Aegon was new and naturally didn't know the way. Fortunately, Tyrion had lived in King's Landing for some time, and while he didn't know the city like the back of his hand, finding a shop was no problem. The two walked and chatted, and soon found their way to the only professional seal-making shop in King's Landing, one of the few in all of Westeros.
Westeros in this era was much more backward compared to the world Aegon came from. However, with the unification and development of the Seven Kingdoms, people were gradually beginning to grasp the importance of law and order. Just like needing to register a seal-making shop in the Heavenly Dynasty (China), in this world, seals also had certain specifications and format requirements and couldn't just be made by carving any stone. Within King's Landing, only seals made by this shop were recognized by all nobles and wealthy individuals throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
Generally speaking, seal shops only served people with status or certain fixed assets; ordinary people didn't have much use for seals. Aegon didn't meet the requirements, but fortunately, he had two quite powerful letters of proof.
After showing the proof signed and sealed by Eddard Stark and Jeor Mormont, the shop owner accepted his business. Aegon customized a seal for himself as "Night's Watch Chief Quartermaster." The Night's Watch did not have this position, and naturally, there was no Chief Logistics Officer, but as long as the plan went smoothly, he would soon be able to make the Night's Watch establish this department and position.
Aegon ordered two seals, one representing his personal identity and one wax seal for sealing letters. After discussing the style and content of the seals with the carving Master, he turned to ask Tyrion, "Do you have a seal?"
"No," the Dwarf answered honestly. It was rare for a member of a great family of his status not to have a seal, but his situation was quite special due to his congenital disability. Because of his distinctive features and the Lannister reputation for always paying debts, he didn't need a seal to prove his identity or make guarantees when dealing with ordinary people or getting credit at taverns and brothels. As for nobles of comparable status, they would only speak and conduct business with his father, Lord Tywin, and his older siblings. Although he seemed indifferent about this, he actually harbored unspoken bitterness. "Then make one for me too, while you're at it."
The renowned Little Imp naturally didn't need identification, and another seal order was quickly finalized. Regular seals were expensive, but compared to what the two were about to do, it was just a small amount of money.
With one matter settled, the two left and mounted their horses, riding towards the next location while continuing to discuss the remaining details.
Tyrion struggled to climb onto his horse. "What's next?"
"Paper, ink pads, wax seals, and other items have already been bought by your attendant. Now we just need to go to the sign workshop..."
"Sign workshop? Okay, but I wasn't asking where we're going. I wanted to ask, since you said this plan needs my help, what exactly do I do?"
"A lot. Your participation has allowed my entire plan to skip the most difficult initial stage and directly enter the primary phase. If I were alone, I would be forced to raise the interest rate to attract attention, then scramble for every golden dragon regardless of amount, shamelessly using any means to secure every initial loan starting from commoners... But with you joining, I can not only directly target lenders from the middle and upper classes but also set a reasonable rate of return and a certain subscription threshold. This reduces the number of creditors while improving their quality, making the capital chain more stable. The reduction in the workload of fundraising operations can be measured in multiples."
Aegon thought for a moment. "The first thing you need to do is persuade some of your friends to buy my bonds. Not many are needed, just a few, and everything can start running."
"Damn, make me rip off my own people?"
"Why would you say that? In this game, the least likely people to be ripped off are the first participants!" Aegon emphasized. "Only the entry of this first batch of creditors requires your persuasion. Once this step is taken, the existence of the previous participants will become a source of confidence for the next batch. As long as the total amount of funds is controlled, the cycle can continue indefinitely... Someone has to start. If you're unwilling to persuade people you know, then we'll just have to find passersby on the street or go door-to-door to promote it."
"Alright, I'll do it." Tyrion was already prepared to put in his own money, so he naturally wouldn't dwell on this non-principle issue. At worst, he'd fill the hole himself. "How exactly does it work?"
"It's simple. Introduce me to your friends and vouch for me. With proof from the Commander and the King's Hand, it shouldn't take much effort."
"Okay. You said you'd set a subscription threshold. How much?"
"One hundred golden dragons."
"That much!?" Tyrion was startled. "Aegon, King's Landing is indeed where the wealth of the Seven Kingdoms is most concentrated, and it's not difficult for people I know to come up with a hundred golden dragons. But this money isn't being lent to me; it's being lent to the Night's Watch. Many of them have lived for half their lives and may have only ever met one Night's Watchman – you. Asking them to throw this much money into a pit they know absolutely nothing about without batting an eye... that's a bit difficult."
"It's just rounding it up. I plan to issue a fixed-interest, simple-interest, registered bond. Remember the list I made for Maurice and Jack to buy things? Each bond will use the best parchment, and I will personally apply a series of anti-counterfeiting processes. Finally, we and the creditor will sign, seal, and fingerprint together. After all that trouble, the cost per bond will exceed one silver stag. If we don't set a higher monetary threshold, we might have to make hundreds or thousands of bonds, which would not only be difficult to manage but also significantly increase costs and labor time, affecting the stability of the capital chain." Aegon explained. "Of course, one hundred was just a number I threw out. We can discuss this."
"Fixed-interest, simple-interest, registered? What do those mean?"
"Fixed-interest means the interest rate is fixed. Simple-interest means the interest earned won't accrue further interest. Registered means each bond will have the lender's name on it. The first two points are for ease of accounting and management, and the third is for anti-counterfeiting and protecting the holder's ownership of the bond against theft, loss, and other situations... You'll understand all this when the time comes."
"That's complicated."
"More complicated things are yet to come. For now, let's discuss some basic issues, like what content and design should be on the sign for my Night's Watch Office."
***
They arrived at the sign workshop. Unlike the seal shop and the Night's Watch Office, which only needed a small storefront facing the street, this required a rather large area for processing and production. To save on rent, it had to be located in a slightly more secluded spot. The two twisted and turned for a while before finding it, and the sun was already setting in the west.
Over a dozen carpenters and workers were busily working in the semi-open-air yard. New shops opened in King's Landing every now and then, and naturally, new sign orders came in just as frequently. Although the power players of the Seven Kingdoms were engaged in undercurrents of struggle and conflict, ordinary people were unaware of this. On the surface, Westeros was experiencing an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity, with industry and commerce developing at an unparalleled speed. Aegon strongly suspected that if the War of the Five Kings hadn't happened and Winter hadn't arrived, major cities like King's Landing would have started showing the first signs of capitalism.
The boss quickly came out to greet them with a warm face. Making signs wasn't as troublesome as carving seals or picking locks; as long as you paid, they could make any content or size you wanted. After half an hour of discussion and negotiation, they finalized details like the size and content of the sign, paid a deposit, and by the time this incredibly busy day ended and the two returned to the inn, it was already pitch black.
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