Criggan Castle, main hall.
Count Od said, "Lord Gregor, there is something I must apologize to you for first."
"What is it?" Gregor and Count Oder sat across the table from each other, like an adult facing a child, and the sense of oppression was natural.
"I've banned the Lannister tavern from selling your Clegane noodles."
Gregor Clegane remained silent, staring at the Earl. He was waiting for an explanation. The knights behind Gregor had already revealed their hostility, and made no attempt to conceal it.
Polliver stretched out his lips and slowly licked them. He stared at the Count somewhat nervously, looking at the Count's throat. Perhaps cutting off the Count's throat and soaking it in a wine vat to make a work of art was a wonderful thing he was thinking about.
The faces of the four centurions beside the count all changed.
They all know it's best not to joke around here.
The people around Gregor were not normal; you could tell from their faces and eyes that those soldiers were not good people.
The Earl chuckled and looked at Jenny and Gavin. He was somewhat surprised that Earl Gavin was still in Clegane instead of returning to Cliffrock to prepare for the wedding. It didn't make sense; perhaps something in Clegane needed him.
Clegane wasn't large to begin with, but it can't be called small now either. Along the way, more than fifty houses have been built in Clegane village, and construction is still ongoing. This is a bit unreasonable, because the total number of people in Clegane's territory, both old and new, is only thirty households, scattered throughout the territory. If all the houses were built to house them together, thirty households would be enough.
Soldiers and knights each had their own barracks to live in, just as priests lived in sanctuaries, so any extra houses would not be for soldiers to live in.
As they passed by, they also saw stables, at least one that could hold three hundred horses. This was somewhat illogical, since Clegane's cavalry currently numbered less than a hundred. Even if each cavalryman had two horses to ride, there was no need for such large stables.
These small details only prove one thing: the Clegane Territory is still recruiting soldiers and citizens.
According to territorial laws, subjects cannot change lords for life unless the lord is eliminated due to a major upheaval or his lordship and territory are directly stripped by the duke. In peacetime, neither of these situations applies.
Of course, territorial laws were not always fully enforced. For example, if two neighboring lords were involved, and one was more powerful, the more powerful lord might use a disputed border as a pretext to seize the other lord's territory and people. These things could happen as long as one lord tolerated it for some reason.
"Sir Gregor, it seems you have gained some more subjects in your territory," the Earl said with a smile.
"Without subjects, there are no soldiers. It's not unreasonable for a dignified knight like Gregor to establish a hundred-man cavalry guard." Miss Jenny's voice was as melodious as a bird's song in spring. Her smile was captivating. "My lord, Clegane has not violated the land laws to develop his subjects. I merely suggested that you build more houses so that some homeless vagrants and poor people who have lost their land can live in them in the future. This is not illegal, is it?"
"Of course!" the Earl laughed. "Miss Jenny, you're already worrying about Clegane even before you've married into the Clegane family. Haha, hahaha, Sir Gregor, congratulations on your good fortune."
"Noodles!" Gregor said sullenly.
With a single word, he interrupted the count's idle chatter; the word was like a muffled thunderclap rolling in the clouds, ready to explode at any moment.
The Earl laughed again: "Sir, I've bought the largest tavern in Lannisport, the Bigger Tavern. I'm having it renovated into 'Clegane Noodle House.' The other nine noodle shops have been ordered to stop selling noodles. I'll raise the price of noodles from two large bronze stars to one silver deer, and sell them only to nobles, knights, big merchants, captains, mercenary leaders, princes of the outer islands, and other powerful figures."
Gregor glared at the Earl and said in a deep voice, "I disagree."
The Earl remained calm and chuckled, "Sir, I've already had my grey-robed maester, Bancroft, calculate it. If we cooperate, your income will double for the same sales volume. Lannisport is the largest city in the entire Western Territory, with smooth trade with the continent of Essos across the Narrow Sea. Those wealthy merchants and nobles who come to Lannisport to trade will definitely eat noodles at the 'Bichl's Tavern.' Haha, they even need my Earl Od's port permit to dock there. I assure you, Sir, as long as your Clegane noodles supply is sufficient, our daily income will be like flowing water. This is a small gold mine."
"I disagree," Gray said decisively.
The count's face stiffened, and his smile instantly turned awkward.
The count suddenly wondered why he was so confident.
He was facing a great demon, the Demon Mountain!
Even though the noodles at Count Ode's noodle shop in Lannisport were ten times worse than the actual food, nobles, merchants, knights, mercenary leaders from all over the world dared not refuse to patronize the business, especially since the noodles were exceptionally delicious. Furthermore, a silver deer was very expensive for ordinary people, yet the Count never sold his noodles to them.
"Sir, why?"
"There's no reason why, I simply disagree," Sir Gregor raised his voice. His echo reverberated throughout the hall: Disagree...agree...disagree...
Gregor's voice was like thunder, his eyes widened, and he moved with the force of a galloping horse.
The ignorant mad dogs behind him, who only knew how to listen to Gregor, were all eager to make a move. Even if they beat the Earl in Clegane, the Earl could only suffer in silence, because he would never tell Lord Tywin. He couldn't bear the shame, and if he dared to complain, Lord Tywin would surely scold him severely.
Unless there's a very serious conflict, the Earl won't be in any danger, but killing a few of his guards wouldn't be a problem.
The latest novels are first published on 69shuba!
"...Sir..." the Earl chuckled awkwardly, "Actually, I also have..."
"Mrs. Allen." Gregor had already turned his head, not giving the Earl a chance to continue.
"Yes, sir!" Lady Allen stepped out of the ranks of her servants, stood dignified, and curtsied to Sir Gregor and then to the Earl.
"The Earl has arrived. Bring out all the fine wine, dishes, and meat to the table."
"Yes, sir."
"Count Odd, let's go to the restaurant. It's a rare treat for you to come here, so let's drink until we drop." Gregor stood up.
Count Aude's face was slightly pale, and beads of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.
He had also planned to visit the noodle-making workshop and the high-quality flour mill. He could have simply given an order, and Clegane's mills would never have to worry about high-quality wheat again. The largest trading port housed the largest agricultural market in the Westerlands, where the wheat trade was monopolized with a single word.
"Lord Gregor," Jenny smiled, utterly captivating, "the Earl is the Grand Lord of Lannister Harbor, and he wishes to partner with you to open a noodle shop. I've considered the pros and cons and don't see any harm it would bring to Clegane. My lord, why are you unwilling to cooperate with the Earl? The Earl is a Lannister, and I am also a young daughter of the Lannister family. Sir, Clegane and the Lannisters are already family! Why can't we cooperate?"
Jenny's words hit the nail on the head. The first point was about profit, that everyone should make money together; the second point was about sentiment, which actually implied that she wanted to use the name of Duke Tywin to get close to the powerful and influential.
"The Earl is too stingy, his sincerity is lacking." Gregor stood and looked at Jenny, his voice dropping several octaves, like a giant fawning over a little sprite in his palm. Then he turned to Od, his voice returning to normal, "Earl, if you promise me a small favor, I will agree to cooperate with you. It's a small favor for the Earl, but it will be of great help to Clegane."