As the months rolled on, the Wendwater Domain surged forward at breathtaking speed.
Every month, a fleet heavy with immigrants and supplies left King's Landing, crossed Blackwater Bay, and docked at the Wendwater. After unloading people and cargo, the same ships sailed back loaded with the domain's specialties—salt, timber, smoked fish, and more—to be sold in the capital.
With trade between King's Landing and Oros growing heavier by the week, more and more merchants in the city began turning their eyes toward this brand-new fief.
"Hey, have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Come on, don't play dumb. I know you've heard about the Wendwater."
"Heh, I only just found out myself! You caught me off guard—I was about to tell you."
"Ha! That's why they call you Flower-Mouth Jeen. Always one step ahead."
"Wait, wait… I've never spread rumors. I'm an honest, trustworthy merchant. Those loose-lipped types are the slave traders and brothel madams. I've never done that sort of thing."
"You know exactly what you've done. I'm not here to cause trouble, so relax."
In a dim little tavern in King's Landing, under the flickering yellow glow of candlelight…
A plump, round-faced middle-aged man with a healthy red glow raised his wooden tankard of ale toward the man sitting across from him.
He wore a thick, durable dark-brown woolen robe, its edges slightly shiny from wear, covered by a practical sleeveless leather jerkin cinched tight around his bulging belly with a wide leather belt. Sturdy oxhide boots, splattered with street mud, completed the look.
The younger man across from him looked to be in his late twenties. He wore a faded brown linen tunic, a plain leather belt, tight woolen trousers, and old leather shoes with slightly upturned toes.
Seeing the older man raise his cup, the younger man lifted his own. He had a lean, sharp face, tanned skin, roughly cut brown hair, and sparse stubble on his chin. He answered the teasing with quick, nervous words.
The older man was Bill, a beer merchant from the Reach. He owned a small brewery in King's Landing. Thanks to some distant blood ties with a minor lord back home, he could buy grain cheaply and ship it to the capital, where he turned it into ale sold to local taverns—including the one they were currently drinking in.
The younger man was the "Flower-Mouth" Jeen mentioned earlier. He made his living by steering customers to the brothels on Silk Street. Bill had once been one of his clients, and the two had stayed friends ever since, meeting regularly for drinks and gossip.
Jeen's job gave him access to all kinds of juicy information.
In an age starved for entertainment, brothels were the main gathering places for men of every class—from lowborn to high lords. Over time, they had become natural hubs for rumors and news.
Bill maintained the friendship largely because of Jeen's excellent information network.
This time, Bill had caught wind of something interesting and had invited Jeen out specifically to verify it.
"Enough nonsense. Tell me straight—is the news about the Wendwater true?"
"Which part? There's been a lot of talk about that place lately. Plenty of big merchants in King's Landing are eyeing it, hoping to make a killing."
"I'm talking about Prince Gaemon's investment drive. I heard His Grace announced that any merchant who opens a shop in his domain gets a free plot of land. Once you build a house on it, he won't take it back. You only have to pay regular business taxes and you can keep it forever."
"Heh, that's old news. Last month, quite a few King's Landing merchants already sailed to Oros to open shops. You're not too late if you go now. From what I've heard, some are even buying large plots to build proper manors. In the past, only nobles could own land like that. Merchants never had the chance to build their own estates. This is the privilege of lords and knights!"
"Really? Their own manors? That would make them almost like nobles. Even if Prince Gaemon is royal blood, isn't this stepping on the toes of the nobility? Won't the lords try to stop it?"
"Heh, it's not exactly the same. There are plenty of restrictions. You can't buy more than a hundred acres. The manor can only be used as a residence for your family—no feudal rights attached. It's still quite different from a true knight's fief."
"Still, that's pretty damn good. Before this, no matter how rich you were, you could only live crammed inside cities or towns. Land there is scarce and mostly controlled by lords. You could barely house your own family, let alone extra servants. Now you can buy land and build whatever size house you want. Hire as many servants as you like. Live like a lord!"
The reason merchants rarely dared live outside city walls was simple: noble lords held absolute power over their lands. One infamous custom was the "falling tax"—anything that fell onto a lord's ground automatically belonged to him.
No sensible merchant wanted to risk building a fine house only to have it confiscated by some greedy lord and his knights.
By comparison, the Crown had a much better reputation among merchants. The royal family had never imposed such predatory laws.
Now that Prince Gaemon was openly allowing merchants to buy land and build manors—even with size limits—it had set the wealthy but landless merchant class on fire with excitement.
After hearing the confirmation, Bill's eyes also lit up with greed. But remembering his real goal tonight, he pushed the thought aside for now.
"Although this is great news, what I really want to know about is the investment policy. You know I'm just a small beer brewer in King's Landing. My workshop is tiny—a family operation. I've wanted to expand for years, but there's no space in the city. Land is expensive and no one sells. If I try to set up somewhere else, I'm afraid my new brewery will be seized before I sell my first barrel. Since it's Prince Gaemon—a member of the royal family—I doubt he'd go back on his word. That's why I came to you tonight. If it's real, I want to try my luck."
"Should be solid. From what I've heard, quite a few big merchants from King's Landing have already started investing in the prince's lands. The Crown's word is still good."
Hearing Jeen's reassurance, Bill finally relaxed. A wide grin spread across his round face.
"If this works out, when I get back, I'll treat you to the Lys Garden. Everything's on me!"
Jeen laughed. "Then I'll drink to your future success in advance, Lord Bill. Make sure you take me along when you make it big!"
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