16 Chapter 16

2 months later

"The Silver and iron mines are in operation. But the extraction of the ore is a slow process." Aunt Barbrey informed him and he gave a slight nod at her words.

"Have you sent riders to other villages telling the peasants about the work in the new mines and the hefty pay?" he asked.

"I have. But we don't have a lot of literate people in our midst so it'll take some time." She explained "Regardless. More and more people are coming to join the mines everyday and it won't be long before we'll be able to open the copper mine as well. How was journey to Braavos?"

"Good." He said with a sly smile "Very good, in fact. I borrowed 100,000 Bravossi gold coins from the Iron Bank. Then I stole 1,000,000 gold coins as well as two Valyrian steel daggers and a fossilized dragon egg that could easily be sold for 100,000 gold dragons itself."

His aunt raised an amused eyebrow at that "You know that stealing is a bad habit right Domeric?"

He simply shrugged at her words and replied "If they can't protect their gold properly then they don't deserve to have it."

She scoffed at his words "As if they would be able to protect anything from the champion of the old gods."

"I've told you before Auntie, I'm not a champion of the old gods." He said with some exasperation which only led her to roll her eyes at his words.

"You use a stick made of the heartwood tree. You spent half your time in the godswood and you have planted many Wierwood trees in the grove in order to try and make new Heartwood trees. And you yourself told me that you use the magic generated from the Heartwood trees. I don't see why you would be able to do that if you were not chosen by the Old gods." She said with a smirk as if she had solved a puzzle that eluded her up till this point.

"You're free to believe what you will." He said, not wanting to lie to her but not wanting to tell her the truth either. "Did you asked the other lords for miners?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yes." She said with a slight exasperation "The Karstarks and Umbers rejected our proposals immediately but we've made a deal with the Starks, the Manderlys, the Flints and the Hornwoods. But we'll only be able to open 3-4 more mines with the people they are going to send our way."

He thought about her words for a moment before nodding. He knew that even if he made deals with all the houses in North (which was essentially a pipe dream because of the bad reputation of House Bolton), he would not be able to open all the mines in his lands anytime soon.

Which was why he was going to Kings Landing next. In order to find a leverage that would allow him to make a deal with the Warden of the West and gain all the Miners and other craftsmen that he desired.

"Very well. By the way, did you gain the shipment of the 1000 cows and buffalos that I sent to you from Pentos?"

"Not yet. And I doubt it'll arrive here so fast. But I know what I have to do. Open an animal husbandry and take care of them. I know. I swear that I'll go grey with all the responsibilities and work that you're giving me." She said with mock indignation but he knew that she liked to remain active and order people around instead of sitting inside a castle and count the days.

"And the Wheat in the glasshouse?" he asked.

"It's coming along well." She said with a slight frown "When you told me about selective breeding and what not, I didn't really believe that it would work on plants as well. Horses, I can understand but not plants. But I can already see the results."

"And the result is?" he asked, curious despite himself.

"A wheat plant in the glasshouse is now able to produce three times more grain than the original wheat plant despite the plant itself being of a smaller size."

"Good. Keep it up and by the time I return we'll be able to start a farm of our own by hiring farmers and giving them buffaloes to tilt the land and new equipment that would make their job easier." He said with a smile while his Aunt frowned in distaste.

Despite willing to do a lot of things for him, she was still reluctant to deal with the peasants too much, or smallfolk as the lords and ladies call them.

But she was loyal to him if nothing else and he knew that he could trust her no matter what.

"If there is nothing else Auntie?" He said more than asked and upon her nod, he murmured a short 'goodbye' before closing the communication mirror.

He sat down on his room in the ship he had recently bought in Braavos. The Bolton lands still didn't have a port so he'll have to ask the Manderlys to allow him to dock it at White Harbor. At least until they make a port of their own in the Weeping Water River.