The king on the Great Wall

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, the night watchman waited for the next question or test from the Goddess Stick, and was mentally and physically prepared for various responses, but the development of the matter suddenly went beyond the expectations of everyone in the room.

……

"Huh?" The red-robed woman who was close to Iger suddenly showed a shocked expression on her face. Under the greedy or awe-inspiring gaze of the few people in the room, she jumped away as if she had been pricked by a night watchman with a needle, and at the same time loudly Cried: "Guards! Come in, and seize this heretic!"

***

Two heavily armed Dragonstone Island guards rushed into the house quickly, pointing their sharp spears at the astonished Night Watchman.

what happened?

This is the second time Iger has been arrested after crossing. Last time, he faced farmers holding pitchforks and chopping knives unarmed. Knowing that he was wrong and powerless to resist, he chose to surrender obediently, so he was caught and sent to the police station. Became a night watchman on the Great Wall.But this time, what happened?

Before he had time to think, his year-long Ranger career made his body react instinctively.He reached out to his waist, but failed to touch the hilt of the sword. Only then did he remember that the steel sword uniformly issued by the Night Watchmen had been handed in to the arsenal on the day he left Castle Black, and there was no need to carry weapons after he came to King's Landing... …

"Don't move your hands!" A soldier straightened his spear, showing a fierce look.

Iger realized that this was Dragonstone Island, and these soldiers in front of him were soldiers trained by Stannis himself, and this Baratheon, as a long-established warrior and commander, had soldiers with a higher combat quality than himself. It's not low... If it's one-on-one, it's okay to say, one against two, and there is a mysterious witch next to her, even if she has a weapon, she can't resist.

The air seemed to freeze, the old mine head and his son were so frightened that they were sober, they stood in their original positions and did not dare to move; the owner of the house was holding a chair that was originally intended to be given to the priest of the Red God in the middle of the room. ; the young man who was appointed by the lord to lead the way for Iger didn't even know what happened—he is also from Dragonstone Island, so he naturally served the Duke of Dragonstone Island, but he was still eating the meal invited by Iger just a second ago, if the night watchman If you start to resist, which side should you help?

……

"I surrender, but please let me pay for the meal first." Iger froze for a few seconds, touched his right hand around his waist, untied the money bag and threw it to the old mine head: "Go back to the boat and tell the captain I have something to go to the castle, let him wait for me until noon tomorrow."

……

Iger failed to enter the gate of Dragonstone Castle when he came to visit in the morning, but at this moment he was escorted in by heavily armed Dragonstone guards. His arrest made Melisandre feel less nervous. On the pillar of her room in the castle, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Standing a few meters away, Melisandre said in a flat tone: "Who sent you here?"

Iger stared at Melisandre, with a firm and serious expression, but his mind was still confused: he had deceived the Stark family, framed the current crown prince, and deceived Tyrion Lannister to think Convincing him to back his Ponzi scheme...in some ways, he's daring and damning, but he's never offended or harmed Stannis Baratheon, let alone the Lord of Light ... As for "heretics", to the red god, isn't there a lot of heresies in Westeros? Liang Jingru?

"Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont." Of course, Egger would not say that Tyrion spent money to redeem himself, but even if he told the truth, he should not be able to offend the Lord of Light in the slightest. Believers are right—could Melisandre know all about the situation of the Night's Watch, so she was angry at her behavior in fear of the White Walkers fleeing?

"Yes, why did I send you here?"

Iger told the truth about the four tasks, and then resisted the humiliation and anger and said: "Ms. Melisandre, there must be some misunderstanding here. This is definitely the first time I see you..."

"It's indeed the first time we've met, but I feel a powerful ancient god's breath from you. Who are you?"

Ancient Ability God?Iger swears that he really doesn't know what it is. Is it because he was contaminated with ice magic when he was fighting with the aliens, or because he is not a native of this world, so that the goddess stick in front of him noticed the abnormality?

He decided to speak bluntly: "Ma'am, I really don't understand what you are talking about."

"Maybe you really don't know, but I have a way to get the information I want." Melisandre showed an ambiguous smile, and said to a guard next to her, "Go get a brazier."

A brazier, is it necessary to torture to extract a confession?

Iger was frightened and angry. He had always been a person who planned for a rainy day. He imagined that after his lies were discovered, he would be arrested by the Starks, captured by Robert, and even fell into the hands of Cersei. He even made up a few sets of lines in his stomach, but he didn't expect that there would be an accident when he came back to Dragonstone Island to explore the obsidian mine—heaven and earth conscience, he really didn't know what he should confess to Melisandre, This inexplicable change was beyond the comprehension of his little cleverness. Could it be that he could only reveal the identity of the traverser when the hot iron was pressed against his skin and hissed?Would Melisandre believe it?

The brazier was quickly moved and placed one meter away from Iger. There was no red-hot iron inserted in it as he expected. Instead, the red-robed woman took out a knife from nowhere and handed it to him. Guard: "Go, get some blood from this night watchman, just a few drops, not too much, I want him to live."

-

Chapter 53 Fire Divination

The ordered Dragonstone guard held a knife shorter than his palm, shrugged apologetically at Iger, and walked towards him.

Iger, whose torso and limbs were tied up, had no choice but to shake his body symbolically and struggle, watching the opponent approaching, his mind spinning rapidly, but he had no clue what was happening.Which song is it sung?Could it be that the blood of himself, a traverser, also possesses the powerful power needed by R'hllor, the Lord of Light?If that was the case, would he be thrown into the fire as a sacrifice at some critical moment?

He has far more knowledge than anyone else in this world, has a huge plan to gain a foothold slowly and even establish his own contacts and network, and finally rely on capital to join the game of power, and has a plan to change a bunch of important plots in the future and the fate of the world Planning... He has escaped from the White Walkers, stayed away from the Great Wall, and is just about to start a new life. Is everything going to come to an abrupt end in a bewildering manner on this barren island at the mouth of the Black Water Bay?

……

Iger stared wide-eyed at the knife in the guard's hand. Of course, putting a few drops of blood would not make him scared to the point of peeing his pants or begging for mercy, but how he would be dealt with afterwards was the key.Like Tyrion, he claims to be a smart man, but he is helpless in the face of an opponent who has no idea what he wants and why he suddenly shows hostility.

"Arm, be lighter, thank you!" Seeing the trembling hand of the guard holding the knife, Iger said, deciding where the wound is, this is the last bit of dignity he can keep in this accident.

"it is good……"

The operator is a young guard, less than [-] years old. He was a child when the last war broke out. He joined Stannis's guard for nearly a year. It was the first time in his life that he used a guy to let blood on someone. I was even more nervous, the cut was too shallow, and it took several seconds for the blood to slowly ooze out.

The guard hurriedly scraped a few drops of blood with the back of the knife, and hurriedly sent it to the priestess.

Melisandre took out the handkerchief, wiped the knife and blotted out the blood on it, then threw the blood-stained cloth into the brazier, staring intently at the flames.

Iger's eyes turned to the fire, too—he saw nothing.Of course, it is impossible for my own blood to have any "power". The flames quickly engulfed the handkerchief. Except for an extra ball of flames, the color and temperature did not change much.

But Melisandre's expression became solemn, her eyes widened, as if the answer to some ultimate question was hidden in the bright firelight, but the font was too small to see clearly - she took a step forward and supported the shelf of the brazier , getting closer, getting closer... almost burying her face in the flames, Iger was surprised to find that the flames had already licked her hair, but they couldn't make them curl even a little. Not afraid of fire!

About a minute later, the woman let go of the brazier stand, took a step back and moved away from the brazier, stared at the night watchman again with interested eyes, and reopened her red lips.

She didn't have time to speak, because the door of the room was pushed open with a "bang", and a man walked in.

……

"You captured the night watchman?"

Against the light of the flames, Iger couldn't see the appearance of the visitor, but based on his intuition and the questioning tone of the other party, he guessed his identity: "Master Stannis! I came to deal with the obsidian under the order of Jeor Mormont Mining matters, you should know, I swear I didn't do anything bad on your island! Please forgive me if I offend you! Can you let me go and talk, I can talk to Ms. Melisandre Any confrontation!"

"What do you mean?" The man did not respond to Iger's shout, but asked Melisandre coldly: "The night watchman is coming to the island to mine obsidian. Duke Stark has written to me about this. Yes. On my land, who do you think you are, to order the arrest of visitors who enter with my permission?"

"Remember the ancient Ability Gods I told you about?" The red-robed woman nodded respectfully at the man, but her face was still full of smiles, "I felt a strong Ability God aura from this night watchman. I wonder what that, maybe the 'gods' sent him here for."

"I don't care what you want to know, Melisandre." Stannis said with no fluctuation in his tone, "You have some skills, so I'll keep you on the island, but if you keep talking nonsense and doing ridiculous things , I should probably drive you away. Now, either set the Watchman free and ask his forgiveness, or get the hell out of Dragonstone!"

Iger relaxed, his mind went blank for several seconds after escaping the catastrophe, and then he silently clenched his hands into fists behind his back: Knowing the plot and mastering a bunch of advanced knowledge and concepts becomes meaningless at this moment, he His fate is actually just a matter of one sentence in front of these "big men".The need to transform one's own advantages into real power and energy as soon as possible has suddenly become so urgent.

"As you wish, my lord." Melisandre narrowed her eyes, her expression changed, and she actually lowered her head so docilely: "Let him go."

The guard who was still holding a knife in his hand was also confused, but since the envoy of the Lord of Light also nodded when the lord spoke, he didn't have to worry about whom to listen to.He walked behind Iger and began to untie the rope that bound the night watchman.

Stannis snorted, turned and left the room.

……

I don't know if he was frightened by the angry lord a moment ago, or he has always been so clumsy. The young guard spent a few seconds but couldn't find a way to untie the rope. Melisandre finally shook her head impatiently: "You go, I Come."

Since ordering to capture Iger, the witch has been standing guardedly two meters away from him. At this moment, she was sure that the other party was not a threat, so she approached the night watchman again with confidence. Iger's arm brushed the rope that bound him.

Accompanied by the slippery touch of the woman's palm, a slight burning pain came, and the ropes binding the whole body snapped one after another with a soft "bang, bang", and Iger regained his freedom.

He took a step to stand firm, stretched his arm, and touched the place where he felt the burning pain. Except for a little heat, there was no skin burn.Look at the broken rope that fell to the ground, the broken part is all burnt and scorched, and there are still wisps of smoke--burning the rope but not scalding yourself?With this hand alone, Iger couldn't use any knowledge he had in his mind to explain... Melisandre was standing within reach, as if he could strangle her with his hand, but Iger had to admit , I'm afraid I can't do anything to this delicate-looking woman in front of me.

"Sorry, black-clothed friend." Melisandre's tone softened, but the expression of no guilt on her face made this apology lack of sincerity.In her eyes, saying this to a mortal is already very face-saving, and it is impossible to keep a low voice: "It is the first time I feel such a strong alien god's breath outside my Lord of Light without any precautions. It’s only when you’re panicking that you behave inappropriately and make the guests feel wronged, please forgive me.”

***

Iger didn't intend to forgive the other party just like this, nor did he intend to flee in embarrassment.It's no joke when a good-tempered person gets angry, and he hates the feeling of being watched by an unpredictable enemy in the dark more than unnecessary anger. He wants to find out tonight—if Melisandre If you can't give a reasonable explanation, maybe you should add a category of "Immortal" to your own blacklist.

When I returned to King's Landing and started to raise the next batch of supplies, recruit new soldiers, and even start raising funds, the first thing I did was to find a way to kill this woman.

He even had a quick idea of ​​what to do. Jaqen H'ghar the Faceless was in his prison in King's Landing, and Yoren might have picked him as one of the next recruits to bring back to the Wall.As a believer of the God of Thousand Faces, it is impossible for that guy to be obediently taken to the Great Wall and sworn to be a night watchman... If he can release him, it shouldn't be difficult for him to kill someone for himself.Iger is a little curious: what kind of sparks will the believers of the God of Thousand Faces who claim to be able to kill anyone collide with the mysterious Red God Priest?

"It's easy for me to tell Lord Stannis 'I forgive you', ma'am." Iger took a deep breath: "But I was caught and tied to a post after eating well, and if I didn't know What was this knife for, I believe no one can swallow this... I need an explanation, Ms. Melisandre."

-

Chapter 54 Interpretation and Review

I don't know if she sensed the murderous intent on the man, or felt that she was wrong, the casual look on Melisandre's face faded away—she stared at Iger in front of her without saying a word, and quickly raised the corner of her mouth: "Okay."

The night watchman is the backbone against the old enemy of the Lord of Light, and Iger is the No.1 member of the black shirts she met after she came to Westeros. Even if she despises mortals, she finally decides not to offend potential important allies.

The red-robed woman turned around, led the man to the two chairs in the corner, and motioned him to sit down and talk: "Ask, as long as my lord doesn't forbid me to answer, I will tell you everything."

Iger was not polite, and strode towards a chair: "You said that I have the breath of a different god, what's going on?"

"To be precise, you have two auras on your body, one is full of evil, but is extremely weak; the other has a lot of energy left, but it is not malicious... Generally speaking, you are really lucky to have survived to this day."

"Why do I have these two auras in my body?" Iger asked dubiously. He is a materialist, but this is not the world he was in before, and the woman in front of him showed power that he could not explain. ... and can only be cautious about what she said, "I'm just an ordinary night watchman soldier."

"No, you are not. I just saw you fighting a slave of the cold god in the fire. You are very heroic. It is rare for a mortal to kill such a magical creature. The moment you kill that thing, you No longer an ordinary night watchman——but a night watchman who attracted the attention of the cold god." Melisandre waved her hand, signaling the guard to leave and close the door: "The evil aura on your body is the one left in that battle. , In this way, if you appear within the perception range of the Cold God and its servants in the future, you will be discovered faster than your other comrades in arms."

Iger's heart trembled, not only because of the other party's ability to see his past with only a few drops of blood, but also because of the content of Melisandre's words - he was being targeted by the cold god, but what is the "cold god" Ghost, the nickname of the Night King?Wait, did she really see the picture of herself killing the White Walkers from the fire, or did Eddard Stark or Jeor Mormont write about it when she wrote to Stannis to introduce herself? ?

……

"What about the other 'powerful' breath." Iger asked calmly, "I did kill a strange ghost, but that was the strongest enemy I have ever dealt with in this life. I am completely I was lucky enough to win because of the other party's contempt—if there was only a little bit of evil in that battle, and if you had to bring the aura that you would think was 'powerful', then what the hell would I have to fight?"

"This is what makes me strange. The existence that leaves another breath on your body is far weaker than Hanshen, but the traces left are so obvious. In theory, this abnormal situation is only you who directly fight with him , or even face-to-face conflicts can be formed. But you, a mortal, will never be able to live well after fighting with such an existence. What's even more strange--the picture I saw in the fire is: a little boy from a very high I fell off the place where I fell. If you want me to continue explaining, you have to tell me first, what happened?"

"Can't you see everything, do you still need me to say?"

"Finding what has happened from the fire is not as magical as you imagine." Melisandre waited for Iger to sit down in the chair before taking the same seat opposite him: "I threw your blood into the fire and saw some Something——In this step, it is not your blood that works, but the two forces contained in your blood. The evil breath is very weak, so I can only see a few short pictures, I I saw the round of confrontation between you and the servant of the cold god—what you night watchmen call the White Walkers, and the moment you stabbed the dragon crystal into its stomach. Although this is all, it is enough to explain everything. And another breath Instead, it was intense, intense enough for me to see several sequences in succession. You run around talking to a boy on a roof, and he falls off at the end, and I can't hear the conversation between you, more I can’t analyze what this has to do with a god, so I need your further description. What were you doing at that time?”

"I was stopping..." Iger frowned and explained, suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, and a word instantly squeezed into his mind: Green Prophet!

……

There was a storm in the traveler's heart. It was embarrassing to fail to prevent Bran from falling from the building, but it made him understand a truth: Interfering with the plot must be done in a more ingenious way, and he can't do it himself.

Iger has always been proud of being able to learn from failures.But today, I heard from Melisandre, could it be that I failed to change the outcome with one operation, not because of poor thinking or doing something wrong, but because I was fighting against a powerful existence?

Just like the stock market, no matter how godlike the retail investors are, they can’t stop the big dealers from cutting leeks; no matter how rich the capital and contacts are, the big dealers will never dare to play against the national team. The two sides of the level fight against each other, and there is no need to guess the result at all!

Bran's fall was not a coincidence, but someone or "God" deliberately wanted this to happen!

After thinking about it, only the Green Prophet has this suspicion, but why did he insist that Bran fall from the building? Could it be that the child can't go outside the Great Wall to accept the inheritance if he is not disabled?Also, that day the sisters of the Lannister family were bewitched and went into the Fort to have an affair in front of their own eyes, and the brat of the Stark family also insisted on going up to the top of the tower to feed the crows, is this true? Is it all the Green Prophet's tricks?

Melisandre looked at Iger hesitating to speak, his complexion changed again and again and he fell into deep thought, thinking that he had something to hide, a haze flashed across his soft face: "Friends of the Night Watchman, I'm so rude, I haven't said anything until now." Ask your name."

"You can call me Iger."

"Then Iger, if you know anything, you'd better tell me."

A witch is also a human being, and she also has a first impression of things she has only heard about—unlike the people of Westeros who don’t believe in the existence of the White Walkers, in her eyes, stationed at the Great Wall of Impairment, standing tall and strong against the White Walkers The Night's Watch on the front lines must be tough guys.So, after thinking about it, she decided to be soft: "The two gods who left your breath on you don't have much power in the south, but after all, they are existences that can pinch you to death with one finger. Now, Only the Lord of Light can protect you."

***

Iger is hesitating. He doesn't know whether the "god" in this world is the omnipotent transcendent existence in the legend, or just a more powerful life that has mastered magic. Question: The Lord of Light, also known as the Red God, is one of the extraordinary forces that absolutely exists in this world.

If you have to hold a thigh, R'hllor's is definitely thick enough. Under normal circumstances, believing in him is a choice, but Iger faces a problem: he is not an ordinary person, and he has too many secrets. The crime is that if you rashly fall into the embrace of a certain god, it would be good if you can openly cooperate with each other, but what if this "god" is greedy for a lot of knowledge in his own brain or curious about the wider world outside this world, and wants to eat himself dry? After wiping out all the information and then discarding it or even silencing it, I have no strength to resist at all.

He couldn't even do anything to a priest of the Red God, and he was not qualified to bargain with any existence in this field.Before you have the strength to sit at the same table, it is never wise to entrust your life in the hands of a guy who doesn't understand.

Moreover, he had to worry about the identity he fabricated for himself before: an outsider who crossed over from the other side of the sunset sea, it is rare to be able to quickly integrate into Westeros society, how could he say so many things that ordinary locals don't know? secret?

In this cold and cruel world with incomprehensible extraordinary power, it is absolutely right to be cautious.

Iger made a puzzled expression, organized his language a little, and said, "That was during King Robert's northern tour, because I accompanied the chief ranger, Benyan Stark, to report the movements of the wildlings and the White Walkers to the Guardians of the North. And go south. That day, I was training alone in a corner of Winterfell, and I saw the second son of Duke Stark climbing the wall. I was afraid that he would fall, so I tried to dissuade him... But the boy didn’t listen to anything, In the end, I was frightened by the person who suddenly poked his head out of the first castle and fell down. But no matter how you look at it, it was just an accident. If I offended any god during this process, it could only be that god wanted Bran Killed or maimed? But what's the point?"

-

Chapter 55 The Means of the Gods

There are skills in lying, and Iger has learned a very practical trick from being forced, that is, to lie to others first.What is invulnerable?There are only facts, and if you make up an identity for yourself in a story, then it's best to strictly follow that identity setting for everything after that-doing things that fit the identity, saying things that fit the identity.Just like writing a novel, no matter how weird or bizarre the setting is, as long as it is consistent within the book, then it is a reasonable novel—if the liar can be dedicated enough to hypnotize himself to believe himself, The deception is almost unbreakable.

Iger substituted himself as an adventurer from the other side of the Sunset Sea. Under this identity, he had indeed told the truth about everything he knew—if he didn't tell a half of the lie, how could the other party see through it.

However, even though he planned to conceal the secret of time travel, he tried his best to induce the witch sitting opposite him. As long as she can keep thinking along her "guessing" instead of doubting her heart, then this time he will You can get past it.

……

Melisandre, drama fans and book fans like to call it Aunt Mei, but whether it is Sister Mei, Aunt Mei or Grandma Mei, there is no need to demonize her-this red-haired priestess is just a woman who has mastered magic or is related to her. The "Red God" communication method is nothing more than a woman.Facing some answers that were all true, even if she was dissatisfied, she couldn't find an angle to ask... On the contrary, she was reminded by Iger's "unintentional" guess, and soon thought of something, and squinted her eyes to think.

"That's it." Half a minute later, she connected Iger's answer with the clues in the flames, and everything made sense: "That boy has the physique of an envoy, and that demigod wants him."

"What is a demigod?"

"A demigod is a demigod, an existence that is weaker than my master, the King of Light, but far superior to our servants. You can understand it as a powerful mage."

"What about the envoy's physique." Iger asked, "Also, since you want to use that child, why did you smash him into a disability?"

"The so-called envoy physique is actually the affinity for God. Some people can easily see the message that the Lord of Light wants to convey from the fire, while some need help—and some people will never be able to listen to it." The oracle." Melisandre would not be so quick to answer a mortal's questions, but she was wrong first, and the other party's status as a night watchman was also useful to her, so she decided to satisfy Iger's curiosity first: "The interesting thing is , some people with the best friendly physiques also have extraordinary mage talents—healthy bodies, strong souls, and firm willpower. These advantages actually hinder them from communicating with gods...to be precise, gods Communicate with them. So, you saw what happened next."

Iger felt a chill on his back, and instantly understood the meaning of Melisandre's words: only one in a thousand people is born a skinchanger, and only one in a thousand skinchangers will be a greenseer. Bran has The best shape-changer physique, the most suitable to be the next green prophet... But because he is too powerful, the old green prophet can't directly control or whisper in his ear to persuade him to go outside the Great Wall to accept the inheritance, so, The latter chose to temporarily weaken him through cruel methods!

Even the inheritance itself has problems: Did the previous Green Prophet imbue Bran with all his knowledge and memories, or did he take possession of Bran's body and then learn about Bran's life through observations across time and space, and then calmly pretended to be Bran? he?

***

This speculation is too malicious, and Iger needs the affirmation of an insider: "Can I understand it this way, to cripple a healthy person, or make him sick, when he is unconscious or uncomfortable and weak, you The demigod you mentioned can take the opportunity to sneak into his consciousness and exert a more direct influence on him?"

"Theoretically, it is true." A dizzying smile appeared on Melisandre's face: "But direct harm to the body is the most urgent last resort. In fact, when people's hearts are empty and they have doubts about themselves or the future, Demigods can also take advantage of the situation. Generally speaking, this is a method used by the weak, and the Lord of Light does not need this kind of low-handed method. As long as the flame exists, R'hllor's grace can reach it... The strength of my lord far surpasses the existence that fought against you."

After receiving an affirmative answer, Iger’s last suspicion faded: Yes, the day Bran Stark fell from the building was the day before he planned to follow his father to King’s Landing, and it was the Green Prophet who wanted to stop his ideal. The inheritor left the northern border and left his sphere of influence to create this tragedy!

He recalled all the dreams Bran had about the Three-Eyed Raven after he fell into a coma, and the guide Jojen Reed who had green vision and always looked sick when he went beyond the Wall, and More crazy guys who can make accurate predictions... Everything can be explained. The Green Prophet wanted Bran to be disabled, on the one hand to prevent him from leaving his sphere of influence in the north, and on the other hand to take advantage of When the boy was in a coma, instilled in his dream the message that "I have an important mission on my shoulders, I must go somewhere to meet someone", and let Jojen, who had already been controlled by me, guide him, Bring Bran to himself!

What a ruthless method!