"If I ever come to this hellhole again, may I be cursed to never find a woman."
Joel had sworn for the ninetieth time, shrinking into his cloak and tightly clutching its edges to prevent the cold wind from seeping in.
Because he was huddled in a ball, he couldn't control his horse and could only let it follow the crowd.
Not far from him, Fotimo was also wrapped in his cloak, looking a bit dispirited, too lazy even to mock Joel.
In the procession, both prisoners and soldiers were bundled in their clothing, heads down, enduring the cold wind, slowly shuffling forward.
Only the dozen or so Northern cavalrymen sent by Winterfell to lead the way were accustomed to such extreme cold and felt nothing unusual, still moving normally; they rode back and forth at the front and rear of the group, checking if anyone had fallen behind or gotten lost.
However, no matter how resistant to cold the Northern cavalrymen were, they still reacted to such extreme weather by bundling up, and so on. Only Lord Linde showed no signs of being affected by the biting, knife-like wind.
Clad in full steel armor, he seemed impervious to the cold; not only was there no ice on him, but not even a single snowflake. This was true not only for him but also for the warhorse beneath him, which was similarly unaffected by the cold wind.
This was mainly because all the cold air approaching Lord Linde was, without exception, absorbed by the Ice Dragon Rune. This place was practically the Ice Dragon Rune's home ground; in just a few days, the cold energy absorbed by the Ice Dragon Rune had already surpassed the total amount it had accumulated over the past several months.
Although Lord Linde was pleased to see the power within the Ice Dragon Rune rapidly accumulating, he wasn't happy about it, because if they didn't find a place to shelter from the snowstorm soon, most of the people might freeze to death on the last leg of the journey.
After leaving Winterfell, they continued north. The weather at the time was still good; while not warm, it wasn't particularly cold.
But less than three days into their journey, just after passing through the Wolfswood, a cold snap swept in from the north. Overnight, ice and snow covered the entire land, and over a dozen people froze to death that very night.
Lord Linde thought this was another occurrence of the Eternal Winter, but the Northern cavalrymen serving as guides told him it was just an ordinary cold snap; the Eternal Winter was far colder than this.
After a hasty burial for the dozen or so people, the group continued northward. The further north they went, the stronger the cold wind became. The snowstorm was so heavy that it completely covered the road, and they almost got lost.
Fortunately, some of the Northern cavalrymen frequently traveled to the Wall, and they quickly found several landmarks to determine their direction, bringing the group back onto the King's Road.
Their advice was to continue north to Mole's Town, where they could escape the snowstorm.
Some also suggested going to Black Crown City, but those who had been there said it had been abandoned for a long time, with few places to shelter from the snowstorm. While suitable for a dozen people, with hundreds now, many would likely freeze to death if they went there.
Thus, the group could only brave the north wind and continue northward.
"Mole's Town! Mole's Town is up ahead!" After an unknown duration of travel, a Northern Ranger scouting ahead emerged from the dense snowstorm, shouting loudly towards the crowd.
Hearing the Northern Ranger's words, those who had felt they reached their limit gritted their teeth and continued to step forward. Some indeed reached their limit and collapsed in the snow. Lord Linde cleared out the supply wagon, put the people on the wagon, and marked the abandoned supplies on the roadside. After completing the handover with the Night's Watch, he let them collect the supplies themselves.
Soon, a cluster of simple-looking wooden houses appeared in the snowstorm. The villagers, having received prior notice, had already cleared out several houses. After the group entered the village, they were settled into these houses. Fires had already been lit in the houses, and the warm environment quickly helped them recover, though a few who had collapsed on the last stretch of the journey did not make it.
It was clear these houses were built specifically to house prisoners, with sturdy logs forming the Walls and roof. Though there were gaps, no one could possibly squeeze through, and the doors had locks and chains.
As more and more prisoners were sent from the south, directly sending them to Black Castle on the Wall became inconvenient. Thus, Mole's Town, being the closest to Black Castle, became the handover point for prisoners. For this purpose, Black Castle also funded the construction of some facilities specifically for housing prisoners.
The people of Mole's Town had no objections to this, as each time prisoners were sent from the south, they were accompanied by many wealthy soldiers. The soldiers' spending in Mole's Town brought considerable prosperity, and since they didn't have to pay for the construction of these facilities, they were naturally pleased.
After settling the soldiers and prisoners, Lord Linde was led by a Night's Watch Quartermaster to a large house on the north side of Mole's Town.
Fotimo and Joel had already entered to warm themselves and were in the process of handing over the prisoners to the waiting Night's Watch Quartermasters.
"Lord Linde, this is Carter Pike, the Quartermaster of Black Castle, and Allister Thorne, a Ranger. They are the Night's Watch Quartermasters sent to take over the prisoners." Joel, having regained his spirits, scooped out a bowl of stewed radishes from a large pot beside him and introduced them while eating.
"Lord Linde," the two stood up and saluted Lord Linde.
Lord Linde nodded to the two, sat down, took a bowl of hot soup from Fotimo, took a sip to warm himself, and then scrutinized the two, especially Allister Thorne.
In his memory, Carter Pike would later become the Commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea and compete with Jon Snow for the Commander, while Allister Thorne would become the Night's Watch training master and one of Jon Snow's main troublemakers in the future.
"Lord Linde, is there anything improper about our attire?" Seeing Lord Linde scrutinizing him, Allister couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and ask.
"No," Lord Linde shook his head, casually making up an excuse. "I'm just curious, seeing the legendary Night's Watch for the first time."
"I almost forgot," Carter Pike suddenly seemed to remember something. He stood up, took a box from a nearby backpack, and handed it to Lord Linde, saying, "Lord Linde, here are your letters."
"My letters?" Lord Linde was stunned, taking the box with a puzzled expression. Upon opening it, he saw three small copper tubes neatly arranged inside for holding letters. The wax seals at both ends of the copper tubes were intact, and the imprint on the wax seal was Nameria's Tengshi Town Earl's seal.
With a puzzled look, Lord Linde opened the copper tubes, took out the rolled-up letters inside, and read them carefully.
The letters were all written half a month ago. Although there were three letters, they all spoke of one thing: Jon Bulwer, the Quartermaster he had appointed for Miracle Port, had resigned from all his duties and returned to House Bulwer's Black Crown City to inherit the family's territory and earldom, and he had also married a woman from a branch of House Tyrell.
The position of Quartermaster of Miracle Port was now temporarily held by Wise Rowan. This Wise Rowan came from a branch of House Rowan and was Jon Bulwer's attendant. He had been with Jon since the early days of revitalizing Tengshi Town and was very familiar with Jon's affairs. Jon had also strongly recommended him before leaving.
"I just played a trick on a Jon not long ago, and now my Jon is gone. Is this some kind of punishment?" Lord Linde frowned as he read the contents of the letter, thinking to himself with a touch of self-mockery.
"What's wrong? Did something happen in your territory?" Fotimo asked with concern when he saw Lord Linde frowning.
Lord Linde didn't answer, simply handing him the letter.
Fotimo read it and couldn't help but chuckle, "Jon, that fellow is lucky; he just picked up an earldom and a castle for free."
"Picked up for free? What do you mean?" Lord Linde asked, puzzled.
"Jon's guy's line of succession wasn't very high up," Fotimo explained. "He knew that too, so he just went to work as an Quartermaster for House Tyrell, and then followed you. He never even thought he'd inherit the territory. But I don't know if House Bulwer was unlucky, or if Jon's luck arrived; several of his predecessors either died in battle or went off to become maesters, and he ended up becoming the first in line. When I left Highgarden, I heard people say that Earl Bulwer had fallen ill, and very seriously, thinking he wouldn't last much longer, and Black Crown City would change hands. Now it confirms my guess from back then."
Lord Linde also sighed at Jon's good fortune, but then, thinking of Miracle Port, which was currently under construction, he couldn't help but sigh again and say, "This is good news for him, but not for me. Now my Miracle Port is missing an Quartermaster familiar with affairs. Although Wise Rowan's ability is also good, his prestige is much lower, so there will definitely be some troublesome matters, and the construction progress of the port will also be delayed."
"The House Bulwer you two are talking about, is it the House Bulwer of Black Crown City?" At this moment, Allister Thorne interjected.
"Yes," Fotimo nodded.
Allister Thorne said, "I have a Ranger companion who is also from House Bulwer. His name is Jack Bulwer."
Fotimo was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond. House Bulwer was considered a prominent family in The Reach, with over a hundred people named Bulwer across its main and branch families. Who would know which branch this Jack Bulwer belonged to?
Before the atmosphere became awkward, Lord Linde spoke up to break the silence, "Lord Allister, as a Ranger, you must frequently patrol north of the Wall, right?"
"Yes, Lord," Allister nodded.
Lord Linde put down his hot soup bowl and said, "Could you tell me about the Eternal Winter Land? So I can be prepared."
"Prepared?" Fotimo keenly sensed Lord Linde's intention and asked, "Lynd, are you planning to go to the Eternal Winter Land?"
Joel, who had been engrossed in his food and drink, looked up in surprise at Lord Linde upon hearing this.
Lord Linde nodded, not revealing the truth to the two, but casually found an excuse, saying, "It's not easy to come to the Wall; it would be a pity not to see the Eternal Winter Land."
"Are you crazy? What's there to see in that cursed place?" Joel couldn't help but exclaim.
"With all due respect, Lord Joel is right. North of the Wall, besides ice and snow, there are only those damned Savage Tribes. It's not a place worth visiting at all." Allister also nodded in agreement; from his tone, it wasn't hard to hear his hatred for the Eternal Winter Land.
Lord Linde didn't explain, simply stating, "You don't need to say anything; this is something I decided when I left Tengshi Town." Then, he turned to Carter Pike and Allister Thorne and asked, "When are you returning to Black Castle?"
"Not yet," Carter Pike shook his head and said, "This snowstorm should last for a few more days, and during this time, we can only stay indoors. After the snowstorm stops, we will distribute these here. Only after the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea's fortress Commanders take their people away will we take the remaining people back to Black Castle."
"In that case, I'll go by myself!" Lord Linde said nothing more, then turned to Fotimo and Joel, saying, "After the snowstorm stops, you two can take the men back yourselves! There's no need to wait for me."
"Alright!" Fotimo didn't try to persuade Lord Linde further, simply blessing him, "Be careful."
Joel said dismissively, "You don't need to worry about him. Even the Night's Watch Rangers can safely traverse the Eternal Winter Land. How could anything happen to him with his abilities? If he really encounters Savage Tribes, you should worry more about those Savage Tribes!"
Lord Linde did not waste any more time here. After receiving Nameria's letter, he only wanted to find the winter horn as soon as possible and return to his territory to deal with any potential problems that might arise after Jon's departure.
So, he stood up, embraced Fotimo and Joel in farewell, and then prepared to leave.
As Lord Linde opened the door, Allister suddenly warned, "Lord Linde, you'd best not wear armor anymore. That cold steel will freeze you into a block of ice in the Eternal Winter Land. It's best to change into warm furs."
"Don't worry, with the blessing of the Seven Gods, the cold will not fall upon me." Lord Linde replied with a smile and walked out of the house.
After leading Black Wind out of the stable, Lord Linde mounted his horse and headed north towards Black Castle. Glory, who had been playing, emerged from the woods and came to Lord Linde's side.
Compared to the hot south, Glory seemed more suited to the northern environment. It was completely unaffected by the snowstorm and was having a great time. Its joyful emotions even passed through their mental connection to Lord Linde, significantly improving his mood.
The man and beast traveled for about half a day in the snowstorm, passing through a dense forest. The surrounding snowstorm suddenly weakened significantly, then disappeared. With the snowstorm no longer obstructing his view, Lord Linde also saw the majestic Wall.
A frozen colossal wall, hundreds of meters high, stood before him, extending in both directions as far as the eye could see. The towering wall blocked the snowstorm blowing from the north, providing shelter for the land near the Wall.
In the distance, beneath the high wall, a castle built of wood and stone nestled against the ice wall, looking like a black scar left on the silver-blue wall.
However, the scenery was no longer Lord Linde's main focus. His attention was on the magic emanating from the entire Wall and the changes in the Dragon Rune within him and on the Lost Knight's Greatsword.
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