The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Daenerys saw such noodles for the first time.

She had never even heard the name 'dried noodles' before.

Each noodle was the same size, the same length, and neatly arranged.

How could this be done? Whose hands could be so skillful as to knead the dough and pull out such uniform noodles one by one? This was simply black magic.

"These can be eaten raw!" The Mountain pulled out a noodle. His fingers were very thick, yet he managed to pull out a single strand, and the thin noodle did not break under his large fingers.

The Mountain put the noodle in his mouth, signaling Daenerys to try it as well.

Daenerys's fingers were slender and white, like jade.

She pulled out a noodle, held it up, and examined it closely.

Was it made from the finest white flour?

More importantly, no matter how skillful someone was, how was it actually done?

Were there eggs and edible spices in it?

Daenerys slowly brought it closer to her nose, and indeed, there was a very faint scent, a comfortable fragrance.

Daenerys put the noodle in her small mouth, the exquisite taste of snow salt stimulated her taste buds, and with a gentle bite, the noodle was crunchy and crisp—the texture was simply superb!

Daenerys's eyes lit up: "Westerling Dried Noodles?"

"Your Majesty, the name of the dried noodles is the name of the Mountain's father-in-law's family," Littlefinger said respectfully.

"Oh. Did Jeyne Westerling invent it again?"

"I came up with it, my lady." The Mountain took out another delicate little gift box. The surface of the box was gilded and silver-plated, engraved with dragon patterns, looking luxurious and beautiful. "Your Majesty, it is more appropriate to use chopsticks when eating dried noodles, not knives and forks and small knives."

Special food? Special utensils?

"Chopsticks?!"

This was another completely new name!

Daenerys had never heard of it!

Could there be other utensils for eating?

This was a question Daenerys had never considered. She felt incredible. How could there be different tableware for eating? How could one not use knives and forks and small knives?

Looking at this little gift box, exquisite and beautiful, what kind of magical thing were the chopsticks inside?

Daenerys's beautiful eyes widened.

Arianne Martell said, "Your Majesty, let me open the box for you."

"Okay, thank you, Arianne!"

Barristan and Jorah both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The little gift box looked very beautiful, but what if there was something harmful to the Queen inside?

Barristan had once saved the Queen once when a small brocade box was opened, and inside was a highly poisonous scorpion beast. Jorah had also saved the Queen many times; in Slaver's Bay, there were many slave owners who assassinated the Queen through various means.

Arianne opened the little gift box, and inside was a pair of gold-inlaid jade chopsticks, beautiful and radiant.

"Your Majesty, these are gold-inlaid jade chopsticks. The round end in the front is jade, and the square end in the back is gold. The round shape symbolizes the sky, and the square shape symbolizes the earth. The round shape is convenient for picking up food and cleaning, and the square shape is convenient for putting down the chopsticks without them rolling," the Mountain said. He took out another pair of ivory-carved chopsticks and made a standard chopstick-holding motion. "Your Majesty, this is how you hold chopsticks."

Daenerys picked up the gold-inlaid jade chopsticks. The chopsticks were smooth and slightly heavy, and the polishing was as fine as a mirror. On the chopsticks, the elongated and distorted shadow of her was projected.

She had never seen such tableware. She was still a teenage girl, and on her face, the Queen's majesty faded, and the girl's curiosity, anticipation, and surprise faintly appeared.

Could these two thin objects pick up food?

How was that possible?

Daenerys began to learn how to hold chopsticks!

She had never held chopsticks, never seen chopsticks, and her movements were clumsy and uncoordinated, even though she possessed a pair of hands as beautiful as jade. Her way of holding the chopsticks was wrong, even though she had been doing it very seriously according to the way the Mountain taught her.

The Mother of Dragons, who had never seen chopsticks and had never held chopsticks, showed a girlish smile on her face as she learned to hold chopsticks.

Without a doubt, every gift the Mountain brought her was beyond her expectations, and every one was exquisite, a miracle, surprising her...

"Your Majesty, if possible, I can cook a bowl of noodles for you now, and then teach you how to use these chopsticks to pick up the food," the Mountain said.

Daenerys had a girlish look of eagerness, and she looked at Barristan, Jorah, Jhogo, Rakharo, and the guards. Everyone was looking at these unheard-of objects on the table with surprised expressions.

The Mountain could actually cook delicious food?

His hands were so rough, those were hands for killing, shouldn't they be best suited for gripping the hilt of a greatsword?

"Okay, Mountain, I have time," Daenerys said.

The Mountain brought her completely new feelings that were different from the rumors!

In the rumors, the Mountain was synonymous with terror and brutality, he was bloodthirsty like a beast!

However—he brought paper that was more civilized and advanced than the current parchment—he said that the cost of making this plant-based paper was low, and as long as it was mass-produced, even the children of ordinary people could afford to read books.

He cared about the children of ordinary people and hoped that the children could all read books?

How was that possible?!

He also invented the recipe for Westerling Dried Noodles himself? He also said that he invented these gold-inlaid jade chopsticks?

Was this still the brutal villain who was addicted to killing?

Varys and Tyrion had always advocated that the Mountain must be killed, because wherever he went, he brought terror and blood.

But today's negotiation, the gifts that the Mountain brought to Daenerys were—paper samples, snow salt, dried noodles, chopsticks—

He would also cook a bowl of noodles for Her Majesty himself—

The Mountain could cook?

How was that possible?

But the captain, under the Mountain's command, had already set up a large iron pot on the deck, the iron pot was filled with fresh water, and a large fire was lit below.

Daenerys looked at Littlefinger, Arianne, Barristan, Jorah, and others. She saw that Arianne also had a surprised look on her face, which indicated that the event of the Mountain cooking noodles for her was not in the prior negotiations, it was a temporary interlude.

How could the Mountain, a man as burly as a mountain, as fierce as a beast, and as strong as a giant, have such a delicate side like a young girl?!

"Your Majesty, when cooking noodles, you must boil the water first, you can't put the noodles in cold water first," the Mountain untied the golden ribbon, pulled out the noodles, threw the noodles into the boiling water, and then stirred with his ivory chopsticks to prevent the noodles from sticking together. "There are at least twenty ways and methods to make noodles. If you match different seasonings, you can make hundreds of different flavors of pasta."

"Hundreds of kinds?"

"Yes, hundreds of kinds!"

"Have you tried it?" Daenerys was deeply suspicious.

"I have tried it, Your Majesty. If we can reach a peace agreement, if you are willing to accept my proposal, I can come to your home as a guest and make some more delicious food for you, including pasta with different flavors and methods. I only want peace, I want a truly equal world without the existence of a slave system, without the existence of a Pentos servants market. The Sea Lord of Braavos and Pentos and other cities have been at war for many years, forcing Pentos and other city-states to sign laws abolishing slavery, but that is just an illusion. Pentos no longer has slaves, but a servants market has sprung up, which is actually a slave market. The legal status of servants is the same as that of slaves under the past slave system."

The Mountain began to sell his political ideals while cooking noodles!

Daenerys was a queen who deeply hated the slave system, and she hated oppression. The Mountain talked to her about equality and the variants of the slave system, to find common ground between the two sides.

The Mountain's words shocked Daenerys, Tyrion, and Barristan.

The Mountain's words, in just a few sentences, spoke of things that they did not say but admitted in their hearts.

Regarding the servants market in Pentos and other city-states, Tyrion and Barristan both believed that it was actually the slave system, but Pentos and other city-states no longer called slaves slaves, but instead called them servants. Why did Tyrion Lannister, Barristan Selmy, and Daenerys Targaryen not abolish the servant system in Pentos, Lys, and other city-states? This involved the interests of too many governors, princes, and noble forces, and they still needed the recognition and help of the Free Trade Cities.

Braavos was willing to go to war with Pentos and other city-states to abolish slavery, so why didn't they insist on abolishing the later-emerging servant system? Because the Sea Lord also knew it was too difficult, and it was good to see the good, so let's just close one eye and let it go. If they continued to fight, Braavos actually couldn't afford it anymore.

But the Mountain, while cooking noodles, openly tore off that layer of hypocritical political fig leaf.

The Mountain's ambition was not in this small place of Westeros, nor was it only focused on the competition for the Iron Throne. He stood at a higher level. This height surpassed everyone present. For a semi-pastoral and semi-agricultural world, the Mountain came from a place with a level of civilization several levels higher—Earth's technological civilization.

What the Mountain proposed was what Queen Daenerys had been insisting on: abolishing slavery!

"Mountain, the Pentos city-state is on the other side of the Narrow Sea, and has nothing to do with the Westeros continent," Daenerys's girlish smile disappeared, and she regained the Queen's coldness and majesty.

"Your Majesty, you are the liberator of slaves. If we are peaceful allies, if you want to abolish the slave system in Pentos and other city-states, I can help."

Daenerys glared at the Mountain, and she thought of the words of the Green Prophet Bran Stark: "The Mountain's ambition is in the Westeros continent and the Essos continent. He will launch a full-scale war and be the king of the two continents."

Her goal was to seize the Iron Throne, while the Mountain's goal was to seize the supreme ruling power of the two continents.

His heart was punishable!

Daenerys watched the Mountain use ivory chopsticks to put the noodles into a large bowl. His movements were skilled, and he used the chopsticks fluently and skillfully. He didn't put any seasonings in the soup, only snow salt. Snow salt was already the best seasoning. For Daenerys, who had never eaten snow salt and dried noodles, this was already the best delicacy.

The flour used to make the dried noodles was all carefully selected top-quality flour, with a delicate and smooth taste, which was many levels higher than the black bread flour on the market. Dried noodles were a high-end luxury food that only the Westeros nobles could afford.

Daenerys, who was in a bad mood, took the large bowl. The aroma and heat emanating from the bowl cheered her up.

The dried noodles were blended with the most expensive and top-quality edible spices from the Eastern cities. This was an extremely luxurious recipe.

The aroma was ethereal, making the soldiers on the deck eager to eat.

Daenerys didn't use a taster. She glanced at Tyrion Lannister, and she saw from the Prime Minister's eyes that the Mountain had not played any tricks in the negotiations, and that Westerling Dried Noodles were safe.

Daenerys quickly ate a bowl of noodles clean, she let out a long breath, slowly adjusted her breathing, and then drank the soup clean.

It was a very simple food and cooking method, but the taste and flavor were something Daenerys had never eaten before.

Absolutely refined food, a unique and completely different delicacy filled her mouth, and after putting down the bowl, the taste also echoed in Daenerys's mouth.

"Mountain, you want to be the king of the two continents," Daenerys said.

The Mountain looked at Daenerys with a wary look: "No, Daenerys, I want to make this world a better place." The Mountain's giant hand gently patted the gifts he gave to Daenerys. "Daenerys, you have your life goals, and I have mine. These gifts are just a small part of my civilization plan. My wife Jeyne has also invented a lot of new things, those things can bring better changes and progress to the world. I want to promote them and make the world better."

The Mountain no longer called Daenerys Your Majesty. The change in address showed the change in the Mountain's heart.

"Admit it, you want to be the king of the two continents, your ambition is too big, it will kill you, Mountain," Daenerys said coldly.

The Mountain was silent, he only stated the fact of the slave system variant in the Pentos city-state, and said that he wanted to run the Westerlands Bank's trade plan all over the world, why did Daenerys insist that he wanted to be the king of the two worlds? Many kings of island countries trade all over the world.

Daenerys couldn't have such deep insight! He had been showing her goodwill.

"Daenerys, why is the wine from Qarth in the East sold to the Westeros continent?" the Mountain asked faintly.

"Normal trade."

"My bank will open in Qarth, why doesn't it belong to normal trade."

"You are different, Mountain."

"What's different?"

"Okay, I'll just say it clearly, someone by my side has already discerned your ambition."

"Who?" The Mountain looked at Littlefinger.

Littlefinger knew his plan, his military commanders knew his plan. But after he gave an encouraging speech, he came to Dragonstone the next day, Varys's little birds couldn't pass the message to Daenerys so quickly, unless, Daenerys had dark magic.

Did Daenerys have a soothsayer with foresight by her side?

Littlefinger read the Mountain's eyes, the Mountain did not suspect him, the Mountain was asking him if there was a wizard who could predict the future by Daenerys's side. The Mountain had such figures by his side: Melisandre, Dorty, Jeyne.

Littlefinger gave the Mountain a negative look.

The Mountain's heart skipped a beat, and the image of one person immediately surfaced in his mind: Bran Stark in his wheelchair.

Could it be that Bran Stark's Three-Eyed Raven had contacted Daenerys?

Had Bran, who could foresee the future, made a move?

Had he finally chosen to stand on the side of the Targaryen family?

Bloodraven?!

Did Bloodraven kill Bran? Was Bran completely Bloodraven now?!

Thanks to [一道之下万道之上] for the reward, thank you, handshake!