Lord Odd was very straightforward: "Sir Gregor, whatever it may be, big or small, just tell me, and I'll do what I can to help you." He chuckled, "Miss Jenny is right, you're a Lannister now too. Yes, we're all Lannisters."
The relationship with Duke Tywin was indeed having an unexpected benefit that Gregor hadn't anticipated.
He's the son-in-law of Lord Tywin Lannister!
And it will come true soon.
The only regret is that Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister, and Tyrion Lannister didn't have the chance to attend his wedding with Jaine.
However, Gregor himself didn't mind at all.
Gregor sensed that Lord Tywin was a man of remarkable political talent. By adopting Jenny as his daughter, he had easily turned Gregor into one of his family's children, making Gregor even more devoted to working for him.
Gregor is the Mountain, brutal and terrifying, but his loyalty is something Lord Tywin Lannister knows well.
"Count, I've heard that there's a death row inmate in your cell named Chiswick."
"The lord wants him?" The count's expression hardened.
"Since you're already on death row, give him to me. Look at my situation, it's very difficult for me to recruit soldiers."
The four centurions behind the count all changed color slightly.
*
Chiswick was the most notorious bandit in Lannisport. He started his rebellion in the north of the city with only three thugs; but he quickly killed the biggest gang leader in the north and became the top gangster in the north, with fifty men under his command.
Lannesport is the largest city in the West, with 50,000 native inhabitants and nearly 10,000 transient residents, and numerous gangs. Each district has its own gang.
Within a year, Chiswick had controlled three gangs of thugs in the north, south, and east of the city, with three hundred men under his command. He ran brothels, gambling dens, and loan sharking. With his newfound wealth, he equipped his men with armor and fine weapons, transforming them into a mercenary group called the Warblade Group, becoming henchmen and accomplices of the rich and nobles.
Why is it named the Battle Blade Corps?
Street thugs and hooligans are mostly children from poor families or orphans who band together to survive. They have one thing in common: besides being shameless and reckless, they are poor.
Poor thugs and ruffians couldn't afford swords; they could only afford knives: kitchen knives and woodcutting knives, short knives and daggers—basically, all kinds of knives.
After Chiswick led these men from the slums to a relatively stable life, he transitioned into a more secure mercenary group. The group grew from three hundred to five hundred, with some wandering warriors and mercenaries joining his ranks. Although they now wore armor and carried longswords, Chiswick remained true to his roots, naming his mercenary group the Warblade Legion.
Chiswick had a nickname: Iron Head.
When he conquered the gang of thugs in the east of the city, the two sides negotiated. The leader of the other side was named Tobert, who was also a very fierce guy. He said that as long as Chiswick dared to let him cut Chiswick's head, he would acknowledge Chiswick as his boss.
This was clearly a harsh threat, not to be taken seriously, but Chiswick did.
He drew his knife and threatened Tobert to cut him on the forehead, or he would cut Tobert on the forehead.
So Tobert drew his knife and slashed at Chiswick's forehead with all his might.
Chiswick's head was unusually hard and larger than average from a young age, perhaps due to a genetic anomaly and a structure different from that of ordinary people. Tobert's blade slashed down and became embedded in Chiswick's forehead, the blade seemingly stuck. Tobert tried to pull it off, but to no avail.
Chiswick laughed heartily, his expression unchanged. He declared that he would leave the knife on his forehead forever, and that everyone should finish their drinks before removing it.
Tobert and his gang of thugs were horrified.
Tobert immediately knelt down on one knee and acknowledged Chiswick as his boss. From then on, all the thugs in the north, east, and south districts of the city obeyed Chiswick's orders.
Because of this 'beheading legend' incident, Chiswick earned the nickname 'Iron Head'.
After Chiswick led his men from the wicked to the righteous, their willingness to do anything for their employers quickly made them a renowned mercenary group in Lannisport. If Earl Odd had any dirty business to handle, he would send a message to Chiswick to take care of it. Chiswick never disappointed his employers.
The richest area in Port Lannis was neither in the east, north, or south of the city, but in the west. The west was a hub for trade from all over the world, with numerous docks and a large number of gangs and mercenary groups. One such mercenary group that had long controlled the western part of the city was called the Seagulls.
Chiswick decided to venture into the most lucrative western part of the city to make a living. While he took on hired jobs, he didn't give up his businesses in brothels, gambling dens, and loan sharking.
To be honest, because of his bad reputation and humble background, the jobs he took were generally not respectable and the commissions were low.
The Seagull Mercenaries in the west of the city number a thousand and own two warships. They also take on the job of protecting large merchant ships in the Sunset Sea. After all, although the Ironborn of the Iron Islands no longer dare to raid Lannis Harbor, they are still commonplace in the Sunset Sea.
Chiswick recognized the strength of the Seagulls and sent a message to their leader, Aegon, asking him to join the Warblades. If Aegon disagreed, Chiswick said he would accept Aegon as his leader and the Warblades would join the Seagulls if Aegon was bolder than him and not afraid of him.
After receiving the letter, Egon sent someone to tell Chiswick that even if his head was harder than steel, he would not submit to the Warblade Company. There was only one way for the two companies to merge: Chiswick had to acknowledge him as their leader.
Chiswick readily agreed to the letter, acknowledging Aegon's audacity in calling him his underling. So, Chiswick led a dozen of his fiercest brothers to the west of town, found Aegon, and offered to become his leader. Aegon was overjoyed and threw a feast, becoming sworn brothers with Chiswick, and the group drank and ate heartily.
As the night wore on, Chiswick and a dozen of his brothers drew daggers from their robes and beheaded Aegon. Aegon's dozen or so most loyal and valiant generals were all beheaded.
Chiswick stood on the table with Aegon's head in his hand, and ate the roasted meat with his dagger dipped in Aegon's blood. The Seagulls were thus subdued.
From then on, the Seagull Gang was merged into the Warblade Gang. The once glorious Seagull Gang ceased to exist and was incorporated into the Warblade Gang.
But soon after, one of Aegon's young guards, Stinky Mouth, secretly reported that Chiswick had murdered Aegon, the leader of the Seagulls, and more than ten others. As a result, Chiswick and his leaders were all arrested, thrown into the Black Dungeon, and became death row inmates. His Warblade crew was thus scattered.
When Gregor Clegane heard about this, he kept thinking about taking this Ironhead under his wing. After all, he was a death row inmate, and if the Earl wanted to explain things to his people, he could just find a villain to behead.
*
Gregor didn't know if the Earl would agree to hand over the murdered prisoner, Chiswick, to him, but he decided to take the opportunity to try.
Gregor doesn't want to miss out on someone with such audacity in the world.
"Fine!" The Earl did not hesitate at all. He was a shrewd and ruthless man. "Sir Gregor, but you must guarantee in the name of the Seven Gods and the honor of your family that Chiswick will not commit any crimes in Lannisport in the future."
"Once he becomes a Clegane, I guarantee he will no longer kill indiscriminately, nor will he commit murder or arson in Lannisport," Gregor said. Gregor then publicly swore an oath on the honor of the Seven and his family.
Thugs and hooligans are everywhere, but a true, daring king of thugs is a rare find.
Chiswick is one.