After leaving the Heart Tree, their journey had no further twists. It took another day to cross the Haunted Forest and finally return to the foot of the Wall.
Passing through the long tunnel under the Wall's base, the unsettling gaze from the deep, dark forest finally dissipated. The oppression of the strange environment lifted, and Aldric's body and mind were instantly released. However, he felt a tinge of regret due to the thinner mana environment around him.
He gently patted the saddlebag behind his saddle, confirming the precious bottle of Heart Tree sap was safe inside, which gave him great reassurance and confidence.
Back at Castle Black, after bidding farewell to First Ranger Benjen, he settled Lightning and the other horses in the stable. Then, carrying his luggage, he walked into his room in Hardin's Tower, removed his armor, and began to enjoy a pleasant rest.
Ah, even a cold straw bed felt like paradise right now.
But shortly after he lay down, a young man in black hurriedly entered from outside the tower and said respectfully, "Captain Aldric, Lord Commander Mormont requests your immediate presence."
Guessing it was related to the patrol's misfortune in the Haunted Forest, Aldric responded, "Okay, coming."
He quickly changed into clean clothes and followed the boy into the Lord Commander's Tower, arriving at a spacious hall.
In the center of the hall, a rectangular wooden table stood prominently. An old man with a face as rugged as rock, a bald head, and a thick beard hanging over his chest sat at the head, hands clasped on the table.
On both sides of the long table sat several other older brothers in black, looking solemn or whispering, evidently focused on the upcoming discussion.
After the boy announced Aldric's arrival, the old man in the main seat spoke, "Captain Aldric, please sit."
After Aldric sat, the old man continued, "I am Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch."
"Benjen described to me and other brothers your encounter in the Haunted Forest and brought back a head as evidence."
The Old Bear pointed to the pale, withered head in the center of the square table. "But this evidence isn't very convincing. The brothers still have doubts."
"Benjen Stark is a competent First Ranger. I personally believe him, but losing six rangers beyond the Wall is not a loss the Night's Watch can easily ignore."
"Benjen's report mentioned you used a mysterious spell to heal his wound. Can you demonstrate it for us?"
Aldric frowned. "The Sun God's gift isn't a circus trick... The cost of a demonstration here might be enough to save a brave warrior in battle."
The Old Bear nodded. "I understand your concern. Wasting such power on a performance is indeed a pity."
Then he rolled up his sleeve, drew a dagger, and slashed a long wound on his inner forearm. Bright red blood gushed out. "But this demonstration concerns the future of the Night's Watch. It is very important to us."
Everyone's eyes fell on Aldric.
Seeing the blood flowing onto the table, Aldric realized this was the Old Bear's sincerity. He couldn't refuse. He gently covered the wound with his hand. A flash of golden light, and the broken skin was restored as if new.
The Old Bear wiped the blood off his arm with a cloth, squeezed his hand, and exclaimed, "Though painful, it is indeed an impressive ability. Captain Aldric, can this spell be taught to us?"
Aldric shook his head. "This is a gift from the Sun God, only obtainable by the most devout followers of An'she."
"Sun God An'she... which god is this?" Lord Commander Mormont muttered, asking the shadow behind him. "Maester Aemon, have you heard of this god?"
A weak, old voice came from behind him. "I have never heard of the Sun God An'she... I've only heard of R'hllor, the Red God of Light and Fire, who holds similar authority. But Red Priests haven't shown such power... Perhaps this is a new, young god."
He asked Aldric, "Young man, does the Sun God have many believers?"
"Quite a few in my hometown, but on this continent, I haven't met any."
The Night's Watch were either Northerners following the Old Gods or Southerners following the Seven. Converting en masse for a magic spell was obviously beyond the authority of those present.
After exchanging glances with others, the Old Bear said to Aldric, "Captain Aldric, thank you for your selfless help to the Night's Watch."
Then he ordered a black brother at the end of the table, "Jaremy, please accompany Captain Aldric to dinner on my behalf."
As Aldric left the hall, Benjen gave him an apologetic look.
Aldric knew he was apologizing for summoning him for questioning.
Forget it, Aldric didn't mind much. Who told Light magic to be so good it doesn't even leave scars?
In Mormont's shoes, he would have done the same.
Leaving the King's Tower hall, Jaremy led Aldric to the mess hall and personally brought him a hearty meal.
After sitting opposite each other, Jaremy asked Aldric directly, "Captain Aldric, do you think I could receive the Sun God's gift?"
"You? Pardon my intrusion, are you a follower of the Seven or the Old Gods?"
Jaremy answered, "I am from Duskendale in the Crownlands. Lord Rykker of the Dun Fort is my uncle. Of course, I follow the Seven."
Aldric chose his words carefully. "The Sun God's teachings don't conflict with the Seven's doctrine. But there are differences in basic concepts..."
Then, while eating, Aldric roughly explained the An'she doctrine he taught Kevin.
After listening, Jaremy Rykker frowned tight. "Captain Aldric, how can knights and lords be equal to those ignorant commoners? This is unacceptable."
Aldric was puzzled. "Your Black Brothers include noble knights, commoners, and even criminals. Aren't you equal here?"
Jaremy shook his head. "That's different. Joining the Night's Watch is glorious and great. The Seven and Old Gods witnessed our vows. When we donned the black, we gave up all secular rights and duties. But south of the Wall, the difference between people is no smaller than between men and dogs."
Aldric shrugged, nodding in agreement. "I see. You have a point. The Night's Watch is the shield of the realms, naturally different from other places."
But the perfunctory tone was obvious to anyone. So Jaremy stopped discussing the Sun God with Aldric, secretly despising the An'she faith for lacking hierarchy and rules.
Thus, in a slightly awkward atmosphere, Aldric finished his meal.
Back at Hardin's Tower, Kevin was waiting in his room, polishing his teacher's armor with a rag, while the bear cub brought back from the Haunted Forest buried its head in a big bowl eating dinner.
"Teacher, you're back!"
Aldric sat on the bed. "Yeah, I'm back. How have you been these days?"
Kevin wiped the dirt off Aldric's armor. "I've been helping the brothers work as much as I could, just like you did before you left."
"They said if I want to join the Night's Watch, they can drape the black cloak on me immediately."
Aldric smiled. "You'd look good in black."
Kevin put down the rag and responded seriously, "No, Teacher. Spreading An'she's doctrine is a greater mission."
"In this half-month here, I met many people. Though from different places with various pasts, almost no one is truly evil."
"Debtor serfs, young male prostitutes, barbers judged for theft... Most were sent here by lords based on personal whims and trumped-up charges. I can't say they are completely innocent, but compared to the result of waiting for death at the Wall, it's obviously unfair."
Aldric stopped smiling, solemn. "Yes. A commoner's demands of a ruler are just two things: fair taxes and fair justice. But along the way, few lords achieve this."
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity are the doctrines of An'she faith. Its root lies in the Sun's fair and selfless love for all things..."
Continuing this topic, Aldric briefly explained his philosophy to his student again.
After the daily teaching, he realized he hadn't seen Rennel or the Lannister dwarf since returning from the forest. "Where are Rennel and Tyrion Lannister? I haven't seen them today."
"They went to Mole's Town for fun, said they'd be back tomorrow."
Aldric asked, "Did Tyrion tell you when we head south to Winterfell?"
Kevin replied, "Lord Tyrion came to me two days ago. He said as soon as you return from beyond the Wall, we can leave for Winterfell anytime."
After Kevin left, Aldric lay on the long-missed straw bed, hands behind his head, quietly pondering recent events.
The fight in the Haunted Forest was thrilling but nothing major to him. Just a small scene.
The Heart Tree sap was exciting but expected.
If White Walkers exist, magic must exist.
If magic exists, there must be a way to replenish mana.
What truly kept him awake were Jaremy Rykker's words at dinner.
If Jaremy Rykker—a ranger who picked the wrong side in war, lost secular rights, was exiled to civilization's edge, retaining only a knight's title—still held such strong class consciousness, what about the lords, knights, and sheriffs in the North and South?
Would they watch a religion preaching "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" spread in their lands?
Recalling Earth's history of major religions, aside from obscure beginnings, once they gained traction, blood flowed like rivers.
The only difference was whether it was their own blood or heathens'.
If he rashly preached to commoners, he might start a religious war before the White Walker crisis even erupted.
Wait, Aldric startled. Could the person who starts the chaos in the South be me?
He didn't want to drag commoners into this easily. In his view, at least in the North under Lord Eddard, commoners' lives were relatively stable. He had no right to push them into the abyss of war.
But not preaching wasn't an option.
The power of Sun God An'she, or Light Power, was extremely potent.
Although he hadn't found a way for others to use it yet, Aldric was certain the method would appear before him one day.
If mortal martial arts like Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu could sway a nation's history, what waves could Light Power raise?
Aldric dared not imagine.
This power must be constrained by a noble faith; otherwise, it would become another source of chaos. Therefore, establishing the An'she Faith and forging its doctrine into a scabbard for Light Power was imperative.
After much thought, Aldric decided to promote An'she's doctrine within his mercenary company first.
A mercenary company is a relatively closed environment. As long as they didn't touch the lords' subjects, it wouldn't attract interest or hostility.
When members leave the unit in the future, they would naturally become seeds of the Sun God faith, rooting among the people.
This was the best strategy Aldric could think of for now.
The next noon, Aldric met Tyrion Lannister, whose eyelids were swollen, in the hall.
Seeing the dwarf's appearance, Aldric teased, "Yo, Lord Tyrion, looks like you played hard. Shouldn't you watch your health?"
Tyrion smiled back. "Ha, I thought in a desolate place like the Wall, the brothel would only have crooked melons and cracked dates. Didn't expect the quality to be decent."
Aldric wasn't interested in that and asked, "When do we leave? Kevin told me your schedule is done."
"Yes, I stayed just to wait for you. Honestly, if you hadn't returned, I might have left first, leaving you a very apologetic farewell letter."
"Believe me, I'd only use your letter to wipe my ass."
Tyrion put down his spoon, wiped his mouth, and stood up. "Then we bid farewell to the Old Bear today and leave tomorrow at the earliest. You can pack."
That night, Tyrion's servant Morris came to Hardin's Tower to inform Aldric of tomorrow's departure.
Early next morning, Aldric, Kevin, and Rennel packed and waited in the Castle Black courtyard. Then they saw Benjen and Jon, uncle and nephew, walking toward them.
Aldric asked puzzledly, "What, you're coming back to Winterfell with me too?"