GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

"Debtor: The Night's Watch. Buyer and Creditor: Jaime Lannister. Purchase Amount: 200 Gold Dragons. Date: Year 298 of the Aegon Calendar..."

Tyrion muttered aloud as he wrote, his quill moving steadily across the parchment. Soon, he had filled most of the bond. Coincidentally, Jack, who had been sent on errands earlier, returned just in time, completing the two tasks Aegor had assigned him. Among the items Jack brought back was the official seal Tyrion and Aegor had ordered, allowing this first bond to be properly signed and finalized.

"These spaces on the back are for when you need to transfer the bond if you're ever short on funds," Tyrion explained. "You can endorse it by noting the transfer date, adding the signatures and fingerprints of both the original holder and the transferee, and then sell the bond to someone else."

"I wouldn't know what it's like to be short on funds," Jaime said nonchalantly. His tone made it clear that no one in the room would dare to question that.

"I'm sure that's true," Tyrion replied dryly. "But at least let me finish my routine of explaining the rules." After completing his meticulous writing, he handed the bond to Aegor. "Here, this first bond will include my signature and seal as the guarantor. Once the Night's Watch establishes its credit, we can skip this step. It's all yours now."

The self-proclaimed "Chief Logistics Officer of the Night's Watch" nodded and carefully signed his name in the designated space for the person in charge: Aegor West.

---

The surname "West" had been chosen after some deliberation, following Tyrion's advice. The dwarf had pointed out that people in Westeros placed great importance on family names. Aegor's role as the Night's Watch's logistics officer required him to solicit funds from the wealthier classes of King's Landing. Not having a proper surname would undermine his credibility and make potential investors uneasy, creating an invisible hurdle in his fundraising efforts.

Not only did Aegor need a surname, but it also had to sound natural and localized enough to put people at ease.

Tyrion, while leaving most of the planning to Aegor, offered a few key suggestions, and this was one of them. Aegor found the reasoning sound and agreed.

Ultimately, he decided on "West." While it wasn't perfect, it was simple, easy to remember, and had a certain resonance. It carried the implication of being "from the west of the Sunset Sea."

---

With the bond filled out and signed, Aegor reached into the bag Jack had brought back. He retrieved the custom seal he and Tyrion had ordered two days prior. Dipping the seal into the ink prepared on the desk, he pressed it firmly onto the front of the bond.

Tyrion's seal was a standard personal mark, featuring his full name. Aegor's, on the other hand, bore the words "Night's Watch Logistics Department" encircled by jagged lines resembling battlements, a detail Aegor had specifically requested. The design was simple but distinctive, lending an air of authenticity and authority.

The three of them—Aegor, Tyrion, and Jaime—added their fingerprints at the bottom of the bond. Aegor then wrote a hidden code in an empty space on the bond and dripped melted sealing wax over it. After pressing his seal into the wax, he brought the bond to his lips and blew gently to cool it.

And thus, the first official Night's Watch bond was completed.

---

This single sheet of parchment incorporated three layers of anti-counterfeiting measures: low, medium, and high.

The low-level anti-counterfeiting relied on the bond's basic materials and visible features: the high-quality parchment, Tyrion's handwritten content, and the signatures and seals of all parties. These measures were straightforward but also the easiest to imitate. As the bond scheme expanded and more bonds were issued, these details would inevitably become more vulnerable to forgery.

The medium-level anti-counterfeiting was the wax seal and hidden code that Aegor had devised. The wax was extremely sticky and adhered tightly to the parchment once cooled. The Great Wall pattern on the wax added a layer of visible deterrence, while the hidden code beneath was the true safeguard. This "code" was actually a string of characters written in English, recording details such as the borrower, date, and amount. Aegor was the only one who could read and verify these codes, as the knowledge existed solely in his mind.

Even if someone in Westeros managed to peel off or melt the wax, they would only uncover an incomprehensible string of symbols. These codes could not be guessed or replicated, making forgery incredibly difficult. While not as secure as fingerprints, this system was a cost-effective way to deter most would-be counterfeiters.

Finally, the high-level anti-counterfeiting was the fingerprints themselves. In Westeros, forging fingerprints was virtually impossible. Even if Aegor wasn't present in the office, his future employees could easily verify a bond's authenticity by comparing the handprints.

As an added layer of security, the office would maintain meticulous sales records. Even in a world with magic and supernatural abilities, no forger could create bonds that matched all the records. At most, they could fake one or two transactions, but large-scale forgery would be impossible.

---

After asking one of his followers to fetch a purse, Jaime casually tossed it onto the table. Aegor watched as the heavy bag of gold landed with a solid thud, marking the first step in his grand scheme.

Having paid what he likely considered "hush money," Jaime seemed visibly more at ease. His once-tense expression softened, and his tone grew less confrontational. After a few more polite exchanges, he found an excuse to leave, departing with his entourage.

…

"You asked me to swindle my own brother, and this is what we've got."

"Well, your brother may support you unconditionally, but he's not the target audience I'm looking for," Aegor said, shaking his head. "The Lannisters are far too rich. Growing up in an environment like that, Jaime has no real concept of money. He even said himself that he doesn't know what it feels like to be short on cash. Sure, he came here and bought bonds because of you, but he won't recommend them to anyone else. What I need are people with some financial means but not so wealthy that they're detached from the value of money. I need people who are drawn to our bonds for the rate of return, who see the interest as enticing, and who can bring in more buyers. What I need is a greedy person, not a donor. Do you get what I mean?"

"I understand," Tyrion said, frowning as he reflected on it. "I ran into Jaime while I was returning to the city and brought him straight here. I didn't think it through."

"It's fine. At least we've secured an additional 200 gold dragons—42,000 silver stags, 294,000 copper stars—completely out of thin air. And it's the best kind of money: the kind we don't have to repay anytime soon," Aegor said, opting not to press the issue too much with his partner and benefactor. Instead, he made a light joke only a numbers-savvy person could appreciate, then switched the topic. "How did it go with the papermaking boy today? What were the results?"

Tyrion chuckled as he thought back to it. "First of all, let me express my admiration. You're remarkably good at anticipating things. That young man does indeed make paper by crushing raw materials and soaking them in water."

"Fantastic." Aegor let out a relieved sigh, narrowing his eyes as he made an immediate decision. "The original 1% monthly interest rate is too low. When you're convincing people to buy bonds, feel free to increase it based on the situation. I'll leave the specifics to your discretion."

"You want to raise it even further? It's already at 17% annually!"

"If all we cared about was maintaining a stable cash flow, 17% would indeed be too high," Aegor thought, remembering how Madoff scammed Americans for two decades with a 10% return rate before collapsing. "But our situation is different now. The invention of new paper is inevitable. As long as we handle it properly, what we're about to accomplish, the profits we'll generate will far exceed 17%."

"What are you even talking about?" Arya suddenly interjected. She had been sitting quietly for a while, and now she burst out in frustration. She could understand every individual word the adults were saying, but not the meaning of their conversation as a whole.

What came next wasn't something the girl could be privy to, so Aegor used a classic distraction tactic. He reached out and gently patted her head, ruffling her hair as he said with a smile, "That's enough for today. Go back with the guard who brought you here, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"But it's still early! I'll have nothing to do if I go back now!"

"You might have nothing to do, but your teacher is busy," Aegor replied with a hint of playfulness. "Be good and head back. Look through the clothes you brought from Winterfell and think about how to dress yourself. Come back tomorrow wearing something new and prettier, and I'll tell you more stories about surviving in the wilderness."

"Ugh... fine," Arya said reluctantly. Aegor's attempt to connect with her was working, she genuinely wanted to impress her new swordsmanship teacher. His actions even reminded her of her half-brother Jon. She pouted slightly, sadness flickering in her eyes for a moment. But in the end, she decided not to argue. "Then I'll go back. But you have to tell more stories tomorrow, and the lesson can't be any shorter than today's!"

***

If we reach 10 reviews I'll drop 3 bonus chps.

For every 100 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 20+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.