Count Auder felt a surge of heat throughout his body. Forcibly suppressing his regret, he gestured to Maester Bancroft, who then opened a package that had been placed beside him and took out a handful of Westerling noodles tied in the center with red silk cloth.
"What is this?" Sir Kevan asked.
"This is dried noodles, a kind of dried noodles we've never seen or eaten before. It's delicious, and you can add eggs, ham, spices, and salt to it as you like. Just boil it in water for a few minutes and it's ready to eat. You can also eat it raw. Gregor named these noodles Westerling noodles. They're said to be machine-made," Earl Odd said. "I've been to Clegane Castle, but Sir Gregor refused to show me the noodle-making machines."
Lord Tywin's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes lit up slightly.
"Sir Gregor has invented a noodle-making machine again?" Sir Kevan asked in surprise.
"No, Sir Gregor denies that he invented it. He says the noodle-making machine was invented by Master Tob Mott. But I don't believe it."
"Tob Mott? The weapons mastermind from Steel Street in King's Landing?" Kevan was even more surprised.
"Yes, Master Tob Mott appeared in Clegane quite suddenly. This in itself is unusual. Master Tob Mott owns his own blacksmith shop in Steel Street, and it's not rented; he bought the property. Why would a weapons master who is neither lacking in fame nor fortune suddenly appear in Clegane?"
Earl Ode grew more and more confident as he spoke. Although he dared not look directly at the Duke for too long, he did dare to look at Sir Kevon's other two Grand Secretaries.
"Sir Gregor brought Master Tob Mort from King's Landing to Clegane Village. What does he want to do? Forge the best weapons and armor? He should hand Master Tob Mort over to the Duke and let Master Tob serve the Duke in Casterly Rock, instead of doing it for himself."
Tywin remained silent, his hands resting on the table, exuding an imposing aura without a hint of anger.
The three Grand Secretaries and Earl Kevon listened and nodded frequently.
"Your Grace, Jenny has only been in Clegane Village for a month and suddenly invented the sinkhole? Master Tob Mort arrived in Clegane Village and suddenly invented the noodle-making machine. That's too much of a coincidence! I believe that both inventions must have been made by Sir Gregor," Earl Odd said confidently.
Duke Tywin nodded, staring at Earl Odd.
This nod immediately gave Count Ode immense confidence and unparalleled courage.
"Your Grace, Earl, Grand Maester, it's not unusual for Sir Gregor to invent new scientific and practical things after his enlightenment. There are many similar figures on the continent of Westeros, whether in the fields of mysticism or science. Sir Gregor is not the only one who has received the blessing of the Seven Gods. Even more remarkable is the story of Brynden Rivers, who possessed a thousand and one eyes."
Everyone nodded in agreement again, showing their appreciation for Count Ode's analysis.
Count Aude regained his composure; the cold sweat on his forehead and the beads of sweat on the tip of his nose disappeared. He became calm and composed, knowing that he had done the right thing by advising the Duke.
If anything unusual happens, speak to the Duke; this will prove his loyalty.
"Your Grace, if it was clearly Lord Gregor Clegane who invented them, but he claims it was Lady Jenny and Master Tob who invented them, then firstly, he has lost his absolute loyalty to Your Grace. Secondly, why is he concealing the truth? What is he so uneasy about? Even if Lord Gregor has no ulterior motives, and these two inventions are truly unrelated to him, I still feel that Gregor Clegane is anything but ordinary. Two ingenious and practical inventions in a row occurred on his territory, not in my Lannister port, nor in the Duke's Casterly Rock, so we Lannisters need to be wary of him."
"Earl Odd, the Citadel produces new inventions every year. New formulas and theories emerge in mathematics, medicine, architecture, astronomy, and more. Although the Citadel possesses almost all the inventions of the continent, it cannot threaten the interests of any noble family. Scientific inventions are simply scientific inventions," said Grand Scholar Harry.
"Yes, Grand Scholar Harry. But with the development of writing and mathematics, the Citadel has scientific inventions in various fields every year. This is not surprising. The thousands of scholars in the Citadel are also constantly engaged in academic research in various fields every day, and they are driving the progress of civilization throughout our continent." Earl Odd paused deliberately and took a sip of water.
"—But, Maester Harry, it's quite unusual that so many inventions have appeared in Clegane's territory in such a short period of time: snow salt, military whistles, chopsticks, sinkholes, and noodle-making machines." Earl Odd looked directly into Duke Tywin's eyes. "Your Highness, because of these inventions, Gregor Clegane will become increasingly wealthy and powerful. He is currently recruiting soldiers, hoping to build a hundred-man cavalry unit to protect his territory, which makes me uneasy."
"My Lord," Lord Tywin Lannister began, his voice calm and measured, "if scientific inventions continue to emerge in the Westerlands, then Clegane and the Westerlands will grow ever stronger as a result." He continued, "we won't need to spend vast sums to purchase similar inventions from maesters in the Citadel. We can sell our inventions back to the Citadel, to the King, and then promote them throughout the country under the name of the Westerlands. We can even trade them with the continent of Essos across the Narrow Sea. If Gregor's intelligence awakens and we need to be wary, then shouldn't all the thousands of maesters in the Citadel, including the Grand Maesters around us, be executed?"
The heated atmosphere that Count Ode had stirred up in the room immediately began to cool down.
Earl Auder had not expected the Duke to say such a thing. His face turned pale. He looked at Sir Kevan, who also sensed something was wrong and kept his mouth shut.
Duke Tywin changed the subject: "However, Earl Odd, your concerns about Gregor's loyalty have given me pause for thought."
Count Ode's tense heart was filled with joy again.
Duke Tywin Lannister casually gave Earl Odd a nudge, implying that his slanderous deeds weren't a great achievement and he shouldn't try to claim credit for them. Then, he added a word of approval, reassuring Earl Odd that while his contribution wasn't significant, it was still quite good. This gave the Earl confidence to continue providing him with information in the future.
With just a few words, the Duke had Count Ode caught between a sense of uncertainty and a renewed desire to offer his advice. The Duke effortlessly manipulated the Count's emotions!
But Tywin's real warning was yet to come. The question remains: what were his true feelings towards Gregor Clegane?