Chapter 172: Cersei, the Garrison of the Red Keep, and Porcelain Delicacies

Queen Cersei stood on the walls of the Red Keep atop Aegon's High Hill, her brother, the Kingsguard "Kingslayer" Jaime, standing beside her. Cersei's other brother, the "Imp" Tyrion Lannister, stood on the other side; he was a dwarf.

Cersei wore a long red silk gown adorned with sapphires and tourmaline; she had golden curls and emerald green eyes, a beauty who would stir the heart of any man.

Jaime was tall and handsome with flowing golden hair, looking so much like Cersei that they could have been cast from the same mold. Jaime was nicknamed the "Kingslayer" because he had used his own gilded sword to personally kill the Mad King Aerys, whom he had sworn to protect. Because of this, the people of the Seven Kingdoms viewed Jaime as a tainted knight of the Kingsguard and considered him a man who had broken his oath.

The beauty the gods bestowed upon Cersei and Jaime had not been given to Tyrion in the slightest; the Imp had short, deformed legs, a protruding forehead, and an ugly face, with one eye black and the other emerald green.

Cersei stood on the walls of the Red Keep, the entire city of King's Landing in full view. She looked north toward Flea Bottom, where the poor gathered, and the Dragonpit on Rhaenys Hill; the stench of Flea Bottom could be smelled even in the Red Keep.

"Robert should drive those flea-ridden wretches out of King's Landing; the whole city reeks because of them," Cersei complained to her twin brother Jaime, who stood beside her in his white armor and white cloak.

Jaime smirked, "King's Landing has a population of four hundred thousand, of course it reeks. Don't forget, King's Landing is the largest city and port in Westeros."

Tyrion corrected him, "King's Landing is the largest city, but not the largest port; the largest port is Oldtown. Just ask any sailor and you'll know that the docks of Oldtown have more ships and whores than King's Landing."

Cersei glared at Tyrion. She had never liked Tyrion because his birth had caused their mother, Lady Joanna, to die in childbirth, and their father Tywin had never smiled since.

When Aegon the Conqueror built the Red Keep, he chose the high hill at the river mouth. Years later, this hill was named Aegon's High Hill after Aegon. The entire castle was built of pale red stone, and it was not completed until the reign of the third Targaryen king, "Maegor the Cruel."

At the completion banquet, Maegor invited all the craftsmen who had participated in building the castle and killed them all so that he could keep the secrets of the castle's hidden passages to himself.

Hundreds of docks were scattered along the coast at the mouth of the Blackwater River; fishing boats, fat-bellied flat-bottomed ships, the swan ships of the Summer Islanders, Ibbenese whalers, Pentoshi ships laden with spices, Braavosi purple trading galleys, sailing ships from Lys and Tyrosh, and longships from the Iron Islands could be seen everywhere.

Cersei saw a fat-bellied flat-bottomed merchant ship from the North flying the direwolf banner, sailing past the waters below the Red Keep toward the docks. Cersei frowned and said, "Why are there so many Stark ships in King's Landing lately? Winterfell is deep inland; have the Starks moved to live by the sea?"

Tyrion wore an ugly smile: "I heard from Littlefinger that Eddard Stark is building ships day and night. The Starks have fleets in White Harbor and Salt Spear. What? Sister, are you not welcoming of the Northern ships?"

"If there were no Northern ships, there would be no Blue Noble, maple syrup, vodka, or fine salt to eat; these are all specialties of the North! Grand Maester Pycelle says that maesters and nobles across the land use Stark cinnabar ink for their correspondence because the writing lasts longer and better reflects the dignity of the nobility. The Church also uses cinnabar ink to transcribe the Bible and documents, and the Citadel uses it to copy ancient books."

"The common people also love Stark goods. The wool clothing brought from the North is cheap and of high quality, very popular among the common folk. And the perfume, furs, amber, soap, and aromatic candles are the favorites of the nobility, merchants, and church clergy."

Cersei loved Blue Noble; only Winterfell could brew the high-proof blueberry wine. Her children Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella loved the maple syrup, and the fine salt made every grand feast more delicious.

However, Cersei did not like this situation. Cersei said gloomily, "I heard from Varys that Eddard seems to have become an inventor. How did he come up with these inventions? This man is insatiable; he is not satisfied with being the Duke of the North, he actually does business like a merchant."

Jaime said with disdain, "Sister, if you lived in the barren and desolate North, you would also try every possible way to make money. Let Eddard make his money! Anyway, the Lannisters have plenty of gold; we spend some gold and let the Northerners work like oxen and horses to produce goods, why not?"

Cersei gave a cold hum, "You really are a big fool. Can't you see Eddard's ambition? After the North conquered Beyond the Wall, the territory of the North became larger than the Riverlands, the Reach, the Crownlands, the Vale, Dorne, the Stormlands, and the Iron Islands combined. Do you think Eddard is only making money from brewing wine, making perfume, and fine salt?"

"I heard from Varys that the forges in the North are crafting armor and weapons day and night, and the shipyards are building ships day and night. Eddard is building castles at every port in the North, and not a single Northern lord dares to question Eddard's decisions; the North under Eddard's rule is unprecedentedly united. Varys and Pycelle have both warned Robert that the Starks might rebel, but that fool Robert doesn't listen at all."

Tyrion said, "Eddard is a man who values honor, and he followed Robert to rebel against the Mad King Aerys back then. If it weren't for the Vale and the North being the first to follow Robert, how could Robert have seized the Iron Throne? Eddard will certainly not rebel."

At this moment, Tyrion's attendant walked over.

"Lord Tyrion, your lady is already waiting for you outside the Red Keep."

Tyrion said excitedly, "I must go accompany the beautiful lady for a meal; leave the direwolves for you to worry about!"

Tyrion wobbled on his deformed legs and followed the attendant away.

Cersei said with disgust, "Father said Tyrion could help House Lannister in King's Landing, but since he arrived, he does nothing but gamble and find whores. This waste is of no use at all; he cannot see the threat of the Starks."

Jaime yawned lazily, "Eddard has always been loyal to Robert; how could he possibly rebel?"

Cersei said sharply, "Eddard is only loyal to Robert. When Joffrey sits on the throne in the future, will he swear allegiance? The rich and powerful North will only make the direwolves grow more unruly. I bet that the day Robert dies, the Starks will rebel sooner or later. Isn't it obvious? He annexed the lands Beyond the Wall; with no threat in the north, he will naturally develop his power toward the south."

"The high officials of the Small Council, Grand Maester Pycelle, Littlefinger, and Varys, have all advised Robert to be wary of the rise of the North, but unfortunately, Robert and Jon Arryn don't listen at all. They still think Eddard is the same Eddard who followed them to raise an army against the Mad King Aerys."

"Renly Baratheon and Stannis are as treacherous as ever. I think the two of them would love for the direwolves to rebel so they can seize the Iron Throne. They want to take the lion's Iron Throne. Jaime, you know that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are your seed; you must hold the throne for the children."

Jaime was distracted, "What's so good about that broken chair? If you ask me, I don't care who sits on it."

Cersei was shocked, "Are you crazy? If Robert dies and the Iron Throne falls into someone else's hands, the heads of Joffrey, Tommen, and Myrcella will be chopped off in an instant and stuck on lances to feed the crows. In the game of thrones, if you don't win, there is only death."

Jaime stroked his sword belt, "If that's the case, Eddard, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon are indeed a threat."

Cersei said distressfully, "We have too few people on the Small Council; only Pycelle can be considered a friend of the Lannisters. Varys and Littlefinger both have their own agendas. If only you could join the Small Council. That damned Barristan Selmy, the old fossil, he won't kick the bucket even at his age. Once he dies, I will have Robert appoint you as the Kingsguard Captain, and then you can attend the Small Council."

Jaime smirked and put his arm around Cersei's waist, "Have me attend meetings at the same table as a eunuch, Littlefinger, and Stannis? Spare me! Rather than living in fear, it's better to enjoy the moment."

Cersei pushed Jaime's hand away, "This is no time for fooling around. You and the Imp are both fools; only I am fighting for the Lannisters."

Escorted by Jaime, Cersei returned to Maegor's Holdfast. Maegor's Holdfast was a castle within the Red Keep, a square fortress located in the very center of the Red Keep, surrounded by a dry moat filled with spikes, with a drawbridge connecting it to the Red Keep. In case of emergency, the Kingsguard and the Gold Cloaks would raise the drawbridge, cutting off the connection between Maegor's Holdfast and the Red Keep to protect the safety of the royal family.

In the Queen's ballroom, Robert, accompanied by Kingsguard Captain Barristan Selmy, was collecting gold items from the palace. An iron basin was filled with gold bracelets, gold necklaces, and pure gold belts. Grand Maester Pycelle stood by listlessly.

Cersei raised an eyebrow, "Your Grace, what are you doing?"

Robert wore a black velvet coat with a silk cloak, and on his chest, he had the crowned stag of House Baratheon pieced together from tourmaline and red agate, looking just like a big bear. Robert said excitedly, "To celebrate Eddard's annexation of the lands Beyond the Wall, I promised at the Small Council to reward Eddard with a golden direwolf."

Cersei saw that many of the items in the basin were her own jewelry. She suppressed her anger, "The royal family owes millions of gold dragons to House Lannister, the Iron Bank, and the Church. The treasury is empty, and you are still squandering?"

Robert was a bit displeased, "Stinking woman, what do you know? Eddard annexed the lands Beyond the Wall and offered them to the kingdom, making me the king with the largest territory in Westeros ever. Isn't this worth celebrating? Your Lannister family has plenty of gold, and the royal family owes the Lannisters so much money, a little more won't hurt."

The matter of crafting a golden direwolf to reward Eddard was unanimously opposed by Pycelle, Littlefinger, and Varys at the Small Council. Even Stannis felt it was a waste, and only the flamboyant Renly Baratheon, who favored luxury, supported Robert. Robert had to temporarily give up the idea.

However, in the past few days, envoys from the Summer Islands, Braavos, and Volantis had all congratulated Robert on the feat of the Seven Kingdoms annexing the lands Beyond the Wall, praising it as a "great conquest that even dragons could not have accomplished," and Robert's idea of rewarding Eddard resurfaced.

In fact, Robert had never been to the North and had no concrete concept of the lands Beyond the Wall, so he had Grand Maester Pycelle bring a map. When he saw the vast lands Beyond the Wall on the map, which were larger than the South, he made up his mind to craft a golden direwolf to reward Eddard.

Cersei took a deep breath to calm herself. She squeezed out a smile and said to Robert, "Your Grace, our dining table is full of Stark blueberry wine, maple syrup, and fine salt; the study is full of Stark cinnabar ink; the sept is lit with Stark aromatic candles; and more and more people, both noble and common, are using Stark soap. If this continues, the entire Seven Kingdoms will be sold to the Starks."

Grand Maester Pycelle immediately perked up, his eyes widening, "Your Grace, the Queen is quite right. A powerful vassal will threaten the safety of the royal family; we must be wary of the threat from the North and the Starks!"

Robert chuckled, "Years ago, when the royal family borrowed money from the Lannisters, some said I had sold the country to the Lannisters. Should I view the Lannisters as a potential threat? The more money the Starks make, the more taxes they pay to the royal family. May you all be taken by the Others! Eddard is my brother, he is the most loyal; if you slander him again, I will not be polite."

Cersei said gloomily, "Even if you don't doubt Eddard's loyalty, you shouldn't sit idly by while Eddard incorporates the lands Beyond the Wall into the territory of the North. The Starks' territory is larger than the South; is this appropriate? I think we should send the royal army to take over the lands Beyond the Wall, or conscript settler knights to go there. In short, the lands Beyond the Wall must be in the hands of the royal family."

Robert said with disdain, "This rhetoric of yours has already been said by Pycelle, Varys, and Littlefinger at the Small Council. The lands Beyond the Wall were conquered by Eddard; he is a hero, and I will only reward him, not snatch the fruits of his victory. Cersei, you are not a member of the Small Council, so don't interfere in state affairs."

"I am going to reward Eddard with a pure gold direwolf, and I have already contacted the goldsmiths. Cersei, you wouldn't be stingy about the gold, would you? If you are, write to your father Tywin far away in Casterly Rock. Don't people often say that even the shit Duke Tywin shits is gold?"

Pycelle said, "Your Grace, I think that since you are determined to craft a golden direwolf, the craftsmanship of ordinary goldsmiths may not be satisfactory. Why not invite the Alchemists?"

Robert said with disgust, "Pycelle, no wonder everyone says you are an old fool. The Alchemists? Don't you know that Eddard and I hate the Alchemists the most? Back then, the Mad King relied on the Alchemists to burn Eddard's father, Duke Rickard, alive, and his eldest brother Brandon was strangled to death. The Alchemists are mad dogs; don't even think about them approaching my court!"

"Not only will I reward Eddard with a pure gold direwolf, but I will also invite Eddard to come south and join the Small Council."

Cersei said excitedly, "Your Grace, there are no vacancies on the Small Council; on what grounds do you want Eddard to join?"

Robert said, "Eddard will be my advisor. I have discussed it with Jon; in the future, Eddard is a potential candidate for Hand of the King. Jon's health has always been good, but he is over eighty after all. After he retires, Eddard may serve as the Hand of the King."

Pycelle protested weakly, "Your Grace, I think Duke Tywin is the only candidate for Hand of the King; he served as the Prime Minister for King Aerys with great diligence."

Robert shrugged, "I said it's a possibility, I haven't decided yet! Anyway, Tywin, Stannis, and Eddard could all be the next Hand of the King. To celebrate Eddard's conquest of the lands Beyond the Wall, the annexation of the territory, and the relocation of over a hundred thousand Wildlings, his great achievements in expanding the territory, I have decided to hold a grand celebration for Eddard, including a tourney, theatrical performances, and a royal feast."

"I will officially grant Eddard the title of Wolf King, clarify that the lands Beyond the Wall are incorporated into the new North, and lords from all over must come to King's Landing to attend this Wolf King festival."

Pycelle's chin trembled in surprise, "A 'Wolf King' festival? Your Grace, Eddard's title is Duke, and House Stark has always been the ancient Kings of Winter and Kings in the North. If you bestow the title of Wolf King, the honor would be excessive."

Robert Baratheon gave a light snort, "I heard that some Daeron or other back in the day married a sister off to Dorne and annexed Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms, and because of that, Dorne retained the title of Prince. The land Eddard conquered Beyond the Wall is much larger than Dorne; for me to bestow a title of Wolf King is perfectly reasonable."

"Pycelle, send ravens to Winterfell at once and tell Eddard to come to King's Landing. Also, write letters to the nobles across the Seven Kingdoms and invite them to attend the Wolf King celebration!"

Robert Baratheon left with Barristan Selmy and Grand Maester Pycelle, while the King's squire, Lancel Lannister, followed behind carrying a basin full of pure gold jewelry and belts.

Cersei said angrily to Jaime, "That fool Robert wants to give Eddard the title of Wolf King and invite him to join the Small Council. Our father, Duke Tywin, has served as Hand of the King for decades and contributed much to the Seven Kingdoms; why doesn't Robert give our father the title of Lion King?"

Jaime sighed, "When Father was Hand, he was the Mad King's Hand. After Robert took the throne, the Hand has always been Jon Arryn, and the core power has been held by Robert, Jon Arryn, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon. Compared to those two brothers of Robert's, Eddard isn't actually that bad."

Cersei said gloomily, "The direwolves are growing ever more powerful; this is the bane of the Seven Kingdoms. No matter what, if Eddard dares to touch my children, he will be a dead wolf."

Outside Winterfell, Eddard rode on his direwolf, watching the Winter Wolves heading for Blacksmith City as they marched south along the Kingsroad.

This Winter Wolf army was composed of wildlings, soldiers from White Harbor, Widow's Watch, the mountain clans, and Bear Island, with three hundred ironborn following the Iron Bitch Helene Pyke, totaling over three thousand men. They would garrison Blacksmith City at the Wolf Castle on Sea Dragon Point, and the commander Eddard appointed for Blacksmith City was none other than Helene Pyke.

Blacksmith City was the Wolf Castle closest to the Iron Islands, only a few days' sail away; by holding this place, the pirates of the Iron Islands would find it difficult to cause trouble again.

Helene Pyke rode on a white warhorse, wearing chainmail over her green hunting leathers, "Lord Eddard, just thinking that I can return to the ships makes me feel excited. But, thinking about parting with Lord Eddard and the little wolf pups Jon, Robb, and Bran, I feel a bit reluctant."

Eddard said, "Blacksmith City is very close to the Iron Islands; don't you go sailing off."

Helene revealed a wicked smile, "I am your salt wife, how could I bear to leave?"

Eddard placed his hand on Helene's shoulder, "Once you reach Blacksmith City, you must drill the navy, send out fleets to patrol, and if you encounter ironborn pirates, fight them to the death."

Helene said, "I was a pirate myself; I know how to deal with pirates. Besides, by constantly building ships, our longships will only grow in number. Once I reach Sea Dragon Point, I will also recruit local fishermen to join the fleet."

The master shipwright Mogul would head to the Dawn Watch shipyard at the mouth of the Barrow River; Mogul had previously built ships for the Iron Fleet and the Redwyne Fleet and was highly experienced. Before this, Mogul had been building longships on the upper reaches of the White Knife, and these longships had all joined the Stark East Coast Fleet.

Nowadays, the North's west coast had a shipyard on the Stony River, overseen by the young shipwright Raphael. The longships Raphael built, added to the longships Eddard had purchased, brought the number of longships on the west coast to over fifty, but to guard the long coastline, this number was far from enough.

Helene suggested setting the shipyard in Blacksmith City, but since it was adjacent to the Iron Islands, Eddard worried that the shipyard there would be destroyed by ironborn pirates. Losing a few longships could be tolerated, but losing a shipwright like Mogul and a group of experienced shipbuilders would be a huge loss.

In the end, Eddard decided to place the shipyard at Dawn Watch, which was located south of Barrowton and deep within the Salt Spear. To the west, it was protected by Warhorse City and Stony City, and on the south side of the Salt Spear, there was even Flint's Finger; Dawn Watch was the safest Wolf Castle.

Helene left Winterfell with over three thousand soldiers, and this was the last batch of Winter Wolves to be sent to the Wolf Castles.

Eddard and the wildling leaders selected over ten thousand elite wildlings to join the Winter Wolves, and adding the soldiers chosen by the various lords, the number of Winter Wolves at Winterfell exceeded sixteen thousand.

Eddard sent three thousand soldiers to Dawn Watch, Stony City, and Warhorse City, and three thousand men were also sent to the Moat Cailin, the throat of the North. The main force of these Winter Wolves were wildlings; Eddard mixed the wildlings from various tribes with the native northern soldiers and handed them over to the acting castellans of the Wolf Castles to command, all of whom were from the Winterfell household guard.

Desmond was in charge of Stony City, Jacks was in charge of Warhorse City, Shad was in charge of Dawn Watch, and Quent was in charge of Moat Cailin.

The situation at Sea Dragon Point was quite special because the area was full of hills and swamps, and many ironborn pirates were entrenched there, so Eddard chose Ser Zack Covington to lead three thousand soldiers to Sea Dragon Point.

Zack was the second son of the Lord of Gong Yang Men and had served Lord Wyman Manderly for many years; he had extensive experience in countering Sistermen pirates, and after the Winter Wolves were established, he joined them.

Eddard had Zack lead his troops to clear out the pirates of Sea Dragon Point, and House Glover of Deepwood Motte would send troops to assist. Once the pirates were cleared, construction on Sea Dragon City could begin.

In addition, Eddard also selected six thousand wildling laborers and one hundred giants to head to the mouth of the Last River to build Red Wolf Castle. Once this castle was completed, it could not only guard the mouth of the Last River but also deter the nearby Dreadfort.

After tens of thousands of Winter Wolves left, Winterfell had many fewer mouths to feed.

On this day, Eddard came to the porcelain workshop, which was overseen by the alchemist Ginter.

Ginter and Eddard had worked together to improve the production of wildfire, and now the efficiency of producing wildfire in Winterfell had increased. Wildfire could be used for fire attacks on the battlefield, useful in both naval and land warfare.

When Eddard campaigned Beyond the Wall, it was by relying on wildfire that he defeated the snow bears, shadowcats, and saber-toothed tigers of Varamyr Sixskins. Wildfire was also used in Winterfell when producing glass and forging steel.

Considering that the power of wildfire was truly too great—hundreds of jars of wildfire piled together were enough to blow up a castle—Eddard did not allow for large-scale production.

However, they could not do without it. Wildfire was stored in clay jars and sealed; at first, the clay jars were purchased from White Harbor, but later Eddard invested in building a pottery workshop to manufacture pottery specifically for storing wildfire.

Eddard discovered that porcelain in Westeros was a luxury item; the goblets and tableware used by nobles were mostly gold, silver, or tin products, such as gold plates, silver dishes, and tin goblets. The small amount of porcelain that flowed into Westeros was all produced in the far eastern Yi Ti; apart from Yi Ti, no one possessed the craftsmanship for porcelain production.

In Westeros, porcelain was actually rarer than a Valyrian Steel Sword, which was undoubtedly another huge business opportunity. Eddard believed that as long as they could manufacture exquisite porcelain, Winterfell could earn high profits.

The production process for pottery and porcelain was similar; the creation of porcelain was derived from pottery.

The maester of agriculture and mineralogy, Farmer, had discovered kaolin several months ago, which was the essential material for making porcelain. Pottery only required red clay, but porcelain required kaolin.

When Eddard first approached the alchemist Ginter and told him that Winterfell was going to make porcelain, Ginter thought Eddard was joking.

"Lord Eddard, no one in Westeros can manufacture porcelain, not even the Free Cities; even the Valyrians who possessed dragons could not do it. How could Winterfell possibly manufacture porcelain? Porcelain comes from Yi Ti; such precious works of art rarely reach Westeros. In my view, making porcelain is harder than turning stone into gold."

Eddard said confidently, "They cannot, but I can. Ginter, we will explore and experiment together; we shall be the first porcelain masters of Westeros."

Porcelain production required processes such as shaping, trimming, drying, glazing, and firing; if any step went wrong, the experiment would fail.

Pottery required temperatures of 800 to 1200 degrees, while porcelain required temperatures above 1200. Such high temperatures were difficult for ordinary people to achieve, but wildfire could do it. However, letting wildfire burn in the open air would not reach the necessary temperature; to fire porcelain, one had to build a kiln.

Eddard personally designed and had men build the Wolf Kiln, which was circular in appearance and consisted of a kiln door, a firebox, a kiln chamber, and a chimney, used for firing porcelain.

After the Wolf Kiln was built, Eddard fully expected that by using wildfire, he could easily produce porcelain, but subsequently, his experiments with Ginter failed repeatedly; the porcelain they fired either turned into glass or shattered.

After Eddard went north Beyond the Wall to crusade against the wildlings, Ginter continued to experiment with the craftsmen, but without any progress, and the alchemist completely shelved the porcelain experiments.

After Eddard returned in triumph to Winterfell, the Wolf Kiln began firing porcelain again. This time, when shaping the clay, Eddard added obsidian powder.

Obsidian was the bane of the Others, also known as dragon glass or frozen fire; it was a mineral with magical properties. In Winterfell's glass workshop, adding a bit of obsidian powder to the glass production could accelerate efficiency and improve the quality of the glass. Eddard believed that in the process of making porcelain, obsidian could also create miracles for him.

As they approached the Wolf Kiln, the temperature rose sharply. Ginter walked to the door and took out a key.

"Lord Eddard, I have strictly controlled the wildfire temperature according to your requirements, and the proportions of obsidian, quartz sand, and kaolin were also placed according to your instructions. The porcelain inside has been firing for a full day and night. I hope that this time, the porcelain we fired can be a success."

Ginter opened the ebony door, and a wave of heat rushed out. Although only embers remained of the emerald-colored wildfire in the fire pit, it still radiated heat.

The porcelain consisted of seven plates, each featuring azure winter roses and direwolves. The winter roses were as blue as frost, and the direwolves seemed to leap upon the plates, as if they were ferocious, living creatures.

Ginter was incredibly excited; he stroked the porcelain, "This porcelain is too perfect, Lord Eddard, we actually succeeded."

Eddard said calmly, "My technique had no problems; being able to create porcelain was almost inevitable."

Although he said this, in his heart, Eddard could not help but marvel at the power of obsidian. With just a tiny bit of obsidian powder added to the porcelain-making process, the porcelain had undergone a complete transformation.

Ginter said, "Lord Eddard, your talent truly makes me admire you. You are more powerful than any wise man in the Alchemists' Guild; following you, I can learn so much knowledge."

Eddard said, "From now on, these craftsmen must focus on manufacturing porcelain; these pieces can help Winterfell earn a large amount of gold dragons."

Nowadays, the craftsmen cultivated by Winterfell—whether they were blacksmiths, glassmakers, carpenters, soap makers, brewers, perfume makers, nurses, dyers, or wool weavers—all had to sign contracts with Stark, becoming lifelong craftsmen for House Stark. They were not allowed to leak the secrets of Winterfell's craftsmanship, or else they would be reduced to forced laborers.

That evening, Eddard brought the porcelain plates to Winterfell to show Catelyn, Robb, Jon, and the others.

Sansa loved them and couldn't put them down, Arya kissed the direwolf emblem on the plates, and Sam stared with wide eyes, carefully examining the winter roses on the porcelain.

Catelyn said excitedly, "When I was a child, my family had a porcelain pillow shaped like a cat, but it was damaged. It was brought from a shipwreck at Saltpans; this porcelain pillow was later gifted to Lord Whent, and when my mother married into Riverrun, she brought it as part of her dowry."

"My father liked them very much; you could sleep with a porcelain pillow, and it was especially cool in the summer. It is a pity that this porcelain pillow was destroyed in a fire. Eddard, can we also manufacture porcelain pillows?"

Eddard said: "Since such exquisite plates have been fired, porcelain pillows will be even less of a problem."

Robb said: "Father, porcelain plates are so exquisite, they feel much more noble than gold plates or silver plates. The nobles will surely like them. How much do you intend to price them at?"

Eddard thought for a moment, "In the future, the great houses can commission them from us; the glaze patterns on them can be the crests of the various houses, or the patterns of the Seven. If it is a set of plates with the patterns of the Seven, I think selling them for 100 Gold Dragons would be appropriate."

Catelyn said in surprise: "Isn't that too expensive?"

Eddard said: "This is a luxury item to begin with, it is a work of art; if you think it is expensive, you don't have to buy it."

Maple Syrup, Blue Noble, and Glass Pane have already proven that the more expensive something is, the more the nobles and the wealthy will flock to it.

Eddard plans to produce porcelain vases, porcelain Seven, porcelain Knight, etc., to earn money from the Church and the nobles.

The kitchen servants began to serve the dishes, and the wildling women Osha and Ygritte brought the dishes to the table. Robb, Jon, Theon, Sam, and Domeric soon discovered that today's dishes were very different.

The first dish was black truffle chicken soup, the second dish was salmon spread with Maple Syrup, the third dish was caviar steak, and the fourth dish was the fragrant and intoxicating Foie Gras. Every dish made the children drool.

Catelyn used a fork to spear a piece of black truffle and examined it carefully, "I have never eaten this kind of thing."

Eddard said: "This is a black truffle, a delicacy I accidentally discovered when I was campaigning Beyond the Wall."

The Cave Dweller, the snow-forest people, and the Night Runners Beyond the Wall like black truffles; it is a type of underground fungus. The Wildlings believe that eating black truffles can make a man strong on his wedding night and help old men who are past their prime regain their vigor.

Many of the Wildlings who followed Eddard south to Winterfell carried black truffles as dry rations. Untreated black truffles have a foul odor, but after simple processing, they are a delicacy.

After Eddard returned to Winterfell, he asked the leaders of the Forest Clan and the foresters, only to learn that there are also many black truffles in the Wolfswood; some hunting dogs occasionally dig them up while hunting.

In the North, no one eats black truffles except for the Wildlings, but the medicinal and culinary value of black truffles destined them to have the potential to become a luxury item like Maple Syrup. Maple Syrup put into Canned Food and sold to King's Landing costs one Gold Dragon per bottle.

Some patrons of song and dance brothels will like black truffles. After all, patrons who go to brothels to seek pleasure are most afraid of having the heart but not the strength; black truffles can help patrons regain their vigor.

The brothels of Braavos have courtesans, the pleasure gardens of Lys are world-famous, the priests of the Summer Islands are masters of bedroom arts, and ports all over the world cannot do without brothels. This means that the market prospects for black truffles are vast.

Eddard sent the foresters with sows and hunting dogs to the Wolfswood to search for black truffles. Sows are experts at digging up black truffles because the scent of black truffles is similar to that of boars.

The skinchanger Borroq controls a wild boar, and he understands the scent of wild boars best. Eddard let Borroq take his wild boar and a team of Wildlings to the Wolfswood to search for black truffles, and they found a large cartload in one day.

The Wildlings believe that there are more and better black truffles Beyond the Wall. Eddard has already ordered Wolf Castle on The Wall to collect black truffles diligently, store them, and wait to eat them during the winter.

In addition, there is caviar. The Bay of Ice, Seal Bay, Salt Spear, and the Bite in the North are all rich in sturgeon caviar. The northern fishing boats have made caviar a delicacy on the tables of the brothers of the Night's Watch and the Winter Wolves of The Wall, while the nobles in the south rarely have the chance to eat delicious caviar.

Fortunately, Eddard invented Canned Food. In the future, Foie Gras, caviar, Maple Syrup, and black truffles will be sold in the form of Canned Food to King's Landing, Gulltown, Oldtown, Braavos, Pentos, Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh, earning rolling wealth for Winterfell.

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(End of this chapter)