Chapter 174: Dragon Blood, Wolf Blood, Magic Dragon Reborn!

At night, in a corner of the Great Hall of Winterfell, the hearth fire burned fiercely. The mother wolf, Sun, lay on a soft wool mattress, seven pups nursing on the mattress, while the male wolf, Night-Walker, stood guard to the side.

Each of Eddard's children had been given a pup, and the children gathered around the pups.

"Father, I want to take Shaggydog to my bed to sleep," Rickon said in a childish voice.

Arya patted Rickon on the head. "Rickon, you are so stupid. Shaggydog will wet the bed just like you, and maybe you'll even crush Shaggydog while you're sleeping. I'm going to take Nymeria to the Godswood to hunt."

Sansa chuckled softly: "Nymeria is so small, what can she hunt?"

Arya said: "She can hunt crickets, grasshoppers, and maybe she can even catch mice."

Sansa said disdainfully: "Mice are so dirty! Arya, if you are allowed to raise Nymeria, Nymeria will definitely become as wild as you in the future."

Bran stared at his pup, Summer. "I want to take Summer to the training yard and train him from a young age. When I grow up and become a Knight, I can ride Summer and become a Wolf Knight! Mikken promised me he could help me forge armor for a Wolf Knight."

Jon said: "I want to raise Ghost together with Ygritte. Ghost likes Ygritte very much."

Robb said: "I want to take Grey Wind to the forest. Once Grey Wind grows up, he can hunt. I must let him get used to the smell of the forest from a young age."

Maester Luwin touched his chain and muttered: "You children, now that you have pups, are you not focusing on your studies? Sam of House Tarly, the Crannogmen Jojen and Meera, and the Dornish Lareza and Domeric—they are all much more diligent than you."

Bran made a face: "They don't have wolves."

Eddard looked around at the children: "I have distributed the pups to you, but I cannot let you raise them alone. The pups must stay here and be cared for in turns every day by you, Old Nan, the Master of Kennels Farlan, and the Maesters."

The mother wolf, Sun, ate bones and turkey meat every day. She quickly recovered her strength and had plenty of milk, so the pups were very energetic.

Eddard waved his hand at the children: "Children, it is time to go back to bed."

Sansa and Arya left noisily, Robb and Jon argued about whether Grey Wind or Ghost was stronger, and Rickon followed behind Bran.

Eddard and Maester Luwin walked out of the Great Hall of Winterfell, bathed in moonlight. Archmaester Marwyn walked up to Eddard, holding a bronze pipe in his mouth.

Marwyn liked to chew sourleaf, which made his teeth scarlet, and ever since he came to Winterfell, smoking had become his favorite pastime.

"Your bronze pipe is not bad," Eddard noticed there were runes on the bronze pipe, "Was it forged by the Smith Mikken?"

"By a Thenn smith under the Smith Mikken." The Thenns were the only tribe among the Wildlings capable of forging metal; they could not forge iron, but they could forge bronze weapons. After the Thenns followed Eddard south, the Thenn coppersmiths were all taken into the Winterfell forge to teach them iron-working techniques, and these coppersmiths successfully became Starks' smiths.

Eddard said: "The briar pipe made by the Woodcarver Guzan is an exquisite work of art with high collection value. If you want one, I can have a word with Guzan."

Marwyn exhaled a large cloud of smoke: "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Eddard, but briar pipes are prepared for nobles and dignitaries like the Church. I am just a Maester; my status is not that precious, and a bronze pipe is just fine."

Maester Luwin noticed that Marwyn's grey robes and Valyrian Steel Chain were covered in dust. He frowned and said: "Archmaester Marwyn, where have you been?"

Marwyn pointed his pipe toward the entrance of the Crypts of Winterfell nearby: "I went to the crypts."

Maester Luwin shuddered in fear: "Going to the crypts at night? Archmaester Marwyn, those are the tombs belonging to the past Kings of Winter, Kings in the North, and Dukes of Stark. It is cold and dark; going to the crypts in the middle of the night? Are you not afraid of being haunted by the ghosts of the past?"

Marwyn revealed his scarlet teeth: "The field I study is Magic and mysticism. If I encountered a ghost, I would take it as a gift from the gods. According to ancient records, the crypts are even larger than Winterfell. If what is recorded in 'Mushroom's Testimony' is true, there might even be Dragon Eggs in the crypts!"

Maester Luwin touched his chain: "Archmaester Marwyn, the crypts have many levels, but the stairs leading to the lower levels are broken. No one has gone down there for many years; older Starks are buried there. I don't think the crypts could be larger than Winterfell; that is nothing but a legend."

Marwyn cleared his throat: "Maester Luwin, open your eyes! Legendary giants, direwolves, four-meter-tall snow bears, massive terrorbirds, and giant eagles have all appeared. In this crazy era, I would rather believe that these legends are real."

Eddard nodded: "Legend has it that during the Age of Heroes, Brandon the Builder built Winterfell and constructed The Wall. Furthermore, he also helped the King of the Storm, Durran, build the magnificent Storm's End, and helped the House Hightower, who reigned in The Reach during the Dawn Age, build the Hightower that pierces the blue sky."

"The Wall that Brandon the Builder helped the Night's Watch build, the Hightower he helped the Hightowers build, and the Storm's End he helped the King of the Storm build—each is more massive and magnificent than the last. By comparison, the Winterfell he built for his own House Stark is much more low-key. I believe the crypts might be an underground city; only then would Winterfell live up to the reputation of Brandon the Builder."

Marwyn said: "Lord Eddard, I share your thoughts. How about we go to the crypts together for a look?"

Eddard, Marwyn, and Maester Luwin arrived at the crypts. The guards Dawson and Syrio Forel, one on the left and one on the right, held torches and arrived at the entrance of the crypts. The door was made of ironwood, with bronze handles inlaid on it.

The guard Dawson opened the door, and the group followed behind Eddard, filing in. As soon as they entered the crypts, a chill struck them.

Granite pillars supported the crypts. Stone statues of past Dukes of Stark, Kings in the North, and earlier Kings of Winter sat on high platforms on both sides of the passage. As Eddard walked among them, he felt the cold gazes of the past Lords of Winterfell.

At the feet of every Lord of Winterfell was a direwolf stone statue, with a longsword placed on their knees.

Syrio Forel was greatly astonished: "Why place longswords on the statues?"

Eddard said: "To ensure these vengeful spirits are sealed in the crypts; otherwise, the ghosts of the Starks might wander all over Winterfell and attack strangers!"

Syrio Forel nervously reached for his assassin sword: "It's fortunate that a sword is placed on the knees of every statue. I am a Water Dancer from Braavos; I don't want to be attacked by those ghosts."

The guard Dawson pointed to the statue of Brandon and the statue of Lyanna Stark next to the statue of Duke Rickard: "These two don't have swords!"

Maester Luwin said: "These two are Lord Eddard's brother Brandon and sister Lyanna Stark. According to tradition, only the Lords of Winterfell can be buried here. It is only because Lord Eddard loved his brother and sister deeply that he buried them here."

Marwyn held his pipe in his mouth: "However, their statues have no swords. Does this mean the ghosts of Brandon and Lyanna Stark have been wandering in Winterfell?"

Maester Luwin smiled: "Archmaester Marwyn, this is just a tradition; how could it be true? In the crypts, the swords of some older Lords of Winterfell have rusted and broken. In the deeper crypts below, even more ancient Lords of Winterfell are enshrined, and the swords there have undoubtedly crumbled even more. Could their vengeful ghosts walk out of the crypts?"

The guard Dawson stroked his thick beard: "Yes, that is just a custom and tradition."

Marwyn's Valyrian Steel Chain shimmered with an eerie blue-white light under the torches. He said: "The Wildlings have always had the custom and tradition of cremating the dead because they fear that corpses will revive and become wights. I believe that the statues of the dead in the original crypts were placed with swords to seal in vengeful spirits because this castle was once plagued by vengeful ghosts."

The learned Maester Luwin, the battle-hardened guard Dawson, and the well-traveled Water Dancer Syrio Forel exchanged suspicious glances. Everyone felt a chill down their spine. Marwyn was an authority on Magic and mysticism; no one dared to question his words.

Eddard said: "Archmaester Marwyn, do you think we should place swords on the statues of Brandon and Lyanna Stark?"

Marwyn shook his bulldog-like neck: "Not just these statues, the swords of those ancient statues that have rusted away should also be replaced."

Eddard and Marwyn arrived at the entrance of the crypts leading to the next level. Statues of even more ancient Stark kings were placed there. Further down into the deeper darkness, there were even deeper levels of crypts, with steep, ancient stone spiral stairs connecting the levels.

By the torchlight, Eddard looked down: "The spiral stairs leading to the lower level are broken; they must be repaired immediately."

Maester Luwin said: "The craftsmen will be afraid."

Marwyn said: "Leave the craftsmen to me. I will lead them to work. My nickname is the Mage; with me here, they have no need to fear." Marwyn had always been a man of decisive action.

When Eddard returned to his bedroom, Catelyn was waiting for him, wearing a brownish-red silk nightgown.

"Eddard, the children all love the pups. The pups will grow up very fast, won't they?"

Eddard said: "I remember when I first brought the direwolves Sun and Night-Walker back from the Wolfswood, you didn't like it. You said direwolves were wild, untamable beasts that might hurt the servants of Winterfell or the Stark family."

Catelyn said: "That day in the Godswood, I and everyone else witnessed the mother wolf, Sun, give birth to seven pups under the gaze of the Weirwood Heart Tree. Only then did I understand that this was a gift bestowed by the gods."

"Seven is a sacred number, and the mother wolf gave birth under the Weirwood Heart Tree. These are the seven pups that the Seven and the Old Gods bestowed upon our children, Eddard. They are not ordinary animals. The Master of Kennels Farlan told me that with direwolves guarding the house, Winterfell will be safer. Grey Wind will guard Robb just as Night-Walker guards you."

Over the next few days, Archmaester Marwyn personally led the craftsmen to repair the spiral stairs of the crypts. After opening up the lower levels of the crypts, Marwyn began to lead people holding torches to search for Dragon Eggs in the crypts, but unfortunately, they found nothing.

The Wildlings and craftsmen of the Winter Town cut down trees in the Wolfswood and transported stones from nearby hills to build small houses. These houses on the Stark Estate were used to house the Wildling tenant farmers.

At night, Eddard lay in bed and drifted into a dream. The world spun, and Eddard's soul stumbled along the stairs of the bedroom, arriving at the Great Hall, the courtyard, and the Godswood.

In an instant, Eddard discovered that he had merged with Night-Walker. The pitch-black fur blended perfectly into the night. Night-Walker ran in the Godswood. The wolf dream was so vivid; the smell of grass, hot springs, humus, and the sap of the Weirwood Heart Tree all surged into Night-Walker's nostrils.

Every time Eddard merged into one with Ghost, his sense of smell, taste, hearing, and vision all rose by a level.

Ghost sprinted through the courtyard of Winterfell; he smelled the scent of pigs from the pens, the fear of the dogs in the kennels, and the horse manure in the stables, then Ghost rushed into the Crypts of Winterfell. Because the spiral staircase in the crypts was being repaired these past few days, the ironwood door was never closed.

Under the gaze of the past Stark lords and the Lords of Winterfell, Ghost ran through the crypts, following the newly repaired spiral staircase, heading straight for the second underground level, then the third.

Ghost did not remember which underground level he had reached, but he caught a strange scent: fresh blood and fire, along with the coldness and stubbornness of stone. The crypts were filled with stone statues, stone spiral staircases, and stone floors; for a direwolf, the scent of fresh blood and fire suddenly emerging from the scent of stone was exceptionally distinct.

The direwolf sniffed the scent and arrived at a corner of the crypts; here was a patch of loose soil, so Ghost began to dig and dig and dig with his black claws, and finally, he dug out a hard stone.

This stone had a black-and-grey shell, inlaid with blood-red and azure patterns, appearing extraordinarily beautiful in the darkness.

Dragon Egg. A voice rang out in the direwolf's mind; it was exactly Eddard's voice, and through Ghost, Eddard saw the dragon egg.

Ghost stretched out a leg and urinated on the dragon egg, and Eddard woke from his dream, a smile appearing on his lips.

The next day, Eddard brought Archmaester Marwyn and Maester Luwin to the entrance of the crypts. The direwolf Ghost waited at the door.

Eddard said, "I prayed to the Old Gods, and the Old Gods told me that there must be a dragon egg in the crypts. Ghost will lead the way for us."

Maester Luwin was clearly unconvinced, "Lord Eddard, it is impossible for there to be a dragon egg in the crypts; 'Mushroom's Testimony' is nothing but the ramblings of a fool dwarf."

Marwyn said, "I took servants and searched several levels of the crypts and found nothing. Lord Eddard, I hope there is a dragon egg in the crypts, but as it stands, the hope grows increasingly slim."

Ghost led the way in front, while the guards Dawson and Syrio Forel held torches, following beside Eddard to light the path; Eddard led the group along the spiral staircase, all the way down to the seventh underground level, where Ghost arrived at the corner and pushed the dragon egg with his claws, bringing it before the group.

Under the illumination of the torches, the blood-red and azure patterns within the black-grey eggshell emitted an eerie glow; Maester Luwin stroked his chain, the pipe in Archmaester Marwyn's mouth fell to the ground, Syrio Forel rubbed his sword belt, and the guard Dawson widened his eyes.

Eddard picked up the dragon egg with his hand, and he felt the temperature inside the dragon egg.

Maester Luwin wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Lord Eddard, is this truly a dragon egg? Or is it a stone?"

Archmaester Marwyn touched the dragon egg with his hand, "Maester Luwin, have no doubt, this is a dragon egg. I have studied dragon egg fossils at the Citadel; dragon eggs are different from any stone. They have temperature, and they have patterns."

Maester Luwin looked toward the surrounding statues; the statues of the Stark lords here were so ancient that not even their names were known, and the swords originally placed on their knees had long since rusted away, with only the rust marking the positions where the longswords once lay.

Maester Luwin extended a trembling hand and touched the dragon egg, feeling a heat like a furnace, "Lord Eddard, could it be that 'Mushroom's Testimony' is actually true? During the Dance of the Dragons, did Prince Jacaerys's dragon Vermax truly lay an egg in the crypts of Winterfell?"

Eddard shook his head, "Maester Luwin, when Prince Jacaerys visited the North with his dragon, the Warden of the North was Cregan Stark; his statue is on the first level of the crypts, and this is the seventh level. I do not believe this could be an egg laid by Prince Jacaerys's dragon."

"Three hundred years ago, the Targaryen Dynasty brought dragons to Westeros and conquered Westeros with fire and blood, but please note, dragons once lived all over the world. Winterfell is an ancient land; it is not strange that wild dragons once lived here and laid dragon eggs."

Marwyn picked up the bronze pipe that had fallen to the ground and put it back in his mouth, "I agree with Lord Eddard's analysis. There is a view in the Citadel that the Winterfell completed by Brandon the Builder was actually the crypts, and later, the First Keep, the main castle, the walls, the Xueshita, and the Library Tower of Winterfell were all expanded bit by bit by the Stark family over the following thousands of years."

Syrio Forel said, "In Braavos, I once heard that during the time of Jaehaerys I Targaryen, a female captain named Alysanne Tysane appeared in Braavos with three dragon eggs; she traded the three dragon eggs for countless gold and silver treasures from the Sealord, and at the Braavosi Arsenal, she built a galleon."

"That was the market price from hundreds of years ago; if one were to sell a dragon egg to Braavos now, I reckon the Sealord would be willing to offer a fleet to purchase it."

Eddard said calmly, "In an age where dragons are extinct, a dragon egg is a priceless treasure. Moreover, this is a dragon egg discovered in the crypts of Winterfell; it is a Stark dragon egg. Even if the Iron Bank, the Sealord, and all the Archons, kings, princes, and Wardens of the world scraped together more wealth, I would not sell the dragon egg."

A dragon egg is a priceless treasure; one dragon egg can be exchanged for much gold and silver jewelry. If Eddard hatched a dragon, and the dragon could lay eggs, then Winterfell would effectively have an extra 'money printer'. However, even in the future when Eddard possessed a dragon that could lay eggs, the dragon eggs would never be sold; after all, dragons are killing machines and divine beasts that spread fear.

Luwin looked at the dragon egg nervously, "Lord Eddard, I feel this is a symbol of a curse. Look closely, this dragon egg has blood-red and azure patterns. Blood-red represents blood and slaughter, and azure represents cold and death; do not forget the azure eyes of the wight Wheat."

"No one knows how many years this dragon egg has spent in such deep crypts; the crypts are inherently a realm of the undead, and darkness breeds evil. Who knows how many tragedies this dragon egg will create once it is brought to the surface and into the sunlight?"

Eddard said, "Maester Luwin, you are too pessimistic. The direwolf Ghost is a gift from the Old Gods, and the direwolf is the symbol of House Stark. The Old Gods used the direwolf to guide me to find the long-dusty dragon egg in the crypts; this is a gift from the Old Gods."

Nowadays, House Stark has giants, skinchangers, and direwolves; if they were to also possess dragons, then everything would be perfect.

Under the illumination of the torches, Eddard's shadow loomed over the statue of the Stark lord behind him.

"Since this dragon egg is a gift bestowed by the Old Gods upon the Starks and Winterfell, now that I have obtained the dragon egg, I must hatch the dragon and let the dragon return to the world of men!"

Archmaester Marwyn placed his hand on the dragon egg, "Lord Eddard, I will use the dragon knowledge and Magic knowledge I have mastered to help you complete the feat of hatching a dragon."

The guards Dawson and Syrio Forel cheered in unison; only Maester Luwin felt it was inappropriate.

Maester Luwin said, "Lord Eddard, this is too crazy. Have there been few tragedies caused by members of the Targaryen Dynasty in their pursuit of Magic Dragons? 'Brightflame' Aerion drank a jar of Wildfire and died suddenly in an attempt to transform into a dragon; Aegon V was widely loved by the common people throughout his life, and he did many good deeds, but in his later years, he became senile and began attempting to hatch dragons, which resulted in the tragedy at Summerhall."

Eddard said, "Aerion was a madman. The tragedy Aegon V caused was because he used the Alchemist's Wildfire to hatch dragons. Rest assured, I will not make that mistake."

In the study, Eddard placed the dragon egg on a sandalwood box, the box covered with a layer of wool padding, and Marwyn used a Myr magnifying glass to carefully examine the patterns on the dragon egg.

Sunlight shone through the window onto the dragon egg, and the azure and blood-red patterns on the dragon egg seemed to flow.

Marwyn sighed, "The dragon egg is truly the most beautiful work of art created by the gods; Lord Eddard, inside this is gestating a miracle of blood and fire!"

Eddard said, "No matter how beautiful the dragon egg is, it is still just a stone. How can one hatch a dragon?"

Marwyn put down the magnifying glass in his hand, "According to some records, some dragons have the habit of hatching eggs, but this has not been verified; after all, whether dragons even have a gender remains a subject of debate to this day. During the Targaryen Dynasty, the descendants of Aegon were accustomed to placing dragon eggs in the swaddling clothes and cradles of newborns with True Dragon blood, and many hatched into dragons."

"After the dragons went extinct, the Targaryen family made various attempts; kings sat on dragon eggs to hatch them, brought dragon eggs to bed, placed them on the bellies of pregnant women, and placed them in the cradles of newborns... but these attempts all failed. I believe the Citadel played an unsavory role behind the scenes."

Eddard said, "This is only your speculation; you have no evidence."

Marwyn laughed, "The evidence is all in historical books, and the books are all compiled by the Citadel, so where would one find evidence? Returning to the hatching of dragons, I think that if there are still descendants of the Targaryen Dynasty alive, perhaps we could use their bloodline to attempt to hatch a dragon from the dragon egg."

"I have heard that the Mad King Aerys's son Viserys and daughter Daenerys are currently in exile in the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea; there is also a claim that King Robert sent assassins to kill Viserys and Daenerys many years ago. If this is the case, the bloodline of the Targaryen Dynasty has been severed, and even with a dragon egg, it would be very difficult to hatch a Magic Dragon."

Although Eddard did not have Daenerys or Viserys by his side, he held Rhaegar's son, Jon Snow, and this was precisely the hope Eddard had for hatching a Magic Dragon.

Eddard leaned forward, "If I found Daenerys or Viserys, how do you think one could summon a Magic Dragon from the dragon egg?"

Marwyn filled his bronze pipe with tobacco and lit it with an Incense Candle; he thought for a moment, "I once went to Asshai, where I exchanged ideas with some shadowbinders; these shadowbinders are skilled in Blood Magic. A shadowbinder from Lhazar told me that if one uses Blood Magic, there is a chance to resurrect petrified ogres, petrified dragons, and so on."

"In the Valyrian Scroll, which has become a fragment in the Citadel, it is recorded that the ancient Valyrian Dragonlord families used pure Valyrian blood to hatch Magic Dragons. If we find a True Dragon bloodline and drip the blood of the True Dragon bloodline onto the dragon egg, we might just be able to hatch a dragon from the dragon egg."

This method might be worth a try; Jon Snow, this dragon blood, was right by Eddard's side. However, Eddard could not directly bring Jon before the dragon egg and drip his blood onto it; if he did so, Jon Snow might suspect that he had Targaryen blood, and he might think that the deceased Queen Leilei was his biological mother.

Others would also suspect Jon's parentage; Eddard had no doubt that once the news reached King's Landing, under the incitement of those conspirators in the Small Council, once Robert knew that Jon Snow was the posthumous son of Rhaegar Targaryen, he would surely be greatly enraged. At that time, not only might Robert and Eddard become estranged as brothers, but it might also bring the flames of war to the North.

In order to hatch the Magic Dragon in the dragon egg, Eddard had to find a way to obtain Jon's blood, but he had to do it quietly, without letting anyone know, including Jon.

In the afternoon, Eddard passed by the training grounds and saw Jon and Ygritte training Ghost.

Ghost possessed a coat of snow-white fur and blood-red eyes, which were precisely the colors of Fire and Ice. Ghost was only as big as a puppy, and it was fighting with the Black Bear Randolph and the White Bear Little Gasol.

The little bears were much larger than Ghost, but Ghost was not afraid at all; the black bear and white bear stood on their hind legs and played with Ghost, making Ygritte laugh out loud.

The Black Bear Randolph ran toward the other end of the training ground, and the White Bear Little Gasol and Ghost chased after it; Ygritte was afraid the little bears would hurt Ghost, so she hurried over. Only Jon remained where he was.

Eddard took out an Obsidian Dagger and walked over, "Jon, come over and help me look at this Obsidian Dagger."

Jon walked over and took the Obsidian Dagger; Eddard's hand deliberately tilted a bit, and Jon's finger was immediately cut, blood dripping. Eddard said in surprise, "Jon, you're hurt? Go quickly and find Maester Norman to bandage it."

Jon said, "It's nothing, just a small cut." Jon turned and walked toward the Xueshita.

Some blood dripped onto Eddard's hand; Eddard silently put it into an empty wine skin, then turned and returned to the study, coming before the dragon egg.

The dragon egg radiated warmth, and Eddard, with a heart full of excitement, dripped the fresh blood from his wineskin onto the egg.

The fresh blood landed on the dragon egg, transforming into a wisp of white smoke, and the entire egg began to make a "Sizzle—" sound.

Eddard said happily, "Is the magic dragon about to be reborn? Will the magic dragon breathe fire and burn down this study? It seems I must have the servants prepare a water vat."

However, the "Sizzle—" quickly vanished, the entire dragon egg returned to stillness, and even its temperature dropped, as if it were a piece of burnt-out charcoal, devoid of heat.

Could it be that the blood of Lyanna within Jon Snow is more potent? Eddard's little sister Lyanna possessed much of the wolf blood and was full of wild spirit; Jon's hair and long face were inherited from his mother Lyanna, while as for Prince Rhaegar's silver-white long hair, purple eyes, and beauty approaching that of the gods, Jon had not inherited much.

Perhaps the dragon blood within Jon Snow was not as powerful as Eddard had imagined; Eddard felt somewhat disappointed.

Or perhaps the method Eddard used for the fresh blood was simply wrong; after all, this was what the Forest Witch excelled at. Forest Witches were relatively common in the Free Cities but quite rare in Westeros, found only in some port cities; it should not be difficult for Eddard to send men to find one. Syrio Forel, who was by his side, and his financial advisor Klar were both from Braavos, a place that revered thousands of gods from all over the world, and a Forest Witch would be easy to find in Braavos.

Yet, even if Eddard invited a Forest Witch, could he trust these witches with their foreign accents? It was rumored that Forest Witches relied on sucking the blood of infants and virgins to maintain their own beauty, and blood magic was viewed as evil magic; it was rumored that a light touch from a Forest Witch could cause a pregnant woman to miscarry or a maiden to become sterile, and if they touched the dragon egg, the dragon egg might also suffer a curse.

Thinking of this, Eddard decided it was better to abandon the idea of a Forest Witch.

The next day, Eddard discussed it with Archmaester Marwyn, "Perhaps we should use wildfire to hatch the dragon egg; Winterfell has wildfire, and Ginter, who is in my brain trust, is an Alchemist."

Marwyn said disdainfully, "If the shit and piss of an Alchemist could hatch a magic dragon, then when Summerhall was swallowed by wildfire back then, seven great dragons should have flown out. As it turned out, Prince Duncan, 'Duncan the Tall', and Aegon V were all burned to death by wildfire, and the dragons were not reborn."

Eddard said, "One must always try."

Eddard and Marwyn brought the dragon egg to the Alchemists' laboratory, and Ginter appeared very excited, "Lord Eddard, many wise men of the Alchemists' Guild were ordered to hatch dragon eggs for the Dragonlords of House Targaryen, and they all failed; perhaps I can succeed, and thus I will surpass those wise men."

Ginter ignited some wildfire, and the emerald-green wildfire engulfed the dragon egg; until the wildfire burned out completely, the dragon egg did not have the slightest reaction.

Eddard brought the dragon egg to the Weirwood Heart Tree in the Godswood, and with a group of skinchangers including Varamyr, Eagle King McCain, Dragon Prince Michu, Thorn, Orell, Bear King Byars, and Goat Girl Gisella, he prayed to the Heart Tree; Mole's Mother and Morna White Mask, the two Forest Witches, prayed to the Heart Tree in the Old Tongue for the rebirth of the magic dragon, but the dragon egg still had no reaction.

Marwyn and Eddard brought the dragon egg and left the Godswood, meeting Septa Mordane head-on.

Septa Mordane was responsible for managing the sept of Winterfell, and she said, "Lord Eddard, the Old Gods have not responded to your prayers; why not try the Seven?"

Eddard shook his head, "Septa Mordane, thank you for your kindness, but this dragon egg was discovered in the Crypts of Winterfell, and the Starks have worshipped the Old Gods for generations."

Marwyn said, "If praying to the Seven could hatch a dragon, then Baelor the Blessed would have succeeded long ago; is there anyone in the history of the Seven Kingdoms more pious than Baelor?"

Catelyn walked over, "Trying to pray to the Seven, there's nothing wrong with that, right! Septa Mordane, Septa Mordane, and I will take turns praying to the dragon egg before the Seven for seven days and seven nights; we will surely be able to create a miracle."

One could ignore the words of a Septa, but one still had to consider Catelyn's face, so Eddard had no choice but to agree.

Thus, the dragon egg was taken to the sept, and under the seven-colored incense candles of the Seven, Septa Mordane, Septa Mordane, and Catelyn took turns praying for the hatching of the dragon egg.

Eddard and Marwyn had already given up all hope on praying for the hatching of the dragon, so they simply began to study the wight Wheat.

The wight Wheat was only three years old, with deep blue eyes, and she was locked in a cage, her whole body radiating an aura of cold and death.

Back when Eddard was fighting the wights on the upper reaches of the Milkwater, he captured Wheat and brought her to Winterfell.

At first, Eddard placed the cage containing Wheat next to the stables and kennels, but as a result, the cattle and sheep in the stables seemed to go mad, and the dogs in the kennels barked incessantly, so Eddard had no choice but to move Wheat's cage to the Godswood.

This time it was Wheat's turn to howl incessantly; she seemed not to like the gaze of the Weirwood Heart Tree. Eddard intended to put Wheat's cage in the Crypts of Winterfell, but considering it was disrespectful to the ancestors of the Starks, he had to give up.

In the end, Wheat was placed in an empty courtyard under a ruined tower where there was no sunlight, and Wheat was quite content there.

Eddard and Marwyn looked at Wheat through the cage. Marwyn said, "The power of the Others is truly formidable; look at this wight, she is a servant of the Others, neither eating nor drinking, not sleeping, and can work and fight for the Others without end. If we cultivate her a little, I believe Wheat can learn manual labor like mending clothes and knitting sweaters."

If Eddard mastered the skills of the Others, he could manipulate wights to farm; wights did not need to eat or drink, did not need to sleep, and were labor cheaper than forced laborers. However, upon second thought, wights had no laughter, no singing and feasting, no descendants, and no future, and their only ending was to rest in peace.

Manipulating walking corpses to work endlessly was perhaps too evil.

Seven days later, the candles of the Seven were exhausted, and the dragon egg prayer in Catelyn's small sept had failed to make any progress, so Eddard had to take the dragon egg out of the sept and bring it back to his bedroom.

A few days later, Mance Rayder arrived at Winter Town with six thousand Wildlings and more than eighty giants. These were the Wildlings and giants he had newly recruited for the Wolf King Eddard beyond the Wall.

Ever since Eddard conquered the lands beyond the Wall, over one hundred and twenty thousand Wildlings had followed Eddard south to Winterfell; among these Wildlings, over ten thousand elites were incorporated by Eddard into the Winter Wolves, but some Wildlings still remained in the Haunted Forest and the Frostfangs beyond the Wall. Mance traveled everywhere, relying on his personal charisma and prestige to recruit this batch of Wildlings, who then traveled south through Castle Black and followed the Kingsroad to arrive at Winter Town.

Eddard ordered the Captain of the Guard of Winterfell, Jory Cassel, to settle the newly arrived Wildlings in the nearby Stark Estate, while the giants were left directly in Winter Town, with Mag and Wun Wun commanding these giants to help people build houses.

Eddard held a banquet in the Great Hall of Winterfell to entertain Mance, and the table was filled with delicacies such as boar meat, steak brushed with maple syrup, foie gras, turkey brushed with caviar, and chicken roasted with black truffle.

Mance laughed, "If the Wildlings beyond the Wall knew there were so many delicacies in Winterfell, who would still be willing to stay beyond the Wall? It is a pity that some Wildlings have always considered themselves Free Folk; they would rather stay in the ice and snow beyond the Wall, and I estimate there are still thousands of Wildlings beyond the Wall."

Eddard said, "Those Wildlings who linger beyond the Wall will pay the price for their stubbornness; the Others will kill them all and turn them into wights with blue eyes. Fortunately, most of the Wildlings followed me to Winterfell."

Mance's pregnant wife Dalla and Dalla's sister Val sat by Mance's side, and Mance stroked Dalla's protruding belly, "Thanks to the Father of Life! You saved the tribe of the Wildlings. I was a Crow who flew to the lands beyond the Wall from the Shadow Tower; you should have executed me, but not only did you spare me, you also saved so many Wildlings and settled my wife. I am willing to follow the banner of the Direwolf forever!"

Dalla said, "The Father of Life adopts Wildling orphans, builds houses for the Wildlings, and even constructs castles to settle the Wildlings; every Wildling has received the grace of the Father of Life."

Val said, "The Father of Life's mother wolf, Sunshine, has given birth to seven little wolves; the power of the Old Gods is very strong in Winterfell."

Mance looked at the mother wolf Sunshine and the seven little wolves in the corner of the hall, as well as the male wolf Night-Walker lying to the side, and said excitedly, "Father of Life, this is a symbol of the rise and prosperity of House Stark! I request to join the Winter Wolves and serve the Father of Life."

In these past few days, good news had come one after another. Mance Rayder had arrived at Winterfell, and Eddard's Winter Wolves had gained another fierce general; Mance could help Eddard better unite the various tribes of Wildlings.

The raven that flew back from Sea Dragon Point two days ago brought back the good news from Sea Dragon Point. Sir Zack Covington, a Knight of Gong Yang Men, joined forces with Robett Glover, and with the Winter Wolves and the men from Deepwood Motte, they ambushed the pirates at Sea Dragon Point; they burned and captured more than twenty pirate longships and killed fifty pirates. In the pirates' caves, they rescued hundreds of bondmen, salt wives, and children.

Zack Covington stuck the heads of the Ironborn Pirates on the beach to feed the seagulls. The Ironborn Pirates entrenched in other caves and deserted islands, seeing the Winter Wolves attacking in force, burned their pirate nests one after another and hoisted their sails to flee. The pirates in the Sea Dragon Point area had been basically cleared out.

Now these rescued hostages were settled in Deepwood Motte and would be sent to Winterfell along with the captured Ironborn Pirates. The captured Ironborn Pirates would be reduced to forced laborers.

After Dalla and Val left, Mance took a weirwood bracelet from his bosom and handed it to Eddard.

"Lord Eddard, when I was beyond the Wall, I met a Forest Witch, and she entrusted me to give this weirwood bracelet to you."

Eddard frowned, "A Forest Witch? What does she look like?"

Mance said, "She looks like a child, with dark skin and beautiful features, wearing clothes woven from green leaves."

A Child of the Forest.

Mance continued, "The Forest Witch said that if Lord Eddard wears the weirwood bracelet, you can make your dreams come true and have friendly exchanges with the wise man on the weirwood throne."

Eddard put on the weirwood bracelet, and that night, he quickly entered dreamland.

In his dream, Eddard walked in the Godswood of Winterfell and arrived before the Weirwood Heart Tree.

The world spun, and the Weirwood Heart Tree turned into the Green Seer on the weirwood throne, the three-eyed raven Brynden Rivers.

The three-eyed raven said, "Eddard Stark, you have saved countless lives. I heard your prayers through the Heart Tree; you want to bring the magic dragon back to the world, why?"

Eddard said, "With dragons, the Starks can better resist the threat of the Others."

Brynden Rivers said gloomily, "Only to resist the Others? Eddard, the blood of the dragon flows in my veins; I understand the attraction of dragons to mortals. With dragons, House Targaryen could sweep across the Seven Kingdoms and rule the world. With dragons, Valyria could destroy the Old Ghis Empire and the Rhoynar city-states, force the brave and battle-hardened Andals to flee across the sea, and let countless civilizations perish in dragonfire, with countless slaves trembling beneath the crotches of dragons."

"Eddard, do you wish to use dragons to enslave others and carry out endless slaughter?"

Eddard shook his head and said firmly, "I am hatching the dragon only to protect my people and save more lives. Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters certainly killed many people with dragonfire, but the dragon's conquest ended the great division of the Seven Kingdoms that had lasted for thousands of years; if the Seven Kingdoms were left to split, more people would die. Ending war with war."

Brynden Rivers smiled weakly, "A clever answer. The dark power Beyond the Wall is gathering, the Night King is stirring, and as a Green Seer, I am too aged, I fear I lack the strength to resist the advance of the army of darkness."

Eddard said, "Are you still in the cave Beyond the Wall? I can send men to bring you to Winterfell."

The Three-Eyed Crow shook his head, "Not for now; I must remain Beyond the Wall to monitor the movements of the White Walkers with the Children of the Forest. If I require your help, I will come to you in your dreams; as long as you wear the Weirwood Bracelet, I can reach you."

"Eddard, you migrated over a hundred thousand Wildlings to the North, saving many followers of the Old Gods; such a good deed deserves to be rewarded. If you insist, I can help you awaken the Magic Dragon within the Dragon Egg."

Eddard's eyes lit up, "How exactly should I do it?"

The Three-Eyed Crow said, "I must remind you that Magic requires a heavy price. Many believe that Valyria met its destruction because of dragons. Many have seen how, because of dragons, the kings of House Targaryen became increasingly mad and corrupt. Do you still desire a dragon?"

Eddard said, "It is unfair to shift the blame onto dragons; the cause lies with those Dragonriders. I wish to possess a dragon."

The Three-Eyed Crow said, "As you wish. Dragon blood, wolf blood, tears of the Weirwood Heart Tree, and Obsidian powder, mixed together and dripped onto the Dragon Egg, only then can you welcome the rebirth of the Magic Dragon."

The next day, while Jon Snow was helping Eddard wipe down Ice, he accidentally cut his right hand again. After Jon left, Eddard collected the blood from Ice into a Weirwood plate.

The Targaryen blood within Jon Snow—this was the dragon blood.

Then, Eddard used a small knife to cut his own finger, dripping it onto Jon's blood. This was the wolf blood.

Finally, Eddard sprinkled a handful of Obsidian powder; the wolf blood and dragon blood mixed together, presenting an eerie black-red color.

Eddard ordered Mance Rayder to gather the Wildling leaders to the Godswood, and ordered Catelyn to call all the children to the Godswood to witness the rebirth of the Magic Dragon.

Having experienced prayers in the sept, Catelyn no longer held any hope for the Dragon Egg hatching a dragon. She said, "Eddard, stop! Continuing to hatch the Dragon Egg will turn us into a laughingstock. We have prayed to the Heart Tree, prayed in the sept, used Wildfire... we have tried all sorts of methods, it is simply useless."

Eddard stroked the Weirwood Bracelet, "This time I will surely succeed, because the Old Gods have answered my prayers."

Catelyn said helplessly, "If it fails again this time, listen to me and sell the Dragon Egg! Otherwise, Stark will become as mad as the Targaryens."

At night, the moon hung high, and the stars were dense.

Under the gaze of Wildling leaders such as Mance Rayder, Tormund, Dalla, Harma the Dogshead, the Wildling Princess Val, Mole's Mother, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, and the Eagle King McCain, Magnar Styr, and others, Eddard held the Weirwood plate in his hands. The Weirwood Heart Tree watched Eddard and the Dragon Egg before it.

Robb, Jon, Arya, Sansa, Bran, and Rickon stood on the other side of Eddard with their direwolf pups, while the direwolves Night and Sunshine stood guard to the side.

Giant King Mag and Wun Wun stood in the back row.

Archmaester Marwyn and Maester Luwin, along with a group of maesters, apprentices, and wards of Winterfell, stood in front of the giants.

Marwyn looked at the sea of people in the Godswood. He walked toward Eddard and whispered, "Lord Eddard, why have you gathered so many people for an experimental phase? If this fails, the face of this Father of Life, this Wolf King, will be lost."

Eddard said, "I believe in the power of Magic, Marwyn. Now is the moment to witness the power of Magic."

On the pale, bone-like Weirwood Heart Tree, the blood-red leaves rustled. Eddard closed his eyes, holding the Weirwood plate; the blood on the snow-white plate was particularly striking. Eddard murmured, "The wind blows through the leaves, bringing the whispers of the Old Gods. The Old Gods tell me that the Magic Dragon will be born today, in the Godswood of Winterfell."

Eddard pointed his finger at the human face on the Weirwood Heart Tree; thick sap flowed from the eyes of the face, as if it were weeping blood.

"The tears of the Old Gods will bring the Magic Dragon back to the world of men. This shall be the dragon of Stark, the dragon of the Winter Wolves, the dragon of the North!"

Eddard dipped his finger into the sap of the Weirwood Heart Tree; the sap merged with the blood in the plate, and the blood instantly boiled.

Hundreds of crows obscured the sky, dense and thick, landing and filling the branches of the Weirwood Heart Tree.

Marwyn, Mance Rayder, Tormund, Robb, Catelyn, and the others were all stunned.

The scalding dragon blood, wolf blood, and tears of the Heart Tree, mixed with the power of Obsidian, were poured onto the Dragon Egg.

The Dragon Egg began to smoke violently; the azure patterns and blood-red patterns on the gray-black shell began to tremble, shake, burn, and tear apart violently.

Finally, as if a volcano had erupted, the Dragon Egg spewed out scalding magma and flames; the shell cracked, and a dragon crawled out from within.

This small dragon had scales like black jade and eyes like Red Garnet. It flapped its wings, landed on Eddard's shoulder, and the dragon spat a mouthful of flame into the air.

The crowd knelt in silence. The learned Archmaester Marwyn, Maester Luwin, the Wildling leaders Mance Rayder, Tormund, the skinchanger Varamyr, Bear King Byars, Gisela, Thorn, Borroq, Giant Eagle Prince Michu, Giant King Mag, Leilei, Xixi, and Wun Wun, along with Eddard's wards, all knelt before the Wolf King and the dragon.

Even Catelyn, with her children, knelt before Eddard.

The people were kneeling to the dragon, to the Weirwood Heart Tree, to the crows covering the Heart Tree, and even more so to Eddard, who had created this miracle.

The Magic Dragon let out a roar on Eddard's shoulder. The direwolves Night and Sunshine responded immediately, followed by the giant eagles, Terrorbirds, unicorns, Snow Bears, hellhounds, and others, all roaring. The hundreds of crows on the branches began to caw, and the beasts joined the chorus of the Magic Dragon, as if welcoming the return of the Magic Dragon.

Thanks to Yun Zhong Jun for the tip and monthly ticket, thanks to Dote MR Little Rocket Forever Happy, CD, and Great Pirate lg for the monthly tickets, thank you for your support!

(End of chapter)