Brynden River's aged voice was shifting its tone constantly. Yet, no matter how it changed, the killing intent and mockery were crystal clear. The joy of the Three-Eyed Raven's rebirth was completely ruined by this guy!
"You can do nothing but bark here! You can't stop me, can you? If you have the guts, have the Night King come fight me again! This time, I guarantee he'll never forget it!"
A giant angelic phantom suddenly appeared in the cave. The golden, holy light bathed everyone, making them feel warm and dispelling the slightest bit of their despair.
Marco's words, accompanied by the brilliance of the Blessing Ritual, echoed through the crowd, shaking the bewildered and frightened. It was as if they were suddenly filled with boundless courage!
"You! Ants! I'll give you one chance..." (Adult female voice)
"If you're willing..." (Elderly male voice)
"I! Won't! Be! Willing!... You... get... out!"
The bizarre tone hadn't finished speaking when it was cut off by Marco's increasingly impassioned voice, followed by a furious roar!
The giant face formed of crimson energy roared, the dark red energy spreading outwards in ripples, targeting Brynden River's aged body.
The battle cry magic, "Fearful Howl," instantly silenced all the eerie sounds!
And this thing's voice, along with Brynden River's former body, vanished into the air. It wasn't that Marco's magic had gotten stronger, but rather that Brynden River's body was already decayed, unable to withstand this terrifying blow.
With the departure of the alien god, the Three-Eyed Raven summoned their kin hidden deep within the cave. There were exactly 60 Children of the Forest. They had all escaped from the surrounding areas. Many of the Children of the Forest's hidden settlements had recently been attacked by the Night King, and many Children of the Forest had tragically perished under the Wights' claws.
After learning that Moonshadow was also a Child of the Forest, these external Children of the Forest all warmly gathered around. Their sorrow and sadness were swept away; each of them rejoiced in the "rebirth" of their kin.
Moonshadow's beautiful appearance and wondrous magic filled their hearts with curiosity and joy. Although there was no concept of beauty or ugliness in the Children of the Forest's world, Moonshadow's current form perfectly matched the peaceful state of nature and light.
The Three-Eyed Raven beckoned them over to meet Marco. Originally, the Three-Eyed Raven intended to follow the will of the gods, having the Children of the Forest kneel and pledge their loyalty to Marco according to human customs. However, Marco refused this.
The Children of the Forest were Marco's future "source of food and clothing." Marco couldn't bear to make them go through these empty rituals. After they transformed into Flower Fairies, they would only be loyal to Marco; there was no need for this. Kneeling and pledging loyalty were just a means Marco used to bind the original human inhabitants.
Seeing Marco's resolute attitude, the Three-Eyed Raven was filled with gratitude. He also had the Children of the Forest bring out bags of tree bark filled with Obsidian and various gemstones from underground. Ever since allying with Marco, he had been collecting these things. The underground tunnels were extensive, with some connecting to gemstone veins. The Children of the Forest sometimes used these items to trade with humans.
"Alright! Let's go!"
After putting away everything, Marco gave the order.
When they met up with the soldiers at the entrance, it was already evening. Therefore, Marco immediately ordered everyone to camp and rest nearby. The women took out their salted meat and black bread to prepare food. Since some lone Wights were still lurking in the forest, Marco didn't allow the hunters to go hunting.
The group gathered around the campfire, eating dinner until the late hours of the night. Marco went to rest in his tent early. Moonshadow spent the entire night chatting with her people and finally slept in the cave.
What Marco didn't know was that, at this moment, the entire Beyond the Wall was in chaos. The old gods frequently bestowed miracles, causing many Wargs and those with Greensight to sense divine revelations. This news stirred different thoughts in the hearts of some tribes who had planned to join Mance Rayder's army.
In a certain tribe within the Haunted Forest, the six-shaper Varamyr suddenly sat up from his bed. He was gasping for breath, as if he had expended a lot of mental energy. The animals around him were also restless. Three direwolves, a Snow Bear, a swift hawk, and a shadow lynx all began to howl uncontrollably.
Especially that huge Snow Bear. Its state was extremely agitated, constantly growling in its mouth, saliva dripping from its teeth, as if it wanted to kill its companions.
"Varamyr! Are you alright? I actually dreamed of the gods! Can you believe it? It's..."
A voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, easing the oppressive atmosphere in the room. The Snow Bear also turned its attention to the door, letting out a low growl and charging towards it like a madman!
"Shut up! Orell!"
Varamyr roared, interrupting Orell's chatter. Then, he rolled his eyes and warged into the body of the giant Snow Bear. The Snow Bear growled and stopped, shaking its head violently, trying to dislodge the occupant. After a few seconds of stalemate, Varamyr completely controlled the raging beast.
Sensing something was amiss, Orell listened carefully to the sounds in the room, then quietly pushed the door open. Seeing the Snow Bear still growling with discontent, he seemed to realize something. He then said to Varamyr, his face filled with fear:
"Varamyr! You're too arrogant! You're still young, and you have a long road ahead of you! There's no need for this. Six animal companions are too difficult for you! If this Snow Bear goes berserk, you're dead today!"
"Hmph! What I do is none of your business! Hmm! You had that dream too!"
Varamyr replied to him with displeasure, but his tone held a hint of exhaustion, as if he had just expended a great deal of energy.
"The gods in my dreams guided me east. In the dream, I was bathed in golden light, and I became young again. It's a good omen, what about you?"
Orell truthfully described his dream and then asked Varamyr.
"Pretty much the same! It seems like the entire Beyond the Wall is about to get chaotic. If the rumors are true, east means Hardhome, hahaha! Mance Rayder or Hardhome, which one is the way out? This is really interesting! Cough, cough!"
Varamyr laughed somewhat wildly, but his tone revealed a hint of weakness. He coughed twice from his excitement.
Similar scenes like this were occurring throughout the Beyond the Wall. However, many only received vague guidance, and some didn't even understand the basic meaning. Only powerful individuals like Varamyr could truly comprehend the intentions of the old gods!
However, most people had accepted Mance Rayder's invitation. They all hoped to breach the Wall and head south to a warm place with abundant food to avoid the White Walkers' attacks. Only a small number of staunch old gods believers and Wargs chose to go to Hardhome.
At this moment, in a certain place in the Frostfangs Mountains, the Night King was conducting a transformation ritual within a frozen magic circle. The Wights around him were holding infants with glowing blue eyes.
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that this area had once been a settlement of a civilization, but it was now a complete ruin, with damaged houses, collapsed walls, and scattered debris.
One by one, the bald Wights in copper armor, wielding great axes, gathered around the magic circle. They were Thenn, a tribe from Beyond the Wall with a complete civilization. They possessed a full copper smelting technique, making them more "civilized" than the wildlings. Of course, that's if you didn't count their cannibalistic customs. They were stronger than the wildlings in every way. This was the Thenn homeland, but now, like the Red Keep, it had been breached by the Others.
After the Night King turned the last child into a Wight, he handed it to the Wights around him and walked towards two ice sculptures not far away. They had been recently placed there by other Others; it seemed they were not originally from this place.
The Night King approached and tapped each of them. Immediately, the two ice sculptures began to crack inch by inch, revealing their masters. These were two Others with a similar form to the Night King, also exuding a terrifying pressure.
Once they were free, they began to communicate with the Night King, using the Others' special ice-friction speech, which sounded like the scraping of iron sheets, making people feel uncomfortable. This tone was very monotonous, sharp, and different from ancient languages.
After they had conversed for more than ten minutes, the three of them went their separate ways. The Night King headed east, while the other two Others went north and west. The remaining Wight troops under the Night King were also divided into three parts, each guarding their new master.
The cold wind blew through the ruins of the Thenn territory, producing a series of howling sounds, as if resentful spirits were wailing within. The bloodstains on the broken walls seemed to reveal the brutality of the war.
But winter had come, and the living had no future. They would either become Wights or become "breeding stock" for the Others!
Moonlight was slowly sailing on the sea route to Hardhome. The cold wind howled, as if trying to freeze the sails, but the faint magic emanating from the ship was constantly slowing the spread of the cold, allowing it to sail smoothly.
It had been more than two months since the battle at the Three-Eyed Raven's hidden place. During this time, Marco's people had departed in three batches. The remaining people, led by Marco, continued to advance south along the coastline.
Fortunately, they hadn't encountered attacks from the Wights in the later stages, which made Marco, whose magic points were already running low, breathe a sigh of relief. Although "Holy Light" was powerful, its long casting time and single-target damage were very obvious problems.
Furthermore, when Marco investigated the center of the explosion, he discovered that the deep pit was entirely caused by the mutual restraint of two energy attributes and had nothing to do with the light magic!
And Marco's group was getting closer and closer to Hardhome. At this moment, Marco was standing in the center of his room, using his "Elemental Vision" ability to sense the flow of magic on the ship "Moonlight". He wanted to analyze this magic ship to increase the power of "Sarah's Boat" and summon a more powerful warship.
Knock, knock, knock!
At that moment, a knock suddenly sounded at the door, interrupting Marco, who was still in a state of perception. He could only shake his head helplessly and say:
"Come in!"
The person who pushed open the door was Brynden River, Marco's Druid elder. He had been given a new life by the system and blessed with a Druid template of natural forces.
At this moment, he was looking at Marco with a face full of trepidation, holding a green dragon egg in his hands. The dragon egg had a scaly outer shell with golden patterns on it, making it look very beautiful.
Brynden River swallowed hard, sorted out the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and then said to Marco:
"My Lord! I hope you will take back this dragon egg. I, I am not qualified to have it. This, this should be something you should have!"
Marco smiled when he heard this and said:
"I've already said it. This dragon egg belongs to you. I've already given it to you. You are its future master. When we find a suitable method later, we will hatch it."
"But, but, I, I really can?"
Brynden River was still stammering, completely lacking the air of the Blood Raven Duke he usually had.
Marco walked up to him, pressed the dragon egg back into his hands, and said:
"You are my future dragon general, and I still need you to expand my territory! Take it, it's an order! Do you understand?"
"Yes! My Lord!"
Brynden River shouted excitedly, and then he left the room at Marco's gesture.
If it were before, Marco might have been interested in this dragon egg, but now he already had a Light Dragon, and there was also a red dragon of unknown origin hidden in his body. It could be said that Marco didn't even look down on this kind of hybrid dragon, which was like a wyvern, in the Game of Thrones world!
(Dragons with four limbs and long wings don't conform to animal anatomy. Sometimes I really think Hollywood screenwriters and directors are brain-dead, talking about biological structure in fantasy dramas!)
"Let's take it one step at a time! I still have plenty of time! The most important thing now is magic!"
Marco muttered to himself, and then he put his mind back into perceiving the magic of the ship's hull.
Just then, he was destined not to be able to calm down and properly study the magic at work on the ship's hull. Marco's consciousness had only just sunk into the surrounding environment when another knock came at the door. Marco's thoughts were disrupted again, and he could only stop his research and call out helplessly:
"Come in!"
This time, it was Shar, the captain of the Moonlight, who entered. He bowed to Marco first, and then reported:
"My Lord! We have entered the harbor!"
"Good! Inform everyone! We're disembarking!"
Marco nodded and ordered Shar.
"Yes, My Lord!"