The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The warship arrived in the waters of Dragonstone.

Twelve warships and twenty-odd smaller vessels sailed out from Dragonstone harbor to welcome the Mountain's "Warhammer."

Standing on the flagship was the Mountain's father-in-law, Lord Gawen Westerling. Beside him was the fierce general of the Crag, also a strongman of the Westerlands, Ser Rolph Spicer, Jeyne's uncle.

The Crag was by the sea, and Lord Gawen was skilled in the water since childhood. His guards were all adept at handling the tides.

Lord Gawen and Ser Rolph were in charge of Dragonstone for the Mountain.

The flagship and its escorting warships were new, a 'gift' from Master of Ships, Vaggoner.

The flagship was named after the Mountain: "The Mountain's Fury."

The left escort warship was named "Dragonstone," and the right escort warship was called "The Crag."

The other nine warships were spoils of war from the Mountain's night raid on Dragonstone, all formerly under Stannis Baratheon's banner.

Dragonstone had relatively few naval warships, but many naval warriors, with three thousand two hundred sailors, comparable to the Royal Fleet's numbers.

Two thousand two hundred warriors from Crackclaw Point and one thousand Westerling infantry formed the Dragonstone navy.

When the Mountain led the "Warhammer" in, the Dragonstone naval warriors and generals all came to greet him.

The fleet entered the harbor to thunderous cheers.

The Mountain's high prestige among the warriors made the Imp envious and jealous.

Dragonstone controlled the vital passage for King's Landing's trade, a crucial strategic location. Waterway trade was the only way for King's Landing to connect with the opposite shore of the Narrow Sea and other seaports in the country. Cutting it off would deprive King's Landing of its prosperity and economic standing. From King's Landing to the North, the Vale of Arryn, Storm's End, Dorne, and Oldtown, waterways were faster, whether for transporting legions or supplies, personal travel, or trade, the journey was twice as fast as by land.

Lord Gawen and Ser Rolph both saw the Imp beside the Mountain. They had received the Hand's warrant, ordering the Imp's arrest nationwide, yet the Imp appeared on Dragonstone with the Mountain. Was the Imp captured by the Mountain? Or was the Mountain secretly helping the Imp escape? This was a delicate question. If the Mountain didn't mention it, Lord Gawen wouldn't either, pretending ignorance. Rolph kept his mouth shut even tighter, following the Mountain's lead.

The Mountain and the Imp disembarked together and set foot on Dragonstone.

It was a rocky island. No fishing villages were seen nearby, nor farmlands in the distance. On the right side of the island was a mountain, called Dragonmont—where the Targaryen family's dragons used to dwell. Several hundred meters from Dragonmont was the towering Dragonstone castle, crouching like a giant beast.

The Mountain, the Imp, Lord Gawen, various generals, and centurions disembarked and rode on horseback, soon arriving at the foot of the castle.

From afar, the Imp saw a row of gargoyles squatting on the high walls, their numbers seemingly endless, roughly estimated to be about a thousand. Only when he came to the foot of the walls did the Imp see clearly that the gargoyles were mainly dragons, but also included various hellhounds, griffins, unicorns, panthers, and lions. The gargoyles were very large, with the heads of the defending soldiers poking out from beside the gargoyles' bases to watch.

Below the gargoyles' bases were dragon-head-shaped water spouts, a row of spouts forming a spectacular line.

The Imp had seen descriptions of this type of architecture in books, but this was the first time he had seen it with his own eyes.

The walls were all built of black stone, giving a heavy, solemn, and oppressive feeling.

Entering the city gate, the main keep's towers, the maester's tower, the dungeon tower, and various other towers were all dragon-shaped structures.

The torch stands along the streets and beside the city walls were all in the shape of dragon claws.

The paving stones on the ground were engraved with patterns of giant dragons soaring.

Lord Gawen led the way, entering Dragonstone's main keep tower: the Stone Drum Tower.

The Stone Drum Tower's entrance was designed as the mouth of a giant dragon. Entering the tower from the dragon's mouth, the hall's floor was a dragon-shaped pattern, and the spiral staircase was designed as a dragon's tail. Everywhere one looked, every piece of architecture, furniture, ceiling, and floor was related to dragons.

The Targaryen ancestor Aegon came to Dragonstone on a dragon, also bringing Valyrian stonemasons. The stonemasons built this giant fortress, encompassing all the architecture in the shape of dragons. For three hundred years, Dragonstone had also been the residence of the Targaryen family's crown prince. Whichever of the king's children had the right to reside here was the future king.

After Robert Baratheon overthrew the last Mad King Aerys Targaryen's throne, he granted Dragonstone to Stannis Baratheon and Storm's End to Renly Baratheon.

Dragonstone's barrenness and sparse population made it difficult for the lord to raise an army. The nearby affiliated islands were inhabited by Dragonstone's vassals, also sparsely populated, with only some fishing villages.

The Imp saw that although Dragonstone had a great reputation and the castle was built tall and solid, it would be a huge expense to feed three thousand soldiers on this island if the economy could not be developed. The vassal fishermen could not provide substantial tax revenue.

The Duke of Dragonstone was a figurehead in name only!

No wonder the Mountain wanted to return to the Westerlands to develop. If his tens of thousands of troops were all concentrated on Dragonstone, there would be no way to survive except by hijacking merchant ships and becoming pirates.

In the Mountain's eyes, from an economic development perspective, Dragonstone was indeed purely a burden, tasteless to eat, and a pity to discard.

*

The Imp had read royal books, which contained records about the Stone Drum Tower. It was rumored that whenever a storm came, the ancient walls of the Stone Drum Tower would rumble and echo, hence the name of the Stone Drum Tower.

Casterly Rock in the Lannister family has a Hall of Heroes. Whenever the tide comes, the waves pouring into the cave under the sunken Hall of Heroes will make a muffled thunder-like sound, becoming a spectacle of Casterly Rock. But why does the Stone Drum Tower rumble when a storm comes? There is no answer in the book.

Various amazing skills from Valyrian craftsmen became extinct with the doom of Valyria. Many buildings on Dragonstone are unique masterpieces on the continent of Westeros.

The royal books also said that there was a secret passage under the main keep tower that led to the center of Dragonmont. Looking out from the window, a high arched stone bridge was built in the shape of a giant dragon soaring, connecting the Stone Drum Tower and the Dungeon Tower in the air. The dragon's head was in the Stone Drum Tower, the dragon's tail was inserted into the Dungeon Tower, and the dragon's body became the arched stone bridge.

The architecture was beautiful and magnificent, and the dragon's might was everywhere.

The group came to the highest floor of the main keep tower, which was also Dragonstone's council chamber: the Painted Table chamber.

The Painted Table chamber was a circular room with four tall, narrow windows facing east, west, south, and north. Inside the hall was a huge wooden table, the surface of which was a complete map of the continent of Westeros, intricately carved and depicting the detailed geography of various places in Westeros.

Conqueror Aegon annexed the continent of Westeros, starting with the creation of this tabletop map. All his battle plans came from this Painted Table chamber and the map table.

The 'map table' was over fifty feet long, with the widest part about half the length, and the narrowest part less than four feet. The position corresponding to Dragonstone was carefully designed. A high platform was built on the west side of the table, with a throne on it. Sitting on the throne, one could have a panoramic view of all the mountains and rivers on the tabletop map.

The Imp believed this was a magical map that instigated people to claim the throne of Westeros. He believed that no matter who it was, as long as they sat on that throne and looked at such a three-dimensional map, it would be difficult not to have the ambition to dominate.

The Imp glanced at the Mountain. The Mountain looked at this exquisitely carved map of Westeros very calmly, and he could not see the waves in his heart.

But the Imp always felt that the Mountain's plan must be big. This table was a symbol, and it would always remind an ambitious person not to forget to dominate Westeros and bring every territory on the map under his command.

The Mountain sat on the throne on the high platform, the throne that had been sat on by countless generations of crown princes and kings. This table was three hundred years old, built and carved by the first generation Aegon Targaryen. He didn't know if the throne had also been passed down for three hundred years. There was no detailed introduction about the throne in the royal books.

The entire Painted Table chamber had only one seat: the only seat overlooking the continent of Westeros. On the map, the Wall in the North, the haunted forest outside the Wall, the Fist of the First Men and the Thenn Mountains, Bear Island and the Frozen Shore, the Eastwatch-by-the-Sea port and the Bay of Seals, the Skagos Islands, the origin of the legendary unicorn, were all clearly marked.

In the south, Sunspear in Dorne, the bustling trading town of Plankytown, the Stepstones known as the pirate's nest, Oldtown with one of the world's nine wonders, the Hightower, the Arbor Island producing Arbor Gold wine sold to all continents of the world, the Summer Isles, the southernmost islands in the known sea—the owner of the most prosperous and high-end brothel in King's Landing, Chataya's Brothel—Chataya came from the Summer Isles… all of these were carved on the Painted Table chamber…

Any mountain, river, castle, forest, hill, plain, desert, snowfield, all had strict size markings. As long as the number of garrisoned troops and the name of the lord were inserted, this was the most detailed national military map. Of course, the role of such a map was not only for military purposes.

—Agriculture, animal husbandry, economy, trade, politics, all could be viewed, laid out, and planned from this map…

It was difficult for a wise and ambitious person to not have the idea of dominating when they saw such a unique three-dimensional map of the country…

The Mountain, who sat on 'the throne that perhaps the first King Aegon sat on,' was tall and burly, majestic and imposing, with a momentum like a mountain. He was not a king, but he surpassed the demeanor of the two generations of kings the Imp had seen: Robert and Joffrey.

"My lords, does anyone know why this island is called Dragonstone?" the Mountain said.

The Mountain's voice was powerful and deep, rumbling in the Painted Table chamber.

No one answered!

Lord Gawen was a well-read nobleman, Rolph was a rough man, and most of the dozens of knights and centurions, mostly from Crackclaw Point, were proud illiterates.

The Mountain looked at the Imp: "Lord Hand, you are knowledgeable and learned, do you know the origin of the name Dragonstone?"

The Mountain liked to call the Imp Lord Hand when he was in a good mood. If the Imp was narrow-minded, he would think this was a kind of sarcasm. Fortunately, the Imp ignored the Mountain's intention in this title, so as not to find any unpleasant feelings for himself.

"Lord Mountain, there is a stone mountain on this island. After the Targaryen family brought dragons, the dragons lived on the stone mountain, hence the name Dragonmont. Does the name Dragonstone come from Dragonmont? The island of dragons and stones, Dragonstone," the Imp was not sure if his statement was accurate.

"Dragonstone is an island formed by volcanic eruptions. Dragonmont is indeed named after the dragons brought by the Targaryens, but the name Dragonstone is derived from the dragon glass underground," the Mountain said lightly, as if he were a maester from the Citadel.

"Dragon glass?" Lord Gawen, General Rolph, generals, and centurions heard of dragon glass for the first time.

The Imp had seen the introduction of dragon glass in books, but had never seen the real thing. Was there a dragon glass mine buried underground on Dragonstone?

"Legend has it that dragon glass is the ore for killing White Walkers, and the weapons of the Children of the Forest are made of dragon glass," the Imp said.

"Yes, dragon glass is indeed the nemesis of killing White Walkers. No matter how powerful a White Walker is, a dragon glass arrow, a dragon glass dagger, a dragon glass short knife can shatter them into a pile of ice chips. Faced with dragon glass weapons, White Walkers are vulnerable."

White Walkers?

Lord Gawen and others looked at each other. Of course, they knew about White Walkers, all from stories, fables, songs, and legends. In real life, there are naturally no White Walkers.

The Imp had read books about dragon glass, and the records in the book were consistent with what the Mountain said.

He looked at the Mountain's eyes and they became shiny. Why did the Mountain know this? How was this possible? Could it be that he was like Bloodraven, from an ordinary person becoming intelligent, from an outstanding intellect becoming a skinchanger, from a skinchanger beginning to transform into a greenseer?

Did the Seven Gods favor the Mountain?! How absurd the Seven Gods were!

"Lord Mountain, how do you know that there is dragon glass underground on Dragonstone?"

"There is a cave in Dragonmont. On the stone wall at the end of the cave, there are paintings of the First Men using dragon glass to kill White Walkers. On those paintings are drawn the distribution map of underground dragon glass, as well as the mining methods and secret techniques for refining dragon glass weapons."

The Imp was shocked to hear this, and Lord Gawen and others were confused.

"Dragon glass is a kind of ore. The name Dragonstone was not taken by Aegon Targaryen, but by the First Men. Dragonstone refers to dragon glass."