The Huaquan Tribe, as one of the most powerful tribes among the Mountain Clans, naturally had its own council hall.
The elders of the tribe brought out rare meat to entertain Jon.
Everyone lit a fire pit in a bright, semi-cave-like great hall, and set a bronze pot on it to boil the meat.
It was only when Jon saw this scene that he truly felt the reality of backward productivity.
The taste of roasted meat was certainly good.
However, a large amount of precious fat would drip off during the cooking process.
Scenes like those in movies and TV shows, where nomadic people place large chunks of roasted meat on a grill and allow the fat to drip freely, are impossible.
Instead, it's normal to pour every drop of oil from a bronze pot into one's mouth, like this.
Jon, the three elders, and Harken conversed around the fire pit.
The three elders chatted with Jon while drinking tea, while only Harken watched Sola, who was pouring their tea, without a word.
"Thank you."
Jon took the tea from Sola's hand and thanked her.
Because he had just heard Sola call the Great Elder 'father', he didn't want to be rude.
But this gesture made Sola's face flush and her ears burn, and the smile on her lips was hard to hide.
"So, the group of 'iron-skinned' people who previously recruited our warriors are going to fail soon?"
"That's right. We call that group of 'iron-skinned' people the 'Lannister'. He has now provoked several powerful families simultaneously.
Of course, the Lannister is powerful, but to use an inappropriate analogy, I see that the Huaquan Tribe is also very powerful, but if the Huaquan Tribe were to fight against all the Mountain Clans in the Mountains of the Moon, could you withstand them?"
Seeing Jon say this, Vidor and Elder Hughwolf exchanged glances.
They both realized that perhaps their defection to the other side could be called 'lucky'.
At this moment, Great Elder Vidor spoke:
"Lord Jon, we understand your meaning. Since it is the Fire Witch's will, we are willing to serve you, but the grain and weapons..."
"Don't worry, I will give you better grain and weapons!"
The weapons Tyrion gave these people were only second- and third-line weapons discarded by the Lannister army.
The ones Robb gave him were taken directly from captives, so they were naturally much better.
Seeing him say this, Great Elder Vidor nodded, but then raised a very practical problem—communication among the Mountain Clans was not frequent, and conflicts were numerous.
The tribes that hadn't joined the Lannister were in somewhat remote locations and were very hostile to outsiders. It would probably not be an easy task for Jon to form an alliance with them.
"Leave this matter to me." Before Jon could say anything, another Elder Hughwolf spoke up.
He reached directly into the bubbling bronze meat pot and fished out a large piece of meat, both lean and fatty, placing it in front of Jon.
This acrobatic display greatly surprised Jon.
Good heavens! What an iron hand!
However, seeing someone willing to help him, Jon still expressed his respect:
"Then I thank the Elder. How should I address you?"
"Haha, just call me Hugh Wolf."
"Alright, Elder Hughwolf."
Hugh Wolf's enthusiasm clearly surprised the other two as well. At this point, Sola, who was nearby, suddenly interjected:
"Elder Hughwolf is the most heat-resistant person in our tribe."
"It's just being resistant to heat, not a useful skill. It can't compare to Lord Jon's martial arts."
Upon hearing someone praise Jon's martial arts, Harken lowered his head even further, fiercely tearing at the piece of meat in his hand as if it had been cut from Jon's body.
Overall, however, the atmosphere was much more harmonious than when Jon first arrived at the Huaquan Tribe.
The people of the Huaquan Tribe were willing to accept Jon and his party, and Elder Hughwolf among them was even willing to proactively undertake the somewhat arduous task of contacting other tribes, which made Jon feel a stroke of luck, as if aided by the gods.
But as a businessman in his previous life, he would not believe that there were people in this world who would inexplicably help him.
The gifts of fate had long been secretly priced.
To be honest, in his previous life, he even guarded against his own partner, let alone this Hugh Wolf.
'But if it were Roslin…'
Suddenly, Jon found himself zoning out.
It seemed that the greasy old man, having swapped into a young man's body, was also starting to have a more active mind.
Suppressing that strange flutter, Jon continued to converse with Vidor and the others.
After the discussion concluded, Jon and his party were arranged lodging, and Old York took the opportunity to warn Jon to be careful of Hugh Wolf.
Jon smiled and agreed. It seemed that the saying "old and cunning" was indeed true.
But soon, the old fellow started to get improper.
"My lord, it seems that little Sola is quite fond of you."
Seeing him tease him, Jon waved his hand indifferently and said, "Girls, they're all outgoing."
"Oh~ My lord, you're wrong there. You're skilled in martial arts, possess a noble temperament, and can win battles. Not to mention a wild girl, even throughout Seven Kingdoms, many noble young ladies would be smitten with you!
My lord, you probably haven't been to bed with a woman yet, and from my experience, that little girl in bed is quite…"
Old York grew increasingly improper, and Jon interjected:
"Sir York, we are here to find allies, not to find me a wife. If you don't focus your efforts on proper matters, perhaps you should return first?"
Hearing the reproach in Jon's tone, Old York sullenly sat back down.
Although he had been criticized a little, he was still quite pleased at heart.
That wild girl named Sola was indeed good-looking.
She had a good figure and a good face.
Among all the girls he had seen in his sixty-plus years of life, she could rank in the top five!
Purely in terms of appearance, his own granddaughter might lack some competitiveness.
However, it seemed Jon wasn't someone who valued appearance, which reassured him quite a bit.
The two then talked about Hugh Wolf, who had fished meat for Jon from the boiling pot, and both felt amazed.
Perhaps his hot and cold nerves weren't so sensitive?
Jon didn't think much of it.
Meanwhile, Hugh Wolf was inventorying his belongings, preparing to set off to persuade other tribes.
But his son was somewhat displeased about it.
"Father, why should we help that outsider?"
Hugh Wolf looked at his complaining son. When the tribe had decided to send troops, he had gone to great lengths to hide his son.
"What do you know!" Hugh Wolf scolded.
Then he glanced out the window, confirmed no one was around, and then lowered his voice to his son's ear, saying:
"Didn't you see how skilled that Jon is! I estimate he will be the person most likely to ascend Canghuo Peak in a hundred years.
Do you know what the treasure on Canghuo Peak means?
If we have that, let alone the small Huaquan Tribe, the entire Mountains of the Moon, and even the entire Vale will be ours!"
"The Vale…" Hugh Wolf's son swallowed, looking as if he couldn't even imagine it.
"Father, what exactly is on Canghuo Peak?"