The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Pylert Clegane! Stand up!” Jeyne Westerling said.

Pylert Clegane stood up, looking a little lost.

A sudden pain in his arm, like being stung by a poisonous mosquito, the stinging pain came and went quickly, without the lingering itching of a mosquito bite. He saw a small silver needle appear in Her Majesty's hand, the needle lightly touched her lips, with some traces of Pylert Clegane's blood on it.

“Mother?”

“It's nothing, don't panic, you are very loyal.” Jeyne smiled.

Pylert Clegane then realized that his mother was testing his loyalty by tasting his blood.

The Mountain said, “Let's go back to the military tent first.”

“Okay!” Everyone agreed together.

Pylert noticed that the three Narrow Sea women moved nimbly and landed silently. He didn't know their identities, nor did he understand why they weren't riding on dragons, but were sitting in hanging baskets.

His father and mother didn't introduce him to the three women, so Pylert could only restrain himself from asking.

*

The next day at noon.

East King Palace.

King's reception hall.

The Mountain sat on a rough wooden chair without any jade decorations.

In front of him was a very wide and thick long wooden table. The wooden table was also very rough, not only without any jade decorations, but also without beautiful paint. There were no reliefs or beautiful carved lines on it, just like the large wooden table in a blacksmith's shop or butcher's shop.

Across the table, stood a tall, fair-skinned Qartheen native.

This person wore a golden-rimmed hat with a tall feather plume on it. The plume was beautifully colored. He wore a brocade robe in the Qartheen's favorite gold and jade colors, embroidered with patterns of dragons, griffins, and scorpions.

The brocade robe was tied at the waist with a jade belt.

This Qartheen had come to see the King, but the King didn't recognize him. He saw the table in front of the King and the chair the King was sitting on, and he felt puzzled and uneasy. He knew that it was absolutely impossible to find such rough wooden tables and chairs in the palace, even if he wanted to.

But the King's tables and chairs were so crude and simple, making it hard for him to believe.

What kind of strange information did this reveal?

This Qartheen nobleman who came to see the King couldn't figure it out, and had no clue in his mind.

This added to his unease and tension.

The Mountain sat on the rough chair, not speaking, watching the Qartheen nobleman, seeing what he had come to say.

The Qartheen knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and said, “Your Majesty, I am Gheel Grigg, a Qartheen, a Baron, formerly the spice trade manager of the Ancient Guild of Spicers.”

“Baron Gheel Grigg, have you come to petition?”

“Your Majesty, I have a wicker chest of superior spices to offer to Your Majesty.”

“Spices?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Bring them up.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Baron Gheel Grigg got up, took two steps backward, then turned around and waved outside.

Two tall Qartheen servants carried in an antique wicker chest. Even before the chest was opened, a faint fragrance that refreshed the mind and invigorated the spirit wafted in the air.

The Mountain smelled the fragrance, and his spirits were lifted.

Indeed, they were the best quality spices.

The best spices in this world were worth more than gold and jade. Gold and jade could still be sought, but the best spices were hard to find, and not something that money could buy.

The wicker chest was carried to the rough wooden table in front of the Mountain, and the two servants hunched over, retreating out of the King's reception hall. They didn't dare to look up at the King until they were out of the door.

“Your Majesty, please allow me to open the wicker chest,” Baron Gheel Grigg said, his voice trembling slightly. He was very nervous.

The Mountain nodded.

Gheel Grigg opened the wicker chest, and a fragrance that made one's mind and spirit extremely comfortable overflowed from the chest. Inside the lid of the wicker chest, there was a golden soft lining, a soft cushion made of silk, which sealed it very well, preventing the fragrance from escaping from the wicker chest. It was just that the fragrance of the spices was so long and deep that even with the soft padding, it could not completely block the fragrance from spreading.

The Mountain didn't need to stand up to see that the spices were contained in jade bowls made of jadeite.

He saw Gheel Grigg take out a jade bowl, then another jade bowl, and then another jade bowl. Soon, dozens of jade bowls of different colors were placed on the Mountain's long table, each containing spices of different colors and textures.

This Baron Gheel Grigg had put his heart into it.

The Mountain had also seen all kinds of high-end spices. In order to establish a relationship with the sheep thief that was no less than that of a dragon knight, the Mountain had purchased all kinds of edible spices at high prices. In a few jade bowls, he recognized some valuable edible spices; in addition, there were some spice ornaments for women, those spices that could be added to women's rouge and powder; and there were also several spices that could be added to charcoal to burn and warm the room, and also to perfume the room; and the Mountain had never seen or recognized more varieties of spices.

“Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce you to the names, origins, characteristics, uses, and preservation methods of these spices.”

The Mountain nodded.

He didn't like these exquisite and ingenious things. Just like jade, wealth and glory were the easiest things to make people lose their fighting spirit and ambition, the so-called 'playing with things loses one's ambition'.

But he wanted to know the purpose of this guy named Gheel Grigg after offering the spices. Had he come to flatter the King? To please the King? To make the King happy? Then, behind doing these things, there must be a motive and a purpose.

Half an hour later, Baron Gheel Grigg had explained these spices to the Mountain one by one. It had to be said that this guy's research and knowledge of spices convinced the Mountain, and also gave the Mountain a considerable liking for him, but this was not enough to gain the Mountain's trust.

When Gheel Grigg finished introducing the spice knowledge, although the Mountain admired him in his heart, he still didn't speak, but just looked at him. This guy who was the first to flatter the King was either a cunning and treacherous person who was good at scheming, just like Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, or he was a person who had seen the situation clearly and decided to change his position and accept the new power.

The Mountain didn't want to have another Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, he hoped to get a person with wisdom and foresight but not lacking in fairness.

“Your Majesty, I have finished speaking, please allow me to take my leave.”

The Mountain looked at Gheel Grigg until the expression on this guy's face was obviously flustered.

“Baron Gheel Grigg, the valuable spices you have offered me are priceless, and I like them very much. So, what do you want to get, speak.”

“Your Majesty, I want to gain your appreciation.”

“Appreciation?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You still want to continue to maintain the power of the spice trade?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What if I want to replace a civil official to do it?”

“Your Majesty, in Qarth, no one is more suitable to manage the spice trade for Your Majesty than I am.”

The Mountain noticed that Gheel Grigg said 'no one is more suitable to manage the spice trade for His Majesty than he is'.

Managing the spice trade for His Majesty, this was of course what the Mountain hoped to get.

“Baron Gheel Grigg, as far as I know, the spice trade is controlled and operated by the royal family of His Majesty Feodor Raymond Hoare.”

“They haven't taken the power of the spice trade from the Ancient Guild of Spicers for long. The Hoare royal family does not have professional managers who are proficient in various spices. They will make the spice trade in Qarth worse and worse, thereby affecting His Majesty's tax revenue.”

“You can go to the Hoare royal family to serve as the manager of the spice business.”

“They came to hire me, and I refused, Your Majesty.”

“Oh?!”

“I cannot operate spices for the Hoare royal family. They are no longer the King of Qarth, Your Majesty is.”

The Mountain was silent for a while: “Baron Gheel, I will not have a conflict with the Hoare royal family because of the spice trade rights.”

“Your Majesty, the power to operate spices can be maintained by the Hoare royal family, but Your Majesty also needs a civil official to manage the import, export, and transit business of spices. I am the best candidate for Your Majesty's spice civil official.”

The Mountain had been moved by Gheel Grigg in his heart.

He originally needed a civil official to manage the spice business in Qarth. The greatest role of this civil official was to correct problems in the spice trade and clarify the amount of the spice trade, so as to ensure that the royal family would not be deceived by the operators in the tax revenue of the spice trade.

“Baron Grigg, I need your loyalty.”

Bang!

Gheel Grigg knelt down on both knees.

Although the popular etiquette was to kneel on one knee, Gheel Grigg used both knees.

“Your Majesty, Gheel Grigg swears to His Majesty Gregor Clegane in the name of the Grigg family, in the name of the Witch God, in the name of the three gods of the sky, the earth, and the ocean, in the name of the Red God, and in the name of all the gods in the world, that the Grigg family and I will always follow the King, loyal and fearless, and never betray. When necessary, for the safety and honor of His Majesty the King, Gheel Grigg and the Grigg family are willing to give their lives.”

This was a very heavy oath!

The Mountain couldn't find any fault or reason.

“Baron, why did you so quickly decide to be loyal to me, follow me, and be willing to give your life for me?”

“Your Majesty, you are the wise ruler of Qarth.”

“Why do you say that? After all, I am a King who has only been here for a short time.”

“Because of the dragon, because of the arrowless bow and arrow, because of the loyal Unsullied and the disciplined Dothraki.”

The Mountain stared at Baron Gheel Grigg. The Baron's nervousness and unease disappeared, because he had spoken his own judgment.

“You know about the arrowless arrow?”

The so-called arrowless arrow was the Mountain's short-barreled firearm.

This was a new type of bow and arrow that the Qartheen had never seen or heard of. The Mountain named it a short-barreled firearm, but in Qarth, the new popular name was the arrowless arrow.

The spread of this invincible short-barreled firearm was due to the Mountain's adopted son, Marquis Pylert Clegane.

The arrowless arrow had caused a sensation among the nobles of Qarth, and various magical versions were constantly multiplying, becoming more and more inclined to miracles.

For the world of cold weapons, the first hot weapon brought by the Mountain was a miracle in itself.

Science is magic!

“Baron Gheel Grigg, I am very happy to appoint you as the civil official for the Qartheen spice trade,” the Mountain said with a smile.

The Baron was overjoyed, knelt on the ground, placed his right fist on the position of his left chest heart, knocked three times, and swore allegiance to the Mountain again!

*

At the same time, a small private room in a hidden tavern.

The curtain was lifted, and a woman walked in.

“Get out.” The man with his back to the door said lightly, “This place is already taken.”

But the uninvited guest who came in didn't go out, but walked over.

A very slight hissing sound, a manticore flew out from the corner of the wall, colorful and terrifying, the scorpion tail was like a needle, and it stabbed the person's calf.

Clang!

With a soft sound, a short sword pierced the manticore's shell and pierced the manticore on the tip of the sword.

The person sitting at the table still didn't turn around, and said lightly: “Who are you?”

“An unknown person, really!” The woman said lightly.

A Faceless Man!

The blue-clothed man who was sitting at the table pouring and drinking suddenly stiffened his back.

“All men must die!” The blue-clothed man said.

“All men must serve!” The woman said.

The woman came to the table, sat down, and put the short sword in her hand on the table, the tip of the sword pointing at the other party. On the tip of the sword, the manticore was not dead, struggling, baring its fangs and claws, hideous and terrifying.

“This is not the Faceless Men's territory.” The blue-clothed man said. His face was covered with a blue scarf, and he didn't know how he had been eating just now.

“The Sorrowful Men killed people in Pentos first.” The woman said coldly.

The blue-clothed man was silent for a while: “What do the Faceless Men want to do in Qarth?”

“The Faceless Men want to enter Qarth.”

The blue-clothed man's gaze suddenly became sharp. The Faceless Men had been in the west of the continent, while the Sorrowful Men were in the east of the continent. The two sides had always had a tacit understanding and did not invade each other.

“The Faceless Men want to enter Qarth?” The Elder of the Sorrowful Men said slowly, word by word.

“Yes.”

“Qarth cannot accommodate the Faceless Men and the Sorrowful Men. Only one side can remain.”

“Yes, only one can remain.” The woman said lightly.

The Elder of the Sorrowful Men slowly raised his head and looked at the face of a very young woman.

“What is your surname?”

“An unknown person.”

“Name? A name you use when you are out and about?”

“Little Wolf Girl, Aeliana.”

The blue-clothed man slowly pulled down the scarf, revealing a face full of the vicissitudes of time: “The Faceless Men want to start a war between the two sides because the Sorrowful Men took action in Pentos?”

“The person you killed was wrong.”

The blue-clothed man's face changed slightly.

“The person you want to assassinate is His Majesty King Gregor Clegane.”

Silence, quiet, suffocating depression.

After a long while, the Elder of the Sorrowful Men said: “The Faceless Men entered Qarth, is that also His Majesty Gregor Clegane's intention?”

“…………” The woman quietly looked at the Elder of the Sorrowful Men, without answering.

“Since when did Death also succumb to the kingship of mortal kings?”

“Give you one day to leave Qarth.”

“What if we don't leave?”

Little Wolf Girl Aeliana did not answer this question. She stood up, picked up the short sword, shook the manticore off the blade, stomped it into minced meat, and then walked towards the door.

The words reached the ears of Elder Regretful Guest, who was facing away from the door: "Regretful Guest has only one day."