Demon Mountain walked into the tunnel, holding a torch.
The tunnel became increasingly narrow, forcing people to stoop as they moved forward.
Torches were placed on both sides of the tunnel, with two torches illuminating each corner.
After turning the corner of the tunnel, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a wide corridor with more than a dozen cells in front of them. One of the doors was open, and voices could be heard coming from inside.
The Mountain's footsteps alerted those inside, and Leonard Westerling appeared at the cell door.
"Lord Gregor," Leonard said.
"Bring them out! To the interrogation room!" the Mountain said.
"Yes, Lord Gregor."
The Demon Mountain turned back to the previous floor and entered the interrogation room. The stench of blood was strong, and the air was filled with a fishy smell that made it hard to breathe.
The Mountain sat down in front of a long, dark table. There was a water hole in the opposite wall, from which water flowed down a groove in the wall, into a ditch in the ground, and finally out through a hole in the ground.
This is the water flowing to wash away the bloodstains.
When the prisoners were being interrogated here and the bloodstains needed to be washed away, a small, pointed cone-shaped cylinder hanging on the wall was taken down and inserted into the drain hole. Water would then flow through the cylinder into a basin, and the water in the basin could be used to wash away the bloodstains on the tables, chairs, and floor.
No matter how much they washed it, over time, with so many prisoners being interrogated, the blood seeped into the stone floor, turning it black. The blood also seeped into the tables and chairs, turning them black as well, and a nauseating stench emanated from them and the floor.
After a while, with the rattling of the shackles and bracelets, Stinky Mouth and Leonard led the three men into the interrogation room.
"Tsk! Who beat them up like this?" Demon Mountain said, frowning.
Three people, covered in wounds and bloodstains, one of them had a face that looked like it was broken, his nose was completely collapsed, and his upper and lower lips were cut off, revealing red gums. It was a gruesome sight that made anyone who saw it feel uncomfortable.
"Lord Gregor, it was Captain Chiswick who headbutted him," the foul-mouthed man said, pointing at the guy whose face looked like a dye shop.
"You couldn't possibly knock off his upper and lower lips by bumping into him," said Demon Mountain.
"Chiswick shaved off the flesh of his upper and lower lips with a knife," the foul-mouthed man admitted.
"Hmm!" The Mountain nodded. "Have they all confessed?"
"They confessed. They were guards of the Marbrand family. They were ordered to spread all sorts of rumors about you, sir, in the land that the port had been returned to," said the foul-mouthed man.
"There are also rumors that we will impose heavy taxes," Leonard added.
"It's good that they've confessed. Their Earl, Damon Marbrand, is our honored guest. For the sake of the Earl, let's not make things difficult for the three of them," the Mountain said calmly.
"Yes, sir!" said the foul-mouthed Leonard.
"You foul mouth, Leonard, we're recruiting our first batch of three hundred men in five days, and there's a problem: we don't have the money," Gregor said.
"Take these three guards and ask Count Damon for some money," said the foul-mouthed man.
Leonard said, "Lord Gregor, my mother and uncle still have many ways to make spices. We can hire people in Lannisport to continue the spice business."
"Hmm, not a bad idea. It's just that the stinky mouth method doesn't bring in enough money. If we had captured Adam Marbran, the ransom would have been much more, but these are just three lowly guards, not worth much. Leonard's idea is better. The spice business is very profitable, but it requires a large initial investment. It would take at least two months to make the journey across the Narrow Sea, which is too long. The spice business can't provide the money we need right now."
Stinky Mouth and Leonard were at a loss for what to do.
The Mountain said, "Can I trust either of you? What I'm about to say is absolutely confidential."
The Mountain knew the characters of the foul-mouthed boy and Leonard well; they were two absolutely reliable young men, and he wanted to train them both. After this incident, they would be two knights whom he would personally bestow upon.
The foul-mouthed man chuckled, "Lord Gregor, whatever you tell me, I swear in the name of Stranger that I will keep it a secret until the sun rises in the west and the moon sets in the east. Even if someone knocks out my teeth, I will not utter a single word."
The Mountain nodded: "I trust you, you foul mouth."
Leonard said, "Sir, your words are my words, and they are my words. I will keep this secret from anyone without your orders. I will not swear on the honor of my family or the faith of the Seven Gods, but I will swear on my life: I would rather die than reveal this secret."
The Mountain nodded: "Okay, Leonard, you're family to me, I trust you."
"I believe you, Mountain." These few words, though brief, weighed heavily on Leonard and the foul-mouthed man, causing a huge uproar.
The Mountain's words had made it clear that they were now Lord Gregor's true confidants, which invigorated the two youths and filled them with fervor. Entrusted with a secret by the valiant and invincible Sir Gregor, their blood boiled and their hearts pounded.
The Mountain said, "Lord Tywin told me that the Seven Kingdoms will undergo a great upheaval, and war will break out soon. I must train an elite army. The current military plan is: five hundred Clegane cavalry, one thousand mercenaries from Chiswick, and one thousand infantry from Cliffrock." Gregor paused here, looking at the two solemn and serious-looking boys. He could see a spark of hope in their eyes.
"Three armies, two thousand five hundred soldiers, require a large sum of money to train. But Duke Tywin did not give me money, but he gave me a power that violates the existing laws: to mint my own coins."
Gregor stopped again.
He stared at the two boys.
Though the foul-mouthed boy remained silent, his heart was churning with turmoil, and his admiration for Lord Gregor grew even stronger. He was a lawless brat, for if he had obeyed the law, he would have starved to death in the streets long ago.
Minting coins—no one dared to do that, but Lord Gregor did. That's truly remarkable.
Leonard's eyes were resolute. Since Duke Tywin had given his tacit approval, what was there to be afraid of? Let's do it!
The naive boy didn't think it through further. What if this was actually Lord Gregor's idea?! Given Gregor's daring nature, it was possible.
"Sir Gregor," Reynard said, "there are three Marble guards here as well."
Gregor ignored Leonard's warning and continued, "East of Cliff Rock, there are two places that people dare not enter: Castamere and Taber Hall. These two places are rich in gold mines, and no one dares to touch them. Although I have Duke Tywin's tacit approval, I cannot openly make any moves. Therefore, I want the two of you to be in charge of this matter. Find miners to secretly enter Castamere and Taber Hall to mine for gold. I will send people to mint coins."
The song "The Rains of Castamere" was sung throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and everyone knew that Castamere and Tarbet Hall had been exterminated by Lord Tywin when he was nineteen years old, leaving no one alive, men, women, or children. To deter other nobles in the Westerlands, these two places were left barren, forbidden to be cultivated, planted, owned, or mined by anyone.
Both boys stared intently at Lord Demon Mountain, their eyes showing no fear, their hearts filled with burning passion and fighting spirit.
"Regarding manpower, the miners should be people who have received favors from the Westerling family for hundreds of years; the guards should mainly be family members; the Westerling family has been lords here for a thousand years, and I believe the kinship ties they have built up are not a problem. As for supervision, Spitmouth needs to do a lot of work; if any miner disobeys orders or tries to escape, kill them!"
"If I were to mobilize the family's loyal guards, my parents would surely find out," Leonard said.
"I will send you to establish a camp in the eastern territory to train troops," Gregor said.
"Alright, I'll take care of these things. The miners' families will be settled near our Cliff Rock City. I'll find the most reliable relative, the mine foreman, to gather the manpower."
The Mountain nodded and said, "You foul mouth, Leonard, you've done a fine job. I will grant you knighthood."
Spicy Mouth and Leonard were overjoyed. Although they tried their best to control themselves, they couldn't help but smile.
"You foul mouth, I'll ask Mrs. Jenny to give you a name and then bestow upon you the Clegane surname."
It felt as if someone had hit his chest hard, or as if a magical force had ignited his chest. With a bang, flames burst forth, and his whole body became hot.
He was speechless. He knelt on one knee, his right fist clenched and placed on his chest where his heart was beating: "Sir Gregor, I swear to follow you to the death, and I am honored to become a Clegane."
The Mountain gently patted Stinky Mouth's shoulder and helped him up: "From today onwards, you and Leonard are both family and brothers to me."
Stinky Mouth's lips twitched, his eyes reddened, and his emotions surged. For an orphan who had grown up on the streets and despised right and wrong, this was the first time a nobleman had valued him so highly, entrusted him with such an important task, and elevated him from nameless nobody to a knight, a nobleman. Even if he had ten lives, Stinky Mouth would sell them to the Mountain without hesitation, let alone one.
The Mountain told his foul mouth to process his turbulent emotions, then looked at Leonard: "Leonard, have you ever killed anyone?"
Leonard blushed and shook his head.
When the last national war ended, Leonard was only three years old. Sixteen years of peace followed, and the boy had no opportunity to go to war. The Westerling family had been in rapid decline since the Earl of Gavin's father's generation, getting worse year by year. The boy had practiced martial arts from a young age and lived under the Earl of Gavin's protection, never having killed anyone.
The family also has its own executioners to punish crimes committed within its territory, so the family heirs don't need to do it themselves.
"A kind heart cannot make a good general, and a soft hand is not even fit to be a qualified soldier. Kindness cannot lead an army, and benevolence cannot make a soldier," the Mountain said calmly, pointing to three Marbran family guards. "Reinhard, go and kill those three."