The Mountain of Ice and Fire

"Prince Isidore, how many men do you need to take Pentos?" asked the Mountain.

"Lord Mountain, my Windblown can take Pentos. However, Pentos and Braavos have signed an agreement that Pentos cannot have its own city guard."

"The agreement is void," the Mountain said flatly. "Pentos is no longer the Pentos of the past. It needs to make three changes: First, the power of the magisters must be reclaimed, and a prince must rule. Second, the servant market must be abolished, because it is actually a real slave market. Third, the agreement between Pentos and Braavos that prohibits it from having its own city army must be completely abolished."

"Lord, if Pentos builds a city legion, the Braavos city-state will definitely attack and cut off all sea trade routes. The Braavos Sea Lord's fleet is too strong, the strongest of the Nine Free Cities."

"If Braavos dares to attack Pentos, we will meet them head-on."

"Lord Mountain, Braavos has the most powerful navy in the world. For long-term stability, it may be more appropriate to send envoys to see the Sea Lord of Braavos first."

"No need," the Mountain said indifferently. He looked at Varys, who had been silent all along: "Lord Varys, I want you to be Prince Isidore's intelligence advisor. Are you going to stay by Her Majesty the Queen's side or go to Pentos?"

The Spider, Varys, rose to prominence in the city-state of Lys and became famous in Pentos. Illyrio Mopatis, the most powerful magister of Pentos, is a close friend who rose to prominence with him.

Varys's gaze swept over the former Queen and the courtiers and generals. He said, "I obey orders, Lord Hand. I will go to Pentos to assist Prince Isidore in governing Pentos."

Varys is very clever!

The Mountain didn't actually ask for his opinion. The Mountain was giving him an order, just phrasing it politely. But that was a smokescreen. If Varys didn't obey, he might lose his life because of it.

The Mountain withdrew his gaze from Varys's face. Varys was indeed very sensible, but he didn't intend to make things easy for Varys. He continued to warn Varys: "Isidore, Lord Varys is good at calculation, scheming, and disguising his appearance, like a Faceless Man. But what he is better at hiding is his heart. If he does anything that violates the interests of Pentos, I authorize you to kill him at any time."

"Lord Mountain, I understand Varys," Isidore said confidently. "Lord Varys is very wise. The Braavos city-state is powerful, and we need Lord Varys's wisdom and strategy. My thirty-nine years of wandering have also taught me how to observe others. If Lord Varys really has any conspiracies that are detrimental to us, I will kill him without hesitation."

Varys's fat white face rippled with a stiff smile: "You are joking, my lords. Varys is just a small eunuch with a little bit of wisdom and some little birds. If I do something wrong, I will accept punishment; if I commit a major mistake, please Prince Isidore chop off my fat head."

The Mountain looked at Varys's stiff smile and shouted loudly: "Ser Steven Craghall."

Steven, covered in blood and carrying a heavy axe, stood at the bow of the ship. When he heard the Mountain summoning him, he immediately ordered the oarsmen to row, and the Skull Ship sailed towards the Sea Monster.

"General Don," the Mountain continued to call out.

The pirate chieftain Don's ship also immediately sailed over.

"General Don, Ser Steven, you and Prince Isidore will go to the Pentos city-state. Don will be the naval commander of the Pentos city-state, and Steven will be his deputy. If the Braavos city-state comes to provoke us, tell their envoys that the agreement prohibiting Pentos from having a navy and city guard is abolished. If the Sea Lord of Braavos wants to go to war, then let it be war."

"Yes, Lord Mountain."

The Mountain looked at the Ragged Prince and Varys: "Prince Isidore, Lord Varys, once Braavos and Pentos go to war, send a message to Westeros immediately, and I and my dragon will arrive soon, as well as the Westerosi naval fleet."

"Yes, Lord Hand," the Ragged Prince and Varys replied together, bowing.

"Poggio Quo, Motley Quo, Cyril Quo, Angus Quo, Reginald Quo, Roderick Quo, you will lead the Dothraki warriors and Prince Isidore to assist Prince Isidore in taking Pentos and prepare for war with the Braavos city-state."

"Yes, Lord Mountain," the Quos answered loudly together.

"Prince Isidore!" The Mountain stared at Isidore, "After taking Pentos, do you have the ability to solve the problem of the Dothraki warriors and the soldiers of Don's naval fleet's military pay and food?"

"Lord Mountain, Pentos is the most concentrated trade transfer city among the Nine Free Cities and the continent of Westeros. The city is very wealthy, whether it is food or gold."

"I don't think there will be any problems in the short term, but what are you going to do if the time is longer?"

"Lord Mountain, the Dothraki can solve the food and gold they need," Poggio Quo said.

"How to solve it?"

"If Braavos attacks Pentos, the Dothraki will ask the Braavos city-state for food and gold; if they don't come to attack, we will go to Lys and Myr to borrow food and gold from them."

The Dothraki's so-called borrowing is actually robbing!

"Very good, Poggio Quo, I am very satisfied with your solution. As far as I know, the city-state of Volantis in the southeastern corner of the continent is a very wealthy city-state. There are two parties in the city-state, the Tiger Party and the Elephant Party. The two parties decide every year through elections who will be the ruler. The nobles in the city either belong to the Tiger Party or the Elephant Party. These nobles have made a fortune by selling slaves to the east, and I am determined to abolish the slave system." The Mountain's gaze shifted to Daenerys's exquisite and perfect face, "Poggio Quo, I appoint you as the Khal of the Dothraki. After solving the trouble of the Braavos city-state, I want you to solve the slave system in Volantis, disband the Elephant Party and the Tiger Party. The food and gold of the Elephant Party and the Tiger Party are enough for our Dothraki warriors to live a prosperous life."

Poggio was overjoyed. The Dothraki are naturally fond of plundering: "I swear by the sacredness of the Night Lion and the sanctity of the water of the Holy Lake, Poggio will follow you to the death, take Volantis, abolish slavery, and disband the Tiger Party and the Elephant Party."

Poggio does not care about the slave system in Volantis. The Volantis city-state is the only city connecting the eastern and western slave trades. Poggio himself has sold prisoners of war to Volantis. - The slave system and the like, Poggio and his warriors do not care at all. What they are really interested in are the food and gold of the Volantis nobles, and the white-skinned women in those nobles' homes.

"Poggio, I know that most of the Dothraki's income comes from war and prisoners of war. You always drive thousands of prisoners of war to the east to sell as slaves, but now you don't have to, and I won't allow you to do that again. All prisoners of war are valuable labor that can create continuous tax revenue for us. Give them free status, teach them farming, animal husbandry, weaving, and trade, and then collect taxes every year, so that we can become truly wealthy."

"Khal Poggio, don't sell prisoners of war as slaves anymore, that's the most unprofitable business in the world. We want to turn slaves into labor in the east, not sell labor as slaves. When we have people in our hands, why can't we manage and use them ourselves?!"

"Lord, we won't teach prisoners of war how to farm," Poggio said doubtfully.

"I know how to farm and raise livestock," the Mountain said lightly. "I will send maesters who are proficient in animal husbandry and farming to the Dothraki grasslands, as well as maesters who can treat various diseases. The warriors of the Dothraki grasslands only need to fight, and the rest will be left to the maesters. Planting, animal husbandry, weaving, and urban construction, I will hand these over to the most professional people to guide the civilians and women to complete. Khal Poggio, Dothraki grassland warriors, don't you want to conquer the most prosperous and wealthy eastern cities? Qarth, the great city of the east, the wealth of the Thirteen is more than the wealth of the Nine Free Cities combined. Khal Poggio, I want you and the Dothraki to prepare. You must sharpen your scimitars in advance and wait for my news. We will go on an expedition to Qarth."

Qarth, a name with magical power, a place so wealthy and prosperous that it has become a legend. The Mountain's words made the warlike and greedy Dothraki excited!

Clang!

Poggio drew his scimitar and slashed it in the air: "Lord Mountain, the Dothraki are natural warriors, my scimitar has already been sharpened and is ready to go at any time." Poggio shouted to the Dothraki fleet: "Dothraki warriors, are you brave men or cowards?! Lord Mountain is going to lead us to the farthest east to attack Qarth!"

Qarth, a legendary place in the hearts of the Dothraki. Legend has it that the city floors of Qarth are paved with gold.

The Dothraki warriors were full of enthusiasm. Each of them was destined to ride horses and gallop on the battlefield from the day they were born. The soldiers drew their scimitars together and saluted the Mountain. They were hot all over and shouted: Qarth! Qarth! Qarth!

Compared to Her Majesty the Queen asking them to cross the Narrow Sea to help her seize the Iron Throne, Lord Mountain's words made them more enthusiastic and longing. Only Dothraki mercenaries had been to Qarth, and large legions had never crossed the desolate Red Waste to reach the distant Qarth. The wealth and prosperity of the eastern giant city of Qarth has always been the most tempting legend in the hearts of the Dothraki. The wealth of Qarth is like the brightest star in the night sky. If you compare Volantis with Qarth, Volantis is like a firefly, while Qarth is like a pearl.

A Volantis already filled the Dothraki with fighting spirit, let alone the giant city of Qarth!

The Mountain looked at Daenerys, whose face changed slightly: "Your Majesty, don't you want to go to Qarth again? The wealth of the Thirteen is all created by slaves. You are the liberator of slaves, and so am I. This is what we have in common. You were in Qarth, but you didn't save a single slave. I invite you to join me in abolishing slavery and establishing a fair, open, and just civilized world under the guidance of law. My plan needs help, are you willing to come along? My war is for peace, to help all civilians and slaves, not to fight for power."

Daenerys's thoughts were chaotic. She couldn't believe that the brutal and terrifying Mountain, who enjoyed killing, could say such things. To put it nicely, the Mountain has lofty ambitions and great ideals, just like what she did in Slaver's Bay. He wants to liberate slaves and conquer the world; but from another perspective, he may be beautifying his words in order to seize the highest power.

If the Mountain embellished his terrible ambitions with beautified words, then this person is too frightening. He has a natural ability to incite people's hearts, but if he is sincerely abolishing slavery and establishing a new order, then he is a rare wise man.

So, is the Mountain a terrifying great demon? Or a great wise man with ambition and ideals?

Daenerys was confused!

The Mountain looked at Varys, who had a deep prejudice against the Mountain, and at this time also showed an undisguised shock.

The Mountain did not hide his terrifying attempt to conquer the continent of Essos, his fluent words, the power to incite people's hearts in a few words, his military deployment to defend against Braavos was clear and three-dimensional, and the goal of Qarth completely led the Dothraki's enthusiasm for expanding the world. All of this revealed the Mountain's incredible leadership ability and extraordinary wisdom.

This made Varys feel deeply uneasy!

Could it be that the Mountain is really the will of the gods on the ground? But why would the gods choose a notorious villain of the Seven Kingdoms?

Is the Mountain Azor Ahai reborn?

If not, why could he kill the Night King? So he won the support of the fierce generals and people on the continent of Westeros! And established his absolute military authority!

Varys's inner 'negative prejudice' against the Mountain is an old building. Cracks have appeared in the thick foundation of this building, and the building above the foundation is beginning to crumble.

"Prince Isidore, set off!" The Mountain issued an order.

Isidore made a gesture, and the horn sounded on his flagship.

"General Don, set off."

"Yes, Lord Mountain," Don made a gesture, and the horn beside him sounded.

Steven Craghall knelt down on one knee to salute the Mountain, then got up, and the Skull Ship sounded its horn.

Hundreds of warships turned together and sailed east.

"Khal Poggio, set off!"

Khal Poggio raised his scimitar high: "Doro ro ro ro ro!" He roared wildly.

The Dothraki raised their scimitars together and shouted. In the cheers of Doro ro ro ro ro, hundreds of warships and merchant ships turned east and headed for Pentos. Half an hour later, only the Mountain Fleet, Asha Fleet, Daenerys's Unsullied Fleet, and the Royal Fleet remained in this sea area.

The Mountain's fleet consisted of four parts: the Redwyne Fleet, the Gulber Fleet, the Royal Navy Fleet, and the Craghall Dragonstone Fleet. This fleet originally had a thousand warships, but now it has less than four hundred. Five hundred warships were burned by Daenerys in the waters of Dragonstone, and more than one hundred warships were destroyed in this naval battle. The main loss was the Redwyne Fleet in the east, which was almost completely destroyed by Asha's fleet.

Asha's fleet also suffered heavy losses in this great naval battle, with less than fifty longships remaining.

"Jon! Lord Commander of the Night's Watch!" The Mountain shouted towards Jon in the sky. "Are you going back to the North, back to the Night's Watch, or will you follow your Queen back to King's Landing with me? Whether you return to the North or go to King's Landing, your Queen is safe."

"You're taking Her Grace back to King's Landing?"

"Yes, I am the Hand, and I need to take the prisoner back to my King and report on the naval battle."

"Will your King kill prisoners?"

"My King is a blacksmith, and besides being kind and upright, he is also very good at blacksmithing, skilled at forging excellent longswords and bows and arrows," the Mountain answered irrelevantly, but with deep meaning. He scanned the crowd, realizing that no one thought there was anything profound in his words. In fact, he had already answered Jon's concerns, but Jon didn't hear it. If Varys, Littlefinger, or Tyrion were here, they would definitely hear the power in the Mountain's words.

Of course, that was only implicit and without concrete evidence.

"Mountain, what are you planning to do with us?" Jorah Mormont asked in a deep voice. As expected, he didn't hear that the Mountain had actually guaranteed the Queen's safety. The Mountain had clearly stated that Her Grace was safe, but why? Because the King was only good at blacksmithing, so who would really be good at managing the government? Of course, only the Mountain! It was just that these hidden meanings were not what military generals were good at.

Daenerys no longer had capable strategists by her side.

Tyrion had been taken away by Bran Stark, and Varys had been taken away by Isidor the Ragpicker.

The Mountain looked at Jorah Mormont: "Jorah, perhaps you should go back to Bear Island and take a look. Your family's Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw, is in the hands of Lord Commander Jon. If you're bored, you can ask him to return it."

"That is the longsword my father gifted to Lord Commander Jon. I have no right to ask for it back, nor am I worthy of Longclaw," Jorah said. Jorah still had the integrity of a military general and was completely loyal to Daenerys.

The Mountain stopped wasting words with Daenerys's generals and looked at Daenerys beside him: "Your Grace, let's return to King's Landing first, and then I will take you to Oldtown's Citadel. Remember, our goals are the same: to abolish slavery, from West to East. Salvation, not destruction." The Mountain said to Daenerys, then he looked up at the sky, "Sheepstealer, descend!"

The dragon flew down from the sky, followed by Drogon, the black dragon she had beaten.

Arianne Martell in the sky stared intently at the Mountain, until the Mountain did not hug Daenerys and ride Sheepstealer's back together, and the sharp look in her eyes gradually eased. The frosty complexion also slowly thawed. She was immersed in her own tension and hostility, completely unaware of it herself.

Jon Targaryen saw Arianne's reaction.