The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Candles as thick as a child's arm and torches were lit, and everyone, led by the Grand Maester, turned into the descending spiral staircase. As if tailor-made for the Mountain, the space in the spiral staircase was still very high, without the cramped feeling of a small staircase in a basement.

Besides the darkness that was as thick as ink, the ceiling in the basement was still very high, in keeping with the tall and majestic style of the Alchemist's Guild buildings.

The accompanying maesters and apprentice assistants lit more candles and torches, completely dispelling the darkness in the basement.

In the corner of the underground warehouse, a row of seven black dragon-shaped tubular objects were lined up. The opening at the front of these objects was shaped like a ferocious dragon head, with the dragon's mouth open, revealing a dark, bowl-like hole. The objects were supported by two dragon claws at the front and two at the back. Except for the absence of a dragon's tail and wings, the rest of the design was based on the appearance of a dragon.

The seven 'dragons' were all jet black, half the height of an adult, and about three meters long, with a heavy and imposing aura. The two dragon eyes on the dragon head were probably inlaid with some kind of black gemstone, reflecting the light of the torches, making them look like the black eyes of a living creature.

"Is this the dragon that Aegon IV ordered to be made?" Daenerys was the first to walk up to it.

"Your Majesty, these seven dragons haven't been wiped down for a long time and are probably very dusty," a maester reminded Daenerys, who was reaching out to touch one.

Daenerys' snow-white jade-like hand rested on the head of a dragon, feeling icy to the touch. She lifted her palm and, sure enough, there was a black, dirty gray mark on it.

The seven tubular dragons had lifelike, ferocious dragon heads, dragon claws with sharp spikes, and dragon scales covering their bodies. If they had tails and wings, it would feel as if these seven dragons could fly away in the next second.

"What material are they made of?" Daenerys asked.

The Grand Maester came to the seven dragons and said, "Your Majesty, they are made of black iron and steel."

Arya bent her knuckles and knocked on the dragon's body, which indeed made a metallic clang.

"Can it breathe fire?" Arya asked.

"Yes, Miss Arya. Aegon IV ordered the pyromancers' guild to create a dragon that could breathe fire."

"Can it breathe wildfire?"

"It used to be able to, but I don't know if it can still be used now."

Daenerys noticed a round black iron rod at the rear of the dragon, with a forked head shaped to be held by both hands at the same time, and a round hole at the top of the dragon's body.

"Grand Maester, is this the hole for loading wildfire substance?" Daenerys asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What is this black iron rod for?" Daenerys held the fork with both hands, lowered her body, and pushed forward with force, but the iron rod did not move at all.

"This is a pusher, Your Majesty. We pour the wildfire substance in from the round hole above, and then push it hard, and the wildfire substance will shoot out from the dragon's mouth, forming a jet of flame."

"Were these seven dragons transported to Dorne to participate in the war back then?" Arya asked.

"No, Miss," the maester replied.

"Oh? Why not?" Daenerys asked.

Of the dozens of people present, only Daenerys and Arya kept asking questions, their clear voices echoing in the underground warehouse, sounding very pleasant.

"When it was officially demonstrated to King Aegon IV, the wildfire substance burned the apprentice who was performing the demonstration, and he was burned alive in front of the king. And the other six dragons were also not safe. The performance of the wildfire substance was extremely unstable, and it often spontaneously combusted when it was poured into the iron pipe. The apprentices and assistants who operated it could easily be burned."

The Mountain said, "If this kind of tubular wildfire-breathing dragon is transported to Dorne to participate in the war, the first people to be burned to death will be the maesters and apprentices who use them."

"His Majesty is right."

"Since people would be burned even during the experiment, why did you make seven of them all at once?" Daenerys frowned slightly.

"King Aegon IV ordered it, and the pyromancers' guild had to obey. Making seven at once was to pay tribute to the Seven Gods," the Grand Maester said.

Daenerys Targaryen could hear another meaning in the Grand Maester's words—that Aegon IV was a strong and cruel king, and the guild maesters had to obey his orders, no matter how unreasonable the order was.

If it were Daenerys, she would have ordered the creation of one dragon first for testing, and only after it was proven feasible would she have ordered the creation of more dragons. But Aegon IV directly ordered the simultaneous creation of seven dragons on the first try.

"Actually, it would have been enough to make one for testing first, there was no need to make seven at once," the Mountain said indifferently.

Daenerys looked at the Mountain, and the invisible crab in her stomach moved slightly again. This time it was okay, it just pinched her lightly and then stopped.

What the Mountain said actually coincided with her thoughts?!

"Grand Maester, can I have one of the seven iron dragons discarded here?"

The Grand Maester looked at the Mountain in surprise: "Your Majesty, you already possess real dragons."

"I have a use for it."

The Grand Maester smiled: "Alright, Your Majesty, I will send someone to deliver one to Maegor's Holdfast in the Red Keep."

"No need, I can take it back myself."

"Alright, Your Majesty, I will have people carry it out of the gate and prepare a carriage. Maester Fredkary, go and choose eight strong apprentices."

"Yes, Grand Maester," an accompanying maester said respectfully.

"No need to call anyone, I'll carry it out," the Mountain said.

"Your Majesty..."

"It's okay, although I am a king, I am actually still a rough man with some strength." The Mountain bent down, not afraid of getting dirty, and lifted an iron dragon with both hands. The hundreds of pounds of black iron object did not seem to require much effort at all.

"Let's go, let's go see the wildfire bomb explosion test," the Mountain said.

The maesters and apprentices were all dumbfounded. The king was going to watch the wildfire bomb explosion test while carrying this extraordinarily heavy thing?

"His Majesty is truly blessed with divine strength, unmatched," the Grand Maester's voice was filled with praise.

Although it had a hint of flattery, Daenerys had to admit that the Mountain's strength was astonishingly powerful, the likes of which she had never seen. The first hero of the grasslands, the burly and powerful Drogo Kao, could not compare to the Mountain's burlyness and strength. This brutal and bloodthirsty fellow was an anomaly, a beast in human skin.

The group filed up the spiral staircase to the ground, with the Mountain carrying an iron dragon at the end. He held the dragon claws in his hand, carrying the hundreds of pounds of iron without showing any sign of strain.

"Your Majesty, what are you going to do with this thing?" Arya asked as she walked beside the Mountain. As the Mountain's personal bodyguard, she always stayed close to the Mountain when going out.

"It's useful," the Mountain said, giving an answer that answered nothing.

*

Daenerys saw what the Mountain called a wildfire bomb. It was the first time she had heard of it, and the first time she had seen it.

A small ball made of a frightening wildfire substance mixed with other substances, it looked like a green oval egg in Daenerys' hand.

Behind Daenerys, the Mountain gently placed the iron dragon down. The iron dragon landed without making a sound.

What would this thing be used for? Daenerys did not know. It was the first time she had seen dry wildfire substance. The previous wildfire substance was a green liquid stored in earthenware pots.

The wildfire substance was unstable, and it could spontaneously combust once it was shaken. The green flames would not go out until the substance was completely burned. Nothing could extinguish it except pouring sand over it. It was such a terrifying thing, and now it was in Daenerys' palm.

If she hadn't seen the maesters holding it, and if the Grand Maester hadn't assured her that the wildfire bomb was stable now, Daenerys really wouldn't have wanted to put this terrifying thing in her palm.

Like Daenerys, Arya, Melisandre, Balon Swann, and Bronn were all seeing this mysterious green egg-sized thing for the first time. Everyone was in awe, but also full of curiosity. Arya, Melisandre, Balon, and Bronn all held a wildfire bomb in their hands.

"Grand Maester, test the power of the wildfire bomb," the Mountain's voice rang out.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Grand Maester nodded, and his apprentice stepped forward and threw a wildfire bomb into the distance.

The green ball flew out and accurately hit a standing stone slab. A green flash of fire appeared, and there was a loud bang, which startled everyone who was unprepared. In the loud bang, the green flames, like hundreds of dancing green fireflies, exploded with a bang and scattered in all directions.

The scattered green flames landed in a circular shape and began to burn on the ground, the green light flickering in the room.

"Not bad, not bad." The Mountain's voice rang out again, "If hundreds of these wildfire bombs were thrown by strong, specially trained soldiers into the enemy's ranks, any formation would instantly collapse!" The Mountain laughed, his demonic laughter echoing in the stone house where the wildfire bomb was being tested.

Everyone was shocked to see this unheard-of means of attack for the first time. Arya's eyes became alert and sharp. No formation could withstand this kind of attack. Those who were hit had only one way out: to die screaming!

Once this wildfire substance splashed on a person's body, even armor would be burned through. Rolling on the ground and jumping into the water would be of no avail.

Daenerys was even more chilled!

Was this terrifying thing invented by the Grand Maester?

"Grand Maester, if the invention and manufacture of this wildfire bomb is used to deal with people, it would be too evil and cruel. Those who are hit can only be burned alive," Daenerys said sharply. The face of her handmaiden Missandei had turned pale. Like Daenerys, Missandei thought that the Mountain would use this terrifying thing to attack Essos and fulfill his ambitions. Even if Daenerys participated in Sansa's wedding and was released to return to Slaver's Bay, when the Mountain led his army to attack, her Unsullied legion would be unable to withstand the power of this wildfire bomb when they lined up to meet the enemy.

"Daenerys, don't blame the Grand Maester, this was my idea," the Mountain said.

"Your idea, then I'm not surprised," Daenerys said, her words full of mockery.

But Daenerys was still 'strange' in her heart. The Mountain thought of using wildfire substance to invent and manufacture solid wildfire bombs. His 'evil wisdom' made Daenerys feel uncomfortable, and the invisible little crab in her stomach began to pinch her stomach again.

"This is just a preliminary, low-end test product." The Mountain took Daenerys' mockery as praise for himself, and said indifferently, "Everyone, step back and let me use the iron dragon to launch the wildfire bomb, so you can see even greater power."

The iron dragon, which weighed hundreds of pounds and required several strong men to lift, was lifted by the Mountain with both hands and placed in front. He had the maester apprentices put ten wildfire bombs into the opening, covered it with an iron lid, bent down, held the handle of the pusher with one hand, and pushed forward with force. The iron dragon was driven with great force and jumped like a living thing. Ten wildfire bombs flew out of the dragon's mouth, making a faint whistling sound, passed over the standing stone slab, and slammed into the distant wall, bang bang bang bang bang. A series of explosions merged into a loud bang, which made everyone's ears feel very uncomfortable.

The exploding green wildfire shot out in all directions, some splashing onto the ceiling. The dancing wildfire was very gorgeous, and the green light projected onto people's faces, shaking out an eerie green color.

Everyone was dumbfounded!

This power was many times greater than the wildfire bomb just now. The range of the wildfire falling covered most of the room. Most of the ground in front of the room was covered with frightening green flames burning.

Daenerys instinctively swallowed, but found her mouth dry. Her throat felt like something was collapsing, and her stomach started to cramp again.

Arya was also shocked. The Mountain said that the iron dragon was useful, and it turned out that it was a dragon that could be used to launch wildfire bombs. If the wall hadn't blocked it, she didn't know how far the wildfire bomb would have flown.

Everyone had never seen anything with such power. The Grand Maester had not thought that wildfire bombs could be 'mass-produced' in this way.

In the suffocating silence, the Mountain's voice rang out again: "Grand Maester, increase the volume of the current wildfire bomb by twelve times and make a super large wildfire bomb, which can be launched by this iron dragon, one at a time. The characteristics of the iron dragon's tubular channel make it much more accurate than a crossbow's launch."

The Grand Maester also felt his lips dry: "Your Majesty, the distance that the iron dragon can project a wildfire bomb is far less than the launch distance of a crossbow."

"It is true that a crossbow launches a super wildfire bomb very far, but the iron dragon only needs a little improvement to launch it farther than a crossbow, and it can easily cross high city walls and shoot into the enemy's city."

"Like a trebuchet?"

"Yes, like a trebuchet, throwing it high and hitting the target far away, with better accuracy than a trebuchet."

The Grand Maester blinked his eyes: "Your Majesty, ordinary soldiers don't have your divine power. The force to push the pusher cannot launch the super wildfire bomb high and far."

The Mountain was confident and smiled lightly: "Grand Maester, make a little improvement to the wildfire bomb, so that it can spray itself high and far without manpower and without a pusher. I have already thought about the improvement of the iron dragon and the super wildfire bomb, and have formed drawings and words."

*

Chapter 835-2: Giant Cannon

The Great Sage had a very brief moment of hesitation. Mountain improved the Iron Dragon and wildfire bombs, and drew up blueprints and texts? How is that possible?!

But thinking about the miracles Mountain brought, it's not impossible!

The Great Sage quickly understood!

For Mountain, who killed the Night King in Winterfell in the North, it doesn't seem strange that any more miracles would happen to him. The lost dragons were brought back to life by the power of Mountain. As the dragons became active in the sky, the gods gradually awakened the sleeping magical power.

Mountain took out the blueprints he had prepared long ago. This is the future cannon that can be installed on warships, and also the wheeled cannon that can be driven forward and collapse city walls. Starting from the Iron Dragon made by the Great Sage's Guild, and based on this, making some improvements will not give the feeling of a leap away from this era. Aegon IV's idea was very advanced. When he ordered the wise men of the Pyromancers' Guild to manufacture an Iron Dragon that could spew flames, he must not have known that he had touched the doorknob of another era of hot weapons.

The dragon-shaped tubular flamethrower and the flamethrower in Mountain's understanding of Earth civilization belong to the same family. The flamethrower in Earth civilization is mainly composed of an oil tank, a pressure source device, an oil pipe, an ignition device, and a flamethrower gun. Because wildfire material will spontaneously ignite and explode after vibration and impact, the ignition device is completely unnecessary. The design of the cannon cannot be too advanced, so it is reasonable to first use the Iron Dragon to make a prototype, and then refine it step by step.

Daenerys watched the Great Sage take the so-called blueprints that Mountain spoke of. Like everyone else, she was surprised and her curiosity was hard to suppress. Daenerys leaned over to watch. On the snow-white paper was drawn a graphic of an Iron Dragon. The Iron Dragon was placed on a vehicle, and the vehicle had dotted lines marked with the words: gun carriage.

The Iron Dragon is very long, and the gun carriage is very burly. On the blueprint, Mountain no longer calls the Iron Dragon a dragon, but marks it as a cannon. There are dotted lines on it, marking the caliber size and length of the dragon's head. In addition, Mountain also divided the Iron Dragon into multiple parts with words, and each part has a name, such as the barrel, the chamber, the breech, etc.

Daenerys had naturally never seen such a thing.

The Great Sage was naturally seeing it for the first time as well.

When Aegon IV ordered the manufacture of fire dragons, the guild's wise men created tubular metal flamethrowers according to the shape of dragons, but the name they gave to the flamethrower was dragon. Neither Aegon IV nor the guild's wise men had the concept of a flamethrower in their minds.

Everything was made by imitating the dragon's ability to spew flames.

Arya also peered at the drawings.

The proportions of the picture are coordinated, and the function and size of each part are marked. The two wheels of the gun carriage are very large, as high as an adult's waist. The Iron Dragon is installed on the gun carriage. With the Iron Dragon on wheels, it can be easily pulled by horses, cows, or manpower.

The cannon designed by Mountain based on the Iron Dragon is not a small cannon, but a heavy cannon. This is a very high starting point for hot weapons, but the people in front of them are all from a semi-pastoral and semi-agricultural era. They know nothing about the concept of cannons, so size doesn't matter. They accepted whatever Mountain gave them. The earliest cannon in Chinese history was called the copper cannon, and its muzzle caliber was only 105 mm, the barrel diameter was only 75 mm, the total length was 35.3 cm, and the weight was 6.94 kg. Compared with the cannon launched by Mountain, it can be called a giant cannon. The barrel is nearly ten times longer and the weight is more than ten times heavier. The power of this cannon is still only at the stage of surprise and admiration for the drawings for the people in front of them.

"Great Sage, I hope that all the wise men of the Pyromancers' Guild, together with Weapons Master Ser Tobho Mott, and Blacksmith Master Gendry Rivers, will manufacture the first complete Dragonfire Cannon within a month. The test fire bombs for this Dragonfire Cannon will use large wildfire bombs."

"Your Majesty, what does this gunpowder chamber mean?"

"It's the place where gunpowder is loaded. A fuse is connected to the outside. The gunpowder will expand rapidly in a closed environment, thereby pushing the wildfire bomb out of the bore. The driving force generated by this energy is equivalent to a powerful magical force."

"Gunpowder? What is gunpowder?"

"A flammable and explosive substance similar to wildfire material, but not as terrifying as wildfire material. If it catches fire, it can be extinguished with water. Before the gunpowder formula is researched, everything will be done with fixed wildfire material."

"This is the first time I have heard of gunpowder. Did Your Majesty learn about this new substance from the Citadel in Oldtown?"

"No."

"Oh!" The Great Sage stopped talking very knowingly. Perhaps His Majesty learned about this new substance called gunpowder from a maester in the Citadel who studies science. "Does Your Majesty have this substance called gunpowder?"

"I am still researching it. When I return from Sansa's wedding, I think I will be able to bring the Great Sage a gunpowder formula."

The Great Sage was shocked. Could it be that this so-called gunpowder, which is comparable to wildfire material, was really figured out by Mountain himself?!

Miracle? Another miracle?

The shocked Great Sage calmed down: "Your Majesty, will this Dragonfire Cannon still use wildfire bombs for testing?"

"Yes, Great Sage. The bombs and the burning material in the gunpowder chamber will all use fixed wildfire material. I will have to trouble you this time."

"If Your Majesty gives the order, we will definitely do our best," the Great Sage said. His statement made Mountain feel very comfortable.

Daenerys looked at the drawings and listened to the conversation. She raised her head, her eyes locked on Mountain, and she couldn't believe it. The pain in her stomach almost twisted her face.

When did Mountain acquire the erudite abilities of those great maesters in the Citadel who study science? He is still researching and inventing gunpowder that can be compared to wildfire material? Gunpowder, gunpowder, then it must also be a medicine. Daenerys's eyes turned to the Red Priestess Melisandre, and she suddenly understood. She naturally thought that the magical gunpowder substance that Mountain spoke of was mostly inspired by Melisandre.

"Your Majesty, if we manufacture this Dragonfire Cannon according to the drawings, how far can it project a large wildfire bomb?"

"Very far. I estimate that if a cannon is set up on the training ground outside King's Landing, the cannonball it fires can easily cross the high city walls and hit the center of King's Landing."

"Can it hit the Street of the Silent Sisters from the training ground outside the city?" The Great Sage couldn't believe it, and his voice changed in shock. He had never heard of such a range.

"I think so." Mountain noticed the shocked gazes of the surrounding soldiers and Daenerys's dumbfounded expression. He decided to keep a low profile and ease the shocking atmosphere here. "However, whether this cannon will work or not will only be known after a real cannon is manufactured and tested."

Barristan Selmy, Bronn, Arya, Melisandre and others were all staring at Mountain, and the expressions on their faces were all very exciting.

Melisandre's mind was racing. She knew that it would take Mountain time to think about this cannon from the Iron Dragon and draw a complete blueprint. He must have started it at least a year ago, and Mountain must have had the idea of this cannon.

The cannon is fine, it was inspired by Aegon IV's Iron Dragon, but the so-called gunpowder comparable to wildfire material is the first time Melisandre has heard of it. People without rare talents cannot research a formula for gunpowder similar to wildfire material. There is no doubt about this.

The secret of wildfire material in the Pyromancers' Guild cannot be taught to anyone who is not a wise man in the guild.

Mountain didn't have time to be taught by the maesters of the Citadel at all, so how did he have time to study things like gunpowder? Unless it was an oracle!

As soon as she thought of it being an oracle, the knot in Melisandre's heart was instantly untied.

Mountain is Azor Ahai reborn, there is no doubt about this. He is the messenger chosen by the Red God, who killed the Night King at Winterfell. The long night is full of dangers, and the Red God is the only true God. He walks in the world in different faces, selects his messengers and endows them with rare miracles.

The guild's wise men also couldn't believe it. Their eyes fell on Mountain, as if they wanted to peep some secrets from Mountain's huge body.

The Great Sage pointed to the drawing, "Your Majesty, what is the meaning of the iron wire hoop outside the gunpowder chamber?"

"Reinforcement, and the thickness of these Dragonfire Cannon barrels needs to be increased on the original size, and the barrels also need to be uniformly reinforced with iron hoops to avoid rifling explosions and injury to the gunners."

"If wildfire bombs are launched with great force, I am afraid that the wildfire bombs will explode due to spontaneous combustion before hitting the target."

"Then we need to improve the stability of the wildfire bombs."

Bronn seemed to wake up from his surprise, and he suddenly interjected: "Your Majesty, Great Sage, if the wildfire bombs explode in the air, the green wildfire material will splash down from the sky, and we can attack the enemy's city with fire. Wildfire bombs may not need further stability characteristics."

"Captain Bronn, if wildfire material slaughters the city, nothing will be left for you. If a city is burned to ruins by wildfire, what can it bring you?" Daenerys stared at Bronn coldly.

Everyone fears the evil of wildfire.

"Cannons can also fire iron balls," Mountain said.

"Iron balls?"

"Yes, cast large round balls out of iron, and fire them out of cannons to collapse the enemy's city walls."

Daenerys opened her mouth, but this time she couldn't make a sound.

Bronn laughed: "Queen Daenerys, you have been to the great city of Qarth. It is said that the great city of Qarth has thirteen walls, which are indestructible. No legion in history has been able to break through the great city of Qarth. If our cannons are manufactured, can the city walls stop them?"

"Ser, your king has dragons. He doesn't need any cannons to attack Qarth from the air."

Bronn chuckled: "That's different, Queen Daenerys. The king only has one dragon. Ground legions and naval warriors can only attack from the ground, and the great walls of Qarth will stop us from moving forward."

Mountain said lightly: "When the cannon is manufactured, it can fire many shells. Mix iron nails, small iron balls, or sharp small triangular irons into the wildfire bombs. After they are fired into the enemy's ranks and explode, those iron nails, iron balls, and triangular irons with edges as sharp as razors can easily penetrate armor and the human body."

Daenerys and Missandei, who were already frightened, could no longer speak.

How did Mountain come up with such a vicious weapon?!

No wonder he has a big tone and ambitions to take the continents of Westeros and Essos. What he said today is unheard of by everyone. If such terrible and terrifying weapons are a manifestation of the will of the gods, then the eyes of the gods must be blinded.

"Mountain, if you can manufacture cannons, others can also manufacture cannons," Daenerys heard her voice say. The voice was so far away, as if it was unreal in a dream. Daenerys was a little dazed. The power of the cannon that Mountain showed made her frightened. She was prepared to return to Slaver's Bay after attending Sansa's wedding, and she was also prepared to train the Unsullied Legion, but Mountain manufactured these cannons, and she suddenly realized that she would not even have a chance to fight back.

Daenerys directly called Mountain by his name, without using honorifics.

"Daenerys, others may be able to imitate cannons, but they cannot research wildfire material and gunpowder material. This is our unique secret." Mountain stretched out his hand and gently held Daenerys's snow-white jade-like little hand. "Your hands are so cold, do you feel cold?"

"Uh, the walls here are like ice," Daenerys heard her voice respond. She is the Unburnt, and like a dragon, she has her own flame temperature. She is more resistant to cold than normal people.

"Let's go out," Mountain said.

Daenerys didn't know how she walked out of the wildfire bomb test stone house, nor did she know how she walked out of the Pyromancers' Guild. When she was completely awake, she found herself holding hands with Mountain, standing in front of the gate of the Pyromancers' Guild, watching the people coming and going on the street.

Daenerys struggled hard, but Mountain's giant hand held her hand as if a mountain was pressing on a small beast, and there was no reaction at all. This made Daenerys's exquisite and perfect face blush with humiliation.

"Your Majesty, please let go," Daenerys said.

Mountain turned to look at Daenerys. He didn't let go of her hand. His eyes were humble and his tone was gentle: "Queen Daenerys, I will send you to the sedan chair." Mountain raised his other hand slightly, and at the command of the captain of the Royal Guard, Bronn, the soldiers went to the stables of the Pyromancers' Guild to lead out their war horses, and four burly soldiers also came out of the hall of the guild, carrying the sedan chair that Daenerys had arrived in.