"Three hundred thousand golden dragons, not a single one less," said Demon Mountain.
Edmure immediately stood up and stormed off.
Count Gavin stepped in to stop Edmure; he certainly couldn't let go of such a big spender.
"If this deal doesn't go through, come back next time, and we'll add 100,000 gold dragons. After July, we'll add another 100,000 gold dragons. Think it over, Sir Edmure. Come back after August, and we'll add another 100,000 gold dragons, not a penny less," the Mountain said, standing up. "In the Westerlands, we haven't even shared this technology with Duke Tywin Lannister. You won't get this milk sterilization technology anywhere else, not anywhere else, except in the Rocky Citadel of Westerling."
"Even the school town won't work?"
"Yes, the university town won't work either."
Scholar Assa said, "Even our thermometers are not available in the City of the Academy."
"The thermometer was invented by a Grand Scholar?" Edmure looked at the Grand Scholar's necklace around Maester Assa's neck. The necklace had more than a dozen metal pieces, indicating that the Grand Scholar possessed extensive knowledge in more than a dozen fields.
"I designed and invented it with the Bachelor, based on the water and alcohol thermometers used by the Bachelors of the Citadel," Jenny said.
"Don't think you can get thermometer technology through the Citadel. Thermometers and milk sterilization methods are worlds apart," the Mountain said. "If Ser Edmure is sincere, we can also share the technology for snow salt and noodles. Snow salt requires Lord Tywin's approval, and for Westerling noodles, Clegane's mechanics can help you."
"Is the mechanic a Clegane?"
"Master Tob Mott!" the Mountain said calmly.
Edmure asked in surprise, "Is it Tob Mort from Steel Street in King's Landing?"
"right!"
"He's a Clegane?" Edmure asked in surprise.
"yes!"
Edmure said, "Mountain, I need to go back and discuss this with my father. If it's feasible, I will bring the Golden Dragon with me."
"Next time you come, the technology transfer price will be 400,000 gold dragons," Demon Mountain said arrogantly.
The Mountain was a negotiator who would rather scare people away by raising prices than lower them; his attitude was very firm.
Gavin, Sybil, Bernie, Asa, Jenny, Rove, and the others all kept their mouths shut.
They realized that the Demon Mountain was real!
If Edmure doesn't agree to 300,000 gold dragons, he can come back next time for 400,000.
Edmure also saw the Mountain's tough stance: he had to either cooperate or give up, otherwise the Mountain would only raise the price each time they negotiated, with no room for negotiation.
Does Adermour need this milk pasteurization technology?
He needs it!
It's absolutely necessary!
The Mountain knew this; Edmure couldn't fool him.
By raising the price, the Mountain forced Edmure into a corner.
In reality, 300,000 gold dragons is essentially being sold to the Riverlands, the North, and the Vale. Is that price expensive or not? When spread out, the profit is distributed among every noble, and it's not expensive at all.
*
However, the Mountain did not use the witch to change the course of the world. Instead, he kept abreast of the world's trajectory and told Tywin a few true prophecies that could be verified. The Mountain did not deliberately change the major trajectory of the world.
The Mountain cannot, and is unwilling to, transform the known world into the unknown. Only within a known world trajectory does he possess abilities similar to the Green Prophet. In an unknown world, he is merely an ordinary mortal, utterly devoid of any precognitive advantage.
In the known timeline of the world, the national tournament will soon arrive, Eddard will uncover the truth about Cersei and Jaime's incestuous relationship, the king will be killed by a boar, the war of the five kingdoms will draw ever closer, and a great war will break out next year. The dairy farmers of the Riverlands will all take up arms and join the war. No one will care about the sterilization of milk anymore; they will be more concerned with how to plunge their swords into the stomachs of the Westerlands people.
Before the chaos ensues, selling milk pasteurization products is like making money; every penny counts.
No matter how chaotic the world is, gold dragons are hard currency, freely usable in any country. This is the advantage of a unified monetary system: if you have money, you can buy the goods you want even in an enemy's land. Gold dragons and silver stags on the continent of Westeros—even across the Narrow Sea, in the slave cities of the Far East, and in the Summer Isles in the southern sea (where the people are as dark as night)—are all hard currency.
In the brief period of peace, the greatest wealth is the ability to amass as much gold as possible. In the end, war often comes down to a battle of resources and national strength, which is essentially a battle of money.
The arson on the plains was the first step in preparing for a future war: before the troops move and the world descends into chaos, the enemy's food supplies are depleted. The river region has ample food reserves, so one large-scale arson attack won't cripple it. Therefore, a second, more intense arson attack will follow before the river region's bountiful harvest.
*
Edmure suddenly found himself in a dilemma. He wanted to retreat in order to advance, but the Demon Mountain said that if he didn't place an order this time, he would have to pay an additional 100,000 gold dragons next time, and there would be no room for negotiation.
As time goes on, the price will increase by 100,000 gold dragon coins each time.
All of Edmure's negotiation skills, his calculated maneuvers, were utterly crushed before the Mountain. He had two options: either buy the technology for 300,000 gold dragon coins, or turn back and pretend he never came, then go back to admire the white ribbons of milk flowing down the Trident River like bolts of white silk, just like the many large white scarves around Mother Riverlands' neck.
"Alright, I need to send a letter to my father. I will not leave Cliff Rock City. I will wait for my father's reply before deciding on our cooperation method."
The Mountain ignored Edmure, glanced at him, and walked away.
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*
Evening, in Lord Gavin's study.
Maester Assa, Lady Jenny, Earl Gavin, General Rover, Leonard, the brother-in-law who came back from Castamere, and The Mountain himself.
On the desk lay a letter from Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock.
The letter has been opened, and the Maester Assa has read it in its entirety.
The Mountain said, "Reply. We prepared for the secret of the military sentry that Your Grace was worried about before Edmure arrived. We did not use the military sentry during the training these past few days and reverted to the old method."
Scholar Assa replied, "Yes, that's easy!"
"The second question is that the Duke wants us to teach the milk sterilization method to all the nobles in the Western Territory, so that all the warriors and people in the Western Territory can drink healthy milk. Each lord or noble will charge between one hundred and three hundred gold dragons. We can agree to that, but we must keep the thermometer technology a secret."
"Yes!" said Scholar Asa.
Jenny said, "Should we have Maester Assa report the thermometer technology to the Citadel?" Maester Assa's statement during the day about reporting the special milk thermometer technology to the Citadel was a lie, and Jenny's statement about considering contributing the milk sterilization technology to the Citadel for rewards and honors was also a lie; it was merely a pretext for negotiating with Edmure.
In the power struggles of business negotiations, you won't find a single good person.
"No report." The Mountain made the final decision.
Winter is coming, so all the trivial matters are off-limits. It's more worthwhile to use that time to accelerate Jenny's efforts to conceive; even if something goes wrong, at least a seed will be left. Thinking about procreation, Mrs. Allen at Clegane's Castle, still young and beautiful, is an excellent tool for this purpose.
Maester Assa glanced at Lord Gavin, who said, "Duke Tywin's letter orders us to detain Edmure Tully and his hundred guards, and that the milk pasteurization technique must not be introduced into the Riverlands. Ser Gregor, how should I reply to the Duke?"
The Mountain pondered for a moment, then looked at Jenny. He understood that this was Tywin Lannister's way of drawing all the Riverlands' anger and retaliatory fire with him alone, while also severing any possible further contact between the Mountain and House Tully.
Even after the war ends, the Mountain will be utterly discredited for this capture of Edmure, and no one will dare to cooperate or associate with him! The Riverlands are different from distant Dorne in the south; they are neighbors. For the people of the Riverlands to enter the Westerlands to take revenge on the Mountain is simple, quick, and involves numerous routes.
This would be entirely beneficial to Lord Tywin, with the Mountain taking all the blame, much like the infamous rape and murder of the Queen and the death of the Prince in Aegon 283, which cemented the Mountain's infamous reputation in the Seven Kingdoms.
The Mountain has already offended House Martell of Dorne, and now he will offend House Tully. This sudden detention during peacetime is the most despicable act for the nobles and knights of the Seven Kingdoms! In some ways, this despicable act is more unacceptable than raping and murdering a queen or throwing a crown prince to his death during war.
The Mountain is no longer the Mountain of Aegon 283, but the Duke's secret decree—to keep it or not to keep it, that is the question!