Chapter 323 Skagos Island

As the saying goes, poor mountains and bad waters bring out unruly people.

Obviously, this sentence is still common in the land of Westeros.

The North has a vast territory but a very sparse population.

This must mean one thing.

That is, the ability of nobles everywhere, and even the Stark family in Winterfell, to actually control the land is very limited.

Many places only belong to the jurisdiction of the Northern Territory on paper, but in fact, that is not the case at all.

For example, a place called Skagos Island…

Nominally, this is land belonging to the North.

But it hangs alone outside Seal Bay and has no border with the northern border. In fact, it has no connection with the northern border at all.

Stark didn't know who the ruler of the island was, whether it was through killing or normal inheritance, he didn't understand or care about it, because he really couldn't control it.

On this island, which is full of broken rocks but has a quite large area, the level of civilization of the Skaggs people living there is worse than that of the savages.

This land, which is also on the edge of the world, has always lived its own life. Even if there are occasional visitors, there is a high probability that it will become a delicious meal on their table.

However, this bloody tranquility was completely broken on a dimly sunny afternoon.

Having just tied up a plump sea fish with a sharpened bone spear, the tall Skaggs fisherman raised his head, thinking that tonight, his always-crying child would finally stop crying and he could sleep. Have a good sleep.

The weather has been too cold recently. Even strong barbarians like them cannot stay in the cold sea water for too long. Otherwise, once their legs are soaked, they will become food for others.

Carrying today's catch, this man, who was as strong as a bear and exuded a ferocious body odor, walked step by step towards the shore with his hair almost blocking his vision.

However, as soon as it landed, a ferocious-looking, scarred native dog barked fiercely at him.

This is the hound raised by this Skagos man. It is responsible for hunting for him and at the same time helping him tear out the throats of other Skagos people.

There has been a saying on the island that every dog ​​raised by the Skagos people will eventually bite its owner to death.

Once such a thing happens, any Skaggs must kill such a dog immediately, otherwise, it will attract punishment from the gods.

All Skagos believe this.

The Skaggs man carrying the bone spear frowned with thick black eyebrows covered with various parasites, and stared at his cloudy eyes, not knowing why his dog was so crazy.

Just as he made a move, the man suddenly realized that the target his dog might be targeting was not him at all.

Behind your own back?

Sea surface?

Suddenly twisting his body, the Skaggs man, who faced death every day, subconsciously placed the spear in his hand across his chest.

This action allowed him to escape with his life in a dangerous attack.

Heart racing, the expected attack did not happen, there was no one on the beach except the man and his dog.

Um?

However, the growling of the native dog in his ears continued. Obviously, the things that made him feel threatened still existed.

At this time, the man suddenly discovered that a violent snowstorm had drifted over the sea where the sun was shining just now.

Almost within a few breaths, snowflakes like tiny island winds had already hit the man's face hard.

And vaguely, the Skaggs man seemed to see a... black ship on the sea?

He suspected that he had seen it wrong.

However, soon, when this huge black shadow that he had never seen before in his life, which exceeded the limit of his cognition, really appeared in front of him, he realized that everything he saw was right.

However, that's all.

Because the next second, in the blizzard, a sword suddenly came out and pierced the man's body.

The sharp bone spear broke into two pieces without making any sound in the face of the more violent weapon.

Before his consciousness dissipated, the Skaggs man saw a dark iron boot with various sharp lines.

He stepped right in front of his eyes, which were slowly losing their warmth.

"Kill all the people on the island, leave the lord here, and then destroy the barrier here."

An ugly hoarse voice, using words that the man could not understand, gave orders to the surrounding soldiers who had disembarked from the ship.

For this legion, the inability to open the portal they are good at has always been the biggest obstacle limiting them.

On this island where heretical magic is very weak, as long as the soldiers rush in and destroy the strange plants that support the magic barrier, then they can open the portal at will and project more power.

This is a quite challenging world. They just know that the ancient blood has come to this world, but where exactly it is cannot be accurately sensed because of the unique magic power of this world.

So, for them, it just so happens that conquering this world and using it as a refuge from the hoarfrost is also a very good choice.

They don't have the power to open the portal, so that means the same goes for Ancient Blood.

Isn't this a God-given opportunity for them?

"attack."

The order was issued, and soldiers wearing fine armor disembarked from their huge warships and officially landed on the island.

And it is self-evident what will be waiting for this island.

Although, no one in the entire Westeros continent cares about their life and death.

…

"Master Aemon, the Commander-in-Chief asked me to hand this letter to you. He will come shortly."

Jon Snow, dressed in pitch black, held a letter and walked into the bachelor's tower where Aemon Targaryen was. He came to the old bachelor who was sitting by the fireplace and whispered in his ear while he was sleeping. One sentence.

Jon Snow knew that the old maester was not asleep, but that he was too old and needed to close his eyes and rest at any time.

After a while, I heard Maester Aemon's weak reply:

"Okay kid, go ahead, I understand."

A smile broke out on Maester Aemon's wrinkled face.

Since he knew that Jon Snow was also a Targaryen, his view of the child had become better.

While all of Westeros has mostly forgotten his surname, Aemon himself apparently hasn't.

He always remembered Clay's original warning to him, so he decided to take this secret to his grave and do his best to keep this young man on the Great Wall.

Being with ice and snow, without all the distractions and intrigues, is a good thing.

After Jon Snow went out and slowly closed the door, Aemon Targaryen opened the folded paper.

He is too old and it is very difficult for him to read these words.

When he finally read the contents of the letter, he understood why Jeor Mormont had let him read this letter.

At the same time, there was a knock on the door.

Jeor Mormont walked in.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Night Watch wore a thick bearskin cloak. Although he also had gray hair, he still looked strong and sturdy.

They were all familiar, and Jeor Mormont plopped down in the chair next to Maester Aemon.

After blowing out a few puffs of white air, this guy looked at the Bachelor of Castle Black who didn't know what he was thinking, and without talking nonsense, he asked directly:

"Maester Aemon, did you read the contents of the letter?"

"Um……"

"Any ideas, this guy Glendon Hewett drank too much?"

Maester Aemon was silent.

Indeed, if we look at the general situation, this letter from Eastwatch can probably be regarded as the ramblings of a madman.

See what's written above?

The East Sea Watch fleet encountered the servants of the Cold God and was almost completely wiped out?

Carter Pike died in the battle too?

Ice that never melts?

A warning from the emissary of R'hllor?

Request Castle Black to prepare for war immediately and send reinforcements to Eastwatch?

Do you want to immediately report the situation to the entire North and even the major lords of Westeros? The servants of the Cold God, riding in the invincible black ship, have crossed the Great Wall and headed south?

Jeor Mormont had to admit that when he first saw the contents of this letter, he really thought that Glendon Hewett had drunk too much urine.

But immediately, he felt that something was wrong.

A letter is about to be sent out. Glendon Hewett is just a deputy. Even if he is the commander, wouldn't the maester of Eastwatch stop such nonsense?

If it is true, or if only one of them is true, it is a big deal.

So, after figuring it out, Jeor Mormont immediately sent Chief Ranger Benjen Stark, leading an elite ranger team, to quickly approach Eastwatch to check what was going on there.

He himself shared this problem with the brains of Castle Black, Maester Aemon Targaryen.

The room was quiet, except for the crackling sound of the burning fireplace.

The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and his maester sat across from each other in silence.

After waiting for a long time, Maester Aemon shook his head slightly and said:

"I know Sir Glendon Hewett, and he doesn't seem like a liar."

Jeor Mormont nodded, he didn't believe it either.

"I'm sorry for some of the things mentioned above..."

Maester Aemon shook his head with a wry smile, and a few strands of white hair fell to his ears.

"My knowledge has never been reserved in this area. My knowledge of R'hllor and the so-called cold god is not much better than that of the Night's Watch. I'm afraid I can't help you, Commander-in-Chief."

In fact, this really does not blame Aemon Targaryen for his lack of academic skills.

Even if you go to the Citadel now and tie up everyone in the Cardinal Council, no one will be able to answer this question for Jeor Mormont.

There is no knowledge in this area at all, so how can we explain it?

Jeor Mormont sighed in distress. If Maester Aemon said this, then there was nothing he, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, could do.

"Well, then we will have to wait for news from Ban Yang and the others."

"Master Aemon, do you think we need to forward this letter directly to Winterfell...or to the Dragon King?"

After Galesos made an appearance above Castle Black last time, the Night's Watch quickly found out that Clay Mandler, who had been to the Great Wall twice, was the Dragon King.

Now, the Great Wall is in crisis, and Jeor Mormont knows very well that the only ones who can really provide help are Winterfell and Clay Manderly.

As for the other nobles, even if you flood them with letters of distress, they will not send you even a single soldier.

"Send it, but I estimate that this letter, Donghai Wang, must have been sent. It doesn't matter whether we send it or not."

"The most important thing now is to find out what happened."

"If it's really as described in the letter."

Jeor Mormont was shocked to find that a strange light suddenly appeared in the cloudy eyes of this old man who had lived for more than a century.

"Then... Commander-in-Chief, I'm afraid we have to warn the entire Westeros and prepare for war."

Maester Aemon said every word.

"War..."

Jeor Mormont murmured that in the past days, although the Night's Watch Legion would clash with the wildlings almost every once in a while, no one would call such a thing a war.

What the Night's Watch Legion describes is that what happens between the living and the dead when the long night falls, the White Walkers arrive, is called war.

In addition to serving as a strong shield in the north of the kingdom, the Night's Watch actually has another responsibility that has been sealed under the thick ice and snow for a long time:

When disaster strikes, it serves as a wake-up call for the entire human race.

And right now, the entire Seven Kingdoms are in a mess. If at this time, the situation that Jeor Mormont is most worried about happens, it will happen.

Then, as the commander-in-chief, he has the responsibility to immediately remind the lords who are still in the civil war:

The enemy has arrived, and now is the time to gather all supplies, turn the spearhead, and jointly defend against the enemy.

If you are still fighting for power and position, then everything may be irreversible.

In fact, it may actually be a little late.

…

skaggs island

Godswood

Under the heart tree

There was a soft sound of "poof".

The sharp blade emerged from the chest of the last Skagos man, bringing with it a spurt of hot blood.

This guy is the lord of the entire Skagos Island.

Of course, they have their own titles here.

These people cannot understand the home language of these foreign knights, but what is incredible is that the common language is still "universal" in this world.

Just now, this guy whose body odor almost knocked these outsiders unconscious pointed out the locations of all the heart trees on the island under the threat of a long knife.

And these tall soldiers wearing iron armor, but not slow at all, moved swiftly and lit a raging fire under every heart tree.

The entire island of Skagos was in flames.

The high temperature has caused these trees, which have been rooted here for thousands of years, to twist and break, their leaves fall off and scorch, and their trunks crack and tilt.

These extraterrestrial knights were very happy.

Because they can feel that the magic barrier that hinders their navigator from opening the portal is weakening little by little.

After the largest heart tree in front of them is completely burned down, their portal will open on this island.

This means that their follow-up armies will continue to land in this world.

Conquest is about to begin.

What an exciting scene.

"Caranthir, wait until the conditions are right and do what you should do."

said a voice.

He responded with a hoarse and heavy tone:

"I know, you don't need to remind me, Illerith."

…

The whole North knew nothing about Skagos Island except a crow hiding among the wolves.

In the main castle of Winterfell, Catelyn Tully was looking at her inexplicably restless son with a worried look on her face.

Bran Stark, her son.

After sleeping for quite a long time, I finally woke up.

However, Catelyn Tully always felt that something was wrong with her son.

Based on maternal intuition, this feeling became more and more obvious as time went on.

But if you insist on asking Catelyn Tully to describe it, she can't describe it.

After all, Catelyn Tully could not deny that this shota, whose face and voice had not changed at all, was not her child.

Now Bran Stark, in the eyes of Catelyn Tully, has become more and more indifferent and less and less close to her.

At first, as a mother, Catelyn Tully was happy to think that her child had become mature.

After all, when Rob was growing up, there was a similar situation for a while.

But soon she began to feel uneasy.

Because she realized that this was not maturity at all, but an almost pathological calmness, as if nothing in the world could interest him anymore.

It's like this kid named Bran Stark knows everything.

In this way, the suffocating and depressing days passed for several months.

Until this morning, Catelyn Tully suddenly received a report from the maid that Bran Stark had lost his temper in the room.

As a mother, her first reaction was not concern but a sense of relief.

Fortunately, the kid still gets angry and angry.

He hurried over and wanted to take the opportunity to understand the situation and have a good chat with his son.

After all, with the death of Robb Stark and the disappearance of Arya Stark, Catelyn Tully now attaches great importance to each of her children.

However, she was cruelly rejected by her son.

No matter how angry or sad she was, Bran Stark simply shut herself in her room and refused to be visited by anyone.

There's nothing we can do about it.

In theory, in the current Winterfell, Bran Stark has automatically become the Duke of Winterfell.

As for whether he is the Guardian of the North, it depends on the face of His Majesty Clay Manderly in the south.

But everyone knows that Clay Mandler will not go too far towards the Stark family. This hat will probably be returned to the Stark family in the future.

In the room, Brynden Rivers, who was holding Bran Stark's body, turned a deaf ear to Catelyn Tully outside the door.

He sat in the chair, rolled his eyes slightly, and carefully communicated with the heart tree in the godswood of Winterfell.

As the representative of the entire Old God in the Northern Territory, he can feel the magic of the entire Northern Territory.

Just last night, Brynden Rivers suddenly felt that several of his magic nodes on Skagos Island had been brutally destroyed.

He quickly ordered the crows in Winterfell to fly towards the large island isolated outside the northern continent with his vision.

There is no way, the crow is not a dragon, there is no way to compare in speed.

Brynden Rivers could only wait anxiously.

Finally, with His eyes, His servant approached the island that He never cared about much.

However, before he reached the place, Brynden Rivers was stunned by what he saw.

In Seal Bay, on the sea near Skagos Island, large masses of white fog are spreading unbridled.

In the center, the huge pitch black battleship attracted almost all of Brynden Rivers' attention.

What is this?

Seriously, Brynden Rivers is familiar with all the warships in Westeros.

This guy who exceeded the standard was the only one the former Duke of Blood Crow had seen in his life.

He drove the crow closer. However, when its servant's body came into contact with the white mist, Brynden Rivers' vision went dark and he almost lost his connection.

Then, far away in Winterfell, He jumped up from the chair and took down the things on the seat.

Regardless of other people's inquiries, the horrified expression on the Duke of Winterfell's face could not be concealed at all.

This...this is the magic power of the Cold God!

Old God above, is this a servant of the Cold God?

Aren't they a group of magical bodies wrapped in ice shells that can drive the dead, things called "other ghosts"?

Even though the Three-Eyed Crow tried his best, he couldn't connect what seemed to be the most powerful battleship in Westeros, or even the entire world, with the servants of the Cold God.

Moreover, He also discovered a group of armored soldiers on the coastline of Skagos Island who were more regular than the regular army.

If it weren't for the style of the armor, the Three-Eyed Crow would have never seen it.

He almost thought that Clay Mandler had sent his army here.

These guys also exude a heart-stopping power.

Then, He was discovered by one of the guys holding an ice crystal scepter.

In the next second, the surging cold magic destroyed all the power in the body of his crow servant and caused its death.

His vision was cut off, and Brynden Rivers knew something was seriously wrong.

What a big deal!

Skagos Island, that's beyond the Great Wall.

The Cold God can actually project his power to other places besides the north of the Great Wall!

Doesn't this mean that the Great Wall has lost its value and will collapse if it is not attacked?

Realizing this, the Three-Eyed Crow immediately locked himself in the room, and then tried his best to communicate with several larger magic nodes in Winterfell and the North, and began to move towards Skag one after another. Fly in the direction of Si Island.

He had to find out what was going on there.

If something really happened that he least wanted to see happen.

There's no need to hesitate, just notify Clay Manderly immediately and lead troops back for reinforcements!

As for how to convince him to agree, the Three-Eyed Crow had already started making it up in his mind.