Before long, a banquet was set up at the main gate of the Earl's castle.
All sorts of fruits, bread, meat, lettuce, wine, and warming soups, along with various snacks, were laid out, filling the entire table.
Chopsticks and cups were also placed on the table.
Two maids stood by the table, serving the master and guests.
"Your Excellency, you've already stopped using knives, forks, and cutlery?" Gregor asked.
He noticed that the count's bread had been cut into neat slices, just like the pre-cut loaves of bread sold in supermarkets in his previous life.
Although it's a small detail, it represents progress.
"Lord Tywin has given the order. If I don't set an example, who will listen to me?" Earl Odd said politely with a smile.
He gestured for Gregor to try the meat.
Gregor reached out with his chopsticks and tried it. Sure enough, what looked like a whole piece of meat had actually been cut up by the chef in the kitchen. The chef's knife skills were excellent; you couldn't tell from the surface.
"Sir Gregor, slices of meat do indeed cook faster in a pot than a whole piece. And the salt penetrates the meat more easily and evenly, resulting in a much better texture for each slice." Earl Odd gave Gregor a thumbs-up. "Sir, your invention of chopsticks is truly remarkable. My family's knives, forks, iron bowls, iron railings, and ironwork were all taken to the city's ironware collection department long ago because of your chopsticks."
"You are a count. If you don't take the lead, your people will be even less likely to change. But as for chopsticks, anyone can invent this little thing. It's just that people are used to a certain way, and even if it's not convenient, it forms a lazy habit. It's like staying in bed. Everyone knows that getting up early is better, but they can still stay in bed for a while. Most people are more willing to be content with the status quo and are unwilling to take the initiative to change."
Count Odd's eyes lit up, but quickly disappeared. Gregor was illiterate, a boorish man, and swore constantly, but he hadn't'seen' him today.
Gregor didn't care at all about Count Oder's reaction to him; these were not matters of great importance.
"Under what circumstances did you come up with such simple yet incredibly practical chopsticks, sir?" Count Aude asked with a smile. He skillfully picked up a slice of bread for himself with the chopsticks, then scooped honey from the honey jar with a small spoon and poured it onto the bread slice.
Before chopsticks, there were plenty of knives and forks. The Earl would cut his own bread at the table. Now that chopsticks are used, the bread is cut by the servants beforehand, and there are no breadcrumbs on the table anymore.
"When we were hunting, there was a big pot of meat in the pot. There were so many people and not enough knives and forks, so we just broke off some branches and ate them. Later, one guy found it easier to eat with two branches, so I thought it was a pretty good idea. When we got back from the hunt, I decided to try it with chopsticks." Gregor spoke fluently and without any hesitation.
This level of eloquence is perfectly fine for a university STEM student. In fact, STEM guys are all quite eloquent; they're just often underestimated.
Gregor noticed that the Earl had changed the basins used for washing his hands to wooden ones instead of the iron ones he had used before.
Lord Tywin Lannister's decree to replace iron with wood throughout the Westerlands had a significant effect. According to calculations by Lord Tywin and Grand Maester Potter, the price of weapons in the Westerlands' blacksmith shops would inevitably drop within three months.
It's all because of a pair of chopsticks!
When weapon prices in the Western Regions drop, allowing ordinary people to tighten their belts and buy good weapons, the overall combat strength of the Western Regions will increase imperceptibly. Meanwhile, others will remain at the same level. This shift in power will lead to an invisible but significant boost to the national strength of the Western Regions.
Lord Tywin Lannister has gained such a great benefit; the price of marrying off an adopted daughter is not a loss for him at all. The adopted daughter isn't even his; she belongs to the Westerling family. And Gregor's target is precisely the Westerling family.
Tywin Lannister was always the biggest beneficiary, making money without any initial investment.
Thinking of this, Gregor smiled slightly.
Earl Odd felt a little surprised. Sir Gregor was a rather unromantic man; he rarely smiled when interacting with others. Seeing that he was in a good mood today was very good!
As the two men were enjoying their meal with chopsticks and wine glasses, a centurion came panting through the garden, as if something unusual had happened outside.
The centurion rushed over and suddenly saw the Earl and the Mountain drinking and chatting happily on one side of the gate. His face immediately froze.
"Barlow, what is it?" Count Aude called out to the centurion who was about to slip away.
Barlow glanced at the Mountain, whose eyes widened. Barlow swallowed hard; he hadn't expected the Mountain to be here. Although there was some trouble outside, it wasn't necessary to report to the Earl, especially since Lord Mountain was here.
"No, it's nothing," Barlow said with a forced smile. "Good morning, Your Excellency, Sir Gregor."
It's already past morning, and this kid is still saying good morning, he's rambling incoherently.
"Fine!" Gregor said. His voice was like a muffled thunderclap, but Barlow sensed the threat in it.
"Is everything alright?" Count Auder stared at Centurion Barlow. He sensed something was wrong, but couldn't be sure yet.
"It's nothing, it's really nothing. Lord Ode, Sir Gregor, you two have a few more drinks, I have something to attend to, I'll take my leave now." Barlow nodded, bowed, smiled apologetically, and slipped away.
Before Barlow had even left the garden gate, another centurion rushed in. Before he even reached the gate, he saw the Mountain and his master together in the distance, and immediately stopped, as if someone had punched him out of the blue. He then turned around and quickly left.
Count Odd understood that the trouble outside must be related to the Mountain, but since the Mountain was eating and drinking with him, the centurions weighed the pros and cons and had no choice but to go back and deal with it in a way that was in the Mountain's best interest.
The Earl had always suspected that Gregor wouldn't be coming to him for free. The boy, blessed by the Seven Gods, had miraculously invented chopsticks, a military whistle, and snow salt, earning him Lord Tywin's great favor. He'd made a fortune from just one engagement party. At the celebration banquet for Tywin's adopted daughter, the Mountain made a bet with the nobles of the Westerlands, winning a huge sum of gold dragons and a piece of gold in the Silverhall's Salleigh.
After becoming wealthy, Demon Mountain not only squandered his money but also stopped coming to his place to freeload. Now it seems there was indeed a reason for that.
Since the centurions were able to handle it, it wasn't anything truly crippling, just certainly a bit tricky.
Anything related to the Demon Mountain is a bit tricky.
As the count pondered, another centurion hurried in, but this time, he was stopped by the guards outside. The guards exchanged a few words with the centurion, who glanced inside, turned around, and left without coming in.
Earl Aude poured Gregor a glass of Green Pavilion wine, and then filled his own glass as well. He raised his glass and clinked it against Gregor's, saying with a smile, "Sir, to you."
Gregor was eating lettuce, his mouth full of vegetables, when he mumbled, "Count, speak, don't beat around the bush like a woman."
Earl Aude laughed heartily: "Sir, my centurions are the officers on duty patrolling the city today. They must have come here to see me, but as soon as they saw you, they all turned and left. I think the trouble they encountered outside must be related to your men. Sir, what do you want to do in Lannisport? Just tell me, as long as it is in accordance with the laws of the West, I will do my best to help you."
"No need. Let's have a meal and drinks here, and your men will know what to do. If your men weren't so disciplined and well-trained, I wouldn't have come here to eat with you. My men can handle the problem directly; they don't need to wait for the centurion to report to you first." Gregor reached for a plate of bread and a plate of meat, impatiently using his hands instead of chopsticks.
Count Ode gave a dry laugh.