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Marco's words left the Bolton family members present stunned. Especially the "little bird" whose identity Marco had exposed, a chill ran down his spine!
Black Eel York's head buzzed after hearing Marco's words!
But he quickly recovered, and immediately asked Marco:
"My Lord! How! How did you know? Is there someone from that bald eunuch among our people? This! How could this be possible?"
Marco waved his hand and said, "I will naturally know what I want to know. Few can hide secrets from me. Although I don't particularly like your gift, I'll still help you deal with this issue as a return gift! Henk! It's the person behind this guy!"
Henk stepped forward, beckoning the guards around him. He himself grinned and walked towards the person Marco had pointed out. It was a young man of about 18 years old with gray curly hair, not very tall, and freckles on his face. When Marco pointed him out, he took a frightened step back. Seeing Henk and the others walking towards him, the young man was utterly panicked, shouting:
"York, boss! Save me! This wizard lord is a madman! I'm innocent!"
He roared desperately, his body constantly moving backward, as if trying to avoid Henk and their capture.
At that moment, Marco's voice suddenly rang out, "Be careful! He's about to counterattack! His nails are poisoned, all of you, get back!"
Seeing that no one around him was helping, the young man gritted his teeth and clawed at Dominic Bolton. His sudden action and change caught his companions off guard, but they still heard Marco's warning. Two of them immediately stepped forward to protect Dominic.
"Buzz!"
A buzzing sound suddenly came from the air, and a swarm of palm-sized bees flew out of thin air, instantly surrounding the young man. Cries and pain echoed from within the swarm.
"Swarm of Bees!"
Moonshadow waved her small hand, withdrawing the attack, leaving the young man covered in bumps and his body unnaturally stiff. Moonshadow's control over this magic was getting stronger and stronger. She could precisely control the toxins produced by the swarm and the position of their attacks!
The toxins produced by the swarm could paralyze the enemy's nerves. As long as the position was right, it could instantly incapacitate the enemy, making it a practical attack spell for a level 2 summoning magic.
Henk seized the opportunity and rushed forward, pinning the young man to the ground. He expertly pulled out a rope from his pocket and tied the young man into a "C" shape, his back arched. It looked like all they needed was a wooden pole to carry him away.
The Bolton family's entourage was surrounded by ten guards, their weapons pressed against the followers' necks. It seemed that the slightest misstep would result in bloodshed.
Marco suddenly spoke, "These people are no problem. All of you, stand down. Henk! That's enough! He's basically incapacitated, can't even kill himself! What were you thinking?"
Henk, hearing this, shrank his neck and replied with a laugh, "Sorry, my Lord! Old habits! Hahaha! I'll undo it right away!"
After saying that, he quickly untied the ropes binding the young man, his movements fluid and practiced. His actions didn't stop him from checking out the "meat," a habit that made Marco cough lightly. Marco wanted this guy to be a little more discreet, lest outsiders think he was a "homosexual."
Next, Marco used the soul link to convey the young man's thoughts, word for word. Every time he found a loophole in the story, Marco would follow it up with further questions. After repeated questioning and psychological pressure, Marco completely broke through his mental defenses. Finally, the young man revealed all his secrets in front of everyone.
Black Eel York stared at the young man, saying in disbelief:
"Olive! What the hell is going on? Weren't you from Lonely Peak? How are you involved with people from King's Landing?"
Olive sighed helplessly, replying softly, "I'm sorry, Lord York! I am indeed from Lonely Peak, but I was sold to King's Landing when I was twelve. Lord Varys saved me. I learned a lot from him, so I..."
Marco suddenly said, "He's one of your people, so you can handle him. Dominic Bolton, are you sure you want to do this? You're the only heir to House Bolton. Can you really bear to keep your father waiting? Don't you care about your family?"
Dominic Bolton's expression fell when he heard this. He lowered his voice and said to Marco:
"But, but, I feel like, I..."
He seemed to have a thousand reasons, but in the end, he couldn't say anything. He could only sigh helplessly and said to Marco, "My Lord! Then, can I go back? Have you forgiven my family's mistakes?"
Marco spoke ambiguously, "That's not your concern. But, if you really want to learn magic, I might be able to give you a chance, but it could be dangerous, depending on if you're willing!"
Black Eel York immediately said to Marco,
"We don't want to, and we won't try, my Lord! Please..."
"I will!"
"Young Master Dominic! You are the sole heir to the family, you can't..."
Before Black Eel York could finish, Dominic Bolton cut him off, his tone serious.
"Trust me, Ser York! This is an opportunity. You've seen the power of magic. Now, that opportunity is right in front of me, and you want me to give it up? Do you really think I'll agree? You've only seen the tip of the iceberg before. This is the future!"
Then, he turned to Marco and asked, "My Lord! What kind of opportunity is it? Can I try it now?"
"Yes! But, starting now, it will probably take you three days. Whether you succeed or not depends on whether The Seven will bless you!"
Marco told him.
Then Marco turned to Nacxis beside him and said, "It's your turn to try this time! I will still carve the runes. You first practice how to convert magic!"
"Yes, My Lord!"
On Skane Island, west of Skagos Island.
Jon Snow tightened his fur cloak, his gaze falling on the soldiers drilling in the snow not far away. It felt like a dream. The people and things here looked just like the villages around Winterfell. These rock-born people were completely different from what he'd imagined.
Back in Winterfell, he had encountered many warriors from the mountain clans. He had also heard Old Nan's stories about the rock-born of Skagos Island. In his impression, these people were unkempt barbarians who ate raw meat.
But now, they completely overturned Jon Snow's impression. The housing was standard and uniform, and although they wore fur cloaks like the natives, there was no foul smell of rotting hide.
What impressed Jon Snow the most was the room he was assigned. The novel and practical "Ground Fire Furnace" made him feel like the native. He had always thought that a fireplace was a symbol of civilization, but compared to this thing, the fireplace seemed a bit outdated.
If this thing were brought to the North, it could save many lives when winter came, saving both time and effort. It was practical and wouldn't be as time-consuming and labor-intensive as a fireplace, making it very suitable for the common people.
The sights and sounds of the first day made Jon Snow think a lot, keeping him from sleeping the first night he arrived on Skane Island. Early the next morning, he wanted to write a Raven Letter to Winterfell but was told that there were no ravens here, and messages could only be sent via Eastwatch.
Over the next few days, Jon Snow received assistance from Erok. Erok introduced Jon to the warriors and then remained on Skane Island for a few days.
After Erok's departure, Jon Snow, leading troops for the first time, felt utterly bewildered. Looking at the 300-plus rock-born warriors below, his mind went blank with nerves. Fortunately, his mother reminded him, and Jon, stumbling over his words, issued his first training command.
Following this, he began his first military training under his mother's guidance. Lyanna Stark, like her brother Brandon, loved everything related to combat. She had received the most orthodox warrior education of Winterfell. This education, unlike Ned's Valley style, was more in line with the traditions of the First Men.
He had the warriors train in the snow, selected the strongest warrior as Jon's adjutant, and had Jon practice swordsmanship and archery with them. Although these rock-born warriors were the elite from Driftwood Hall, they were still a notch below Jon, who had received a proper knight's education.
Thus, with his mother's help, Jon quickly established his authority within the group. However, none of them had any experience in naval combat, and winter was approaching, so they hadn't practiced naval drills. This made Jon somewhat anxious, because once spring arrived, the wildling raiding parties would begin to head south, and the pressure here would increase!
Pushing aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Jon Snow steadied himself and, through his thoughts, addressed a question he had suppressed for a long time to his mother, who resided in the necklace on his chest.
"Can I ask you a question, Mother? Why do you know so much about the Stark family? Have you stayed in Winterfell before?"
Jon Snow's sudden question, after a long silence, took Lyanna Stark by surprise. She realized that much of what she had been teaching her son recently seemed to be related to Winterfell.
Actually, Jon Snow had been pondering this question for days, but hadn't had the courage to ask. He really wanted to know how his mother became a ghost, and if he had any other relatives.
However, Lyanna Stark remained silent, which made Jon Snow start to overthink things, and his tone began to get impatient.
"Mother, why won't you tell me? Do I have other relatives?"
"I told you, I will tell you everything when the time is right, but now is not the time!"
Lyanna Stark said in a low voice.
"Then when is the right time? Did my father kill you? Are my other relatives like this too? So, all these years, he ignored Lady Catelyn's objections and brought me into Winterfell, he is..."
Jon Snow said, getting a little agitated.
But before he could finish, a terrifying coldness enveloped him. Then, his vision blurred, and Lyanna Stark, her eyes glowing purple, suddenly appeared before him. She stared at Jon Snow and said:
"I won't allow you to speak about him like that, Jon! You know nothing!"
A few days later, in the waters of Seal Bay, a rowed warship was slowly making its way forward.
At this moment, Dominic Bolton stood at the stern of the ship, his face weary. Although his body was in excruciating pain, Dominic's eyes burned with passion. In his opinion, he had just opened the door to a new world.
"Young Master Dominic! Is this really necessary? Although that guy's sorcery is powerful, in my opinion, it's just a one-man show. If you give me 1,000 crossbowmen, I can take care of him the first time we meet!"
Black Eel York said, somewhat disgruntled.
In his opinion, his young master was simply wasting time. Black Eel York had always believed that the most important things for a noble were military power and land. Fiddling with sorcery and such things would only lead to disaster, just like the Mad King of the Targaryen dynasty!
Dominic Bolton reluctantly turned his gaze away from the north. He turned back, smiled at Black Eel York, and asked:
"Sir York! Have you heard of the Freehold of Valyria?"
"Valyria? Isn't that the legendary homeland of the Targaryen family? Young master, that guy, he! What connection is there between them?"
Black Eel York asked nervously, seemingly still somewhat afraid of Marco. He thought Marco was too terrifying; something bad always seemed to happen whenever he saw him.
Dominic Bolton smiled and said, "The Freehold of Valyria once had over 100 dragonlords, all of whom were the kind of sorcerers you mentioned. Do you know? Many scholars who study the arcane arts believe that dragons are a product of magic. The most powerful magic can create life, and me? I've only just opened the door and I can already do this!"
As Dominic finished speaking, a small sapling suddenly appeared in his hand, then slowly grew, scaring Black Eel York in front of him so badly that he took a step backward. Dominic, however, stared at the young, green, tender sentinel tree in his hand with fanaticism.
He trembled as he said, "Sir York! Although this has consumed all my power, do you know? I feel that power is constantly accumulating within my body. In the future, I will become stronger and stronger, just like 'Greenhand' Garth in the legends, with the ability to revive all things!