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#151 - Chapter 37: The Desolate North

Among them, the most powerful clan was the Wull clan. Other formidable clans included the First Flint, Norrey, and Burley, as well as Harclay, and then there were the Ryswell and Knott clans. They were all devout followers of the Old Gods, proud and valiant.

Mountain clans would attack and annex each other, and it was the duty of the Duke of Winterfell to mediate their conflicts. Basically, only the most powerful dozen or so clans were qualified to receive investiture from Winterfell.

The northern mountains were rich in water sources, with luxuriant pines and cypresses. At the foot of the mountains, golden-brown autumn nights settled, while on the ridges stood proud gray-green sentinel trees, spruces, firs, and soldier pines. Small mountain streams and secluded pools teemed with fish, and wild animals roamed the mountains.

Along the way, Liu Yuan saw many wild animals, including owls, eagles, and white mountain goats, as well as livestock raised by the mountain clans, a type of furry giraffe. They were smaller than those on Blue Star, but their meat was firm and tasted great. He traded an ax and an iron pot with the mountain people for one. In the northern mountains, gold and silver weren't very useful; bartering was the norm, with iron products like weapons being the most popular.

After the team crossed the Last River, they could see the Last Hearth castle situated on the hills from the east side of the Kingsroad. The land belonging to the Umber family stretched from the Kingsroad westward to the Bay of Seals, bordering the northern bank of the Last River and adjacent to Karhold.

Having just taught Little Jon a lesson and embarrassed Great Jon, it wouldn't be wise to swagger around on their territory like this. He said goodbye to Yoren and spurred his horse ahead. It was only 70 leagues, about two hundred kilometers, from here to Castle Black, a two-day ride at most.

This year, there were far fewer wildlings raiding south than usual. The residents of the Gift were doing much better, and there was no large-scale migration after winter began.

Before nightfall, Liu Yuan reached the Crown Town, an abandoned village where the ruins of inns and other houses could still be seen. In a small artificial lake stood a five-story tower. Queen Alysanne Targaryen had once slept in the tower, hence the name Crown Town.

Liu Yuan followed a stone causeway to the tower. There were signs of habitation on the first and second floors, with discarded garbage scattered everywhere. Liu Yuan put his warhorse into his space and continued upstairs. The third floor of the tower had arrow slits, the fourth floor had windows, and the fifth floor was a large circular room with stone balconies and arches on three sides, and a toilet on the other, with sewage pipes leading directly to the lake below.

He wondered why such a good place had been abandoned. It was close to the Kingsroad. If developed properly, it could be quite prosperous. Seeing that there was indeed no one here, Liu Yuan released Leviathan, who hadn't been out for a long time. Perhaps it was because he provided good food, but Leviathan had grown from the size of a cat to the size of a sheep.

As soon as Leviathan came out, it nudged Liu Yuan's chest with its big head, the already hardened scales scraping against his armor with a "creak, creak, creak" sound. He hugged the little dragon's neck. To be honest, petting a dragon wasn't a great experience; the golden scales were like metal and a little prickly.

Liu Yuan took out a leg of lamb, already coated with sauce. "Hiss..." Leviathan's nostrils smoked, and it breathed out a puff of flame from its mouth. Liu Yuan used the flame to quickly turn the lamb leg, and a charred aroma spread out. He handed the roasted lamb leg to the dragon's mouth, and the little dragon began to tear at it. This was something he had discovered later: dragons eat cooked food and especially like rare meat.

Liu Yuan raised a large number of livestock in his space, even fierce beasts like snow bears and direwolves. Leviathan could hunt on its own in the space, but it preferred Liu Yuan to feed it because he seasoned the meat. Stroking the big head, he thought that it had grown so much in just one year. At this rate, it might not be four or five years before he could ride it and soar in the sky.

Recently, Liu Yuan had been frequently dreaming of riding a giant dragon. After all, he was descended from the Valyrian Freehold. There had been marriages between the Celtigar and Velaryon families. There was a clear record in the family's documents that this was called 'dragon dreams,' specifically dreams with a slight precognitive ability possessed by those with true dragon blood. These dreams were often related to dragons, but not always.

'Dragon dreams' were passed down through generations with true dragon blood, troubling generations of Targaryens. Some people's dragon dreams were much stronger than others, and some couldn't handle the pressure and went mad. After learning about the creation of skinchangers, they would dream of their companion animals. Liu Yuan thought that dragonriders could be regarded as a different kind of skinchanger. The stronger the mental power, the stronger the understanding with the dragon. This was often expressed through dreams.

Liu Yuan's mental power far exceeded anyone else in the world, and Leviathan could be said to be absolutely submissive to him. Leviathan was also fed, and Liu Yuan was a little sleepy. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a 5-meter-wide bed in the tower. The bedding was complete. He lifted the covers and lay down, with Leviathan arching its body and lying beside him. Reaching out to hug it, the little dragon's scales radiated warmth, which was very pleasant on a late autumn night.

Early the next morning, Liu Yuan put the unwilling Leviathan back into his space. Then he came to the tower's balcony and released a strong raven. This one was specially trained by him using secret methods, and the target of contact was Deepwood Motte. After cleaning up the traces he left behind, he rode his horse away from Crown Town.

Galloping along the Kingsroad, he saw a dense cluster of buildings after a few hours. This was Mole's Town, the village closest to Castle Black. It was located next to the Kingsroad, half a league south of the Wall. He could clearly see the mountain-like Wall stretching out of sight on both sides.

It was daytime, and Mole's Town was bustling with people, at least a thousand or two, busy with their work. Mole's Town undertook about 80% of the Night's Watch's logistics, forging weapons, shields, armor, sewing clothes, processing leather, raising livestock, processing food, and so on...

In fact, the village was much larger than it looked. Three-quarters of the functional buildings were located in warm, humid cellars underground. To avoid the long, cold winter nights, what appeared to be a simple wooden house on the surface had a surprisingly large space below through tunnels.

The Citadel recorded that the wooden house with a red light hanging in Mole's Town had a brothel in the cellar below. It mainly served the black brothers. The Night's Watch only took vows of celibacy, they weren't eunuchs and needed such places, so there were many Snows in Mole's Town.