In Winterfell, there would absolutely be stewards or servants bustling about, enthusiastically arranging Aegon's food and lodging for the night, but this was Dragonstone. The word "courtesy" probably wasn't even in Stannis's vocabulary. Guided by a guard, the Night's Watchman quickly exited the castle gate, facing the dark night. A kind guard gave him a torch... Of course, there were no wolves or White Walkers on the island, and for a Night's Watch Ranger, walking a few miles at night was nothing to fear. Bathed in the pale moonlight, Aegon stumbled towards the fishing village by the shore.
The ship hadn't left, and Aegon breathed a sigh of relief. The captain and the Old Mine Foreman and his son all nervously asked what had happened. Naturally, he couldn't tell the truth to these ordinary people in front of him, so he casually made up an excuse about a misunderstanding where he was mistaken for someone else, got his wallet back, and went straight back to his cabin.
Returning to King's Landing from Dragonstone was different from coming – against the wind and current at night, if they left in the middle of the night, Dragonstone would likely still be in sight by dawn. There was nothing for it; the ship stayed another night in Dragonstone's small harbor and only set sail at dawn. Standing at the stern, watching the island gradually recede, Aegon sighed: arranging the mining of dragonglass was originally just a casual move squeezed into his busy schedule. According to the original plan, all subsequent matters would be handed over to the Old Mine Foreman and his son – he would only be responsible for providing funds and wouldn't bother to lift a finger or interfere... Who could have imagined that on such a short trip, he would also be inexplicably drawn into the struggle between the Fire God and the cold god, learning so much unverifiable "inside information" from Melisandre?
Since the information's truth is unknown, let's stop worrying about things that don't concern us. One must live in the present... it's time to get down to business.
***
Against the current of the Blackwater River rushing east into the Narrow Sea, the small boat bobbed on the water for over a day and a night before reaching the Blackwater River's port near King's Landing. Four days after leaving the Seven Kingdoms, Aegon stepped back onto the land of Westeros. After briefly explaining his address and subsequent matters to the Old Mine Foreman, he entered the city through the Mud Gate and returned to the Albatross Inn where he had previously stayed, arriving past noon.
Tyrion surprisingly hadn't gone out and knocked on his door to find him as soon as he learned of Aegon's return.
"You're finally back! In the two days you were on Dragonstone, I didn't even have the mood to go to taverns or brothels."
The Dwarf's opening remark left the Night's Watchman completely bewildered. Fortunately, the other party quickly followed up with an explanation: "I've been in my room thinking about the 'finance' you mentioned, thinking about it over and over, day and night, to the point I couldn't eat or sleep."
"Did you figure anything out?" The other party seemed even more anxious than himself, which surprised Aegon. However, compared to Melisandre suddenly calling him a heretic and grabbing him to draw blood, this conversation was completely within the Night's Watchman's plan. If it were someone like Eddard Stark or Stannis Baratheon, they would probably dismiss the game of money as fraud without a second thought. But Tyrion was different; smart people are smart because they can view new things objectively and rationally. This was also why Aegon liked dealing with people like him – it saved effort. "You must have realized that if the game of thrones is about competing for the distribution rights of a cake, then the game of money is about making the cake bigger. Regardless of which game is more important or complex, when it comes to contribution to the world, the latter is definitely far greater than the former."
"I don't deny that, but you shouldn't play tricks trying to confuse concepts and get away with it, at least not with me." Aegon's analogy of resources as a cake was refreshing to Tyrion, but he maintained a serious expression – honestly, he wasn't suited for this expression, it made him look a bit comical: "No matter how you explain or disguise it, you have to admit, this is a scam."
Indeed, he couldn't fool a smart person. Four days had passed, and with Tyrion's mind, he could figure it out no matter how convoluted it was. Aegon felt a bit nervous, thinking about how to respond: "Tyrion..."
Tyrion saw Aegon's expression and knew what he was thinking: "Stop planning your speech, just admit it."
"Alright, I admit it." Aegon's heart stirred. He suddenly realized that if Tyrion planned to refuse participation, he wouldn't be saying so much nonsense. His tone didn't sound like he was going to reject his fundraising plan: "Yes, I am attempting a financial scam. In China, there was once a man named Charles Ponzi who used this method to deceive tens of thousands of people, so this scam is also called a Ponzi scheme."
"How was his scam exposed?"
"To compete with legitimate financial projects, he offered absurdly high returns but didn't conduct any real investment or business, and even squandered the wealth he raised – this led to the rapid collapse of the capital chain. By the time he couldn't even pay the promised returns, not including the principal, the scam couldn't continue even if the investors weren't suspicious."
"Just as I deduced." Tyrion raised his eyebrows, looked up, and solemnly announced: "Aegon, I will participate in your plan, provided you agree to three conditions."
Just like that? Standing at the door of an ordinary single room in the Albatross Inn, Aegon suddenly felt an inexplicable surge in his heart. He realized that this conversation between friends, so straightforward and simple it was almost exaggerated, might very well influence the future history of Westeros. He was stunned for a full second before coming back to his senses and nodding: "Speak."
"One, every step of this entire 'fundraising' must be discussed with me. You must explain why and let me participate. Two, the accounts and funds will be managed by me. The money will be kept in an independent residence I rent, and all incoming and outgoing funds will pass through my hands." Tyrion tried hard to straighten his expression to make his friend understand he wasn't joking: "Three, if the attempt fails, I will cover the losses with my own money. You are not allowed to try again elsewhere out of stubbornness. I will find something for you to do; with your mind, you can live well without a scam. That's all, decide."
...
The first two conditions were easy to understand. Under Aegon's deliberate efforts to get close and befriend him, the two could be described as hitting it off and appreciating each other, becoming as familiar as old friends in just a few months – but they had only known each other for a few months after all. Tyrion was afraid he might spend money recklessly like the originator of the Ponzi scheme, or even abscond with a huge sum... Aegon had no such intention, so he naturally agreed to accept the constraints. And as the population and economic center of Westeros, King's Landing, with a Hand of the King from the North and a Lannister helping, if fundraising couldn't be achieved in this situation, could he really expect to repeat the trick elsewhere?
Aegon didn't hesitate for a second: "Reasonable requests, I agree to all of them."
"Very good," the Dwarf liked Aegon's straightforwardness. He nodded, finally having the leisure to re-examine his adventurer friend, and soon frowned: "Did you really go to Dragonstone? Why do you look like you've been soaking in a brothel for three days and three nights, looking utterly weak?"
"Is it that exaggerated?" Aegon was actually unable to stop thinking about what Melisandre had said, trying to discern the truth from falsehood... he had just suffered from insomnia. Tyrion didn't even believe in the existence of White Walkers – in terms of being unafraid of evil, this native of this world was probably more thorough than himself: "Got seasick, didn't sleep well."
"Do you want to rest?"
"I'll make a list first. You can have Morez and Jack go purchase the items. I'll sleep for a bit. Once the supplies are in place, everything can begin."
...
"Excellent, I can't wait." Tyrion was like a child about to unwrap a new toy, feeling more energetic than he ever had in his life. "The game of money... just thinking about it is more exciting than drinking and bedding women."
"Tyrion, you are the most adventurous Westerosi I have ever met."
"Hmph." Tyrion was highly immune to flattery: "You also said, just the most adventurous 'Westerosi'. This adventure won't affect my drinking or bedding women, nor will it endanger my life, which is why I find it more interesting than the latter two and dare to try... Compared to you, who has seen the world and crossed the Sunset Sea to get here, I'm just a bumpkin from a corner."
"Tch, forget it, let's skip the mutual flattery between us. I'll list the needed supplies for you right away. This afternoon, we'll start preparing to issue the Night's Watch Bonds."
—