Lord Auren felt a flush rise through his body, forcing down his growing regret. He signaled to Maester Barlow, who promptly opened a package that had been kept close at hand, revealing a bundle of Westerling noodles tied neatly with a strip of red silk.
"What is this?" Lord Kevan asked.
"These are noodles, something we've never seen or tasted before. Delicious, and you can add eggs, ham, spices, or snow salt. Boil them for a few minutes and they're ready to eat, or you can even eat them raw. Ser Gregor named these 'Westerling noodles.' They say they're mechanically produced." Lord Auren explained. "I've been to Clegane's Keep, but Ser Gregor refused to show me the noodle-making machine."
Lord Tywin's expression remained unchanged, though his eyes briefly flickered with interest.
"Ser Gregor invented a noodle machine?" Lord Kevan's voice held a surprise.
"No, Ser Gregor denies that. He claims the noodle machine was invented by Tobho Mott, the master blacksmith. But I don't believe it."
"Tobho Mott? The master weaponsmith from King's Landing's Street of Steel?" Kevan's astonishment deepened.
"Yes. Tobho Mott appeared in Clegane's Keep rather suddenly. That itself is unusual. Tobho Mott owns his forge in Street of Steel, he didn't rent it; he bought the property. A master smith with no lack of fame or fortune, why would he suddenly show up in Clegane's Keep?"
Lord Auren grew more confident as he spoke. Though he dared not hold the Lord's gaze for long, he looked steadily at the two other maesters with Lord Kevan.
"Ser Gregor brought Tobho Mott from King's Landing to Clegane's Keep. What is his intention? To forge the best weapons and armor? Then he should have brought Tobho Mott here to serve My lord at Casterly Rock, not kept him for himself."
Tywin said nothing, his hands pressed on the table, his presence commanding without raising his voice.
The three maesters and Lord Kevan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"My lord, Lady Jeyne had only been in Clegane's Keep a month when she suddenly invented the 'P-trap', the 'Westerling noodle' machine also appeared soon after Tobho Mott's arrival. Such coincidences are suspicious! I believe both inventions were actually Ser Gregor's." Lord Auren asserted firmly.
Lord Tywin met Auren's gaze and nodded once.
That single nod instantly filled Lord Auren with bold confidence.
"My lords and maesters, there's nothing unusual about Ser Gregor's sudden burst of intellect and inventing practical new things. Similar figures appear elsewhere in Westeros, whether in mysticism or science. There are others favored by the Seven. For example, we all know the story of Brynden Rivers, who had a thousand and one eyes."
Everyone nodded again, visibly impressed by Auren's reasoning.
Lord Auren regained his composure; the sweat on his brow and nose vanished. He felt calm and confident, knowing he had done right by informing the Lord.
When there's something suspicious, reporting it shows loyalty.
"My lord, if Ser Gregor truly invented these things but pretends Lady Jeyne and Master Tobho Mott did, then first, he has lost absolute loyalty to you my lord. Second, why conceal the truth? What is he uneasy about? Even if Ser Gregor has no selfish motives and these inventions truly aren't his, I still believe Ser Gregor is far from ordinary. Two such clever, practical inventions appearing consecutively on his lands, not in my Lannisport, nor at Casterly Rock, makes me think the Lannister family should keep an eye on him."
"Lord Auren." Maester Pycelle said, "every year new inventions come from the Citadel, in math, medicine, architecture, astronomy, and more. Though the Citadel holds nearly all knowledge on the continent, these inventions don't threaten any noble house's interests. Science is simply science."
"Yes, Maester Pycelle. But with writing and mathematics forming the basis of civilization, it's normal for new scientific advances to come annually from the Citadel. Thousands of maesters work tirelessly every day to push our continent's civilization forward." Lord Auren paused deliberately and took a sip of water.
"But, Maester Pycelle, so many inventions like snow salt, military whistles, chopsticks, the P-trap, and the noodle machine appearing in Clegane's Keep in such a short time is highly unusual." Lord Auren said, meeting Lord Tywin's eyes directly. "My lord, these inventions will only make Ser Gregor wealthier and more powerful. He's currently recruiting soldiers, hoping to build a cavalry unit of a hundred riders to protect his lands. This also makes me uneasy."
"If scientific inventions become more common in the Westerlands, then the ones growing stronger will be Clegane's Keep, and the Westerlands." Lord Tywin finally spoke, calm and measured. "With these technologies, we won't need to spend great sums buying similar inventions from the Citadel. We can sell inventions back to the Citadel, to the Crown, and promote them across the realm in the name of the Westerlands. We can even trade them to Essos beyond the Narrow Sea. If Ser Gregor's genius needs to be guarded against, then shouldn't the thousands of maesters in the Citadel, including those around us, be at risk as well?"
The heated atmosphere Lord Auren had stirred suddenly cooled.
Auren hadn't expected such a response from the Lord. His face turned pale. He glanced at Lord Kevan, who also sensed trouble and closed his mouth.
But Lord Tywin's tone shifted again: "However, Lord Auren, your concerns about Ser Gregor's loyalty have alerted me."
Auren's tightened heart relaxed again.
Tywin lightly tapped Auren, signaling that his slander was no great feat and warning him not to expect undue credit. Then he added some approving words, putting Auren at ease, his contribution may not be major, but it was still valuable. This gave Lord Auren hope and courage to continue feeding information in the future.
With these words, the Lord had skillfully twisted Auren's emotions, leaving him both anxious and hopeful, a simple feat for Tywin to manipulate.
But the Lord's true judgment of Ser Gregor Clegane remains unknown.
(End of chapter)
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