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Count Leo, unbelievable!
In the blink of an eye, the people of Demon Mountain were dressed in their finest attire, and outside, it was a summer night with faint starlight.
The Mountain said, "My Lord, please change your clothes. We'll wait for you."
Leo forced an awkward laugh and said, "Alright, I'll set off now and go with you. But Sir, from Golden Tooth City to Branded City, it's all mountain roads, and it's very unsafe at night. There are wolf packs, shadow lynxes, and hunter traps. The mountains are high and the roads are slippery, and they're not official roads, so it's not easy to travel."
"We will carry torches for light; the summer nights are cool, perfect for our journey. There are indeed many wild beasts in the mountains, but they are all afraid of fire. If the Earl is still worried, then I will stay by his side." The Mountain's earnest expression made Leo feel like he was dreaming.
"Sir, why do you have to leave tonight? I didn't even have time to prepare a gift for you," Leo said, making another excuse.
"Your Excellency, your presence alone is the greatest gift." Demon Mountain remained neither humble nor arrogant, showing no sign of letting up.
Count Leo was helpless; he certainly didn't want the Mountain to draw his sword in his room. The Mountain's men were all menacing and menacing.
"Alright, Sir, I'll accompany you on this mountain hike tonight. Please wait a moment while I change my clothes." The Earl stood up and walked into the inner room.
As the Mountain turned his head, Big Head Chiswick, die-hard fan Pollyford, and executioner Dunson immediately followed closely behind the Earl.
The count felt as if his head had suddenly grown twice as big.
He knew that given the Mountain's temper, disobeying would inevitably cause a major uproar. While the Mountain ultimately wouldn't dare harm him, he couldn't do anything to the Mountain either. He was one of Tywin Lannister's four most trusted lieutenants, while the Mountain was Tywin's son-in-law, a notorious killer in the Westerlands, and had served Tywin for twenty years. Recently, his inventions had greatly enhanced his reputation, making him one of Tywin's most favored advisors.
Since the Mountain sincerely invited him to the wedding, then he should go.
There's no need to incur hatred with a madman like The Mountain over a joyous occasion!
Half an hour later, the drawbridge of Golden Tooth City was slowly lowered. The Mountain led the way, with Count Leo in the middle. The Cleganes guarded the Count in the middle of the group, and they embarked on a mountain road leading northwest.
Although it was a mountain road, the western region, with its many mountains and gold mines, had very well-maintained roads. Twenty-three torches were lit, like stars in the night, as they sped along the mountain road where visibility was extremely low.
The terrain in the western region slopes from east to west, with continuous high mountains and steep ridges to the east. Where there are no roads, travel is extremely difficult, and many mules, horses, and wild boars have fallen to their deaths. However, wherever there are roads, they are built to a very high standard.
After a night of rapid travel, the group emerged from the mountains at dawn, facing a gently rolling hilly area. This indicated they had entered the territory of the Marble family. Just a hundred miles ahead, across the Tengshi River, lay the Marble family's imprinted city.
Earl Leo, exhausted from marching all night, said, "Sir, after crossing the Tengshi River, we'll soon reach the city of Marble's Brand. If we press on, we can enter Brand in a little over an hour to rest, eat something, and then continue our journey."
"My Lord," said the Demon Mountain. "Let's not cross the river yet. Let's find a place to rest first." He spurred his horse into a side road and entered a primeval forest.
Before Count Leo could even comprehend what was happening, he was already being led by twenty-two Cleganes into a side path and into a primeval forest.
The group from Demon Mountain ventured deep into the dense forest and finally found a sheltered spot with water. Everyone dismounted, fed the horses, laid out carpets, and set up tents. Several archers went out to hunt and quickly killed several rabbits, a wild deer, and several other small animals such as weasels and foxes. They gutted the animals and quickly strung them on tree branches. Soon, the aroma of meat filled the air.
The Mountain took out snow salt from his food bag and sprinkled it evenly over the roasted meat. Everyone continued grilling until golden-brown fat sizzled and dripped onto the fire.
The aroma of the roasted meat was even stronger after being seasoned with salt, and everyone kept swallowing their saliva.
The ground was already covered with cloaks, and bread, honey, spice packets, cooked dried meat, fruit wine, and various fruits were laid out and spread out on the ground. Everyone sat on the ground, with fresh roasted meat wrapped in oilcloth, and ate to their heart's content.
Count Leo also put aside his ulterior motives and stopped thinking about the Mountain's strange behavior. After all, he was there to attend the Mountain's wedding and offer his congratulations, so he might as well let him be. With his mind at ease, he ate meat and drank wine heartily. After he was full and satisfied, he crawled into his tent, fell asleep immediately, and slept soundly and comfortably. When he woke up, he was full of energy, and it was truly the best sleep he had had in many years.
The count emerged from his tent. The other tents around him had already been packed up, and everyone was tidying up. Looking at the sunlight outside the forest, it was already setting in the west; he had slept for almost a whole day.
A short while later, everyone mounted their horses, and the group set off again, leaving the forest and arriving at the Tengshi River, where fishing boats were already waiting. The Earl then realized that while he was sleeping, the Demon Mountain had already sent people to arrange a ferry.
After the group crossed the river, the road ahead became easier; the high mountains and steep ridges disappeared, replaced by a hilly area.
The sun was setting, and dusk was approaching.
Mo Shan, with his large appetite, began munching on dried meat bread and drinking fruit wine right on horseback. Everyone ate on horseback; it seemed they would be traveling all night again. In this way, they would reach Cliff Rock City by dawn.
Earl Leo rode up to the Mountain and said, "Sir, the city of Marked City of the Marble family is not far ahead. I am on good terms with Earl Damon. If we pass by Marked City and do not stop in, it will not look good when people find out later."
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The Mountain pondered for a moment and said, "Count Leo, then let's slow down and stay in Brand City tonight. We'd also like to invite Count Damon to my wedding."
"That would be perfect!" Count Leo exclaimed with delight.
More than an hour later, around midnight, the group arrived at the foot of Branded City. The Mountain dismounted; he was not much shorter than the other riders. Count Leo, a close friend of Count Damon, spurred his horse forward and shouted, "Open the gate!"
The centurion guarding the city recognized Count Leo's voice, and the city gates swung open, the drawbridge slamming down. Simultaneously, soldiers rushed into the Count's main castle to inform Count Damon that Count Leo had come to visit late at night.
Upon hearing this, Count Damon, to fulfill his duty as host, hurried out to greet him.
Outside, Count Leo was about to cross the drawbridge into the city when a hand grabbed his horse's reins: "Your Excellency, please wait a moment and let the count come out to greet us."
It was Demon Mountain who held the reins.
The Mountain and the Earl stood in the center, flanked by twenty-two Cleganes. The torches in the Cleganes' hands were extinguished one by one.
Earl Leo was surprised, but he couldn't insist on going in first. He said, "Alright, Sir, we'll wait for Earl Damon to come out and greet us."
Count Leo wasn't a bad person; he assumed the Mountain was just trying to show off, like when he welcomed him into Golden Tooth. The Mountain was such a powerful and domineering man, with a very high opinion of himself; if he had such a request, then so be it—let his vanity be satisfied.
Count Damon led his entourage out on horseback. As soon as they reached the drawbridge, they saw the towering, imposing figure of the Mountain at the bridgehead. Although the Mountain had dismounted to conceal his identity, his size was simply too immense. Count Damon sensed danger and immediately turned his horse. In that split second, the Mountain's greatsword was drawn, and with a roar like thunder, he charged onto the drawbridge, heading straight for Count Damon.