Chapter 61: An Accountant Secured

Arthur turned around and discovered it was the tavern couple's daughter.

"I can be your maid, I can do needlework, and I can keep accounts." Seeing him look over, the little girl hurriedly promoted herself.

"Look, I sewed my clothes myself."

Arthur scanned the surroundings and found that the tavern couple had already left; it seemed they did not care much about this daughter of theirs.

"But I don't need a maid?" Arthur replied this way.

Just kidding, the people traveling with him were all grown men, and bringing a little girl back was truly inappropriate.

The little girl was so anxious she was about to cry, "You are an upright person, please take me in, otherwise when I... I will be sold to a brothel by them."

Arthur looked at this little girl who looked like a middle school student from his past life; if he left her behind, she might really be sold by her own parents.

And then live a life that was not human for the rest of her days.

Thinking of this, the Lord of Red Mill felt quite uncomfortable in his heart.

"Then come with me. What is your name?"

"Hayley, my lord, thank you, thank you, may the Seven bless your life." The little girl thanked him incessantly.

Arthur turned to walk outside and caught a glimpse of Patrick with a wicked grin on his face.

"So you're into this kind of thing."

The Lord of Seagard felt he had discovered some incredible major event.

"Don't talk nonsense." Arthur denied it immediately, "I only like pretty ones."

Arthur's criteria for a partner were not high either: long legs, a slim waist, a perky chest, a rounded bottom, and a fair, beautiful face would do.

As for hairstyles, he could accept big waves, princess cuts, ponytails, waist-length hair, and so on.

Long or short, curly or straight, as long as it was a pretty girl or older sister, Lord Arthur was not picky.

As for this Hayley, bringing her back to be a seamstress, an accountant, or something similar would all be fine.

Thinking of an accountant, Arthur felt he should find someone to manage money full-time, to calculate and manage the expenditures and income of his entire territory.

Hayley could be observed and trained to see if it worked.

Among Arthur's own subordinates, the Steward Amber was actually quite mediocre in ability, aside from being loyal.

Not to mention Yule, a veteran drifter; aside from his rich experience in surviving without money, he was not of much use. Arthur still had to guard against him stealing the money and running off.

The rest of his subordinates were mostly farmers who grew up in the Riverlands, having neither received a shred of education nor seen the prosperity of large towns like King's Landing.

Letting them keep accounts and manage money would be worse than Arthur doing it himself.

At the very least, he could clearly calculate that 0.8 multiplied by 0.5 equals 0.4.

Just this one problem stumped millions of Douyin users who had received nine years of compulsory education.

The group walked out of the Red Keep, and it was only midday; it was a bit too early to return to their lodging.

So they began to stroll through the streets and alleys of King's Landing.

When passing by a tailor shop.

"Arthur, let's get you two sets of nice clothes!" Patrick, who was covering his nose with his hand, suggested this.

"That works too." Arthur, also covering his nose, glanced at Patrick's bright yellow silk clothing and decided to customize a similar set.

If the tailor's fees were not too high, he even thought about having a few dragons embroidered on the clothes.

Of course, not the wyverns of the Targaryens, but the kind from Daxia with snake bodies and deer antlers.

Let us also experience what it feels like to "receive the mandate from heaven, and may it last forever."

"My lords, please come in!" The shopkeeper, wearing silk clothing embroidered with patterns, was very enthusiastic, his face piled with smiles as he made a gesture to invite them in.

Although a large number of outsiders had flooded into King's Landing, most had brought business to the blacksmith shops, and the tailor shops could only watch eagerly.

After all, wandering warriors had their lives tied to their armor, wishing they could pile all their wealth onto it.

After a simple selection, Arthur picked out the silk fabric he wanted and requested the dragon pattern he desired.

Then, under Hayley's bargaining, the shopkeeper completed this Trade at thirty percent of the initial asking price.

This was a major advantage of someone who had lived in a big city; Patrick, Desmond, and the others had no idea about the price of this kind of silk fabric.

Hayley, however, knew it like the back of her hand and bargained with a forceful, thick-skinned attitude.

After measuring Arthur's waist, height, and chest, the group left.

"To think this actually cost one Gold Dragon and forty Silver Stags." Desmond clicked his tongue in wonder.

He felt that spending this money was truly a bit wasteful.

Arthur paid him no mind; this Master-at-arms had the mindset of a quintessential hedge knight.

If he could get it for free, he would; if he could save money, he would.

After buying some top-tier sachets produced in Dorne, the group returned to the inn.

……

The next day, morning.

"Hayley, I am going out with these lords for some business; you tidy up and clean my room."

Walking to the door of the little girl's room, Arthur gave this instruction.

"Okay!" Nimbly walking out of the room, Hayley performed a curtsy to the lord, then went to Arthur's room to start working.

Arthur placed a few Silver Stags and copper coins in several hidden corners of the room to test Hayley's ability and loyalty.

If the money in the corners was not found by her, or if it was found but not handed over to Arthur, then Arthur would henceforth abandon the idea of letting her manage his finances.

The former would indicate she was very careless, and such a person was not suitable for managing money.

The latter would indicate she was very greedy, making her even less suitable for managing money.

Only after passing this test, and several more that would follow, would Arthur dare to let her manage some petty cash.

After all, he and Hayley were not very familiar yet, so he had to take it one step at a time.

Today, Arthur and the others went to stroll through the Dragonpit on Rhaenys Hill and the famous Street of Sisters again.

These few attractions are almost must-visit spots for anyone arriving in King's Landing.

The scorch marks in the Dragonpit remain as fresh as ever, which is astonishing, while the Septons on the Street of Sisters are old and boring, making Arthur shake his head.

In an era without the internet, entertainment options are frighteningly scarce; aside from strolling and shopping, there is basically no fun to be had.

Visiting brothels is not what Arthur wants.

After all, it is a black abyss, which is a bit...

Well, he cannot bring himself to go down there.

In the afternoon, the group returned to the inn on the waist of Weisanniya Qiuling.

"My lord, I found three Silver Stags and over a dozen copper coins in the corner of your room; here you go."

As soon as he returned to his room, Arthur saw the little girl holding the money, waiting for him.

The Lord was very satisfied with this first test.

At the very least, in terms of attentiveness and initial loyalty, Hayley had passed.

"The copper coins are your reward; you did a good job, go on." Arthur picked up the three Silver Stags and waved for Hayley to leave.

Patrick, who was outside the door, let Hayley out and then came in, saying: "How boring; if only there were a noble gathering."

Arthur also felt that this day was extremely boring; it would be great if there were a Tourney practice.

After all, the Lance requires a great deal of technique, and he needs to practice.

Just at this moment, Desmond pushed the door open and entered.

"Knight Loras Tyrell invites us to the competition grounds by the Blackwater River to conduct some standard martial arts exchanges."

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)