The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 627: Rain of Red Envelopes

(One chapter first, another 4,000-word chapter in the afternoon.)

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The Vale of Arryn is one of the seven kingdoms of Westeros, belonging to House Arryn.

The Vale doesn't have the vast plains of the Riverlands, nor the granary of the Reach, but it lacks the hills of the Westerlands and the mountains that crisscross the land, and it is not as bitterly cold as the North. At the foot of the Giant's Lance, where the Eyrie is perched, lies a huge basin that can be entirely self-sufficient.

The Mountain led his army through this seemingly endless basin, roughly three hundred miles long and wide.

This was a paradise-like place.

Except for the Mountains of the Moon to the north, which soared into the sky, the other three sides—east, west, and south—were ringed by mountains that, while not very high, were enough to block the cold climate and the storms from the Narrow Sea to the east. The climate here was mild and comfortable, with streams and brooks everywhere. Various fruits were abundant, cattle and sheep grazed in the fields, farmers worked the land, fishermen fished in the ponds and streams, shepherds sang, and chickens and ducks were everywhere. Endless fields of crops swayed in the gentle breeze and sunshine, giving a sense of peace and prosperity.

The Mountain looked up ahead, towards the north of the Vale. A distant mountain range outlined a shadowy silhouette against the azure sky—the Mountains of the Moon, the Vale's highest range, stretching for nearly a thousand miles. It originated from the eastern banks of the Trident river in the Riverlands and ran all the way to the coast of the Narrow Sea, like a natural, towering barrier!

The Eyrie, the capital of the Vale, was built on the summit of a mountain in the Mountains of the Moon called the Giant's Lance. From afar, the Giant's Lance was the steepest and highest peak in the Mountains of the Moon, named for its resemblance to a spear piercing the blue sky.

The Eyrie was built on the tip of this spear, with clouds swirling below. Standing in the Eyrie and looking at the moon, the moon appeared especially large and close, giving a dreamlike sense of unreality.

The Mountain turned his head to look east, beyond the shadows of the eastern mountains. He knew that behind those mountains lay the Narrow Sea, separating Westeros from Essos. Littlefinger Petyr Baelish's territory, the Fingers, lay on the edge of the sea to the east. Many islands in the sea belonged to House Arryn of the Vale, the most famous of which were the Three Sisters archipelago in the northeast, and Runestone in the southeast's Runestone Bay, belonging to House Royce.

The Three Sisters were not far from White Harbor in the North, while Runestone Bay was somewhat like an inland bay, a good place to escape sea storms.

Behind the Mountain's army was the south of the Vale, bordered by the Bay of Crabs. The Bay of Crabs was rich in seafood, ensuring the Vale's supply of seafood, and also selling seafood to King's Landing and the Reach. The coastal port city of Gulltown was the fourth largest city in Westeros, with very active maritime trade.

The Mountain marched through the Vale with a sense of wonder. Although the central basin of the Vale was not large, it was a paradise-like treasure, with developed agriculture, a suitable climate, and the impregnable Bloody Gate to the west. No matter how many troops you had, you could not break through.

This place was indeed very suitable for Lysa Tully and her beloved man to live in seclusion, self-sufficient, peaceful, and comfortable. But unfortunately, the current world was a chaotic one. The natural barrier of the Bloody Gate could not stop dragons from attacking from the sky, and the mountains to the east and south could not stop someone from landing and invading from the Narrow Sea, such as the Mountain, who had come to attack this time.

To the west of the Vale, the mountains blocked the road into the basin, with only a narrow mountain path through the Bloody Gate. Outside the Bloody Gate, there were still nearly two hundred miles of territory belonging to House Arryn, the lords of the Vale. However, in the hearts of the Vale's nobles, they considered the Bloody Gate as the boundary. For hundreds or thousands of years, the mountain ranges and territories outside the Bloody Gate had been active with the native tribes of the Mountains of the Moon—forty tribal warriors had chosen to be loyal to and follow the Mountain, and about six thousand people had moved from the mountains to the Westerlands, settling in the Mountain's Castamere and Tarbeck Hall.

As the Mountain marched, knights from each castle opened their gates to greet him and sent knights to lead the way. Their destination was the Gates of the Moon at the foot of the Giant's Lance.

Along the way, new family banners joined the ranks, various banners fluttering in the wind, becoming a landscape that lit up the Vale's basin: the gold wings on a black and white checkered background; the nine stars on a black background with a gold diagonal cross; the Runestone flag; the broken wheel on a green background...

*

The army marched unhurriedly for two hundred miles on the flat road in the basin, taking seven days to reach the foot of the Giant's Lance. Here stood the first defensive castle of House Arryn: the Gates of the Moon.

Ser Nestor Royce, the castellan, and his son Albar Royce accompanied the newlywed Lady Lysa Tully, the newlywed Lord Petyr Baelish, holding his mother's hand, the only eight-year-old Lord Robert Arryn, the captain of the Eyrie's guards and the maester, the handsome wandering singer Marillion, the six other families of the Vale's secret organization 'The Lords Declarant' besides the Royce and Waynwood families, and dozens of other lords and knights... Because of his giant-like height, the Mountain towered over everyone else. His eyes caught sight of a lonely, wheat-skinned girl with a sad face standing on the outer edge of the welcoming party. The girl was well-proportioned and tall—later, the Mountain learned that the girl's name was—Mya Stone, the first bastard born to King Robert Baratheon when he was fourteen years old.

Representing the authority of the royal family, the Mountain, as a duke, stood in for King Tommen I and accepted Lady Lysa Tully's and Lord Robert Arryn's renewed oath to the Iron Throne. The Vale's septons and the maesters of both sides witnessed and recorded this historical event.

Petyr Baelish, dressed in well-tailored clothes, exuded elegance and stood ramrod straight. As the Duke of Harrenhal, he first congratulated the Mountain and Lady Lysa Tully, and then, as the Lord Protector of the Vale, he expressed the Vale's submission to the royal family represented by the Mountain.

After Bronze Yohn Royce, the founder of the Vale's most powerful and determined resistance group, 'The Lords Declarant,' was killed, and Lady Waynwood, the second most powerful and unparalleled leader, 'shook hands and made peace' with the Mountain at Ironoaks, the entire 'Lords Declarant' existed in name only and no longer spoke out. In fact, 'The Lords Declarant' had basically disintegrated the moment Lady Waynwood acknowledged her submission. What followed was all a matter of course.

The group welcomed the Mountain and his officers into the Gates of the Moon. The Gates of the Moon could not accommodate more than ten thousand troops, but fortunately, the Vale's basin was as warm as spring, and the army was stationed outside the castle's moat.

The Vale's nobles also sent their own guards, ranging from five hundred to one hundred men. These troops were all encamped outside the moat, facing the Mountain's army.

The welcoming banquet went without saying. The next day, Petyr Baelish, as the Lord Protector of the Vale, presided over the first Vale government affair. The Mountain sat on his right, Lady Lysa Tully sat in the center with her son Lord Robert Arryn in her arms, and Littlefinger sat on his left.

The center was for the lord, and the right was for the honored guest, which was respect for the Mountain, who represented the royal power.

Mr. Littlefinger babbled a lot of flowery nonsense, and then, as the Lord Protector of the Vale, he began to bestow rewards. The Mountain coldly watched Littlefinger's power plays. As the saying goes, a new official lights three fires. After Littlefinger married Lady Lysa Tully and successfully became the Lord Protector of the Vale, the first fire he lit was the bestowal of rewards!

This method was not high-end at all, but it was very effective.

Although everyone regarded themselves as nobles and knights of honor, rewards were like gold coins, which were indeed the hard currency that everyone liked.

The first person Littlefinger rewarded was Ser Nestor Royce. He was a knight with low status and no title, but his position was very important: the Gates of the Moon, the first defensive castle of the Eyrie.

In the future, Littlefinger and any other nobles who wanted to enter and exit the Eyrie, or any foreign dignitaries, would only have one place to stay first, and that was here.

This position was very important!

The first guy Littlefinger bought off after entering the Vale was Nestor and his son. Nestor and his son were a branch of House Royce. When Bronze Yohn Royce formed 'The Lords Declarant' to oppose Littlefinger, the first person to betray Yohn Royce was Ser Nestor Royce.

Littlefinger liked such treacherous scum of House Royce the most. Now was the time to give this lackey a bone with meat.

Unfortunately, Bronze Yohn Royce did not know until his death that he had been betrayed by Nestor Royce of his own family.

Littlefinger announced that Ser Nestor Royce was promoted to viscount, and his son was also granted knighthood by the captain of the Eyrie's guards.

The Mountain was a little surprised. Nestor Royce and his son were cheap enough. Just a knighthood and a viscountcy could buy off these two. After all, Nestor had betrayed the head of his own family, Bronze Yohn.

Just as the Mountain was slandering in his heart, Lady Lysa Tully, as the acting lord of House Arryn, announced that from this day on, the Gates of the Moon belonged to the territory of House Nestor Royce. Three miles of land outside the Gates of the Moon were awarded to House Nestor Royce as private territory.

Nestor Royce and his son couldn't stop their joy and quickly knelt down to thank them for the reward.

The nobles of the Vale congratulated them together!

"Viscount Nestor, your family has worked hard to guard the Arryn family for hundreds of years. This is the reward that your House Royce of the Gates of the Moon deserves," Petyr Baelish said solemnly.

The Mountain nodded secretly. Littlefinger's words were of a high standard!

He rewarded his vassals with the territory of House Arryn to raise a watchdog. Littlefinger naturally didn't feel any pain, but the reason he gave was so grand and touching—this was the reward that House Royce of the Gates of the Moon had received after hundreds of years of hard work.

Something that was not reasonable at all was made reasonable by Littlefinger's words.

Words were like knives, and words were even more like wisdom.

The Mountain sat as steady as a mountain, quietly watching Littlefinger continue his performance: Littlefinger, with his supreme status as the Lord Protector of the Vale, used the wealth of House Arryn to gallop wildly on the road of reward, leaving everyone behind, to build his own foundation of jurisdiction.

The main event after the rewards were completed was the Mountain's taxation of the Vale in the name of royal power. Of the seven kingdoms of Westeros, only Dorne did not have to pay taxes to the kingdom! Everywhere else had to pay taxes.

The Mountain watched Littlefinger's glib tongue, his lotus-like tongue, coaxing the nobles to be happy, constantly surprised, and constantly laughing, which reminded the Mountain of the delightful pleasure of snatching red envelopes in his previous life's Earth civilization!

The first fire that Littlefinger used to buy people's hearts, in the Mountain's eyes, was that he and Lady Lysa Tully were giving out a rain of red envelopes for their vassals!

Watching Littlefinger handle everything with ease, the Mountain was not worried about his tax revenue next.

Littlefinger had risen to prominence with his tax collection abilities!

Looking at the laughter of the Vale's nobles, the Mountain was very impressed with Littlefinger's methods, but he knew that he was the most popular person in this rain of red envelopes!