In an unnamed bay on the Trembling Sea, a colossal sailing ship was slowly cutting through the ice, heading north. The biting wind howled, seemingly ready to freeze even the sails, but the Moonlight appeared unaffected.
Mako and his crew had been at sea for over a month. Their current objective was to find the Three-Eyed Raven in the lands beyond the Wall. During this time, he'd been gathering intelligence on the Land of Eternal Winter, hoping to discover a relatively safe route. However, the refugees who had fled the region claimed that the area north of Frostfang was swarming with White Walkers.
For safety's sake, Mako decided to take the sea route. The waters beyond the Wall were vastly different from Seal Bay. Icebergs were common, and especially with the onset of autumn, the cold could freeze even the sails. Thus, Mako only dared to bring the Moonlight, as ordinary ships couldn't withstand the onslaught of ice floes.
However, the Iban from Essos often sailed into this area on whaling ships. They had even established a relatively safe route. Their whaling ships were coated in a special black oil, specifically designed for navigating icy waters.
Life at sea was monotonous and dull. Most soldiers preferred to stay in the ship's cabins rather than venture onto the deck. During this time, Mako had been studying the light magic he'd acquired.
Since gaining the "Guardian Angel" ability, Mako had access to a full set of light magic. It functioned the same way as the divine artifact, the "Book of Light Magic," allowing heroes to learn all light magic spells in advance without taking up equipment slots.
Currently, Mako was standing in the center of his room, training his perception. Since breaking through level 10, his soul link ability had significantly improved. Not only had the distance increased, but he had also awakened the ability to perceive his surroundings.
Therefore, Mako had been testing his newfound ability, using it to analyze his newly acquired spells. Although his mana had surpassed 100, he didn't dare to recklessly expend his magic, not being a member of the Magic Guild.
After breaking through level 10, Mako's control over magic reached a new level. Especially after gaining this new ability, he began to use it to analyze the magic radiating from his body.
Through training during this time, Mako had developed this perception ability to its limit. He felt it was somewhat similar to the Dark Elf Sorcerer's "elemental vision," and if he continued to develop it, it was very likely to become that.
Mako could now clearly feel the magic fluctuations emanating from the soldiers in the next room. Red and golden energies would occasionally appear on their bodies. Mako guessed these energy fluctuations should be his attack and leadership skills.
Delving deeper, Mako sensed even more energy fluctuations. He also felt a connection between himself and the soldiers, a subtle energy line. Many soldiers had these energy lines.
Following these energy lines, Mako shifted his perception to his own body. He had always been very interested in the source of the magic within him because Caspar Ed had told him that the appearance and development of Griffon Fortress had always relied on the magic radiating from Mako's body.
Previously, Mako could only vaguely sense that magic, but now he could feel its presence clearly. However, perhaps because Mako's level wasn't high enough, he still couldn't see its true form, which was a bit of a pity.
When he went out to sea, Moon Shadow had also said that a new presence had appeared in his body. Curious, Mako went to the consciousness world to ask the Light Dragon, but it said it hadn't detected any traces of its dragon kin.
Seeing that it didn't seem to be lying, Mako could only explore the consciousness world for a while, but still found nothing. Therefore, after mastering this ability, he thought of investigating this problem from outside his body.
Mako's body was now covered in countless, fine strands of light, like human hair. He reached out to touch them, but they passed through his fingers. They were incredibly strange, as if they existed on a completely different plane of existence.
When Mako tried to follow these strands and perceive their source, he realized he couldn't see the core of them at all.
So, Mako shifted his focus, directing his perception inward, towards his own body. He could feel his limbs and bones were filled with magic. It was a vague sensation, as if the magic had no physical form, but Mako knew it was there, coursing through him.
Mako delved deeper, finding that his internal organs and muscles were similar to those on Blue Star (Earth), appearing perfectly normal. He then shifted his perception to his blood and lymph.
This time, he finally found something different. He discovered a unique, glowing substance within his blood and lymph, resembling tiny spheres. They flowed with his blood, and Mako sensed a faint energy fluctuation within them, but they seemed lifeless now, almost dull, just drifting along with his blood.
Next, Mako directed his perception to his brain, but he only sensed a sea of light, unable to perceive any specific details, which disappointed him slightly.
Unable to examine his brain further, Mako focused his perception back on the glowing substances within his blood. He realized it was a form of pure energy, but it appeared weak and scarce, completely dwarfed by the magic within his body.
Then, a playful idea struck him. He tried to guide a thread of magic towards this transparent substance, and a voice suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Ding! Would you like to spend 1 mana point to perform a mana infusion?"
Mako tentatively tapped it. The next second, the transparent substance transformed into something akin to mana. It then acted like it was on stimulants, frantically flowing through Mako's bloodstream, causing him to unconsciously focus his attention on it.
This special energy constantly coursed through Mako's blood. It seemed to have a life of its own, continually absorbing the smaller energy particles within the blood. In the process, Mako began to understand how these energy particles were generated.
As Mako delved deeper into his perception, he discovered that most of these energy particles originated from nature. All living beings carried these particles to varying degrees. They accumulated within a person's body, eventually forming these pure, transparent spheres of light.
While Mako was analyzing the energy particles, the special substance he had infused with mana suddenly split into two parts. Just when Mako thought they would continue to split, these two energy particles seemed to lose their momentum and vitality. They slowly moved through the blood vessels towards Mako's eyes.
After these two energy particles entered Mako's eyes, strange images began to flash before him. The world within Mako's vision began to shift and change, finally settling on a specific area north of the frontier.
Why the frontier? Because Mako saw endless hordes of White Walkers there. They stood silently in the snow, seemingly waiting for their master's command.
Mako's gaze continued to travel, and he finally found the main figure amidst the White Walkers. Judging by his appearance, it was the Night King from the television series.
At this moment, it seemed to sense Mako's presence, unconsciously shifting its gaze towards Mako's position. However, when it looked at where Mako was, it found nothing there!
Mako was startled when the Night King first looked at him. For a split second, he thought he was about to get a "javelin champion" thrown at him!
Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. It seemed like the Night King only sensed being watched, not actually seeing Mako. Mako also became secretly wary of the Night King. This wasn't a TV show; this powerful White Walker was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
Just as Mako was thinking about trying to observe its actions, the image before his eyes suddenly disappeared. Mako's vision spun rapidly, changing. Recovering, Mako shook his head hard, trying to dispel the feeling of dizziness.
Recovering, Mako suddenly felt like his right pocket was significantly lighter. Feeling puzzled, he quickly reached into his pocket, only to find his hand covered in crystallized powder.
Mako usually kept some obsidian in his pocket. He did this to study this mysterious spellcasting material, which, in some mythological legends, was also known as "the fire of the gods."
"I didn't expect to accidentally use this legendary Valyrian Magic. Then, the energy in my blood should be the life energy that the Three-Eyed Raven mentioned!"
Mako muttered to himself. Obsidian was the most important spellcasting material during the Valyrian Freehold era. He realized he seemed to have figured out how to revive Valyrian Magic, but he didn't know if his thoughts were correct.
Mako's current state was very similar to the "Far Sight Spell" recorded on the Valyrian scrolls. This spell allowed one to peer into the distance through a glass candle, theoretically able to see every corner of the world. However, these spells from the Valyrian era seemed crude to Mako, completely incomparable to the magical wonders of the Aishan world.
During his last visit to the Black Castle, Mako had specifically studied this magic. But he later discovered that he couldn't cast these spells at all, so he abandoned the idea of further research!
The Fire Control Spell, Far Sight Spell, Mind Speech Spell, Prophecy Spell, Binding Spell... In Mako's opinion, these spells were mostly just superficial applications of the laws of space and time. The main problem was that he couldn't cast them.
However, today's events had given Mako great inspiration. He felt he had found a way to revive native magic. From the recent experiment, it seemed that the system's magic power could activate the vitality of life energy.
Once activated, this life energy would continuously absorb the weak energy around it to promote division and expansion, thereby strengthening itself. But this required more experimental data. Therefore, Mako planned to return to Griffon Fortress and begin this research after finishing things here.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as Mako was pondering this, a knock at the door suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in!"
The captain of the Moonlight, Charles, pushed open the door. He first respectfully bowed to Mako, then reported to him:
"My Lord, we've found a stopping point. Moonstone says this is the closest place, we can't go any further. It seems we'll have to drop anchor here. What's your opinion?"
"Then let's do it! I'll leave 20 men here with you to stay. Now, give the order to the others, we depart in one hour!"
Mako nodded, then ordered Charles.
"Yes, my Lord!"
This entire area, bordering the Ghostwood and Frostfang, was the legendary Land of Eternal Winter. It was also where the Children of the Forest had established their last line of defense. The weirwood trees here were mostly ancient, thousands of years old, and brimming with life energy.
However, in recent years, with the decline of the Children of the Forest, many loopholes had emerged. Some weirwood trees had even been directly destroyed by sacrificers and the fallen.
The Three-Eyed Raven's place of seclusion was located in the center of this area. Guided by Moonstone, Mako and his group quickly found the correct direction to the Three-Eyed Raven's hidden dwelling.
Along the way, Mako and his group were attacked numerous times. They encountered wildlings and wights, but surprisingly, no White Walkers. Mako had initially thought all the wildlings had fled, but some remained. Moon Shadow informed Mako that these individuals were primarily followers of the Alien Gods.
Through the soul link, Mako learned about these people. He issued a merciless order to eliminate them. He also rescued some wildling tribes and unfortunate spearwives who had been held captive and forced into labor. As a result, the journey of over fifty kilometers increased Mako's initial team of over a hundred to over three hundred people.
These degenerates were similar to Craster, sacrificing their sons to the White Walkers, but they often operated as tribes, unlike Craster, who had many wives.
Of course, there were also tribes who were tired of this lifestyle. These wildlings swore allegiance to Mako as well. Previously, Mako had always wondered why these unruly wildlings were willing to be commanded by him.
Over time, through the use of his perception, Mako realized it was all thanks to "Diplomacy." These so-called "free folk," always emphasizing their "free will," were consistently considered neutral entities by the system.
Coupled with their weak strength, they were easily influenced by Diplomacy and directly subjugated by Mako. However, since they were too weak, not even reaching level 1, they couldn't be as obedient as the system soldiers, which led to emotions like betrayal and escape.
After another two days of travel, Mako's group finally arrived at the Three-Eyed Raven's secluded dwelling. Seeing the iconic, enormous weirwood tree in the distance, a smile involuntarily formed on Mako's face.
Moon Shadow, beside him, suddenly said, "Mako! Do you feel it? The heart tree is calling your name. It seems to be saying, danger... ah!"
Mako stared blankly at the notification in front of him.
What the hell?
System Notification: Congratulations, Host, you have successfully bound with the Three-Eyed Raven. Current Mission: Survive for 30 days in the Land of Eternal Winter. Mission Reward: A certain ability, the details of which are unknown. Mission Failure: Death.
Mako's expression turned grim. Survive for thirty days? In the Land of Eternal Winter? He knew what that meant. It was a brutal, frozen wasteland, a place where even the strongest warriors could freeze to death.
He looked around. The area was covered in snow, and the biting wind howled past. The sky was a dull gray, and the air was frigid.
This is… a bad start.
He checked his inventory. He had nothing. No food, no water, no weapons, no clothes. Just the clothes he was wearing.
Damn it!
He took a deep breath. He had to calm down. He had to survive.
He walked forward, trying to find some shelter. He needed to find a place to protect himself from the wind and cold.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, and he shivered.
I need to find shelter, and fast.
He spotted a small cave in the distance. He ran towards it, hoping it would provide some protection.
As he approached the cave, he heard a growl. He stopped.
Standing in front of the cave was a Frostfang. Its eyes glowed menacingly in the dim light.
Shit!
He didn't have a weapon. He didn't have a plan. He was facing a deadly beast.
Mako knew his situation was dire. He had to think fast.
He took a step back. He had to get away.
He turned and ran.
The Frostfang roared and chased after him. He could hear its heavy footsteps behind him.
He ran as fast as he could, but the Frostfang was faster. It was gaining on him.
He glanced back, and the Frostfang was almost upon him.
Roar!
It lunged.
Mako felt a sharp pain in his back. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
He looked up. The Frostfang was standing over him, its fangs bared.
He closed his eyes, waiting for the end.
Suddenly, a bright light shone.
Guardian Angel!
A translucent figure appeared, blocking the Frostfang. The Frostfang was pushed back.
Mako was stunned. Guardian Angel?
The translucent figure fought the Frostfang. It was a fierce battle.
Finally, the Frostfang was defeated. It fell to the ground, lifeless.
The translucent figure disappeared.
Mako slowly sat up. He was alive.
He had survived.
That was… close.
He took a deep breath. He had a mission.
He had to survive.
He stood up and looked around. He needed to find a way to survive in this harsh environment.
He had a mission to complete. He would survive.
He started to explore the area. He looked for any resources. He needed to find a way to survive for thirty days.
He began to search the cave. He found some dry wood and some flint.
Good.
He started a fire. He needed to stay warm.
He found some berries. He ate them. They were not very tasty, but they would have to do.
He continued searching the area. He found some more wood, and he continued to build the fire.
He would survive.
He knew he was not safe. He had to be careful. He had to be prepared for anything.
He would survive.