The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 633: Blood Dragon's Wild Dance

Riverlands, beside the Red Fork River, the River Road.

The Mountain was riding his Red Smoke beast, with Maester Hallis and Maester Pycelle by his side, as well as a very special figure: Red Hand Temme of the Burned Men.

More than eight thousand people from the Mountains of the Moon had chosen to follow the Mountain to the Westerlands, mainly children, teenagers, and middle-aged people. This already represented the vast majority of the tribes of the Mountains of the Moon.

After these people left the Mountains of the Moon, the tribes there would truly begin to decline.

In addition to these, there were three thousand tribal warriors.

Almost every man and woman in the Mountains of the Moon tribes was a raider, a soldier by default, but there was still a difference between them and the true warriors in the Mountain's eyes.

Red Hand Temme represented the chiefs, leaders, elders, and wizards of the forty-odd tribes remaining in the Mountains of the Moon. He represented the families who had stayed behind, sending this generation of tribesmen to their destination and personally seeing the actual situation of the relocation site, seeing the warriors of the Mountains of the Moon who were following the Mountain in battle, seeing his son, One-Eye Temme, and then he would return and tell the older generation who had stayed behind the true situation he had witnessed with his own eyes.

The news that had been sent back was so good that it would make the people of the Mountains of the Moon tempted again, but it also raised questions for the chiefs: Was the environment and life really that good? Did they really have their own castles, their own land, their own livestock, and could they live a carefree life by working hard, and get considerable military pay and glory for fighting bravely?

The older generation, who still refused and would never choose to migrate, were uneasy. They held a meeting and decided to let Red Hand Temme come and see for himself.

A raven appeared in the sky, circling and gradually descending.

Finally, the raven landed on Maester Hallis' outstretched hand.

Maester Hallis grabbed the raven's body, removed the small iron tube from its claws, unscrewed the small cap, and pulled out the small scroll inside.

"My lord, it's a letter from Maester Qyburn," Maester Hallis handed the letter to the Mountain.

The Mountain took the letter, unfolded it, and scanned it, already finished reading.

He himself was a university 'student' from a civilization world that was several levels higher. He had been rampaging in this world of ice and fire, which was somewhat similar to medieval Europe, for three years, and had long since learned the strange writing of this world.

The Mountain said, "Maester Pycelle, we may have to go back to King's Landing. Queen Cersei has summoned us to King's Landing to promote paper money. She says that the gold and silver mines are getting fewer and fewer, and the gold mines of the Seven Kingdoms have reached the end of their exploitation and will be completely mined out in the blink of an eye; silver mines have long since disappeared. As gold and silver are consumed, they become less and less, and it is imperative for the kingdom to promote paper money."

Maester Pycelle doubted whether Queen Cersei could have said these words, but he respectfully echoed, "Yes, Her Grace the Queen is very wise."

The Mountain glanced at the guard behind him. Ser Gregor Clegane said, "My lord, do you need me to swallow the letter?"

"Not this time," The Mountain handed the letter to Maester Hallis, "Keep it safe, this is a precious letter that needs to be shown to the nobles and people of the Westerlands. Queen Regent Cersei supports the circulation of paper money in King's Landing, this news can bring great confidence to the Westerlands. Gold and silver mines in the Seven Kingdoms have long been severely depleted and will soon come to an end, but the consumption of gold and silver will not stop for a single day. Replacing gold and silver coins with paper money is indeed our best choice. Ten thousand gold dragons, we need two people to carry, need a wicker box, need a carriage to transport, but ten thousand paper money, can be taken away in a pocket, and you will not feel its weight."

Maester Hallis took the letter, folded it carefully, and put it in his arms. Maester Pycelle took out corn and fed it to the messenger raven, and spoke gently to the raven in the unique raven-training language of the maesters. The raven was busy eating corn, and Pycelle muttered to himself, increasing his intimacy with the raven.

Red Hand Temme, who was beside the Mountain, was bewildered. He could understand that the gold and silver mines were depleted, and knew what it meant that gold and silver mines were getting fewer and fewer, but he had never heard of paper money, and had no idea what it meant.

The Mountain took out a gold dragon banknote and handed it to the old Temme: "Red Hand, this is a currency launched by the Westerlands Bank - the gold dragon banknote. With the gold dragon banknote, you can buy anything you want in the Westerlands."

The old Temme took the round and beautiful banknote. He could recognize the pattern on the banknote, which was the pattern on the gold coin that everyone was familiar with: "What is this?"

"A banknote equivalent to a gold dragon, also called a gold note."

Red Hand Temme showed an even more confused expression: "Mountain, I have never seen such a thing. This is a gold dragon? With this piece of fancy paper, you can buy things?"

"Yes, in the Westerlands, you can buy anything in the store with this gold note."

"Does it not work in other places? The Vale, Gulltown, and King's Landing."

"It doesn't work in other places for the time being, but it will in the future."

Old Temme shook his head and returned the gold note to the Mountain: "The Vale people will not accept this kind of paper, it is a deception."

The Mountain smiled: "Old man, take it and show it to the people of your tribe. In the Westerlands, we no longer use gold, silver, and copper coins, but all use this kind of colorful paper money."

"Temme's military pay is also paid in this kind of paper money?" The old man's eyes were full of suspicion and vigilance.

"Not yet, but it will be soon. This kind of paper money can be exchanged for gold dragons and silver stags in the bank. It is connected to gold dragons, silver stags, and copper stars."

"Then we mountain tribesmen will only choose gold dragons, silver stags, and copper stars, and will never want this kind of paper money," the old man said decisively.

"Alright!" The Mountain smiled slightly, "Old man, you will understand what is going on when you go to the Westerlands. If Temme wants to take his military pay home, he will exchange the gold notes for gold coins or silver stags in the bank."

"Mountain, you swear."

"I swear!" The Mountain knocked his right fist on his chest.

Old Temme's vigilant eyes relaxed. He withdrew his gaze from the Mountain's face, lowered his head, and looked back and forth at the gold note in his hand.

"Red Hand, after you have seen the relocation site of the tribesmen, if you think it is really good, can I invite you to stay?" The Mountain looked sincere.

"Mountain, I can't. I will go back no matter what, but after I go back, if the relocation site really has fertile land and magnificent cities, perhaps most of the chiefs will choose to move their entire tribes to the Westerlands."

"Oh, then why are you unwilling to stay?"

"Our ancestor Red Hand of the Burned Men, more than one hundred and eighty years ago, believed in a fire wizard, so everyone began to worship the fire god. At that time, we were still the Painted Dogs, but after believing in the fire wizard, we separated from the Painted Dogs and established the Burned Men. The Red Hand of the Burned Men must stay to take care of the god that we secretly enshrine in the depths of the mountains and pass down from generation to generation."

"God? Fire god?" The Mountain's heart stirred. A memory from the depths of his mind that had not been confirmed was awakened again. In order to verify the unproven trajectory of events in the world of ice and fire that the Mountain knew before he crossed over, the Mountain had asked the young Red Hand Temme, but was rejected. The Mountain knew that the fire god of the Burned Men was different from Melisandre and Thoros of Myr's Lord of Light. The Lord of Light R'hllor was a god of fire and shadows, not just a simple fire god.

The ancient oaths of the tribes were often accompanied by the dark curses of the wizards, and the believers could not violate them.

The Mountain suddenly had a flash of inspiration, a flash of inspiration: The Burned Men were so secretive and taboo about their beliefs that they did not want to tell outsiders, so, in fact, the Mountain could say the rumor himself, and then verify it with the old Temme. In this way, it would not be the old Temme who took the initiative to say it, and he would not violate the rules of some ancient oath.

*

The Mountain's army, the legion warriors of the Mountains of the Moon, and the people of the Mountains of the Moon marched together on the plains of the Riverlands, with nearly 20,000 people, mighty and vast, with no end in sight. The people of the Riverlands fled on their own when they saw them from afar. Along the way, the people in many villages had already fled, leaving no one behind, not even a chicken or a duck.

More than eight thousand tribesmen from the Mountains of the Moon migrated on foot, with children and women riding ponies, cattle, and reserve warhorses vacated by the cavalry. Some horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts carried young children and elderly people, creaking and groaning on the avenue.

The Riverlands were very flat, the land fertile, and there were many streams and rivers, with abundant water resources. It was a beautiful and rich place, but it was full of traces left by the war.

The River Road ran straight to the Westerlands along the Red Fork River. The end of the River Road to the west was the capital of the Westerlands, Casterly Rock - the city of the Lannister family.

The team was not moving slowly.

*

The Mountain decided to test the rumors of the fire wizard of the Burned Men, to see Temme's reaction, in case the unconfirmed things in his memory were true?

"Old Temme, I heard that in 130 AC, a fire wizard suddenly appeared in the Painted Dogs village in the Mountains of the Moon?" The Mountain said.

The old Temme, who was looking at the gold note, suddenly raised his head and stared sharply at the Mountain.

"How does your lord know so clearly? Oh, I see, Temme has told you about our god," old Temme's eyes revealed a sharp edge.

So taboo?

However, the Mountain did not intend to stop. This was not the Mountains of the Moon, nor the tribal village of the Burned Men. The Mountain did not have to have too many ties to consider, and tying his own hands was not the Mountain's style. Awe of the gods was necessary, as long as it was not malicious blasphemy.

The old man's son Temme had not mentioned to the Mountain the story of the Burned Men's belief in the fire god. The Mountain had asked, but Chief Temme had kept his mouth shut.

The Mountain knew that the fire god of the Burned Men was different from Melisandre and Thoros of Myr's red god, different from the Lord of Light. The Lord of Light R'hllor was a god of fire and shadows, not just a simple fire god.

"Rumor has it that the fire wizard who came to the Painted Dogs was a woman, about seventeen years old. She called herself Nettles. Although she appeared in the Painted Dogs alone, she actually secretly owned a dragon? It's just that the Red Hand leader at the time and his followers didn't know it," The Mountain continued.

"Temme has told you everything," Fire flashed in old Temme's eyes.

The Mountain shook his head: "Old Temme, your son Temme did not reveal a single word to me. It's just a coincidence that I heard a rumor. Seeing your reaction, could it be that the rumor is actually true?" The Mountain stared closely at the old man's eyes. None of the old man's subtle expressions escaped his filtering, and the Mountain felt his whole body heat up all of a sudden. If that rumor was true, then, in this world, there was actually still a dragon from the era of 'Blood Dragon's Wild Dance', and its name was Sheepstealer.

"Most rumors are rumors," old Temme denied, but his tone was not strong.

The Mountain's heart suddenly became excited, but his body was tall, majestic, and his face was unkind. From his eyes and expression, he could not see the fluctuations in his inner emotions at all.

The Mountain looked at the court scholar Pycelle beside him: "Maester, do you know the era of Blood Dragon's Wild Dance?"

"Yes, Duke. The era of Blood Dragon's Wild Dance originated in 129 AC and ended in 131 AC. That was the era of civil war launched by the Targaryen family to compete for the throne. Both sides dispatched dragon knights to compete, and many dragons and dragon knights died in battle. The Targaryen family began to decline from the era of Blood Dragon's Wild Dance, and a large number of dragons were killed in the war."

The Mountain glanced at old Temme, who was listening intently. He glanced at the guards in front of and behind him. Obviously, everyone was very interested in the topic of dragons and pricked up their ears to listen.

"Maester Pycelle, have you heard of a commoner dragon knight named Nettles under Princess Rhaenyra?"

*

Old Temme's heart stirred greatly, and his eyes sparkled. Nettles was a dragon knight under Princess Rhaenyra? Old Temme heard this historical fact for the first time. Regarding the situation of the fire wizard who was believed in when the Burned Men separated from the Painted Dogs, he only knew that according to inheritance, the name of the fire wizard was Nettles. As for where she came from, her bloodline family, and why she chose to live in the misty mountains of the Mountains of the Moon, the first generation of Red Hand also did not know these secrets at all.

Believers were forbidden to ask about the situation of the fire wizard, unless the fire wizard said it himself.

The Mountain actually knew the origin of the fire wizard Nettles?

This surprised old Temme very much.

*

Maester Pycelle answered the Mountain's words. He always had only one kind of respectful expression towards the Mountain: "Duke, according to the royal history books, Nettles was a descendant of the fishermen on Dragonstone. She responded to the call of Jacaerys Velaryon, the eldest son of Princess Rhaenyra, and went to Dragonstone's Dragonmont to tame a wild dragon, Sheepstealer. At that time, many Targaryen bloodline dragon seeds went to Dragonmont to tame wild dragons. There were a total of six wild dragons on Dragonmont, and a total of four were tamed. Sheepstealer was the most murderous of them. The number of dragon seeds it killed was the sum of the other five dragons."

The Mountain asked, "Maester Pycelle, do you still remember what the dragon named Sheepstealer looked like in the history books? The color of its scales, its height and length?"

"I remember, Duke. Sheepstealer's scales are described in the history books as ugly brownish-mud color, and its wings are also brown. In 130 AC, the year of the Blood Dragon's Wild Dance outbreak, it was probably already eighty years old. Among the adult dragons, its size was medium. The book records that it was born when King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, the 'Old King', was young, around 50 AC."

The Mountain looked at old Temme: "Temme Red Hand, are the scales of the fire wizard of the Burned Men brownish-mud color?"

Old Temme did not affirm or deny. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing.

He could not tell outsiders the secrets of the Burned Men. Every generation of Red Hand had sworn to keep the secrets and not leak the secrets of the fire wizard and the dragon.

But the expressions on the old man's face had already made it clear to Mountain. The scale color of the Dragon of the Burned Men's fire witch matched the color of the sheep stealer's dragon that Pegg had mentioned.

Could it be that deep within the Misty Mountains of the Moon Mountains, a dragon truly still lived?

Mountain looked at the guards beside him, each of whom had eyes shining brightly, like a cat that had seen a mouse, or a hungry wolf that had smelled blood.

A dragon, a dragon from 270 years ago that might still be alive deep within the Moon Mountains.

The thought of it was incredibly exciting.

Dragons could live for thousands of years. If that dragon was still alive, it would have been born around 50 AC, and this year was 300 AC, making it about 250 years old. 250 years old was still its prime, considering the lifespan of a dragon.

Although the old man was unwilling to reveal the secret he knew, he wanted to learn more about Ricotta and the Sheep Stealer. If the Ricotta mentioned by the maester was the same Ricotta that their tribe worshipped as the fire witch, then Ricotta was Princess Rhaenyra's dragonrider. Why would she choose to hide in the Moon Mountains with her dragon?

The fire witch Ricotta was already dead, and Tymei couldn't verify it himself. The living dragon didn't always stay in the Misty Mountains either. It often flew far away, but no one knew where it went or when it would return.

But according to the Burned Men's beliefs, the Red Hands had to regularly offer food to the dragon in the mountains, whether the dragon was there or not.

Old Man Tymei looked at Mountain, his face and eyes filled with anticipation. He was eager for Mountain and Maester Pegg to tell him more about the stories of Ricotta and the Sheep Stealer from the royal court's history books.

Mountain and Maester Pegg exchanged a glance. The warriors around them were all uneducated brutes. They were all very curious and fascinated by the dragon stories from 270 years ago. Moreover, some of them had restless thoughts. If that dragon really existed, then the Burned Men had a way to approach it?

"Maester, tell us why Ricotta left Princess Rhaenyra, whom she had sworn allegiance to. Is there any record of this in the history books?"

"Yes, but there are two different stories."

"Then tell us both."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"In 129 AC, Ricotta spent a year taming the wild dragon Sheep Stealer behind Dragonstone's Dragonmont. In 130 AC, she tamed the wild dragon. Her method of taming the wild dragon was simple. She put a goat in the Sheep Stealer's territory every day and approached the Sheep Stealer a little bit every day. A year later, she entered the Sheep Stealer's lair, and the Sheep Stealer recognized Ricotta as its master. Ricotta, who had obtained a dragon, immediately became Princess Rhaenyra's dragonrider and participated in the war."

"Because Ricotta was a commoner, her status among the many dragonriders was still low, and she was ostracized. This made her loyalty to Rhaenyra not very obvious. Once, she was sent to the Riverlands by Queen Rhaenyra, who had already seized King's Landing, to search for Prince Aemond Targaryen, who had gone missing but had been attacking the Riverlands. Rumor had it that Ricotta and Prince Daemon Targaryen fell in love during this time. When the news reached Queen Rhaenyra's ears, the queen ordered Lord Manfryd Mooton of Maidenpool to execute Ricotta for treason."

"At that time, Ricotta and Prince Daemon were guests in the Mooton family of Maidenpool. Lord Mooton was unwilling to violate the rights of guests, so he agreed to let his maester, Norren, inform Prince Daemon of the queen's decision. After spending a night with Ricotta, the prince asked her to flee the Seven Kingdoms. Ricotta rode the Sheep Stealer eastward and disappeared into the morning mist of the Crab Coast.

"From then on, Ricotta and her dragon disappeared!

After letting Ricotta go, Prince Daemon did not return to his wife's side, but flew to Harrenhal. He encountered the opposing Prince Aemond on the Gods Eye, and the two fought fiercely in the sky above the Gods Eye. In the end, both the dragon and the dragonrider perished together. Prince Daemon's body was never found in the Gods Eye. In some ballads that recorded the events of the royal family, there were lyrics that said Daemon survived the duel and found Ricotta on dragonback.

In 131 AC, Queen Rhaenyra was defeated, and she was fed to her golden dragon by her own brother, Aegon II Targaryen, on Dragonstone. Soon after, someone reported seeing the Sheep Stealer in both the Claw and the Moon Mountains. In 134 AC, Rhaenyra's son, Aegon III Targaryen, overthrew his uncle's rule, but the opposing forces were not completely eliminated. Robb Rowan led the royal army to the Vale of Arryn to support Joffrey Arryn. In a cave, Robb's men encountered the Sheep Stealer and a ragged Ricotta. A battle broke out, and sixteen of Robb's men were killed, and more than sixty were injured. Ricotta and her dragon were last seen flying into the depths of the Moon Mountains. Since then, there have been no more records of Ricotta and the Sheep Stealer in the history books."

After Pegg finished telling the story of Ricotta, the hundred guards who accompanied him were silent for a while. Many people were thinking that 270 years had passed, and Ricotta, who was only seventeen years old at the time, was obviously dead, but the Sheep Stealer dragon was not necessarily dead. The old man Tymei in front of them was the key. If this old man was willing to tell the secret, then whether the Sheep Stealer was dead or alive, whether it could be approached, and whether it could be tamed again might not be a problem.

Mountain broke the silence: "Maester Pegg, you said there are two different stories about Ricotta. What about the other story?"

"The royal history books record that Queen Rhaenyra was betrayed by two bastard dragonriders, who defected to the opposing side, Rhaenyra's brother Aegon II. This led Rhaenyra to distrust all dragonseeds (the dragonseeds at that time were synonymous with the Targaryen royal family's bastards), and Ricotta came from a commoner family and was not even a dragonseed, so her loyalty had always been unclear. This led Rhaenyra to always doubt Ricotta's loyalty. When she sent Ricotta and Prince Daemon to fight in the Riverlands, Aegon II's men deliberately spread rumors that Ricotta and Prince Daemon were in love. The news quickly reached Princess Rhaenyra's ears, and she immediately ordered Ricotta to be executed. Prince Daemon knew Ricotta's loyalty and innocence, so he personally flew back to Dragonstone to explain, but Princess Rhaenyra could no longer listen to any explanation... In the end, Ricotta was forced to flee on the Sheep Stealer, and Prince Daemon, after losing Ricotta, faced Aemond alone and eventually died in battle with his dragon in the sky above the Gods Eye, and his body fell into the lake and was never found."

"Two completely different stories!" Maester Harry exclaimed, "If Ricotta and the Sheep Stealer did escape into the Moon Mountains, then the Sheep Stealer is likely still living in the depths of the Moon Mountains, but why hasn't anyone ever witnessed its presence in the past two hundred years? Dragons have an amazing appetite, and it can't possibly not come out to forage for food!"

Thanks to [Blood Zen Robe] for the reward, thank you, handshake!