"But it doesn't belong to any other knight's land either." Gregor responded.
The area Gregor had chosen for gold mining was located in the Silverhills, close to Clegane's Keep, and was a no-man's-land. Gregor had decided that his first fortune would be gained from a nearby location. As for the long-abandoned Castamere gold mine, it was located far to the north in the Westerlands. More importantly, it was part of the strategic territory Lord Tywin Lannister had intentionally left untouched as a reminder to the other noble houses of his power. It was best not to disturb it just yet.
"My lord, the land you've ordered us to mine doesn't have any gold." one miner said.
"I know." Gregor replied.
"But why should we mine in a place without gold?" another miner asked.
"The gold mine is just on the other side." Gregor answered, "and it's very close."
The miners exchanged looks. They understood. Ser Gregor was planning to start mining from the no-man's-land, pushing into the gold-mining area controlled by the Serrett family.
"Milord, the area on the other side belongs to the Serrett family." one miner pointed out.
"That's right, my lord. What if the Serretts find out?" another asked.
"We'll be thrown into the dungeons of Casterly Rock." another miner added.
"My lord, who dares to go against Tywin Lannister's law?" one more said.
The miners began to talk all at once. The tension in the air finally became palpable.
Gregor raised his hand, and the room fell silent.
"If Tywin Lannister wants to arrest you and send you to Casterly Rock, he'll send me with my soldiers to do it. Do you think I'd arrest myself? Do you? Yes, or no!" Gregor's words were ruthlessly blunt.
But Gregor was a man who was used to bending the rules, and he never bothered with niceties. He had never cared about making sense. What mattered to him was that he delivered on his promises. And as for the disputes among the Westerlands' nobility, arresting criminals, conquering defiant nobles, subduing rebellious knights, and patrolling the southern and eastern borders, those were all things Gregor had done while leading the guards of Casterly Rock.
The miners fell silent, unable to argue further.
"From now on, you are all my soldiers. Although I don't think of you as true combat soldiers, you are my mining soldiers. From this moment on, you are my miners."
Miners?
This was the first time anyone had heard of such a unit. It sounded ridiculous, but no one dared to laugh.
"The first step in becoming my mining soldiers is to take an oath. Harry, it's your turn!"
Young Maester Harry stepped forward, holding the seven wooden statues of the Seven, representing the Seven Gods: the Father, the Mother, the Warrior, the Maiden, the Smith, the Crone, and the Stranger.
The statues were small, only a few inches tall, far smaller than the towering, colorful statues in the grander temples. Clegane's Keep had no such temple. The Seven represented different virtues, and their followers prayed to specific aspects of them depending on what they sought.
The miners, upon seeing the Seven statues, immediately knelt in unison.
...
In the land of Westeros, only two regions did not widely follow the faith of the Seven: the North, which worshipped the Old Gods, and the Iron Islands, which followed the drowned god.
Before Gregor had crossed into this world, he had been an atheist. But after coming here, he believed there was a supernatural force at work. Whether called gods or spirits, these forces didn't respond to the prayers of mere individuals, like how an elephant would never notice the tiny ant in the grass.
But people didn't understand this, and the ruling classes often used religion to control civilizations that lacked a higher level of understanding. The church and Maesters, priests, sisters, and others acted as intermediaries between the mundane and the divine.
Gregor realized that by leveraging the belief in the Seven, he could better manage many of his affairs, oaths of knighthood, master-servant contracts, and more could all be influenced through this faith.
...
After Maester Harry led the eleven miners in swearing their oaths, they stood up, and there was no more dissent regarding the task ahead. They had already pledged their loyalty to the Seven under Harry's guidance.
Gregor waved his hand, and the scribe called out loudly, "Blackstone, come sign the document."
A large man stepped forward from the ranks and stood before the scribe's table.
Raff sang out melodiously, "Blackstone Soldier, you shall receive a sack of salt, a warhorse, a full set of armor, and a fine sword from Ser Gregor!"
Blackstone couldn't believe it. At the scribe's urging, he dipped a quill in ink and circled the spot where the scribe indicated.
Most of the poor people couldn't read or write. The better off had a name, but some, like Blackstone, hadn't bothered with one. He was simply big, dark-skinned, and tough, so he had been named Blackstone.
The scribe's Scribe already contained the names of the eleven miners; they were the first members of Gregor's new unit of mining soldiers. The list of items that came with their names had been prepared by Harry in advance.
Gregor beckoned Harry over and whispered in his ear. Harry nodded quickly.
...
"Blackstone, do you want the warhorse, armor, and sword to become your personal property?" Maester Harry asked.
"Wha… what? Yes… I really do... I really want it, Harry!" Blackstone stammered, as if he were dreaming. He barely understood what he was saying, his ears ringing.
A warhorse, a full set of armor, and a sword in its scabbard, he could barely believe it. Even most mercenaries didn't own such high-quality armor.
"Kneel and swear your loyalty to Ser Gregor before the Seven, and these things will be yours to keep." Harry instructed.
Personal property was different from what a lord issued. A lord could reclaim items given at any time, but this oath would make them Blackstone's possessions.
Blackstone knelt before the Seven statues, and under Harry's guidance, he swore his loyalty to Ser Gregor, using his family's honor and life, and his faith in the Seven, as a bond.
Then, Blackstone received his sack of salt from Julie, his warhorse from Thomasson, his armor and sword from Dunsen.
Half an hour later, Gregor had his first mining soldier squad: eleven warhorses, eleven new soldiers, and eleven swords.
"From now on, you are the loyal warriors of Clegane's Keep. You are my armed miners. Tomorrow morning, you'll train under Dunsen the knight for half an hour in swordsmanship, and under Knight Raff for half an hour in horsemanship. The rest of the time, each of you is to recruit at least five miners to join our ranks. Tell them that the wages I'll offer them each month will be ten times what they're getting now. And today, every household will receive ten gold dragons as a down payment."
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