After ensuring the Free Folk and the Night's Watch wouldn't go to war, he ensured Skadi patrolled the far the North as an early warning system, but he had to complete a mission in the Vale to establish a buffer zone. This would allow him to deal with the Free Folk, and he also needed to find a way to capture some wizards, but that would be the hardest part.
He consulted with Eddard and decided to send everyone to the temple so that Aermir could teach them how to create the core. He healed the wounded and gathered some loyalty among the Night's Watch, then teleported to Moat Cailin. He had been away from the Vale for two weeks, and time was running out. He had to guide his men to the Vale immediately.
First, he inspected the magical armory, where production was proceeding according to his design. He discovered a method for infusing runic magic into jewelry. This way, he could infuse it in his spare time, and the Smith, even without magic, could create runes themselves using the enchanted jewelry, much like they would with etching tools.
As he examined the axe he had obtained from the Mountain Tribes, he gained a new understanding of runes. Even if the runic markings were absorbed by the metal, they would still leave a mark on the weapon, but Valyrian steel did not. By examining the old prototype Valyria axes, Aermir realized that these weapons were made with Blood Magic, while more powerful weapons could be made with Dark Magic.
He must conduct more experiments and research, but he is all alone and has too much to do. On the bright side, there will be more spellcasters under his rule, and he can teach those with talent alchemy and magical the Smith skills, and have them conduct research in a timely manner.
When he arrived at the Cailin Swamp, Rickon, Dacey, and Andrew were already there. He summoned all the war gods to the temple and made them swear a new oath that they would not teach the Art of Creation to anyone else without his permission.
A day later, he returned to Moat Cailin and attended the council meeting. All his advisors were present, including Adru, the representative of the temple and the God of War. Usually, this was Jorah's job, but he had to create his Magic Heart, so Andrew came in his place. As Aermir entered the room, Torrhen, Athos, Eddard, and Andrew rose and bowed respectfully to him.
They began to discuss the dire situation facing their land. Famine had struck, merciless and cruel, lasting for months across the vast lands. Even with Aermir's tireless efforts as a level six Druid, he could not fully alleviate the devastating effects of the famine. He may be a powerful Druid, but he still could not defeat Mother Nature; he could only mitigate her influence.
Maester Torrhen Reed began the meeting with a heavy heart. "Gentlemen, the situation grows worse each day. Despite our best efforts, famine continues to ravage our land, and the common people's reserves are rapidly dwindling."
Eddard Snow frowned, his voice filled with worry. "Indeed, the invasion of the Three Sisters only exacerbated our food shortages and depleted our already strained reserves. His Excellency's efforts to build irrigation canals have had some effect, but given the widespread destruction, even the canals have proven insufficient, as 40% of our arable land is on high ground, where the canals cannot reach."
After listening to the advisors' opinions, Aermir fell into deep thought. Silence descended upon the council chamber after all the opinions had been heard. A minute later, Aermir slammed his hand on the wooden table. "Open my personal granary and winter reserves. The fire elemental energy in the air is still strong; Summer will continue. In the long run, we will be able to replenish our reserves."
Aermir tapped his finger on the table and added, "But don't give it away for free, give it cheaply, but with a return for labor. That way, we can both provide jobs for the people and reap some rewards. We can't let the citizens believe that help is free, otherwise they will become complacent and lazy. I can't run the Straits project long-term, so we need to quadruple the workforce."
Eddard hurriedly added, "But sir, this will leave us with nothing. We have nothing else, and we might not even recover by Winter."
Aermir shook his head. "That's possible, but we can buy food anytime, not rely on time. Our products sell well throughout Westeros. I'll have spare cash, but the Passage project can't be stalled. They won't be as fast as I am, but they'll make some progress. Are there any products with lower export volumes?"
"Yes," Athos said, glancing at the document. "Charcoal exports aren't as high as before. They've dropped by 20%." Aermir nodded. "That was expected. All the lords have bought what they need, and they won't buy much more until they run out, because in this weather, it will take a long time to get it back."
He thought for a moment and said, "We probably have small buyers like blacksmiths and bakers now. Let me see." He took the documents and checked them. "So, before the price drop, our monthly income was around 10,000. We need to expand our trade to colder climates. The south won't buy anything more before the weather gets worse. How much gold do we have left?"
As the treasurer, Athos flipped through the ledgers and calculated with an abacus. "Approximately 150,000 dragon gold."
"Alright, let's buy ten large trading wagons that can travel to Loras and even Ibben. We need to establish trade routes with them. We can sell large quantities of charcoal to those places."
After the meeting, Aermir was walking towards the courtyard. As he passed by, everyone bowed respectfully to him, but suddenly, someone patted him on the back of the neck. Aermir turned around angrily, about to throw a punch, when he realized who had made this audacious move. Now that he thought about it, there was only one person who dared to hit him from inside that wall.
"Look at this kid. Are you going to hit your aunt now?" His aunt, Bris, was glaring at him angrily. "Six months later, you come home and leave without even saying goodbye to your poor aunt."
Aermir rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Aunt, please, don't scold me in front of so many people. I'm so sorry for neglecting you, but every time I go to see you, you're always so sullen."
Bris laughed, as if she had successfully lured Aermir into a Trap: "Now that you've brought this up, as the head of the family, you need to produce an heir. As long as you have no offspring, it means the future of the House Drasil is in jeopardy. You're already twenty-three, and you haven't even married, let alone had an heir."
She put one hand on her hip and began waving a stack of papers and portraits of ladies at Aermir. "Do you see these? They're all marriage advertisements. Look. There are 20 in the whole kingdom, and another 20 in my study. You must marry and have a child with Drasil."
Aermir smiled mischievously and changed the subject. "Auntie, if you want to have a child, marry Jory Cassel. He always finds excuses to come here; he won't leave without seeing you."
Hearing this, her beautiful face turned crimson, and she began to throw the stack of papers at Aermir. "What are you saying? How can a widow like me marry a young man? Now you're all grown up, yet you're making fun of your aunt!"
She stopped hitting him with paper, her expression turned serious, and she said solemnly, " Aermir, my clever child, you declared me your aunt and gave me your surname, you know that doesn't mean I'm a Drasil. In this world, blood ties mean everything. I love you like my own nephew, and I will continue to help you as much as I can, but you need to build your own house."
Aermir pinched her cheek and said, "What do you mean by widow? You're only 33, Jory is only 30. He's single too." Jory's wife died in childbirth six years ago, and the baby was stillborn. For the past five years, he hadn't even seen a female fly, but since last year, his relationship with his aunt had become increasingly close.
He grinned maliciously and said, "If you'd like, he'd seize the opportunity to marry a beauty like you. Would you like me to speak with Lord Stark and Ser Rodrik?"
She picked up the stack of papers and continued to press him for answers. Aermir desperately wanted her to marry someone who would cherish her, and he felt that Jory Cassel was that person.
He visited Moat Cailin more often than Aermir. It took him two days to travel from Winterfell to get there, at a moderate pace on horseback. He was an honest man and had clearly fallen in love with her.