Game of Thrones: The Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

Although Old Linman didn't understand economics, it wasn't uncommon for the rulers of the Iron Throne to issue new coins; Daemon Blackfyre, Aerys I, Daeron II, Aegon IV, and others had all issued their own coins.

In addition to the various currencies used by the seven kingdoms before the war of conquest three hundred years ago, and the pencils carried by customers of the free trade city-states, the currency circulating throughout the seven kingdoms is currently very mixed, with all sorts of currencies.

There are so many coins, including gold dragons, silver moons, silver deer, bronze stars, bronze wheat, half-bronze wheat, bronze fen coins, and bronze plates.

When making a transaction, merchants will flexibly adjust the price according to the type of currency the customer pays. Some gold coins have a low gold content, while others are quite valuable. It is really too troublesome to take into account the exchange rate as well.

Therefore, unifying the currency market and regulating the circulation of money were among the tasks assigned to the Chancellor of the Exchequer by Viserys.

Since Illyrio arrived in King's Landing from Pentos, he hasn't had a single day of rest. He's been busy every day with the construction of the bank, the mints of the three houses in King's Landing, the port of Blackwater Bay, the customs department, the tax department, and so on.

Therefore, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Illyrio, did not attend the Council of the Kings very often; his role was often vacant, including now, with the Minister of War, Kago, located far across the Narrow Sea.

Kago's military skills were not actually very high. He was indeed experienced in battle, but his knowledge was very lacking, and he could only command cavalry.

Viserys initially appointed Kagor as Minister of War simply to better secure the loyalty of the Dothraki. Being the "whip of the true dragon Khal" wasn't really necessary to take Kagor's wise advice into account; otherwise, the Iron Throne would have already been declaring wars and plundering everywhere.

...

“Brother Velas, you’ve finally arrived.”

King's Landing has three royal mints, and minting coins is one of the few powers exclusive to the king; the other nobles of the Seven Kingdoms do not have this power.

As His Majesty the Emperor's chief economic advisor, the Chancellor of the Exchequer oversees a large number of government officials, including those in charge of the royal family and the national treasury's income and expenditure, tax and customs payments, foreign lending, and the three local mints.

The mint is a lucrative place; you'll get oily hands just by handling it. The three mint masters from Robert Baratheon's time are now standing on the Wall, braving the cold wind. The newly appointed masters naturally won't dare to cause trouble anytime soon. Moreover, as a royal property, it is guarded by the Unsullied, the royal guard.

During King Robert's reign, the mint was rife with corruption and chaos, but the desires rejected by the Unsullied made it extremely difficult to persuade them to participate. Therefore, the mint of the new dynasty is relatively clean now.

And recently they took on a new task: to collect a large number of old coins and melt them down to recast them into new coins. They are currently extremely busy.

Meanwhile, Velas Tyrell had resolved the matter with Elder Linman and then set off for the Royal Mint in King's Landing, where Chancellor Illyrio had been waiting for some time.

"Lord Illyrio."

Velas, leaning on his cane, entered the bustling furnace chamber and saw a fat Pentos man with blond hair, a forked beard, and a plump build. He politely nodded in greeting, only to be met with a hearty laugh.

"Come on, bro."

"Come with me, I'll show you around."

Although Illyrio later made a fortune through the business of spices, gems, and dragon bones, eventually becoming a wealthy governor of Pentos, he was essentially a mercenary and thief who later engaged in many shady dealings.

He was extremely respectful when he met Viserys, but in private he was also a generous person. However, no one knew how much malice was hidden behind that smile. Those who trusted Illyrio completely might be tricked badly.

Although Jon Clinton was initially dependent on others, he didn't particularly like or trust Illyrio.

If the other party hadn't played a crucial role in His Majesty's rise to power, Jon Clinton would have wanted to remove him from power long ago.

Although young, Velas was well-versed in the rules among nobles. Illyrio seemed to be close to him, but Velas was not blinded by his charm and maintained a proper distance, neither too close nor too distant.

Illyrio's family business is in Pentos, and his close relationship with Velas is mainly to use the Tyrell family's connections and influence to his advantage, since he is not currently in his hometown.

People like them don't have unfounded affections or dislikes; everything stems from their most fundamental interests.

"Brother, come and see."

Do you know how this new coin was minted?

The obese Pentos man entered the workshop, surrounded by the clanging of hammers as the craftsmen toiled away, sweating profusely in the sweltering heat.

Before the advent of roller presses, rocker presses, and other similar machines, coins had to be hammered out one by one.

At that moment, Illyrio held a brand-new golden dragon in his hand, then turned around and chuckled twice before continuing to ask.

Do you know how much profit is made from manufacturing this golden dragon?

Velas thought for a moment, then shook his head and told the truth.

"do not know."

"Please enlighten me, sir."

Although he was well-read, he had never led a single soldier before being besieged by the Dornish in Highgarden.

Similarly, before Velas arrived in King's Landing, he knew nothing about the lives of the common people, including many seemingly basic common sense facts.

He knew countless types of coins from ancient times to the present, including those from trading cities, and knew their origins and history, but he did not know how they were made.

A little later today

A little later today

Chapter 692 Potential Stocks

“Not a single gold coin is made of pure gold, because gold is too soft and too delicate to be used properly.”

"Therefore, when minting gold coins, the mint will mix in about 20% of other metals to increase the hardness and wear resistance of the gold coins."

"These doped metals include, for example, silver, brass, copper, and so on."

Surrounded by artisans working enthusiastically, Illyrio held the shiny, still slightly warm new coin in his palm and joked.

"Even the slightest fluctuation in the proportion of these doped metals would result in an astonishing fortune."

The obese Pantos man made a 'little bit' gesture.

indeed.

Viserys decided to recall most of the gold coins in circulation to unify the currency system of Westeros, so both reminting and creating new ones would be a huge undertaking.

Even the slightest difference was enough to make everyone at the mint incredibly wealthy. Upon hearing this, Velas couldn't help but take a deep breath. As a member of the renowned Tyrell family, known for their immense wealth, he could imagine the enormous profit margin involved.

"Brother, do you know where the previous director of this mint went after that?"

Then Illyrio tossed the golden dragon in his hand upwards and asked a question.

The brown-haired young man leaning on a cane nodded slightly.

"I heard he put on black clothes and went to guard the Great Wall."

"Yes."

Illyrio chuckled twice and nodded.

"King Robert probably never dreamed that the Unsullied would later find 100,000 gold dragons in the factory manager's cellar."

In this day and age, an ordinary family might not be able to earn a single gold dragon in a year, two hundred silver coins can hire an assassin to kill their enemy, and one hundred gold dragons can redeem a captured nobleman from a bandit.

The fact that 100,000 gold dragons were found in the home of the director of the royal mint in King's Landing is an absolutely outrageous number.

"Therefore, the newly minted coins during Robert Baratheon's time were of very poor quality, and the people in the market were unwilling to accept them."

"But our King Robert doesn't care. He only needs the mint to run at full capacity to produce money for him."

"The same was true of the once mediocre King Aegon; the coins he minted were arguably the worst in history, causing chaos in the economic systems of the Seven Kingdoms."

"After his death, a civil war broke out. On the surface, it was the result of his having too many illegitimate children and legalizing them, but in reality, economic chaos and decadence were also the cause of the later turmoil in the Seven Kingdoms."

Although Illyrio was originally a thief and mercenary, he was quite capable as the Minister of Finance.

After all, he had risen from humble beginnings to become the wealthy governor of Pentos, and among his retainers and slaves were learned individuals who offered him advice.

"Lord Illyrio is right."

After listening to his superior's words, Velas remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

He didn't know why Illyrio wanted to talk to him about these things, but he continued talking along with what the other person was saying.

"Therefore, the work of the mint is very important and must be managed by a reliable person. There must be absolutely no mistakes."

"That's right."

Velas continued speaking, while the obese Pentosian laughed and clapped his hands.

“You’re absolutely right, brother. His Majesty also takes this matter very seriously and personally inquires about it every few days.”

"However, the positions of director of the three mints are still vacant."

"I'm going to entrust this matter to you."

"How about it? Are you confident?"

As Illyrio finished speaking, Velas's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected the Chancellor of the Exchequer to want him to also oversee the mint.

However, at this point, the true intentions were revealed, but in reality, Illyrio's move was not a 'dagger' at all; rather, it was a great gift.

After all, this is a lucrative job; it would be hard not to make a fortune if you took it on.

Illyrio was trying to do a good deed for House Tyrell in exchange for their friendship.

But for Velas, it was a hot potato. His grandmother Olenna had the opposite idea. Velas wanted to keep a low profile and make people forget the glory of the Tyrell family, but his grandmother had a different idea.

Since his boss had said such a thing, Velas seemed unable to refuse, and after a moment of silence, he finally nodded slightly.

On the eaves of the mint courtyard, a black crow tilted its head slightly before flapping its wings and flying into the distance.

...

"Velas is a promising stock."

In the Maegor Tower of the Red Keep, Viserys reopened his eyes, and beside him floated a transparent soul invisible to others.

"But he's not mature enough yet."

The immaturity Viserys referred to was not actually Velas's age; Velas was older than him, but he still had too little contact with the real world.

After all, he was once the high-ranking heir to the High Court, but now he has suddenly come to work at the grassroots level and has to deal with trivial matters, so he is naturally a little uncomfortable.

"Let's see how well he gets things done."

“I plan to transfer him to Seagull Town in the future so that he can take charge on his own.”

"Seagulltown, as one of the main port cities of Westeros, is indeed a place where one can make a name for oneself."

Jon Clinton's spirit, upon hearing Viserys's words, nodded slightly in agreement.

When he initially suggested Velas, he didn't really intend to make him the Hand of the King, and Velas was Jon's third choice.

The governor of the West, Mes Toin, and the governor of the Vale, Petyr Baelish, were both above him.

Jon Clinton simply felt that such a talented and promising young man should not be overlooked, and his recommendation of Velas to Viserys was also to ensure that His Majesty the Emperor would see him.

Tyrion Lannister is actually a suitable candidate for Hand of the King.

Viserys did not forget that the other party originally had the potential to be the prime minister, but his status was rather special for the new dynasty.