When Lynd came out of Mole's Town, he had already felt the Dragon Rune changing. This change was not the Dragon Rune turning into another power, but rather the power originally possessed by the Dragon Rune was beginning to revive in some way.
He remembered that the Wall had magic, not only capable of blocking dragons from approaching, but also allowing people who originally possessed magic to return to their state of magical revival. Melisandre had said during her time at the Wall that her magic was rapidly recovering.
the Wall Lynd saw at this moment was not a giant wall of ice; he saw a wall constructed from countless magical runes. Infinite magical light emanated from the Wall, looking magnificent.
According to legend, the Wall was built by Brandon the Builder, but now seeing this giant magical wall, Lynd was certain that unless Brandon the Builder was a god, he absolutely could not have built such a giant magical wall.
However, the Hightower in Oldtown did have some connection to this giant wall, because he could find some of the magical runes appearing on the surface of the Hightower's body among the dense magical runes on the giant wall. Obviously, the builder of the Hightower must have also referenced the magical runes of the Wall.
Lynd withdrew his gaze and checked his own condition.
Undoubtedly, the current situation was very favorable for him. As the power of the Dragon Rune itself revived, the Lost Country Knight swordsmanship he could wield would also be enhanced, eventually reaching the power a Lost Country Knight should possess. This would undoubtedly make his journey to the Eternal Winter Land smoother.
Soon, Lynd arrived at the gate of Black Castle at the foot of the Wall. The guards on the drawbridge saw Lynd and shouted, "Who goes there?"
Lynd responded loudly, "I am Earl Linde Terra of Summerhall, entrusted by Lord Tyrell of Highgarden, to visit the Night's Watch of Black Castle."
"Earl? Wait! Earl, please wait below. We will open the gate for you after your identity is confirmed." The guards at the gate had clearly never heard Lynd's name, but they were still very respectful of the title of Earl, speaking cautiously, fearing to offend Lynd.
Lynd waited at the gate for a while, and then heard a series of hurried footsteps from beyond the gate, indicating that several people were running quickly.
As the city gate opened, an old man with a bald head, a face somewhat similar to Jorah Mormont, and a raven perched on his shoulder, emerged from the castle with some members of the Night's Watch.
The old man hesitated slightly when he saw that Lynd only carried two swords. Although the knight in front of him wore a dragon helmet, splendid armor, and rode a warhorse much taller than an ordinary horse, appearing to be a person of unusual status, he could not be sure whether this person was Lynd.
Because it was well known that Lynd carried four swords, and this person clearly only carried two. However, the old man's doubts were quickly dispelled, because compared to the number of swords, the Glory appearing behind Lynd was clearly more indicative of his status.
"Welcome, Godsworn." The old man did not address Lynd by his noble title, but by another well-known appellation.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Jeor Mormont." Lynd dismounted from his horse, walked in front of Old Bear, and replied.
"You know me." Jeor Mormont hesitated slightly and asked.
"More or less." Lynd smiled, then asked, "Where is Commander Kogar?"
Jeor Mormont replied, "The Commander passed away ten days ago. I am the newly elected Commander now."
Lynd was stunned, then laughed, "I'm not sure whether to say I'm sorry or congratulations."
A gray-haired middle-aged man standing beside Old Bear pursed his lips and said, "Say congratulations! To be able to leave this accursed place, even if it's lying down, is something to be congratulated for. What's more, the Commander drank our last barrel of wine before he died. That barrel of wine probably hasn't been digested yet, preserved in his stomach, and I wonder if it will re-ferment and become even more delicious."
"Shut up, Edd!" Jeor Mormont snapped at the man beside him, then introduced, "This is my Quartermaster, Eddison Tollett."
Lynd looked at this character, his favorite when he read novels in his previous life, and nodded to him in greeting, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Edd."
Edd shook his head and said, "No, no! Earl, you've misunderstood. I'm not a lord, I'm just a servant who washes the Commander's underwear."
Jeor Mormont, worried that Edd might say something strange again, quickly introduced the other Night's Watch members behind him to Lynd one by one, then led Lynd into Black Castle.
At this moment, all the Night's Watch members who were not on duty in Black Castle came out of their rooms, curiously looking at Lynd, this legendary figure most famous in the Seven Kingdoms. When they saw Lynd's exquisite armor and weapons, his warhorse, and then the Glory, gasps of astonishment rose and fell throughout Black Castle, and shocked expressions appeared on their faces in unison.
Jeor Mormont led Lynd to the King's Tower, which was Black Castle's designated accommodation for visiting dignitaries. There was a stable below the tower to care for the guests' horses.
In the reception room inside the tower, Lynd and Jeor Mormont exchanged a few pleasantries, then Lynd directly stated his purpose for coming to Black Castle.
"Going to the other side of the Wall, that's not a good idea." Jeor Mormont was surprised to hear this, as the Eternal Winter Land had always been associated with death and cold. If it weren't for their duties, even the most dedicated Night's Watch member would not want to go to the Eternal Winter Land.
However, for Lynd, a southerner, to actively propose going to the Eternal Winter Land, surprised and puzzled Old Bear and the other Night's Watch members.
Lynd explained, "I have always wanted to see the Eternal Winter Land north of the Wall, but I never had the opportunity to come north before. This time, taking advantage of the opportunity to escort prisoners here, I can fulfill my wish. Otherwise, if I miss this chance, I don't know if I will ever come to the Wall again."
After hearing this, Jeor Mormont thought carefully. He turned to Edd beside him and asked, "How long until the next Ranger patrol?"
"Seven days later," Edd replied.
Jeor Mormont said, "The Night's Watch will send Rangers to patrol the North and gather information on the wildlings in seven days. Lord Linde, you can go with them; it will be safer."
"Alright," Lynd nodded and said, "However, if I need to, I might leave the group and act alone."
Jeor Mormont's expression froze, and he quickly realized something, asking, "Lord Linde, do you have a mission for your trip to the Eternal Winter Land?"
Lynd merely smiled faintly, not answering, and instead asked, "Please, may I see Maester Aemon?"
"Why are you looking for Maester Aemon?" Jeor Mormont asked, looking at Lynd warily.
"Maester Aemon's knowledge might be useful to me," Lynd said in a deep voice.
"In that case, follow me!" Jeor Mormont nodded, then instructed Edd and the others to clean the rooms in the tower, light the fireplaces, and prepare some necessary items for living. He then personally led Lynd to the wooden fortress at the other end of the courtyard.
Going up the stairs to the second floor of the fortress, Jeor Mormont knocked on the door at the end of the corridor and said, "Maester Aemon, have you rested already?"
"Come in! You should know it's not time for sleep yet," a low voice came from inside the room.
Jeor Mormont opened the door and led Lynd inside.
The room was not very large, with bookshelves neatly placed against the Walls. The books on them looked very old and tattered, likely due to frequent reading.
Because there were many flammable books around, there was no fireplace in the room, only a brazier placed beside Maester Aemon's desk. However, to let the smoke out, the window of the room was opened a little, allowing the small amount of heat generated by the brazier to escape with the smoke.
Maester Aemon sat in a chair, his aged appearance like a wax figure, lifeless. His hollow, unfocused eyes showed that his eyesight had problems, but like all people who cannot see, they have sensitive ears.
"I hear an unfamiliar footsteps, heavy and strong. I also hear the sound of steel armor rubbing. No one who has experienced the cold of the North would wear cold armor, unless that person has a special way of keeping warm." Although Maester Aemon could not see, he could still clearly pinpoint Lynd's location and said to Lynd, "You must be the Godsworn, then?"
"Please just call me Lynd, Maester Aemon." Although the other person could not see, Lynd still bowed to him as a sign of respect.
"Commander, let us talk alone! I haven't spoken with a young person in a long time," Maester Aemon said to Jeor Mormont.
Jeor Mormont nodded and turned to leave the room.
"Lynd, what brings you to an old man like me?" Maester Aemon asked after hearing the door close.
"I mainly came to you for two things. One is to ask if there are any successful examples of artificial Dragon Egg incubation in the Targaryen family," Lynd asked.
"Dragon Egg?" Maester Aemon was stunned, then something occurred to him, and he said in surprise, "The song of the Godsworn, ghosts, and Dragon Egg is true! You really got a Dragon Egg."
"In fact, that song was made up by me, and all the content in it is true." Lynd took the Dragon Egg from his backpack and placed it beside Maester Aemon's hand, saying, "I did re-experience that great fire in the ruins of Summerhall, redeemed the ghosts trapped there for decades, and finally obtained this Dragon Egg."
Maester Aemon trembled as he reached out and caressed the Dragon Egg's unique surface, muttering, "Igor, Igor..."
Maester Aemon seemed to be lost in past memories at this moment, and Lynd did not disturb him, just stood quietly by.
After a while, Maester Aemon recovered from his past memories, moved his hand away from the Dragon Egg, and then said to Lynd with great sincerity, "I cannot judge whether what you said is true or false, but I am willing to believe it is true. Thank you for rescuing them from eternal suffering, thank you!"
Lynd put the Dragon Egg back into his backpack and said, "Summerhall is my territory; this is what I should do."
"Unfortunately, I cannot help you with your first question," Maester Aemon sighed and said, "After the last dragon died, the Targaryen Dynasty tried everything to hatch Dragon Eggs, but none succeeded. If there really was a successful example, Igor would not have used such a dangerous method to hatch Dragon Eggs, and there would have been no Summerhall tragedy."
As he spoke, a hint of hesitation appeared on his face, as if there was something he wanted to say but felt it was not appropriate.
Lynd did not urge him but waited by his side.
Maester Aemon finally sighed and said, "I don't know if telling you these things will bring you trouble."
"Maester Aemon, whether there will be trouble is for me to judge," Lynd replied.
Maester Aemon said, "To my knowledge, there were records of dragon hatching in Valyria."
"But Valyria is already gone," Lynd frowned.
"Yes, Valyria is indeed gone, but the records may not have disappeared," Maester Aemon recalled seriously, "When I was young, I saw a book in the Red Keep that an ancestor had brought from Valyria. That book recorded that the Dragon Lords of Valyria would take Dragon Eggs and artificially hatch them when dragons did not care for their own eggs. Once there was a successful example, they would engrave it on hard black stone slabs for preservation. Valyria may be gone, but those stone slabs might still be intact."
Lynd understood Maester Aemon's meaning and said, "So, in the ruins of Valyria, there are records of dragon hatching."
"Yes, the ruins of Valyria are the most likely place for those black stone slabs to exist," Maester Aemon nodded, but added, "However, there are two other places where black stone slabs might also exist."
"Which two places?"
Maester Aemon said, "One is Kohor in the Free Trade City States. It is said that some Valyrian survivors fled there and settled down, so Kohor inherited many Valyrian forging techniques and other knowledge. Perhaps some of Valyria's black stone slabs are among them."
Lynd nodded, and his mind couldn't help but think of his own fallen knight armor, which was still unfinished.
"The other place is Asshai," Maester Aemon said, mentioning the other location, "In the book I read, it was clearly recorded that the warlocks of Asshai once specifically came to Valyria to record the contents of the black stone slabs. Later, Asshai also continuously collected Dragon Eggs, and I think they should also have records of Valyrian Dragon Egg hatching."
Hearing Maester Aemon's words, Lynd couldn't help but be stunned, because at this moment he suddenly thought of his prophetic dream in the First Men's Burial Mounds. Could the eastern direction pointed to by that blurry human figure be Asshai? After all, Asshai is the easternmost known world to the people of Westeros.
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