Little Jon was currently riding his horse at full speed towards Cod Village, the territory of his family. He had been dispatched by his father to welcome a distinguished guest.
A few days prior, his father had received a Raven Letter from Cod Village.
In the letter, Constable Tu An stated that a large merchant ship had arrived at their docks. The ship's owner was from the Free Trade City-States. Their vessel had lost its way in a storm and, after much wandering, had ended up in Seal Bay.
Tu An wrote in the letter that the ship's owner wished to trade with House Umber. Their original plan had been to go to King's Landing.
However, they were now off course, and many of their supplies were depleted, so they sought to trade nearby to recoup some of their losses.
Upon receiving the Raven Letter, Jon Umber, Earl of Last Hearth, took the matter very seriously. That very night, he sent his son and 5 Knights to greet the guest.
Little Jon was a giant of a man, standing 2.2 meters tall. He looked incredibly robust, resembling his father, who was also named Jon Umber.
Both were renowned and formidable warriors of the North. To differentiate them, outsiders referred to the son as "Little Jon" and the father as "Big Jon."
The long journey had left Little Jon aching all over, but he gritted his teeth and endured. By evening, they finally arrived outside Cod Village.
The soldiers on the watchtower had spotted them early and rushed inside to report, while the other soldiers ran out to greet them.
While Little Jon's group was dismounting and tethering their horses, Constable Tu An and Sea Guard Tuck Gray arrived almost simultaneously to meet him.
Constable Tu An spoke first, "Young Master Jon, I didn't expect you to come here personally! It seems the Earl takes this matter very seriously! Unlike some people who almost offended our most honored guest!"
"Hmph! I am diligently fulfilling the duties the Earl assigned to me. I will handle anything that might threaten the family!"
Tuck Gray understood the insinuation and retorted without hesitation.
"Enough! I don't want to hear any of that! I only want to know one thing: Is the guest still here?"
Little Jon roared, cutting off their squabbling. Like his father, he was a direct man, always getting straight to the point.
In his opinion, both sides had a point, so he wouldn't help either, since they were both acting in their own families' interests.
Constable Tu An saw that his complaint had failed, so he didn't press the issue. He quickly added, "Young Master Jon! The guest and his servant have been resting on their merchant ship these past few days. I've been sending people to look after them!"
Little Jon asked with some dissatisfaction, "Why didn't you invite them to stay at the inn? Oh, wait! That place stinks! Did those chicken girls from the village send a couple over? I remember Lyla was quite good! Top-notch skills!"
Hearing this, Tu An could only reply helplessly, "Young Master! I sent a few over, but their master wasn't interested! Those Skagosi guards, however, were quite fond of them, but in the end, they didn't reveal any information!"
At this moment, Tuck Gray chimed in, "Young Master Jon! My men have been taking turns monitoring them these past few days, and we haven't found any problems. It seems to be as they said!"
Little Jon pondered for a moment, then said, "Since you two have investigated, that's fine. Then I can safely take them back with me! If that doesn't work, I'll ask Maester Balon for help when we get to Last Hearth!
Never mind! I brought the Raven back this time. After we set off, you can send a Raven Letter to my father!"
Early the next morning, Little Jon got out of Lyla's arms! After getting dressed, he brought his 5 Knights to the docks.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Little Jon saw Marco and his group emerge. Marco, putting on a show, listened to Nacxis's report. Then, he addressed Little Jon:
"Someone is very pleased to welcome you. Apologies! Someone cannot show their face due to certain special circumstances. However, someone will follow proper etiquette and pay respects to your father! Here is a small gift!"
With that, a guard stepped forward carrying a tray. On the tray was a silver telescope. Marco had it specially made after researching glass manufacturing. There were a total of five!
Westeros had telescopes, but they were incredibly expensive and mostly came from Myr.
Myr was one of the nine Free Trade City-States, famous for its excellent craftsmanship. They made the best lenses, which is why telescopes in Westeros were also called "Myr Glasses Tubes." Marco suspected they had mastered high-purity glass manufacturing.
After receiving the gift, Little Jon quickly learned how to use it with the help of the guard. He was immediately engrossed, but a knight under his command quickly pulled him back.
Realizing his lapse, Little Jon said with a red face, "This! Uh! Lord! Welcome to House Umber! We can depart today! Do you need to prepare anything?"
About an hour later, Marco and his group, ready to go, set off with Little Jon on the journey to Last Hearth.
Last Hearth is the ancestral seat of House Umber. Its location is near the new gift of the Night's Watch, adjacent to The Milkwater. It's situated on the northeast corner of Long Lake, with Seal Bay to its west and the Kingsroad to its east.
Besides the Night's Watch's forts, Last Hearth is the northernmost castle in the Seven Kingdoms, and behind it lies a vast forest.
It contains the most weirwood trees in all of the North. Legends say the Children of the Forest still dwell deep within, but the Umbers generally treat it as a joke.
Marco and the others mostly traveled on horseback. To accommodate Arya Umber, the only woman in their company, Marco even bought a carriage in Cod Village.
The carriage also held the gifts Marco had prepared: glass, ceramics, and a batch of silverware he'd had specially made.
Of course, Marco had also prepared two barrels of ale and some distilled spirits, intended as gifts for House Umber.
The group journeyed on, stopping and starting, and it took them about a week and a half to reach Last Hearth.
Last Hearth is a square-shaped castle with four massive arrow towers. In the center stood two towers, one large and one small. Scattered around the castle were some wooden village houses.
Outside these villages stood a row of wooden fences over three meters high. Marco and his group had all dismounted. Behind a simple wooden gate, a middle-aged man was already waiting with a group of people.
"Big Jon" was a burly man, about two meters tall, looking similar in build to his son. He had a full beard and appeared to be around 40 years old.
Little Jon rushed forward when he saw his father waiting there. After they exchanged a few words, Big Jon led his retainers forward.
"Greetings! Friends from Essos, it's a pleasure to meet you! But why are you covering your faces when meeting friends? Do you look down on me?"
Big Jon started with some pleasantries, then turned his attention to Marco, apparently displeased with his appearance.
"Esteemed Earl! Please forgive us! My god does not allow its followers to look at the heretics. 'All beings are the eyes of our Father, and our Father redeems the world through the eyes of all beings. All things are one, and all spirits will eventually return to one!'"
Marco responded calmly, seemingly expecting this question.
At this moment, a middle-aged man slowly walked forward from behind Big Jon. He wore a gray robe, had short hair, and a special necklace made of different metals around his neck.
This was a Maester, hailing from a special organization on the continent of Westeros, the "Citadel."
Maesters, like the Night's Watch, were considered servants of Westeros, or rather, servants of knowledge and civilization. After completing their studies, they were dispatched to castles or other residences, serving their masters as tutors, healers, and advisors.
It could be said that they were the largest non-religious organization, second only to the Faith of the Seven, and to some extent, they could even influence a lord's decisions.
The Citadel was located in Oldtown, in the south of Westeros. It was the highest governing body for all Maesters in the Seven Kingdoms, where the most knowledgeable Archmaesters gathered, researched, and trained new members. The Citadel was also their residence.
Nominally, the Citadel belonged to the Hightower family's domain. The Hightowers had dedicated much effort to the Citadel's establishment and had always been important sponsors and protectors of the Citadel and its Maesters.
The Maester first bowed respectfully to Marco, then said to him:
"Greetings, honored guest! I am Balon, a Maester. Please forgive my intrusion! My former teacher, Dr. Perestan, said that the Blind God's sect had disappeared over a thousand years ago. Is your deity this great being?"
Marco replied: "I never expected that someone on this continent would still recognize the Lord. All is One! Praise the Lord! You are One, and also All!"
Marco's mystical pronouncements made everyone subconsciously trust him a bit more.
After a simple probe, Jon Umber, Earl, didn't dwell on the issue any further and enthusiastically invited Marco and his companions into the castle.
It was nearing noon, and House Umber had prepared a feast for this meeting.
Black bread, cheese, meat broth, roast suckling pig, barley and venison stew, roast chicken, grilled fish, and seafood soup – a wide variety of ingredients were available, with a distinctly medieval cooking style.
Marco, accustomed to the cuisine of his previous life, found eating and using the restroom the most difficult adjustments in this world. So, he ate only roasted meat and bread today; he really couldn't stomach anything else.
At the start of the banquet, Marco and his companions also met "Big Jon's" two uncles, Morse Umber and Hother Umber.
Morse Umber was Arya Umber's father. When she saw her father, she almost fainted from excitement, but Eroq, who was nearby, caught her in time.
Marco noticed this, too, so after finishing his meal, he suggested to Jon Umber, Earl, that they tour their family's fortress.
Marco told the Umbers that this was his first time on the continent of Westeros. He claimed he'd heard of Last Hearth while in Essos. Everyone said Last Hearth was a castle at the end of the world!
So, he said he really wanted to learn about this castle's wonders and see how it differed from his own palace.
When Big Jon heard this, he was very proud and personally acted as a guide, leading Marco and the others on a tour, starting from the first floor.
Last Hearth had two towers. The main tower occupied about 80% of the castle's total area, while the secondary tower was smaller and used to store food and house ravens.
The main tower had three floors. The first floor had a kitchen, dining room, storage rooms, and kennels, as well as eight bedrooms, generally for servants.
The second floor held the family members' bedrooms, a large living room, and a dining room. Although the floors weren't covered with patterned carpets, House Umber had used deerskin to make rugs.
It looked rough and bold, very much in line with House Umber's style. Each floor's rooms had a large fireplace, making the whole castle incredibly warm, and one couldn't feel the cold wind outside.
When Marco was on the second floor, he noticed that each bedroom door had a name on it, which made him overjoyed. He'd just been wondering how to start a conversation, and he hadn't expected to find a breakthrough so quickly.
So, he deliberately stopped in front of the wooden door with "Arya" written on it, and said to Big Jon:
"My Lord Earl! This one is not very knowledgeable, has this Miss Arya gone out? Why didn't I see her at the luncheon today!"
"This..."
Big Jon hesitated slightly after hearing this, and shifted his gaze to his uncle, Morse Umber.
Morse Umber took a swig of the ale that Marco had sent, sighed, and said, "Lord Marco! This is the room of my daughter, Arya Umber. She was captured by those bastards beyond the Wall more than ten years ago. She is my only child in this world, so I have kept this room!"
"Oh! This is truly rude! It's this one's fault, I apologize! It's just that this one accidentally saw a mouse run in, so I noticed this place. Do you think we should go take a look?"
Marco said "apologetically," as if he was blaming himself for his rudeness.
"What? No! I must go in and see! Uh! Where's my key?"
Morse Umber bristled at those words, immediately flying into a rage. He handed the bottle to his servant and began rummaging in his pockets.
"In the pouch on your right belt. How can you still forget after all these years?"
Arya Umber finished speaking and walked over, retrieving the room key from Morse Umber's belt pouch.
Next, she opened the door in front of the astonished gaze of the other members of House Umber. She walked in slowly, skillfully finding the flint to light a candle.
Then, she took a bag from the drawer and said to Morse Umber, who rushed in:
"Father! I told you long ago! You must wear the eye patch. Why won't you listen?"