In Moonshadow's explanations, Marco learned that the Children of the Forest worshipped Gods, most of whom were nature deities, embodying natural forces like the God of Storms, the God of the Wasteland, the God of Fire, and the God of Thunder.
The Children of the Forest believed that all the world's powers possessed consciousness, originating from the Gods. These Gods watched over all beings and controlled everything!
Moonshadow said that they always communicated with the "Gods" using the Old Tongue. Different Gods would respond differently based on their songs.
The most powerful Green Seers could summon wind and rain, foresee the future, and were immortal. Moonshadow said she had the talent of a Warg, and each time she sang praises to the God of the Dead, she received the strongest response.
However, her people always urged her to avoid using this ability. Perhaps because it was too powerful, she never learned to use other offensive magic.
The Children of the Forest used Rune Magic and Elemental Magic. Rune Magic employed the Old Tongue Runes, with twelve different styles and pronunciations.
These twelve Runes represented the twelve most powerful nature Gods: River, Fire, Earth, Storm, Thunder, Rainbow, Mist, Barren, the God of the Dead, Life, Plants, Animals, Mountains, Ocean, the Past, and the Future.
These twelve Old Tongue Runes were later used and improved by the First Men, becoming "five" Ancient Runes. This was also the reason why some armors inscribed with Ancient Runes possessed magical power.
Elemental Magic originates from the Children of the Forest's worship of twelve nature Gods, who grant different powers based on their preferences.
The magical rhythm of the Old Tongue is also favored by these Gods. The Children of the Forest consider themselves children of the Earth God, hence they call themselves "Singers of the Earth."
The Children of the Forest communicate with the Gods through the weirwood trees, which serve as a bridge between them and the divine.
Obsidian is the cooled "Gods' Fire." Both are creations of the Gods, so the Children of the Forest use weirwood and obsidian to cast their magic.
Moonshadow said that she could only use the magic of the dead, animals, and plants, and only these three Gods would respond to her songs.
Afterward, Marco ordered his men to begin transporting the spoils. He took Moonshadow aside.
Looking at Moonshadow's cute, dark face, Marco formally extended an invitation, hoping she would go with him Beyond the Wall to find her people!
Furthermore, Marco told Moonshadow that he knew the last Green Seer in the world, and they were already allies.
She knew that some of her people would join Marco's side in the future. Marco would provide them with protection and a place to live, and he hoped she would join him as well.
During this time together, Marco had grown very fond of this Children of the Forest, who was like a little sister to him. In his previous life, as an only child, he had always wanted a sister.
Now, with this opportunity, Marco hoped Moonshadow could stay with him forever.
Moonshadow replied to Marco without hesitation:
"My sisters told me! You have a way to give them new life, and I want to see them! Of course, I want to leave here with you!"
The nearby Shadow Lynx let out a low growl, turning its head away, seemingly displeased.
Three days later, in the banquet hall of Last Hearth, in the North.
"What! You're going to the Wall! What for? To look at the ice? Lord Marco! There's really no need to go! Giants are just... uh! Legends!"
Hearing Marco say he wanted to go to the Wall, "Great Jon" felt a chill run down his spine.
He thought Marco just wanted to go Beyond the Wall to search for giants, not to the Wall itself. He'd been about to say giants were just a legend.
But when he glanced at the small, cloaked figure behind Marco, he swallowed his words!
Three days ago, everyone was astonished when Marco and his party entered the castle with the Shadow Lynx.
But when Maester Balon said there was also a Children of the Forest with Marco, the Umbers were completely shocked!
Marco had also given "Great Jon" a set of Rune armor, claiming it was a treasure he'd found while exploring Wolfswood.
This made him believe even more in the divine revelations Marco spoke of. So, when Marco said he wanted to go to the Wall, he didn't object as strongly as before.
Maester Balon, standing to the side, spoke, "Lord Marco! Could you stay a few more days? I have so many questions for you! I've already sent a raven to the Citadel!"
Marco replied calmly, "But someone's master can't wait. There are things there that the master needs! Besides, someone wants to see what kind of organization the legendary Night's Watch is!"
Seeing Marco's resolve, "Great Jon" had to give in. However, he still offered to send a guard to escort Marco to Castle Black.
Marco accepted, and "vowed" to "Great Jon" that he would only go to see The Wall.
Marco didn't dare to say he was also going Beyond the Wall, or House Umber would never let him leave!
Watching Marco's departing figure, "Great Jon" was even more annoyed, and shouted at Maester Balon beside him:
"It's because of your vast knowledge that I asked you to entertain the guest, and look at you, you've sent the guest away!"
"My Lord! I didn't expect this lord to be so interested in these legends! I have entertained guests this way before when the family had guests!"
Maester Balon also replied with a helpless expression, secretly regretting the situation. He knew he probably wouldn't have the chance to study the Children of the Forest again.
Even though they couldn't communicate verbally, Maester Balon had learned a lot of things in the past two days that weren't in the books.
He discovered that many of the descriptions in the Citadel's books differed greatly from reality. The Children of the Forest were not the deer-headed, three-fingered monsters described in the books.
Maester Balon was sure his paper would cause a sensation in the Citadel. Moreover, Marco had given him permission to draw a portrait of the Children of the Forest.
"Maester Balon! What are you staring at? Any news on those matters?"
"Ah! Sorry! My Lord! Ahem! Lord Eddard! He has replied! The letter says that he will send people to investigate the issues with House Bolton!
Lord Eddard didn't respond about the White Walkers, only telling us to investigate further. I suspect they don't believe us!
In addition, Lord Eddard also expressed that his House welcomes Lord Marco and his people to visit!"
"Hmph! Lord Eddard was too lenient with those bastards from House Bolton! They're rotten to the core with betrayal and filth!"
"Forget it! We'll just wait for Lord Eddard's orders! Ugh! How am I going to tell my uncle and the others that Marco is leaving?"
The next morning, Marco and his party, escorted by House Umber, arrived at the Milkwater. Mors Umber was initially vehemently opposed, stating he hadn't properly thanked Marco yet.
But Marco insisted he'd already received the best hospitality and thanks!
Erok wanted to go with him, but Marco told him to continue "learning" there; Marco still had high hopes for him.
Among the younger generation of Stoneborn, Wolf Fang possessed the best talent and learning ability, and was also very loyal, with strong admiration for Marco.
For this trip, Marco planned to head north along the Milkwater, then enter the Kingsroad, and finally travel north on the Kingsroad directly to Castle Black.
Marco prepared over twenty carts of food and weapons for this visit, buying up everything available in Last Hearth's market.
Marco and his party had been on the road for nearly a month. Thanks to the banner of House Umber, they hadn't encountered any bandits or highwaymen.
They did, however, run into some Free Folk raiding south. At first, these raiders only dared to watch from the periphery. It wasn't until yesterday that they managed to gather a force of over thirty men, planning to ambush Marco's group in the dead of night and steal some supplies.
What they didn't know was that Marco had been keeping track of their movements. Wolf Fang and Henk took turns monitoring them every day.
In the early hours of the morning, just as the Free Folk were falling asleep, Henk and his Snow Bear Knights launched a surprise attack on their camp.
The Snow Bear Knights might not have been the best at charging, but they excelled in small-scale ambushes.
The next morning, Henk reported that they had wiped out over twenty of the Free Folk, and the rest had scattered.
Marco didn't bother with the stragglers, ordering his troops to continue their march toward Castle Black.
These so-called "Free Folk" were nothing more than trash, roaming around, burning, killing, and plundering. Like the Ironborn, they were loathsome. Marco would deal with them sooner or later!
Castle Black is the most important fortress of the Night's Watch, located east of Queensgate and west of Oakenshield, near the center of The Wall.
It is the end of the Kingsroad to the north, and for some in Westeros, it is the edge of the world.
The Night's Watch is a legion specifically tasked with guarding The Wall. The earliest historical records place their founding during the Age of Heroes, established to fight against the White Walkers!
Legends of the Night's Watch existed even before The Wall was built, and after its completion, the Children of the Forest would send them obsidian weapons every year.
Thus, the Night's Watch can be considered the oldest organization in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, having survived the fall of the First Men kingdoms, followed by the invasion and conquest of the Andals.
The Night's Watch has existed for over 8,000 years since the end of the period known as "The Long Night."
However, the Maesters of the Citadel do not agree with this view. They believe that the history before The Long Night was fabricated by the First Men themselves. In the eyes of some Maesters, the history of Westeros is only about 5,000 years old, or even shorter.
But now, the White Walkers are also considered to be legendary. Historical records show that, besides the thirteenth Lord Commander, who was corrupted and became the Night's King, no further invasions by the White Walkers have occurred since.
The maesters of the Citadel believe that the White Walkers and the Children of the Forest are merely races, fabrications created by the First Men to glorify their achievements.
Ever since the "Night's King" incident, the wildlings have taken their place, constantly attacking the Wall under the leadership of their tribal chieftains.
Gradually, the Night's Watch began to forget their true enemy, the White Walkers, focusing all their attention on defending against the wildlings. The White Walkers became a legend.
As time passed, the original purpose of establishing the Night's Watch was gradually forgotten by those in power. Due to the Seven Kingdoms' neglect of the Wall, the manpower of the Night's Watch dwindled.
Only the North, or rather, only House Stark, still retained the old memories, but even they considered the legend of the White Walkers to be just a bedtime story to scare children!
Their house motto, "Winter is Coming," was also treated as a warning not to forget hardship, with no one understanding its true meaning.
Now, only three castles on the Wall are still manned, and the number of the Night's Watch continues to decline, unable to even muster a thousand men.
The current members of the Night's Watch are a mix of people from all over the Seven Kingdoms. They include farmers, debtors, poachers, rapists, thieves, and bastards.
Only a few members of the Night's Watch came from noble or titled families, and most of them joined due to losing out in the political struggles within the kingdom.
Ser Alliser Thorne, who was always at odds with the protagonist Jon Snow in the TV series, was one such person. He had been a knight of House Thorne of the Crownlands, and he fought for House Targaryen during the War of the Usurper.
After the fall of King's Landing, Tywin Lannister gave him a choice between death or donning the black, and of course, he chose the latter.
Ser Alliser Thorne was not in a good mood today because Lord Commander Jeor Mormont had asked him to welcome a guest outside the castle.
When he learned that the visitor was just a merchant from Essos, his displeasure grew even stronger.
He considered himself a noble knight, and that lowly merchant was not worthy of speaking to him.
At this moment, a group of people approached on the road in the distance. Leading the way were ten cavalrymen, one of whom held high the banner of House Umber.
Following them were twenty cavalrymen riding on giant white bears. Looking at these behemoths, Ser Alliser Thorne was incredibly shocked! He had no doubt that these beasts could crush a man's head with a single swipe!
Amidst the cavalry, there were twenty-two wagons laden with food, weapons, and armor. Ser Alliser Thorne was completely stunned by the sight.
He felt his heart skip a beat. He hadn't seen so many wagons since he left King's Landing!
This was essentially the edge of the civilized world. These supplies could only be for the Night's Watch, and no merchant in their right mind would bring goods this far out.
Ser Alliser Thorne was truly astonished. Throughout history, many nobles, even kings, had visited Castle Black, but no one had ever sent so many supplies like this!
After the Targaryen dynasty was established, the nobility had always treated this place as a place of exile. If it weren't for House Stark's unwavering support, the Night's Watch would have disbanded long ago!
"My Lord! Are you here to welcome us?"
Just as Ser Alliser Thorne was lost in thought, a voice abruptly broke through his reverie, bringing him back to reality!
"I'm sorry! What... what did you just say?"
Ser Alliser Thorne asked, stammering slightly.