Mace Tyrell was quite displeased to hear that this young whelp Lancelot was about to join the Small Council.
He, the Lord of Highgarden, hadn't even joined the Small Council, so how was Lancelot qualified?
"Everyone, excuse me for interrupting!" Mace spoke up. The others were forced to look at him.
"Highgarden, and indeed the entire Reach, can provide food supplies for the allied armies of the Seven Kingdoms. At this critical moment, we need to form a provisional war council to replace the Small Council and direct all matters of the Seven Kingdoms. What do you think?"
Mace Tyrell's suggestion had merit. A state of war was different from daily life and required changes.
"Ser Lancelot, what do you think of my proposal?" Mace Tyrell looked at Lancelot.
"Uh, why ask me all of a sudden? But Lord Mace's proposal is excellent! We should at least select a few people from the great houses and the famous generals of Westeros!" Lancelot replied.
"Let's leave this discussion for tomorrow! Lancelot, join Lord Mace at the Small Council meeting tomorrow!" King Robert concluded.
After leaving the Tower of the Hand, Lancelot didn't go straight to Margaery to retrieve the statue; he had temporarily forgotten about it.
Lancelot found Tywin and his family. In Tyrion's game room, Tywin, Kevan, Jaime, and Tyrion were playing cards—specifically, Mahjong.
"Lancelot, you're here!" Jaime glanced back.
"You play; I've already lost five rounds!" Jaime complained.
Lancelot switched places with him.
While playing, they discussed the issues at hand.
"Grandfather, why didn't you attend the feast at the Tower of the Hand?" Lancelot asked.
"Do you think Eddard Stark would send me an invitation?" Tywin sneered.
"He didn't send you one?" Lancelot asked.
"No! There is deep conflict between House Stark and House Lannister. For now, it's just conflict, not hatred," Tywin said.
"Is it because you sacked the city back then?" Lancelot asked.
"Accurately speaking, I only ordered a massacre, not a sack of the city," Tywin corrected.
Lancelot suddenly thought of something. He looked around at the others, then asked:
"Grandfather, there are no outsiders here. Can you tell me the truth? Did Rhaegar's children really die back then?"
Tywin paused, the 'Three of Characters' tile slipping from his hand.
"What do you think? Did I not kill the dragonspawn?" Tywin asked in a low voice.
"After all, you didn't do it personally, right? Rhaegar's wife is definitely dead, but are his daughter and son really dead? Could they have been swapped?" Lancelot pressed.
"Even if they were swapped, so what?" Tywin asked.
"Have you never heard the story of 'The Civet Cat Exchanged for the Crown Prince'? Let me educate you!"
Lancelot then recounted a strange tale from the Song Dynasty about a prince switched at birth.
"Truly interesting! A lost prince can still become king," Tywin laughed.
"I wonder who is stronger, that Royal Cat Zhan Zhao or me?" Jaime rubbed his chin.
"Kevan, go get the Mountain. I want to ask about what happened back then," Tywin ordered.
Ser Kevan immediately left the game room. After a long time, he returned with the Mountain.
"Lord Tywin!" The Mountain greeted him.
"Mountain, tell me. When King's Landing fell, did you kill Rhaegar's wife and children? Speak the truth."
Although Tywin's voice sounded normal, the Mountain felt a pressure, the pressure of a superior. It was the pressure of a top noble house that had lasted for thousands of years.
For a grassroots noble like him, it was terrifying. The Mountain's family had been kennel masters in his father's generation. His father was only ennobled because his three hounds saved Tywin's father.
"My Lord, it was actually very simple! I killed a baby, a child, and a princess!" The Mountain stated.
"Did you see their faces clearly? What color was their hair?" Tywin asked.
"I knew Princess Elia, but the two children? They both had black hair, Dornish looks," the Mountain said.
"What? Impossible!" Jaime interjected.
"I saw Rhaenys and Aegon with my own eyes. Rhaenys had Dornish looks and black hair, but Aegon had the Targaryen look, silver hair."
The Mountain hadn't had much contact with Rhaenys and Aegon. He had only seen them before killing them.
"In other words, Mountain, you let a dragonspawn escape, didn't you?" Tywin asked.
Terrified, the Mountain knelt on the ground, begging for Tywin's forgiveness. Although he possessed immense strength and didn't even fear Robert, he felt a genuine fear towards Tywin.
"How should I punish you, Ser Gregor? If Robert knew you let a dragonspawn go, he would surely send you to the Wall to be a man of the Night's Watch," Tywin said coldly.
"However, considering your past service, I will let you off this time!"
"Thank you, my Lord, for sparing my life!" The Mountain said gratefully.
After the Mountain left, the five lions of House Lannister continued to discuss their next steps.
"Even if a united army of the Seven Kingdoms is formed, the supreme commander will certainly be Robert. But regarding positions like quartermaster, vanguard, and overseers, we can fight for them," Tywin said.
"So we need to build good relations with the other great houses and make them concede, right?" Lancelot asked.
"Exactly!" Tywin confirmed.
Next, Lancelot revealed that he had learned how to forge Valyrian steel swords.
All four of them widened their eyes.
"You mean you can reproduce the lost art of Valyrian steel?" Kevan asked.
"The technique isn't actually lost; it has been passed down among blacksmiths in Qohor. It's just that without dragonfire and magic, they lost the ability to forge new Valyrian steel swords."
"I have the magic learned from Melisandre, the fire from the Red Charcoal Fire Dragon Steed, and I learned the forging technique from an old man at the Nanshan Nursing Home."
"When the time comes, I'll make each of you a set of Valyrian steel armor, plus a shield, sword, and spear combo," Lancelot promised.
"Truly the nephew I raised since childhood!" Tyrion said. He had been looking after Lancelot since he was three. Ten years had passed in a flash.
The little tyke back then had grown to this extent.
"Who else knows you can forge Valyrian steel swords?" Tywin asked.
"Gendry, and Yohn Royce," Lancelot replied.
"Does that mean it's already leaked?" he asked.
"Uh, well, yes, consider it leaked. Not many people will know in the short term! But over time, everyone will definitely know!" Lancelot admitted.
After all, secrets always come out eventually.