Roman saw that the other party had directly pointed it out, so he simply stopped pretending and told Old Crow to tell him everything he knew.
"You brat, you're trying to boss me around now!"
Although Old Crow had a foul mouth, it still explained its intentions in detail.
"We originally came here in response to the call of Apostle Fili. Only she can grant us the ability to communicate with humans. Everyone was hungry just now and couldn't help but break into the storage room, which is why you saw what you saw."
Roman caught a key point in its words: "Apostle? What apostle?"
Immediately after, Roman saw the raven's expression change significantly. He could sense that it was disgust.
Old Crow looked at Roman with an expression as if looking at an idiot: "Whose else could it be? Of course, she's your apostle! Why else would you bring her back?"
Roman turned to look at Fili and Scholar Tom.
Scholar Tom, who was kneeling on the ground, quickly shook his head, indicating that he knew nothing.
Fili, on the other hand, opened her big eyes and asked in confusion: "What's wrong, Lord Roman?"
Looking at Fili's silly appearance, Roman didn't know what to say; she might really not know.
"Fili, why don't you talk to these ravens and see if you can get anything out of them? I'll have someone build some nests for them."
After Roman finished speaking, he ignored the ravens' protests and drove them out with dragonflame.
In a large, sunny room, Fili was working hard to communicate with the ravens, while Roman and Scholar Tom discussed countermeasures in the adjacent room.
"Scholar Tom, are these ravens yours?"
"By the Seven! My lord, these are wild birds. The ravens in the rookery are all staying where they should be!"
Upon hearing this, Roman understood; this was likely the reason for the abnormal spark inside Fili.
"If this is Fili's special ability, would the Targaryen family be any different?" Roman thought to himself.
"Scholar Tom, go ahead and recruit the failed apprentices. I'll call you when there's progress here; otherwise, it's just a waste of time to stay here."
After thinking for a moment, Scholar Tom accepted the order and left. After all, Fili was right by Roman's side and couldn't run away.
After arranging for Scholar Tom, Roman returned to Fili's room.
However, to Roman's surprise, the girl was playing with the ravens at that moment.
"Grey-Grey, don't snatch the food. The wheat I gave you should be enough."
"Meat? Worms? Uh, let's talk about those later. I don't have any right now."
"Huh? There are such interesting stories in the North? Have you all been to so many places?"
Seeing that Fili was completely immersed in communicating with the ravens, Roman knocked on the door to make his presence known.
Fili turned her head and, seeing Roman, immediately pounced on him like a Golden Retriever.
"Lord Roman, I've made all the ravens speak Westerosi! They've seen so many things, and..."
Fili wanted to continue, but Roman placed his finger on the girl's lips.
"Let me ask."
After a thorough interrogation, Roman finally sorted out the logic of the ravens.
They had received a summons when Fili came to Roman's side and had all flocked to Harrenhal.
This group of ravens was different from their kin; they were a special breed of raven. Only they could speak, while the rest of the ravens could only communicate with Fili.
"Lord Roman! Why do you think I have this ability? Is it because of those people in my dreams? They said I am your apostle. What is an apostle?"
Roman ruffled her hair: "Who knows? Whether it's an apostle or something else, as long as it's useful, that's all that matters. You did well, Fili! From now on, we have an efficient means of communication."
Roman didn't care about apostles or whatever; he was a pragmatist. These thirty-something talking ravens were real treasures, worth more than gold.
The ravens were creeped out by Roman's hungry gaze. Old Crow spoke up first: "Just to be clear, although you are Fili's liege, we won't listen to you!"
"A warm home, plenty of food, and a knowledgeable veterinarian. How about these three things in exchange for your labor?"
The ravens, who had originally wanted to retort, shut their mouths the moment they heard these conditions. Only Old Crow was still stammering.
Roman was puzzled: "Is there anything else you're dissatisfied with?"
In the end, Old Crow braved it: "We also want strong and beautiful mates!"
"Uh... fine."
In the end, Roman negotiated the cooperation at a very low price. Ravens were ravens after all; they were much easier to deal with than humans as long as their physiological needs were met.
After Roman and Old Crow agreed on the terms, Fili immediately got up to prepare to build the aviary, but Roman grabbed her from the side.
"Lord Roman?"
"You've worked hard during this time. The Servants in Harrenhal all have time to rest, but you're always busy. Sit down."
Fili didn't feel tired and quickly tried to explain to Roman, but Roman pressed her into the chair anyway.
"Then just consider it keeping me company. This is also part of your duty."
Roman got up and made tea with techniques even more skilled than Fili's, then placed a plate of nuts on the table.
Fili had always been the one taking care of others. Suddenly being taken care of by Roman—and a lord at that—she didn't know what to do for a moment.
Roman told her not to be so reserved and took the initiative to chat about recent events in their lives, gradually opening up the conversation.
Fili was quite simple-minded. With a little guidance, she let go of her nervousness and began to tell Roman about the interesting things that had happened in Harrenhal during this time, as well as her views on the Hean Family.
"Lord Roman, you are truly different from other lords. I have seen many lords who would haggle over a copper coin with their subjects and try every possible way to exploit farmers and merchants."
"But you seem to really want us commoners to live a good life. Why? What are you thinking?"
"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" Roman picked up his teacup and took a sip.
"Hmm~ I want to hear both!"
Roman stared at Fili and set down his teacup: "The lie: I want all the subjects in my territory to live a good life. I want to be an excellent liege and make the reputation of the Hean Family resound throughout Westeros."
"As for the truth... I want to collect more taxes. Only when the people live well and are healthy can they create more value for me."
"So..." Roman placed his black dragon tail on the table, "which one do you believe?"
Fili didn't answer immediately; instead, she took out a towel and began to wipe Roman's tail.
"I think what Lord Roman said is all true, because you have an aura that makes people feel at ease!"
"You!" Roman laughed in exasperation and stroked Fili's head. "If you continue to be this silly and simple-minded, you'll ruin yourself sooner or later!"
Fili: "I won't. I only act like this with you, Lord Roman. I wouldn't do this with anyone else!"
Roman looked down and caught sight of the dark circles under Fili's eyes. He said with a hint of heartache: "Even the most diligent Servants in Harrenhal pay attention to their health, and you have really been overworking lately. Take a good rest for the time being."
Seeing this, Fili wanted to retort, but Roman interrupted her a step ahead.
"If you don't agree, then don't stay by my side in the future!"
At this point, the girl had no choice but to agree, feeling a bit aggrieved.