Nakexis looked at the somewhat agitated tall knight and smiled gently.
"Greetings, esteemed knight! My name is Nakexis. I, on behalf of my master, extend to you our sincerest greetings! Are you here to welcome our emissary?"
Alliser Thorne, observing the polite, blue-robed old man, felt a subtle sense of affinity.
While Alliser Thorne was arrogant, it didn't mean he was a fool. He knew what he could and couldn't do.
If he truly angered these guests and they left, he wouldn't survive until the next day.
The Night's Watch had been struggling in recent years, with difficult times and insufficient supplies a common occurrence. At their worst, they had to resort to eating corpses to survive.
Due to the lack of manpower, the villages and farmlands around Black Castle were mostly abandoned. Most of the surrounding villages had been abandoned due to the harassment of wildlings.
These supplies would greatly alleviate the logistical pressure on the Night's Watch. What surprised Alliser Thorne the most was that the supplies included fruits and vegetables.
It seemed like it had been too long since he'd been at Black Castle; Alliser Thorne had almost forgotten what fruit tasted like!
"Apologies! I am Alliser Thorne, the new recruit instructor of the Night's Watch. Welcome, esteemed guests, to Black Castle!"
Alliser Thorne bowed to Nakexis, answering with a touch of awkwardness.
At this moment, his etiquette was impeccable, just like a courteous noble knight, completely devoid of his usual arrogance and coldness.
After a brief exchange with Nakexis, Alliser Thorne said to him:
"Please, esteemed guests, wait a moment. Our Commander is preparing the relevant arrangements for your welcome. I will lead you in then!"
Though his mouth said that, in his heart, he was already cursing! In fact, the Umber family had sent a raven long ago, but the people in the Night's Watch didn't care much about this visit!
Every few years, some enthusiastic young nobles would come here to "travel," euphemistically calling it a "visit" to the Night's Watch.
The Night's Watch soldiers had no affection for these young nobles who had come to "visit." They thought these guys were complete bastards!
This time, "Old Bear" Jeor Mormont sent Alliser Thorne to greet them, considering the Amber family's face. Otherwise, no one would have bothered.
At this moment, Black Castle was in chaos. The Night's Watch were busy putting on armor and forming ranks. "Old Bear" Jeor Mormont watched these disorganized soldiers in the training ground with a sense of helplessness.
It took the Night's Watch soldiers about ten minutes to barely get into formation, but even then, the whole team still looked a bit messy.
"Old Bear" Jeor Mormont could only give up. After briefly giving some instructions, he quickly ordered the gate soldiers to open the city gates.
At first, when he heard the soldiers in the watchtower say that the guests had brought a lot of supplies, Jeor Mormont couldn't believe his ears. After getting confirmation from others,
he hurried to order everyone to start preparing for the reception. It was because he had regarded Maco as a noble scion who had come to play that the chaotic gathering scene had just happened.
After the gate opened, Maco and his group slowly entered this legendary castle. Looking at the huge ice wall behind Black Castle, Maco couldn't help but admire the power of the Children of the Forest and the First Men.
Even now, Maco could still feel the surging elemental energy beneath the ice-covered Wall.
The solid stone walls, tempered by earth and fire, and the thick ice coating, solidified by water and wind, formed a delicate balance of four elemental energies beneath the immense ice wall.
And beneath the Wall, Black Castle was like a battery, constantly supplying life energy to The Wall, making it stronger and more stable.
However, this energy was now getting weaker and weaker. Maco estimated that the situation in the other abandoned castles might be even worse.
No wonder the White Walkers could bring Wights into The Wall and manipulate them to assassinate "Old Bear" and slaughter the Night's Watch warriors.
The "Night King," this human "traitor," knew all the intelligence of the Night's Watch and also knew how to destroy The Wall's defenses. Once the core of the magic array, Black Castle, completely fell, The Wall would also be breached.
Black Castle wasn't a real castle. It was made up of several stone towers and wooden fortresses, looking more like a small fortress.
Many of the towers looked dilapidated. Due to a lack of materials and funds, many of the facilities here looked very old.
It was hard to imagine how a ragtag army of the poor and criminals had managed to persevere until today, relying on nothing but their will and spirit.
As a transmigrator, Maco didn't quite understand why these people from another world placed such importance on oaths. In the eyes of many from the Blue Star, oaths were made to be broken.
Although times had advanced, interests and desires had become the mainstream, and the light of humanity was increasingly dim. In some ways, Maco, the "civilized person," might be inferior to this ragtag army of criminals.
But in a certain sense, it was precisely these oaths and beliefs that formed the cornerstone of their civilization, allowing them to endure until now.
Oath-sworn knights truly existed! And they were right in front of Maco! Although there were some scoundrels among them, that didn't erase everything they had sacrificed for this land!
When Maco and his group arrived at the gate, they all dismounted, choosing to walk through the city gates on foot.
This surprised Jeor Mormont and Alliser Thorne, as they had each arranged soldiers to lead the guests' horses, not expecting them to enter on their own.
Seeing Maco's attire, Jeor Mormont frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat displeased that this strangely dressed guest was concealing his face.
Northerners are straightforward and easygoing. They believe friends should be open and honest, without pretense!
However, considering the other party's identity and background, Jeor Mormont had to suppress his reservations!
Maco also sensed the old Commander's thoughts, so he spoke first:
"My apologies, Commander! The Lord has instructed that my face not be revealed before non-believers, but that does not prevent me from befriending you!
Nor can it prevent me from expressing my respect for you and your warriors! What do you say? Oh! Apologies! My name is Marcol Beleris, pleased to meet you!"
Jeor Mormont replied with a smile, "Yes! Yes! Welcome to the Night's Watch, my esteemed guest. I am Jeor Mormont, the 997th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch!"
After they introduced themselves, Maco waved his hand, signaling the drivers to bring in the supplies from the 22 carts. He then said to Jeor Mormont:
"A small gift! I heard of the Night's Watch's great name while in Lorath. Although we encountered a storm, I have been guided here by the Lord. This must be a divine revelation!"
"To some, the brothers of the Night's Watch are noble knights, the guardians of the world! In such a harsh environment, you still uphold your vows! That's what I admire most!"
Maco's words filled the Night's Watch soldiers present with pride, because many came here primarily to survive, and as such, many in the Seven Kingdoms looked down on them.
To many Night's Watch members, Maco gave them respect, which made many consider Maco a friend, someone worthy of respect.
Jeor Mormont also looked at Maco excitedly and said, "You are a true friend, thank you very much!"
After this, Maco and his companions were invited into the Black Castle's hall, while Moonshadow's Shadow Lynx and Snow Bears were taken by Maco's men to the stables to be settled.
Because the Snow Bears were present, the appearance of the Shadow Lynx didn't seem so abrupt. Many Night's Watch members were seeing these two magical animals for the first time and stopped to watch.
Fortunately, Moonshadow had greeted the Shadow Lynx in advance, so this big cat was very quiet today, not showing any discomfort with the surrounding environment.
Moonshadow also changed her usual attire, imitating Maco and putting on a cloak, concealing her appearance.
During his time with Maco, this Child of the Forest's lifestyle and some of its behaviors were gradually being influenced by Maco.
Maco also claimed Moonshadow as his own sister. After settling Maco and the others, Jeor Mormont went to arrange the banquet details.
He assigned his steward, Bowen Marsh, to lead Maco on a tour of Black Castle. Bowen Marsh, around 50 years old, had black curly hair and appeared ruddy and plump, earning him the nickname "Pomegranate Man" among the Night's Watch.
In the TV series, after Jon and Sam completed their training, they were assigned as stewards. Bowen Marsh accompanied them to the Haunted Forest beyond The Wall, where they took their vows under a weirwood tree and embraced them, congratulating them on becoming members of the Night's Watch.
Bowen Marsh patiently explained and introduced each place to Maco and the others. When Maco expressed a desire to learn about the history of the Night's Watch,
Bowen Marsh took them to Maester's quarters beneath the Raven's Nest. Maester Aemon was the Maester of Black Castle, and one of the last three members of the Targaryen family.
This old man was already 98 years old. He was so old that the current rulers of the Seven Kingdoms had forgotten his Targaryen bloodline.
In the Maester's quarters, Maco met the old man. He often hunched over, and every movement caused him to tremble. His eyes had been blind for a long time, but Maco still sensed the power of his bloodline within him.
This was a genuine Targaryen, the life energy pulsating within him stronger than that of an average adult.
After Maco announced his name, the old man visibly stiffened. He tilted his head, pondering for a moment, as if suddenly remembering something.
Maester Aemon then became somewhat agitated. In a trembling voice, he addressed Maco in Valyrian: "You! Surname Beleris? How is this possible? Who exactly are you?"
Maco chuckled softly, replying in Valyrian with a resounding tone: "I am Marcol Beleris! Descendant of the great dragon rider, Geninara Beleris! The future Emperor of the Valyrian Empire! The Resurrector of Magic! The Conqueror of Worlds!"
As Maco spoke, certain unique tones of the Valyrian language immediately activated the life energy in his blood. The veins of both him and Maester Aemon throbbed in response to these syllables.
Suppressing the discomfort in his body, Maco continued in Valyrian to Maester Aemon:
"I will conquer this world, rebuild! No! Establish a nation even greater than the Valyrian Freehold. This world is filled with chaos and oppression. Only magic and order are the way forward for this world's future."
Maester Aemon, by now, had recovered from his initial shock. His expression was complex, his face shifting through various emotions before finally returning to its initial calmness.
Maester Aemon turned his head towards Maco and said to him, "(Valyrian) Child! I can feel your determination and the strength contained within your body.
However, you shouldn't have dragons! Otherwise, you should have already been famous throughout the continent!"
Maco replied in Valyrian, "I possess a weapon more powerful than dragons; magic is my sword and shield. My family has developed the power of magic to the extreme. This world will ultimately usher in the greatest change!"
Watching the two of them communicating in Valyrian, the surrounding crowd was utterly bewildered.
Only Maester Aemon's two assistants managed to understand a little, but their Valyrian was so poor that they couldn't understand what Maco and the Maester were saying!
After listening to Maco's reply, Maester Aemon fell silent for a long time. Although he couldn't judge the truthfulness of Maco's words, as a Targaryen, he knew that magic was real.
However, having studied at the Citadel for many years, he also vaguely knew some of the Citadel's plans.
"The Truth Project"
It was initiated by that mysterious council within the Citadel, aiming to make science the dominant force in Westeros, and to establish the Citadel as a world-influencing organization in the future.
Maester Aemon sighed and said to Maco, "Valar morghulis, you must be careful of the..."
Maco immediately cut him off, saying, "Valar dohaeris! I know the Citadel's power, and I know their disdain for our kind. But I will not fear them, for I am the one who holds the 'truth'!
Descendant of the Dragon Kings! I will ensure the dragon's bloodline continues, 'Valar morghulis, Valar dohaeris', Long live Valyria!"
Maco's words seemed to deeply shock Maester Aemon, who remained silent after hearing them, as if making an important decision!
The people around them were silently observing the two, curious about what they had said to each other!
After a long silence, Maester Aemon turned to an assistant beside him and said in the Common Tongue, "Clydas! Our guest here is very fond of the scrolls and books from the Valyrian period! You and Qyburn, go and move all the materials from the warehouse here!"