Chapter 14: The Legacy of Bloodraven
The North, The Wall, Somewhere in the Haunted Forest
The Haunted Forest outside The Wall is a vast expanse composed of countless sentinels and weirwoods. Due to its complex terrain, few dare to venture deep into this forest except for those familiar with the paths.
At this moment, on the outskirts of the forest nearest to the Iron Gate of The Wall, a party of ten was slowly advancing toward a certain direction within the Haunted Forest.
They rode garrons unique to the North. These ponies had excellent endurance, possessing the strengths of both donkeys and horses, and their speed in the snow was faster than that of ordinary horses.
Since most areas north of The Wall fall within the range of wildling activity, the veteran members of the Nights Watch in the party remained in a state of high tension.
Meanwhile, the younger green boys of the Nights Watch were filled with curiosity and excitement, occasionally posing questions to the older men beside them.
"Seven Hells! I should be lying in bed drinking fine wine, so why am I in this godforsaken place eating snow with you?"
Tyrion Lannister, walking in the middle of the group, couldn't help but complain in a low voice to Jon beside him after rubbing his aching buttocks.
Jon, who was currently arranging a "weight loss mission" for the plump Samwell Tarly, did not immediately answer the complaint upon hearing it.
Instead, Jon pointed toward a certain direction in the forest and then looked at Tyrion without blinking.
"If you give up this opportunity now, won't you regret it when you're old?"
"I knew it, you won't tell me the truth at all. You look just like those mystical old crones right now. I seriously doubt you're Samwell Tarly at all!"
As Tyrion said this, he couldn't help but scan the crowd around them. After finding that no one was looking their way...
Tyrion scrutinized Jon from head to toe with a suspicious gaze.
"'Lynx' Lemon, who also comes from Horn Hill like you, already told me that you never learned swordsmanship, and you didn't even know how to ride a horse. But now..."
Tyrion lowered his voice even further as he spoke.
"Your riding skills are almost as good as my two guards. Who exactly are you?"
As he spoke, Tyrion seemed to associate something, and after taking a sharp breath, he asked with a trembling voice:
"Hiss... You couldn't be one of the Faceless Men of Braavos, could you?"
The Faceless Men are a mysterious organization in Braavos. Rumors say they are the most formidable assassins in the world, and others say they can peel off people's skin to disguise themselves as others.
"I'm so short, it wouldn't be much use for you to peel off my skin, would it?"
Upon seeing Jon's playful gaze, Tyrion pleaded for mercy.
"I have received the recognition of the gods; the avatar of the warrior has given me everything!"
Jon didn't continue to tease Tyrion but instead spoke these words.
"You're either a Faceless Man or one of those legendary Skinchangers, but there's no way you're an avatar of the gods!"
Clearly, Tyrion did not buy into Jon's explanation.
"If there truly were omniscient and omnipotent gods in this world, then my psychotic sister would definitely be the first to be struck down by divine punishment."
"So you don't believe in the gods?"
Jon recalled then that Tyrion didn't seem to be a believer, or rather, the people of House Lannister didn't think much of the gods.
"Perhaps before, I might have had a tiny bit of fantasy about the gods, but now that I've met a fellow like you who casually dares to impersonate a divine messenger..."
Tyrion seemed a bit agitated as he spoke, to the point that the Nights Watchmen behind them all gave him a strange look.
So Tyrion quickly squeezed his horse's flanks, driving the garron forward.
"What little respect I had for the gods has long been exhausted by you. Seeing a guy like you use the name of the gods without being punished, I feel like I could be a divine messenger myself!"
"Caw, caw..."
Just then, the noisy cawing of ravens quietly reached everyone's ears.
When they looked up, they saw an enormous heart tree.
This heart tree was nearly ten meters wide, its bone-white trunk appearing even whiter than the snow. The massive face carved into it was covered in blood-red sap, looking like a dying old man bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth.
"Caw, caw..."
Flap, flap...
With the arrival of the group, the ravens perched on the heart tree's trunk let out a series of warning cries.
Their eyes stared straight at Jon and the other humans as if they were watching a play. These ravens added a sense of depth to the blood-red canopy of the heart tree.
"This is the place!"
Sensing Tyrion's questioning gaze, Jon spoke up directly.
"Alright, you all keep watch outside. I want to take some branches back to plant. I've heard before that heart trees are avatars of the old gods, and I've been wanting to see one for a long time."
Following Jon's lead, Tyrion spoke these words with feigned curiosity.
Tyrion's excuse for coming out was to see the heart tree and take branches, which, combined with some of his usual behaviors...
The Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, Jeor Mormont, wasn't surprised. So when Tyrion requested Jon as a guard, Jeor Mormont also sent out some experienced Rangers and green Rangers.
This was also to let them familiarize themselves with the environment outside beforehand. This area closest to The Wall was within the Rangers' patrol range, so there was no need to worry about safety.
Soon, as those Rangers moved off, Tyrion and Jon walked up to the massive heart tree.
"Caw, caw, caw..."
As Jon and the other approached, the ravens on the tree became agitated, hopping up and down as if warning them not to come closer.
"Uh... what exactly should I call you? Respected Lord Divine Messenger!"
After carefully examining the weeping face on the heart tree, Tyrion suddenly posed this question to Jon.
"Aegon!"
"Egg? Uh... how can someone... wait, no, your Valyrian pronunciation is off. You said Aegon?!"
Hearing Jon's words, Tyrion instinctively heard the Common Tongue pronunciation for "Egg," but he quickly realized the truth.
Since Tyrion had been interested in dragons since childhood, he had studied Valyrian pronunciation for a time, and the pronunciation of the name "Aegon."
When using non-standard Valyrian pronunciation, "Aegon" could easily be mistaken for "Egg." Upon hearing this name...
Tyrion felt as if he had been hit by a freezing spell, but he recovered quickly.
"Could it be that you've come here to find the 'Legacy of Bloodraven'?"
After receiving Jon's firm nod, Tyrion's breathing became a bit ragged, because what they were looking for now was the legendary "Legacy of Bloodraven."
Tyrion naturally knew of the famous "Lord Bloodraven," Brynden Rivers. This iron-blooded hand of the king, who had forcibly extended the Targaryen dynasty for over a hundred years, had always been Tyrion's idol.
Among the many legends of this legendary Hand, the most talked about was the treasure he left behind after becoming the Lord Commander of the Nights Watch.
Rumors said that the Targaryen Family's valyrian steel sword, "dark sister," along with a vast amount of wealth accumulated during his tenure as hand of the king, was hidden by him at The Wall.
And the reason Lord Bloodraven, Brynden Rivers, left this treasure was to provide a backup for the Targaryen Family.
This treasure, known to the world as the "Legacy of Bloodraven," had been sought by many after Brynden Rivers disappeared.
Unfortunately, neither the Nights Watchmen familiar with the area nor the wealthy and powerful nobles had ever found this legendary treasure at The Wall.
Over time, the legend was gradually forgotten. The reason Tyrion knew about this treasure was entirely due to his love for reading and his exceptional memory.
"Let's get this straight first: how will the treasure be divided?"
Although the world says "Lannisters shit gold," no one ever complains about having too much of it.
Moreover, after learning about some things he might face in the future, Tyrion's desire for wealth and power had grown even stronger.
"This is Nights Watch territory. Are you sure you can take these things away?"
Jon didn't directly refuse Tyrion's proposal but instead asked this question.
"Uh... don't you also have no way to take them?"
After being struck by Jon's words, Tyrion instinctively retorted.
"Seven Hells, I forgot, you're not an ordinary person at all!"
"Wait, that's not right! I've helped you so much; I must have my share!"
Watching the startled Tyrion, Jon found it somewhat amusing. As long as there were ties, the chance of this guy joining his side would be greater.
"A Lannister always pays his debts! You'd better negotiate with me now, or next time you ask for my help, it won't be at this price!"
Having thoroughly thought it through, Tyrion walked up to Jon and looked him straight in the eye.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics