"This is my entire experience Beyond the Wall." Lord Linde sat in the Council Chamber, facing the important ministers of the Small Council.
Besides the Prince of Dorne, the Dukes of other Kingdoms were all present, and the Archbishop of the Seven Gods Church and the Maesters were also seated in the observer's gallery, with the Maesters diligently recording every word Lord Linde spoke.
Upon arriving at the outskirts of King's Landing, Lord Linde was led by the courtiers, who had been waiting there early, to the The Gods' Gate, where King Robert, along with many of his retainers and lords, was already waiting to receive Lord Linde.
Although they already knew of the existence of Giants, they were still shocked to see Giants four or five meters tall.
Afterward, King Robert led Lord Linde through the The Gods' Gate, taking the last section of the King's Road directly to the Red Keep, and even allowed Lord Linde to bring the Giants into the city.
Along the way, large crowds of people gathered on both sides of the road, and Gold Cloaks guarded the road to prevent anyone from intruding.
As Lord Linde arrived, everyone cheered for the Godsworn, and scattered prepared flower petals towards the middle of the road, creating a sky full of falling flowers.
This scene made Lord Linde's mind involuntarily recall the image of a certain filial son entering the city.
He then observed King Robert's expression, to see his attitude towards the cheers of the surrounding people.
However, to his surprise, Robert was not angry at all; instead, he seemed very happy, as if he were the one receiving the cheers.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Red Keep, Lord Linde placed the Stone Giant and Glory in the plaza outside the gate.
King Robert specifically had people prepare food and wine for these Giants, and even the Knights who followed behind Lord Linde received care.
After settling the Giants, King Robert personally led Lord Linde directly to the Council Chamber in the Prime Minister's Tower.
At this time, the important ministers of the Red Keep and the Dukes of the Seven Kingdoms had already arrived earlier to await Lord Linde.
Afterward, Lord Linde recounted his experiences north of the Wall before the highest-ranking nobles of the entire Seven Kingdoms.
Although many details were omitted from his narrative, especially the combat details, which Lord Linde glossed over in a few sentences, the mood of those present still fluctuated greatly, especially the confrontation with the Others' army at the Fist of the First Men.
Hearing Varys speak of it and hearing it from the person involved were two completely different matters.
Upon hearing Lord Linde mention that steel would become as fragile as glass when it encountered the Others, and after he showed them his damaged right gauntlet, the expressions on everyone's faces became extremely serious.
Duke Tywin frowned and asked, "Is there nothing that can harm those monsters?"
"There is," Lord Linde replied.
"Valyrian steel and dragonglass can both harm them.
As for steel weapons, they are useless against them.
The Savage Tribes' stone weapons might be able to injure them, but these injuries would certainly be temporary and would quickly heal, unlike Valyrian steel and dragonglass weapons which can cause permanent damage.
But to kill them, you must use Valyrian steel and dragonglass to inflict fatal wounds.
The Others' physical strength and movement speed are several times that of ordinary people.
If an ordinary Knight encounters them, they might be killed before they can even touch their bodies."
Hearing Lord Linde's words, everyone's mood became much heavier.
"What about wights? Is there any way to kill them?" the Archbishop of the Seven Gods Church suddenly asked.
Lord Linde replied, "Killing wights is very simple; you only need fire.
Their bodies are very easy to ignite, and once ignited, they will quickly burn to ashes."
Knowing that wights could be dealt with so simply, everyone's emotions eased slightly.
After listening to Lord Linde's account, Robert had Duke Arryn explain the aid plan for the Night's Watch that they had discussed to Lord Linde, and also described the discussions in the meeting regarding the change in weather and the degree of threat posed by the Others.
"I agree with Archmaester Pycelle's deduction," Lord Linde nodded and said.
"When I left the Savage Tribes' refuge, I already felt that the weather Beyond the Wall was warming.
Under these weather conditions, the Others cannot march south; they will only stay in the Eternal Winter Land further north.
If there truly will be a long summer as measured by the Citadel, then during this period, the Others should not be a problem we need to worry about."
Upon hearing Lord Linde's words, many people present showed surprised expressions, because in their opinion, Lord Linde should have exaggerated the terrifying threat of the Others as much as possible, so that the Night's Watch, and he, as the one who defeated the Others, would be given importance and could obtain more resources.
But what they didn't expect was that he also believed that the Others would not pose a threat for a long time in the future.
This realistic attitude made some people change their opinion of him.
Lord Linde then continued, "When I left the Wall, I also learned about the situation of the Night's Watch.
Currently, the Night's Watch only has garrisons at Black Castle, Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, and Shadow Tower; the other fortresses have already been abandoned.
To restore them requires a large amount of funds for repairs, and it involves the Wall's passages and elevators.
These cannot be fully repaired in a short time, so expanding the manpower of the Night's Watch is not the most important thing right now.
Providing funds for repairing the various facilities of the Wall and sending scholars and artisans who can repair the fortresses is the greatest help to the Night's Watch.
Your Majesty, the aid plan discussed with the Lords is very consistent with the current situation of the Night's Watch, and I have no objections to offer."
The gazes of those present towards Lord Linde also showed satisfaction, after all, no one wanted their meticulously discussed plan to be rendered useless by others.
"Lord Linde, I heard that you have found the winter horn.
Do you have that artifact with you now?" the aged Hoster Tully suddenly asked.
"Yes, Duke Hoth, I have the artifact with me." Lord Linde nodded, placed his backpack on the table, and then, under everyone's gaze, took out the box containing the winter horn from his backpack, placed it on the table, and opened it, intentionally also letting the Dragon Egg in his backpack be seen by everyone.
Although many people's attention was drawn to the winter horn, some still noticed the Dragon Egg and looked at Lord Linde with extreme surprise.
After the winter horn was taken out, Archmaester Pycelle eagerly stood up from his chair, walked to Lord Linde, carefully took the winter horn with both hands, held it up to his eyes to examine it, and while looking, muttered, "This horn is very ancient, at least from the Dawn Age and before.
There are a few runes on it that I once saw in a book recording First Men runes from the early Dawn Age.
These runes only appeared during that period and have never appeared since."
Another Maester from Highgarden also carefully looked at the horn and said, "The material of the horn looks like bronze, but it should only resemble it; it's another type of metal.
Otherwise, it wouldn't still be so bright after all this time, like gold; it should have developed verdigris long ago."
The other Maesters also gathered around, chattering and expounding their views.
Whatever they said, they all had one common conclusion: this horn was very ancient.
"Damn it, you guys stop mumbling and quickly hand it over for me to see!" King Robert impatiently ordered.
Archmaester Pycelle held the horn and walked to King Robert.
When King Robert casually grabbed the horn, Pycelle couldn't help but tremble, fearing that King Robert might accidentally drop the horn on the ground.
"This thing is the winter horn that can awaken the Giants beneath the earth? It looks too unremarkable; I thought it should be studded with gems."
King Robert held the horn in his hand and casually looked at it, a slight disappointment on his face.
Then, he suddenly put the horn to his mouth and, before anyone could react, blew hard.
"Your Majesty!" Duke Eddard and others immediately stood up, looking at King Robert in alarm.
However, no sound came out, because the air King Robert blew did not pass through the horn at all.
Although his cheeks puffed out greatly, the horn seemed to be blocked, not allowing the air he blew to pass through the mouthpiece.
"Strange! Truly strange! It clearly passes through."
King Robert released his mouth, put his eye to the horn's opening, and saw that there was nothing blocking the inside of the horn; his vision could pass through the opening, seeing the image on the other side.
He tried again afterward, with the same result.
"You all try it too, this thing is really interesting!" King Robert handed the horn to Duke Tywin beside him and said.
Duke Tywin also tried to blow it, and his face likewise showed a puzzled expression.
Then he thought for a moment, took off the necklace from his neck, and inserted it from one end of the horn, wanting to see if it was blocked by something transparent inside, but the necklace passed through easily.
Subsequently, everyone else tried it in turn, with the same result.
"Lynd, have you tried blowing it?" King Robert asked Lord Linde.
"No." Lord Linde was also surprised by this situation and said, "I was by the Wall at the time, and I didn't dare to blow it.
If it had sounded and caused the Giants beneath the earth to awaken and tear down the Wall, then I would have become a sinner."
"Haha! That's right, that's right! It seems I'm the first to discover the secret of this winter horn."
King Robert suddenly laughed excitedly, clearly feeling as if discovering a secret of the winter horn was like experiencing this adventure firsthand with Lord Linde.
"I think the reason it won't sound must be related to the crack on the horn," Archmaester Pycelle said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, after this artifact is left here, may I be allowed to study it?
Perhaps I can research a method to repair it."
"Wait, this artifact should be placed in the Great Sept," the Archbishop of the Seven Gods immediately objected.
The Seven Gods Church had already gained considerable benefits from the wights, and now with the addition of the winter horn, it would undoubtedly strengthen the prestige of the Seven Gods Church even further.
Lord Linde said to the two, "My apologies, my Lords, I was entrusted by Velas to search for this artifact Beyond the Wall, so I need to deliver it into the hands of Lord Velas in Highgarden, and it cannot be kept in King's Landing."
Varys said in a deep voice, "Lord Linde, you may not know, but in a previous meeting, Duke Mace has already agreed to place the winter horn in the Red Keep."
Lord Linde paused, then bowed to Robert and Mace Tyrell respectively, saying, "My apologies, Your Majesty, Duke, I still stand by what I said.
I was entrusted by Lord Velas to go Beyond the Wall to search for the winter horn.
Now that the item has been found, I must fulfill this commission and personally deliver the item to Lord Velas.
As for how Lord Velas ultimately disposes of this artifact, that is Lord Velas's business; I will not interfere further."
Hearing Lord Linde's words, everyone around showed surprised expressions, and then their gazes towards Lord Linde were filled with approval.
Even King Robert smiled and nodded, then said with a serious expression, "Alright! Alright! What a stubborn fellow!
I will not stop you from fulfilling your promise; you may take the item to Velas Tyrell!"
Saying this, he turned to Mace Tyrell and said, "Duke Mace, once the item is delivered to Highgarden, please trouble yourself to send it back."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Duke Mace was not displeased by Lord Linde's defiance of his decision; instead, he greatly admired Lord Linde's loyalty to his promise.
After all the courtiers in the room had examined the horn, it was returned to Lord Linde's hands, and Lord Linde put it back into his backpack.
At this moment, Hand of the King Jon Arryn suddenly asked, "Lord Linde, do you also have a Dragon Egg in your backpack?"
"Yes," Lord Linde admitted calmly, having waited for them to ask.
"Where did this Dragon Egg come from?" Jon Arryn asked again.
"Duke Arryn, haven't you heard the song of the Godsworn, Ghosts, and Dragon Eggs?" Before Lord Linde could answer, Robert proactively answered for Lord Linde, "Did the Ghost of Summerhall give you this Dragon Egg? Is that right, Bear Hunter?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lord Linde nodded and said, "On that day at Summerhall, I completed the Ghost's trial, allowing all the Ghosts trapped there to find salvation, and finally, Ser Duncan the Tall's Ghost handed this Dragon Egg into my hands."
"May I see it?" Jon Arryn asked.
"Of course," Lord Linde took the Dragon Egg out of his backpack and handed it to Jon Arryn.
"Why is it like a stone? It looks a bit like a fake." At this moment, Renly, sitting next to Robert, suddenly leaned over to look and said bluntly, "It looks like a stone.
Brother, your Dragonstone is said to have many petrified Dragon Eggs; you should be able to tell if this is real, right?"
Stannis looked at Renly with displeasure, then glanced at the Dragon Egg in Jon Arryn's hand and said, "It's real, but it's petrified.
The Dragon Egg is dead."
"A dead Dragon Egg?" Robert chuckled and said to Lord Linde, "Bear Hunter, do you carry it with you still thinking of hatching this dead Dragon Egg?"
"To answer Your Majesty, I do indeed have that thought," Lord Linde said with a smile.
"Haha! You truly dare to think and dare to act!" Robert laughed loudly and said, "Even if you can hatch it, you would still need the bloodline of the dragonspawn to ride a dragon.
Do you have it?"
The entire room instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at Robert with serious expressions.
"I don't have the bloodline of the dragonspawn, but I have two Greatswords," Lord Linde said without changing his expression, patting the Lost Knight's Greatsword at his waist.
"If the hatched dragon doesn't obey me, I'll butcher it and roast it to eat."
Robert slapped the table and laughed loudly, "Right! Right! Butcher it and roast it to eat!
Be sure to send me a portion then!"
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