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Just as Jimmy finished tossing the dragonglass daggers to the crowd, Horus returned.
And he brought troubling news.
A group of wights was approaching.
They were not far away, and if Horus's estimate was correct, they would reach the Frozen Shore by nightfall.
Their target was obvious.
They had come to hunt the refugees.
Horus descended, each talon clutching several thrashing wights. The undead clawed and snapped at his feet, their jaws gnashing uselessly against his scales.
Jimmy turned to the panicking Free Folk.
"Pick up the dragonglass weapons in front of you."
"Pick up the courage you've thrown away."
"Kill them."
"Prove you're still warriors."
"Prove you can still protect your families."
He pointed toward the writhing corpses hanging from Horus's claws.
"I'll tell you the truth, A much larger group of these things is already tracking you."
"They'll be here tonight."
"Your lives are in your own hands."
Jimmy nodded to Horus.
The eagle released the wights.
"Run!"
"Where do we run?!"
"Kill them!"
…
There were only six wights.
They staggered clumsily across the frozen ground.
Yet that was enough to send hundreds of people scrambling in panic.
A boy no older than ten suddenly picked up a spear tipped with dragonglass someone else must have dropped it.
He screamed and rushed forward.
The spear thrusts forward.
Pop.
The sound was small, almost soft.
Then the wight collapsed into lifeless fragments.
To the Free Folk, that faint sound was louder than thunder.
"The boy killed a walking corpse!"
"With that weapon!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
…
Moments later the remaining wights were smashed into pieces.
The transformation in the crowd was immediate.
Their fear began to dissolve.
If this were a game, Jimmy thought, it would read like this:
Free Folk defeated wights.
Morale +1.
Morale +1.
Morale +1.
Jimmy raised his voice again.
"Good."
"You've proven you still have courage."
"Now I'll take you to the City of Freedom."
"It's a settlement built by Free Folk like you."
"It's only temporary for now, but there you'll have food, warmth, and shelter through the winter."
Soon Jimmy began pulling massive wooden rafts out of the Horadric Cube.
The sight stunned everyone.
From empty air, giant rafts appeared one after another.
The Free Folk stared in awe.
"A miracle!"
"The King of Freedom!"
Where earlier some still hesitated to trust him, now that hesitation vanished.
To them, Jimmy looked like a messenger of the gods.
When this second group of Free Folk finally reached Sea Dragon Point, the entire settlement erupted into activity.
The earlier arrivals helped maintain order.
With their guidance, the new refugees quickly settled in.
…
Jimmy lounged in a large chair covered with a thick bearskin.
He sat with absolutely no dignity whatsoever.
One leg swung lazily while his boot dangled precariously from his big toe, threatening to fall off at any moment.
He hummed a nonsense tune under his breath while cracking walnuts.
Each kernel went straight into his mouth.
Across the table, Rickon sat with parchment and charcoal, carefully calculating supplies.
Watching the pile of walnuts shrink rapidly, the young lord of Bear Island could only sigh helplessly.
"Jimmy, you're the King of Freedom, Could you at least act a little more serious?"
Rickon looked up from his papers with a frown.
"My father never smiled when dealing with his people."
"And those walnuts you're eating. I bought them with my own pay, They're private property."
Over the past months, Rickon's growth had been so dramatic that Jimmy sometimes wondered if the kid had unlocked some kind of cheat code.
At first, Rickon only helped record numbers.
Later he occasionally suggested small ideas.
But recently his suggestions had become surprisingly effective.
Not long ago, he proposed that Jimmy lead the warriors to sweep through the Wolfswood.
The goal was to eliminate dangerous beasts threatening the deer herds.
It also doubled as military training.
Rickon also organized the children to gather edible acorns, walnuts, and pine nuts from the forest.
He even organized the spearwives to hunt seals in the bays of Sea Dragon Point.
Those fat, round creatures were astonishingly easy to catch. Toss some bait into the water and they practically hooked themselves.
Seal meat was delicious.
Their thick blubber protected against the cold.
And their hides were excellent for clothing.
Naturally, the Free Folk loved them.
If Jimmy hadn't stopped them, they would have already started cutting down trees to build boats just to hunt seals at sea.
Thanks to Rickon's efforts, the Free Folk still weren't fully self-sufficient.
But after some calculations, Jimmy realized something impressive.
The seafood around Sea Dragon Point would stretch the food reserves enough that Jimmy's stored supplies could last four extra months.
And now this "Walnut Emperor" had begun lecturing Jimmy about maintaining the dignity of the King of Freedom.
Of course, how much of that advice came from concern over his rapidly shrinking walnut supply was another matter entirely.
"Forget the King of Freedom. Forget dignity."
Jimmy waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm just me."
"I created this mess myself."
"This was supposed to be a simple power-fantasy game where I bulldoze everything in front of me."
"But somehow I turned it into a damn lord-management tower defense game."
Jimmy pulled a chunk of unknown dried meat from the Horadric Cube and tore into it viciously.
"If I wasn't worried about attracting that thing's attention, I would've marched north with a blade already."
"I'd have chopped down the Bastard of Bolton and his flayed old father."
"Then kept cutting my way from the North all the way to King's Landing."
Rickon leaned back slightly while watching Jimmy gnaw on the jerky.
The kid clearly suspected Jimmy might have a few screws loose.
Suddenly Jimmy froze.
"Ah, crap. I forgot."
"I still have to make a trip to King's Landing."
He looked at Rickon.
"Want to write a letter to Ned and the others?"
Rickon shook his head.
"No need. Horus can deliver my letters."
"He even carried a snow-rabbit pelt I hunted myself."
Jimmy stared at him.
Then burst out laughing.
"Rickon, you're really something."
"You're sending a snow rabbit pelt to your parents who are living in the Summer Sea."
"That thing's gonna grow worms before it's ever useful there."
He waved his hand.
"Alright. I need to make some arrangements."
"I'm leaving tonight."
"Stay alert. Don't let anyone sneak up on you."
Jimmy stood and went to find Seck to prepare things.
This trip would take him far away, possibly a full month.
So there were many instructions to leave behind.
Among everyone in the settlement, the giants had probably changed the most.
Especially when it came to armor.
Before, giants barely wore clothing.
They simply wrapped animal hides around their bodies.
Now they proudly walked around wearing armor every single day.
Every giant who owned armor walked with their head held high.
This transformation began after a wolf attack in the Wolfswood.
A pack of wolves attacked the giants' deer herd.
Two armored giants fought them off and killed several wolves without suffering a single injury.
Other giants without armor also killed wolves.
But they were badly bitten and covered in wounds.
If the armored giants hadn't arrived to help, and if Jimmy hadn't personally treated them, the giant tribe might have lost one of their own.
After that incident, the importance of armor became obvious.
The giants changed their habits almost overnight.
With such legendary guardians protecting the settlement, Jimmy felt much more at ease.
Giants were simple creatures.
Tell them whom to protect, and they would carry out the task without hesitation.
Among the Free Folk, Jimmy's reputation alone carried great authority.
With Seck helping enforce order, commands were executed smoothly.
After all, everyone was busy earning resources to trade for iron cooking pots.
Who had time for political scheming?
They were all Free Folk.
No one stood much higher than anyone else.
Earn a little more.
Trade for another pot.
Cook some meat.
Wasn't that happiness?
Jimmy called Seck and Mag over to give them final instructions.
Then, under the cover of night, Horus carried him away into the dark sky.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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