The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Swearing in the name of family honor and the Seven Gods was the most solemn oath in this world, far more serious than making poisonous vows involving one's entire family in the world before the engineering student's transmigration.

Because it involved the name of the Seven Gods, these oaths were incredibly sacred, a hundred times more effective than signing a college student internship contract during the holidays.

Gregor looked at his three subordinates after they finished their oaths, a hint of a smile on his face. He knew that the old Gregor would never smile; he was stern, cold, and brutal towards his subordinates, but he intended to be his own Gregor Clegane.

When the three subordinate officers knelt in a row, Gregor felt a surge of emotion. He wanted to tell them to stand up and swear, to say that they were brothers in arms, no need to kneel before him, that they were equals, but he restrained himself.

He was a nobleman, a knight, with a title. If he had a son, he would automatically inherit his title. This was the rule of this world. Although he was a very democratic engineering student at heart, he should first abide by the rules of hierarchy in this world. Moreover, he needed to maintain his absolute authority in front of his subordinate officers.

After the three subordinate officers finished their oaths, Gregor ordered them to stand up and embrace like brothers.

Sweetmouth, Drensen, and Polliver were his three brain-dead fans; he was their idol, and he knew it. None of the three were knights, although Gregor had the right to knight them, and this was the honor every swordsman craved. But this reward, which cost nothing, should not be used casually and become commonplace.

So, when Gregor saw the three men embracing like brothers, he controlled the impulse to knight them. Before his transmigration, he had a bit of a pushover weakness, which he needed to correct.

"Alright, Polliver, go upstairs and ask Maester Hallis to come to the courtyard."

"Yes, milord!" Polliver said respectfully.

"Sweetmouth, go and inform my eleven households of commoners to come to the courtyard. I want to... uh... have a little meeting."

"Yes, milord!"

Polliver and Sweetmouth turned and left.

Gregor tapped the stone bed with his hand: "Drensen, see how many gold dragons are under my wolfskin blanket."

"Yes, milord!"

Drensen lifted the bedding and carefully felt every corner of the bed: "Milord, seven gold dragons, thirty silver stags, fifteen copper stars."

*

Three types of currency circulate in Westeros: gold coins, silver coins, and copper coins.

All three currencies are circulated as coins.

Gold coins are commonly known as gold dragons.

The front of the gold dragon features the portrait and name of the king ruling the kingdom when the coin was minted. The back of the coin features the three-headed dragon emblem of House Targaryen—hence the name gold dragon.

House Targaryen ruled Westeros for three hundred years, and the gold dragon circulated smoothly for three hundred years. It was also used in the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea and in foreign lands to the east. So, although the Targaryen dynasty was overthrown more than a decade ago, the three-headed dragon pattern on the gold coin, symbolizing the dynasty's authority, was not replaced by King Robert Baratheon's crowned stag.

Silver coins are called silver stags because of the crowned stag pattern on the coins.

The crowned stag is the sigil of House Baratheon of Storm's End. The current King of Westeros, Robert Baratheon I, is the head of House Baratheon of Storm's End.

The founder of King Robert Baratheon's family was Orys Baratheon, the hand and close friend of the first king, Aegon I. The sigil he created was the crowned stag.

But there have always been rumors that Orys Baratheon was the bastard son of the founding emperor, Aegon Targaryen I. Out of favoritism for this talented bastard, he made Orys Baratheon the first Hand of the King and sent his sister, Queen Rhaenys, riding a dragon, to conquer the Stormlands with Orys Baratheon.

With Rhaenys's help, Orys Baratheon killed the last Storm King, Argilac Durrandon, married his daughter Argella, annexed the Storm King's territory, the Stormlands, and became the first Lord of Storm's End.

From then on, House Baratheon became the Great House of the Stormlands, passed down through generations, until today. Robert Baratheon, a descendant of House Baratheon, overthrew the Targaryen dynasty sixteen years ago, sat on the Iron Throne in the throne room, and unified the Seven Kingdoms.

The Baratheon family's sigil, the crowned stag, has been printed on the kingdom's silver coins for three hundred years and has never changed. Therefore, silver coins are called silver stags in Westeros.

The last type of currency is a small round coin made of pure copper, called a copper star.

Copper coins are called copper stars, also derived from the pattern on the copper coins: the seven-pointed star, the symbol of the Faith of the Seven.

In Westeros, except for the North and the Iron Islands, people worship the Seven Gods. In King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, there is a Great Sept of Baelor, which is the Seven Gods' temple.

'Seven' is the most auspicious number in Westeros because it fits the Seven Gods faith.

Wealthy merchants and nobles mostly use gold coins, while commoners and the poor can only afford silver and copper coins. In some remote areas, such as the far north of the North, beyond the Wall, bartering is the main method of transaction. North of the Wall, neither gold dragons nor silver stags are as easy to trade as an animal hide.

The three major currency systems of Westeros were established after Aegon I Targaryen, the Conqueror, unified Westeros. Robert Baratheon adopted the existing currency system after overthrowing the Targaryen dynasty. All currency must be minted with the king's authorization and supervised by the Master of Coin.

On this not-so-huge continent, one gold dragon is equal to thirty silver stags, and one silver stag is equal to seven copper stars.

*

"Take all the coins and come with me to the courtyard," Gregor said.

This amount of money was too little for what he wanted to do.

"Yes, milord!" Drensen hurriedly put all the gold dragons, silver stags, and copper stars into the money bag. "Milord, why don't you take a bath and change your clothes first?"

Gregor stopped. Because of his brutality, and because he rarely stayed at home, living in Tywin Lannister's Casterly Rock for a long time, there were no maids left in his house, only a cook, a male servant who cleaned the courtyard stone fort, and a family affairs officer responsible for managing his small territory.

"Okay, you come and help me!" Gregor said.

"Yes, milord!"

Half an hour later, Gregor washed up, changed into clean clothes, hung on his exaggeratedly wide sword belt, and came to the courtyard with Drensen.

His energy had recovered by fifty percent.

In the courtyard, eleven households of commoners were waiting tremblingly, men and women, old and young, all dressed in rags, sallow and emaciated, looking like refugees.

Gregor sighed inwardly, his sympathy suddenly overflowing.

*

(Note: There are two styles of silver stags, and their values are also different; there are five styles of copper coins, and they also have five values; each different currency has a relatively complex exchange system, such as one gold coin being exchanged for more than ten thousand copper pennies, so this has been simplified.)

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