The journey of film and television world is endless

Berryce seemed thoughtful after hearing these words, but Beckett was dumbfounded, not understanding why his father would say such things.

Adrian felt a little regret; his son didn't seem very sensitive to politics, lacking the talent that required his guidance. If this young man named Berryce were truly talented, his ambition was plain for anyone to see, and he couldn't be given important responsibilities just yet.

Adrian returned home and immediately saw many unfamiliar guards in the courtyard, knowing that Galon had arrived. Upon entering the hall, he saw more than 20 boxes placed on the floor, unopened and filled with luxury goods. These were mainly valuable crafts from Essos, distinctive ethnic costumes, intricate machinery from Myr, high-end cosmetics from Lys, dragonbone products from the Long Summer Lands, and so on...

Beckett was overjoyed: "Galon, you're back? Bandil said you were crossing western Essos; I was worried for a long time."

Liu Yuan hugged him and said to the Earl, "Father, hello! I chose some gifts for you."

"It's good you're back safe," Adrian said casually, his eyes on the gifts. The Setigar family had been trading in the East for many years and had seen countless treasures, but many of these were rare items. Like that golden heartwood longbow, which was a restricted item from the Summer Isles; and that round shield with the wave-like pattern, which should be forged entirely from Valyrian steel.

Seeing that the whole family was present, Lady Mia spoke up: "Alright, we can look at these things later. Let's go have lunch now; it's rare for the whole family to be together."

The Earl and Countess sat at opposite ends of the long table, with Beckett and his wife on the Earl's right. Between them was two-month-old little Victor, sitting in a baby seat designed by Liu Yuan. Liu Yuan and Lyanna sat on Lady Mia's right, so all the diners could face each other.

The lunch was lavish, with the Setigar family's recipes improved by Liu Yuan, and the chef personally trained by him in Oldtown. The family reunion atmosphere was quite harmonious, with Lyanna and Beckett frequently asking about Liu Yuan's experiences in Essos.

Liu Yuan selected some things he could tell them about, recounting his journey. They listened with constant exclamations of surprise, and Lyanna's eyes shone as she took his arm, saying, "Brother Galon, can you take me with you? I really want to travel too." Lady Mia glanced at her, and Lyanna sheepishly let go. It was a joke, as the lord's underage daughter couldn't travel casually, not even with her brother.

Adrian asked, "Galon, what are your plans next?"

Liu Yuan said, "I don't have anything planned for the moment. I intend to go back to my fiefdom to take a look. The first phase of construction there is almost finished, and next is the industrial layout. But Uncle Roddy and the stewards are watching over it, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Next, I plan to go to the North to have a look."

Adrian said, "You are already a lord; don't be too careless. A new lord's greatest enemies come from his neighbors."

Liu Yuan said indifferently, "Hehe~ Around my fiefdom, there are a total of four knightly domains and one barony. The strongest has only two hundred soldiers, half of whom are militia, and the others can barely muster fifty or sixty. In my territory, I have two thousand professional soldiers alone. I'm already blessed by the Seven that I'm not causing trouble for them."

Beckett's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he quickly said, "You have so many men? Lend me some..."

"Cough cough~ We're eating; we'll talk about your affairs later," Adrian interrupted him.

Jolier took over the conversation at the right time: "Galon, if you go to the North, you can look for my father, Earl Severn. The Severn family has extensive relationships and connections in the North, which will help you whether you're doing business or smoothing relations."

Liu Yuan raised his glass: "Thank you, sister-in-law; I will definitely visit Earl Severn."

Lunch ended in a harmonious atmosphere, and the women returned to the hall to continue choosing gifts, while the three men went to the study to discuss men's topics.

Beckett continued the previous topic: "Galon, help me, lend me a few hundred men. Those bugs dare to despise me, hinder my work, and even laugh at me behind my back."

Liu Yuan looked at the Earl, and Adrian said, "Those people have some noble support behind them. As the kingdom's Minister of Finance, I can't directly use Setigar's soldiers, and we only have less than two hundred guards in King's Landing."

Liu Yuan nodded in agreement: "Okay, but you'll have to wait a while longer. The fiefdom's soldiers are all Unsullied and cavalry, and they are not suitable for fighting in narrow places like cities. Wait about a month, and I'll transfer people back from Pentos. They are all gladiators and assassins skilled in individual combat, perfect for dealing with gangs."

Adrian smiled: "Good, that way their identities will be foreign mercenaries. Then, in my capacity as Minister of Finance, I will form a temporary security team and hire them."

Beckett suddenly understood: "Wonderful! Under the pretext of hindering port security, we will completely eliminate those gangs. If the forces behind them interfere, we will disband the security team; after all, it's only temporary, and these people will go underground to form new gangs. If their counterattack is not strong, we will withstand the pressure and turn the security team into a formal one, bringing these people into the open." The Earl patted him on the shoulder, very satisfied with Beckett's performance.

Liu Yuan asked, "Father, I heard you accompanied the King to the church today?"

Adrian said, "Yes, to discuss loan matters with the church."

Liu Yuan asked, "Is the national treasury out of money now? Has it reached the point of borrowing money from the church?"

Adrian said, "Since the Baratheon dynasty was established, no one has cleaned up this mess in King's Landing. Jon Arryn, although honored as Warden of the East, is, after all, from a remote place like the Vale. He can't even manage a trading city like King's Landing, let alone have to deal with everything in the Seven Kingdoms. King Robert is one who doesn't care about anything; otherwise, the position of Minister of Finance wouldn't have been vacant for seven years."

Liu Yuan asked, "So, was the money borrowed? I heard the church is rich."

Beckett said, "It was borrowed. The church provided the royal family with an interest-free loan of one million gold dragons in exchange for the royal family opening up the church's right to preach."

Liu Yuan said disdainfully, "The Targaryen family spent more than two hundred years, countless open and secret struggles, and bloodshed to restrict the rights of the church. Can't these kings and prime ministers see that?"

Earl Adrian spread his hands: "So what? The national treasury is already out of money. The royal family's previous expenses were borrowed from the Lannister family, which made King Robert lose face in front of Queen Cersei. Prime Minister Jon doesn't want the Lannister family to interfere too much in the affairs of King's Landing."