Chapter 71

"Debtor: The Night's Watch. Purchaser and Creditor: Jaime Lannister. Purchased Amount: Two hundred gold dragons. Date: Aegon Year 298..."

Muttering as he worked, Tyrion quickly filled in most of the blanks on the bond. By sheer coincidence, Jack, who had gone out early to complete Aegor's errands, returned just then with the custom-ordered seals for the bonds. Now, this first bond could be completed without any missing elements.

"The grid on the back is for use if the bond needs to be transferred due to financial difficulties," Tyrion explained. "The transfer date, original owner, and new recipient will all need to be recorded with signatures and handprints for validation."

"I’ve never experienced financial difficulties," Jaime replied nonchalantly. No one in the room doubted the truth of his words.

"I believe you," Tyrion said dryly, "but humor me and let me get through my script, alright?" Finishing his writing, he handed the bond to Aegor. "Done. This first bond will bear my signature and seal as a guarantor. Once the Night's Watch establishes its creditworthiness, we can skip this step. Here you go."

Aegor, the "Chief Logistics Officer of the Night's Watch," nodded and signed his name in the designated spot: Aegor West.
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"West." The surname had been carefully chosen after Tyrion suggested that Aegor adopt a proper surname. As Tyrion explained, Westerosi society placed great importance on surnames. If Aegor intended to raise funds among the nobility and wealthy classes of King's Landing while using the title of Night's Watch logistician, presenting himself without a proper name would severely undermine his credibility. Moreover, a surname that sounded local and familiar was essential to avoid alienating potential investors.

Tyrion hadn’t offered many suggestions for the plan, but each had been sharp and invaluable. After some thought, Aegor had agreed. Thus, after acquiring a nonsensical first name from the peasant who’d captured him—one that vaguely sounded like "egg"—Aegor finally got to choose his own surname.

"West," a homophone of "west" in English, symbolized his origins from beyond the Sunset Sea. While the Common Tongue of Westeros differed from English in many respects, this surname was far more suitable than something like Aegor Zhang or Aegor Li. He didn’t want to explain to every client that he hailed from a faraway land called "Qaina," nor did he want to elaborate on the peculiarities of foreign naming customs. While these explanations had intrigued people like Tyrion and Arya, they would only alienate the wealthy and jaded elites of King’s Landing, who lacked curiosity and sought only profit.

Hopefully, this localized surname would offset some of the disadvantages his foreign appearance posed.
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The document completed, signed, and sealed, Aegor took the seals from Jack’s bag—freshly delivered—and pressed them into the waiting ink pad. Tyrion’s personal seal was simple and straightforward, bearing only his name. In contrast, Aegor’s seal read "Night's Watch Logistics Department" and featured a unique touch: a jagged border resembling the crenellations of a castle wall. Eye-catching and distinctive, it added credibility and security to the document.

Finally, the three men pressed their thumbprints onto the bond. Aegor then wrote a unique code in an empty space, sealed it with hot wax, and pressed the new wax seal firmly over it. After blowing on it to cool, he held up the finished product—the first legitimate Night's Watch bond.
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This seemingly unassuming piece of parchment featured three layers of anti-counterfeiting measures:

Low-Level Security: The bond itself was made from high-quality vellum, handwritten by Tyrion and filled out with signatures and seals. While this was the most basic form of security, it was also the easiest to forge.

Mid-Level Security: Aegor's innovative wax-seal code added a layer of difficulty for counterfeiters. The wax seal adhered tightly to the vellum, and beneath it, Aegor had written the purchaser’s name, date, and amount—in Chinese. This unique combination of symbols was impossible for anyone in Westeros to decipher, making each bond’s "code" virtually uncrackable. While not as secure as a modern fingerprint scan, this measure significantly increased the difficulty of producing a convincing forgery.

High-Level Security: The thumbprints of all parties served as the ultimate safeguard. In a world like Westeros, where replicating fingerprints was nearly impossible, this ensured the authenticity of the bond. Even if someone bypassed the other security measures, the thumbprint verification would expose any forgeries.

Additionally, the office kept meticulous records of every bond issued. In the unlikely event that someone managed to forge an exact replica, the internal logs would prevent them from claiming money Aegor hadn’t actually borrowed.

When Jaime’s servant placed a bag of gold on the table, Aegor felt the first step of his scheme solidify.
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Having handed over what was, in essence, hush money, Jaime visibly relaxed. The tension in his posture eased, and his tone softened. After some light conversation, Jaime made his excuses and left the office with his entourage.
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“Well, you wanted me to fleece my own family, and now I’ve done it,” Tyrion quipped.

“Your brother might support you,” Aegor said, shaking his head, “but he’s not my ideal client. The Lannisters are too rich. Growing up in that environment, Jaime has no sense of the value of money. He said it himself—he doesn’t even know what it feels like to be short on cash. He may have bought a bond because of you, but he won’t promote them to others. What I need are the ‘greedy’ types, not ‘donors.’ Do you understand?”

Tyrion frowned, realizing his misstep. “I see now. I should’ve thought this through.”

“It’s fine. At least we’ve increased our funds by two hundred gold dragons—forty-two thousand silver stags or two hundred ninety-four thousand copper pennies. And it’s the best kind of funding: money we don’t need to pay back anytime soon.” Aegor smirked and changed the subject. “So, how did it go with that young papermaker today?”

Tyrion’s face lit up with a grin. “You won’t believe it—he’s using a method where he crushes the raw materials and soaks them in water to make paper!”

“Perfect.” Aegor exhaled in relief. He quickly made a decision. “We’re increasing the bond’s monthly interest rate. Adjust it based on what you think will attract the right people.”

“Increase it? It’s already seventeen percent annually!”

“If all we wanted was a stable cash flow, seventeen percent would be too high,” Aegor thought, recalling how Bernie Madoff’s ten-percent returns sustained his scheme for decades. “But with paper production on the horizon, we’re on the verge of something far bigger. The profits will dwarf any percentage we promise on these bonds.”
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“Wait, what are you talking about?” Arya piped up, clearly frustrated at being excluded from the discussion. Aegor tousled her hair and grinned. “That’s enough for today. Go back with the guard who brought you and get some rest. Tomorrow, come wearing something new and pretty, and I’ll tell you a survival story.”

“Fine,” Arya pouted. She paused, then smiled slightly, thinking of Jon, and gave in. “But tomorrow, you’d better tell a good story—and the lesson has to be longer than today’s!”

And with that, the little wolf departed.
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