Chapter 43: A New Task at the Wall
The Wall, Castle Black
The Wall, known to the people of Westeros as the "End of the World," is a place surrounded by countless legends.
It's not really their fault, as it always presents a chilling vision of a white hell, which leads many to subconsciously believe that the Wall is indeed the end of the world.
In this region, aside from the structure known as Castle Black, the entire world seems covered in ice and snow, leaving white as the only color in existence.
The piercing wind howls against the massive wall of ice, as if recounting the ancient legends of this land to the world.
Amidst the continuous sound of the wind, the figure of a young man appears particularly striking, as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark of night.
His upper body is bare, muscles tensed against the cold air; despite the harsh environment outside, every breath he takes seems filled with firmness and determination.
Currently, he is running along the path atop the Wall, each step steady and powerful, leaving a clear footprint with every stride.
The reason for this is the heavy log he carries on his shoulders, an intentional weight chosen to train himself.
Long periods of running have soaked his shoulders with sweat, causing the log to stick tightly to his skin, as if it has become a part of his body.
Despite the bone-chilling air outside, his body radiates intense heat from the strenuous exercise; sweat continuously rolls off his forehead, dripping onto the frozen ground and instantly turning to ice.
The young man's eyes are filled with resilience and perseverance, as if telling the world that no matter how difficult the path ahead, he will not easily give up.
His silhouette appears so lonely yet so steadfast upon the Wall, as if it has become a permanent feature of the landscape.
"Respected Lord, you have finally descended once again!"
At that moment, the still-running young man suddenly stopped and uttered these words out of the blue.
Boom…
After casually dropping the log from his shoulder to the ground with a thud, Jon stretched his current body—or rather, the body of Samwell Tarly.
"Long time no see, Samwell!"
After loosening his limbs and feeling the terrifying explosive power within the body, Jon sent this message to the Samwell Tarly in his mind.
"You suddenly stopped responding last time, so I had no choice but to bring Tyrion Lannister back to the Wall. He told me your true name is Aegon. Are you really the legendary Dragon King?"
"What makes you think that?"
Hearing Samwell's question, Jon asked back with some curiosity.
"During the time you were gone, I've been working hard on my combat skills. To prepare for what might come next, I specifically asked the Lord Commander to send me to Maester Aemon's library to study."
Having fully awakened, Samwell Tarly seemed to have gained an unfair advantage after Jon left.
In combat techniques and daily training, he performed like a monster; many veterans couldn't even last ten moves against him.
Most commendably, Samwell would spend his spare time studying with Maester Aemon, which set him completely apart from both the new recruits and the veterans.
It was precisely because Samwell's performance had been so brilliant that the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont, had been wanting to bring him on as an aide.
But Samwell kept claiming to others that he had received a divine revelation and was preparing for the coming war, which was why he held himself to such strict standards every day.
Perhaps because Samwell's words were too bizarre, or for some unknown reason, the leaders of the Night's Watch didn't take his words to heart.
However, to appease the recruits who looked up to Samwell as an idol, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont still promoted him to a squad leader on the Wall's defense line.
Although this was opposed by Ser Alliser Thorne and some other veterans, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont simply tossed out Tyrion Lannister's gold dragons.
Although Jon had left in a hurry during his last mission, the stories he told Tyrion gave the Imp of House Lannister some different ideas.
Before leaving the Wall, Tyrion donated all the gold dragons he had on him. Furthermore, he promised Lord Commander Jeor Mormont that once he returned to House Lannister, he would send people to White Harbor to buy supplies for the Night's Watch.
Although Lord Commander Jeor Mormont felt Tyrion's excuse—that Samwell Tarly had saved his life—sounded a bit far-fetched, the old commander wasn't about to pass up free money.
With Tyrion Lannister's gold dragons, most of the high-ranking officers of the Night's Watch shut their mouths. After all, this benefited everyone, and no one was going to go against a friend of House Lannister over such a matter.
Moreover, no one thought Tyrion was deceiving them, as everyone knew the saying, "A Lannister always pays his debts."
Thus, in private, many in the Night's Watch were grateful to Samwell for what he had done. Because of this, Ser Alliser Thorne's life had not been easy lately.
Many who already disliked Ser Alliser Thorne were even planning to file complaints against him with Lord Commander Jeor Mormont.
"That's what has happened to me lately. When Lord Tyrion left, he said that if he had the chance, he might go to King's Landing to help Lord Eddard Stark!"
After listening to Samwell's summary, Jon gained a general understanding of what had happened during his absence.
"So, is that First Ranger Benjen Stark still in Castle Black?"
"Lord Benjen returned a while ago, but he left again later. I heard that several ranger brothers have disappeared in the Haunted Forest."
"It seems we should take action as well. The enemy has likely begun to gradually whittle away at your strength."
After hearing Samwell's answer, Jon suddenly spoke these words.
"Who is the enemy? My lord, are we really going to face those legendary White Walkers?"
Hearing Jon's words, Samwell suddenly asked this question.
"What? Are you afraid?"
"No, my lord. I've been waiting for this day. I knew you wouldn't have chosen me for no reason, so I've been researching why divine power would descend here."
There was a hint of excitement in Samwell's voice. He felt like one of those heroes from legends who received divine guidance. Although he was now a man of the Night's Watch, it didn't stop him from creating his own miracle here.
"Now I understand. You want me to deal with those legendary White Walkers. I will work hard to complete the task you've given me, continue to protect my body, and build even stronger muscles."
Samwell's words were full of confidence and hope. The thought that he might create his own myth in the future made him very happy.
No young man doesn't wish to make a name for himself. Before, he had no choice, but now, Jon had given him this opportunity.
Castle Black, the Hall
The hall of Castle Black is where the brothers of the Night's Watch eat and hold meetings. By now, over an hour had passed since Jon's arrival.
For this mission, the system had already pointed out the path and direction for Jon, so all he had to do was gather enough men to go together.
"Hey, have you heard? A few more ranger brothers have gone missing!"
"We've lost several ranger brothers during this time!"
"I wonder how Lord Benjen is. May the Seven protect him; he once saved my life."
Sigh…
The hall of Castle Black was currently filled with gloom. The disappearance of the rangers had caused panic among many Night's Watch brothers, and some of the more cowardly ones even refused to go out on patrol.
This time, the reason Lord Commander Jeor Mormont called the meeting was to rally everyone for a scouting mission. He thought that if there were more people, they would be braver, increasing the chances of finding their brothers.
Thud, thud, thud…
After striking the table hard with a wooden staff, all eyes in the hall focused on Jeor Mormont.
"All right, brothers of the Night's Watch. We need to discuss whether we should send more men into the Haunted Forest to investigate!"
Jeor Mormont was like all Bear Islanders; he liked to get straight to the point and disliked the indirect ways of the nobility.
"We have no idea if those wildlings are waiting to ambush us in the forest. If we're all attacked, what happens to Castle Black? What happens to the Wall?"
As soon as Jeor Mormont finished speaking, a voice rang out. Looking toward the source, everyone saw a Night's Watch brother wrapped in bandages.
He was a ranger of the Night's Watch named Joman. A while ago, while patrolling beneath the Wall, he was attacked by a group of wildlings. Although his squad fought desperately, only he and one other brother survived.
The other brother died in his sickbed after returning. He still remembered those wildlings shouting, "Fight for the King," which meant that another King-Beyond-the-Wall had emerged among them.
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