Chapter 75 - Business Scheme.

[Chapter Size: 2600 Words.]

---------------------------------------

Third Person POV

Braavos, 105 AC.

---------------------------------------

They stayed in Braavos longer than they had imagined, about three days. What the keyholders had expected to be an opportunity to profit off Jon because he was young ended up becoming a source of frustration for the keyholders themselves.

Jon was extremely experienced and easily countered all of their arguments, making the price he wanted quite clear. He even lowered the initial amount a little; after all, he needed to demonstrate that he was willing to concede on certain points. That was precisely why he had started with a figure higher than what he actually intended to receive.

The keyholders soon stopped trying to pressure him and began arguing among themselves over who would get the perfume. After all, there was no point in so many men dealing with the same product, and proposals and counterproposals quickly began flying between the keyholders themselves, driving the amount Jon would receive even higher.

Even though he wanted to earn as much as possible, Jon realized that he could even lower his demands on other points, since the price had already exceeded by almost forty percent the initial amount he had actually intended to obtain. One keyholder played against another, while Lord Manderly and Rickard Stark watched in bewilderment.

One moment, the keyholders were trying to profit off Jon's earnings and the production of the plants. The next, they were competing among themselves to secure the deal and become Jon's partner.

Jon had stated that his family would grow that type of plant in the North and deliver large quantities for the production of the perfume in Winterfell. He also had an agreement with Lord Stark: they would use people from Wintertown to produce the product itself. Jon's parents would cultivate the plants on the farm as the masterpieces, which would then be transported to Winterfell. There, the perfume would be produced and then shipped to Braavos, from where it would be redistributed and resold.

It was a business in which everyone would profit greatly.

Jon would receive his share when the product left the North, with his portion going separately into the Stark coffers, while his family would earn money from producing the plants, something far more profitable than simply growing grain.

Even though Jon could use his powers to fertilize the land and enormously increase production, as he had been able to do in his past life by creating enormous farms that stretched for miles and produced food at an abnormal rate, he had never done that in the North because he knew it would attract far too much attention.

With those plants, however, the profits would be even greater without needing to do anything so absurd. The perfume production itself could attract more people to Wintertown if a factory were established there.

In other words, Jon would make money, his family would make money, the Starks would make money, and he would even give the people of the North a new opportunity to prosper and, ultimately, make money themselves. Moreover, the Manderlys would make money handling the logistics from Winterfell to Braavos, while the partner would be responsible for selling and distributing the product, having already paid for it the moment it arrived in Braavos, since it would become his responsibility from that point onward.

Lord Manderly and Rickard Stark continued watching everything. What had begun with the keyholders trying to profit off a boy had soon turned into a genuine war among them, while Jon remained calm, as though he had already known that it would happen.

In fact, it almost seemed as though he had deliberately provoked the situation.

Jon had made it clear that he needed only one of them and that he would close the deal with whoever presented the best proposal along with a solid logistical structure to distribute throughout Essos. He had also demanded to know each man's business history before making his decision.

In the end, Jon chose one of the keyholders, Qarro Prestayn, a man involved in the export and import of fabrics, as well as bath salts and skin oils...

Jon had never intended to use the Iron Bank itself. He preferred to negotiate directly with one of those men, where the profits would be greater and everything would be more straightforward. He did not want to have to deal with councils and votes in each of his businesses. The others could only watch his decision.

Besides, the perfume market might be large, but nothing of that quality existed. All they had were scented oils, essences, and other similar things. That perfume would be different and could be sold in large quantities, especially in cities where beauty and appearance were highly valued, such as Lys. Even the courtesans would certainly be interested in that fragrance.

Women in privileged positions could also use it to lure their husbands into bed or even their lovers.

In the end, they left Braavos on the fifth day after their arrival. Lord Manderly had also finished his own business by the second day, so they all returned to the North together. Jon carried with him a contract signed with one of the keyholders, under terms that not even Lord Manderly believed he could have obtained.

The boy had grown quite close to the man named Qarro Prestayn during the negotiations and, when they spoke personally, the keyholder was surprised to realize that the fourteen-year-old boy possessed abilities far beyond most youths his age, and he had very good knowledge and business sense, even offering Jon a partnership in some of his ventures after Jon provided solutions to some of his problems. Even though he could do all that at only 14 namedays, it was not so absurd as to seem suspicious or impossible. After all, geniuses also appeared at that age.

When they returned to Winterfell, about twenty days later, Lord Stark spoke with Jon about the contract, and the lord of Winterfell could not help but be fascinated by what he had accomplished. Now they would have to prepare everything to begin producing the perfumes, while Jon would organize the process. Lord Stark would mainly have to take care of the infrastructure necessary for production.

That would also be profitable for House Stark and for the people of the North. How could he not be pleased with that?

Jon knew he could share part of the profits and help many people, so he had no problem with that agreement. The other lords might even feel some envy when they discovered all of that, but they would also begin to understand why Lord Stark had taken in a child like Jon so many years ago.

After all, one only had to compare Winterfell before Jon's arrival with what it had become now. The growth was visible not only in the Stark lands, but in various parts of the North, mainly because grain production had increased considerably under his guidance and the implementation of his ideas.

Jon then went directly to his parents' home, where he would have to discuss his plans and explain the new situation. He ended up surprising the entire family by appearing without warning, while he had a rather serious conversation involving his uncle Roman and his father, Garrem. But not before spending some time enjoying his family's company.

"Are you sure about this, Jon?" his father asked while they were beneath the heart tree, looking out over the farm.

Their home had changed considerably. What had once been a small building had transformed into a two-story house, while Garrem's lands had also grown considerably thanks to the profits the farm had begun generating over the past few years, ever since Jon had invested around five hundred gold coins in it.

Obviously, his parents had not yet repaid that amount and were still in debt to him, but Jon wanted it to be a gift. He had no problem at all giving them those five hundred gold coins. His parents would never use the money to simply live without working. They continued to work hard and were doing very well, so Jon was more than satisfied and did not want to receive anything they owed him.

He hoped the farm would eventually go to his brother. After all, Jon no longer seemed destined to follow the same way of life as his parents. Now there was the matter of him becoming a lord and, certainly, he would take part of his family with him to his new lands.

"Yes. This plant doesn't grow anywhere else. I arranged with Lord Stark that you will have exclusive rights to sell it."

"And why couldn't other places produce it, Jon?"

"Because they can't," Jon replied. "My agreement with Lord Stark guarantees that he will buy exclusively from you. But even if that weren't the case, the other keyholders will certainly try to obtain the formula and produce the perfume themselves, trying to buy the ingredients more cheaply. Except that it will be impossible, because only this land will be able to grow this plant," he said.

His parents exchanged a look.

"You did something to this plant, didn't you?" his father asked suspiciously. Garrem already knew that Jon possessed far more abilities than he had demonstrated so far.

"Yes," Jon replied in a serious tone.

"Damn, boy... You're growing up far too fast," his uncle said before giving him a smile.

"You know this farm will belong to Sam, right?" Jon asked.

"We know. We've already talked about it. We always knew you would never stay here," Garrem told his son.

"There's something else I need to talk to you and Mother about."

They talked for a while longer before calling Rowena over, leaving just the three of them for that conversation. Jon then told them exactly what Lord Stark's plans were for his future.

His mother placed a hand over her mouth, shocked, while Garrem raised his eyebrows. "You... you're going to become a lord?" he asked, almost unable to believe it.

His son, who had gone to live with the Starks only six years earlier, would somehow receive his own fief. He would have lands, a castle, and people under his authority, just as they themselves lived within the Tallharts' fief and had to pay taxes to their lord.

Jon would have his own farmers paying taxes to him.

"You... you're going to marry the Stark daughter?" That shocked them as well, his parents barely able to believe it.

Jon smiled. "We still have some time to decide, Mother. There are about five years until Lyra decides whether she truly wants this or not. I won't force her if she doesn't," Jon explained.

Lord Stark's plan seemed even more unbelievable beneath all of that, but his parents understood their son.

As Jon continued explaining his plans, he left the two of them even more surprised when he revealed that he wanted to travel South. He would ride alongside the Stark heir and participate in tournaments.

"Isn't... isn't that dangerous, Jon?" Rowena asked her son.

"There are risks, but I'll be fine. I'll have Rickon with me. He's like a brother," Jon said.

He regretted the words the very next moment. His mother couldn't help but look a little hurt. Jon knew about the distance between them, and that included Sam. Although he had already managed to deal with the certain jealousy Sam had felt over the past few years, they were still far too distant.

But what could they do? It was even normal for noble children to stay away from their parents when they became wards of other houses, both to learn and to forge bonds of loyalty and closeness. Jon's situation was not exactly the same, but it had ended up following a similar path.

"I even wanted you to take Sam, but that wouldn't be right," Rowena said.

"He can come if he wants. I'll take care of him," Jon replied.

"No. It's too dangerous, and he wasn't made for tournaments like you." Garrem sighed. "Damn, you're going to win even more tournaments, aren't you?"

Jon smiled. "Why not? That money will be used to restore my future castle and begin developing the lands," he explained, running a hand over Ghost's head, who was there with them.

"All right, my son. Just be careful. You're not merely going to another Great Council at Harrenhal..." Rowena said.

"You don't need to worry, Rowena. The boy has already shown that he's more than capable of taking care of himself. Besides, he was always destined for great things," Garrem said with a sigh.

They were already growing older, and little by little, their son was becoming a man.

In about five years, he would marry and perhaps begin having children of his own. He would marry a noblewoman, have a fief to govern, and people under his responsibility. What more could they expect from that miraculous child named Jon?

"I want you to move there as well, obviously," Jon said.

Garrem looked at Rowena, and the two nodded. They did not give a definitive answer, but it was obvious that they were seriously considering it. They would have to leave that place behind, the farm where they had built their lives.

Even so, they could leave the lands in someone else's care or lease them out, especially now that they would be part of the new production created by their son. It was something that made them much more inclined to accept.

Jon thanked them and spent about three days with his family, talking and enjoying his time with them.

"You'll come with me to the next Harvest Feast at Winterfell as well," Jon announced to his uncle's family and also to his parents.

It was more than time to take them to Winterfell. Even Lord Stark had shown interest in getting to know them better, just as Alys and Lyarra wanted to meet Jon's parents.

After all, if everything went according to plan, in a few years they would practically be part of the same family.

After leaving his parents' farm, Jon returned to Winterfell, where Lord Stark was already preparing for the upcoming journeys. As Jon had requested, they would first get to know the North better and then, with about four moons still ahead of them, depart for the tournament in the Vale.

And that would be something good for the North itself. After all, the North had always had a closer relationship with the Vale than with any other kingdom.

Their first major stop would be the Wall. They traveled for weeks, making sure to stop at several castles along the way, such as Deepwood Motte, meeting some of the Northern Mountain clans and also traveling through the center of the region. They went as far as Last Hearth and even passed by the Karstark castle on the eastern coast. It was not the first time they had visited some of those places, but it was good to meet their lords from time to time.

Thus, they continued toward the Wall.

The enormous wall of ice appeared before them some time later, growing on the horizon as they approached. They headed directly for Castle Black, unable to hide their fascination at the sight of that colossal structure.

It was the first time Jon, Rickon, and Bennard had visited the Wall.

At the same time, in the South, the new changes taking place in the North were beginning to draw attention within King Viserys's Council, who was already in the second year of his reign since Jaehaerys's death.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

🦝 Raccoon here: 🦝

I deeply appreciate your support since the beginning of this exciting journey!

🌟 RaccoonLeague | Patreon🌟

Visit our Patreon for more: https://www.patreon.com/RaccoonLeague

Extra Content Already Available:

🏴‍☠️ One Piece - I Am a Different Luffy!: 30 extra chapters!

👑 Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic!: 30 extra chapters!

👑 HOTD: Jon Arctic! 30 extra chapters!

🌀 Naruto - Minato Namikaze SI!: 30 extra chapters!

🗡️ The Witcher - As Uchiha Madara! 30 extra chapters!

⚡HP - Jon Arctic as Severus Snape! 30 extra chapters!

⚡ Harry Potter - Shadow Monarch! Finished! [100%]

👑 Game of Thrones: DragonBorn! [100%]

⚡Danmachi – The Alchemist! [Coming Soon.]

Visit our Patreon for more!!

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆