Game of Thrones: From a deserter to a high-ranking official

Chapter 34: The Status of Estates and Industries

"First, the males..."

"Hey, Vito, what's this? That's not what I want to hear!" Lance Captain Tom couldn't help but interrupt Vito. "Is there anything we need! Vito, my 'lance' is itching for a fight!"

"Go to hell, old Tom! All you ever think about are those lewd things. I heard you couldn't even last ten breaths on those dancers' bellies at the brothel before you handed over your money!" Vito cursed. "Shut up, this is serious business!"

"First, based on the registered households, that's about three hundred households, or fourteen or fifteen hundred slaves, all of whom are now ours!"

"Wow!" the crowd cheered.

"These are the number of slaves. Now let's talk about your favorite part!" Vito winked at his men. "Women! First, the results. I've seen about twenty women whose looks will make your 'things' bulge. Some are young, some have had children, but they're all absolutely gorgeous, or still have a certain charm! The boss has arranged for all of them to stay in the villa."

"Oh, right, there's something else. There's a dancer in there named Lina. She's incredibly flexible, and she can play various instruments... well, mainly the flute." He winked, eliciting another knowing chuckle. "I've already tested her out for you guys, and yes, she's definitely 'good at the flute'! I can guarantee that with my crossbow."

"Wow!" Another cheer erupted from below. "Vito, you're shameless! You sneaked in and got to be the first to drink!"

"Silence!" Jules slammed his sword to the ground. "All this noise! ​​Anyone would think the White Legion were bandits!"

Upon hearing Jules's words, the crowd dared not cheer as enthusiastically as before. However, they kept exchanging glances, their excited eyes betraying their true feelings.

They were excited not only about the women in the manor, but also about the large number of slaves!

This number is very close to the population of the Baronies of Westeros.

Having worked alongside the leader for so many years, they had always lived a life of luxury, and the leader had never treated them unfairly. But now, the business in front of them was large enough to feed them all in one go!

"Vito, continue." Jules saw that the people below had quieted down and let Vito continue.

"But, as you know, the boss said the rules remain the same: don't cause any deaths, and don't delay important matters. Besides, these women aren't just there to serve you stinky, filthy old men; if important guests come, they'll inevitably have to spend the night with them," Vito added.

"Most of the remaining female slaves on the manor do farm work and weaving. There are about ten wet nurses and five midwives, so they're somewhat useful. If you get married and have children, they'll come in handy!"

"Alright, you bastards, listen up, this is the serious stuff." He tapped the parchment. "First of all, don't think this is some fertile land flowing with milk and honey. As far as I can tell, the land on this estate is only average. Don't be fooled by its large size; there are large areas of undeveloped slopes, woodlands, and rocky beaches."

"I've done the math. All in all, there's about... well, over 800 acres of arable land suitable for growing grain. There's also about 200 acres of olive groves, some of the trees look... ha, they're probably just about ready to bear fruit. Sitting under those olive trees waiting to press oil and make money is out of the question! But there are plenty of flax fields, I've seen them, and the flax is growing exceptionally well! If you continue clearing land on the slopes, the flaxseed oil from that estate will probably be enough to drink you all dry! Also, the estate near the foot of the mountain has a vineyard, about 70 acres. Not much, but the wine it makes will probably be enough for you bunch of alcoholics to drink until the next name day, though it'll be so sour it'll make your dicks tingle!"

"Besides these," Vito continued, "there's also a pottery workshop, a blacksmith shop, a few carpenters, fishermen, hunters, and a small quarry, mainly for extracting lime, but it's fine for building materials... but don't expect to sell them like hotcakes! Apart from the stone, the rest are just for the manor to produce and sell, occasionally supplementing the household income."

"Most importantly, these three manors are connected and have a fully equipped dock! Although it's not large, it's more than enough to dock our longships and several merchant ships. Lord Lisanzhuo is quite generous, unlike some stingy beasts who would rather scrape the soil off the fields and take it all! The original docks in the manors, the three small galleys used for transporting grain, and several small fishing boats have all been given to us."

"So, aha, you old bastards are really lucky! Now we're fucking 'ship owners' too!"

The mercenaries below the stage kept letting out low gasps.

The gains from this operation far exceeded their expectations!

"Don't worry, brothers, there's more good news!" Vito continued reading down the parchment.

"A dye workshop, a pawn shop, and an olive oil shop," Vito calmly finished reading, then looked at the crowd below the stage.

"Now all of this is ours!"

"boom--!"

The brief silence inside the tent was suddenly shattered by cheers and chatter!

These industries that generate immediate profits give these men, who are used to risking their lives, a direct sense of excitement.

After all, land takes a quarter to yield a harvest, but these workshops are land that can generate money right now!

"The Dye Workshop! That's one of Ries's signature products!"

"Pawnshops! Hehe, from now on our spoils won't have to suffer the exploitation of those vampires! The 'Black Gun' Legion got rich because their own pawnshops wouldn't lower the price of their spoils!"

"Olive oil shop! We can sell our own oil directly from our own plantation, that's fantastic!"

The officers excitedly patted each other on the shoulder, dreaming about the future.

"Vito, how much do these shops bring in each quarter?" Old Tom couldn't help but ask hastily. "Can it be a hundred... no, eighty gold coins each quarter? I don't need much, just don't force the brothers to go out as guards to earn money for bread during the off-season!"

"Tch, old Tom, look at your pathetic self!" Vito scoffed, then held up two fingers. "If you manage your businesses in these cities properly, that's over two hundred real gold coins a quarter!"

Two hundred? Really?

"By the Seven Gods, I won't have to lead my brothers to pull carts and carry loads outside the city during the off-season anymore!"

This far exceeded their expectations. In their estimation, more than eighty gold coins would be enough for the entire White Legion to eat meat once a day during the off-season, and occasionally even have a big feast!

But now, Vito says there are two hundred, a number that far exceeds most people's expectations!

This means that even without fighting, the White Legion could support its daily expenses, equipment maintenance, and even have a surplus to improve its living conditions with just this income.

"Looks like there won't be a slow season for my 'long spear' from now on!" Old Tom said, swaying his hips in a rather lewd manner.

"Of course, that's assuming everything is managed properly!" Vito quickly reminded him. "The olive oil shop needs more olive oil, our flaxseed oil needs to be sold in the shop, and the pawn shop needs to rehire its original clerks and accountants, as well as the dye shop. All of these need to be managed well to produce a steady stream of gold coins."

But it was clear that everyone was now completely caught up in extreme euphoria, and no one had any interest in listening to Vito talk about management and accounting.

Right now, all they can think about is "two hundred gold coins every quarter".

"After saying all that, boss, we only have one question."

Amidst the jubilation, "Red Hair" Calvin couldn't resist and quickly slipped out of the crowd to ask.

"This estate, this dye workshop, this pawnshop, and this olive oil shop—are they yours, boss, or are they being used under the White Army's name?"