RoWE - Chapter 71

Chapter 71: The First Bond

"Debtor: Night's Watch, Purchaser and Creditor: Jaime Lannister, Purchase Amount: Two Hundred Gold Dragons, Date: Year 298 After Aegon's Conquest."

Muttering to himself as he wrote, Tyrion quickly filled in most of the blanks on the bond. Just in time, Jack, who had left early to run errands, returned to the Night's Watch office after completing the two tasks Aeg had assigned him. bringing back the seals that Aeg and Tyrion had ordered. This first bond could now be completed without regrets.

"The boxes on the back are for when you're short on money and need to transfer the bond. Write the date of endorsement, the signatures, and fingerprints of the original holder and the recipient, and you can sell the bond to someone else."

"I've never known what it's like to be short on money." Jaime said indifferently. obviously, no one in the room doubted this.

"I believe you, but let me finish my lines and practice a bit." Tyrion finished everything and handed the bond to Aeg. "Alright, this first bond will have my signature and seal as a guarantor. Once the Night's Watch's credit is established, this step can be skipped. Here you go."

The "Chief Logistics Officer of the Night's Watch" nodded and signed his name in the transaction officer section: Aeg West.

***

"West," a surname chosen after consideration at Tyrion's request. The dwarf told him: People in Westeros place great importance on surnames. If Aeg wanted to raise funds from the middle and upper classes in King's Landing under the title of the Night's Watch's logistics officer, not having a basic "surname" would create a great sense of insecurity among the nobles and the wealthy, invisibly adding resistance to the fundraising plan. he not only needed a surname but one that was sufficiently localized and didn't sound out of place.

Tyrion didn't offer many opinions on the entire plan, but each one was quite useful. After some thought, Aeg agreed with his idea. Thus, after obtaining a name of unclear meaning from the farmers who captured him, which was suspected to be a homophone for "egg," Aeg finally took control of his surname.

"West," a homophone for "Western", hinting that he came from beyond the Sunset Sea. He didn't want to have to emphasize and explain to every client that he was from "Caina" and was a foreigner, hence the unique surname. This explanation was effective in attracting Tyrion's and Arya's attention, but it was the opposite when trying to borrow money from the people in King's Landing, who had long lost their desire for knowledge and curiosity.

Hopefully, this very local-sounding surname could make up for some of the disadvantages of his appearance, which differed from the locals and made him seem out of place.

***

With everything filled in and signed, Aeg took out the seals that he and Tyrion had ordered two days ago from the bag Jack brought back. He pressed them into the ink pad that had already been prepared on the desk and firmly stamped them onto the front of the bond: Tyrion's personal seal was conventional, with his name and surname, while Aeg's seal bore the words "Night's Watch Logistics Department." In addition, the seal's edge had a serrated pattern that Aeg had specially requested, mimicking the crenellations of a castle wall, making it very eye-catching and easily recognizable.

The three of them pressed their fingerprints at the bottom of the bond. Aeg wrote the password in the blank space of the bond and covered it with melted sealing wax, then pressed it with the newly arrived wax seal. He blew on it to cool it, and with that, the world's first valid Night's Watch bond was completed.

This small piece of paper had three levels of anti-counterfeiting measures:

The "low-level anti-counterfeiting" was the high-quality parchment used for the bond, the content copied by Tyrion, and the signatures and seals of the individuals. As the game grew larger and more bonds were issued, the difficulty of forgery was obviously the lowest.

The "mid-level anti-counterfeiting" was Aeg's unique password sealing wax anti-counterfeiting seal. The sealing wax had great adhesiveness and, once cooled and formed, would tightly adhere to the parchment. The pattern of the Wall itself was a low-strength anti-counterfeiting measure. The so-called "password" covered by this layer of wax was actually Aeg's copy of the borrower's name, date, and amount in Chinese, a unique string of characters that would never be repeated. The "password book" was in Aeg's mind, and only he could distinguish between true and false. The people of Westeros, who couldn't read Chinese, even if they forcibly peeled off the wax or melted it with high heat to see the contents below, would absolutely be unable to deduce the password of another bond from one bond's password. although it wasn't as reliable as fingerprint anti-counterfeiting, adding a place of increased difficulty to forge at a lower cost could also deter many who might have fanciful ideas about counterfeiting bonds.

The "high-level anti-counterfeiting" was the fingerprints of the three parties involved. In this era, fingerprints were not yet recognized as a means of identification, but Aeg knew their value. The fingerprints of Aeg, Tyrion, and Jaime were unique and could not be forged. Even if someone managed to replicate the parchment and the seals, they would not be able to replicate the fingerprints without the cooperation of the original parties. This added a significant layer of security to the bond.

With the bond completed, Aeg handed it to Jaime. "Here you are, Ser Jaime. The first bond of the Night's Watch. Thank you for your support."

Jaime took the bond, examining it closely. "Impressive. You've thought of everything. I must admit, I'm curious to see how this will play out."

"We'll make it work," Tyrion said confidently. "With Aeg's brains and my resources, we'll turn this into a success."

Arya, who had been quietly observing the proceedings, finally spoke up. "Can I have one of those bonds too?"

Aeg and Tyrion exchanged a glance. "Perhaps when you're a bit older, Arya," Aeg said with a smile. "For now, let's focus on your swordsmanship."

With the first bond issued and the initial hurdles overcome, Aeg felt a sense of accomplishment. The Night's Watch now had a new source of funding, and with Tyrion's and Jaime's support, they were off to a good start. But he knew the road ahead would be fraught with challenges. The game of thrones was a dangerous one, and he would need to be vigilant at every turn.

As the group dispersed, Aeg couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for what was to come. The first bond was just the beginning. There was a whole city of potential investors out there, and he was ready to take on the task of convincing them to support the Night's Watch.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Aeg set his sights on the future, ready to navigate the treacherous waters of King's Landing and secure the future of the Night's Watch.

As for the "high-level anti-counterfeiting," it was, of course, the fingerprints themselves. In this era in Westeros, forging fingerprints was an endeavor that verged on the impossible. Should Aeg be absent from the office in the future, his employees would only need to verify the authenticity of the fingerprints, rendering the password sealed beneath the wax irrelevant.

There was, however, a final layer of security: the meticulous records of bond sales kept within the office. This world, after all, was not devoid of magic and supernatural forces. Even if someone were to master the art of forging fingerprints and bypass all other anti-counterfeiting measures, creating bonds that could pass as genuine, they could only claim one or two loans. never a substantial sum that Aeg had never borrowed.

Jaime had his attendant bring in a pouch of money, which he then tossed onto the table, marking the first step in the deception Aeg had orchestrated in this world.

After paying the so-called "hush money," Jaime seemed to relax, his previously tense face softening, his tone losing its edge. After engaging in some idle chatter, he found an excuse to leave, departing the office with several followers in tow.

"You told me to target people close to me, and now I've targeted my own brother," Tyrion remarked.

"Sigh, your brother is naturally willing to support you, but he's not the ideal audience I'm looking for," Aeg replied, shaking his head. "Your House Lannister is too wealthy. Growing up in such an environment, Jaime has no sense of money. He admitted as much. he doesn't know what it's like to be short on money."

"I understand. I happened to run into Jaime on my way back to the city, so I brought him directly here," Tyrion said quickly, grasping the issue and frowning. "It was my oversight."

"It's fine. Now our funds have increased by two hundred gold dragons. forty-two thousand silver stags. two hundred ninety-four thousand copper stars, out of nowhere. And it's the best kind. the kind we don't have to rush to repay in the short term," Aeg joked, a jest only someone adept with numbers could appreciate, before changing the subject. "How did it go when you went to see that young papermaker today?"

"Well. let me say I'm impressed," Tyrion said, a smile appearing on his contemplative face. "You're almost prophetic. That young man makes paper by pulverizing and soaking the raw materials in water."

"Excellent," Aeg said, letting out a long sigh of relief. He narrowed his eyes and made a significant decision. "The one percent monthly interest we talked about is too low. When you bring people to buy the bonds, adjust it appropriately based on the situation. You decide the specific amount."

"Increase it even more? It's already seventeen percent annually!"

"If we just wanted to maintain a stable cash flow, seventeen percent would be too high," Aeg thought aloud. "But now the situation is different. The birth of new paper is a foregone conclusion. As long as we manage it properly, what we're going to do next. the money we can make is far more than seventeen percent."

"What are you talking about!" Arya, who had been sitting quietly for a while, complained loudly. She could understand every word the adults said, but she couldn't comprehend the conversation as a whole.

The conversation couldn't continue with the girl around. Aeg used the head pat technique, rubbing the girl's head, and said with a smile, "That's enough for today. Go back with the guard who brought you. See you tomorrow."

"But it's still early before sunset! I have nothing to do when I go back!"

"You might have nothing to do, but your master is busy. Be good. Go back and look through the clothes you brought from Winterfell. Think about how to dress yourself. Come back tomorrow in a prettier new outfit, and I'll tell you stories of wilderness survival."

"Hmm. alright," Arya agreed reluctantly. Aeg wanted to quickly close the gap with Arya, and Arya also wanted to behave well in front of her new swordsmanship teacher. The man's gesture reminded the girl of her bastard brother Jon. She pouted, felt sad for a moment, but ultimately decided not to make a fuss. "I'll go back then. Tell me more stories tomorrow, and the lesson time can't be shorter than today!"