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HMJ - Chapter 49
🕑 Added 2024-07-02 11:27:03 +0000 UTCHarry had a long discussion with Lord Stark about his expedition and findings north of the Wall, but he kept the existence of the Draugr and Undead he encountered to himself.
Even if he told Lord Stark about it, the Lords of the North would be unable to solve the problem.
The origins of these undead were too far in the north for any army to reach, especially with their current level of technology.
It would be even harder for a modern army to efficiently handle the situation; extremely cold areas were always dangerous environments for humans.
And, most importantly, he had no idea what else was up there. Dragon Priests? Liches? Undead Dragons? Actual Dragons? Maybe beings from different worlds than the Elder Scrolls?
He still had no idea what the origin of the massive amount of Undead was that accompanied the Draugr.
They could be the servants of the Others, the so-called wights that old texts described, or something completely different.
A Lich or Dragon Priest is more powerful than Voldemort, and Harry felt he was around Voldemort's or Dumbledore’s level right now with the boosts he received through his Elvish Race Change.
There was no way for him to easily solve the problem of the undead in the North, and it was too risky to get a better idea.
So far, it seemed like the magic of the wall was keeping them in check.
Why should he take a risky gamble if he could use the time to prepare himself and his forces to handle the situation better?
And the last thing he needed was to send an Army of Northmen up north to feed the Undead, or even trigger whatever was sleeping up there.
The next morning, Harry headed, accompanied by Robin, towards the Great Hall of Winterfell.
Baby 5 wasn’t with them because it wouldn’t be appropriate for a maid to eat with nobility at the same table.
Westerosi Noble Society was quite particular about such matters. Robin, as his'steward', had a higher rank akin to nobility, which made it fine for her to accompany him.
Robb’s nameday festivities would still last for a few days, since not all of the Lords have arrived yet.
Some, like the Karstarks, who live closest to the Wall, would take longer to arrive since they were living quite a distance away.
The North was a massive kingdom, almost as big as the other kingdoms of the Seven Kingdoms together. Combine that with lacking roads and harsh territory, and you get tedious travel times.
Most of the already present Lords and their children had decided to meet up in the training yard today for some spars. Harry himself had no interest in a Spar.
There was one disadvantage to his superhuman elvish strength: he had a hard time holding back against regular humans.
While lords in a medieval society were overall more trained than in a modern one, there was still a high chance that Harry could accidentally cause some heavy injuries.
On the other hand, this meant that the Great Hall was mostly empty at this time. The only people present were Lord Manderly and his grandchildren, who had accompanied him for obvious reasons.
Every Lord coming to Robb’s Nameday had brought some of his children or young family members with them, if possible, in the hope of brokering a marriage alliance with House Stark or at least a friendship with the next generation.
Wyman Manderly has two granddaughters; the older one, Wynafryd, was around 16 years old, basically Harry’s age. A cute girl with long braided brown hair.
The younger Sister Wylla was around 12 years old and had blond hair that seemed to be dyed green, also in a braid even longer than her sisters.
“Ah, Lord Manderly and your lovely granddaughters! It’s nice to see you here! I hope you are enjoying your breakfast." Harry greeted me amiably.
“Lord Potter and Lady Nico or Lady Robin? It’s good to see you too!” Wyman Manderly replied as he turned his fat neck towards the newcomers.
Harry had no idea how one could live so long, being that fat, in a medieval world without modern medicine.
“You may call me Robin.” Robin replied with a polite smile.
“Lady Robin, it is! Come join us! We have some space!” Wyman invited him as he pointed at the seat beside Wynafryd, who was sitting opposite Wylla and him.
“Don’t mind if we do.”
As he sat down besides Wynafryd, she asked with interest, “Are you not going to join in the sparring today, Lord Potter?”
“Haha, it’s better if I don't, Lady Wynafryd!” Harry admitted honestly, before he made up an excuse, “You probably have heard a lot of stories about Skagos. It was bad there. I basically grew up on a battlefield; I am too addicted to killing. I fear that I would unnecessary hurt someone, so I decided to stay away.”
Wyman had a serious glint in his eyes, hidden behind a smiling face. “How old are you, Lord Potter? If I may ask!”
“I have 16 namedays behind me, Lord Manderly.” Harry anwered.
It was true for his body, but false for his mind. But he decided it was better to choose the age he looks like instead of a theoretical one with too much explanation.
“The same age as my Wynafryd, and already such a burden.” Hummed Lord Manderly with a bit of pity concealed by his still smiling face, “Overthrowing the lords on Skagos is not a small feat.”
“Are you related to House Stark? You look a bit like Lord Stark!” Chirped Wylla in from the side.
“It’s that obvious?” Harry mused, “Only distantly. We share a common ancestry, but it’s been quite a few generations.”
“Really, I didn’t know that.” Wyman said aloud, “How is the situation on Skagos?”
“We are getting there. Anyone not compliant has been removed, and the situation has settled down. Right now, we are developing the land. That’s actually the reason I was planning to talk to you either way.”
“What can I help you with?”
“Skagos has not had a proper economy for centuries and has mostly lived from foraging. But it turns out the land is quite rich.” And now Harry once again says, “The unique geographical structure of Skagos makes agriculture quite efficient. The mountains around the island are protecting us from the cold northern winds, permitting us to have massive overproduction of food with some proper agriculture. Additionally, we have also started to develop the mines on Skagos, giving us more ore than we need.”
In truth, the large number of crops they were producing came from modern techniques like crop rotation and fertilization, in combination with the magically enhanced seeds he had acquired from the elves.
“I see what you are pointing at.” Wyman said toughtfully as he stroked his beards, “You need our ships to export your produce.”
“Aye, but not only that. I would like to buy some ships in exchange for a part of our exports. We are able to offer better prices than the South does. This deal could make the North richer in the long term.” Harry admitted that the efficacy of their magical crop growth was so good that he could sell them quite cheaply and still make a profit.
“How much food are you able to export each year?” Wyman is now interested.
“Enough to feed half the North. Skagos is quite green. I feel like the gods have blessed us too.” Harry added a bit of bullshit.
Why not sell magical help as the blessing of the gods? A medieval society was normally quite sensitive to magic. But if he branded it with religion, he could use a bit of magic more openly without causing any problems for himself—only profit.
Neither did he mention which gods were helping them. After all, House Manderly follows the Sevens common in the South, while most of the North follows the Old Gods.
“Is that so?” Wyman asked, “If you are telling the truth, that could change the whole economy of the North. Right now, the Southern Kingdoms are basically extorting us for food, which is preventing the North from developing more. But with cheaper food, the North could become more powerful! House Manderly is interested in such a deal. To be tough, we would have to decide on the details first. We are also open to exchanging some ships for your exports.”
“Good. A port city on the southern end of Skagos is in full construction right now. Some of the docks are already finished. Robin here knows all the exact numbers. That’s the reason why I brought her with me to Winterfell. She has my full authority to handle this matter.” Harry explained as he pointed towards Robin, who interrupted her chat with Lord Manderly’s granddaughters, giving them a smile.
“Then I will discuss this matter with the charming Lady Robin.” Wyman accepted, “By the way, how much and what kind of ore are we talking about?”
“A lot! Iron, copper, silver, and some other minor metal deposits.” Harry grinned.
