Chapter 75 - Valyrian Candle
Dreadfort Castle
POV of Doric Bolton
"You're worried," Varko said as Doric walked back and forth inside his study at Dreadfort.
"I'm not worried." He replied as he clenched his hands into fists and stared at the distant horizon where he had just seen his aunt leave in a ship toward Braavos.
"You're worried." Varko once again pointed out patiently. "You shouldn't be. She'll be fine."
"Miss Barara will be... fineeee." Raksa squealed from beside him as she played with the Valyrian Candle he'd brought back a few days ago from Citadel. By this point, he didn't even have the energy to tell her not to play with it.
Not like it was going to break. Made of Valyrian Steel and all that.
"I'm... I know. I know she'll be alright. Subconsciously." He admitted "But... it's just her first ti leaving the kingdom to travel the world outside. And... I wish I could have been there for her. Instead, I'm stuck here, doing paperwork and listening to people complain and moan about one thing or another." He let out a sigh and plopped down on the chair, pulling the Valyrian Candle from Raksa's hands and ignoring her whine.
"Paperwork is the foundation of all bureaucracy. As you yourself told us." Varko reminded him wisely "And how else will you know about the troubles of your people if you don't listen to them."
"But it's the third ti the Alchemist guild has co asking
for more funds. And they're not even doing anything that expensive." He knew because he had checked.
"Greedy bastards." He said and put the Valyrian Candle on the desk before he gazed at it for a long mont and finally dove inside it.
Diving inside a Valyrian Candle was not all that different from diving inside a pensieve. You would send your consciousness inside the artifact to use it, in both cases.
This was perhaps why it was so easy for him to learn how to use the candle as he already had a lot of experience with using pensieves in his past life.
As soon as he dove inside the Valyrian Candle, he found himself getting a 360 view of the Dreadfort and the growing town around it from up in the sky.
Viewing everything at 360 degrees was a bit disorienting as humans usually don't even see half of that but it was not so different once you learn how to focus on one particular thing while ignoring everything else.
And for now, he was focused on the growing port city that could be seen at the horizon at the Mouth of the 'Weeping Water River'.
Well... calling it a city at this point would be generous. It was barely large enough to be counted as a town. But with all the imports and exports taking place via the ships as well as his growing fleet and port size, he did not doubt that the port would grow up to be the size of a city sooner or later.
It might not beco as large as Gulltown or Oldtown let alone King's Landing, but it would definitely beco larger than White Harbor in size and population within a decade or two. He was sure of that.
Already, a lot of the businesses that once went to the White Harbor had started coming to Bolton Port. Mostly because his lands were much closer to the other houses in the North than the Manderlys who were at the most Southern point in the North. But also, because of the high-class food and pleasure services being provided in the town by the High-Class Taverns that sold fast food invented by Doric. And the brothels that held the spy girls that he brought from Lys and King's Landing.
And of course, since he held the ownership of these establishnts, in secret of course, he got all the gold from it as well. Which was yet another steady source of inco and information for him.
He was also thinking about opening a casino in the port. The concept of a casino was not yet present in this world but if he played his cards right, then he could definitely turn the growing port town into a dieval version of Las Vegas within a decade or two.
Just another thing he had to think about and keep it in his mind.
He gave the Bolton Port one last look before he moved on to the sea and after searching for a while, he ca across the large Galleon which was his personal transport vehicle.
He looked closer and found his Aunt Barbrey standing on a deck with her handmaidens and gazing out into the world with a curious look while the sailors ran and worked in the background.
Happy with his findings, he turned his attention North and gazed at the horizon as his consciousness started to fly faster and faster until he was flying across hills, forests, empty fields filled with snow, the Wall, and finally arriving at a place that was filled with thousands upon thousands of people bustling around in the snow.
This was the new batch of free folk that Mance Rayder had managed to gather up in the past year. Telling them about the threats of the White Walkers, even if he himself had yet to see one of them, and promising to take them south where they wouldn't have to go hungry or die due to the cold.
Just like last year, he was sure that among these thousands of people, there would be many who would not bend the knee to him and if they did bend the knee, then they would not an it.
He needed to scout out the people with ambitions among them who thought that they would be able to do whatever they wanted once they ca down south.
After all, he was taking a big risk by bringing these people within his domain. So, he would have to be strict with the selection and stop anyone who doesn't want to integrate within his society.
He counted the people in Hardho and found that there were 7000-9000 people waiting down there for his ships to co and take them to a better place.
Ships that he had already sent to take them away from the True North.
Once he was done surveying the place, he stopped channeling magic in the Valyrian Candle, and his consciousness was pulled back into his body, leaving him a little disoriented for a while.
He shook his head and found himself being held by Varko and Raksa. Without their support, he would have definitely fallen to the ground thanks to the disorientation caused by the Valyrian Candle.
Still, a little disorientation was a good enough price to pay if it ant that he could spy across the horizon with such ease. It wouldn't be as comfortable as warging into Hedwig and he couldn't control his body while diving into it but the candle's range was much wider and he could move his vision much faster.
He could use the candle in a safe environnt but when he was in action he had to trust his old friend.
"You saw your aunt?" Varko asked and he gave a nod in return.
"Her... And the free folk waiting for
up in Hardho." He replied.
"Ah... It's that ti of the year." Varko stated and Doric nodded.
"I just hope that this batch will be satisfied with what I've prepared for them and won't cause any trouble." He said.
After all, he didn't want to leave people behind if possible.
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