Gregor Clegane, known as the Mountain, needed to devote his time to military affairs. For everything else, he hoped Jeyne could handle it.
No matter how powerful a military force is, food is its foundation.
Milk, as a food source, is not only a staple, it's also highly nutritious.
Every year, milk-related illnesses would break out, and it had nothing to do with the so-called"Strangers."
The cause was simple: milk wasn't sterilized and bacteria grew unchecked.
Milk is highly susceptible to bacterial contamination, especially in hot weather.
Flies, dirty pails, all of it could introduce bacteria. But the main culprit was during the milking process itself.
In this half-farming, half-pastoral society, many illnesses were common, some even fatal.
In later, more advanced civilizations, these would be minor ailments. But in this primitive, undeveloped era, even something like an infected wound could mean death, or the loss of a limb.
Milk-borne illnesses could easily be prevented with proper sterilization.
The best method was the pasteurization process.
Pasteurization, however, required a thermometer.
But in this civilization, caught between animal husbandry and primitive agriculture, thermometers were considered specialized Maesterly instruments, rarely seen by the general public.
Gregor had seen one used by the Maesters. But they lacked sealed ends, and due to atmospheric pressure, the temperature readings were unstable and inaccurate.
So Gregor decided to make his own thermometer.
This world already had mercury. Maesters refined it by roasting ore and using iron, which doesn't dissolve in mercury, to extract it. These could be purchased at the Citadel in Oldtown.
Gregor planned to use mercury instead of water or alcohol as the medium. In this world, thermometers typically used water or alcohol, and the temperature units were a local invention, not Celsius.
…
Gregor and his party entered the kitchen.
The underground storage held ice.
In this world, food storage technology was remarkably advanced.
Why? Because of the seasons.
A single winter could last from three to ten years, or even longer.
During the long cold, food production halted entirely. People had to rely on what they stored during spring, summer, and fall.
To store food for a decade or more requires advanced preservation techniques.
The Maesters of Oldtown had a specialized field dedicated to food storage. Over time, they had developed an impressively advanced and complete system of knowledge.
And the core of all storage methods was low temperature.
The lower the temperature, the less likely food would spoil.
In the Lord's estate, the underground warehouse stored ice blocks.
This wasn't just for preservation, it was also how nobles chilled their wine during hot days.
Gregor had the servants bring ice, crush it, and add a little water.
He selected the thinnest and narrowest of several glass tubes.
This was just a demonstration to explain the principles of thermometer construction to Jeyne.
Once she understood, she would go to the glassworks and order a batch of custom-made thermometers. With the help of Maester the Maester, they would purchase mercury from the Citadel for use as the sensing medium.
Gregor poured a bit of water into the glass tube.
Then he placed it into the ice water.
"We'll define the temperature of this ice water as zero degrees," Gregor said to Jeyne.
Lord Gawen and Lady Sibelle looked on, completely confused.
They thought if the Maester were here, he might understand.
Gregor wanted Jeyne to grasp the principle first, then work with the Maester to create the first batch of mercury thermometers in Clegane Castle. the Maester's expertise would help Jeyne, and Jeyne's understanding of Gregor's concept would, in turn, help the Maester.
Using a feather dipped in pigment, Gregor marked a point on the glass tube: "This indicates zero degrees."
Thermometers worked on the principle of thermal expansion and contraction. Of course, factors like internal air pressure mattered too, which is why the tube needed to be sealed, something the glassmakers and the Maester could handle.
Pasteurization required a temperature between 62°C and 70°C.
Minor errors in precision were acceptable.
Defining zero degrees with ice water was easy enough to understand.
Jeyne nodded. She got it.
"Now heat the water until it boils," Gregor instructed.
The servants did as told. The water in the tube rose as the temperature increased, until the water boiled.
"We'll define boiling water as 100 degrees," Gregor said, marking the water level.
"Ice water is zero, boiling water is one hundred," he continued, pointing to the two marks. "Now, from the fifty-degree point, we divide it upwards."
He had a servant bring a length of string and measure the distance between zero and one hundred degrees, then fold it in half.
"Jeyne, the midpoint is fifty degrees."
He marked the fifty-degree point.
"Just like this, a thermometer is done."
Jeyne nodded enthusiastically. "Ser Gregor, that was simple. What next?"
"As long as the zero and hundred marks are accurate, the rest will be, too. You and the Maester can test those two temperatures as much as needed."
"Understood!"
"The maester has experience with water and alcohol thermometers, but I want you two to go to the glassworks and commission a batch of sealed mercury thermometers.
Before sealing them, I suggest heating the tube to above 100°C to force the air out."
"I've got it!" Jeyne said. "Once the thermometers are ready, then what?"
"Then we'll be able to use them to precisely control the temperature while heating milk to kill the bacteria.
Once sterilized, the milk will be safe to drink, and we can use it to make cheese and other dairy products. We can sell these to the people of Clegane, and, of course, use them as excellent nutrition for our soldiers."
Jeyne glanced at her parents. Lord Gawen and Lady Sibelle exchanged blank looks, it all sounded like priestly chants from the Sept. They didn't understand a word.
"Make the thermometer first," Gregor said. "Once that's done, I'll teach you how to properly heat and rapidly cool milk. You can even test it on your Lys cat to see if it's safe to drink."
"What?" Jeyne blurted out in surprise.
"Or stray dogs. Or any other animal," Gregor added with a smile.
"What about sour milk?"
"Worth a try. But filter it several times first."
In this world, milk hygiene was appalling. The servants' hands and the cows' teats were rarely clean during milking. That, too, would have to change.
Under the bewildered gazes of the Lord and Lady, Gregor calmly walked off. As long as Jeyne understood, that was enough. Even if she didn't fully grasp it, she just needed to remember the method. Once the thermometers were ready, testing them with ice and boiling water would reveal any inaccuracies.
Then they could begin pasteurizing milk. Once soldiers drank it without falling ill, the results would speak for themselves.
In this world, milk-borne illness was common, even if outbreaks didn't happen every year, they were regular enough. Some years, especially in July or August, they were severe.
Of all the pasteurization methods, Gregor chose one: Heat the milk to 62–65°C for 30 minutes, not exceeding 70°C.
This would eliminate most pathogens while preserving beneficial bacteria like lactic acid bacteria.
At temperatures below 37°C, bacteria thrive. Beyond that, they start to die.
Pasteurization exploits this weakness by carefully heating milk to kill pathogens while keeping good bacteria or heat-resistant spores.
This method came from Gregor's former world, developed by Louis Pasteur, the French microbiologist and chemist, and father of modern microbiology.
Just as Newton had founded classical mechanics, Pasteur had pioneered microbiology. He was a giant of science.
And Gregor, not ashamed to admit it, was now standing on the shoulders of that giant.
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That night, Lord Gawen and Lady Sibelle talked at length in their bedroom, about Gregor's past, present, and the many rumors surrounding him. Before they realized it, the eastern sky had begun to lighten, and shouts from the training ground and the sound of military whistles rang out.
Neither of them slept at all.
Soon, a knock came at the door. The Maester's voice followed:
"My lord."
"Come in," Gawen said, sitting halfway up in bed, baring his hairy chest.
Lady Sibelle did the same, modestly covering her chest with a blanket but revealing one pale, graceful arm.
They didn't mind the Maester entering their bedroom, they lived a rough and forthright life.
"My lord, a letter from Clegane Lands."
Gawen took the letter. The wax seal bore the Clegane sigil.
He weighed it in his hand, then said, "From now on, send all letters from Clegane Lands straight to Ser Gregor. Just inform me afterward. No need to pass them through me first."
"Yes, my lord." The Maester bowed and left.
Soon after, on the training field, Gregor received the letter from Clegane Keep.
It was from Maester Harry. He reported that "the Scribe " had successfully captured Littlefinger outside King's Landing and was already on the return journey, expected to arrive at Clegane Keep the morning after next.
Littlefinger had been brought to the West.
It seemed the Scribe had executed his plan well, he'd lured Littlefinger out of the city and captured him just as planned.
Littlefinger was a key piece, his fate was tied to the future of the Westerlands and Gregor himself.
He would be a tool, used to full effect. Littlefinger's fatal flaw was his obsession with shedding the shame of being born to a minor lord and rising to true nobility.
With Littlefinger properly handled, and with the secret priestess working against Tywin, Gregor's chances of reshaping his destiny would grow even stronger.
Gregor made an immediate decision.
He left military training to Polliver Clegane and Rolph Spicer, entrusted the secret minting project in Castamere to Old Buzz and his granddaughter, and handed off the thermometer and milk experiments to Jeyne and Maester the Maester.
He would personally return to Clegane Keep.
He had a very important man to meet, the cunning and devious master of schemes: Petyr Baelish, Littlefinger.
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