Gont brings Anden to the Ayt mansion, a fortified and lavish estate modeled after old Kekonese Green Bone traditions. Anden believes he may be a hostage in a larger conflict between No Peak and the Mountain, and his fear turns to impatience as he waits under guard. Gam watches him closely, making escape impossible, and Gont eventually returns to escort Anden deeper into the house.

The chapter shifts into the history of Ayt Yugontin, the wartime Spear of Kekon and former Pillar of the Mountain, and his friendship with Kaul Sen, the Torch. After Yugontin died without a natural heir, his adopted daughter Ayt Madashi seized power by killing the clan Horn, other rivals, and even her adoptive brother. Her ruthless consolidation of power was followed by a formal peace gesture to Kaul Sen and later by the Mountain's absorption of smaller clans.

In Ayt Mada's cluttered, sunlit office, Anden meets the Mountain Pillar. She appears casual but wears an extraordinary amount of jade, and her aura feels intensely focused. Gont reports that Lan understood his warning and that Hilo has gathered forces in Little Hammer but has not yet attacked, confirming that Anden's seizure has put No Peak on edge.

Ayt serves Anden tea and explains that the Mountain has taken a risk to speak with him. She praises Anden's talent and lineage, then offers him a place in the Mountain. Anden understands that accepting would betray the Kauls and that the offer is also a message to No Peak, but Ayt makes the offer more startling by saying Anden would serve as a Fist in Ygutan, overseeing new Mountain operations there.

Ayt reveals that the Mountain intends to produce and sell SN1, or shine, to Ygutanians. Anden is shocked because shine lets foreigners wear jade and is widely seen as a violation of Green Bone values. Ayt argues that foreign access to jade is inevitable, so Green Bones must control production, pricing, and distribution rather than lose power to outsiders.

Ayt frames the plan as a chance for renewed unity between clans against foreign threats, but her invitation carries a threat: if Anden and No Peak reject the Mountain's hand, they should not later oppose her. When Anden asks why Ayt does not approach Lan directly, Ayt blames Hilo's aggression and says Lan must prove he is serious about peace. She dismisses Anden with instructions to carry the offer back, warning that she will not wait long for an answer.