Faced with the Hand's rebuke, Varys only smiled and nodded, refraining from further debate.
But his gaze shifted toward Kal Stone, who had raised the issue.
Yet, in the face of Eddard Stark's hard stance and Varys's gaze, Kal unexpectedly turned his eyes toward the silent Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Barristan Selmy.
"If it were you, Ser Barristan, how would you view this matter?"
Kal wanted to hear the opinion of this knight whose name resounded across the Seven Kingdoms.
In truth, a doubt also lingered in Kal's heart.
Why hadn't the tourneys of Westeros developed into something like the Olympic Games of his previous world?
It seemed that all the lords who organized such events did so to display their wealth, status, or strength.
They held these events seemingly for no other reason than to spend money—to flaunt themselves, their lands, and their houses.
It was as if the sole purpose was to reinforce their own social class.
Kal was not exactly a native "local," and if that truly was the case, he would have to adjust some of his ideas, altering his plans to better suit Westeros's customs and temperament.
Otherwise, when he eventually implemented his proposals, he would inevitably face resistance due to those very differences.
It seemed Ser Barristan Selmy had not expected Kal Stone to throw the question his way, appearing genuinely interested in hearing his thoughts.
The knight, long accustomed to silence, was momentarily taken aback.
Then he stroked his beard and glanced at Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King, and at the bald Master of Whisperers, Varys, both of whom were also looking back at him.
Faced with the three men's gazes, Ser Barristan lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before raising his head.
"The Hand is right. A tournament is another kind of battlefield for knights besides war itself. Those who achieve victory here also gain honor."
"This is indeed not a business, Ser Kal. If it were, such conduct would surely defile it."
"If you mean to hold the sort of contest that can be manipulated by others, then that would be wrong."
Unsurprisingly, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard took Eddard Stark's side.
Two against two—among the four royal councillors who had been sitting together in discussion, a small disagreement had arisen from a minor unexpected turn.
And between the two sides, a strange contradiction in stance had emerged over certain matters.
But upon hearing Ser Barristan Selmy's words, Kal smiled, first nodding slightly, then shaking his head.
He had come to understand what these two native-born men truly thought about this issue.
Or rather, they had misunderstood what he meant by the word "enterprise."
From their own social standpoint, they seemed to associate it with the lowly "merchant" and the noble "knight."
But that was not what Kal meant.
The business he spoke of had nothing to do with merchants—not even a single copper star's worth.
Instead, it concerned those even humbler—the common folk.
Kal said, "My lords, I think I understand what you mean."
"But what I mean by enterprise has nothing to do with defiling faith, manipulating contests, buying or selling knightly honor—or even social status."
"On the contrary, the approach I have in mind is meant to further exalt them."
Kal spread his hands, as though to show he stood on their side.
"When knights win in the tourney, they will gain fame far broader than before—fame beyond simply being the champion."
Seeing that Kal did not intend to turn this sacred affair into a base profiteering venture, Eddard breathed a sigh of relief and his stance softened.
He leaned back in his chair, letting his shoulders relax.
"Let's hear your idea, Ser Kal. As long as it does not involve anything that insults or tarnishes honor—if it is truly as you say—then we can discuss it further."
Barristan also nodded, expressing his agreement with Eddard Stark's words.
As the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, and as a knight, he was among the very finest in all of Westeros.
His position naturally came with its own inclination.
At Kal's pleasant-sounding words, Varys smiled without a change in expression, then, together with the Hand and the Lord Commander, turned his gaze toward Kal Stone.
Faced with the three men's expectant silence, Kal cleared his throat.
"In fact, my plan is to let the common folk also take part in this grand event—to let them experience it more directly in another way."
"Rather than merely as fervent spectators."
"Common folk?" At those words, a great puzzlement arose in the minds of the three royal councillors.
"You intend to have them take the copper stars out of their pockets?" Eddard's brow knit once more. "Kal, you must understand that every coin on them means the survival and rations of their whole family."
Eddard Stark possessed a kindness all his own, one that sat at odds with the blood of the wolf.
"Do you plan to open gambling, to decide the commoners' fate according to who the victor is?" Eddard continued.
"If that is what you intend, I think you should abandon the idea."
No one who reaches that post is a fool.
No sooner had Kal opened his mouth than Eddard Stark grasped his meaning.
At first he had thought Kal was merely eyeing the pockets of nobles and merchants, intending to profit by some dishonorable means.
But now it seemed otherwise—Kal's plan was even more unthinkable, perhaps even naive.
How many coins do commoners possess?
Would they, for the sake of a noble game, willingly sacrifice their family's livelihood?
Aside from those who habitually frequent gambling houses, Eddard Stark did not believe Kal's idea could succeed.
And that was why he considered it naïve.
"No, no, no, Lord Eddard, my idea is far more than that—" Kal admitted, "I do want the commoners to participate, but it is by no means gambling; besides, how many coins can they possibly have in their pockets?"
"And as you say, every penny on them means the continuation of their lives."
"Of course I would not do such a thing."
"And my true plan is actually to create a new commercial model!"
Kal continued to extol his extraordinary, forward-thinking ideas from a later age.
But to the three ministers present, it sounded increasingly like nonsense.
They were left thoroughly puzzled by Kal's words.
This time Kal did not wait for them to continue questioning; he had already roughly ascertained the viewpoints of the two native-born nobles and the others regarding the tourney.
"I intend to make those tourneys—events held by certain lords or for certain reasons—regular affairs organized by the crown."
"For example, once every two years, once a year, perhaps even once every four years!"
"And as far as I know, the pure tourney currently contains only a few events in which knights duel to determine who is the victor."
"But what if we expand that scale, expand it to the level where the entire populace can take part, rather than limiting it to knights?"
Kal poured out his idea in one breath.
Ser Barristan Selmy thought Kal was being presumptuous.
"But do you know that real tourneys can kill people?" he said, puzzled. "If commoners join such events, they will only become livestock for slaughter."
After all, putting other matters aside, who among those able to stand in that position does not possess equipment so costly that commoners would sell their households and lose everything and still be unable to afford it?
"Then we lower the threshold—think of ways to allow commoners to participate while reducing casualties, isn't that the solution?"
Kal looked utterly matter-of-fact.
"For example, we could set a distance and see who runs the fastest within it."
"After several rounds of selection, the final victor would be decided."
"Following that same logic, we could add who swims the fastest, who climbs trees the quickest, who jumps the highest, who throws things the farthest—even who has the greatest strength!"
"Seven hells, how much would that cost?!" The moment Kal's wild ideas came out, Eddard's first reaction was precisely that.
Ser Barristan felt the same.
Only Varys showed a trace of puzzlement, though he could not yet grasp the key point.
"Why should we be the ones spending the money?" Kal asked in confusion, spreading his hands.
"Why must we pay for something so troublesome and thankless?"
"It would still cost money—where would it come from?!" The debate flared in the council chamber as the Hand pressed on.
"My lords, if we were to open these events to the public and declare that anyone may take part, what do you think would happen then?"
Kal joined the exchange without hesitation.
"Everyone would want to try—perhaps they'd believe they might be the lucky one," Varys replied at once.
"So everyone wants to take part in a deal that costs them nothing, don't they?" Kal smiled, calm and confident.
Then he continued, "But what if we added one more rule to these events—for example, to take part in any specific activity, each participant must pay two copper stars as an entry fee?"
At those words, the three men's eyes all lit up.
Yet of the three, it was the ever–number-sensitive Varys whose brow furrowed slightly.
"But even so, that wouldn't be enough. Ser Kal, your idea of entry fees is sound, but it still wouldn't cover the costs."
"And to truly reach the point where it could pay for itself, the price of the entry fee would have to rise—but that would bring another problem."
"As the entry fee increases by each level, the number of applicants would decrease accordingly."
"So in essence, it would still be an unprofitable business."
Varys's words struck at the crux of the issue.
At that, Kal truly began to laugh.
"Hehe, Lord Varys, your grasp of numbers is indeed sharp. You're right—this would certainly be an unprofitable business."
"But what if there were fifty such events? A hundred?"
"What if, within a single festival, all these events together could last a month, two months, even three?"
"A massive base brings massive returns."
"This would not be limited to a single aspect, but would expand to the scale of the entire city."
"Then, in the name of the Iron Throne, we could establish an official betting platform—and on that foundation, set a standard system."
"Not only the commoners—everyone would benefit."
"And of course, we wouldn't let the merchants off the hook either."
"We could tell them that, if they wished, we could attach the names of their trading companies, their brothels, their taverns, their cargo ships—"
"Even the personal names of wealthy merchants or nobles—or those of their lovers—could be used as sponsorship titles for certain events."
"All they would need to do is pay a small sponsorship or naming fee."
"Even the champions of certain events could become their representatives!"
A rapid torrent of words, like raw chunks of gold ore, was shoved straight into the minds of the councillors.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Eddard asked, his eyes narrowing.
"You may think of it as a partnership between the champions and those associated with such goods—they would be mutually beneficial," Kal said, tapping his finger lightly.
"And within their cooperation and transactions, we, as the official platform, would take a share!"
"Perhaps we could even write this into law, my lords!"
The newly appointed Master of Coin grew increasingly animated as he spoke.
"And most importantly—we don't even need to profit from this. Even if we lose money, it wouldn't matter."
"But my lords, if we make this grand event a permanent institution, held regularly within a fixed cycle, with a fair and just system of oversight ensuring absolute authority and honor for the contests—"
"What would that bring to the Seven Kingdoms—to all of us?"
Kal struck the final blow—giving them a reason none who still sat at that table could refuse.
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