The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Beneath the stone bed, Littlefinger indeed discovered an inconspicuous hollow.

As the stone bed was slowly lifted by mechanical force, even the Mountain, who had anticipated this scene, was still shocked, because it involved the science of mechanics.

Mechanics include gears, chains, the extension and retraction of supporting pillars, and the lubrication of machinery. Iron machinery rusts over time, and Maegor the Cruel, who built this underground labyrinth, has been dead for over two hundred years.

Maegor's Holdfast and the underground tunnels were completed in 45 AC, 253 years ago. How did the ironware used by the craftsmen Maegor hired back then be smelted?

Such a long period of time also involves the rusting, wear, and aging of machinery.

However, the small supporting mechanism under Varys' stone bed has not been damaged for more than two hundred years. This is a demonstration of amazing scientific ability. This is the power of science!

Although the war for the Seven Kingdoms is about to begin, war is about spending money. Trade in King's Landing and other port cities has not been interrupted, but is operating even faster. The demand for various trades has not decreased, but has instead increased. Even though Stannis Baratheon has blockaded the sea from Dragonstone in the outer sea, trying to cut off King's Landing's trade, many merchant ships still enter and leave Blackwater Bay every day.

On the surface, it seems that everything has not been affected yet.

Merchants and captains have chosen to detour, traveling along the coastline, and choose to pass through Dragonstone's blockade during the gaps in the patrol warships at midnight.

While war brings destruction, it also brings unstoppable business opportunities.

This reminded the Mountain of the noodle shop in Lannisport that was making a fortune. Any merchant, captain, nobleman, knight, and mercenary who passed through Lannisport had to find a way to go to Ser Addam Lannister's famous noodle shop to spend a silver stag to eat a bowl of the highly renowned Westerling Noodles, and buy a pair of never-before-seen carved chopsticks to take back and show off before leaving.

There are even more wealthy merchants, nobles from all over the world, island princes, princes, governors, knights, and mercenaries coming and going in King's Landing. The path to making money cannot be interrupted just because Edmure has summoned the Riverlands' vassals. This is like the prostitutes in the Westerlands and the Riverlands, whose business is even more booming because of the war.

The Mountain made up his mind that he had to remind Ser Addam Lannister to open a second noodle shop in King's Landing according to the plan. The royal courtiers have already tasted the benefits of sterile milk, and noodles once caused a sensation in the royal family, but only Clegane's new village has this mechanical ability to produce noodles.

The floating population and wealthy people in King's Landing far exceed those in Lannisport. Flour can be ground locally in King's Landing, noodle-making machines can be built in King's Landing, and raw materials can be found here. As long as there is investment and people are arranged, there will be a constant stream of money to be made.

When the war reaches a certain point, it is a battle of money, materials, and manpower. No matter how the war goes, trade in King's Landing will not stop, so the noodle business should also continue to expand, and at least a second one should be opened in King's Landing.

Killing, arson, and making money should not be delayed. This is the correct way to face this world.

*

The Mountain and the Hound accompanied Cersei to see the passage under the stone bed. Seeing a stone bed weighing nearly a thousand pounds rise up with a creak, everyone showed a surprised expression.

A staircase leading to the depths of the underground slowly appeared under the stone bed.

Cersei walked closer to look, and suddenly a gust of cold air came out of the entrance of the underground passage, causing Cersei to shiver. Cersei took a step back, with a look of disgust on her face, and said, "Hound, go down and take a look!"

"Yes, Your Grace the Queen Mother!"

The Hound drew his long sword and asked the guards to bring torches, and was the first to walk down with his sword.

Several red-robed warriors also followed closely behind.

The news that an underground passage was discovered in Varys' stone room spread, and Prince Joffrey and Sansa also came, with Sansa's best friend Jeyne Poole following beside her. The little girl's face became sharp, and the sadness in her eyes faded a lot. Her father was killed in the Tower of the Hand, which gave her simple mind the sharpest stimulation.

The Mountain noticed that Sansa's expression was less pure and more indifferent. There were still scars on her beaten face, which she cleverly covered with half a piece of embroidered silk scarf.

Joffrey I, as always, had the corners of his mouth upturned, with a contemptuous smile on his face. No one could tell who he was despising, maybe even the air, water, and food were not in his eyes.

He is the supreme king, and that is very important.

As powerful as the Mountain, invincible, now he obediently listens to his mother and his orders.

He is the king, and the rest are all scum!

"Did Varys escape from here?" Joffrey asked with interest. His eyes were not looking at any courtiers. He was asking, and no one could tell who he was asking, maybe he was asking everyone, including this stone bed.

The courtiers were all cautious, and no one took the initiative to answer His Majesty the King's question. Although the king was young, twelve years old, he was tall, exceeding the height of the average fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, and his character was also unpredictable. There were many courtiers, and everyone pretended to be confused, pretending that the king had not specifically asked me anyway.

But there are still people who are not afraid of death and are not afraid of causing trouble: Littlefinger!

"Your Majesty, Varys escaped from here, unless there is a second passage here," Littlefinger said with a smile.

The king's smile was supreme, with contempt and ridicule for others, as if everyone but the king was a fool; and Littlefinger's smile was narrow, as if everyone but him could only be ridiculed.

"Why can't there be a second passage here?" the king said with great interest. "Littlefinger, look for it, there must be a second passage here." The king waved his hand, including the entire area in front of and behind the stone house.

"As you wish, Your Majesty!" Littlefinger nodded and bowed, not caring about the contemptuous gazes of Beric Dondarrion and the red priest Thoros. Many courtiers also cast contemptuous glances at him, but Littlefinger ignored them all and did not change his expression.

Littlefinger ordered the guards to find a wooden stick and began to carefully tap the ground.

"What are you doing?" Joffrey asked with a smile.

"Your Majesty, if there is another passage entrance underground, an echo will sound in the place that is hit."

A hint of surprise flashed in Joffrey's eyes, and he said, "Bring the wooden stick, I want to find another entrance myself. Sansa, you come too."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," Sansa said mechanically and coldly.

Littlefinger cleverly left the middle position to the young king, because he knew that there would be a major discovery on the ground in the front living room. Letting His Majesty the King discover it would make him very happy and further enhance his sense of omnipotence; if he were to discover it himself, the king would be very disappointed.

Only a fool would disappoint the king, and Littlefinger is not a fool.

Littlefinger needs to make the king happy. If the king is happy, he will think that Littlefinger is a good courtier, even a good playmate, and a trustworthy friend.

The Mountain stood beside Queen Mother Cersei, watching Littlefinger skillfully please His Majesty the King with a blank expression. In order to save Eddard Stark, the Mountain had to let Varys go, because in the end Varys would not be able to clear his name, and at most it would only delay him for a few days. Even if he could deceive Cersei and Joffrey and get rid of Pycelle, he would not be able to deceive Tywin in the Westerlands.

Once the news reached the Westerlands, Duke Tywin would immediately think that Varys had let Eddard go.

The Mountain was confident that he could deceive others, but it would be difficult to deceive Tywin on the matter of Eddard!

The only way was to kill everyone involved; if he didn't want to kill Varys, then he could only let him leave.

In order to have a good foundation for meeting Daenerys in the future, the Mountain decided to let Daenerys' two henchmen go: Varys and Illyrio.

With the two guys disappearing without a trace like Eddard, the Mountain could rest easy.

*

The Mountain coldly watched Sansa, Joffrey, and Littlefinger line up and tap the ground with wooden sticks, walking forward in unison. He naturally knew all the mechanisms in Varys' room. As for Cersei, she was waiting a little anxiously for the Hound to return from underground to report the situation.

Cersei was anxious, perhaps thinking about Jaime Lannister in Golden Tooth.

The Mountain's gaze was noticed by Lancel, who turned sideways and met the Mountain's gaze. The Mountain did not avoid it at all, and the warning and threat in his eyes were not concealed: Boy, I know your little secret.

Lancel was shocked, immediately turned his head, avoided the Mountain's gaze, and his face was unnaturally red.

"Coco Coco!" A hollow sound came from the ground.

Everything was as Littlefinger and the Mountain had expected. Joffrey tapped on a place on the ground where there was an echo. A look of triumph appeared on his face. He first looked at Sansa, then at Littlefinger, and said with a smile, "See what I told you? There's more than one secret passage here. You all underestimated Varys."

Littlefinger showed the surprised expression that the king expected to see: "Your Majesty is wise and intelligent. You found another secret of Varys as soon as you arrived. So many of us didn't discover it. Tsk tsk, Your Majesty is really amazing!"

"Here, here, and here!" The wooden stick in Joffrey's hand tapped coco, and the echoes on the ground were hollow and agitated. The corners of his mouth curled up higher, and the smile on his face shone with brilliance, as if he had led an army to a great victory.

Littlefinger was eloquent, saying sweet words and coaxing Joffrey into ecstasy. Joffrey waved his hand: "Meryn Trant, come over and dig this open."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Meryn Trant drew his long sword, came over and inserted the long sword into the ground, and pried open the floor. Soon, a black coffin appeared in the pit underground.

Everyone was stunned.

Cersei immediately rushed up, pulled Joffrey away, and stood in front of Joffrey.

The Mountain knew that Cersei was genuinely fond of Joffrey. Her only kindness might be in treating her three children.

Littlefinger knew very well that the switch to open the floor above the coffin was on the wall. He had personally seen Varys open and close it. The workers who demolished the stone house wall did not trigger the mechanism. They really were just here to demolish the wall.

The black coffin did not make the strange noise that Littlefinger expected. He knew that the coffin contained the dark wizard whose manhood Varys had cut off. Littlefinger had already avoided it to the side.

In the middle of the coffin lid was a movable wooden board with copper buckles hanging on it. A lock was hanging on the copper buckles. Next to the lock was a small nail nailed on, and a key was hanging on the nail. This was exactly the same as when Littlefinger first saw the coffin.

Joffrey was not afraid and was eager to try, but Cersei would not allow him to go forward.

"Open the coffin, open it quickly."

The Mountain knew that cremation was popular in many parts of Westeros, water burial was popular in the Riverlands, earth burial was rare, and coffins were relatively rare objects.

Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard opened the coffin, and a stench rushed out, causing Meryn Trant to almost faint.

The stench spread, causing the Queen Mother, the King, the courtiers, and the noble ladies to cover their noses and cough, and everyone retreated rapidly.

Inside the coffin, curled up was a naked, filthy, and dirty skeleton; a bloodless, muscle-less face with skin wrapped around bones; a pair of black, turbid, pleading, fearful, wide-eyed eyes sunken in their sockets; and a crossbow bolt with only the tail of the arrow shaft remaining in the center of the heart.

This person was dead, with a face full of humility and horror.

No one knew who this person was?

The wizard's black robe that could identify his identity had been taken away by Varys.

Sansa screamed in fright and ran away, hiding with Jeyne Poole at the farthest end of the crowd.

Who was the person killed by Varys in the coffin? In the end, no one could know. He and the disappearance of Eddard Stark and the Spider Varys became an unsolvable mystery in the Red Keep of King's Landing.

*

Before one wave subsides, another rises.

An apprentice scholar from the Citadel ran up panting and knelt down: "Your Grace the Queen Mother, Your Majesty the King, Grand Maester Pycelle has been... been... killed."

"Where?" Cersei shouted sharply.

Pycelle was the most loyal important minister of the Lannisters. He had worked with Tywin for twenty years and regarded Tywin as an idol. Tywin also received Pycelle's secret reports and knew many things about King's Landing like the back of his hand. Such an important dog was killed?!

"In... in... in..." The apprentice scholar was still a teenager, and he couldn't speak smoothly in front of everyone. Half of it was exhaustion, and half of it was fear.

Clang!

Joffrey's sword was drawn: "You can't even speak clearly, how can you be an apprentice scholar? You are useless!" The king's sword was raised, and Queen Mother Cersei quickly stopped him: "Wait a minute, let him finish speaking."

Joffrey's sword pointed at the young apprentice.

The apprentice scholar was so frightened that his soul flew away: "Your Grace the Queen Mother, Your Majesty the King, the Grand Maester... the Grand Maester... was killed on the floor of his bedroom..."

"Who killed him?" Joffrey asked righteously.

"...I...I..."

"You!" Joffrey was furious, and his sword fell, but he missed.

The apprentice scholar saw the king's sword coming and was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground, avoiding a fierce chop from the king's anger.

The Mountain's face was stern, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, we should go to the Citadel to see the scene quickly." His voice was thunderous, and it immediately suppressed the various discussions at the scene.

Queen Mother Cersei grabbed Joffrey and said in a low and stern voice: "Pay attention to your dignity. His Majesty the King does not swing a sword to chop people. Chopping people is the job of the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard."

Joffrey resentfully sheathed his sword: "Ilyn Payne, chop this guy to death for me."

The king's order surprised everyone! Cersei also spoke out to stop him, but the king was determined!

Clang!

Ilyn Payne drew his greatsword with both hands!

Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, Ilyn Payne's greatsword swept across, and the apprentice scholar's head rolled to the ground, and the blood from his neck spurted out a long way.