The Mountain of Ice and Fire

“Jaime, where is your end?” The Mountain drained his wine in one gulp, tossed the goblet onto the table, the goblet rolling across the table before crashing onto the marble floor with a shattering sound, the glass breaking into pieces.

The Mountain's arms were as thick as tree trunks, his shoulders as broad as walls. He was not human; he was merely a giant bear draped in human skin. This giant bear stood up, looking down at Jaime Lannister, who seemed like a half-grown child.

The Mountain's rage was unmatched!

Jaime was not afraid, but a flicker of confusion crossed his eyes. Honestly, he did not know where his end lay.

“Jaime!” The Mountain said in a deep voice, “I know where your end is!”

“Oh?!”

The Mountain reached out, his finger pointing towards the door.

“What do you mean, are you going to throw me out?”

“Across the Narrow Sea!”

“Across the Narrow Sea?” A mocking smile spread across Jaime's face. Who was he mocking? The Mountain, himself, his family, or the kingdom? Perhaps all of them. “My home is Casterly Rock in the Westerlands.” Jaime's heart grew cold. This test revealed the Mountain's ambition. The Mountain actually thought he should leave Westeros and wander across the Narrow Sea? Was the Mountain offering him a way out? This was too arrogant. But that was the Mountain, Jaime knew that.

“Jaime, do you believe in prophecies?” The Mountain wore an all-knowing expression.

“I never believe in gods!” Jaime responded flatly. His helplessness was intertwined with the growing distance between him and Cersei! Cersei wanted to grant the Mountain the positions of Warden of the North and Warden of the East to secure his loyalty, but he was firmly opposed, though his opposition was ineffective.

“I have seen fragments of prophecies. In the prophecies, I and you were riding dragons and flying across the skies of the North; in the prophecies, Daenerys crossed the sea and fiercely attacked King's Landing, King's Landing eventually falling; in the prophecies, the Iron Throne was ultimately empty; in the season of winter, the throne room was a ruin, and the Iron Throne was gone…”

“Empty? The throne vanished?”

The Mountain stared at Jaime: “You don't believe in gods, nor do you believe in prophecies, so there's no need to ask why it would be empty, nor ask why the Iron Throne disappeared in the season of winter, because I don't know the reason either.”

Jaime snorted coldly, half-believing the Mountain's words!

“Mountain, I'm not worried about Daenerys crossing the sea, I'm worried about you. You have become the most dangerous person in the kingdom.” Jaime said slowly. His gaze went to the door, where the four brothers all had their hands on their sword hilts. Jaime's warning was strong.

The Mountain also glanced at the door, he didn't care at all: “Jaime, are you hiding this from Cersei, wanting to kill me here? If that's the case, I know this is your own action!” The Mountain's eyes held a playful smile. This smile was a form of the deepest contempt.

“I have allies.” Jaime's tone was firm.

“You have no allies. You wanted to form a true alliance with Mace Tyrell, but Mace is not a truly trustworthy person, he has no loyalty; Lord Rosby publicly admitted that Rosamund and his nephew were not engaged, so Rosby is not your ally either. Cersei is focused on marrying me and doesn't want to start a war. If you want to use force here, it must be unrelated to Cersei, so Cersei won't be your ally either. Jaime, you are alone. The only brothers you can trust are the four Kingsguard outside your door. Do you really think your five swords can handle my one sword?”

Jaime's eyes flickered, and he said slowly: “Mountain, five swords are four more than one!”

The Mountain smiled slightly: “Jaime, I can kill all five of you with one sword; or I don't need to use a sword at all, I just need to issue a dragon command, and the sheep stealer will arrive here in a heartbeat. I jump out the window and I'm on his back. Dragonfire will turn Maegor's Holdfast into liquid in a very short time. Jaime, you are very brave, but I won't accept your warning, because I only warn others. Your suspicion of me is a sword, reminding me not to be so loyal to the Lannister family anymore. But be careful, the sword of your suspicion is likely to hurt Cersei, Tommen, and Myrcella, and of course, yourself.”

The Mountain's eloquence was flowing, making Jaime feel even more hopeless!

The Mountain was too strong now! Not just his sword and army, but also his wisdom, insight, and eloquence!

“Mountain, you are now a calculating and clever man. If you want to burn down Maegor's Holdfast, it has already been burned down the moment you entered the Red Keep. You can also burn down the Red Keep, but you will also burn away the goodwill and support of the Seven Kingdoms' citizens and nobles with one fire. Mountain, you and I both know that the White Walkers' army is coming from the North, you and I both know that it is a life-and-death battle for the human race. At this time, what you need is royal stability, not chaos. If the royal family is in chaos at this time, each of us will be a loser, and the only beneficiary is the White Walkers that Cersei still refuses to believe in. I know you won't resort to violence, because I won't either.” Jaime said calmly.

Jaime wasn't stupid! He just lacked patience. In some ways, he couldn't calm his heart to carefully consider and weigh things. He acted aggressively, decisively, and simply, which was one of the reasons why he was captured alive by Robb Stark.

Jaime saw that in this special period, the Mountain was using the political legitimacy of the royal family to seek his own greatest political interests and military power. The Mountain was no longer a mindless brute, he was no longer a street thug.

He was more like a politician now.

The Mountain, who was staring at Jaime, suddenly smiled slightly, seemingly about to sit down, but suddenly took action, lifting Jaime up across the table. This action was extremely fast, and his arms were unexpectedly long. When the four Kingsguard outside the door rushed in with their swords drawn, Jaime had already been lifted into the air by the Mountain, his throat choked, unable to move.

The Mountain's fingers were like steel hooks, locking Jaime's neck, suddenly cutting off his breath, turning his face purple in an instant!

He only needed to pinch lightly, and Jaime would gain eternal glory!

“Jaime, I'm telling you now, my end is in the North.” The Mountain said slowly, he shook his arm, and Jaime flew backward, like throwing a toy doll. With a loud bang, Jaime crashed into Little Mountain Osmund Kettleblack. Osmund was immensely strong, he dropped his longsword and reached out to catch Jaime, but the huge inertial impact caused him to stagger backward, with a loud crash, smashing the entire glass door. With a thud, the two fell together in the broken glass.

Their faces and palms were slashed by the sharp edges of the broken glass, blood flowing freely!

Garlan Tyrell, Balon Swann, and Arys Oakheart all pointed their swords at the Mountain, but they were all pointing vaguely, outside the range of attack.

The three were not in an attacking stance, but in a defensive one!

They were defending against the Mountain rushing over to harm the two brothers on the ground!

The three men and three swords did not approach the Mountain!

This proved that Jaime had no intention of starting a war, but he was a Lannister, the heir to Casterly Rock, the Mountain's nominal head of house. The Mountain wanted to move the fattest piece of meat in the Lannister family's territory, so as the eldest son of the Lannister family, he stood up and warned the Mountain!

This was an attitude, but it was also a signal of the Lannister family's decline!

Jaime felt he had to do it!

A Lannister always pays his debts! But the current Lannisters were already strong on the outside but weak on the inside!

Jaime felt that he had to act!

A Lannister always pays his debts! But the current Lannisters were already strong on the outside but weak on the inside!

The Mountain sat down, swept the cups, plates, and bowls on the table with his arm, with a clatter, all the fruits, wine glasses, bowls, and plates were swept to the ground, many porcelain bowls were shattered. In front of him, a clean tabletop was revealed. He took a wine glass, poured some Arbor Gold wine, shook it, took a big sip, smacked his lips, and shouted: “Why aren't you rolling, while I'm still in a good mood?”

Ser Osmund had already stood up, but Jaime was still lying on the ground, his throat making a hissing sound. He was on the verge of fainting from suffocation, being thrown out forcefully by the Mountain and colliding with Osmund, the force of the impact rebounded, making it impossible for him to regulate his breathing in a short time. The brothers were experienced and stayed by his side, waiting for him to recover.

“Jaime, I'm going north to fight the White Walkers, I'll have the Queen Mother send you to me, to be my deputy! I'll send you to the place with the most White Walkers.” The Mountain said, his voice echoing in the Queen Mother's Ballroom.

Jaime finally stood up, his breathing not fully restored, a purple face turning pale green!

He suddenly felt so naive, his words and actions to warn the Mountain, now seemed like the words and actions of the naive King Tommen in his eyes.

He began to doubt himself, he lost his confidence, perhaps Cersei's marriage alliance was really the best and most effective strategy.

Jaime turned and walked out, without saying a word.

“Jaime, let me remind you, everyone who plots against me has died, no matter who he is.” The Mountain shouted at Jaime's back. Jaime's back stiffened noticeably!

From beginning to end, Bronn Clegane had been lying in his seat without moving until Jaime and his party had left completely, then he slowly raised his head: “Lord Mountain, the pyromancer guild's Grand Sage has entered the Red Keep to see you, I've arranged for him to be in your stone cell.”

This kid was also a drama queen, he had been waiting here all along, just to tell the Mountain about this.

“Grand Sage? What's the matter?”

“He said he would only say it if he met you.”

“Okay, then let's go back.”

“Yes, my lord.”

*

The courtier building area, the Mountain's stone cell, the Mountain met the Grand Sage.

The Grand Sage and the Mountain had already known each other during the Battle of the Blackwater three years ago. His large beard was even whiter, the wrinkles on his face were even deeper, but there was a different kind of bright light in those old eyes, like a vagrant who had suddenly become rich.

After exchanging greetings and taking their seats, the Mountain was about to speak, but the Grand Sage made a gesture of silence. He showed a mysterious smile, raised his large thumb, and had the Mountain and Bronn watch. Suddenly, a spark of fire appeared out of nowhere on the tip of that finger, like a candle flame.

Bronn laughed: “Grand Sage, a trick?”

The Mountain's heart stirred. According to some trajectory information he knew from before his transmigration, it was said that when dragons were born, magic would revive. Was this the pyromancer's incantation reviving?!

The Grand Sage smiled, and a second finger extended. Without warning, a flame burned on the tip of his index finger, then the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger. In the end, all ten of the Grand Sage's fingers were burning with candle-like flames on their tips.

“Lord Bronn, want to try?” The Grand Sage said with a smile.

“Try what?”

“Whether it's a trick or an illusion, the temperature of this flame won't be high.” The Grand Sage tilted his head, gesturing with his eyes for Bronn to extend his hand.

Bronn extended his hand, his palm lightly touching the flame. He cried out in alarm, feeling as if he had been severely stung by a poisonous bee, painful to the heart.

“Magic flame, real flame, Lord Mountain, it is the birth of your dragon that has brought about the revival of the magic power of pyromancy.” The Grand Sage's face was filled with radiance.

“Congratulations, Grand Sage!” The Mountain quickly congratulated him.

*

As expected, as he had expected, the birth of the dragon, the revival of magic. Wizards, priests, witches, alchemists, prophets, shapeshifters… the various abilities of these people will be strengthened, and there will be a high frequency of ordinary people becoming shapeshifters and shapeshifters transforming into prophets… This suddenly reminded him of a person in the Stark family of the North: Bran Stark – the disciple of the Three-Eyed Raven, and eventually he was no longer Bran, he became the Three-Eyed Raven himself.

The Three-Eyed Raven, the incarnation of Bloodraven Brynden Rivers! After years of cultivation, he almost pierced through time and space. He possessed the Three-Eyed Raven and traveled to various places, able to return to the past and foresee the future through dreams, thereby making corresponding strategies to deal with it.

The Grand Sage noticed the strangeness of Lord Mountain. He didn't know that the Mountain was thinking of Bran Stark, he thought that the Mountain was shocked by his flame performance.

“Lord Mountain, we can make wildfire without using yellow sand anymore, we can ignite or extinguish wildfire with incantations.” The Grand Sage took out a small glass bottle from his bosom, which contained a small bottle of green liquid. The green liquid turned the glass body green as well.

“Lord Mountain, you shake it, the wildfire will not spontaneously combust, nor will it explode.” The Grand Sage was very excited.

The Mountain took the wildfire bottle very gently. Bronn got up and moved away. The Mountain and Bronn both knew that wildfire was extremely unstable and they didn't dare to use smooth glass bottles to hold it, because it would easily spontaneously combust and explode with a shake. As long as a little bit of wildfire stuck to someone, and there was no yellow sand around him, he would be burned to ashes by the wildfire before the flame went out.

A chill rose in the Mountain's heart. If the Grand Sage was bribed to assassinate him, this would be the best way. If he refused, it would seem too timid, which would be detrimental to his honor.

The Mountain carefully handed the small bottle back to the Grand Sage: “Grand Sage, I dare not.”

The Mountain would never be burdened by honor, reputation, or face! It was right not to do things that he was not sure of!

The Grand Sage was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly. He looked at the Mountain, and the Mountain was calm and composed, not caring about being laughed at by the Grand Sage.

The Grand Sage took the glass bottle, held it in his hand, and shook it vigorously. A miracle happened, the green liquid swayed, rotated, and impacted in the glass bottle, but it did not spontaneously combust, nor did it explode.

In the past, as long as the range of motion was slightly too large, the wildfire would burn with a whoosh.

"The secrets of pyromancy have been fully restored! The time it takes to produce wildfire will be reduced exponentially, and its power will increase exponentially. Just imagine, Lord Mountain, if we transport wildfire to the North and lay an ambush along the path the White Walkers are sure to take..." The Grand Maester's eyes shone like starlight. "Lord Mountain, the Guild of Pyromancers will send a team of Sages to accompany you north. Let us ignite the wildfire amidst the wights and White Walkers."

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