Bolin looked around, lowered his voice, and spoke in a voice almost only the two of them could hear:
"Lord Solomon... you want to actually control this mountain range?"
Solomon didn't answer. He just turned his head and smiled at Bolin under the moonlight. Guessed right.
If he could control the towering and precipitous Mountains of the Moon, which were unfavorable for large army movements, even if the war went poorly in the future, the Lion's Den and the high mountains would be the only reliance. Future populations could build military forts in perilous places in the high mountains to achieve actual control. Any large-scale army would be dragged down in such an area.
But in Bolin's view, that smile, though wordless, contained ambition, trust, and invitation. This meant Solomon already completely regarded him as one of his own.
This smile was worth a thousand words.
The light in Bolin's eyes was instantly ignited. The experience of hiding from noble pursuit and dealing with wildlings in the mountains for years turned into invaluable experience at this moment.
His voice revealed a strong confidence stemming from absolute familiarity with this land, and a proud smile: "Then My Lord has found the right person."
"The Mountains of the Moon are vast and boundless. The deeper you go, the more shrouded in mist. Outsiders coming in will get lost in a short while. eventually, if not starving to death or caught by wildlings, they become dinner for beasts."
"But we ten brothers, to survive, have basically walked through every part of these Mountains of the Moon. Everywhere are marks and traces left by us."
Bolin pointed to the huge dark mountain mass reaching the sky shrouded in mist in the distance.
"Where the water source is cleanest, where food can be planted and obtained, which cave is most hidden and can accommodate hundreds of people, which seemingly dead-end path can bypass the most dangerous cliff—we know it all like the back of our hands."
He paused, his voice lowered even more.
"I even know a few secret paths that allow an army to march silently into the Vale."
Solomon widened his eyes, his heart skipping a beat, but soon returned to normal. After all, the Young Wolf Robb Stark could find a path for a large army to bypass the Golden Tooth in the developed Westerlands, let alone the Mountains of the Moon which were full of wildlings and effectively uncontrollable by the Vale.
Bolin continued to analyze for Solomon. Solomon was somewhat pleasantly surprised. This blacksmith's thinking was very clear. Indeed worthy of being someone who could survive with ten people in high mountains full of wildlings.
"More importantly, the timing. previously, the mountain clans were heavily damaged by you, My Lord. Various tribes migrated to the side of the Vale. In the mountains on the Riverlands side, a large power vacuum appeared."
"This mountain range nominally belongs to various lords of the Vale, but for thousands of years, no one could truly control it."
"Any army attempting to take root would be harassed to collapse by endless mountain clan wildlings."
"Now is a golden opportunity."
Excitement flashed in Bolin's eyes. In his view, he was deeply bound to Solomon. Only if Solomon's power was strong would his hope for revenge be greater.
Moreover, his enemy was also a lord of the Vale. Making trouble for Vale nobles was also revenge, wasn't it?
"As long as we take advantage of the void to enter, control those few key passages and perilous passes, and then occupy all perilous environments suitable for building cities, we can firmly hold the mountainous area on the Riverlands side in our hands."
"Even if the wildlings recover their vitality in the future and want to counterattack, they can only sigh at the cities. They definitely can't last long."
Bolin looked at Solomon and said solemnly: "I can guide the way for My Lord!"
"Good!" Solomon could no longer conceal his joy. He patted Bolin's shoulder forcefully; those solid muscles were like rock. "Good! Bolin! You gave me a huge gift!!"
Talent is always the primary resource for development; this saying does not deceive me. Now still missing a Maester. Must work hard to think of a way.
Just don't know where Qyburn is now. If really no other way, I'll secretly report him and then snatch him to my side.
Solomon raised his wine cup and poured half a cup for Bolin's clay cup.
"To conquering the high mountains of the Moon!!!" Solomon raised his cup.
"To vengeance!" Bolin raised his cup.
The two looked at each other, smiled, and drank it all in one go. The spicy liquor burned in their chests, igniting a flame hotter than the bonfire.
When they returned to the bonfire, the atmosphere was even more enthusiastic and unrestrained, voices boiling over, passionate and noisy, without a single cold moment.
There was even a surrendered bandit's wife who drank too much and danced a strange dance that was hard to look directly at in the field, but for these rough men, it was also a rare beautiful sight.
Bolin's eight brothers were sitting together, loudly bragging about their experiences in the mountains to the gathered Solomon soldiers, drawing bursts of laughter.
"Let me tell you! Last time I sneaked into a wildling tribe! Stole a whole roasted mountain goat from them!"
"That's nothing! I disguised myself as a lost wildling! Was invited by a female wildling! Slept in a female wildling's tent for a night! Hehe..."
"You drank too much that time! Almost died on the icy cliff! hugging a rock for warmth! Remember?"
A young partner of Bolin named Will suddenly gulped down a big mouthful of ale, his face flushed red from drinking.
He gave a loud drunken hiccup and shouted: "I'll tell you something even more amazing... in the mountains... there are dragons in the mountains! I saw with my own eyes!"
Solomon keenly caught the keyword and looked up at this drunken young man.
As soon as his voice fell, a burst of good-natured ridicule erupted around him. Not only his brothers and partners, but even Solomon's soldiers burst into laughter.
More and more people gathered around hearing the laughter. They seemed to have just heard someone say they saw a dragon. Even children wouldn't talk about things that exist only in stories.
Although everyone was bragging, they wouldn't brag such a big lie. They wanted to mock the person who bragged this lie properly.
Solomon shook his head, revealed a faint smile, and drank a mouthful of wine. Understandable.
The current generation of Westerosi people had never seen dragons, nor did they have the time, money, or status to go to King's Landing to see dragon skulls. Naturally, they thought dragons were just creatures in legends and stories.
Moreover, House Targaryen lost in Robert's Rebellion, and the divinity on them had long expired.
"Hahaha, Will is at it again!"
"That time you drank three bags of wild fruit wine, got so drunk you mistook a withered tree for a wild boar and hugged and gnawed it for half a day!"
Another partner brother of his also laughed and jeered: "Yeah, was that dragon you saw covered in bark and motionless?"
Everyone was exposing his shortcomings, good-naturedly mocking his drunken talk.
Will was flushed with embarrassment, his neck thick. He stood up angrily: "It's true! It's true!! Really a dragon!!"
Solomon looked at Bolin, asking with his eyes. This kid doesn't look drunk.
A helpless bitter smile appeared on Bolin's face. He leaned close to Solomon and explained in a low voice: "My Lord, don't take it seriously."
"Will used to be a Vale hunter. Because he accidentally trespassed into a lord's hunting area and shot a rabbit, his whole family was hanged by that lord. Since then, he numbs himself with alcohol."
"One time, this kid got greedy with cups and drank too much, getting separated from us."
"When we found him, he was lying in a cave, hugging a big cold rock sleeping soundly."
"After waking up, he kept mumbling, saying he saw a giant dragon hundreds of meters big, coiled in that cave."
Hearing Bolin say this to Lord Solomon, Will jumped up from the ground anxiously.
He pointed at his own eyes, arguing with a flushed face and thick neck: "I really saw it! Not dreaming! Really a dragon!!!"
He looked around, seeing no one believed him, stomping his feet in anxiety.
"That was a huge!! Huge stone dragon!!! Its head!!! Bigger than many cows stacked up!!!!"
He gestured hard, wanting the crowd to understand that shock.
"Most importantly—"
Will suddenly lowered his voice, a mysterious and fearful expression appearing on his face.
"Its eyes were still moving!"
He took two steps forward, voice lowering to a whisper.
"Those weren't eyeballs, but two huge stones like rubies... glowing in the dark!"
"The eyeballs kept turning, just watching me following my movements."
He waved his hand slowly, as if his hand was the dragon's eye. "Just... watching me."
The noise by the bonfire seemed to stop at this moment.
Only Will's rapid breathing and the crackling of the burning fire remained.
The mockery on the crowd's faces solidified. However, soon, everyone started holding their bellies and laughing, slapping their stomachs.
Solomon didn't laugh.
He looked quietly at the agitated Will, then cast his gaze to the endlessly dancing bonfire.
In the center of the flame, it seemed to also hide a red, turning eye.
He saw a vision once again.
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