Chapter 90: Winterfell Workshops

The glassmaker Ortega moved into a courtyard in Winterfell, and he remained in Winterfell. With Ortega the Myr glassmaker, Eddard would henceforth be able to produce glass in a steady stream, and his Glass Farm Plan had taken a solid step forward.

In fact, as a Chuanzhe, Eddard also understood some techniques for manufacturing glass; as long as he was willing to spend time researching, he believed he could develop ordinary glass. However, it was too difficult to produce glass of the artistic standard of Myr glass. With a Glassmaster like Ortega in Winterfell, they could manufacture glass panes in the future; one must know that glass panes were expensive luxury goods, with a price equal to their weight in gold.

Besides the glassmaker Ortega, in Eddard's team of craftsmen, there was also the Alchemist Ginter; in the future, Eddard, Ginter, and Ortega could research together to improve the glass craft.

Eddard and the financial advisor Klar walked out of the gates of Winterfell and headed toward the Street of Craftsmen, where there were rows of workshops designed by the architect Donnel.

"Lord Eddard, in the future, Ortega's glass workshop can just be here on the Street of Craftsmen. It is adjacent to the gates of Winterfell, and there are guards patrolling every day, so the security is good."

The Street of Craftsmen was adjacent to the forge. Many workshops on the Street of Craftsmen were assets of Winterfell; here, there were toy workshops, sausage workshops, and candle workshops invested in by Winterfell, as well as breweries producing ale, mead, and beer, and workshops for pressing cooking oil and brewing vinegar, among others.

Eddard and the financial advisor Klar arrived at the sausage workshop. The person in charge here was Phoebe; she was a plump, happy middle-aged woman. She wore an apron stained with grease and had Eddard taste the sausages produced in Winterfell.

"These are all made from pork and beef provided by the Winterfell farms, Lord Eddard. I guarantee you will be satisfied with the taste."

Nowadays, Phoebe had over thirty workers under her, both female and male.

Eddard took a bite of a sausage. "The taste is very good. Phoebe, how many sausages can your workshop produce in a day?"

Phoebe thought for a moment. "Sausages, dried sausages, and hams of various sizes, added together, there must be over a hundred! Lord Eddard, rest assured, the warehouses in Winterfell are piled full of sausages and hams, enough to cope with the long winter."

"Far from enough." Eddard chewed the ham. "Phoebe, lead your people and keep working hard. The more meat products we have, the better."

Phoebe let out a hearty laugh. "Lord Eddard, things like ham can be preserved for a period of time after adding salt, but if too much is accumulated, it will still spoil. If we produce too much, Winterfell won't be able to eat it all, and the residents of Winter Town couldn't possibly eat so many sausages and hams. Won't the accumulated stock spoil?"

"It won't." Eddard threw the remaining sausage casing on the ground, and a dog snatched it away. "I have reached a cooperation agreement with the Night's Watch. In the future, Winterfell will build ice cellars in the fortresses on the Wall, where a lot of food can be stored. In the future, the people of the Wall and even the entire North will be able to eat the sausages you produce."

Phoebe and the workers were all very happy, revealing honest smiles.

Eddard and the financial advisor Klar walked out of the sausage workshop and headed toward the toy workshop nearby. Klar said, "In the past, the money the workshops earned for Winterfell was all taken by the black market in Saltpans. Now that Lord Eddard has implemented the Salt Ban, with the bottomless pit of Saltpans gone, I guarantee I can save every copper coin for Winterfell."

At the toy workshop, the workshop manager Douglas and his children warmly welcomed Eddard and Klar.

Douglas was a carpenter and toymaker whose footprints covered the Seven Kingdoms. His family had made wooden toys for generations, and many famous Knights, such as the "Kingslayer" Jaime, Prince Rhaegar, Lord Renly Baratheon, and "The Mountain" Gregor Clegane, had all been clients of Douglas's father or himself.

Back then, Douglas's father was doing business in the Westerlands. He sold a wooden Knight to "The Mountain" Gregor Clegane. Because The Mountain's younger brother, "The Hound" Sandor, stole the wooden Knight to play with, he was pressed into a charcoal brazier by his brother, The Mountain, burning half of his face.

Douglas was a carpenter and toymaker, and his three sons were also carpenters. After settling in Winterfell, Douglas took on ten apprentices to teach them the carpenter's craft. Douglas handed a wooden doll to Eddard.

"Lord Eddard, this kind of wooden Knight is still quite popular in White Harbor, selling over a dozen every month, but in Winter Town and Barrowton, very few are sold."

Douglas's wooden toys were expensive, often costing several Silver Stags; this price was clearly not something the children of ordinary families could afford.

Eddard toyed with the wooden Knight. "White Harbor has a Knightly order, and the Manderly family there also believes in the Seven; they like Knights. There are very few Knights north of the Neck. If this kind of toy were taken to the Reach, the Riverlands, and the Vale of Arryn, it would certainly be a bestseller; that is the world of Knights."

"Catelyn's maiden family is the Tully family of Riverrun; they are the guardians of the Riverlands. The guardian of the Vale of Arryn, the Lord of the Eyrie, Jon Arryn, is my foster father. I will sell the North's products to the south in the future, including your toys; you can just produce them with peace of mind."

Douglas revealed a smile. "Lord Eddard, perhaps I could produce a batch of dolls of Brandon the Builder. Brandon the Builder is a legendary figure in the North! He built the Wall and Riverrun; in some legends, even Storm's End has Brandon's contribution."

"The people of the North might remember the achievements of Brandon the Builder, but no one will spend a large sum of money to buy a doll of Brandon the Builder." Eddard reminded Douglas, "You don't understand the people of the North. The long winter threatens this land, and people have become firm and cold. The people of the North would find the indulgence and feasts of the Southerners childish and ridiculous, and naturally, they would disdain spending money on toys for their children."

After listening, Douglas nodded in deep agreement. "Lord Eddard, then what kind of toys do you think would be bestsellers?"

"I will tell you the truth: no matter how perfect the toys we manufacture are, it will be difficult for them to sell well in the North." Eddard picked up a toy of a Southern Knight from the table. "However, the South is completely different. I think we can try to produce some dolls of people like Garth Greenhand, The Fool Foluolian and Qiongqi, the Rainbow Knight and Lady Xila, the "Dragonknight" Aemon, and the first Knight in history, "Oak" John, among others. They would certainly be bestsellers in the Reach."

"The Reach?" Douglas's eyes lit up. "Yes, back when I traveled in the towns of the Reach, in places like Oldtown, Goldengrove, Arbor, Cider Hall, and Bitterbridge, children in almost every castle would buy my toys. The Reach is the home of Knights, and every child has a dream of being a Knight."

"Besides the Reach, the martial spirit of the Canyon Knight is also beyond doubt." Eddard told Douglas, "You can produce a batch of dolls of the 'Winged Knight' and the 'Falcon Knight' to sell to the Vale in the future. You can prepare 'Lann the Clever' for the children of the Westerlands; I believe the children of Lannisport will like them."

(End of chapter)