Neck, Underground Ruins
At Mu's call, Marko arrived before her. The strange thing she spoke of was that bizarre hand, and it was now that Marko truly saw its form.
This segment of the strange hand was constructed from peculiar crystals, a creation resembling an arm. Various Ed runes were etched onto the crystals, and from the obscure and difficult-to-understand words, it could be determined that it was a prayer.
The text seemed to be praising the greatness of the Ed gods, but Marko saw a close connection between the runes. Although it was difficult to understand, if he could successfully decipher it, it would surely make Marko's rune magic even more powerful.
In the center of the "arm" was a purple crystal pillar, surrounded by blue and transparent crystal pillars, which seemed to be operating in a mode of suspension via some sort of force field.
However, now, this "arm" seemed to have completely stopped functioning, but after sensing Marko's arrival, it unexpectedly started operating again.
Seeing this scene, Mu, without a second thought, slashed at it with her sword, completely destroying it. The scorching flames of Hellfire caused the arm to completely lose its remaining energy.
Marko took this opportunity to memorize all the runes on it, so that he could research the magic principles of the Ed people. In the future, when dealing with them, it would be twice as effective.
Mu told Marko that after she had just eliminated the spider-man, this arm had slowly gathered on its corpse fragments to become what it was now. It was because it was too weird that she had asked Marko to come over.
Just as Marko was about to use "Holy Vengeance" to deal with this bizarre arm, a golden light flowed out from Marko's body.
The golden light condensed into countless light-shaped threads, which directly pierced into this crystal arm. Then, Marko felt that his body had gained some kind of power, and then Marko received a system prompt interface.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have rescued the trapped Children of the Forest, and cleared the source of the crystal erosion. The system is parsing the composition of its divine body..."
"Ding! Importing 6th and 7th generation information, importing Light Element and Dark Element templates. Please pay attention, Host, the later elemental summons will have Light Element and Dark Element. Specific magic targets can guarantee that the elemental person's type is consistent with it (Note: targets attached with dark magic and light magic can increase the chance of summoning)."
Light Element
Introduction: Light Elements are composed of the purest light power, they are the embodiment of holy light, the masters of divine power.
Skills: Holy Light Descent (Cast a beam of light from the sky, healing friendly troops and burning enemy troops.)
Light Leap (Light elements can perform rapid attacks, preventing enemies from counterattacking.)
Dark Elements
Introduction: Dark elements are composed of the purest dark power. They are the embodiment of death and curses, the masters of dark power.
Skills: Curse Attack (Attacks will be accompanied by a basic dark-type debuff magic, 1-3 levels of dark-type magic.)
Shadow Strike (Can attack enemies from shadow positions; cannot be counterattacked.)
Looking at these two newly appeared elemental creatures, Marko's first feeling was one of novelty. Just as he was about to summon the new elements to take a look,
a prompt sounded on the system interface. This immediately perked up Marko, who had been feeling a bit disappointed about the lack of reward from the task. He eagerly clicked to view it.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the ultimate golem, Titan Giant. The golem has been placed in a seal ball and can be summoned and used directly."
Titan Giant
Description: Titan Giants are the ultimate achievement sought by mages, the most powerful golems, and the embodiment of magical god-making. Titan Giants can wield their giant hands in melee combat to kill enemies, and they can also release lightning to strike distant foes. Their golem-constructed bodies are immune to mental control magic.
Traits: Immune to mind magic, summons lightning.
Following that, Marko materialized the Titan Giant's sealing sphere from his inventory. Looking at the tennis ball-sized sealing sphere in his hand, Marko really wanted to see how this small ball contained a Titan Giant over 6 meters tall.
Every time Marko felt strong enough, the system would appear before him to show off its even more powerful magical abilities.
Just like this sealing sphere, Marko discovered that the energy composition inside was very peculiar. It maintained a perfect balance while also creating a subspace to store items.
The only pity was that this thing was a one-time use item. After being used, it would become invalid. Therefore, Marko decided to study it for a while before summoning the Titan Giant.
One month later, Neck, in front of the Weirwood.
Bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, the entire forest was painted a vibrant yellow, appearing both beautiful and sacred.
In the Neck, there was a Weirwood forest. At this moment, under the sunset's glow, the entire Weirwood forest seemed exceptionally silent. The blood-red, hand-like leaves rustled without a breeze, as if welcoming Marko and his companions.
Therefore, there were also many Weirwoods here. Anyone who came here in the dead of night would likely be scared to death.
Today, Marko was wearing his blue military dress uniform, appearing both dignified and solemn. The aura of a superior, honed over a long period, gave Marko a powerful presence that commanded respect without him having to say a word.
Kneeling before Marko were the eight clan leaders of the Crannogmen: the Blackfen Tribe, the Boggs Tribe, the Cray Tribe, the Fenn Tribe, the Green Mire Tribe, the Bitt Tribe, the Quagg Tribe, and the Reed family, who were the leaders of all the clans.
All of these Crannogmen had followed Howland Reed's advice and sworn allegiance to Marko. They didn't know much about the outside world, but in their beliefs, anyone recognized by the Children of the Forest and the Seer was a being approved by the gods.
Therefore, in the eyes of most Crannogmen, Marko had become a supreme being. Almost everyone in the entire Crannogmen community wanted to swear allegiance to him.
Another point was that Jojen Reed had always been regarded as a Seer in the eyes of the Crannogmen. At the same time, many people believed he had received the approval of the gods. And when this Seer told everyone that Marko would bring them new hope, they all chose to believe without exception.
Since ancient times, the Crannogmen have always been a discriminated group. Due to their naturally small and frail stature, even their kin, the Northmen, looked down on them. In the eyes of many Northmen, the Crannogmen didn't seem like the descendants of the First Men.
This also kept the Crannogmen in a semi-isolated state. They rarely interacted with the outside world, and often avoided humans who came to the Neck.
Many Crannogmen tried to change this, but ultimately, they all returned with their tails between their legs. The Crannogmen could kill ferocious swamp creatures, but they couldn't kill the discrimination and malice in others' hearts.
But Marko was different. Perhaps due to the influence of his previous life, Marko could maintain a normal attitude towards any group, respecting their culture and customs.
Furthermore, Marko taught many Crannogmen to use Druid magic. Many of them had only grasped the power, not truly learned how to use it.
The most important point was that the Children of the Forest were all willing to follow Marko. The appearance of the Children of the Forest made many Crannogmen even more convinced of their faith.
Finally, the arrival of the Pantheon made many Crannogmen even more convinced by the Reed family's propaganda. A large number of new seeds and crops allowed the Crannogmen to truly feel the grace of the Old Gods.
As time passed, the people in the Pantheon became increasingly adept at preaching. Marko had become a supreme being in their mouths, and the faith of the Northmen grew increasingly strong.
Tonight's oath-taking was a moment many Crannogmen leaders had longed for, truly eager to integrate into the Valyrian Empire family.
Marko had already planned the future of the Crannogmen, giving many young Crannogmen more choices, which was truly enticing for a people who had always been isolated.
"I accept your allegiance in the name of the Emperor of the Valyrian Empire. From this day forward, you are all part of the Valyrian Empire. My family and I will protect you until the stars fall."
When kneeling, the Crannogmen were frog-eaters and mud-men in the eyes of the people of Westeros. But from the moment they stood up, they had become citizens of the Valyrian Empire.
In the future, those Crannogmen who awakened Druid talents would become a middle power within the Valyrian Empire, receiving more respect instead of being seen as "Swamp Demons."
Among these Crannogmen, both men and women, young and old, possessed strong Druid talents. Many had awakened their Druid talents under Marko's influence.
During Marko's time stationed at Greywater Watch, he witnessed a large number of Crannogmen awaken their Druid talents. And, most miraculously, most of them could withstand the power of the Vitality Magic Spring.
The most powerful among them had now basically mastered the most basic Druid magic, especially Earth Stone Piercing and Thunderbolt Lightning, although only at a basic level.
But in the eyes of many Crannogmen, this was a miracle, which made Marko an existence equal to a god in their eyes. Or rather, many people regarded him as a god.
It was precisely because of Marko's series of actions that he gained the allegiance of many Crannogmen. Many believed Marko was god-like; if it weren't for Moonshadow and the others around him, the Crannogmen would have started pushing people into his bed long ago.
Marko's fame was now far greater than that of the Stark family, completely mythologized. After the oath-taking ceremony, a large bonfire party was held in the Fenn Tribe's territory.
The Fenn Tribe was the second-largest Crannogmen tribe after the Reed Tribe. The Fenn family's sigil was three black water lilies on a pale violet background. Their warriors and skinchangers were similar in number to the Reed Tribe.
If it weren't for the sudden appearance of the prophet Jojen Reed, the Reed family's rule would have been affected long ago. However, at this moment, they had completely become part of the Valyrian Empire, and there would be no more open or hidden conflicts in the future.
For tonight's bonfire party, the Fenn family prepared a special wood as fuel. When this wood burned, it produced a special smoke that could dispel the poisonous insects of the swamp.
The Crannogmen usually only used this special wood during large events. For a moment, the entire bonfire party felt like it was being held in a wonderland, this feeling of clouds and mist was very magical.
While everyone was chatting and feasting, Howland Reed suddenly came to the bonfire. He held a wooden cup in his hand, filled with a Crannogmen-made fruit wine.
Due to the swamp water being largely undrinkable, birch sap and a few clean springs served as the Crannogmen's water sources.
Because they feared illness, alcoholic beverages became the main source of drinking water for many Crannogmen. Men, women, and children all drank it, and this "wine" wasn't really wine in the true sense, but more like an alcoholic beverage.
Thousands of years ago, after the Crannogmen learned how to brew, they developed a unique method. They would collect dew, tree sap, and a large amount of fruit, placing them in clean earthen pots or tree hollows to ferment.
Because the Crannogmen's special fruit wine was blood-red in color, very similar to the sap from the Weirwood, some called it "Weirwood Blood."
This drink tasted very sweet, similar to the fermented beverages Marko had drunk in his previous life. The barrel next to Marko, supposedly, contained the best batch.
"Brothers and sisters, let us offer our most sincere blessings to the great Emperor. All of our food and drink tonight was bestowed upon us by His Majesty. In the future, we will have more and more, and our lives will get better and better. Long live Emperor Marko!"
"Long live..."
After listening to Howland Reed's words, everyone roared with excitement. Many people gathered around the bonfire, standing up to cheer for Marko. Many were very moved; these provisions were unimaginable to them long ago.
It was just unexpected that these things would actually be placed before them now. The Crannogmen's lives were, in some ways, similar to those of the wildlings beyond the Wall.
Because they lacked interaction with the outside world, many of their daily necessities were still the same as they were hundreds of years ago. This was one of the reasons why many people looked down on them.
In addition, the Neck was close to the south, which made the arrogant descendants of the Andals look down on the Crannogmen even more. They considered themselves civilized and didn't know the meaning of respect.
Many of them seemed to have forgotten that their ancestors were the outsiders and invaders. It was also because of the oppression of the Valyrian Empire that they had fled here.
Especially the Frey family, who lived closest to the Neck. The Freys of every generation had always wanted to conquer the Neck, and it was only after the Conquest that the situation improved somewhat.
Marko was genuinely treating the Crannogmen well. He didn't deceive them, nor did he oppress them. He treated them with a normal attitude.
Looking at the Crannogmen around him with passionate eyes, Marko also raised his glass and said to everyone:
"You are all my people. I will always protect you, let you live a better life, and lead everyone to glory. Long live the Valyrian Empire!"
"Long live…"
Marko's words ignited the crowd's emotions. Everyone roared along with Marko's final words, excitedly looking at him, their hearts filled with hope for the future.
The bonfire party lasted until the late hours of the night. Everyone sang, danced, drank, and ate happily. Marko got a little drunk and had to be escorted back to his bedroom by the women.
Although the Crannogmen's fruit wine was low in alcohol content, initially tasting like a beverage from Earth, Marko, even with his incredibly strong physique, was caught off guard, perhaps due to the wine's age.
The next morning, Marko woke up in a "flower bed." Having drunk a bit too much the night before, he had gone wild with the alcohol, finally falling asleep.
As people were all over him, Marko took the opportunity to collect his mission rewards.
The system had notified him of mission completion and issued the rewards last night after he accepted the loyalty of the Neck's many chieftains.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have completed the task of conquering the North. Rewards have been issued, please check!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host, the Timber Mill has been established, and will generate 20 wood resources for the system each month. The Timber Mill can also be used for wood production and processing."
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