Earl Gavin exchanged pleasantries with the grim-faced Earl Leo, performing the perfunctory noble formalities before cautiously asking the blood-soaked Mountain, "Sir Gregor, may we untie Earl Damon Marbrand?"
Count Leo looked at Count Gavin with a calm gaze, but inwardly he felt contempt for Count Gavin.
This is Rocky City's territory, so Earl Gavin can't act like the master of the house!
"No!" said Demon Mountain.
This whole mess was caused by Damon Marbrand. If it weren't for Damon's intervention, the other nobles would have obediently returned the land.
This night raid had one major drawback: it offended the northern nobles. From now on, these guys can't be allowed near us on the battlefield. If tactical coordination is needed, we must be wary of them and not expect the northern nobles to be our help in crucial moments.
But there's one major advantage: these nobles will never enter Westerling's territory again unless it's absolutely necessary, which is exactly what the Mountain wants. To the south of Westerling's territory are two famous abandoned gold mines, the very sites of the legendary tale of the 'Rainy Season of Castamere': Castamere City and Taber Hall.
The rich gold mines there, if not mined into gold coins, would not only be a disservice to the White Walkers of the North and the Seven Gods of the South, but also to the heavens and the earth.
*
In the distance, Chiswick saw a huge city.
Cliff Rock is a large city.
The city's past glory can be seen from its size.
This dispelled Chiswick's doubts about the nobility of the Gavin Westerling family. Seeing that Earl Gavin's party to greet Lord Mountain numbered less than a hundred, Chiswick felt a sense of disdain.
When he became the leader of the Warblade Guild in Lannisport, he had over three thousand men under his command. This included many knights and some exceptionally skilled swordsmen. However, he himself was a commoner and still held no noble title.
As an earl, without the strength of a thousand-man guard, Chiswick felt unworthy of the incomparably brave Lord Mountain.
As the procession drew closer, Chiswick saw the massive city gate, which was no less impressive than that of Lannisport. The gate bore the inscription of the city name of Cliff Rock, though the paint had peeled off and the characters were no longer legible, leaving only faint white traces.
Chiswick couldn't read, but he knew that was the city's former name.
Like the city of Branding, the city walls were very high and thick, but most of them were badly collapsed. Many sections of the long walls were overgrown with weeds because no one had climbed them for years. Small animals and birds nested on them, and various birds chirped and chattered, unafraid of people.
Chiswick sighed inwardly. If he had such a fortune, he certainly wouldn't have let it go to waste like this.
He simply couldn't understand how the Westerling family, with its vast fortune, could have declined so drastically.
Upon entering the city gate, there is a wide avenue, which is very clean and tidy, but the sides of the avenue are overgrown with weeds.
Looking up, the tall watchtower had collapsed in half, with broken bricks and tiles scattered all over the ground.
Continuing on, we passed low dog kennels, a simple blacksmith shop with drafts on all sides, and a sizable garden with several large trees. We passed the large drill ground, which was several times larger than the drill ground in Crigam Village and could accommodate thousands of people training at the same time. However, most of the drill ground was overgrown with weeds, and some small rabbits and animals were startled and darted into the dense grass.
The huge training ground had only one ring of marks in the middle where people often practiced, while the rest of the ground looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.
The procession followed the main road toward the inhabited main castle. Chiswick noticed that many parts of the castle were badly damaged and should have been repaired long ago. The Maester's Tower was leaning terribly, making one worry that it might collapse at any moment.
No wonder the nobles of the North can bully the Gavin Westerling family. This once glorious super family has indeed declined terribly.
When a person weakens, someone will inevitably be bullied. Chiswick understood this perfectly!
When you are strong, people are more willing to deal with you with smiles, kindness, and integrity; when you are weak, people's smiles turn into contempt, and kindness turns into fists.
At the main gate of the castle, Lady Hibel led a large group of servants to greet the procession.
Mrs. Hebel looked a bit old, but she was very dignified, elegant, and had a remarkable air about her. It was clear that she must have been a very beautiful girl twenty years ago. Chiswick felt that from any angle, Mrs. Hebel looked like a true aristocrat.
However, because the lady was the daughter of a spice merchant, and the arrogant Duke Tywin adopted her daughter as his own and betrothed her to Gregor, he didn't even bother to invite her.
This must also be closely related to the great decline of the Westerling family.
The world is cruel and realistic; if you're not good enough, you won't earn respect. Chiswick himself earned his respect through hardship!
Chiswick turned back to find Lord Mountain, and saw him walking at the very back of the group, talking to a very large man whose nose was broken in the middle.
That guy was the one who attracted Chiswick's attention the most among the welcoming party. His heavy axe had a long handle, which required great arm strength, and the front of the axe back had a thickened spike protruding upwards. Others might not know what it was for; it looked very imposing and impressive, like a decoration. But Chiswick knew that it was actually used to penetrate armor.
No matter what kind of armor, if the heavy axe is swung backhand, the spikes will pierce through the armor. If it hits the head, the spikes will pierce through the helmet and skull.
Chiswick knew at first glance that the man with the broken nose was not to be trifled with, and of course, he himself was even more formidable. He was just slightly puzzled, however, that with such a powerful figure by his side, why hadn't they managed to defeat the neighboring Earl Bancroft, whose strength wasn't particularly great?
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Chiswick looked around and saw so many nobles, counts, viscounts, barons, knights, many of whom were wealthy and powerful with considerable military strength, but all of them combined were no match for The Mountain.
*
In the lobby.
The Earl of Leo, the Earl of Gavin, Lady Hipper, Lady Jenny, and Sir Gregor were present.
All around were Sir Gregor's knights, leaders, and elite soldiers, as well as the Westerling family's guards. Sir Ralph Spicer was the head of the Westerling family's guards and also the instructor of the Westerling 150-man garrison.
The nobles, led by Damon Marbran, stood in the middle of the hall, watched intently by the Clegane soldiers.
"Polliv!" the Mountain said.
Polliver walked out, his right cheek twitching with excitement. Tall and bald, he was actually quite young, a 'young talent' in his early twenties.
"Look at Adam's hand, which one do you like? Cut it off and make it into a work of art!" the Mountain said calmly.
Polliver was both surprised and delighted. He drew his dagger with a whoosh, his hand holding the knife maintaining a nervous rhythm that oscillated between spasms and stillness. This rhythm was something no one could learn or imitate, yet it was chilling.
Polliver's eyes gleamed with the excitement of a gambler who had just won a big bet. He approached Adam Malbran with a nervous, rhythmic gait, his gaze fixed on Adam like a wolf eyeing a little rabbit.
*
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