Bloodhand–Blackstone looked at the elder who slowly walked into the crowd. He respectfully bowed to him and then asked:
"Elder Bloodstone! Did you receive any revelation? What did the dream say?"
The old man looked at the towering castle before him, his heart filled with excitement. He turned his head and shouted loudly to the clansmen behind him:
"Clansmen, I have received a revelation! The unicorn will once again appear beneath the sacred tree, and we shall shed our human skins and become People of Light!"
Seeing the blank faces of the clansmen, the old man realized that these fellows didn't understand what he meant at all.
"You…"
Click-clack! Click-clack!
At that moment, the violent sound of gears turning came from the drawbridge opposite them. Soldiers faintly appeared upon the walls, and the sharp tips of arrows gleaming with cold light extended from the arrow slits above the gate.
With a loud boom, the drawbridge fell to the ground, and the castle gate slowly opened.
Row upon row of soldiers marched out with orderly steps. They wore black kettle-shaped helmets, carried strange serrated spears in their hands, clad in simple scale armor, and crude leather boots upon their feet.
Different from the "chubby" models in Heroes of Might and Magic V, these Level-1 soldiers were standard 1.7-meter-tall European strongmen.
After they had arranged themselves neatly, Marco rode out on his warhorse. The steed bore heavy armor, appearing both magnificent and powerful. Marco, however, was not dressed in the full set of system-granted armor.
He only wore a European noble riding outfit. The blue-and-black riding suit, together with his long silver hair cascading over his shoulders, made him look like a prince who had stepped straight out of a fairy tale.
Marco's current body was over two meters tall, with strange silver hair, paired with violet eyes and a devilishly handsome face that gave off a strangely familiar feeling.
He rode his horse into the middle of the soldiers. Looking at the primitive natives before him, who resembled shaggy wild men, his brows furrowed slightly.
At the same time, a fierce cold wind carried a stench so strong it nearly made Marco faint. Looking at these supposed wild men, he pondered how he should begin speaking.
He nudged his horse a step forward, held his breath slightly, and said:
"You… uh, uh—!"
Suddenly, Marco's eyes rolled white. His consciousness was instantly dragged into a bizarre space.
There, a one-eyed old man in a black robe stood before him. Just as Marco was about to speak, the old man's face twisted in fear, staring behind Marco.
Behind him, a giant dragon appeared — noble and majestic, covered in pure golden scales, radiating a soft light. Even more strange, its wings were not dragon wings but feathered, like those of a swan.
The dragon glared angrily at the old man. Suddenly, its eyes shot forth two dazzling beams of light. The old man was instantly struck. With a scream, he dissolved into a flock of crows and vanished!
"Ahhh! The Green Seer! The Three-Eyed Raven!"
Fortunately, Marco had only lost consciousness for a few seconds. As he emerged from the dream, he cried out in pain, shouting these words.
With his roar, a terrifying aura erupted from his body, and the phantom of a golden dragon instantly appeared before the castle.
Seeing this miraculous sight, Bloodhand–Blackstone and the others fell flat to the ground, trembling as they murmured prayers.
Marco gradually came back to his senses. His mind was a tangled mess, violent ringing in his ears made it impossible to see clearly.
Relying solely on his willpower, he gripped his horse tightly, preventing himself from falling.
About ten seconds later, Marco gradually recovered. Shaking his head, he suppressed the excitement in his heart, muttering inwardly:
"I didn't expect it to be this world. Truly interesting! Could it be the Dragon of Light from Ashan who brought me here?
But is this the 'Game of Thrones' world or the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' world? What does the Three-Eyed Raven want from me?
Forget it — no matter what, since I've been reborn, if I don't stir up a storm, how could I be worthy of the identity of a Blue Star transmigrator!"
Meanwhile, far away in a cave in the far north of Westeros, surrounded by the roots of weirwood trees, the Three-Eyed Raven let out a scream, blood flowing from his seven orifices.
Leaf beside him was startled. She looked at the blood-soaked Raven in shock and worry, asking:
"Green Seer! Are you alright? What happened? Didn't you say you were going to check the abnormality on Skagos Island?"
"The course of the world has become more uncertain again. I actually felt the power of a god! But aren't the dragons supposed to be nearly extinct? How could such a powerful dragon appear?"
"What? Seer! A dragon? But aren't dragons supposed to be extinct?"
"You must also be cautious. Better not to investigate that place. I need to rest. We'll talk after I recover… cough, cough!"
With that, he closed his eyes and fell unconscious upon his vine-woven chair. Leaf, full of curiosity and shock, could only suppress her thoughts and quietly leave the hall.
Back at the castle, Marco looked helplessly at the wildlings prostrating on the ground. He shouted to the crowd:
"You! Uh! Who is your leader? You can get up, there's no need to kneel!"
The cold sea wind did not block his voice; his words rang clearly in everyone's ears.
Bloodhand–Blackstone glanced at Elder Bloodstone beside him, who was still fervently chanting prayers.
Blackstone lightly patted his hand. The elder glared in annoyance but then turned his head toward Marco.
Seeing Marco staring at them with a bewildered expression, Elder Bloodstone suddenly came to his senses. Hastily, he gathered himself, climbed to his feet, and respectfully saluted Marco.
He then greeted Marco in both the Common Tongue (language of Westeros) and the Old Tongue (ancient First Men speech).
At that moment, a system panel popped up before Marco with two options: Old Tongue or Common Tongue.
Though he had already realized what world he was in, Marco had only watched that infamous "yellow-r" show. Aside from a few major plots and characters, most details he couldn't remember!
Driven by curiosity, he chose the Old Tongue. But as soon as he spoke, he regretted it — speaking in that throat-squeezing manner was extremely uncomfortable.
"Greetings! I am the master of this castle. My name is Marco Belleris. Pleased to meet you. Why have you gathered before my castle?"
"Uh… I am… uh… Bloodstone!"
At this, Elder Bloodstone also felt awkward. He had wanted to show off his language skills before this "Child of God."
He hadn't expected this lord would also speak the Old Tongue! The dirty-haired elder blushed beneath his thick facial hair.
He then subtly expressed his troubles in Old Tongue. Marco, glad for the excuse, switched back to the Common Tongue — this language, similar to English, was far easier to speak.
Afterward, Elder Bloodstone explained the basic situation of the island. Marco learned he was not beyond the Wall, nor were these people wildlings of Westeros.
Instead, they were Northmen subjects, though living in relative isolation. Over a hundred years ago, Duke Barthogan Stark of the North was killed during a Skagos rebellion.
His successor, Duke Brandon Stark IX, burned all of Skagos's great ships. Since then, the island had been half-sealed from the outside world.
The residents of Skagos called themselves "Stoneborn." Northerners considered them wildlings, though Marco gathered from their words that they still retained cruel customs of cannibalism and human sacrifice. In his eyes, they were little different from some savage tribes.
When Marco asked what year it was, Elder Bloodstone admitted he didn't know. But he did hear that in summer, Lord Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort had sent envoys to the island.
The Sterns of Driftwood Hall and the Magnars of Kingshouse were negotiating with them, while the Crows of Deepdown opposed contact with outsiders and had yet to declare their stance.
These three clans were the most powerful on Skagos, each with tens of thousands of people. Small clans like Bloodhand–Blackstone's could only survive in the cracks between them.
Later, the 500 members of Bloodhand–Blackstone's clan swore fealty to Marco beneath the weirwood. They recognized him as the Child of God.
Their clan had long raised shaggy horned rhinos — huge beasts with a single horn, often mistaken by outsiders for unicorns.
But Elder Bloodstone told Marco that the true unicorns of Skagos were sacred beasts unique to the island. Now, only one remained, kept by the Crows of Deepdown.
As Marco considered his development path, a new system panel popped up before him. Looking closely, he saw new entries!
City Owned: (Griffon Castle)Heraldry: (Holy Sun) (White banner, golden sun)Tribal Language: (Not set)Owner: Marco BellerisHero Level: 1Hero Skills: Basic Offense, Intermediate Leadership, Diplomacy.Special Abilities: Kingly Bearing, Universal Understanding.Buildings Owned: Town Hall, Militia Hut, Blacksmith, Keep.Soldiers Owned: 100 Thugs, 10 Archers, 3 Infantry, 500 Subjects (special).Resources Owned: Gold 1000, Wood 10, Ore 10, Crystal 0, Mercury 0, Gems 0, Sulfur 0.Quest Log:
Explore the Island! (Completed) Reward: Gold 1000
Subdue the Tribe! (Completed) Reward: Gold 1000, Wood 10, Ore 10