Mako, who had been resting against his seat, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.
He had just thought to stand up when he realized his whole body ached. This was due to sitting still for too long, so he shook his swollen arms and legs!
He slowly stood up from the seat. The Shadow Lynx was also startled by Mako's movement, and it raised its head and bared its teeth at Mako, seemingly displeased!
Mako, however, ignored it and walked to the small window in the guest room. The guest rooms in Black Castle were all equipped with these small, round windows.
The glass was very crude, containing a large amount of impurities, and wasn't as good as the glass windows in the last castle.
The sky was gradually turning white. Mako touched his face, then looked at the environment outside the window, muttering to himself:
"Was it a dream? Or did I really experience so much? But why didn't they feel anything unusual about me? Did I really run to Nightfort?"
"Yes! I heard it! They also said they would eat you!"
A voice came from behind, directly interrupting Mako's thoughts.
Mako had been about to bring up his spellbook, but upon hearing this, he could only look helpless.
Turning around, Mako asked Moonshadow, "Then why didn't you tell me?"
Moonshadow, of the Children of the Forest, looked at Mako with a puzzled expression.
"You might be killed in the real world, but in the state of 'Green Dream', I don't believe anything can kill you, not even the gods!"
Mako asked, puzzled, "Green Dream? What's that?"
"Ah! I forgot! You don't know! My sisters said you humans call this ability 'Green Sight'?"
Moonshadow's golden eyes blinked as she answered Mako.
Hearing Moonshadow's words, Mako silently pondered the unusual aspects of the situation. He felt that what happened at Nightfort wasn't as simple as it seemed.
A magic circle! Or perhaps some entity, was trying to use Mako's power to eliminate the ghosts in Nightfort.
Thinking this, Mako turned his gaze to Moonshadow and suddenly thought of a question. He asked her:
"Moonshadow! Can you sense the... uh! ...that presence within me? Or have you tried to peek into my dreams?"
As he spoke the first part of his question, Mako seemed to feel a hint of dissatisfaction emanating from his consciousness.
"I..."
Knock, knock, knock!
Moonshadow, who was about to answer, was interrupted by a knock at the door.
A voice from outside the door said, "L...Lord! It's almost time, we're all ready!"
Hearing Sas Ting's question, Mako could only answer with a sigh!
He said to Moonshadow, "We'll discuss this again when we get the chance. Let's go! Our journey Beyond the Wall has only just begun!"
After saying this, Mako picked up the Necromancer's Helmet and Cloak from the bedside table and went to the door with Moonshadow, who was already fully dressed.
Looking at the guest room door, blocked by the cabinet, Mako glanced helplessly at Moonshadow and the Shadow Lynx.
Mako realized that since he'd met these two, he'd been encountering all sorts of strange things.
Outside the cottage, a crowd had already gathered. After Mako moved the cabinet, he and Moonshadow walked out into the corridor.
"Old Bear" Jeor Mormont stood in the crowd, looking like he hadn't slept well, his eyes puffy.
He gave Moonshadow a complicated look, then turned to Mako. He said, "Lord Mako! Won't you stay a while longer? I haven't shown you the top of The Wall yet?"
Mako, his head covered by the Cloak, slowly turned towards the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and replied slowly, "The hospitality of the Night's Watch brothers has pleased this one greatly. However, this one has his own duties. The Lord still has tasks for this one to complete!"
"Old Bear" Jeor Mormont wanted to say something more, but Bowen Marsh, Chief Steward, gently pulled him back.
After that, the Night's Watch held a simple farewell banquet for Mako and his group. Around noon, they prepared to depart.
Mako and his companions had to go Beyond the Wall through the tunnels beneath Black Castle. Mako could have chosen the water route, but it would have taken even longer.
Moreover, the weather north of Skagos Island is even colder, making it dangerous for large ships to sail.
Now, with the help of the Night's Watch, operations are much safer. They can also take advantage of the supply runs to bypass Eastwatch-by-the-Sea and carry out certain secret missions.
The passage through The Wall is long, winding, and narrow. There are three locked iron gates in the passage, and each gate has a special mechanism. Above each gate is a hidden door for releasing arrows.
The mechanical gate outside the passage is made of solid oak, nine inches thick, and requires four people to work together to turn the winch to open it.
In the "Battle of Black Castle" two years later, this gate was forcibly opened by "Mag the Mighty" and "Mag the Strong," but he eventually fell before the second gate.
The Wall stretches from the eastern coast to the great canyon in the west. The Black Castle passage is, in the eyes of many, the only passage.
But in fact, there is also a "Black Gate" in Nightfort. That gate also leads to Beyond the Wall, and only the Black Gate and this passage can be used.
The Black Gate is made of weirwood, with a human face on it. Legend has it that only a member of the Night's Watch can open it, because it is a magical gate.
Only by reciting the Night's Watch oath would the gate open. After the "Craster's Keep Mutiny" in the television series, Fat Sam escaped through this very passage with his wildling girlfriend.
Mako walked slowly through the passage, feeling that the magical array at the base of The Wall had returned to normal.
However, the array was on the verge of collapse due to the passage of time. It was a miracle that this rune magic array, laid out by the Children of the Forest, had held up until now!
Queen Alysanne Targaryen had once wanted to fly over The Wall on her dragon, Silverwing, but she failed. The dragon refused.
And this happened over 200 years ago. One could only imagine how powerful The Wall was in ancient times.
In Mako's opinion, the Children of the Forest's use and understanding of magic were crude, nothing compared to the magic of Asshai.
But perhaps it was precisely this simple and crude method that allowed The Wall to stand to this day.
After all, even the most perfect magic array would eventually run out of energy. This method of maintenance, relying on external forces, was crude but practical.
After walking for over two hours, Mako and his group finally reached the last gate.
Under the operation of four Night's Watch warriors, the gate slowly rose, and the biting cold wind, mixed with tiny ice crystals, slammed into everyone's faces.
What first came into view was a wide-open space covered in snow, and further away was a dense forest.
The Haunted Forest is the largest forest north of The Wall, and the largest gathering place for wildlings.
In addition, the Frozen Shore and the Land of Always Winter also have wildling populations.
Tall Sentinel Trees stood there, interspersed with a few Weirwood trees with gray-white trunks.
Benjen Stark, leading ten cavalrymen, stood on either side of the exit of the passage. Seeing Mako and "Old Bear" approaching together, he slightly bowed his head in greeting.
Afterward, "Old Bear" Jeor Mormont introduced these Night's Watch cavalry warriors to Mako.
The eleven riders were to lead Mako into the Haunted Forest, but Mako insisted he didn't need their guidance.
Furthermore, Mako politely told Old Bear that the Night's Watch had more important matters to attend to and shouldn't waste their time on him.
Mako's plan was to go to Whitetree Village first, then to Craster's Keep, then to the Fist of the First Men, and finally, to find Leaf and the others.
Seeing Mako's determination, Old Bear and Benjen Stark had to give in, but they insisted on escorting Mako to Whitetree Village.
Whitetree Village was one of the few wildling factions that were friendly to the Night's Watch. They often traded with the Night's Watch soldiers.
They would occasionally help lost rangers, providing them with shelter, but this came with conditions. They often took iron and horses as "payment."
However, compared to the wildlings further north, they were considered relatively "kind." Some cannibalistic tribes particularly enjoyed torturing Night's Watch warriors.
Mako and his group, along with more than thirty ranger warriors, traveled for about five days before arriving at this small village north of The Wall.
Whitetree Village was named after the huge weirwood tree in the center of the village. The village consisted of four single-room houses clustered around a sheep pen and a well.
The houses were built of stone, with turf roofs, and the windows were covered with tattered furs. Although they looked simple, they were considered quite decent for a wildling village.
In the center of the village stood a huge, ugly weirwood tree with pale branches. What was most terrifying was the face carved into the tree.
It was larger than any weirwood Mako had ever seen, and the carved mouth looked big enough to swallow an entire sheep, which was rather unsettling.
The leader of Whitetree Village was "Deer Hunter" Dale. He had a total of 28 villagers under his command. When they saw a large group of people entering the village, the villagers were a little panicked!
They all took out their weapons and gathered together. After Dale saw that the person in the lead was Benjen Stark, he ordered his people to put away their weapons.
He shouted angrily at the leading knight:
"Benjen Stark! What are you doing bringing so many people here? Hey! Commander Crow? Jeor Mormont, you're here too? What's going on? Did you also get wind of something?"
Jeor Mormont asked Dale, "What do you mean? What news?"
Seeing Jeor Mormont's expression, Dale smiled slightly and didn't continue speaking, instead shifting his gaze to Mako and his group.
Jeor Mormont, seeing that Dale didn't answer, turned his gaze to Mako, unconsciously recalling his warning.
Dale carefully examined Mako's group, feeling quite puzzled. He then asked Benjen and the others:
"Who are these guys? Why are there snow bears? Which tribe are they from? Are they under the 'Warg'? No way! He only has one snow bear, doesn't he?"
After hearing Dale's question, Henk showed great interest and looked at Mako with a burning gaze.
Mako knew he was interested in the "Warg," so he gave him confirmation through the soul link. Henk then stepped forward and said to Dale:
"We come from Skagos Island in the west. These snow bear riders are warriors of our tribe. We are currently responsible for protecting this gentleman!"
"Is that 'Warg' you mentioned strong? I'm a Wolf Spirit too! I definitely have to 'visit' him sometime!"
A strange smile appeared on his face as he said the word "visit," as if he wanted to spar with the guy.
Henk's smile hid a murderous intent, and the aura he emitted instantly caused the horses around them to become restless.
Dale shivered involuntarily at Henk's eerie smile. He shook his head, casting aside the fear in his heart, and said:
"The 'Warg' Varamyr is a powerful Wolf Spirit. He can control three wolves, a snow bear, an eagle, and a Shadow Lynx. He has more than a dozen villages under his control, somewhere in the northeast corner of the Haunted Forest, I think."
"That's interesting! There are such interesting people beyond The Wall. Lord... Master! You were right, there are all sorts of powerful people in the outside world. I want to taste… uh!"
At first, he spoke with some passion, but then he revealed his true nature again.
Mako shook his head helplessly when he heard this, wondering if he would ever be able to reform these cannibalistic ogres.
Besides the system soldiers, Mako realized that the people around him were all unreliable.
After trading some items with Dale and the others, Henk got the exact location of Craster's Keep.
The warriors from the Abyss Fortress were all experienced hunters and fighters. As long as they knew the exact location, coupled with Henk and two Wargs, Mako could move freely Beyond the Wall.
Such a troop configuration could also help Mako avoid some unnecessary dangers. Mako's Snow Bear Knights had always been trained as special forces from the beginning.
Mako, combining his past life memories, had been using his half-baked methods to train the soldiers, but fortunately, these warriors had a solid foundation.
Now, their individual combat capabilities and their ability to cooperate with each other had greatly improved.
Just in case, Mako sent his subordinates to inquire from various sources. Only after confirming that the information was correct did he decide to set off.
Before departure, Mako said to Old Bear Jeor Mormont:
"Lord Commander! Whether you like it or not, the wheel of fate has turned, and this world will soon witness its greatest transformation!
You mortals will come to understand the greatness of the gods. Winter is coming! All shall be one! This is destiny, decided the moment someone arrived here!"
"Mortal? Lord Mako! With all due respect, you are one of these mortals!"
Hearing Mako's "grand pronouncements," Benjen Stark couldn't help but retort.
"No, no, no! Lord Benjen! Someone is not a mortal. Someone is the shepherd, and you are all lost lambs in this world!"
"You..."