to throw their money at me!" Aegor said, half-boasting but fully confident. He stood and stretched. "That's enough for today. Get a good rest tonight. Tomorrow, we'll split up to handle our respective tasks."

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In countless tales of world travelers, the protagonist always seems to effortlessly dig out their first pot of gold using knowledge from their previous world. But when it came to Aegor's turn, he realized how difficult it was to turn knowledge into money. He knew how combustion engines worked, how generators produced electricity through magnetism, and even how airplanes and spacecraft soared into the skies. But these advanced technologies were utterly useless in this medieval world. Knowing the principles was one thing, but building these machines was another—impossible, given Westeros's materials and industrial capabilities. Even something as small as a screw for an airplane was beyond what this world could produce.

Who would have thought that, just as he was feeling stuck, a casual conversation with Tyrion would reveal a golden business opportunity? The sheer backwardness of this world exceeded his expectations. To make money here, he didn't need the cutting-edge knowledge he'd imagined. Technologies and items that were commonplace or even obsolete back in his world were revolutionary innovations here!

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