The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The Genesis of an Empire

Donnel Waynwood—a glorious Knight of the Bloody Gate, a young and honest general—knew of the good relations between the Mountain Clans beyond the Mountains of the Moon and the Bloody Gate.

As soon as the Mountain arrived at the Bloody Gate castle, the natives swarmed out. It was impossible for them to attack the Bloody Gate; everyone knew it was impregnable, and attacking would only be throwing their lives away.

Since the Bloody Gate was built, the native tribes had never dared to attack it. Once the Knights of the Vale formed into squadrons and entered the Mountains of the Moon, the natives' sticks, stone axes, and tattered leather were no match for them. These raiders could only watch from the mountaintops or halfway up the mountains, not daring to come down and plunder the knightly columns.

Donnel Waynwood judged that since the natives were not there to attack the Bloody Gate, it was most likely related to the Mountain.

However, to be cautious and avoid any accidents, Donnel Waynwood said, "Lord Gregor, please allow me to first ascend the walls and assess the situation."

The Mountain did not want to waste words, but he was no longer the tyrannical and overbearing Mountain of the past. He suppressed his impatience and nodded.

Donnel and his guards quickly ascended the walls, while the Mountain led his legion slowly forward, heading towards the castle gate, ready to leave the city at any moment.

As a Knight of the Bloody Gate guarding the Vale's natural defenses, Donnel was naturally very familiar with the native tribes of the Mountains of the Moon. He knew that these primitive and backward clans had a long history, originating from the time when the Andals (ancestors of the Arryn family, lords of the Vale) invaded the Vale.

Six thousand years ago, the First Men who refused to submit to the Andals fled into the Mountains of the Moon, where they multiplied in the forests, forming various clans. They preserved many of the traditions of the First Men and had customs similar to those of the wildlings beyond the Wall—raiding and insubordination.

The Moon Mountains had always been the home of these mountain clans, from the past to the present. They had lived in the Mountains of the Moon for thousands of years, but to this day, they still did not recognize the rule of the Eyrie. The mountain clans had always been independent of the economic and political system of the Seven Kingdoms.

There was no concept of gender distinction in the mountain clans. Women, like men, were skilled raiders and warriors. Men and women had equal power, each according to their ability, and were qualified to be leaders and chiefs. Their right to elect was also the same; everyone had their own vote and enjoyed the freedom to maintain their independent views and opinions on the same matter.

They were very poor, and the quality of their weapons and armor (they had almost no real armor) was very poor. They lived by raiding and hunting. If the Duke of the Eyrie himself entered the Mountains of the Moon without a guard, they would attack him as well. They robbed everything they could—food, weapons, and women.

They had been fighting among themselves for many years, but recently, in the past year or two, they had shown rare unity, cooperating closely in raids. There were almost no bloody conflicts between the tribes, although the tribes still used violence to resolve individual and tribal issues.

In the past year or two, this huge change in the mountain clans was related to one person—the Mountain!

The last time the Mountain came to extort money from the Vale and transport it back to the Westerlands, a large number of native mountain clan warriors followed the Mountain to become soldiers. Thousands of people who could not bear the hardship of life chose to follow the Mountain to the Westerlands. The Mountain's status in the hearts of the natives was like that of their revered wizards and gods, with extremely high prestige.

In fact, in the history before the Mountain, the tribal warriors and people of the Mountains of the Moon had also come out of the mountains several times. Beset by life's difficulties, they were willing to choose to live with people from the outside world and abandon their raiding careers. However, each time they came out, they were subjected to severe discrimination and suppression by outsiders. The rights and arable land promised to them by the powerful nobles beforehand were largely deceptive. This was unacceptable to the mountain clansmen who understood the situation, so they were forced to return to the Mountains of the Moon again and continue their raiding life.

The mountain clansmen went out of the mountains and into the mountains many times. After experiencing many failed integrations with the outside world, they harbored deep wariness and hostility towards people from the outside world, but the Mountain seemed to be an exception.

The tribal warriors of the mountain clans who followed the Mountain did not return in droves, and it was rumored that not a single one of the people who migrated out returned. This was difficult for the Vale nobles to understand, including Donnel. They all believed that the mountain clansmen's bad habits of insubordination, lawlessness, disregard for superiors, barbaric thievery, fighting, brawling, and gambling could not be changed. People in any place who accepted the mountain clansmen would soon unite to drive them away. This was a rule.

However, the Mountain broke this rule after recruiting warriors from the mountain clans and migrating some of the people from the mountain clans.

The Vale nobles believed that the Mountain's ferocity, bloodthirstiness, barbarism, ignorance, and rudeness were consistent with those of the mountain clansmen, so the mountain clansmen were willing to obey the Mountain, and many tribal warriors willingly chose to follow him. This was a case of birds of a feather flocking together.

The Mountain was an evil person with many bad habits, and his scent was the same as that of the mountain clansmen.

In the hearts of the Vale nobles, including the great nobles in other places, they had always had a deep contempt for the Mountain, even though the Mountain was already the Duke of Dragonstone, the Master of War, the Warden of the West, and held heavy troops in his hands.

The nobles' arrogance and sense of superiority were deeply rooted, which was also a major fundamental reason for the death of the famous general Randyll Tarly—although the Mountain was the Master of War, with a higher status and title than Randyll Tarly, and the Mountain had taught Randyll Tarly a lesson once in Harrenhal, Randyll Tarly still looked down on the Mountain from the bottom of his heart.

Although Lady Waynwood had sent a hundred-man team to follow the Mountain, Donnel Waynwood's noble sense of superiority was deeply rooted, and he still looked down on the Mountain in his heart. He was an educated and courteous nobleman, while the Mountain was a semi-civilized barbarian!

Donnel came to the wall, and he couldn't believe his eyes. Outside the Bloody Gate—on the hillside, in the woods, on the mountain road, under the newly built watchtower outside the Bloody Gate that the Vale had been forced to build because the Mountain had blocked the exit of the Bloody Gate… natives were popping up everywhere. They were dressed in rags, waving knives, guns, sticks, and various colorful flags fluttering in the wind, and the shouts of "Doro-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro-ro" rose and fell. This scene seemed to come from the uncultivated barbarian alliances of thousands of years ago—

In the middle of the road outside the Bloody Gate, dozens of old, middle-aged, and young tribal chiefs, elders, wizards, leaders, etc., were riding small horses with their guard warriors. The tribal leaders were all in full armor with long swords, helmets, and armor, and the warriors behind them were also fully armed, like knights under the command of great nobles, which made Donnel's eyes widen.

On the city wall, the soldiers were as surprised as the Knight Donnel: their eyes widened, and their expressions were suspicious and uncertain.

When did so many people simultaneously possess such sophisticated weapons and armor? Looking at the weapons and armor of these leaders and guards, they were completely comparable to their own weapons and armor.

If these barbarians had the same quality and quantity of weapons and armor as the knights, it would be a huge nightmare for the people of the Vale. There was no doubt about the combat power of the mountain clansmen; they were very powerful, and climbing mountains and wading through water was as agile as monkeys. Fortunately, there were not many people who possessed 'full armor,' but even so, Donnel and his warriors stared blankly.

The tribal leaders and the warriors who followed them were riding small horses. These small horses looked like mules, but they could walk on narrow mountain roads as if they were on flat ground, climbing mountains quickly. Other tall warhorses could not climb freely in the mountains.

"Mountain, Mountain, we want to see the Mountain!" On the hillside, a loud-voiced native shouted while waving a stone axe.

Donnel suppressed the surprise in his heart. The arrival of these barbarians was indeed related to the Mountain.

They all appeared very suddenly as soon as the Mountain arrived at the Bloody Gate. This was not a coincidence; it was planned and premeditated. A wizard might have foreseen the time when the Mountain would arrive at the Bloody Gate.

Donnel knew that there were many wizards in the Mountains of the Moon who served the mountain clans. These wizards had a high status, and the Burned Men tribe worshiped fire wizards.

In addition to divination, seeking gods and exorcising ghosts, and solving the spiritual beliefs of the mountain clansmen, tribal wizards also had another more important and irreplaceable role: doctors!

"Mountain, Mountain, we want to see the Mountain!" More natives waved the sticks, knives, and forks in their hands and shouted, full of wildness.

Donnel frowned slightly.

Although the Mountain was as barbaric as them, the Mountain was still a great noble of the Seven Kingdoms, the Master of War, the Duke of Dragonstone, and the Warden of the West. Many warriors from these tribes were serving as soldiers under the Mountain, and the Mountain had given the mountain clansmen a lot of money and goods, especially food, the last time he came to recruit soldiers, but these people still called the Mountain by his nickname, without any etiquette to respect the Mountain's noble status.

Inside the city wall, the Mountain heard the shouts. Although the natives' accents were very special, many people did not speak the Common Tongue of Westeros, and outsiders generally could not understand their 'mountain language,' but the Mountain had spent a long time with Shagga, Conner, Chella, Timett, Gunthor, and others from the mountain clans, so he was not at all unfamiliar with the 'local language' of the people of the Mountains of the Moon. Although he could not speak fluently, he had no problem understanding it.

"Ser Donnel, open the city gate!" The Mountain shouted, gathering his energy.

This shout suppressed the chaotic shouts of hundreds or thousands of people outside and also caused fear in the hearts of the warriors guarding the Bloody Gate. The Mountain's shout was like a thunderbolt, powerful and unparalleled. The sound echoed in the Bloody Gate castle, rumbling and colliding, and its power was terrifying.

The Mountain was powerful and ferocious, unmatched. Just this shout made the Knights and soldiers of the Bloody Gate instinctively timid.

Donnel was also frightened. He was originally proud of his bravery, but he was caught off guard by the Mountain's explosive shout, and a chill involuntarily rose in his back.

"Open the city gate!" Donnel issued the order. He suddenly felt his mouth dry.

Click!

Click, click!

Click, click, click!

The gate of the Bloody Gate slowly opened. The heavy oak door, edged with iron, was a foot thick, like a rock.

"Ser Donnel, we are leaving the city now!" The Mountain said. This time he did not gather his energy to shout, and the sound did not explode like thunder, but it still sounded like a boom in his ears.

Donnel shook his mind and felt ashamed of his fear just now. He calmed himself and was about to say something to keep the Mountain back and exchange pleasantries, but when he calmed down and looked down, the Mountain had already ridden the Red Smoke Beast out of the city gate and walked away. On the opposite side of the Mountain, there was suddenly a burst of shouts and neighs, and the small horses of the tribal chiefs, elders, and leaders of the mountain clans ran away in confusion. The masters were all trying to rein in the reins while shouting loudly.

The scene fell into unexpected chaos.

The ferocious aura of the Red Smoke Beast was like that of the Mountain. It grew up in the Peach Blossom Poisonous Mist and carried an aura that made people and horses uncomfortable. Its whole body was as red as fire, and it had a horn on its head, as sharp as a short spear.

Behind the Mountain, the cavalry team came out in rows of five. The rear army was still on the narrow mountain road of the Bloody Gate.

The Mountain's Red Smoke Beast was tall and handsome, the Mountain among horses!

The Mountain moved his legs slightly, and the Red Smoke Beast understood. The ferocious aura converged, but the pair of blood-red eyes still made the ponies in front of him shudder.

The tribal leaders on the opposite side were in chaos for a while before gradually controlling the ponies. The ponies finally began to quiet down, and in the end, they completely stopped rioting. But none of the ponies dared to face the Red Smoke Beast directly. They all turned sideways and lowered their heads, and the uneasy hooves lightly scraped the ground, and the uneasiness in their eyes shone.

The Mountain saw the Black Ears tribe of Chief Chella—they were accustomed to cutting off the ears of prisoners as a symbol of victory. The patriarch of the Black Ears tribe was Chella, whose daughter Chella served as a general under the Mountain, leading the warriors of the Black Ears tribe to participate in the Iron Islands conquest. The Black Ears tribe and the Moon Brothers tribe were closely related.

The Mountain saw the chieftain of the Burned Men tribe, "Red Hand," who was the father of Timett, a general under the Mountain. Red Hand's right middle finger was burned off, which was a very obvious feature. The last time the Mountain recruited warriors, he had been to the village of the Burned Men tribe and had eaten and drunk with Red Hand. In addition to the gift of money, he also gave a very valuable short knife to Red Hand himself.

During the Burned Men tribe's coming-of-age ceremony, they would burn off a part of their body, usually a finger or a nipple. The more important the burned body part, the higher the warrior's reputation. The coming-of-age ceremony of Timett, a general under the Mountain, was to dig out his left eye and throw it into the fire. For this, he won the respect of all the tribe's warriors, and everyone willingly elected him as the leader of the tribe's warriors. Timett was another Red Hand in the tribe besides his father. Also, because the Burned Men tribe's coming-of-age ceremony was savage and bloodthirsty, the Burned Men tribe was feared by all the other tribes.

The Burned Men tribe's 'self-mutilation custom' originated from a period of time after the Dance of the Dragons ended. According to legend, a branch of the Painted Dogs tribe worshiped a fire witch in the Mountains of the Moon. They sent their children to bring food and water to the fire witch. The dragon controlled by the fire witch would use dragon flame to test whether these children had courage. The dragon flame would not directly roast the people, but would test the courage and heat resistance of the people who came to offer gifts.

The Burned Men tribe was a new tribe separated from the Painted Dogs tribe.

In addition, the Mountain also saw the chieftain of the Milk Snakes tribe, the elder of the Moon Brothers tribe, the leader of the Painted Dogs tribe, the wizard of the Mist tribe, the sage of the Stone Crows tribe… In addition, there were the Tree Men tribe, the Howlers tribe, the Redsmiths tribe, the Wildlings tribe, the Mist Valley tribe… and many other actual power holders of the tribes.

The Mountain dismounted from the red smoke beast below Mount, accompanied by Captain Elin, Captain Joyce, Landon Garre, Kom Warner, Podrick Payne, Norris, Anguy Clegane, Julie Clegane, Garedon Goodbrook, and others. Across from them, dozens of tribal chiefs also dismounted their small horses, led by Red Hand of the Burning Clan, and moved forward.

The Mountain noticed the jewel-encrusted famous sword on Red Hand's waist, a gift from him.

"Chief Teeme," The Mountain said courteously. But even with courtesy, he couldn't hide the imposing aura of his massive frame. That aura that subdued fierce men and villains alike, The Mountain carried such a halo wherever he went.

"The Mountain! The Mountain! The Mountain!" On the hillsides on both sides, colorful tribal banners fluttered and waved as people shouted his name, a scene that left Donnel and his soldiers at the Bloody Gate silent and solemn.

The Mountain's status in the eyes of the mountain clans had reached such a high level that they all came down the mountain to welcome him just passing by?!

The mountain clans had always been a major problem for the Vale. The Vale knights couldn't enter the mountains to exterminate these people, and the villages outside the Bloody Gate, the nobles' territories, and the goods transported into the Vale from Gulltown were still suffering losses of one kind or another.

Red Hand's face was covered with age spots, and his skin was severely sagging. Behind him followed his two wives. Red Hand had multiple wives, all living in mountain villages and not following him down the mountain. Red Hand and The Mountain had spent time together and had affection for each other. The old man cut to the chase, going straight to the point: "Lord Mountain, the reason all the tribal chiefs have come together this time is that more young warriors in the tribal alliance want to follow you into battle, and more tribal people want to follow you to migrate to the Westerlands."

"I am happy to accept!" The Mountain understood Red Hand's and the mountain people's character: get straight to the point, no need for any formalities.

"Lord Mountain, I heard that the people who migrated from the Mountains of the Moon do not live mixed with the people of the Westerlands, that they have their own independent and complete land? And that they have built aqueducts in the air, and that every household is equipped with a cesspool?"

"Chief Kira, that's in Castamere. The castle of Castamere is underground. I designed and built the aerial aqueducts to ensure that everyone's drinking water is clean. Water flows in the air so it won't get dirty. Every household's room is equipped with a toilet, which is drained through a special sewer. Inside the castle, the streets and alleys are clean everywhere, and there is no accumulation of feces."

Red Hand, Kira, Teeme, and dozens of others looked surprised, seeming to understand but not quite. Many of the old men looked up at the sky. Water can flow in the air? They couldn't understand, couldn't imagine it. How do you take water down in the air, and what power makes it go up?

"What about livestock? Lord Mountain," the old man from Howling Mountain was frail and old, supported by two warriors. He looked like he was in poor health, but the old man insisted on wearing his neat armor. These armors and weapons were, of course, gifts from The Mountain last time. The fine weapons and armor were treasures that these tribal elders cherished like heirlooms.

The livestock raised by the mountain clans all lived with people, and The Mountain would never forget that smell.

"There is a special place to raise livestock. Livestock and people don't live together. The place where people live is far from the place where livestock live."

"Each family has a place to raise them?" An old man widened his eyes in confusion.

"Special people raise livestock, and other people do other things. Farming, fishing, hunting, and grazing are all done by special people, which makes it easier," The Mountain chatted with these 'highly respected' old men.

The information the old men learned came from the feedback of the migrated people. And they were obviously more concerned about 'production and life' they had never heard of, but they basically didn't ask about the life and death of their children fighting in the outside world. These old men had been fighting since they were sensible, and they were used to fighting when there was a battle. Injury, bleeding, and sacrifice were, in their eyes, life itself, and not worth making a fuss about. The dead were not worth grieving for, that was the best destination for a warrior, it was glory!

"Lord, we received news that you got money, goods, and food from the lords of the Vale again this time," the chief of Howling Mountain was a strong middle-aged man. He wasn't familiar with The Mountain, but his words were equally direct.

This was the rhythm of wanting The Mountain to 'give gifts' again.

"Yes, Chief Howling Mountain, I will leave fifty carts of things for the chiefs, and everyone can take them and distribute them themselves. I only hope there will be no bloodshed, no fighting. The many clans of the mountain clans should be a whole alliance."

"We will not fight again. We have reached a peace agreement and formed an alliance to fight against the outside world," the old man Red Hand Teeme said.

The chiefs, elders, and wizards of the surrounding tribes echoed.

The Mountain noticed the dense number of tribal warriors holding stone axes, stone knives, and wooden spears in the trees on the hillside, mainly young and middle-aged people. Some people brought their children, standing on the hillside not far away, looking at The Mountain with bright eyes full of expectation and hope, and a trace of vigilance and hesitation. Many children didn't have a complete piece of clothing. All the children were barefoot and had dirty faces, only their eyes and teeth were bright.

After this migration, what will be left in the Mountains of the Moon will be the real older generation. This generation is different from the young and middle-aged people. They have their own unique feelings for the dilapidated villages in the mountains. To put it sentimentally, it is the feeling of 'home'. A golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as one's own doghouse. No matter how bitter or difficult it is, the older generation cannot give up and will not move away.

*

At the same time, in the Westerlands, teams of Clegane soldiers marched neatly in Lannisport, their footsteps making rhythmic booming sounds. The streets and alleys, residential rooftops, balconies, and shop entrances were crowded with residents of Lannisport and other Westerlands people who had come from other places, making Lannisport appear crowded and lively for the first time.

The leading legion was still cavalry, led by General Jeco Locke of the Westerlands and Lord Gorold Goodbrook of Hammerhorn of the Iron Islands. The generals followed in rows behind. Behind the generals were several sedan chairs, inside were several of Lord Gorold Goodbrook's daughters who had reached marriageable age.

Gorold had twelve daughters and three sets of triplet sons, two of whom had been arranged by The Mountain to enter the royal palace and become the highest-level honor knights—the Kingsguard, which gave the Goodbrook family great glory; the eldest son and heir, Garedon Goodbrook, followed The Mountain as a personal attendant, and he was also remembered by The Mountain's generals and attendants for liking to directly swallow the parchment scrolls that The Mountain gave him to burn, rather than for his bravery in battle.

With the help of The Mountain's more than 10,000 Westerlands troops, Lord Gorold led more than 3,000 Ironborn warriors and returned to the Iron Islands in hundreds of longships. On the suggestion of General Jeco Locke, Gorold Goodbrook chose to attack Pyke at night, capturing Euron Crow's Eye's appointed acting governor, Erie Emrick, in bed, thereby capturing the Iron Islands capital—Pyke. The following war became very easy. They raised the banner of The Mountain and the Iron Throne royal family, and conquered the remaining six islands in order—Great Wyk, Old Wyk, Harlaw, Saltcliffe, Blacktyde, and Oakenshield. They conquered the island lords and nobles who refused to submit one by one, and swept away the small island clusters in the sea, uprooting the residences of Euron Crow's Eye's remaining forces.

The Iron Islands were thus unified, and the royal appointment was also passed to Hammerhorn on Great Wyk through the Westerlands ravens. Tommen Baratheon I appointed Gorold Goodbrook as the new governor of the Iron Islands. After Euron Crow's Eye was beheaded by The Mountain in King's Landing, the Greyjoy family's rule was turned over, and the Iron Islands ushered in a new ruler—Lord Gorold Goodbrook.

The Iron Islands thus fell into The Mountain's hands!

The Westerlands army, led by Jeco Locke, landed on the island to fight and won every battle. After the overall situation of the Iron Islands was settled, Jeco Locke led his army back to the Westerlands, and Gorold Goodbrook led his own thousand-strong navy to accompany him, and brought several of his unmarried daughters to Clegane New Village, because Lady Jane wanted to find knights in the Westerlands for them to marry.

This was also a condition agreed upon by both parties when Gorold submitted to The Mountain.

The team traveled through Lannisport and was warmly welcomed by the people, nobles, and wealthy merchants. After experiencing the flames of war, Lannisport ushered in the grand occasion of the military and civilians celebrating together for the first time. The people, nobles, and wealthy merchants were all overwhelmed by the Ironborn's plundering. Lannisport's navy was strong, but it only protected the port and the city, resisted the Ironborn's plundering into the port, and could not go out to sea to pursue the Ironborn pirates. Escort was entirely dependent on the mercenaries hired by wealthy merchants and nobles.

Although there were mercenaries, the nobles and wealthy merchants actually had private transactions with those influential pirate leaders in order to ensure the safety of their goods and smooth trade. In short, they secretly paid protection fees in exchange for the safety of sea voyages. This was also an open secret, but no one was willing to pierce this layer of fig leaf.

The Iron Islands pirate problem that Tywin Lannister failed to solve was solved by The Mountain's Clegane Legion. Jane's administrator had announced the submission of the Iron Islands throughout the Westerlands. In Lannisport, there were no longer only dozens of warships of the Lannister family, but suddenly more than two hundred ships were added to The Mountain's navy, some of which were Ironborn themselves.

The strength of the Westerlands navy had increased tenfold at once because of Euron Crow's Eye's invasion war against the Westerlands.

The strengthened navy reassured the Westerlands people, especially the wealthy merchants. They no longer worried that the Iron Islands would submit today and rebel tomorrow, continuing to wreak havoc at sea. Even if the Iron Islands rebelled again, they would be beaten to the Iron Islands by the Westerlands' powerful navy at the first time, overturning their lair. Before The Mountain, Tywin Lannister, Sea Guard of Riverrun, Stark of the North, and the Tyrell family of the Reach could only defend themselves and had no ability to take the initiative to attack alone.

At sea, the Ironborn of the Iron Islands were rampant and unbridled. Due to geographical reasons, Lannisport, the third largest port city in the Westerlands, suffered the most serious harassment in its commercial trade.

Lannisport, the largest city in the Westerlands, was more prosperous and wealthy than the capital, Casterly Rock.

This day was not only to welcome the triumphant return of the Clegane Legion of the Westerlands. In the afternoon, there was an even more important thing, which was to verify the gold reserves in the Clegane Bank.

How much gold reserves the Clegane family had determined how much paper money of equal value its bank was qualified to print.

Whether the nobles and people of the Westerlands were willing or not, without the paper money issued by the Clegane Bank, it was impossible to buy anything in Lannisport in the Westerlands, and all kinds of transactions could no longer be carried out, especially large transactions.

Even captains from other places needed to exchange their gold for paper money at the Clegane Bank before they could buy the local goods they wanted in the Westerlands. When they wanted to leave after completing the transaction, they could go to the bank to exchange the paper money back into gold at any time. Only a very small handling fee was required for each exchange. In The Mountain's own words, this was fleecing the sheep.

Publicly verifying the gold reserves in the Clegane Bank was a major event, but Jane didn't realize that this measure designed by The Mountain was actually a clever publicity campaign for commercial banks, an infusion of lending concepts, and a lever to pry the world. It would pry open a new history of paper money issuance, thereby silently influencing and changing the world.

Representatives of all the great nobles of the Westerlands gathered in Lannisport. On the most prosperous South Gate Street, an attendant named Luke led three hundred-man teams to guard here. There was a Clegane Bank on this street, and a small stone castle next to the bank had been bought by Lady Jane. It was said that it was filled with mountains of gold.

*

Afternoon, 3:00 PM.

On the streets of Lannisport, the rear army of the Clegane Legion was still marching, but the onlookers were almost invisible. Many shops closed their doors, and they seemed to disappear all at once.

Where did these people go? They all went to South Gate Street!

South Gate Street was crowded with people, packed like sardines. All the residential buildings on both sides of the street were crowded with people watching the excitement. Every window and doorway was a face tightly next to each other.

The trees, low or steep walls, rooftops, and windowsills on both sides of the street were filled with ant-like people.

The wave-like commotion started from the beginning of the street. With the sudden explosion of hoofbeats and shouts, the Dothraki bald Zorro led the warrior group to clear the way. The people crowded on the street gave way to both sides. The cavalry passed through first, and then the infantry entered the street and lined up on both sides. Soon, the middle of South Gate Street was cleared, a narrow passage leading directly to the stone castle next to the bank.

The first to walk into the passage was Lady Jane Westerling, who was the most honorable because of her status as duchess. Entering side by side with Jane was the acting city lord of Lannisport—Grand Maester Bancroft.

Behind Lady Jane and Bancroft followed the famous Septons of the Westerlands and the well-known nuns who were respected and loved.

Behind the first echelon were the great nobles and scholars of the Westerlands. The first on the right was the representative of Casterly Rock—Dona Swyft, the wife of former Prime Minister Kevan Lannister, who was now a widow; Lady Sharlotte of Silverhall, who first submitted to The Mountain—Countess Sheryl Debby, who was the acting city lord of Silverhall; Aiven Lefford, the young master of Golden Tooth, the acting city lord of Crakehall, Cornfield, Fair Isle, Feastfires, and dozens of others.

After the nobles were the knight representatives of the Westerlands, followed by wealthy merchants, people's representatives, mercenary leaders, and captains from all over the world.

The nobles brought scholars to calculate the total amount of gold. Only by knowing the total gold reserves could they limit the total amount of paper money issued by the bank.

Issuing paper money based on the amount of gold was an initiative of the Clegane family's paper money plan, and it was open to public supervision.

The Mountain's Clegane Bank had already absorbed several of the city's most powerful merchants, each of whom monopolized the trade of a particular commodity in the Westerlands. Several great lords who had sworn allegiance to the Mountain were also given the opportunity to invest in the bank as owners. The Clegane Bank was essentially a 'strength assembly order' for the Westerlands, bringing together all the most powerful people in the region and forming a combined force.

Maester Bancroft, the wealthy merchant and nobleman May Humpfrey, and the super-rich merchant Milne had all secretly joined the Clegane Bank and were working with Lady Jeyne to promote the widespread use of paper money throughout the Westerlands.

The benefits of controlling the right to mint coins were unimaginable. It was a gold mine, and one that would never be exhausted.

The Westerlands were rich in gold, but after thousands of years of mining, most of the gold veins had been depleted. Many great lords had begun planning their transition to trade before the start of the war. Only the Mountain still had rich gold reserves. Castamere and Tarbeck Hall, which had been abandoned for forty years, fell into his hands, leaving the Mountain with several richly stocked gold mine ranges.

The reason Castamere and Tarbeck Hall dared to rebel against the Lannister family in the past was because they possessed rich gold mines. The foundation of strength must be money; with money, one could raise an army. Unfortunately, they encountered the eighteen-year-old Tywin returning from war, who exterminated their entire families, men, women, and children, within a few short months, and abandoned the two wealthy places as a warning to the other nobles of the Westerlands.

Tywin's warning methods yielded rich rewards. The Mountain obtained these two gold mine ranges, and he could continue mining for at least another thirty years.

*

The commoners and lesser nobles of the Westerlands could not personally enter the gold reserves, but they firmly believed in the septons and well-known septas. The septons and septas in Jeyne and Bancroft's first tier gave the commoners the greatest confidence.

Jeyne had carefully planned and arranged everything, but she still did not expect so many people to come. After today, the entire Westerlands would know about paper money and the Clegane Bank. And this was exactly what Jeyne and the Mountain wanted.

This was also the first step in the Mountain's financial empire. Although the small, interest-free loans launched by the Mountain in the early stages had dampened Bancroft's enthusiasm and led him to withdraw most of his investment, the effect was more beneficial than harmful. Imperceptibly, the Clegane family gained the hearts of the common people at the bottom. The fact that many commoners outside Lannisport had come to the city today to support the Clegane Bank was proof of this.

The hearts of the people at the bottom are the purest. They know very well who has truly helped them, and there is no need for lengthy publicity or praise.

*

Lady Donna Swyft walked into the Stone Keep and saw the stacks of neat gold bars piled up in the hall, which shocked her.

It was the first time Donna had seen so much gold piled up in a hall. She had assumed the gold reserves were in the basement. Storing them in the basement would give a sense of security.

The gold was not gold dragon coins, but gold bars, the size of a child's palm, stacked up slightly shorter than an adult's height. There were passages for people to walk through between the gold bars. The entire hall was filled with glittering gold bars, and no one knew how much gold there was.

Donna was dumbfounded!

Beside her, several noblewomen and ladies-in-waiting gasped in suppressed amazement.

Everyone had seen gold, but no one had ever seen so many gold bars of the same size and specifications that had not been minted into gold dragons.

The gold bars filled the entire hall, reaching the height of an average teenager. It was impossible to know how many gold dragons so many gold bars could be minted into – millions? Or even more?

Overwhelmed with shock, Donna Swyft unconsciously walked through the square passages formed by the stacks of gold bars.

She was not stupid. She knew that the Mountain could not possibly have so much gold, and she also knew that House Westerling was so poor that all they had left was the thin reputation of an ancient noble family. But who had given the Clegane family so much gold during this time? Not gold, but gold bars that had been minted.

Castamere and Tarbeck Hall had rich gold reserves in their mines, but that gold was still underground.

When had the Mountain's wealth far surpassed that of the Lannisters?!

This was unbelievable!

Donna slowly walked through the rows of gold bars, and after an unknown amount of time, she reached the corner of the wall. She was quite tall, and her gaze passed over the top of the gold, and she saw a large group of people standing at the end of the passage: a large group of Lannisport's wealthy merchants and powerful nobles of the Westerlands were surrounding Jeyne. She saw Bancroft, the wealthy merchant and nobleman May Humpfrey, and the super spice merchant Milne, all smiling, in the crowd. They were talking to Lady Jeyne, and their laughter could be heard from time to time.

A flash of inspiration struck Donna, and she understood that most of the gold here must have come from these super-rich merchants. How rich was the spice merchant Milne? An entire street of shops actually belonged to him, but he only operated half of the street, and rented the other half to other merchants.

Were these gold bars lent to Lady Jeyne by the merchants? Or had they already joined forces with Jeyne? To start a bank together? Or to do trade together?

The thought that these people and the great lords of the Westerlands might be working with Lady Jeyne to start a bank and do trade together made Donna's back break out in a cold sweat – the Westerlands originally belonged to the Lannisters, but the current situation showed that the Clegane family's influence had unknowingly overwhelmed the Lannisters.

Donna looked at the Clegane soldiers standing around the hall, one of whom, the leader who had stopped her on the street and forced her to exchange paper money before she could buy rouge and powder, was Lady Jeyne's guard, Luke.

Donna felt her lips turn bitter. Tywin and Kevan Lannister had both died because of the Mountain's actions, and the Mountain had not suffered any divine punishment from the Seven Gods. Had he become so powerful?!

In a daze, a maid's voice rang out, bringing Lady Donna back from her 'reverie'. She raised her neck, and arrogance returned to her face: "Madam, Lady Jeyne invites you to come over."

"I don't want to go over for now."

"Madam, Lady Jeyne says that there are also hundreds of boxes full of gold dragon coins and priceless collections of various pearls and jades in the basement. She invites us to go down together to view and verify them."

Donna felt as if she had been punched hard in the chest. Her body swayed, and the scene in front of her became blurred. The other two accompanying maids quickly grabbed her arms. Donna straightened her body, maintaining the pride on her face: "Go and reply to Lady Jeyne, they can go down first. I need to rest for a while."

"Yes, Madam." The maid spoke softly, her voice clear and pleasant. "Lady Jeyne has decided that after we finish the tour, she will open the doors and let those commoners in to view and verify the bank's gold reserves."