The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Casterly Rock and Tarbeck Hall are located in the northern part of the Westerlands, southwest of the Westerling family's Crag, between the Crag and the Marbrand family's Ashemark.

Lady Donna hadn't been to the northern Westerlands in a long time. She was provoked and humiliated by Fatty Zorro's words, nearing a breakdown. She had originally decided to commit suicide after returning home, leaving this hopeless world with her husband and young son Martyn, but suddenly the images of Cersei and Jaime flashed in her mind. If Cersei and Jaime decided to punish the Mountain after receiving her secret letter, she would not be so despairing about the rest of her life.

Lady Donna found that she suddenly didn't hate the Mountain at all, she hated Cersei and Jaime. Lannisters always pay their debts, but Cersei and Jaime were Lannisters, yet they didn't do so. They were cowards.

Fatty Zorro's scolding, mockery, and cursing shattered Lady Donna's noble pride and family honor, like a porcelain bowl falling on marble, breaking into fragments. Lady Donna's face suddenly hardened from the extreme pain and despair, instantly transforming her into a completely different person. The tears miraculously disappeared from her eyes, and the sadness in her heart turned into a cold, hard steel. She felt that she, too, had become as cold and hard as iron, as if nothing could defeat her anymore.

It was like iron ore containing many impurities, repeatedly hammered, repeatedly burned in the furnace, and repeatedly cooled in cold water, suddenly transforming at the last moment into an iron billet capable of withstanding the hammer's blows.

Some people can be completely changed by a certain sentence at a sensitive point in time! Lady Donna experienced a similar journey.

Donna Staedmon lifted the silk curtain: "Hobson, let's go, we're going to Casterly Rock."

"Yes, Madam!" Old Hobson replied respectfully, but he was very surprised in his heart. Casterly Rock was not close to Lannisport, hundreds of miles away. If they set off now, they would be camping in the wilderness tonight.

Lady Donna came from a noble family and had been pampered since childhood, without any camping experience. The water she drank had to be mixed with the finest honey.

So the team turned around, the carriage rattling forward, heading for the south gate.

"Madam, are you sure you want to go out of the south gate to Casterly Rock?" Old Hobson asked cautiously.

"Yes, Hobson, is there a problem?"

"It's getting late today, and we'll be camping in the wilderness tonight, and we haven't made any preparations for a long journey."

"Then prepare immediately, see what we need to bring to Casterly Rock, tents, food, hot water? Bring whatever is needed. Hobson, do you need knights and soldiers to go back together?"

"Madam, why don't we go back to the castle now, or go back to the Crag first, and after making all the preparations tonight, leave for Casterly Rock early tomorrow morning."

"Hobson, my carriage will not stop, we will continue north until we reach Casterly Rock and see Lady Janei. Go prepare what you need to prepare, hurry up and catch up."

"Yes, Madam!" Hobson replied respectfully.

The old man could clearly feel Lady Donna's unprecedented coldness and strength. She seemed to have become a different person, becoming firm and indifferent, as if she had suddenly put on an invisible armor. The madam was stimulated by Fatty Zorro, but why did she suddenly decide to go to Casterly Rock, just to see Lady Janei?!

Was it necessary?!

What did she want to achieve?!

Old Hobson felt for the first time that he could not see through Lady Donna! He spurred his horse away, followed by two soldiers, two maids, a group of five people returning home to bring overnight tents, food and a lot of water, as well as the madam's rouge powder, formal clothes, casual clothes, underwear and dozens of sets of clothes. The things the madam had to bring when she went out were far more complicated than those of men. In addition, there were gold dragons. No, it was Clegane paper money.

In the midst of his busy schedule, Hobson also sent a soldier to the Clegane Bank to exchange a hundred gold dragons for a pile of colorful paper money, including gold dragon coins and copper star coins for easy rewarding of the people.

Casterly Rock and Tarbeck Hall were two treasures abandoned by Duke Tywin after being conquered in 261 AC, with rich gold mines and fertile land. It was precisely because these were two rare treasures that the two lords of Casterly Rock and Tarbeck Hall had the strength to rebel in those years, and then met Duke Tywin, and were exterminated by Tywin, who was only nineteen years old.

Since the wealthy Casterly Rock and Tarbeck Hall were abandoned by Duke Tywin after killing the entire family of the lords, Casterly Rock and Tarbeck Hall became forbidden areas in the Westerlands, and also became synonymous with dilapidation and decline. Not to mention noblewomen like Donna, even ordinary petty lords had never set foot on that territory for decades.

*

Several days later, Lady Donna's carriage entered the territory of Casterly Rock.

The team stopped, the silk curtains of the two carriages had been completely hung up, the sun and warm wind blowing on them. The road in Casterly Rock suddenly became wide and flat, more than twice as wide as the official road in the northern Westerlands. It was obvious that the Mountain's people had newly built it, allowing four carriages to easily run side by side.

Hobson returned home to bring Donna rouge powder, brought a large number of living materials for the northbound team, and at the same time added a new team of soldiers, a total of twenty cavalrymen to protect Lady Donna.

This team of twenty-eight people looked at Casterly Rock, shocked by the vertical and horizontal flat roads.

The team moved forward slowly, looking around, Casterly Rock showed no signs of decline. There were no weeds in the fields, and crops were planted in many places. There were farmers working in the fields, their songs seemed to be shouting to the mountains, and Lady Donna could not understand a word.

"Are these the barbarians that the Mountain brought back from the Mountains of the Moon?" Donna asked Hobson.

"Yes, Madam."

On the distant hillside, there were patches of cattle and sheep, and children riding horses herding. They put leaves in their mouths and blew out a very melodious and penetrating musical sound.

Everyone walked and watched, their eyes full of surprise, unable to believe that Casterly Rock, which had been abandoned for decades, showed a vibrant scene in just over a year.

The team continued to move forward, a horse galloping from the front. The passenger on the horse skimmed past Lady Donna's carriage and shouted something loudly to her. It was a farmer wearing coarse cloth clothes with his trouser legs rolled up and mud on his legs. He did not speak the common language of Westeros, Donna could not understand, but could see the smile on his face.

Was a mere farmer's horsemanship so amazing?

"Is he greeting me?" Lady Donna asked Hobson.

"I think so, Madam," Hobson replied.

"The Mountain has occupied Casterly Rock, he's made a fortune. The gold mines in Casterly Rock are very rich," a family knight said, his tone full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

"What makes the Mountain rich is not the gold mines, but people," Lady Donna said, "Does anyone know why the barbarians of the Mountains of the Moon obey the Mountain?"

A gentle breeze blew, and a stream of water flowed by the roadside. No one could answer the madam's question.

Half an hour later, everyone saw a long city wall in the distance.

"What is that?" Lady Donna said.

"Madam, I guess it's the city wall built by the Mountain."

"Most of the city of Casterly Rock is underground, did the Mountain build the city on the ground?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know, Madam." Hobson and all the other nobles who were prejudiced against the Mountain knew nothing about the earth-shattering changes in Casterly Rock and Tarbeck Hall.

The team continued to move forward in surprise. The city wall was not built very high, but it was very strong, all built of giant stones. The stone bullets of the catapults did not seem to be able to collapse this thick city wall. The Clegane family's Red Smoke Beast Ice Sword banner fluttered in the wind on the city gate, and there were also many colorful flags with strange patterns that everyone had never seen before. Each of those flags represented a tribe of the Mountains of the Moon.

The gate made of oak and steel was closed, flanked by solid towers. Crossbowmen stood on the towers, their faces painted with various beasts in white paint, and some soldiers' faces were painted with skulls...

The city gate opened with a creak, and a team of cavalry roared out of the city wall. The face of the leading general was painted with circles of black and white paint, his warhorse was also covered with patterns, making him look like a complete savage. The general held a double-edged heavy axe in his hand, with spikes at the front end of the heavy axe. He was bare with his thick arms, his body was covered with tattoos, and his eyes were full of wildness.

"Who?" the other party asked fiercely, his voice like a beast roaring at aliens invading its territory. The general spoke a non-standard common language, but it was understandable.

"General, I am Hobson, our madam is from Lannisport, and wants to see Lady Janei." Cold sweat broke out on Hobson's back.

*

Hobson felt ashamed and then afraid. The barbarians of the Mountains of the Moon under the Mountain looked like savages. Except for this general, the soldiers behind the general also had terrifying patterns painted on their faces. Everyone's eyes were bright, their eyes were fierce, and they were full of wildness. They were definitely merciless killers.

If the Mountain gave a signal, these people could break through Casterly Rock, kill everyone in Casterly Rock, and rob all the gold in Casterly Rock, which might be as easy as robbing a passerby. It was not easy for Lady Donna to treat Lady Janei so arrogantly and be able to live safely until now. Hobson felt scared and his scalp tingled when he thought about it.

Hobson looked back at Lady Donna, Lady Donna was expressionless and not afraid at all.

After seeing the roads, crops, barbarians, and newly built solid city walls of Casterly Rock, the madam decisively made a very important decision - in fact, this decision was made when she ordered to come to Casterly Rock to see Lady Janei, but she must come and see what the Mountain's 'territory' was like. If the Mountain really showed a different and irresistible power, then there was no need to hesitate!

The Staedmon family could no longer rely on the Lannisters, and she was not a real Lannister. Kevan and Tywin were dead, and there were still many people from the Staedmon family in Cornfield.

Lady Donna didn't want to die, she decided to rely on herself. In the past, the Staedmon family lived by relying on the Lannisters. After Kevan's death, it was time to make a change...

*

When the double-edged axe general heard Hobson say 'request to see Lady Janei', his attitude and tone immediately softened: "Sir, Lady Janei is not in Casterly Rock, but in Silk Village between Casterly Rock and Tarbeck Hall."

"Oh! General, can you please lead the way and take us to Silk Village," Lady Donna said in the carriage.

Silk Village?!

That must be a new village built by the Mountain to accommodate the beautiful boys returning from the Westerlands and the girls from the Rhoyne River Basin.

Lady Donna wanted to see it very much.

She had been closing off all information about the Mountain and Janei for a long time, it was time to understand the real situation.

"Madam, we don't need to go to Silk Village anymore, Lady Janei will come to Casterly Rock this afternoon, please enter the city, and let us offer bread and salt."

Bread and salt, the sacred guest gift! From then on, the madam would receive the most respected protection from the owner here in Casterly Rock.

Hobson's mood was the same as the knights and soldiers, they all relaxed.

It seemed that these barbarians were not barbaric, and the Mountain had taught them etiquette.

A moment later, Lady Donna and her party entered the city. After passing the outer wall, there were various military bunkers and various circular stone buildings that they had never seen before. The general said that they were halls built by various tribes. The interior surrounded by the city wall was very large, it was a medium-sized city. There was a winding aerial stone ditch between the buildings, which was an aqueduct drawn from the mountains behind.

Lady Donna and Hobson's party were the first to see an aqueduct in the air, and they stared wide-eyed.

"The water in the aqueduct comes down from the air to ensure that it is clean and clear, and will not make people easily sick," the general said. This was what the Mountain told them. In the past, the water they drank was simply dug a ditch in the ground to draw water and fill the pool, and people and livestock ate water together. Daily water use such as washing was also in the same pool.

Aerial aqueduct!

This alone made Lady Donna, who was very particular and had cleanliness, feel the high level of Casterly Rock. This was the new civilization brought by the Mountain.

The ground city buildings were already very good, but the real city was still underground, built using the hollowed-out mines. The entrance was built very narrow. The general boasted that two knights could resist the attack of thousands of troops outside.

Lady Donna said: "General, do you know that Casterly Rock was once massacred?"

"I know, Duke Tywin dug up mountain stones to block the entrance of Casterly Rock, and then built an aqueduct, drawing the water from the swift creek of Casterly Rock - the creek flowed into the underground city of Casterly Rock, drowning everyone inside."

The barbarian general naturally did not know the true history of Casterly Rock, this was naturally told to them by the Mountain.

"General, if there is a war in the future, once someone blocks the entrance to the underground city and draws the water from the swift creek of Casterly Rock again..."

"They can't drown us, and we won't let them block the entrance to the underground city. Even if they really block it, they can't trap us. Lord Mountain has already solved the problem of flooding Casterly Rock," the general said confidently.

"Oh? Does the Mountain know dark magic? The swift creek water pours into the underground city, how can the people inside save themselves? I can't think of it, the Seven Gods can't think of it, and the Mountain definitely has no real way. General, tell me, does the Mountain know dark magic?" Lady Donna deliberately provoked.

“It's not dark magic, but there's no trouble that Lord Mountain can't solve. Lord Mountain and his lady are our heroes, sages, and leaders, and the masters who helped us find the best new home. He gave us everything.” The general's tone was full of reverence, as if he were discussing the god they believed in.

“So, what exactly is Lord Mountain's solution to the threat of the water flooding the dungeon?”

“Madam, I cannot say!” The general said solemnly in broken Common Tongue. The soldiers behind him already had anger on their faces.

Lady Donella's expression did not change, but she stopped there and did not pursue the question further.

This must be Castamere's secret! A new secret, and to continue to ask would be to offend the master.

Under the general's leadership, Lady Donella and her party entered the dungeon. Inside the city, the roads twisted and turned, with many buildings, countless halls, corridors, and comfortable bedrooms. There were military camps in all directions of the dungeon.

People came and went in the city, and men, women, and children all liked to paint their faces. Lady Donella, like an ordinary little woman full of curiosity, followed the general to visit the entire city. She saw incredible schools, hospitals, and fighting arenas. In addition, in the center of the city, there was a huge echoing ballroom, which was almost a huge square, connected by complex tunnels.

The tribesmen of the Mountains of the Moon liked to sing and dance.

Castamere, a ruin, had been transformed by Lord Mountain as if by magic into a brand new city full of wonders.

Lady Donella was amazed!

“General, when will Lord Mountain come to Castamere?”

“Soon, in about two days, the Lord will return with our brothers and sisters from the Mountains of the Moon.”

Another group of people from the Mountains of the Moon are coming to the Westerlands?

Lady Donella didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was true. Lord Mountain's Castamere and Taber's Hall would welcome more people, more warriors with terrifying patterns painted on their faces!

Thanks to 【浩瀚De绵羊】 for the reward, thank you, handshake!