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#152 - Chapter 38: First Visit to Castle Black

Liu Yuan had no interest in Mole's Town; his gaze was fixed on the mysterious Black Castle at the end of the road. This castle was not as magnificent as people imagined. In fact, its eastern, southern, and western sides had no protective walls. Only the northern side was backed by the towering Wall. The entire castle consisted of several sturdy stone towers and some wooden fortresses, connected by low walls made of thick logs. Around the castle's perimeter stood four temporarily abandoned towers.

The afternoon sun shone warmly on the Wall, reflecting a captivating blue halo. Outside the castle, a dozen soldiers in black armor were diligently practicing horsemanship, their figures appearing particularly imposing in the sunlight. However, unfortunate soldiers were occasionally thrown to the ground by their horses, but this did not affect the others' mood, instead eliciting laughter from their companions. After all, in recent years, fewer and fewer noble sons were willing to come to the Wall. Nowadays, most of the Night's Watch recruits came from commoner backgrounds, some of whom had never even touched a horse.

As Liu Yuan approached, the black-clad soldiers who were training stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on him. Their eyes were not friendly, as if scrutinizing a stranger.

Although they were all sworn brothers of the Night's Watch, there was an innate sense of opposition within the organization between noble-born and common-born soldiers. Because of their powerful bloodlines and early training, these noble sons had a much higher starting point and a higher ceiling for achievement than ordinary people. As a result, they monopolized most of the officer positions within the Legion. Ordinary soldiers could only rise to senior positions through hard work and luck. So when they saw Liu Yuan, they probably regarded him as one of those noble sons who volunteered to join the Night's Watch. After all, Liu Yuan also came from a noble family. However, these soldiers had suffered enough oppression from the nobles in their hometowns. Now that they had fled to this icy frontier, they were still commanded by officers of noble birth, which naturally made them feel dissatisfied and angry.

When Liu Yuan arrived at Black Castle, he found the wooden door open, with a group of recruits training inside. They wore wooden armor and practiced with blunted swords. The two officers instructing them were Colin and Aelsh, who were draped in black fur cloaks, attentively observing the recruits' movements, and occasionally offering guidance and advice.

Colin and Aelsh quickly noticed Liu Yuan's arrival. A trace of surprise flashed in their eyes, but was immediately replaced by friendly smiles.

"Ser Garon, I didn't expect you to come from the south. The wildlings north of the Wall have been quite restless recently. I heard that a new King-Beyond-the-Wall has emerged and is conquering everywhere. We were a little worried about your safety!" Colin greeted Liu Yuan warmly.

"Thank you for your concern, Ser Colin. I recently returned to my fief in the Crownlands. I came specifically to visit the Wall. What are you doing here...?" Liu Yuan asked, looking at the scene before him with some confusion.

Hearing Liu Yuan's question, Colin raised his right hand self-deprecatingly and said, "This hand is useless, and I can't continue to serve as a ranger. So I asked the Lord Commander to let me come to Black Castle to train new recruits. Afraid I would be too busy, he transferred Ser Aelsh to be my deputy." As he spoke, he patted Aelsh's shoulder with his left hand.

Liu Yuan nodded, indicating his understanding, and then smiled at Colin, "That's great. These recruits will become brave warriors under your training. I mainly want to see the Wall this time. Ser Colin, could you introduce me to the Lord Commander? I would like to get his permission to go up and take a look. I would also like to visit Maester Aemon. He is a living legend in the Citadel."

"Of course, no problem. It's a small matter. Aelsh, I'll leave things here to you. I'll take Ser Garon to see the Lord Commander." After speaking, Colin pulled Liu Yuan toward the interior, and his warhorse was naturally led to the stables by a black-clad soldier.

Black Castle, a historically significant fortress, is also the main base of the Night's Watch. Situated in the heart of the Wall, it has witnessed countless years of change and war. During the Night's Watch's heyday, this castle housed more than five thousand soldiers, but now it has fewer than six hundred.

Stepping inside the castle, one can see that the facilities are very simple. Most of the buildings are made of wood, simple but practical. After all, the Night's Watch has been guarding here for more than eight thousand years, and even in the cold North, time will eventually rot even stone. The fact that these fortresses have been preserved to this day is all thanks to the continuous repair and maintenance by generations of the Night's Watch for the past thousand years.

With the gradual decline of the Night's Watch, using cheaper and more convenient wood to repair buildings has become a trend. Therefore, most of the buildings in the castle are of brick-and-wood construction, a design that is both economical and practical. The most striking feature is the wooden zigzag staircase, supported by huge beams, extending to the top of the Wall. Climbing up the stairs, one can feel the footprints of the Night's Watch's predecessors. There is also a large oak door, which is the passage through the Wall.

On the other side is a huge crane, a wire cage suspended by a winch, used to move up and down the surface of the Wall, capable of carrying ten people or the equivalent weight of supplies. By contracting the winch, the elevator is used to transport supplies and personnel to the Wall.

The main building of the fortress, also the main activity area of the Night's Watch, the rookery, dining hall, armory, barracks, and storerooms are all located here. Like Mole's Town, Black Castle also has many underground buildings, interconnected by tunnels.

Having received the news, Lord Commander Mormont and Maester Aemon received Liu Yuan in the Black Stone dining hall. The Shieldhall - once the most important part of Black Castle, it is a large dining hall made of black stone. When the Night's Watch was still strong, its walls were covered with bright shields.

When a knight swears and puts on the black, he abandons his original equipment and identity, replaces it with the Night's Watch's black oak shield, and his original shield will be hung on the walls of the Shieldhall. This place symbolizes honor, and only recruits from noble families come here.

Liu Yuan speculated that these two old guys probably thought he was young and were trying to use the sense of honor here to persuade him to voluntarily join the Night's Watch.