The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The horn sounded outside the military camp, followed by the sound of orderly marching.

Several Good Masters rose and exited the camp.

The marching sounds came from further north.

The Mountain and Arianne remained calm.

A general approached: “Warrior, what is your name?”

“The Mountain!”

“Mountain Warrior, our Good Master wishes to become your best friend.”

The Mountain looked over to the head of the long table, where a tall, thin Good Master raised his hand and nodded with a smile.

“Mountain Warrior, would you be willing to speak with our Good Master?”

“I would be delighted.”

Outside the camp, the booming sounds of marching grew louder as a large contingent of troops arrived.

The Mountain and Arianne, guided by the general, approached the Good Master. The Good Master extended his hand to Arianne and lightly kissed the back of her hand: “You are truly beautiful, madam. My name is Gnarr.”

House Gnarr, one of the most powerful noble families in Astapor.

“My name is Arianne.”

“Lady Arianne, your husband is a natural warrior, incredibly mighty, unmatched, like a god.” Gnarr praised. Then, he stood up, extended his hand to the Mountain, and clasped the Mountain's right forearm. The forearm was so thick and encased in armor, that the only feelings it evoked were coldness and terror.

Clasping forearms instead of shaking hands is the custom among men in Astapor, and especially among warriors.

The Mountain placed his hand on Gnarr's forearm. It was so slender that a little force could break the bones.

“Good Master Gnarr, it is an honor to meet you.”

“It is our honor to meet such a giant and invincible warrior.”

“Good Master, I hear the marching sounds outside. Is a supporting legion arriving?”

“Yes, legions from Yunkai and Meereen have arrived. We will attack the city of Astapor tomorrow.”

“Oh! Good Master Gnarr. Before coming to Astapor, I heard rumors that the true ruler of Astapor was a queen, and the people loved her, calling her the Mother of Dragons. She abolished slavery and granted the slaves complete freedom. But when I arrived here, I found that it was not as the rumors said. The one sitting in the royal palace is not Her Majesty the Queen, but a cruel and barbaric butcher king.”

“Mountain Warrior, you are correct. Years ago, the Mother of Dragons briefly occupied Astapor, but she is not from Slaver's Bay, nor is she from Essos. She comes from Westeros, a small place. She took her dragons, Dothraki, and Unsullied who were loyal to her to the western continent of Westeros, to fight for her throne. She was just a fleeting visitor to Slaver's Bay.”

The Mountain feigned understanding: “Oh, I see. Good Master Gnarr, aren't you worried about the Mother of Dragons returning with her dragons?”

“Absolutely not.” Gnarr said confidently, “She has already passed through, and she has already gone home. No one would abandon the throne of their homeland to become an unpopular invader in a foreign land.”

“What if she returns again? Would you make her queen again?” Arianne giggled, as if it were a casual joke and pure curiosity.

“No, the people of Slaver's Bay will not make a foreigner their queen.”

“Perhaps the slaves like her better.” The Mountain laughed, “However, if she comes back and abolishes slavery again, that would be terrible. I came across the sea this time to establish a long-term slave trade with Slaver's Bay. The nobles of Sothoryos need a large number of slaves to work for them.”

“Great Mountain Warrior, I assure you—we can establish a long and stable slave trade. Mountain Warrior, you come from distant Sothoryos, and you brought your wife with you. What about your guards and followers? Are they all on the ship?”

“Unfortunately,” The Mountain shrugged, “My servants and guards all died at sea.”

“Heavens, did you encounter pirates?” Gnarr exclaimed exaggeratedly and hypocritically.

“We encountered something more terrible than pirates.”

“Sea monsters?”

“Not sea monsters, hurricanes and rainstorms.”

“The ship capsized?”

“Yes, we abandoned ship and fled. I took my wife and clung to a broken mast, drifting on the sea. The gods be praised, after a while, the hurricanes and rainstorms all stopped, and the sky cleared, as if the cataclysm that had just occurred had never happened. Before long, other surviving merchant ships that had escaped the hurricane disaster rescued us, and then we came all the way to Slaver's Bay.”

“Although our guards and servants unfortunately sacrificed themselves, our gold is still here.” Arianne giggled, carefree, as if the terrible hurricane and rainstorm were just a fun game.

Outside, generals were issuing orders, centurions were lining up troops, and all sorts of noisy sounds were coming into the tent.

“Mountain Warrior, Lady Arianne, let's go out and see our army.” Good Master Gnarr suggested.

“Good!”

The Mountain and Arianne followed Gnarr out, only to see long lines of torches lit up outside, and troops arriving non-stop.

Nearby, soldiers were arranged in square formations of a hundred men each.

The Mountain glanced around and estimated that the legions here numbered about five thousand, and with the continuous stream of torches coming from afar, the number would eventually reach eight thousand.

Eight thousand men to attack Astapor was not a small number, but it was not a large number either.

If Astapor's legions were mobilized, there would be at least five thousand men. Adding the navy, there would be more than enough for ten thousand troops.

Several generals arrived on horseback. They looked surprised and uncertain when they saw the Mountain. They all wore beast masks, these were the Beast Face Army from Meereen and Yunkai.

Several generals dismounted and met with Good Master Gnarr.

“Generals, where is Master Hizdahr?”

“The Holy Master will arrive shortly.” The generals replied.

Soon, a team of cavalry galloped out of the long line of torches. Every cavalryman wore a beast mask, and they were escorting one person: Hizdahr.

The Beast Face Army supported Hizdahr as their Holy Master.

Hizdahr was a Ghiscari noble from Meereen, belonging to the Loraq family. He was called the Fourteenth Holy Master by the Good Masters and Wise Masters. He was very wealthy, owned many arenas, and had a great deal of influence. He had many relatives and friends in the city-states around Slaver's Bay. His family lineage could be traced back to several Ghiscari nobles, such as Mazdahan zo Loraq, Hazrak zo Loraq, and Zanak zo Loraq. He almost married Daenerys Targaryen. After Daenerys left Slaver's Bay, Hizdahr became the acting city lord of Meereen, managing Meereen for Daenerys.

Hizdahr saw the Mountain on horseback, and his face was equally surprised and uncertain.

Hizdahr had never seen such a giant and fierce man as the Mountain. He was very surprised.

When Hizdahr arrived, the Mountain noticed that he was slender and had flawless amber skin. His red-black hair was shaved into the shape of wings, low in the middle and spread out on both sides, like a bird flying. The Mountain had heard Daenerys mention Hizdahr. This Fourteenth Holy Master had once cut off his bird-shaped hairstyle to please Daenerys. After being rejected seven times by Daenerys and explicitly told that he was not allowed to open the arena again, he restored his bird-shaped hairstyle to express his disappointment with Daenerys.

After Daenerys set Astapor as the capital of Her Majesty the Queen of Slaver's Bay, the Sons of the Harpy began their rebellion. Every night, all kinds of killings took place throughout the city. The Sons of the Harpy's targets were civilians, beggars, women, Unsullied, patrolling soldiers, prostitutes, and anyone else they could find.

Although Daenerys sent the Unsullied to sweep through the city all night, the incidents of killing civilians were still impossible to prevent. Later, along with the killings, there was another riot: arson. Astapor's giants began to lose control, and Daenerys had to consider marrying a local noble from Slaver's Bay to win over the people.

At that time, the local priestess Green Grace and Wise Master Reznak, who followed Daenerys, both advised her to marry Hizdahr in order to use his wealth and influence. Daenerys said that as long as Hizdahr could stop the ninety days of killings, she would consider marrying him. So Hizdahr visited the pyramids of different families non-stop, and soon the Sons of the Harpy's actions stopped, and the bloodshed and arson in Astapor finally came to a rare calm. Thus, Daenerys and Hizdahr's marriage contract was also established.

At the same time, to repay Hizdahr, the Daznak's Pit reopened on the day of their engagement, and Hizdahr invited Daenerys to watch the duel in the arena. In the box, Hizdahr repeatedly invited Daenerys to taste honey locusts, but Daenerys refused. Daenerys' gladiator guard Strong Belwas ate all the locusts and later felt very uncomfortable.

Subsequently, those honey locusts were found to be poisonous, and Belwas was almost poisoned to death. Soon, the cook who poisoned the locusts was caught and beheaded by Hizdahr. But Daenerys suspected that the cook was instructed by Hizdahr, so she postponed the marriage contract with Hizdahr. And Hizdahr also had a tacit understanding and did not force Daenerys to fulfill the marriage contract.

It was not until Daenerys decided to leave that she dissolved the marriage contract with Hizdahr.

The Mountain had long learned from Daenerys that there was a Good Master with the most influence in Slaver's Bay: Hizdahr. His Beast Face Army had been conquered by Daenerys, but now it had returned to Hizdahr's hands.

Hizdahr dismounted and met with Good Master Gnarr of Astapor.

Good Master Gnarr introduced the Mountain and Arianne to Hizdahr.

They exchanged greetings and nodded to each other. Hizdahr was very vigilant and wary of the Mountain.

Good Master Gnarr said: "Great Holy Master Hizdahr, how many soldiers did you bring this time?"

“Five thousand soldiers and five thousand marines. We will fight at the port and under the city of Astapor at the same time tomorrow.”

“Excellent. Great Holy Master Hizdahr, after taking Astapor, Astapor will belong to me, and Meereen and Yunkai will belong to you. What do you think?”

“Agreed.” Hizdahr was very straightforward and did not hesitate at all.

“I have found an irreplaceable vanguard for tomorrow's siege.” Gnarr said.

Hizdahr looked at the Mountain. He felt his own insignificance and fragility. It seemed that this fierce man only needed one punch to send him flying into the air.

“We are honored to have the great warrior from the continent of Sothoryos.” Hizdahr said humbly.

“I am also honored, and I hope to establish a long-term and stable slave trade with Slaver's Bay after the war.” The Mountain repeated his nonsense to Hizdahr.

For the slave owner Hizdahr, he liked to hear these words the most.

The slave trade has always been the supporting industry of the nobles of Slaver's Bay.

Gnarr chattered to Hizdahr in the local dialect, saying that the Mountain was stupid and rich, and that their generals had personally witnessed the Mountain's invincible fighting ability. Hizdahr nodded repeatedly. Suddenly, a super fierce general came to help them attack the city, which was a great omen.

The Beast Face Army kept arriving. Everyone wore beast masks, which did look a little scary. Wearing these beast masks mainly had a psychological suggestive effect, making the soldiers believe that they were as fierce as wolves and night lions.

The masks of the Beast Face Army were not chaotic. Soldiers wearing the same masks were arranged in square formations of a hundred men each, and the mask patterns were the same as those of their generals. The masks of the Beast Face Army were all patterned with various ferocious beasts and poisonous insects.

*

The next day, the army rode out. The Mountain, Good Master Gnarr, and Great Holy Master Hizdahr walked in the middle of the army, not in the vanguard.

At the Good Masters' military meeting last night, the Mountain unanimously received support and was given the position of general of the vanguard army. When the battle officially began, he would lead Hizdahr's most elite Night Lion Legion to attack the North Gate.

Inside the city of Astapor, the Butcher King personally supervised the army. Archers were lined up in two rows on the city wall, and at the city gate, the Unsullied legions were arranged in a square formation with spears and shields.

In the priest's house, Daenerys, Missandei, Mirri Maz Duur, Jorah Mormont, Grey Worm, Scholar Lady Amira, Doctor Clydas, Unsullied training officer Rhllun, and Priestess Lady Sheeri were nervously meeting. Their soldiers were also organized, a total of two hundred people, ready to unexpectedly attack the palace, capture the Butcher King's family and the courtiers in the palace, and then force the Butcher Cleon on the city wall to submit.

According to the original plan, the Mountain and Arianne should be at this meeting, and the acting Butcher King should be in the palace, not on the city wall.

But suddenly, news came that the Good Masters, Wise Masters, and Holy Masters of Meereen, Yunkai, and Astapor had united and rebelled against the Butcher King, and were going to launch a war in the next two days to overthrow the Butcher.

The situation suddenly became complicated.

Daenerys could summon dragons to slaughter the city and win, but it was easy to kill people, but it was difficult to rule. After she took Astapor, she fell into the wanton slaughter of the Sons of the Harpy. That was an asymmetrical battle. The Sons of the Harpy could not defeat the Mother of Dragons and the Unsullied soldiers, but they could defeat beggars, prostitutes, farmers, fishermen, and hunters. If she could not convince the Good Masters, she could only kill them all, but that was not what Daenerys wanted.

She could not raise the butcher knife to kill the Good Masters. Killing the Good Masters would only plunge Astapor into the bloody revenge of the Sons of the Harpy for a long time, and a considerable number of the Good Masters originally supported her.