From the moment they left the ruined camp, Nymeria's gaze never left Honor, who was by Lynd's side, staring at Honor in a daze, sometimes even forgetting to breathe.
In fact, let alone Nymeria, even Lynd's subordinates in the camp were speechless with shock when they saw Honor.
The moment they saw Honor, they felt as if they had returned to the mythical age of their grandmothers' bedtime stories; a giant beast nearly two meters tall on all fours, almost four meters long, and over five meters with its tail, would make anyone feel as if they were dreaming.
While people instinctively feared Honor, they held even greater reverence for Lynd; Honor was undoubtedly terrifying, but Lynd, who had subdued Honor, was even more powerful, even more terrifying.
Nymeria had long heard from her subordinates about Honor's immense transformation, but she thought they were exaggerating, believing that while Honor had grown a bit, its perceived size was mostly due to its fluffy fur, and that it hadn't actually grown much.
However, the moment she truly saw Honor, she realized that her subordinates' descriptions were not exaggerated in the slightest; Honor was now a giant beast.
"Its growth like this shouldn't be normal, right?" Nymeria struggled to control her surprise, turning to Lynd and asking.
Lynd shrugged and said, "I don't know. This is my first time raising a Shadowcat. Perhaps you can ask others who have raised Shadowcats."
Nymeria could hear the perfunctoriness in Lynd's words and couldn't help but roll her eyes at Lynd; although she felt Lynd knew the reason for Honor's rapid growth, she didn't press further.
Just then, Honor, walking beside them, seemed to spot something interesting, leaping into a nearby thicket and quickly disappearing into the shadows.
Nymeria also saw Honor's movement; at first, she didn't notice anything unusual, but soon she realized something was amiss.
The surrounding thicket was very dense, with not only bushes but also small trees one or two meters tall; in such an environment, let alone Honor's massive body, even a child over a meter tall would find it difficult to move through.
However, Honor had just now moved without any obstruction from the surrounding trees and bushes, as if its massive body were an illusion; it even made no sound while moving through the forest and vanished from sight the instant its body entered the trees.
This made Nymeria think of various legends about Shadowcat, such as ghosts in the forest, or the Stranger's retinue, and so on; undoubtedly, the current Honor perfectly matched those terrifying legends.
Thinking of this, Nymeria couldn't help but look at Lynd again; the already extraordinarily powerful Lynd was very mysterious in her eyes, and now she couldn't help but associate Lynd with legendary figures from stories, such as Brandon the Builder, or Qing Shou Jialesi, as these legendary figures always seemed to be accompanied by magical creatures.
"Is there something wrong, Lady?" Lynd saw Nymeria looking at him with a strange gaze, which made him wonder if there was something amiss with his clothes.
"No, nothing is wrong." Hearing the question, Nymeria immediately turned her head, her cheeks inexplicably warm, and her emotions a bit flustered; after taking a few deep breaths to compose herself, she said to Lynd, "You can call me by my name, Nymeria, you don't have to call me Lady every time."
"Alright, Nymeria." Lynd did not object, nodding.
"Then may I call you Lynd?" Nymeria asked tentatively.
Lynd smiled and said, "Of course, we are friends, calling each other by name is normal."
The two conversed as they walked through the forest, the atmosphere not at all like they were going to meet the leader of a bandit group, but more like they were out for a stroll in the countryside.
Soon they arrived at the small valley entrance, where people were already guarding the entrance; seeing Lynd and Nymeria arrive, they motioned for them to stop, and then one person went inside to report the situation.
After a while, that person returned, signaling them to proceed.
This action made Nymeria displeased; she frowned, scanning the people around them, and quickly noticed something amiss; although these people's attire resembled that of conventional bandits, their demeanor was completely different from ordinary bandits, feeling more like seasoned warriors.
"Something's not right, be careful." Nymeria whispered to Lynd.
Since Nymeria could spot the problem, Lynd naturally wouldn't ignore it; in fact, he noticed even more details.
At first, he thought these people were Lord Tywin's men, but he quickly dismissed that idea, because he saw an imperfectly ground-off mark on the leather armor of some of them, and Lynd recognized that mark; however, in his memory, the group that bore this mark should have all died.
The two quickly arrived in the valley, where a group of people had already occupied it; they were using the various items left behind by the previous occupants to set up a makeshift camp.
It was unclear whether they were bold due to their skill, or if they believed Lynd and Nymeria wouldn't attack them, but these more than one hundred people showed no apprehension towards the hundreds of warriors stationed in the nearby Tumbleton, each appearing very relaxed.
Upon seeing Lynd and Nymeria arrive, everyone stopped what they were doing and unabashedly sized up the two of them as if they were a rare sight, especially letting out strange cries when they saw Nymeria's tall figure.
Nymeria reined in her horse, dismounted, took her double-bladed great axe from the saddle, and then shouted at the people around her, "Shut up, you worm-bastards from the sewers! If you have the guts, step out and fight me one-on-one, or have you all been castrated below, only knowing how to hide in the crowd like a bunch of court jesters when things happen?"
Lynd did not stop Nymeria; he merely calmly watched the crowd, his hands resting on the hilt of his Greatsword, and at this very moment, Honor, who had just caught a deer, also received Lynd's command and quickly moved to a nearby hilltop overlooking the valley, watching the people below.
After Nymeria finished cursing, the valley immediately fell silent; although they were displeased by Nymeria's scolding, no one was willing to step forward and fight Nymeria.
They all saw the heavy impression left on the ground when Nymeria's feet landed, and they could all tell that Nymeria's armor and weapon were made of steel; despite being equipped with such heavy armor and weapon, Nymeria could still move freely, especially that double-bladed great axe, which no one present might even be able to lift, yet she wielded it like a toy; anyone with a bit of sense clearly understood how vast the difference between them was.
"The Female Mountain." At this moment, a single thought appeared in everyone's mind.
At this moment, they all couldn't help but regret their earlier provocation of Nymeria; now they seemed to be in a difficult situation.
"Alright, you are all castrated fellows, not now, but years ago you were already castrated, very thoroughly castrated."
A woman's voice came from the crowd, and everyone fell silent, seemingly struck by the woman's words hitting a sore spot; their faces all turned grim, but they did not retort, instead turning around and continuing to set up the temporary camp they had been building.
Just then, a woman wearing leather armor and a sword at her waist emerged from the crowd; this woman was very mature and beautiful, and in terms of both appearance and demeanor, she seemed completely out of place with the people around her; she looked more like the kind of mistress who should be lying in some nobleman's bed.
However, such a beautiful woman seemed to be the leader of this group of bandits; after she had just chastised these people, they all obediently took it, showing no signs of displeasure, at least on the surface.
"Bear Hunter Lynd." The woman did not pay attention to the hostile Nymeria; she walked up to Lynd, scrutinized him from head to toe, and said, "Although this is my first time seeing you, I have heard about your reputation for several months now. Your Bear Hunter Song is very good, I like it very much."
Lynd dismounted and nodded slightly to the woman, saying, "It is my Honor to gain the recognition of Wenda the White Fawn."
"Wenda the White Fawn?" Nymeria was stunned, and quickly realized something, asking in surprise, "You are Wenda the White Fawn of the Kingswood Brotherhood, aren't you dead?"
"I almost died, but I was saved before I did." Wenda the White Fawn smiled as she looked at Lynd and said, "Saved by someone we both know."
Lynd thought for a moment upon hearing this, and quickly realized who Wenda the White Fawn was referring to, confirming, "Spark?"
Wenda the White Fawn did not deny it, then looked behind Lynd and asked, "What about that little one she gave you? Why don't I see him with you?"
Lynd raised his hand and beckoned, and then the enormous Honor leaped down from a small cliff, landing lightly on the ground, and then walked with steady steps to Lynd's side.
At this moment, everyone in the valley fell silent; their gazes all fell upon Honor, and fear appeared in their eyes without prior agreement; some people closer to Honor were even so scared that their legs gave out and they sat on the ground.
Looking at the giant Shadowcat before her, even the well-traveled Wenda the White Fawn couldn't help but hold her breath, as if afraid her breathing might be too loud and anger the giant beast before her.
Nymeria was somewhat displeased by Wenda the White Fawn and Lynd's cryptic conversation just now, but seeing Wenda the White Fawn in such a state, her displeasure in her heart dissipated quite a bit.
Wenda the White Fawn quickly recovered, but still couldn't help but take two steps back, putting more distance between herself and Honor, then she asked Lynd doubtfully, "Didn't she give you an albino Shadowcat?"
"Yes, Honor is that albino Shadowcat." Lynd sent a command to Honor to change its fur color, and Honor's fur changed from pure black to pure white; moreover, Lynd just now discovered that this white was not a grayish-white, but a white with a faint glow, especially at night this faint glowing white appeared exceptionally sacred, making Honor, who had just instilled fear in everyone in the valley, now appear with a touch of sacredness.
At this moment, among these bandits in the valley, there were not a few people who believed in the Seven Gods; upon seeing Honor with such a sacred aura, they all spontaneously associated it with legendary stories from Seven Gods classics, and couldn't help but regard Honor as the sacred beasts that appeared in those stories, kneeling down to pray to Honor.
And even those without faith, facing Honor, who was emitting a faint white glow, showed respectful expressions and bowed their heads slightly, not daring to look directly at Honor.
The actions of the people around him also surprised Lynd; he had not expected the mutation of Honor's fur to have such a great effect, which made him think that Honor might have an even stronger effect when dealing with the Savage Tribes in the future.
Furthermore, the fact that Honor caused those who believed in the Seven Gods to pray was, in his opinion, not a good thing, as it could very likely provoke the displeasure of the Seven Gods Church.
While thinking about these things, Lynd also instructed Honor to change its fur color back to its normal black and white stripes.
At this moment, Wenda the White Fawn also looked at Lynd with some envy and jealousy; she had thought Lynd's Shadowcat was just an ordinary albino Shadowcat, but she never expected it to be so magical, and she had known Spark, the Children of the Forest, for so long, yet the other party never gave her anything; the huge disparity between them made it difficult for her not to feel a bit of jealousy.
"Are you here to find me because of Spark?" Lynd asked very directly.
Wenda the White Fawn also said very directly, "Spark told me that you can take us in."
Lynd was stunned after hearing this, then looked at the people in the valley again and asked, "Are all the people here survivors of the Kingswood Brotherhood?"
Wenda the White Fawn explained, "No, only half are survivors from the Kingswood Brotherhood back then, the other half are new members absorbed over the years."
Lynd was not averse to taking in the Kingswood Brotherhood, because he knew very well that even if this matter got out, it wouldn't have much impact on him.
Although the Kingswood Brotherhood had a bad reputation, that was already a matter of the Targaryen Dynasty, and even the Kingsguard at that time held the various leaders of the Kingswood Brotherhood in high regard; taking in the Kingswood Brotherhood survivors would be more beneficial than harmful.
But Lynd still had some questions, so he asked, "With your reputation, Wenda the White Fawn, and that of the Kingswood Brotherhood, it shouldn't be a big problem to seek refuge under a great lord. Why come to me? It shouldn't be merely because of Spark's introduction, should it?"
"Why do you think it wouldn't be Spark's introduction?" Wenda the White Fawn retorted, "And what do you think my fate would be if I sought refuge under some great lord?"
"A plaything." Before Lynd could answer, Nymeria, who was beside him, directly spoke up and gave the answer, then said to Wenda the White Fawn, "A legendary figure like you shouldn't become a plaything for those fellows."
Lynd looked at the somewhat agitated Nymeria; it seemed that the idea of becoming a noble's plaything had stimulated her, and then he thought of Nymeria's background and it was not difficult to understand why she would have such emotions.
Lynd pondered for a moment and said, "I can take you in, incorporate your people into my forces, but for now, it cannot be publicized. I still need your assistance in secret for some matters."
"What matters?" Wenda the White Fawn asked.
Lynd smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's something you are very familiar with."
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