Those who know digital currencies must have heard the story of a programmer who bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins and ate them all in one meal — and the 10,000 virtual gadgets that were "worth only a penny" at the time rose to a maximum of $20,000 each.

That's right, I know what you're thinking: if this guy hadn't eaten those two pizzas in the first place, wouldn't he have been lying down and having a net worth of hundreds of millions?

......From the point of view of simple mathematical transformation (10,000,000 = 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,00

If Satoshi Nakamoto, the proposer of Bitcoin, does not announce the idea and rules, and a person digs coins in silence and waits for almost the mining before launching this concept, can he become a billionaire and become a billionaire on the list of the world's richest people with this trick?

The answer, of course, is no!

Bitcoin in the hands of Satoshi Nakamoto alone is worthless, and he can't even buy pizza. Only by sharing this new thing and new gadget with enough "smart people", and then further allowing more ordinary people to know this concept and participate in this game - both people play players and people act as pick-up heroes, so that enough people are profitable or consciously profitable, they will do their best to spontaneously promote and hype, so that this invisible and intangible thing has a rising value.

The Lightbringer is similar to Bitcoin in this regard: with the end of the Night's Watch's great victory against the Wraiths, the myths and scenes written by Iger for the seventy-seven arrows of legend are bound to spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms and the entire known world with the news of the victory.

However, without the participation and relay, no matter how wonderful the story is, it is just self-congratulatory. If nothing is done, the heat will quickly cool down and subside...... Eventually, this thrilling battle between humans and ghosts will turn into "a war of dubious authenticity that is said to have taken place in the far north", and the Lightbringer will become "a magic weapon that is said to be used by the people in black to shoot strangers in this war that is not known to be true or false".

In addition to their frequent appearances and killings in the Bard's tales, the Night's Watch and the seventy-seven arrows of legend will soon fade into obscurity.

Will Iger be able to tolerate this?

Never.

He melted down and reforged the legendary sword of the king of the Targaryen Dynasty and the "Dark Sisters" worth at least a hundred thousand gold dragons into dozens of arrowheads, and of course he could not sit idly by and watch such a moving treasury become dusty after it had served the function of boosting the morale of the army and civilians of the land-giving army and shooting the ghosts. He's already put a lot of money and energy into it, making it famous and legendary. Now, it's time to monetize that influence and let the Lightbringer do its last bit of heat!

......

If someone simply understands the "monetization" in Egger's plan as "converting into cash", that is, making dozens of ordinary tiled steel arrowheads to sell them for money under the guise of "Lightbringers", then Iger is thinking too superficially.

Here he is calculating the "cash" to become, not cash, but real influence.

It is true that the seventy-seven Lightbringers, each with a unique number and story, this kind of "limited sale" out-of-print legendary items, the preciousness of tile steel and the attribute function of hunting strange ghosts, can make many classes with spare money have the desire to collect kryptonite, the cost of dozens of hundreds of thousands of no problem, seventy-seven conservative calculations also have tens of thousands of gold dragons, but a considerable amount of money, can give the Night's Watch legion's finances a great return to a mouthful of blood.

However, for a military organization that is in a state of war, has basically completed its armament, and is ready to fight for the country, finance is really not the primary consideration.

Grain, although the 100,000 gold dragon grain purchased from Braavos has not yet arrived, the part that has been stored is enough for the entire land grant to eat for a year - this is still before the start of the war without attrition; weapons and equipment, relying on the metallurgical system built by Houguan Town, the land grant has basically achieved self-sufficiency, although it is not everyone armed to the teeth, but it is not much worse than the average level of the armies of the seven countries; as for the miscellaneous and other odd expenses, Iger can ask Daenerys if he wants!

Of course, the cost of fighting the country should be reimbursed by the last person to sit on the country! With the record of the queen quickly occupying most of the royal territory as soon as she landed, and counting the innocent, there is no need for military salaries...... Whatever she lacks, she will not lack money.

The Night's Watch is not a peasant for a temporary uprising, what Iger needs more now is soft power, the legitimacy of declaring war on the Seven Kingdoms, a tool to weaken the opposition within the land grant, a way to increase the acceptance of the southerners with the army he leads and the monarch he supports, and a public opinion environment that will not be full of rebels after the end of the war!

The public opinion offensive has taken the north, and the result is that the Night's Watch is collecting saltpeter quite smoothly...... However, "repelling the strangers" is a heroic feat for the people of the north, and its influence is quite limited for the remaining six countries south of the neck that do not have the same cultural atmosphere. In order to change this situation, Egger's countermeasure was to have the seventy-seven "Light Messengers" carry out the task of their name - to act as small "messengers" without mouths or speaks, to "send out" to various places on behalf of the Night's Watch legion, using each numbered individual as a medium, like a seed that has been scattered to take root and sprout, and a honeycomb-shaped communication base station, to transfer, spread and amplify the reputation and fame that this victory in the war between humans and ghosts should bring, and finally discount it into the legitimacy and assistance of the Night's Watch to send the queen to the throne.

Influence and favorability, how much this unquantifiable soft power will help the Night's Watch and the Queen's seizure of the Iron Throne? No one can say, but considering the power attributes contained in the Iron Throne itself, the ease and efficiency of the transformation of power → money, and what Iger wants to do is not only to conquer the Seven Kingdoms but also to rule for a long time...... To be sure, this investment is definitely worth it.

And what is the quickest and easiest way to spread the seventy-seven Lightbringers to both sides of the Strait in the Seven Kingdoms?

Give them away.

To people from all over the world.

＊＊＊

After a conversation with Tob Mott and a plan for casting the forty Lightbringers to fill the gap, the Night's Watch Commander-in-Chief stood up to say a friendly goodbye to him and watched him leave the hall.

Iger wasn't at all worried that the high-ranking blacksmith would leak his secrets—fifteen, and Tob Mott was the second-most owner of the Lightbringer in the world after the Night's Watch legion. The news that "Seventy-Seven Arrows of Legend" was poked out would do more damage to his interests than anyone else, and no one would do such a stupid thing that harmed their own interests. Not to mention, as a mortal, Tob Mott didn't understand the difference between dragon steel and ordinary tile steel, for him - this "fake" had him, the original caster, personally out of the horse, the use of sufficient materials, and the official approval promised by the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch, it was more real than the real thing, where was it fake!

"Humphrey!" After estimating that the blacksmith should go away, Egg collected his thoughts and shouted, summoning one of his henchmen in Houguan Town. "Here's a list, according to the names and numbers on this list, the 'Lightbringer' is distributed and packed, ready to be sent. ”

"Hmm. Humphrey Hishan agreed, took the list handed over by the Commander-in-Chief, and looked down at it.

A long list of names and notes.

(Tob Mott was the only one who took fifteen of them...... Well, he deserves it, but why would there be an extra one? ）

(A number of heroes and martyrs who participated in the war of humans and ghosts and shot strange ghosts in the battle, performed well, basically have one, well, a must.) ）

(Arrived in time and stopped several of the Northerners, including the Starks, in the Battle of Long Lake...... A good strategy, which is not only above board, but also eases the tense atmosphere between the land grant and the north, and further hits the determination of the other side to start a war with itself, wonderful!)

(Berry Dondelion and a number of royal lords and Narrow Sea nobles who followed Melisandre north to the Great Wall...... Well, these people came from afar and helped the adults a lot in the election of the commander-in-chief and the daily management of the land grant, which has increased tenfold, and it is understandable that they cannot be allowed to run in vain. ）

(Iron Vault...... Well, the biggest creditors of the Night's Watch, it doesn't seem wrong to say that they have merit. ）

(Isn't the Royce family of the Vale? isn't this the adversary of the grown-ups...... ）

Humphrey paused when he saw the sixth line, a little confused. But he was able to become Egger's trusted confidant, of course, not only by virtue of the friendship of "having been imprisoned together in King's Landing", but by relying on his brilliant brain and excellent execution - after a little thought, he figured out why: I see!

Although the relationship between the Commander-in-Chief and the Royce family has continued from the strange patrol to the election of the Night's Watch, in the final analysis, there is no conflict of interest or deep enmity between the two sides. Just be a little more generous and recognize Jon Royce as a hero who fought to the death against the Wraiths in a crucial battle...... But if the remaining Royce in the valley had a brain, he should go down the stairs and wrap up this lightbringer to make offerings, show that he accepts the overtures of the commander-in-chief, agrees to reconcile with him, and even has to move up and down, even with the fight to keep the valley from being an enemy of the land grant.

Not...... I'm afraid that Jon's remaining two sons don't believe the official results of the Night's Watch, and insist that their father was killed by the Commander-in-Chief, then it will be troublesome. This arrow had to be delivered by a Vale nobleman from the Alliance of the Righteous, and they knew each other well and trusted, explained it clearly, and didn't make any more moths.

With a sense of relief, Humphrey Hishan looked down at the last line.

Tywin Lannister.

(Also, the Westside donated a lot of armaments to the Night's Watch during the Great Wall Garrison, and the Lannister Bank also made a large loan to relieve the Commander-in-Chief's urgent need when the land was granted to purchase foreign land and hire technicians during a currency crisis, which was indeed a significant contribution.) But what are the last two notes...... "Seventy-Seven" and "Night King"?

If you don't understand, just ask, Humphrey's always adhered to the purpose, he always admitted that the commander-in-chief was smarter than himself, and there was nothing to be ashamed of.

"'Lightbringer Seventy-Seven' shouldn't have been lost, right?" Even if he didn't ask, Egger would take the initiative to explain the last two notes: "Go find them, pack them, and send someone south to deliver them to Duke Tywin...... Also, in my official capacity, I announced that on the night of the defense of Houguan Town, I used this arrow to shoot the Night King, forcing the ghoul army to retreat, and the war between the ghosts and ghosts came to a turning point. ”

"Huh?" said Humphrey Hissan, unable to hide his bewilderment.

The Lannisters had a good relationship with the land grant and were the second largest creditor of the Legion, and it was understandable that the Night's Watch would give a gift as a token of appreciation after the war. Can...... The arrow that shot the Night King!, such a unique existence, does not stay on the Great Wall as a treasure of the town wall to pass on to the next commander-in-chief, and give it away?

Or for someone who didn't participate in the war between humans and ghosts at all!

"My lord, with all due respect...... I'm not saying I can't give away this honor, but ...... The contribution of the Western Realm to this war is far less than that, and the gift you gave to the Dragon Queen is about the same!"

"Queen, she's not uncommon with a whole set of Lightbringers, she wants the Iron Throne, the open support of the Night's Watch, and my full support and advice. Just as he tried to melt down the Dark Sisters and was thwarted in every way, Egger fully understood the mentality that ordinary people would oppose, and he slowly shook his head and patiently explained. "And back to Duke Tywin, with his wealth, would he be rare to find an ordinary tile steel arrow? No, he can easily forge a hundred tile steel arrows for money, and what he lacks is not tile steel, but an heirloom worthy of the status of the Lannister family!"

In the original plot, Tywin didn't go to collect bits and pieces of steel to put together a complete sword to be used as a clan sword, but waited for many years to wait for the opportunity to split the Stark family's "ice" into two swords, why? Because the scraps are not worthy of being the Lannisters' heirlooms, and the loot from the Lord of the North is enough!

"If you can't use and surprise someone with a gift, it's better not to give it. Whether it's the legend of the Lightbringer, the auspicious number of 'Seventy-Seven', or the backstory and accompanying glory of Shoot the Night King, there is only one purpose - to get this arrow into the eyes of Duke Tywin, understand?"

"This ......," Humphrey reluctantly accepted the explanation, "you have a point, but what I don't understand is why your lord would please the Lannisters like this......? Aren't you afraid that the Queen will be upset to hear this?"

"You think I'm currying favor with the Lannisters?" Egg smiled, "I'm not wrong, but I have a principle: a momentary favor must be for a greater reward." After the kingkiller assassinated King Robert, the Western Frontier was briefly besieged by the Six Kingdoms, and it seemed that his vitality was greatly damaged, but in fact, it was precisely because of this that he avoided the later Erlu infighting and the conflict between the three kings. In addition, the Lannister family took advantage of the plundering and weakening of the vassals to implement gold control in the entire territory under their jurisdiction, and unified the use of the wealth of the entire western territory......" He knocked on the table and accentuated his tone: "Except for the bloated freak of the Riverlands, whose strength is difficult to calculate, among the remaining six countries, the western territory is a blessing in disguise, but it is the party that has preserved the most intact military and economic strength at the moment - if they are patronized and let the war and watch the show, in the end, they may become the winners!"

"So...... The adults want to give gifts to paralyze their vigilance, so that they can hit the western realm by surprise when they go south?"

"If you want to eat fart, what kind of person is Duke Tywin, who will be paralyzed and vigilant by this kind of trick? Egger was amused by his subordinates' brains and shook his head with a smile, "Your question is actually very good, I still dare to give such a big gift to the Lannister family in public even though I am already loyal to the queen, what do you think Tywin will think? With this layer of foreshadowing, when our army has crossed the neck and begins to advance southward, I can logically approach and negotiate with them, and try to use the strength accumulated over the years of neutrality in the western frontier to my own use. ”

"How can the queen let go of such a deep hatred, and if Tywin accepts the gift and insists on remaining neutral, what will the Lord do?"

Why are there so many questions?Egger coughed and became serious: "This is not a matter for you to consider, go and do what I have arranged, and I know the rest." ”

......

Iger didn't answer, but that didn't mean he didn't think of either of those things.

How could the queen and the Lannisters have such a big feud that they can easily let go? This question seems unsolvable, but it is actually quite easy to solve: Daenerys is too young after all...... Although she is smart, she is eager to do something big and break the wheel of history. If you want to control this idealist, just make a loyal "comrade" who has exactly the same aspirations and ideas as her, and everything is thought of by her, and she will become incredibly receptive.

As for the Lannisters' insistence on neutrality, it is impossible for Tywin's shrewdness and long-term vision not to understand this: there is no third way to survive either by fighting the queen to the death, or by supporting her with all his family to atone for her sins. Iger wouldn't say yes, despite his deep personal friendship with Tyrion and a debt to the Lannisters...... But he will never tolerate the powerful Western Frontier watching from the sidelines, trying to take advantage of the fisherman. If the Lannisters don't take sides clearly, then even if he is ruthless, he will convince the queen to put an end to the threat of the West before embarking on the Great King's Throne Project.

"Hmm...... Yes, sir. Humphrey also came back to his senses, realized that he had asked too much, smiled and nodded, looked back at the list in his hand, and prepared to do it.

Then a new problem was quickly discovered: "Wait, no, my lord." There are only thirty or so Lightbringers left, which is not enough to divide the number of people on your list. ”

The first line is crossed at the end, which means that Tob Mott's fifteen rewards are only given to the quota, and there is no need to deliver the physical goods immediately, and the following six are implemented in place first. ”

Egg lowered his body and talked to the blacksmith for a long time, and finally succeeded in convincing the blacksmith to do the Night's Watch a favor: give the thirty-odd existing Lightbringers to the Night's Watch first, and use them for other more important purposes. He took the "quota" or "number" of the forty Lightbringers, and began to collect the tiles and steel, and when the seventy-seven were completed, he kept fifteen for himself as a reward, and returned the extra to the Night's Watch.

The remaining two dozen or so, Iger plans to keep for himself...... If there are no accidents, he will wait for other owners and would-be owners to speculate on the price of the Lightbringer and then sell it, subsidizing the Legion's financial deficit, and making a handful of money for retirement.

Humphrey continued to inquire to make sure more details about the delivery of the arrows, and wrote down Egger's answer so as not to be forgotten, when a noise of a guard and a man suddenly came from outside the door.

"Get out of the way, I want to see the commander!"

"Your Excellency is busy, I'll inform you of the appointment...... Hey, what are you doing? ”

After a cacophony of shoving, shouting, and swearing, the door to the chamber was slammed open, and Jaime Lannister entered.

——

Wonderful Book House