The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Chapter 658: Sweet Pressure

(What Griffin Rabbit has always wanted... Daily Life)

*

The Mountain shaved his head for the first time in his life, which wasn't comfortable. If he wore his flat-topped giant helmet, his scalp wouldn't feel cool under the iron, but rather uncomfortable for a while.

The North was already covered in ice and snow, while the Westerlands still enjoyed a warm summer. The warm season was suitable for planting mulberry trees and raising silkworms. Potatoes, wheat, and other crops were thriving in this climate. The hillsides provided ample fodder for cattle and sheep. The cavalry's warhorses also had no worries about food and breeding.

If the Westerlands didn't have so many mountains, it would be a small granary.

The warm climate and the cessation of war were perfect for the people of the Westerlands to recuperate and rebuild. It was also suitable for the ambitious Mountain to conserve his energy, develop his agriculture and trade, and gradually infiltrate and control the world's resources.

If the trajectory of the world hadn't changed, the Mountain's banks, silk, shipping, noodles, grain reserves, iron ore monopoly, snow salt monopoly, apple wine, wheat wine, stout, and Arbor Red monopoly, textiles, fabrics, gold and silver artwork... and so on, all these measures working together would have quickly made him powerful and wealthy.

The so-called "dig deep holes, store grain widely, and don't claim kingship."

His perfect plan was to use his resources to support the Northerners, Daenerys Targaryen, and the Others to fight to the death, causing immense destruction and mutual exhaustion. Eventually, the Starks and Targaryens would join forces to kill the Night King and win, but with depleted forces and exhausted resources...

However... plans don't always go as expected...

Since things had changed, the Mountain went with the flow... First, he seized a dragon sheep thief. No matter how the world's trajectory changed, that could never be wrong...

*

After the Mountain finished the ritual, his fierce generals and bandits stepped forward to congratulate him.

Old Teague said, "Lord Mountain, you are now the chieftain of the Burned Men, the Highest Red Hand. When you lead troops into battle, the strongest warriors of the Burned Men should be your personal guards. Every warrior of the Burned Men is a Red Hand's sworn protector; they must protect you."

This was the benefit of being a chieftain.

Under the glory of the Fire God, the Red Hand, the highest position in the tribe, could easily obtain the sworn loyalty of the entire tribe!

"Good!" The Mountain didn't refuse.

At Lady Janei's request, he had already established a five-hundred-rider bodyguard camp, which Lady Janei had demanded to be up to Tywin Lannister's standards. Old Teague wanted him to add Burned Men warriors as guards, which was a good intention, so he accepted. The more sworn protectors around him, the better.

One-Eyed Teague immediately knelt on one knee: "Mountain Red Hand, please allow me to lead a team of the bravest and most fearless warriors of the Burned Men to protect you personally. No matter how cruel, powerful, or invincible the enemy is, the Burned Men warriors will be your bravest and most loyal sworn protectors."

The Mountain looked at One-Eyed Teague: "Teague, I allow you to select the twelve strongest warriors from the Burned Men tribe to be my Red Hand's sworn protectors. In addition, I will give you one hundred more guards from the bodyguard camp and promote you to be my third guard captain."

"As you command, Mountain Red Hand!"

*

Night.

Melisandre stared intently at the flames in front of her.

She was alone.

She was doing a major verification.

Strange syllables were uttered from her mouth in a low and tight voice, but the flames didn't move, and no anomalies appeared. Confusion appeared in Melisandre's beautiful eyes.

She prayed to the Red God R'hllor, hoping to see the Mountain's face in the flames to prove that the Mountain was Azor Ahai reborn, but nothing appeared in the flames.

There were many reasons for this phenomenon. Perhaps the god was dozing, perhaps Melisandre herself wasn't devout enough, perhaps the real time hadn't come, and prayers weren't always answered. Of course, perhaps the Mountain wasn't Azor Ahai reborn, but Melisandre didn't think so.

Melisandre firmly believed that the Mountain was Azor Ahai reborn.

During the day, the Mountain's willingness to sacrifice his life to the Fire God had shocked Melisandre. If the fate of the human race didn't require the Mountain to complete his mission, the Mountain would already have become an envoy of the Fire God.

Perhaps my way of requesting the target is wrong—Melisandre reflected. Then, let me change the target and ask the God R'hllor to give me a hint, to guide me, to let me see who has the blood of the true king.

The flames seemed to calm down for a moment, and then the flames began to flow gently, like water.

Melisandre knew that a vision was about to appear.

True king's blood, can I see the Mountain's face?

Melisandre was looking forward to it. She was fully focused and staring intently.

In the water-like ripples of the flames, slowly, shadows appeared in the flames. The shadows gradually emerged, and it was a blurred face of a direwolf, with only a pair of red eyes that were very bright and captivating.

Melisandre was taken aback. She was very familiar with these eyes. These were the eyes of the direwolf Ghost.

A direwolf with the blood of the true king?

Melisandre tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with flowing flames.

How is this possible?

She stared at the flames. The face of the direwolf Ghost appeared in the flames. Ghost was Jon's guardian wolf. What did this foreshadow? Did Jon Snow, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, have the blood of the true king? How is that possible? The images in the flames wouldn't be wrong, but the meaning of the images needed to be revealed by herself. She had been expecting to see the Mountain's face!

But why not see Jon Snow's face directly?!

Jon Snow's brother Robb Stark was the King in the North. According to this calculation, it was reasonable to say that Jon Snow had the blood of the true king, but Jon Snow could never be Azor Ahai reborn. The Lightbringer Azor Ahai would not be reborn as a bastard from the North. This was not in line with his dignity.

Melisandre took out a little powder from her red robe sleeves, twisted her fingers, and the powder floated into the flames. The face of the direwolf Ghost gradually became clear, but suddenly jumped, and the face turned into Jon Snow's face. Melisandre was stunned. In the blink of an eye, Jon Snow's face changed back into the direwolf's face. Melisandre stared intently, and the direwolf's face changed back into Jon's face...

Instantly, the faces of a wolf and a man changed wildly, flashing continuously, so fast that they rippled with phantoms.

Melisandre had never seen such a prophetic revelation. The two faces that were constantly changing and flashing made her dizzy and extremely uncomfortable. She chanted a spell, and the flames gradually calmed down. The speed of the two faces changing slowed down. As if in an instant, the vision disappeared, and the flames burned normally, as if the vision in the flames had never appeared.

Jon Snow is the blood of the true king?! Is he the future King in the North?

Melisandre doubted what she saw!

Visions don't make mistakes. The direwolf Ghost and Jon Snow appeared in the flames. What does this foreshadow? If Jon Snow is Azor Ahai reborn, then he will not be killed by the Others in the North.

Melisandre felt a burst of confusion!

Jon Snow's father is Eddard Stark. Who is his mother? A woman from the Targaryen royal family? However, the Mountain will go to the Mountains of the Moon tomorrow to conquer the dragon sheep thief deep in the Mountains of the Moon. If the Mountain is not the true king, then who is the Mountain?

A false king?!

But in fact, the Mountain has not claimed kingship!

Melisandre pondered for a long time. She got up, walked out of the room, and the flames in the brazier seemed to have been taken away by her life. The flames diminished little by little with her departing footsteps. When Melisandre walked out of the door and closed it, the raging flames in the brazier turned into a wisp of fire the size of a little finger.

The night was deep, and Melisandre decided to see the Mountain.

*

The Mountain's bed was as big as a room, and Janei was like a kitten beside him.

"Gregor, if there were no wars, no Others, what would you do?"

The Mountain was stunned. He had never thought about this question.

"If you were an ordinary person, without everything you have now, without war and Others, would you be a wandering mercenary? A trading captain? A spice merchant? A silk boss? Go to Oldtown to be a maester? Or be a military instructor?" Lady Janei looked serious.

"I've never thought about this question," the Mountain said honestly.

"Think now!"

The Mountain looked at Janei, whose lips were smiling. A woman with both talent and beauty, her eyes were full of water. She was being coquettish!

The Mountain closed his eyes, and he fell into contemplation: "I think I should still be a duke."

"Okay, you are a duke, so what is the duke going to do to pass the time? Are you going to eat, drink, and have fun, doing nothing all day?"

"I can't think of it for the time being," the Mountain opened his eyes.

"Peace has come, the Seven Kingdoms are unified, the Others have been defeated, and you have achieved fame. What is the thing you want to do most after you have succeeded?"

The Mountain raised his head: "I think, what I want to do most may be to be a teacher."

"A teacher?"

"Yes, a teacher who teaches children to read and write. Mathematics, literature, history, writing... Yes, running a school. If more children come to study in the future, I will hire the maesters from Oldtown to teach the children as well, give the maesters a lot of golden dragons, and I will be the principal of the school, that is, the big teacher who manages other teachers."

The smile on Lady Janei's face slowly disappeared, her coquettishness faded, and she became serious: "Gregor, I didn't expect your ambition to be so small. With your inventive talent, you should actually have more big things to do, but you actually choose to be a teacher who teaches children."

The Mountain looked at Janei: "What, you don't want to?"

"Do you really want to be a teacher who teaches children to read and count?"

"Yes! Sincerely!"

"Well, then, I'll follow you and be responsible for cooking for you and the children."

"But you don't seem to like me being a teacher very much!"

"It's not that," Janei said with a smile, her coquettishness rising again, "I just didn't expect you to have this interest. I only thought about other things. In short, I want you to understand that no matter what you want to do, I will follow you, support you, and cook and wash clothes for you."

"Can you cook? Duchess."

"No, but I can learn!"

"Forget it, I don't believe it."

"If you really become a teacher, I will really become a cook. Tsk tsk, you will know it then. No matter what you become in the future, or what you do, you must understand that you belong to me, and I belong to you. If you really go to teach, I will really go to cook for you."

The Mountain stared at Janei. She wasn't like this woman before. She rarely acted coquettishly, and even less so, her words and deeds were decisive and straightforward like a man, her mind was delicate, her city was gentle, and her thoughts were far-reaching. Tonight, she was a rare coquettish woman full of little woman's feelings, nonsense, and whimsical thoughts.

"Janei, I feel like you are different tonight than usual."

"That's because you usually don't focus your attention on me."

This is said!

The Mountain had to shrug his shoulders.

It is a woman's privilege to be willful, and this must be respected!

"Melisandre is an absolutely charming woman, what do you think of her?"

"She is an old woman of our ancestors," the Mountain said.

"But I saw your eyes looking at her as if a cat saw a fish, shining brightly."

"How is that possible? You are too suspicious," the Mountain firmly denied.

"Hmph, to be honest, did you ever think about her body under her red robe when you first saw her? Her beauty is ten times better than mine."

"She doesn't have half your beauty," the Mountain said with a very sincere attitude.

"Hmph, am I still a child to be deceived," Lady Janei said angrily, but her eyebrows and corners of her mouth were smiling.

Women just like to hear sweet words, there is no doubt about that. No matter how absurd and outrageous these sweet words are, they actually accept them all when they deny them.

"Melisandre came to the Westerlands, she wants me to send troops to fight against the Others. I hope she can help me get the dragon sheep thief. Everyone's goals are the same. I definitely don't have Polliver's thoughts about her."

The Mountain's words made Janei chuckle.

*

Polliver never forgot to buy Melisandre's eyes. At dinner, he came to the Mountain to borrow money, saying that Melisandre had promised him that she would sell him her eyes for only one hundred golden dragons. Considering that Melisandre would follow the Mountain to the Mountains of the Moon early tomorrow morning to subdue the sheep thief, Polliver said that it would be fine to buy one of Melisandre's eyes for one hundred golden dragons.

The Mountain didn't speak to Polliver. He just pointed his finger at the door, and Polliver rolled away with a face full of shame. It's just that at the moment when that guy was about to go out, he turned around and said that if Melisandre unfortunately died in the future, he hoped that the Mountain would agree to let him keep Melisandre's body.

The Mountain had to stare at him until he disappeared quickly.

The artist Polliver's pursuit of art has a childlike obsession and a sense of black humor.

*

"Gregor, I found that Melisandre has feelings for two men," Janei started again. These topics gradually made the Mountain feel sweet pressure.

He judged that one of the two men Janei said Melisandre had feelings for must be himself, and the other man was used by Janei to cover up, and the real purpose was still to point to himself. He will be traveling east with Melisandre early tomorrow morning. Melisandre is unparalleled in beauty and full of charm. As a wife, it may be normal to have complicated feelings in her heart.

"Which two men?"

"One is our blacksmith knight Gendry Clegane, and the other is you."

"Gendry?!" The Mountain's voice suddenly increased.

"What, did you also discover Melisandre's different look in her eyes?"

"Gendry Clegane's father was Robert Baratheon the First, he possesses royal blood," the Mountain said seriously. Jenny's eyes were truly sharp, discerning Melisandre's unique gaze towards Gendry.

"Melisandre's magical power requires royal blood to enhance it!" Lady Jenny also became vigilant. "Her gaze is like a spice merchant seeing precious spices; she wouldn't want to sacrifice Gendry Clegane, would she?"

"She won't, but she'll most likely want his blood," the Mountain said after a moment of contemplation.

Here, Melisandre wouldn't dare to kill anyone. At least, the Mountain believed she would seek his consent first.

"But the way she looks at you, I find it very complex. She's taken a fancy to you; Melisandre most likely wants to..."

Knock, knock, knock!

The sound of knocking interrupted Lady Jenny's words.

"Who is it?" the Mountain asked.

"My Lord, Lady Melisandre requests an audience," It was One-Eyed Timett, the captain of the guard, who spoke from outside the door.

The Mountain looked at Jenny, and Jenny was also looking at him, her eyes conveying a sentence: "What do you think? Didn't I say Melisandre has different intentions towards you!" Before the Mountain could respond with his eyes, Jenny spoke: "Tomorrow, we're going to the Mountains of the Moon; I want to go with you. Yes, it's settled." She gave the Mountain a sweet smile.

Thanks to [Feng Qian Yue] and [Stars All Over The Sky] for their support and rewards. Thank you, handshake!