Chapter 17 MANDERLY

This chapter is dedicated to Magic_Potato, Jejnsjxncbcj, and Ovlerrr. Thank you for supporting the novel.

The seat of the Dustins was impressive, knowing that it was under a huge barrow which, according to legends, belonged to the first king of the First Men. Although, according to my vision of wealth, it is simply a hillside, which makes more sense than denigrating a great ancestor by building a castle over his grave. After some time at the castle, I met up with my brother's caravan, which had been traveling from Thorrens Square, The Rills, and finally Flint's Finger.

It seems that no heir joined his procession after the acceptance of Helman Tallhart. There are no heirs close to our age, and with only a few stops ahead, they didn't bother sending any representatives from their houses. I learned that Brandon completed the mission my father entrusted to him with great success, whatever that mission might be. He also informed me that he is now betrothed to Lady Barbery Rywell. I hope the changes in his behavior allow him to keep his commitments unlike in the original story. If not, I can always break his leg to knock some sense into him.

Our next scheduled stop will be with the Manderlys. Originally, we were to pass through Moat Cailin, where we would meet the Reeds to head to the Swamp. Unfortunately, with all the unforeseen events along the way, we ran out of time to visit the remaining castles in the north, and Brandon must go to his forresting. So only the hired workers and a few guards will go to Moat Cailin.

The rest of us will depart with the Manderlys. I still don't know if the heirs will take a ship from the port to their homes, but for now, some of them have expressed their desire to accompany me to Moat Cailin for a while. The journey to White Harbor was swift. Being one of the houses most focused on trade, they keep their roads as clear as possible. They also have some inns along their main roads, so it was quite a comfortable journey.

After a week, we arrived near our destination. Just before we arrived, Brandon handed me a letter from my father. Apparently, he wants Brandon to step aside and let me lead the group of heirs and guards. Once we reach the Manderly Lands, only five guards will remain in his service. According to Brandon, this is the last part of his mission.

The pale castle is built on a hill that rises above the white walls of White Harbor, and the Merman sigil of House Manderly waves from its towers. From the top of the hill, you can enjoy a clear view of the city's two harbors. The wide and tiered Castle Stairs is a white stone street that goes from the old Wolf's Den uphill to the New Castle.

"My lords, a pleasure to welcome you to our stronghold," spoke Lord Wendel Manderly.

Wyman is almost sixty years old, has an enormous belly, and fingers the size of sausages. Lord Manderly has pale blue eyes and is so fat that he can no longer ride a horse. He seems to have the same description as Wyman in the books, except he is bald and his countenance doesn't seem as kind. Now I wonder if the entire Manderly family is destined to be fat.

"The pleasure is ours, Lord Manderly," I replied, taking command of the escort.

"You arrived just in time for dinner, my lords. Also, Lord Eddard, I regret to inform you that you won't be able to meet my heir Wyman. A raven just arrived informing us that he is on his way to Braavos," he said, staring at me intently.

"No problem. If you don't mind, after dinner I would like a moment to speak with you," I responded.

"Yes, my lord, gladly. I have been informed that you are an excellent conversationalist, likely a friend without a doubt," he replied.

After a substantial dinner with all the heirs, Marwyn and I headed to Lord Manderly's solar.

"My lord, thank you very much for granting me an audience."

"No problem, Lord Stark."

"The reason for my visit is for three inquiries," I said as Marwyn stood up and handed him two blueprints.

The first scroll contained the results of my latest research on coating ships with copper plating, which prevents wear on ships from barnacles and other hull adhesions. According to my experiments, this could allow a ship to only need repair and descaling once a year instead of every five months. The most challenging part was getting the correct alloy for the nails and the thickness of the plate. The best part is that I don't need to build them together with the ship, just coat them afterward. So, the ships I acquired from Braavos only need to enter cleaning and could be coated.

The second blueprint depicted a construction near the harbor. It was a shipyard, but unlike the usual ones, much of its structure was in the sea. The same blueprints detailed that the main structure was made of metal, with stone columns going into the sea and extending underwater to the seabed. Large metal crossbeams extended across the ceiling, from which chains hung.

"I suppose this is the method you designed to carry out your idea, Lord Eddard," asked Lord Manderly.

"Indeed, Lord Manderly. However, the new shipyards will not only serve to coat our new ships but also to offer repair and cleaning services to the ships that sail here," I replied.

"Oh, quite an interesting idea, Lord Stark. Although not many ships want to dock here… usually the cleaning and repair of ships are done in Braavos."

"That's why there is the last project," I said as Marwyn handed him the last notebook.

After nearly an hour during which Lord Manderly was stunned looking at the final series of scrolls, he asked:

"This, Lord Eddard, is it feasible? Such a large project?"

"According to all our land studies, it is possible. It will take at least five years to complete, but it is feasible," Marwyn answered.

"Hahaha, a canal that connects both coasts, who would have thought? Originally, I wanted it to end at White Knife so your house could serve as a port, but unfortunately, that is not feasible. But even so, if we limit the number of ships entering the canal per day, we could force some ships to wait a few days docked at your port, making your repair services attractive to ships from Essos."

"I can see some issues with your idea of regulating the flow, Lord Eddard. We would need to build fortresses to guard the canal, and, pardon me, but it would be too expensive to have so many men under one house. Likewise, nothing will prevent them from trying to cross out of turn or demanding free passage always. Although if you are determined to regulate the traffic, I might suggest perhaps a chain to close the passage."

"I appreciate the suggestion, but I have considered that, Lord Manderly. People follow rules for two reasons: because of a power that enforces them or because of a necessity. Lord Manderly, I will create giant gates at both ends. That will allow us to control the flow of ships and also monitor the escape of fresh water from the river courses. Only we will know how to move them, so there is our power. As for necessity, if we convince the ships that transportation regulation is necessary to avoid drying up the canal and making the route unviable, we can convince people to wait their turn."

"As for the surveillance, I plan to erect watchtowers along the canal. While many men are needed, I intend to reach an agreement with the northern lords to send some guards to each tower. In exchange for attractive wages, I get watchmen and the lords get more trained guards for their houses, who can rotate."

"Wow, it seems you already have a good plan, Lord Eddard. I understand you want the coating and shipyards to be built in White Harbor. Now, if I may ask, what do you need from House Manderly in your canal effort? Or why show it to me? Financing, perhaps technical support and workers? I'm ashamed to admit, but House Manderly lacks both."

"No, none of that, my lord. I plan for the gold to come from the Iron Bank as a loan. As you can imagine, they would be one of the biggest beneficiaries if the canal gets built. As for the reason for telling you my plans, it is twofold. First, I would like to have a share of the income from the businesses that the canal will create on your lands. And second, how would you like to have your own pirate fleet, my lord?"

"Excuse me, I believe I do not understand, Lord Stark."

"Within the plans for the canal and the new trade routes, there is a situation that concerns me, my lord," I said while laying out a map and pointing to some islands.

"The Three Sisters," he murmured.

"The prosperity of the North will bring enemies, Lord Manderly, and the houses of the Three Sisters have always taken advantage of the ships sailing to the North. In recent years there have not been many pirates nor legal plundering in the form of passage tariffs, but as the traffic increases, I am sure pirate ships will reappear in the bay. That is why the best way to control the pirates is to have the monopoly on them."

"But, my lord, as I understand it, you will soon depart for the Eyrie. Wouldn't it be possible to reach an agreement with Lord Arryn to prevent this?"

"Hahaha, I would like to avoid it too, but the Arryns have never had firm control over those islands. So I plan to wear down the houses trying to eradicate our pirates, perhaps even becoming an option for them to hire when they decide to act."

"Even so, I don't understand why we would need a pirate group with all the risks involved."

"We need an excuse, Lord Manderly, whether for war or peace. If we control the excuse, we also control when to act. It will allow us to understand and have proof that it is the houses of the Vale that are acting and not just simple pirates."

"I understand, my lord. I will see to it. I will task Wyman with finding people and ships in Braavos."

"Do not worry about the people, my lord. I have that covered. As for the ships your heir purchased, they will sink along with some of ours on the way here. Lord Karstark will guard them in his new port for the moment."

"Speaking of my heir, my lord, it seems there was some deviation in the plans. While we managed to attract the attention of the Iron Throne, it appears we gained more than expected."

"Oh yes, I heard about the gold dragons your heir obtained."

"Not only that, my lord. It seems the King entrusted the North with some other tasks. My son informs me that when the King learned he was going to Braavos, he secretly tasked him with seeking a loan from the Iron Bank to hire some mercenaries and ships in secret. I am still not sure why he would trust him with that mission, but it seems he is preparing for something big."

"Hahaha, it seems he is more anxious than I thought," I mused.

We spent the next hour refining details of the projects, both public and secret. We also drafted a letter of intent for Wyman to take to the Iron Bank.

"Thank you for the information, my lord. If there is nothing more, I will take my leave."

"Good night, Lord Stark. You too, maester."

Once in my room, I could not help but smile at how well the talk had gone. And not only that, the rest of my projects finally seemed to be falling into place. Talking with astute lords is always a pleasure. I was prepared to give more explanations regarding my plans, but it seemed it did not matter much... of course, it is better for me to keep some cards hidden.

One of the strongest reasons for the pirate group was to control smuggling. If there's one thing I know from my old world, it's that they always find ways to bypass security controls for profits. I also know that corruption is inseparable from money, so if I manage to control the dark side that the project will bring, I will only generate more profits and have material for blackmail. Additionally, I will be able to prevent violence from erupting too much or corruption from taking away my control of the canal.

I also did not inform him that I plan for the gates to be operated by giants, as well as a series of steel gears of a new alloy. As for the water exchange and other structural details, Brandon's journal runes gave me an idea of how to achieve it without 21st-century technology.

Finally, Aerys took the bait and will now go to Skagos to fight our war, a war he is sure to lose. The pirates themselves will take care of that.

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Brandon the Builder's Journal

I left Westeros to learn more about the world, perhaps to see if any people had remnants of the old world. According to the stories, the descendants of the Fisher Queens began to settle by a river on the old continent, the Rhoyne. So I went there.

Their magic is strong though still untamed, tied to the water and the Turtle God. I learned new runes, some so interesting that they allow fresh and salt water not to mix, others that allow the river to carve its way through mountains and canyons and prevent it from overflowing.

My thoughts led me to the idea of combining our magic, but they will not give up their god. Their magic is tied to the Rhoyne itself and I am sure that, just as their ancestors perished when the great Silver Sea dried up, they may migrate again in a few years.

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I returned...

Hi guys, here is my offering, hahaha. Sorry for the interruption. I will offer you a chapter a week until I get used to my new job.