The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The Mountain dismounted his Red Smoke Beast before the bronze gates of the Red Keep.

"My lords, what is the situation?" The Mountain's voice boomed, his figure like a giant. The Red Smoke Beast's eyes were as red as blood, its body covered in sweat, like beads of blood.

Grand Maester Qyburn nodded slightly: "Duke, we investigated last night and found that the poison was the strangler."

"The strangler?" The Mountain frowned slightly.

He understood the strangler!

"The strangler is a poison secretly refined by the wizards of Lys. It is expensive. Only powerful nobles have the means to buy it and can afford the price. The strangler is highly toxic and acts quickly, causing the victim's face to contort, veins to bulge, skin to turn red, and expression to become terrifying."

"Yes, Duke," Maester Qyburn said.

Jaime the Kingslayer, the Knight of Flowers, Kevan, and others were all inwardly moved. The Mountain knew the symptoms of poisoning just from the name. When did he become knowledgeable about poisons?!

Jaime was even more alarmed: Did the wizard see something in a prophecy?

The Mountain ignored the slight surprise and unease shown by the Knight of Flowers, Jaime, Kevan, and others. The Mountain knew that the more intelligent, knowledgeable, and calm he appeared, the more uneasy these people would become.

A dog turning into a human was unacceptable unless the dog was so powerful that people had to change their views and admit that it was actually a person.

The Mountain was now changing these people's deeply ingrained perceptions of him.

All situations can be changed; if not, it only means the power is not enough.

Wisdom is also a kind of power!

Of course, the more one reveals their talent, the more envy they attract, inevitably drawing more enemies. Is it better to pretend to be clumsy or to show off one's brilliance? Different personalities have different styles.

"The person who used this poison is afraid others wouldn't know the deceased died from poisoning. The mastermind is very arrogant, feeling confident that they have nothing to fear!" The Mountain said.

"I think so!" Maester Qyburn echoed.

The Knight of Flowers, Jaime, and Kevan were all silent.

The poisoner was targeting everyone in the hall. The pigeon pie was delivered in order by the serving girls to all the nobles' tables. Whoever ate it first would die. Because the strangler was highly toxic and acted quickly, those who didn't eat it in time would be spared.

If Cersei had eaten first, Cersei would have died! If Kevan or Lord Mace had eaten first, Kevan or Mace would have died.

"What food was the strangler put in?"

"Pigeon pie!"

"Oh, that's good." The Mountain visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Duke, why do you say that?" Ser Kevan said blandly, his face expressionless, just like Tywin in his prime.

"The pigeon pie would only be brought out near the end of the seventy-seven-course feast. By then, most people would be full, and those who liked wine would be drunk. There wouldn't be many people who would eat the pigeon pie."

Grand Maester Qyburn's calm expression faltered!

Jaime, the Knight of Flowers, and Kevan also stiffened!

The Mountain's words made perfect sense, a truth that wasn't difficult to discover, but those caught up in the situation were blinded. The Mountain's words immediately awakened everyone.

Lord Varys, the Master of Ships, looked at the Mountain, his eyes filled with fiery sparks.

The Mountain was their king of Crackclaw Point. He greatly admired the wisdom and demeanor of Lord Mountain.

The Red Smoke Beast followed its recognized master, the favorite of the Blood God, who was indeed extraordinary.

The shocking tragedy in King's Landing, and Lord Mountain, before even entering the Red Keep's gate, had already hit the nail on the head, seeing the problem accurately and sharply.

The Mountain looked at Jaime, whose expression was stern, concealing the scrutiny in his gaze. This former young master of the Mountain, after only one night, although his eyes were still sharp, could not hide the hint of fatigue. A strong man like Jaime was not physically weak, but mentally exhausted.

Last night, he must have spent the entire night with Cersei, unable to sleep.

"Ser Jaime," the Mountain said, looking directly into Jaime Lannister's eyes. Jaime was the most skilled swordsman in the Westerlands besides the Mountain, and he also had extraordinary courage.

"…Duke…Lord!" Jaime said. He was still not used to calling the Mountain "Duke." He had been calling the Mountain by his name for more than twenty years, and this change of address felt awkward. The Mountain was no longer the vicious dog he once was. His current status, position, and power were already above Jaime's.

"Before the wedding, I took a great risk of being misunderstood and issued a warning to the Queen Mother," The Mountain said coldly. "Clearly, it did not attract the attention of the Queen Mother and Ser Jaime!"

"No, Duke, we… took the most stringent precautions."

"The Queen Mother's raven summoning me to serve said that you doubled the number of soldiers for protection, and that all guests were not allowed to bring weapons into the venue, but you didn't think the enemy would use poison in the dark? Did no one taste the food?"

The palace would naturally not lack tasters.

Around the Mountain, the chef, maids, and guards were all his sworn loyalists. Despite being surrounded by loyalists, the Mountain still had tasters.

"…Tasters? …Uh… The kitchen has a steward who arranges all the tasters."

"Oh, since it was the strangler, which acts quickly and violently, then none of the tasters were poisoned, am I right?"

The Knight of Flowers was surprised that the Mountain knew so much about the properties of deadly poisons, while Ser Kevan was not just surprised but shocked. The current Mountain and the past Mountain could not possibly be the same person, but this was clearly the same person!

Jaime had to answer the Mountain's question, which made him feel awkward because it was the Mountain asking and he was answering. The Mountain looked down at him, questioning like an interrogation, an interrogation like a reprimand, which made him feel even more—embarrassing pressure. The Mountain was like a lord questioning his vassal…

Jaime controlled his discomfort and said calmly: "Yes, Duke, the steward in the kitchen, the maids and servants who tasted the food, were all unharmed."

"Then, during the process of serving the pigeon pie, everyone who came into contact with the pigeon pie is a suspect and should all be arrested and severely tortured," The Mountain said. "The poisoner must be one or more of them."

"Yes, Duke. After the incident, we also made this deduction… Last night, Ser Bronn, Ser Ilyn, and Ser Loras and I interrogated all the stewards and tasters in the kitchen and even killed two of them, but… they may all be innocent… those people…" Jaime said.

The Mountain's surprised expression was undisguised. "Innocent?" He looked at the Knight of Flowers, Kevan, Varys, and Grand Maester Qyburn with a strange look, as if mocking Jaime for being an idiot. "Ser Jaime, if the Queen Mother had chosen to believe me when she received the warning and appointed me to protect His Majesty the King, I certainly would not have allowed anything to happen to His Majesty the King. Since my wizard told me that she saw the King's misfortune, then, in addition to strengthening the guard against assassination, the food at the wedding must be guaranteed to be free of any problems before the King eats it. Otherwise, what is the use of having tasters?"

The Mountain aggressively blamed Jaime, and the former young master of the Mountain, Jaime, was silent!

His sword was sharpened, and he also sent the six most valiant generals in the royal family to lead the troops, defending the throne room like an iron bucket, but he never thought that the enemy would attack with poison.

Kevan said: "Duke, Tyrion and the Red Viper have been locked in the black cells. Lord Mace said that a public trial should be held immediately to find out the truth of the matter."

"Yes, Lord Kevan, the Queen Mother has summoned me to be responsible for investigating this case. Have you all received the Queen Mother's orders?"

"Yes, my lord!" Jaime, the Knight of Flowers, Varys, Kevan, and Grand Maester Qyburn all said together.

This was the reason the Mountain came to King's Landing.

The Regent Queen Mother Cersei had decided to rely heavily on him. She hoped that the Mountain could find the real culprit behind the scenes and cut the murderer into a thousand pieces.

Before the wedding, the Mountain had specifically warned and volunteered to protect His Majesty the King. Under Jaime's hints and explicit statements, Cersei at the time did not have such a firm stance. She chose Jaime to be responsible for the King's safety without much hesitation. Then, at the wedding, many great nobles died, including two of the most distinguished: Lady Olenna Redwyne, the Queen of Thorns, and the High Septon of the Great Sept of Baelor.

King Joffrey also died tragically and could not be saved.

At the moment Cersei held Joffrey's body, she felt extreme regret!

If time could start again, she would ignore any hints from Jaime and would desperately want the Mountain to be responsible for the safety of King Joffrey.

However, there was no restart.

Cersei had been trembling all night. She told Jaime that the witch had told her that her children would all be wrapped in golden shrouds, and that when she cried, a brother's hand would strangle her to death.

Jaime finally understood why Cersei was determined to kill Tyrion. The witch's prophecy was a major reason. As time went by, the witch's prophecy began to come true, which was indeed terrifying because they still had two children: the innocent Tommen and the pure Myrcella!

The members of the small council also learned last night that the Mountain had warned before the wedding. His news came from the secret arts of the blood wizard: prophecy! However, in order to keep it secret and not alert the enemy, only Grand Maester Qyburn, Ser Jaime, and Queen Mother Cersei knew about the Mountain's advance warning.

Jaime and Cersei had tried their best, but they failed to save Joffrey's life.

The witch's prophecy had come true!

Jaime, who did not believe in witches or prophecies, had also been severely taught a lesson by this major event, so when Cersei was determined to have the Mountain enter the palace to handle this bloody case and serve as the Lord Justiciar to judge the Imp and the Red Viper, he did not express agreement, but he did not object either.

*

A while later, the Mountain, along with Grand Maester Qyburn, Master of Whisperers Kevan, the Knight of Flowers Tyrell, Kingsguard Jaime, and Master of Ships Varys, came to the throne room.

In the throne room, there were more than twenty corpses arranged. The King's body was placed on a high platform, dressed in brocade, wearing a crown, with a golden sword by his side, and two golden dragons placed on his eyes.

The second corpse was that of Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns. She looked kind, dressed in gorgeous robes, with her long silver-gray hair styled high, and two golden dragons also placed on her eyes.

These golden dragons were the toll for people to go to another world!

There were a total of twenty-seven corpses, and each corpse had been carefully made up and decorated by a makeup artist, making them look as if they were asleep.

Queen Mother Cersei stood before Joffrey's coffin, expressionless, her neck raised high, her gaze as cold as ice.

After a brief exchange with the Mountain, Cersei said: "Please allow me to go to the black cells and talk to the Imp and the Red Viper first."

Cersei waved her hand to the left and right, and Jaime, Kevan, and others walked away together, staying far away like the Mountain's attendants.

"Mountain, I want you to kill the Red Viper and the Imp."

"Are they definitely the murderers?"

"Besides them, I can't think of anyone else. If the Tyrell family did it, Lady Olenna wouldn't have died; if someone on our side did it, King Joffrey wouldn't have died; if your people did it, you wouldn't have warned me in advance, so who else could it be? The Imp and the Red Viper have been the closest, and both of them are suspects."

"What if it was just one of them?"

"It's difficult to figure out who exactly administered the poison, so everyone who is a suspect should die, so that the murderer won't escape."

"Princess Myrcella is in Dorne?"

"I will exchange Princess Myrcella for the lives of more than three hundred Dornishmen."

"More than three hundred Dornishmen? Unfortunately, most of them are servants, and their lives are not worth much."

"What about the Red Viper's life? The Red Viper's life plus the lives of more than three hundred Dornishmen in exchange for Princess Myrcella. Do you think Doran would be willing to make this exchange?"

"He definitely will!"

"I also know he will, so the Red Viper must be convicted of a capital crime first."

"What about the evidence?"

"You go find it. If you can't find it, then fabricate it yourself."

The Mountain shook his head slightly.

"Can't you do it?"

"I can do it. Fabricating evidence is easy, but don't forget that we still have the Imp. He won't sit idly by and watch himself be convicted and then hanged. He will definitely demand a trial by combat in the end."

"Then kill his champion in the trial by combat."

"Queen Mother, are you ordering me to kill Jaime?"

Cersei was stunned!

Then she realized that she had found the right person. In a short conversation, the Mountain's mind was quick and his thinking was agile. The Mountain had indeed received the favor of the Seven Gods. This was the second person Cersei knew who had suddenly opened his mind. The first was the two-time Hand of the King in this palace, the noble bastard, Brynden Rivers, Bloodraven. (The Three-Eyed Raven in the TV series)

"Mountain, since I have come to you, you have to find a way to solve this problem."

"Alright, I'll solve it," The Mountain said.

"How to solve it?"

"I'll go to the black cells first and talk to the Red Viper and the Imp. Queen Mother, please rest assured, if you want the Red Viper and the Imp to die, I will definitely do it."

"But what if they offer to put on the black?"

"Queen Mother, it depends on what you want, whether you must have them dead, no matter how they respond. You just give the order, and I'll do it."

"I… want… them… dead!" Cersei said, one word at a time.

"Then they will surely die!"

Thanks to 【xiaoyu.wd】【Chau534】【丶灬我是混混】 for the reward, thank you, handshake!