Chapter 465
2021-01-06
Chapter 465 Legendary RealizationAnyone who knows digital currency must have heard this story: there was once a bit program A member, bought two pizzas with 10,000 bitcoins, and ate them all in one meal - and these 10,000 virtual bauble, which were "worth only a penny" at the time, later rose to a maximum of 20,000 US dollars a piece.
That's right, I know what you're thinking: If this guy didn't eat those two pizzas, wouldn't he have a billion-dollar fortune lying around?
From a simple mathematical conversion (1absolutely = 100 million), there is no problem with this idea, but the logic of this "if" idea extends to the extreme, until the end...
If Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, does not announce his ideas and rules, and he digs coins by himself before launching the concept, he can use this trick to become a billionaire and rank among the world's richest people ?
The answer is of course no!
The bitcoins in the hands of Satoshi Nakamoto alone are worthless, and they can't even buy pizza. Only by sharing this new thing and new thing with enough "smart people", and then let more ordinary persons know this concept and participate in this game - both as players and as receivers , so that enough people are profitable or consciously profitable, and they will do their best to spontaneously promote and hype, so that this invisible and intangible thing has a rising value.
"Lightbringer" is similar to Bitcoin in this regard: as the Night's Watch's great victory over the Others comes to an end, Igor's mythology and added drama for the 77 legendary arrows It is bound to spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms and even the entire known world with the news of the victory.
However, if no one participates and relays, no matter how wonderful the story is, it will only be self-satisfied. If nothing is done, the heat will soon cool down and subside... Eventually, this thrilling War General becomes "a war said to be of dubious authenticity in the far north", and Lightbringer will also Become "the Magic weapon said to be used by black clothed persons to shoot Others in this unreal war".
In addition to frequent appearances and massacres in Bard's story, Night's Watch and these 77 legendary arrows will soon fade out of people's sight.
Can Igor put up with this?
Never.
He melted and recast the sword of the legendary Targaryen Dynasty queen and the "Dark Sisters" worth at least hundreds of thousands of Golden Dragons into dozens of arrowheads. After performing a function of boosting the morale of the land-grant military and civilians and shooting Others, it was dusted. He has invested a lot of money and energy into this thing, it has a certain popularity and Legendary. Now, it's time to cash in on that impact and let Lightbringer work its last heat!
……
If someone simply understands the "realization" in Igor's plan as "converting into cash", that is, making dozens of ordinary Valyrian Steel arrowheads to pretend to be "Lightbringer" to sell Money, then think Igor too superficially.
He is planning to become "cash" here, not cash, but real influence.
It is true that there are 77 Lightbringers, each with a unique and unmatched number and story. This "limited release" out-of-print legendary item, the preciousness of Valyrian Steel, coupled with the attribute function of hunting Others, can It makes many people with spare money have the desire to collect krypton gold. There is no problem in selling it at a cost of dozens of hundreds or thousands. 77 pieces are conservatively calculated to have tens of thousands of Golden Dragons, but a considerable amount of money can be given to Night's Watch. Legion's finances took a big hit.
However, for a military organization that is in a state of war, has basically completed its armed forces, and is ready to compete for the country, finances are really not the primary consideration.
Grain, although the 100,000 Golden Dragon grains purchased from Braavos loan have not been delivered, but the part that has been reserved is enough for the whole grant of land for a year - this is still before the war began without reducing the number of people In this case; weapons and equipment, relying on Queenscrown's self-built metallurgical system, have basically achieved self-sufficiency in land grants. Although not everyone is armed to the teeth, it is not much worse than the average level of the Seven Kingdoms army; as for the miscellaneous For other odds and ends, Igor can ask Daenerys for it!
The cost of fighting the country, of course, should be reimbursed by the last person to sit in the country! With Queen's record of quickly occupying most of the Crownlands as soon as she landed, and considering that Unsullied does not need military pay... What is she lacking, will not lack money.
Night's Watch Legion is not a temporary uprising of peasants, what Igor needs more now is soft power, the reasonable legitimacy of declaring war on the Seven Kingdoms, a tool to weaken the opposition within the land grant, and a tool to raise the Southerners' sympathy. The acceptance of oneself leading the army and supporting the monarch is a public opinion environment that will not cause rebels everywhere after the war is over!
The public opinion offensive has taken North, and the result is that Night's Watch's collection of saltpeter has gone pretty smoothly...but "fighting off the Others" is a heroic feat for the North people, not the same cultural atmosphere south of The Neck The influence of the remaining six countries is quite limited. In order to change this situation, Igor's countermeasure is: let 77 "Lightbringers" carry out missions that match their names - act as little "messengers" with no mouth and no words, representing Night's Watch Legion "envoys" everywhere, Using each numbered small individual as a medium, like the seeds that sprout and the cellular communication base station, the reputation and fame brought by the victory of this battle between people and ghosts will be transferred, spread and amplified, and finally Discounted for Night's Watch legitimacy and boost to the Queen's throne.
Influence and favorability, how much does this kind of soft power help Night's Watch Nanzheng and Queen seize Iron Throne? No one can tell, but considering the power attributes contained in Iron Throne itself, the ease and efficiency of power-to-money conversion, and what Igor wants to do is not only to lay down the Seven Kingdoms but also to rule for a long time... It is certain that this investment is absolutely Great value for money.
And what is the quickest and easiest way to spread the 77 Lightbringers up and down the Strait of the Seven Kingdoms?
Give them away.
To people from all over the world.
＊＊＊
After chatting with Tobho Mott and deciding on the plan of casting forty Lightbringers to fill the gap, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch got up and said goodbye friendly. Watch him leave the hall.
Igor wasn't worried at all about the high-level Smith leaking out -- fifteen, Tobho Mott is the second-most owner of "Lightbringer" in the world after Night's Watch Legion. The news of "77 Legendary Arrows is a hoax" has hurt his interests more than anyone else, and no one would do such a stupid thing to damage oneself's interests. Not to mention, as a mortal, Tobho Mott doesn't understand the difference between Dragonsteel and normal Valyrian Steel, for him - this "fake" has him as the original caster himself, the materials are sufficient, and the Lord Commander The official recognition promised by the Night's Watch is more real than real, where is it fake!
"Humfrey!" After reckoning that Smith should go far, Igor put his mind away, shouted, and summoned one of oneself's confidants in Queenscrown. "Here is a list. According to the names and numbers on this list, the 'Lightbringer' is distributed and packaged, ready to be sent."
"en." Humfrey Hisham agreed and took the Lord Commander handed over the list and looked down.
A long list of names and notes.
(Tobho Mott was favored alone, taking fifteen... well, he deserved it, but why would he have one more? Lord Commander is so generous.)
( Participated in the human-ghost battle and shot and killed Others in the battle. Several heroes and martyrs who performed well, basically one manpower, um, must.)
(Arrived in time and stopped the south in the battle of Long Lake Several North families of the Others, including House Stark...a good strategy, not only straight forward and upright, but also eased the tension between the land grant and North with swords drawn and bows bent, and further weakened the opponent's determination to fight with their own side, wonderful Ah!)
(Beric Dondarrion and some of the Crownlands and Narrow Seas nobles who followed Melisandre north to the Wall...well, these came from afar, in the Lord Commander election and tenfold land-grant day I have helped the adults a lot in management, and I can't let them go on an errand for nothing, which is understandable.)
(The Iron Vault...well, the biggest creditor of Night's Watch, it doesn't seem to be wrong to say that they have credit.)
(Vale House Royce? Isn't this the hostel's house...)
Humfrey was stunned when he saw the sixth row, and was a little confused. But he can become Igor's trusted confidant, of course, not only because of the friendship of "being in prison together in King's Landing", but because of his brilliant brain and excellent execution - after a little thought, he would like to understand the reason: so that's how it is!
Although the entanglement between the Lord Commander and the Royce family has continued from the encounter with Others' beyond the wall patrol to the election of the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the bottom line is that the two sides have absolutely no irreconcilable interests. Conflicts and deep grudges. As long as the belly is a little bigger to recognize that Yohn Royce fought Others to the death in a crucial battle, and posthumously recognizes him as a hero... As long as the rest of the Royce in Vale have brains, they should go down the steps and put this Lightbringer packs up the offering, indicating that he accepts Lord Commander's offer, agrees to reconcile with him, and even has to move up and down, and even fight for Vale not to be an enemy of the land grant.
Well...I'm afraid that the two remaining sons of Yohn won't believe the official results announced by Night's Watch and insist that the oneself father was killed by Lord Commander's conspiracy, then it would be troublesome. This arrow has to be sent by a Vale noble from Lords Declarant. They are familiar with each other and trust each other, explain it clearly, and don't make any more fools.
With the relief of having figured it out, Humfrey Hisham looked down to the last line.
Tywin Lannister.
(Also, the Westerlands donated a lot of armaments to the Night's Watch Legion when the Wall garrison was preparing for the war, and Lannister Bank also released a large sum of money when the donated land encountered a currency crisis for foreign procurement and hiring technicians. The loan solves Lord Commander's urgent needs, and it really contributes a lot. But what are the last two remarks..."77" and "Night King"? What do they mean?)
If you don't understand, ask, Humfrey always Adhering to the purpose, he has always admitted that Lord Commander is smarter than oneself, and there is no shame.
"Isn't it lost on 'Lightbringer ·77'?" Even if he didn't ask, Igor would take the initiative to explain the last two remarks clearly: "Go find them, pack them, and send someone south to deliver them. To Duke Tywin...and, in an official capacity, I used this arrow to kill the Night King on the night of the Queenscrown defense, forcing the ghoul army to retreat, and a turning point in the battle of the ghouls."
"Huh?" Humfrey Hisham said in surprise, unable to hide his confusion.
House Lannister has a good relationship with the land grant and is Legion's second largest creditor. It is completely understandable that Night's Watch sent a gift to thank after the war. But...the arrow that killed the Night King! Such a unique and unmatched existence, not staying in the Wall when the treasure of the town wall is passed on to the next Lord Commander to give away?
Or to someone who didn't participate in the human-ghost war at all!
"Sir, please give me to speak bluntly...I don't mean that I don't think this honor can't be given away, but...Westerlands' contribution to this war is far less than this, you give it to Dragon Queen is more or less the same!"
"Queen? She doesn't care about the whole set of Lightbringer. She wants Iron Throne, the public support of Night's Watch, and my full assistance and advice." Melting the Dark Sisters was obstructed in every possible way. Igor fully understood the mentality of the ordinary person's objection. He slowly shook his head and explained patiently. "And back to Duke Tywin, with his wealth, would he want an ordinary Valyrian Steel arrow? No, he can easily cast a hundred Valyrian Steel arrows for his money, what he lacks is not Valyrian Steel, but one A family heirloom worthy of House Lannister status!"
In the original plot, Tywin didn't go to collect bits and pieces of Valyrian Steel to make a complete sword to use as an ancestral sword, but waited for many years to come. House Stark "Ice" points for a chance to become Two Swords, why? Because the scraps made from scraps are not worthy of House Lannister's heirlooms, the loot from the Lord of the North is qualified!
"If you can't give people a gift that can be useful and surprising, it's better not to give it. Whether it's the legend of 'Lightbringer', the auspicious number of '77', or the backstory of 'Shooting the Night King' And the glory that comes with it, there's only one purpose—to get this arrow into Duke Tywin's eyes, understand?"
"This..." Humfrey reluctantly accepted the explanation, "you're right, But what I don't understand is, why do you want to please House Lannister like this? Are you not a vassal of the Queen now, House Lannister had betrayed crazy...King Elis! Are you not afraid that the Queen will be unhappy when she hears this news?"
"You think I'm trying to please House Lannister?" Igor hehe smiled, "It's not wrong, but I have a principle: a momentary favor must be for a greater return. After stabbing King Robert, he was briefly besieged by the Six Kingdoms. It seemed that he was a great injury, but in fact, it was precisely because of this that he avoided the infighting between the two deer and the three kings. In addition, House Lannister took advantage of the bannermen to be looted. And weaken, implement gold control in the whole territory under the jurisdiction of oneself, and use the wealth of the entire Westerlands in a unified way..." He knocked on the table and emphasized: "Except for the strength of this bloated monster in Reach, it is difficult to calculate, the rest In the next six kingdoms, the Westerlands is a blessing in disguise, but it is the one with the most complete military and economic strength at the moment - if they patronize the war and let them watch the show, they may become the winner in the end!"
"So... the adults want to send gifts to paralyze their vigilance, so that they can hit the Westerlands by surprise when they go south?"
"If you want to eat, Duke Tywin and the others will be caught by such a small Tricks to paralyze vigilance? To deal with this kind of opponent, you either kill him, or you can only rely on strength and conspiracy." Igor was amused by the subordinate's brain hole, smiled and shook his head, "Your question is actually very good, I am already loyal In the case of Queen, she still dares to give House Lannister such a big gift in public. Guess what Tywin would think? The biggest subtext of this Lightbringer 77 is actually - I have persuaded Queen to let her not pay attention to the one who cares about House Lannister back then. What I did. With this foreshadowing, when our army crossed The Neck and started to advance south, I could logically go to contact and negotiate with them, and strive to bring W Esterlands has used the energy accumulated over the years to remain neutral. "
"With such deep hatred, how could Queen let go? Also, if Tywin accepts the gift, but insists on remaining neutral, what are the adults going to do? "
Why are there so many questions? Igor coughed and became serious: "This is not something you should consider, go and do what I have arranged, and I know the rest." "
...
Igor didn't answer, but it doesn't mean he didn't expect these two points.
Queen and House Lannister are so feuding, why? It may be easy to let go? This problem seems insoluble, but it is actually quite easy to solve: Daenerys is too young after all... Although she is very smart, she is eager to do a major event and break the wheel of history. Want to control this idealism As long as she looks like a loyal "comrade" who has exactly the same aspirations and ideals as her and everything is considered for her, she will become incredibly reassuring.
As for House Lannister's insistence on maintaining neutrality? With Tywin's shrewdness and long-term vision, it is impossible to understand this point: either it is irreconcilable with the Queen, or she supports her with family property to atone for her sins, there is no third way to live. Want to be neutral? Nor will Igor, who has a deep personal relationship with Tyrion and a debt to House Lannister...but he will never tolerate the mighty Westerlands sitting on the sidelines, trying to sit back and become the fisherman who sweeps the benefits. If House Lannister doesn't know who to stand, even if he is fiercely, he will persuade the Queen to eliminate the threat of the Westerlands before launching the Greater Crownlands plan.
"Well... as ordered." Humfrey also came back to his senses, knowing that oneself asked too much, embarrassed with a smile, looked towards the list in hand again, and was ready to do it.
Then a new problem was soon discovered: "Wait, that's not right, my lord. There are only thirty or so Lightbringers left, which is simply not enough for all the people on your list."
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"There is a cross at the end of the first line, which means that Tobho Mott's fifteen remunerations are only for the quota, and there is no need to deliver the real thing immediately. The following six items must be implemented first."
Igor lowered his body and talked with Smith for a long time before, and finally succeeded in persuading Smith to do Night's Watch a favor: give the existing more than 30 Lightbringers to Night's Watch Legion first, for other more important uses. And he took 40 "places" or "numbers" of Lightbringer, and started to collect Valyrian Steel. After 77 pieces were minted, he left 15 pieces for oneself as a reward, and returned the extra to Night's Watch Legion.
Igor intends to keep the remaining twenty or so by himself... If there is no accident, he will wait for other owners and would-be owners to raise the price of Lightbringer before selling it, subsidizing Legion's fiscal deficit, Grab a handful for retirement.
Humfrey continued to ask to determine more details about the delivery of arrows, and wrote down Igor's answer with a pen to avoid omissions. Just then, there was a sudden noise from the guard and a man outside the door. Voice.
"Get out of the way, I want to see the commander!"
"Your Excellency is busy, I'll make an appointment for you... Hey, what are you doing."
After a cacophony of shoving and yelling, the door to the conference hall was slammed open and James Lannister broke in.
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(end of this chapter)