The Mountain of Ice and Fire

"Thirty thousand gold dragons, not one less," the Mountain said.

Edmure immediately stood up and left in anger.

Lord Gawen reached out to stop Edmure; such a big spender definitely couldn't be let go.

"If this deal doesn't go through this time, the next time you come, it will increase by ten thousand gold dragons. After July, it will increase by another ten thousand gold dragons. Consider it, Ser Edmure. If you come again after August, it will increase by another ten thousand gold dragons, not a single one less," the Mountain stood up and said. "In the Westerlands, we haven't even shared this technology with Lord Tywin, except for the Westerling's Crag. You won't be able to get this milk sterilization technology anywhere else, anywhere."

"Not even the Citadel?"

"That's right, not even the Citadel."

Archmaester Yassa said, "Even our thermometer is something the Citadel doesn't have."

"The thermometer was invented by a Grand Maester?" Edmure looked at the maester's chain around Yassa's neck. The maester's chain had more than a dozen metal links, indicating the maester had extensive knowledge in more than a dozen fields.

"I designed and invented it with the maester, based on the water and alcohol thermometers used by the maesters at the Citadel," Jeyne said.

"Don't think you can get the thermometer technology through the Citadel; the thermometer and milk sterilization method are worlds apart," the Mountain said. "If Ser Edmure is sincere, we can also share the snow salt and noodles technology. Snow salt requires Lord Tywin's approval, while the Westerling's noodles, the Clegane's mechanical master can help you with."

"The mechanical master is a Clegane?"

"Tobho Mott!" the Mountain said blandly.

Edmure asked in surprise, "Tobho Mott of King's Landing's Street of Steel?"

"Yes!"

"He's a Clegane?" Edmure asked in astonishment.

"Yes!"

Edmure said, "Mountain, I have to go back and discuss it with my father. If it works, I will come with the gold dragons."

"The next time you come, the technology transfer price will be four hundred thousand gold dragons," the Mountain said domineeringly.

The Mountain was a negotiator who would rather scare people away with a higher price than lower the price; his attitude was firm.

Gawen, Sybell, Berne, Yassa, Jeyne, Rolph, and the others all kept their mouths shut.

They could see that the Mountain was serious!

If Edmure didn't agree to three hundred thousand gold dragons, the next time he came, it would be four hundred thousand.

Edmure also saw the Mountain's toughness; he either cooperated or gave up, otherwise the Mountain would only increase the price each time, with no possibility of changing it.

Did Edmure need this milk sterilization technology?

He needed it!

He needed it very much!

The Mountain knew this, Edmure couldn't fool him.

By increasing the price, the Mountain cornered Edmure.

In fact, three hundred thousand gold dragons was equivalent to selling to the Riverlands, the North, and the Vale. Was this price expensive? Spread out, and the wool would eventually be distributed to every noble's head, not expensive at all.

*

However, the Mountain did not use the witch to change the trajectory of this world, but has been grasping the pulse of the world's trajectory, telling Tywin several true prophecies that can be verified, and the Mountain did not deliberately change the major trajectory of the world.

The Mountain can't and is unwilling to push the known world into an unknown world. Only in a known world trajectory does he have abilities similar to a greenseer. In an unknown world, he is just an ordinary mortal, with no advantage of foresight.

In the known world trajectory, the national tournament will arrive soon, Eddard will find out the truth about Cersei and Jaime's incest, and the king will be killed by a boar. The War of the Five Kings is getting closer and closer, and a great melee will break out next year. The Riverlands' dairy farmers will take up arms to participate in the war, and no one will care about milk sterilization; they will be more concerned about how to stab a sword into the stomachs of the Westerlanders.

Before the great chaos arrives, being able to sell the milk sterilization method is equivalent to making money, and being able to make a fortune is a fortune.

No matter how chaotic the world is, gold dragons are hard currency, and they can be freely used in any country. The unified currency system has this advantage: as long as you have money, you can buy the goods you want even in the enemy's country. The gold dragons and silver stags of Westeros—even on the other side of the Narrow Sea, in the slave cities of the Far East, and in the Summer Isles in the southern sea (where the people are as black as night)—are all hard currency.

In the short period of peace, earning as many gold dragons as possible is true wealth. The final stages of war are often about competing for supplies and national strength, which is about competing for money.

The burning of the Riverlands is the first step in preparing for the outbreak of future war: before the troops move and the world is in chaos, first deplete their food. The Riverlands is not short of food and has abundant reserves. One time cannot shake their foundations, so there will be a second great burning before the Riverlands' harvest. This time will be more intense than the last.

*

Edmure suddenly realized that he was in a dilemma. He wanted to retreat to advance, but the Mountain said that as long as he didn't place an order this time, the next time it would increase by ten thousand gold dragons, and it would not be negotiable.

If he haggled, the price would increase by ten thousand gold dragons each time.

All of Edmure's negotiation skills, his little calculations and big calculations, were crushed by the Mountain one by one. Either buy the technology for three hundred thousand gold dragons, or go home and pretend he had never been here, and then go back to admire the snow-white milk pouring down the Trident River like a white ribbon, just like the several large white scarves around the neck of the Riverlands' mother.

"Okay, I have to send a letter to my father. I won't leave the Crag. I'll wait for my father's reply before I decide on our cooperation method."

The Mountain ignored Edmure, glanced at him, and went straight away.

*

In the evening, Lord Gawen's study.

Archmaester Yassa, Lady Jeyne, Lord Gawen, General Rolph, Ser Reynard, the Mountain's brother-in-law who had rushed back from Castamere, and the Mountain himself.

On the desk was a letter from Lord Tywin of Casterly Rock.

The letter had been opened, and Archmaester Yassa had read the entire letter.

The Mountain said, "Write back. We prepared for the lord's concerns about the military whistle secret before Edmure came. We didn't use the military whistle in the training these past few days, and have returned to the old methods."

Archmaester Yassa responded, "Yes, that's easy!"

"The second question, the lord wants us to teach the milk sterilization method to all the nobles in the Westerlands, to help all the warriors and people of the Westerlands drink healthy milk. We can charge each lord and noble between one hundred and three hundred gold dragons, but we must keep the thermometer technology secret."

"Yes!" Archmaester Yassa said.

Jeyne said, "Should we report the thermometer technology to the Citadel?" Archmaester Yassa's words during the day about reporting the special milk thermometer technology to the Citadel were lies, and Jeyne's words about considering contributing the milk sterilization technology to the Citadel to obtain rewards and honors were also lies, but just a way to negotiate with Edmure.

In commercial negotiations and the game of interests, you can't find a single good person.

"Don't report it," the Mountain said decisively.

Winter is coming, and all trivial matters are not considered. With that time, it's more worthwhile to step up the child-making movement with Jeyne, and if something unexpected happens, at least a descendant can be left behind. Thinking of making children and leaving descendants, Lady Elan of Clegane Keep is still charming and is a good tool for making children and leaving descendants.

Archmaester Yassa glanced at Lord Gawen, and Lord Gawen said, "Lord Tywin ordered us in the letter to detain Edmure Tully and his one hundred guards, and the milk sterilization technology must not be passed into the Riverlands. Ser Gregor, how should I reply to the lord?"

The Mountain pondered and looked at Jeyne. He understood that Lord Tywin wanted to use him alone to attract all the anger and retaliatory firepower of the Riverlands, and also cut off any possible further contact between the Mountain and the Tully family.

Even if the war ends in the future, the Mountain will completely lose credibility because of this detention of Edmure, and no one will dare to cooperate and communicate with him! The Riverlands and distant Dorne are different; they are neighbors. It is easy and quick for the people of the Riverlands to enter the Westerlands to retaliate against the Mountain; there are many roads.

Doing so is beneficial to Lord Tywin in every way. All the blame will be on the Mountain, just like the shocking case of the rape and murder of the princess and the fall and death of the prince in 283 AC, which made the Mountain infamous throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

The Mountain has already offended the Martell family of Dorne, and this time he will offend the Tully family again. This kind of sudden detention in peacetime is the most despised by the nobles and knights of the Seven Kingdoms! This kind of despicable quality is, in some ways, more unacceptable than raping and murdering the princess and throwing the crown prince's infant to death in war.

The Mountain is no longer the Mountain of 283 AC, but the lord's secret order, to detain or not to detain, that is the question!