Grim Crabb’s desk held three coins: a gold dragon, a silver stag, and a copper star.
One gold dragon equaled ten silver stags; one silver stag equaled a hundred copper stars.
Grim roughly converted them to his past life’s currency: a gold dragon was about 1,000 yuan, a silver stag 100 yuan, and a copper star 1 yuan.
[The currency system, values, conversions, etc., are settings made for ease of writing] [To give a few more examples for ease of reading: a full suit of plate armor starts at 10 gold dragons, chainmail starts at 3 gold dragons, a fine warhorse starts at 16 gold dragons, an Unsullied is 100 gold dragons (shipping not included), a meal with meat and a mug of ale is 20 to 30 copper stars, and a peasant’s annual income is about 1 gold dragon] The coins currently in the Crabb treasury totaled over 2,000 gold dragons in value—meaning hard cash, not counting the goods in the lord’s storehouses.
However, there was an external debt of 5,000 gold dragons, and the interest paid last year was 500 gold dragons.
After the War of the Usurper, at the behest of the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, the nobles and merchants of the Vale had issued mandatory loans to help the lords of Crackclaw Point “tide over their difficulties.” This was also one of the post-war peace treaties for Crackclaw Point.
You would never see a single gold dragon of it.
The Vale nobles and merchants simply treated the lands that originally belonged to you as the principal of the loan.
It was just that heavy-handed.
You could refuse, of course.
Baratheon’s weapons and armor hadn’t yet been put back in the armory, and Robert hadn’t yet had his fill of fighting.
The Crabb lands were valued at 5,000 gold dragons, and the annual interest House Crabb had paid over the years had already accumulated to 7,500 gold dragons.
According to the contract, they still had to pay for another five years—meaning 2,500 gold dragons—and in the final year, they had to add the 5,000 gold dragon principal.
This was a suppressive tactic from the Red Keep, born of their wariness toward the nobles of Crackclaw Point.
The interest for “post-war reconstruction” sounded nice in name, and the quota was calibrated perfectly.
It allowed them to barely scrape by, preventing them from being driven to desperate rebellion, while effectively restricting their development.
A weak and docile Crackclaw Point lord was a good lord.
With a total population of just over 2,000 across the entire Crabb territory, they maintained a standing force of 200 clansmen—essentially full-time soldiers—to guard against the perennial harassment from the mountain wildlings.
Under normal circumstances, this was already their absolute limit.
Because of the constant fighting, the territory’s population skewed heavily female.
The women here were sturdily built.
Most had to plow the fields and hunt just like the men, and there were many spearwives among them.
As long as they were properly armed, the spearwives could also be conscripted to march to war, to plunder coin and capture men.
In theory, if they left behind only the artisans, the old, and the weak, a total mobilization could max out their forces at 1,500 troops.
Faced with the wildling lords in the surrounding valleys—the small ones numbering only in the dozens, the large ones barely reaching a few hundred, and all of them a disorganized mess…
he could steamroll them completely!
Why bother farming?
As previously stated, House Crabb’s words had been temporarily changed to “We Do Not Sow.” First, he needed to deal with those mountain wildling tribes who had banded together to raid them, thinking the new heir, Grim, was young and weak.
It would all begin with this battle.
The next day, heavy dark clouds hung low in the sky.
The curved castle of the Whispers was built with a rough, wild aesthetic, lacking in refinement.
But it was large enough.
In times of war, it could shelter all 1,000-plus smallfolk from the surrounding area.
Grim stood atop the twenty-meter-high castle walls, looking down.
Chief Steward Herschel and Ser Pell stood behind him.
After King Robert’s death, the chaos of war would last for seven years.
The Whispers needed to be planned out early.
Grim looked toward the south.
The terrain to the south was flat.
Based on a scale of ten thousand people, he would first plan and build the First Ring, then the Second Ring…
Grim chuckled softly.
*Let’s not call it the First Ring.
Let’s call it the Inner City.* “Herschel, take this down.” “Fishing Village will henceforth be renamed Mermaid Port.” Chief Steward Herschel faithfully recorded the order.
“A mermaid has the upper body of a maiden and the lower body of a fish tail.
A mermaid’s beauty is such that even the Seven would marvel at the sight.” Herschel hesitated before asking, “My lord, might that description be a bit offensive?
Some of the septons are already unfriendly toward us.” Grim, an atheist, had originally wanted to say that the Seven would be completely mesmerized; this was already his toned-down phrasing.
“Thank you for your counsel, Herschel.” Grim paused, then said, “Singers.
Go find some reliable singers and convey the general idea to them.
Leave the exact phrasing to them—they are the professionals.” “Keep writing, Herschel.
Mermaids love to sing soul-stirring songs passed down through their generations.
Mermaids are extremely shy; only in the dead of night, when no one is around, will they surface to sing.
Their beautiful voices are as if…
well, like the sounds of heaven.” Grim had originally wanted to say ‘kissed by the Seven,’ but he continued to hold back.
“Mermaids are carefree, kind, and optimistic.
Only when they are utterly heartbroken, pierced to the very soul, will they shed tears.
A mermaid’s tears will turn into the most crystalline pearls in this world—one tear, one pearl.” “A mermaid can only fall in love with one person in her lifetime.
A mermaid who has found true love will make a vow of love.” “A vow of love…
Make sure you record this well, it’s very important.” “I am willing to become the lover of so-and-so, to love what he loves, to think what he thinks, to bear his pain and weather his hardships.
Whether in poverty or wealth, whether lowly or noble, whether in times of chaos or forsaken by the gods, I shall live for him and die for him, never leaving, never forsaking, until the end of time!” Chief Steward Herschel and Ser Pell both parted their lips, their expressions rich with emotion.
Grim felt they had been moved, that they already believed it.
*Was Fishing Village actually a hidden land of legend?* Seeing this, Grim altered his original plan.
*A secret kept by only one person is the only true secret.
I might as well fool them too.* Therefore, Grim also “believed” in the legend of the mermaid.
*Don’t forget the most important point: mermaids are the shyest race in the world.
Not being able to find them is perfectly normal.* *Come on, come to Mermaid Port, and go crazy for the mermaids.* “This is a secret passed down only by word of mouth among the successive heads of House Crabb.
I am telling you this now because, above all, you two are the men I trust most.” Herschel and Pell puffed out their chests.
*Yes, there is no one in this world more reliable than me!* “First, we must mobilize all the villagers of Fishing Village to build a simple dock nearby.
We need to scout a location; it can be a bit further away, but the most important thing is that it can easily accommodate large ships.” “Step two: build a lighthouse to guide nearby ships over.” “At the same time, we need a tavern, an inn, and a general store.
The initial requirements aren’t high, mainly just that they are fully functional.
We are going to earn every single copper star.” “The strong villagers must all be armed, while the old and weak can be given suitable positions in the shops.
We must absolutely guarantee the safety of our friendly guests.” “Mermaid Port must become increasingly beautiful and comfortable.
We cannot disappoint the guests who come drawn by its reputation.” “All of this is very important.” The chief steward seemed to understand.
“My lord, the longer the legend of the mermaid lasts and the wider it spreads, the more people will be attracted to Fishing…
Mermaid Port.
We can sell our leather directly to buyers without being lowballed by traveling merchants anymore.
And not just leather…
Mermaid Port will become a trading post.” “No wonder you are willing to spread the legend of the mermaid…” “Indeed.
Rules are rigid, but for the development of our lands, as your lord, necessary sacrifices are unavoidable.” “It must be spread secretly and naturally.
I’m relying on you.” With that, Grim turned his back, standing with his hands clasped behind him, and let out a long sigh.
The hem of Grim’s long robe fluttered in the wind.
Herschel bowed with the utmost solemnity.
Pell, clad in plate armor, bowed alongside Herschel, the veins bulging on the back of the hand that gripped his sword hilt.