ebookpocket.com #162 - Chapter 8: The Horn of Winter
#162 - Chapter 8: The Horn of Winter
Leviathan lowered its head, and Liu Yuan, stepping on its slender dragon neck, arrived at the special saddle on its back. After settling in, he gently patted the dragon's back: "Let's go! To Skagos Island."
"Whoosh~" Leviathan's wings fluttered, and it soared into the sky. At this moment, Leviathan's flight altitude was around 8,500 meters, which would already be in the troposphere on Earth. When the dragon flies, even if its speed does not reach the speed of sound, a layer of gas barrier will form on the surface of its body, somewhat like the conical air cover produced when a fighter jet breaks the sound barrier. Inside, the dragon and the rider will not feel difficulty breathing.
Leviathan's flight speed is approximately 170 kilometers per hour, but considering its weight of over seventy tons, it is quite remarkable. Liu Yuan had tested it before, and Leviathan could fly continuously for thirteen days. Since he could ride it, Liu Yuan's travels became much more convenient. The straight-line distance from Skagos Island to King's Landing and Pentos is almost 1,600 kilometers, and he can travel to various places in almost a day.
In the early morning, Leviathan flapped its wings and landed at Deepwood Motte, its golden scales shimmering. The stationed soldiers immediately notified the commander, and Grig, as strong as a bear, greeted him. "Lord, I've missed you so much."
Liu Yuan asked, "How is the task I assigned you going?"
Grig said solemnly, "According to your instructions, we have already withdrawn the Thenns. Only a liaison station and five hundred soldiers are left at the mouth of the Rills. Just the day before yesterday, a few Children of the Forest came and said the Green Prophet wanted to see you." He mentioned the Green Prophet so casually, who in the faith of the First Men is the messenger of the Old Gods. It can be seen that his loyalty to Liu Yuan in his heart has exceeded his religious piety.
After chatting with Grig about the Others they encountered, Grig said with some gravity, "Those Others are very powerful, much stronger than humans. The most troublesome thing is their ice crystal weapons. Our people are basically beyond saving once they are hit. Even with the various powerful weapons you provided, it is very troublesome for the soldiers to deal with them. At least a squad of eight or more is needed to contend with them, and even then, two to three casualties must be paid. The wights they control are much easier to deal with. Valyrian steel weapons or dragonglass can basically kill them with one blow." Then Grig introduced the construction situation on Skagos Island, where the population is maintained at around 110,000. Half of the army is composed of the original inhabitants of Skagos, and the other half is composed of Thenns who were forcibly abducted here. Unexpectedly, these Thenns are very willing to accept Liu Yuan's rule, and even actively join the Thenn, catching wildlings without any hesitation. Even the idea of ambushing in the old Thenn lands was proposed by them. The Thenns are good at using bows and javelins, much like the ancient Jurchens on Earth. This group of heavily armored archers has become an important part of Liu Yuan's army.
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Two days later, the mouth of the Rills beyond the Wall. The liaison station that Liu Yuan set up here is mainly for transporting supplies to the Children of the Forest, and the amount is not large each time.
Liu Yuan followed a Child of the Forest to a weirwood tree. After the Child of the Forest bowed, they disappeared after a few leaps. Liu Yuan lifted his cloak and sat on the thick tree roots, saying with some dissatisfaction, "What's the matter with calling me here this time? I heard from my subordinates that your supply has decreased by 20% in the last two months. But the raw materials you took from me have not decreased at all. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
It was still a shiny black raven, flapping its wings and landing on the branch in front of him. The third eye on its forehead made people uncomfortable. The raven did not speak, but a voice came: "This is also something that cannot be helped. The magical elements between heaven and earth are scarce these days. It's been seven years, and those children are exhausted. Even the Children of the Forest can't stand your exploitation."
Liu Yuan curled his lips: "Okay! I'll accept that reason. Every time we meet, you're in this ghostly state. According to the information I found in the Citadel, you should be Brynden Rivers, who disappeared in the haunted forest! I didn't expect the famous 'Bloodraven' to inherit the Green Prophet's legacy."
The Three-Eyed Raven was silent for a long time, and continued to transmit his voice: "Perhaps so, I have already forgotten my previous name. Let's talk about serious matters. I saw the battles between your subordinates and the Others. During this time, the Others have been appearing more and more frequently."
Liu Yuan: "The Others are very strong, but without a large group of wights to cover them, solving them is not a particularly troublesome matter. Did you look for me just to say this?"
Three-Eyed Raven: "Not entirely, due to the pressure from you and the Others, Mance Rayder has united the remaining wildlings. I am worried that they will launch an attack on the Wall in advance. Also, the Night King may have left the Land of Always Winter, but because the Night King's magic is too strong, I cannot monitor him."
Liu Yuan asked curiously, "How strong can the Night King be? How does he compare to you?"
The Three-Eyed Raven sighed: "Alas~ There is no comparison. My power is inclined towards blessings and prophecies. The Night King is not only proficient in ice magic, but his close combat ability is also quite powerful."
Liu Yuan: "The more you say that, the more interested I become. I must meet this Night King if I have the chance." Three-Eyed Raven: "It's best not to. The Night King's power is beyond your imagination."
Liu Yuan dismissed this. He believed that his understanding of power definitely exceeded this native's. "Do you want to meet? You're always hiding in the barrier. That's not very sincere."
Liu Yuan even saw the Three-Eyed Raven roll its eyes. "My intuition tells me that you are definitely up to no good when you say this." Liu Yuan laughed: "Is my performance that obvious? Is it that obvious? I think I'm quite sincere."
"There's one more thing, I'll give you this." As he spoke, the Three-Eyed Raven used its beak to bring out a strip. Liu Yuan reached out and grabbed it, lifting it up. This thing was pitch black, with curved lines, and as long as a forearm. It was actually a horn. It's not clear what material the horn is made of yet, but Liu Yuan felt like it was made of animal teeth.
The horn was inlaid with First Men runes in gold, which had gradually faded to brown due to the age. He asked curiously, "What does this horn do?"
Three-Eyed Raven: "This is the legendary Horn of Winter. It is said to have strange magic that can awaken the sleeping power beneath the earth and destroy the Wall."
Liu Yuan groped the horn: "I don't understand. Speak human language."
The Three-Eyed Raven was stifled for a while: "When the Wall was first built, in order to resist the Others, three of the largest weirwood trees in the world were buried as the core. This allows the Wall to block evil creatures from approaching. And the three Horns of Winter are the keys to awakening the weirwood trees. Once the weirwood trees are awakened, the energy accumulated in their bodies for thousands of years will erupt and destroy the Wall. It is said that there are three in total, corresponding to different locations. This one corresponds to the Black Castle section."