Maester Luwin said, "According to the report from Maester Balon of the Last Hearth, there's not much issue with the identity of this Lord Marko. He claims to be the son of a merchant from Lorath.
Maester Balon is quite adept in historical knowledge. He cross-referenced the places and history described by Lord Marko with some of the Citadel's materials, and everything checks out.
Moreover, he likely has Valyrian blood. House Umber's servants found a strand of silver hair he'd left behind while cleaning his room. I suspect that's why he's reluctant to reveal his true appearance. After all, his family has been trading with King's Landing, and he might be afraid of causing unnecessary trouble.
However, Maester Aemon of Castle Black offered a different perspective. He suggested that his Valyrian blood might come from his mother's side. In the Free Cities, many people have Valyrian blood, and his Valyrian is also quite pure."
Upon hearing about the silver hair, Eddard Stark's pupils suddenly constricted. However, after hearing Maester Luwin's explanation, he immediately relaxed.
"Silver hair, huh?"
Eddard Stark murmured to himself, his voice tinged with a hint of sadness, as if he'd recalled some painful past.
At this moment, Benjen suddenly spoke up, "That might be why I don't particularly like him! Although, this fellow always acts mysterious, he has indeed provided us with a lot of food and weapons, and he also promised to send us supplies from time to time."
At this moment, Eddard's guard captain, Jory Cassel, suddenly spoke, "Lord Eddard! I don't think this is the time to worry about this matter. The issue of Skagos Island is what we need to focus on. That chieftain, Erok, has half House Umber blood. I think we should take some action!"
At this moment, Wyman Poole, the steward of Winterfell, who was standing beside Eddard Stark, replied, "This isn't a big problem. When the time is right, we can simply ennoble another tribal leader. They have three tribes!
I don't think we need to worry too much about this. Now that we have them, we can also relieve some of the burden on the Night's Watch. Those lords in the south don't want to give a single copper!"
"What if..."
While Eddard and his vassals were discussing the problem, Marko and the others, led by Rodrik Cassel, had already arrived at the Godswood.
When Marko and the others personally came before this Weirwood tree, Marko truly understood what a millennia-old tree was. Compared to the one in the TV series, this Weirwood tree occupied nearly half the area of the entire Godswood.
Marko estimated that this giant weirwood was definitely bigger than the one in White Tree Village (Beyond the Wall). Just then, a gust of wind blew over, and the red leaves on the giant weirwood swayed gently with the wind, as if welcoming Marko and the others.
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded in Marko's mind.
"Lord Marko! It's me! Can you hear me?"
Marko was clearly stunned when he heard the voice. Then he turned his gaze to the giant weirwood and tentatively replied in his mind.
"Three-Eyed Raven? Is that you? Have your abilities become so strong now?"
Then, the voice in his mind answered, "That's right! It's me! Lord Marko! Thanks to you, I have now recovered some of my abilities. It's a pity that I can only operate these ancient heart trees for now, and I can't do anything with the other heart trees! And the farthest I can reach is near the Neck, where I won't be able to do this!"
Marko was very happy to hear this, so he ordered the Three-Eyed Raven in his mind:
"Alright! Check for me to see if there is anything special in Winterfell, or any objects. If there is! Tell me! I will go and see it myself. I suspect that those two legends are true! If I find a problem, I will contact you directly!"
"As you wish, Lord Marko! I will go and see!"
The Three-Eyed Raven took his leave, and Marko continued to follow Rodrik Cassel on a tour of the Godswood. After passing through the dense grove, Marko and his party arrived at Winterfell's Glass Garden.
The Glass Garden was a greenhouse made of glass, heated by hot springs that ran through it. The high heat and steam made the entire garden very humid, so House Stark used it to grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
Looking at the luxurious Glass Garden, Marko couldn't help but marvel at the exquisite glassmaking skills of the artisans in this world. While it couldn't compare to the ancient architectural techniques of his previous life's homeland, it still had its own unique qualities!
In a way, this was a relatively advanced greenhouse technology, but the construction cost was too high, so only top-tier nobles like House Stark could afford to build it.
Suddenly, Marko's gaze was drawn to a peculiar flower. This flower was very similar to the blue roses he knew from his past life on Blue Star, only these roses seemed even more beautiful.
The petals of this rose were pale blue, fading lighter towards the top, and the edges of the petals were crystal clear like thin frost, giving them a strange, ethereal beauty.
The reason Marko paid attention to it was entirely because he felt a trace of strange life energy within this flower. This power was different from the one he sensed from the Weirwood trees, and somewhat similar to the power system of the Others.
Just as Marko was pondering, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Ser Cassel! Who are those three? Why are they here?"
Rodrik Cassel first bowed to the person who spoke, then replied to the noble lady who had asked the question:
"Lady Sansa! These three are guests at tonight's banquet. Following the Duke's orders, I am currently showing them around Winterfell! Lord Marko! The two chieftains! This is our Duke's eldest daughter, Lady Sansa Stark!"
Marko habitually bowed to Sansa Stark, and Henk and the others followed suit, bowing to the noble girl.
Sansa Stark and the two noble girls behind her returned the bows. Later, through Rodrik Cassel's introduction, Marko learned the identities of the other two girls.
One was Rodrik Cassel's daughter, Beth Cassel, and the other was Jeyne Poole, the daughter of Wyman Poole, the steward of Winterfell.
Jeyne Poole looked a bit younger, while Beth Cassel seemed to be about the same age as Sansa Stark. Neither of these two girls was as beautiful as Sansa Stark, and probably wouldn't have even appeared in the television series.
At this time, "Sansa the Simple" was still an innocent young girl, looking quite pretty. I wonder if she'll end up looking like she did in the TV series when she gets older, if she'll...
After a brief introduction and greetings, Marko and the others left the Glass Garden under Rodrik Cassel's guidance, continuing their tour towards the eastern side of the castle. After all, it would be considered impolite for guests to spend too much time with an unmarried young lady.
Although he was very curious about the winter roses, Marko didn't have time to dwell on it. He suddenly felt another strange energy fluctuation, and it originated nearby.
So, as they walked past the Winterfell Crypt, Marko suddenly stopped. Then, he deliberately asked Rodrik Cassel:
"My lord! Forgive my impertinence, but what is this place? It seems to have a long history. May I take a look inside?"
Rodrik Cassel looked a bit hesitant. "Well, Lord Marko! This is actually the tomb of the Stark family's ancestors. Are you sure you want to go in?"
"If I've offended you, then forget it! I'm just curious, seeing such a unique tomb for the first time. Sorry!"
Marko's somewhat disappointed voice came from beneath his cloak's hood.
Just as Rodrik Cassel was feeling a bit awkward, a voice suddenly spoke from behind them.
"Rodrik, since our guest wants to see it, just show him! After all, it's a testament to our family's glory, and I believe Father would understand!"
Robb Stark, along with Jon Snow and Theon Greyjoy, had somehow appeared behind Marko. Robb was the one who had spoken.
Marko bowed slightly and greeted him, "Thank you, Lord Robb! I hope my actions haven't caused you any trouble!"
Robb replied, "It's a small matter. How about I take you on a tour? My siblings and I used to play in there all the time when we were children!"
However, Robb Stark didn't notice that both Theon Greyjoy and Jon Snow's expressions darkened when he said "siblings."
"This... is that alright? I wouldn't want to damage your reputation. You are the young lord of Winterfell, and I wouldn't want to offend House Stark's rules!"
"Don't worry about it! We Northerners don't have so many formalities! Let's go!"
"Hey! You masked fellow from the Eastern Continent, I heard nobles there all have a bunch of concubines. Is that true? How many do you have?"
Theon Greyjoy's teasing voice suddenly cut through the air, seemingly very interested in Marko's personal life.
"Who's this?"
Marko asked Robb, a hint of suspicion in his voice.
But before Robb could answer, Theon Greyjoy jumped in:
"I am Theon Greyjoy, adopted son of the Duke Stark, Prince of Winterfell, and son of King Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands."
"Huh!"
Marko's confused sound came from under his hood, as if he was bewildered by Theon Greyjoy's titles.
Robb smiled wryly. "Alright, Marko! Pay him no mind! He's always like this! This is our brother, Theon Greyjoy!"
"Oh! Pleased to meet you, Lord Theon Greyjoy! One cannot marry before the age of twenty, and Lorath forbids the slave trade. Unlike Myr and Volantis, they are blasphemers who wantonly deprive others of life and freedom! The concubines you mentioned should be slaves. I believe that is also illegal in Westeros!"
Robb Stark added, "Yes, the gods do not allow us to deprive others of their freedom. My father has also strictly forbidden the act of selling people!"
While speaking to Theon Greyjoy, Marko's eyes peeked out from under the edge of his cloak, unconsciously glancing at the poor boy's "little brother." Thinking of this fellow's future tragic fate, Marko couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement.
Fortunately, Marko's cloak and hood covered him well, otherwise, his current strange expression would surely make people think he was ill.
But Marko couldn't help but admire Ramsay Bolton. This guy was truly cruel and ruthless. Marko estimated that only Hunk could compare to him.
He had specifically looked up information in the previous life when watching the TV series. In the original novel, "Ramsay Bolton" was even more cruel than in the TV series, several times worse. Skinning and torturing were just minor things!
And Jon Snow still had that indifferent look, as if nothing could move him, or perhaps a life of constant suppression had taught him how to hide his emotions.
The Winterfell Crypt, also known as the "Winterfell Crypt," is one of the oldest structures in Winterfell. It has many levels, connected by narrow, winding stone spiral staircases.
Each level is supported by pairs of granite columns that stretch into the distance. Between them are the tombs of the deceased Stark Dukes, or Kings of the North. In front of the stone coffins of these past Dukes of Winterfell stood their stone statues, some with full beards, others clean-shaven. Huge stone direwolves lay curled at their feet. Legend has it that even older Stark ancestors are buried on the lower levels.
The level Marko was on now held the most recent tombs, with the three closest belonging to Duke Rickard Stark, Brandon Stark, and Lyanna Stark.
Originally, according to tradition, Brandon Stark and Lyanna Stark shouldn't have been buried here. However, Duke Eddard Stark ultimately overruled the objections and buried his sister and brother here.
At this moment, Marko suddenly stopped in front of Lyanna Stark's statue. He asked Robb Stark:
"Lord Robb! Didn't you say this was the tomb of the Dukes? Is this a former Duchess of House Stark? I've never heard of her."
"No! This is my aunt, Lyanna Stark. If you'd heard of the war back then, you might know her identity!"
Robb Stark said with a sad tone. Although he hadn't experienced that history, he was still saddened by his aunt's tragic fate after hearing about it.
Marko, although he appeared to be looking at the statue, was actually issuing commands to the Three-Eyed Raven in his mind:
"Carefully investigate this area, especially the location of Lyanna Stark. I sensed a very strange fluctuation of life energy here just now when I was outside! This place is very problematic!"