Chapter 215: The Young Wolf Takes Casterly Rock, the Dragon Knight Saves Harrenhal

The thick smoke over Casterly Rock had not yet dissipated, and the Stark Army had already begun to attack Lannisport.

After daybreak, the smoke from Casterly Rock could be seen clearly from Lannisport. After all, the height of Casterly Rock was three times that of the Wall.

Once upon a time, Casterly Rock was the hope of Lannisport; as long as the giant rock stood firm, the defenders and residents of Lannisport still held onto hope.

Now, billowing black smoke emerging from the windows, balconies, and defensive towers of Casterly Rock could only mean one thing: Casterly Rock had fallen.

The defenders and residents of Lannisport began to fall into panic, and Brynden Tully and Bronze Yohn immediately intensified the siege.

At the same time, the Iron Bitch Helene Pyke led the North Coast Fleet to land at the port of Lannisport, launching a fierce assault on the west and south gates of Lannisport.

The most intense fighting occurred at the north and east gates. The Stark Army's catapults hurled giant stones at the walls, arrows flew back and forth between the defenders on the walls and the archers of the Stark Army, and the suicide squads of House Frey rushed toward the gates with battering rams.

Giant eagles swooped down from the air to attack, and the archers of the Lannisport garrison could only aim at the giant eagles.

Some giant eagles were struck by sharp arrows and could only flap their wings and fly away. Although the giant eagles in the air were repelled, they had bought time for the siege troops below the walls.

Giant King Mag rode a mammoth to the foot of the wall. The Lannister archers struck Mag, and his arms and thighs were bristling with arrows. Mag let out roars that sounded like thunder rolling over the walls of Lannisport, and he swung his warhammer, smashing it against the gate.

The gate, already battered and bruised by the battering ram, crumbled and collapsed before the giant's warhammer. The defenders inside the gate were crushed beneath it, and Giant King Mag, leading the giants and the golden lady riding a lion, charged into the gate of Lannisport.

The lion tore open the throat of a Westerlands Knight, and Giant King Mag used his warhammer to smash the Lannisport defenders into meat patties one by one. The gate was filled with screams, the neighing of horses, and shouts. The defenders scattered in flight; behind the giants and the golden lady were tens of thousands of warriors from The Vale, the Riverlands, and the North.

The Lannisport garrison, their morale shattered, was completely routed before the Stark Army. A torrent of steel flooded the walls of Lannisport and every street in the city. After bloody and intense street fighting, the Stark Army completely occupied Lannisport.

Lannisport is the third-largest city in Westeros, second only to King's Landing and Oldtown. Lannisport is the heart of the Westerlands, and even the central city of the entire West, where the Golden Road connecting to King's Landing, the River Road connecting to the Riverlands, and the Ocean Road connecting to Highgarden in The Reach all converge.

This city possesses the most goldsmiths in Westeros, and its gold processing craftsmanship is at the leading level in Westeros.

This is the third city to submit under the Direwolf Banner, following White Harbor in the North and Gulltown in The Vale. The wealth and population scale of Lannisport far exceed those of Gulltown and White Harbor.

White Harbor possesses a large number of silversmiths, while Lannisport gathers many goldsmiths; now, Eddard Stark no longer needs to worry about gold and silver processing.

The wealth of the Lannisters has fallen entirely into Eddard's hands, and the gold and silver mines of the Westerlands have caused the wealth of Eddard Stark and House Stark to skyrocket.

At the Goldsmiths' Square in Lannisport, the Young Wolf Robb, Brynden Tully, and Helene Pyke held a victory meeting.

Helene Pyke was wearing looted gilded breastplates, black breeches, and seal-skin boots; she was beautiful and evil.

Robb embraced the Iron Bitch, "Helene, you are worthy of being the Admiral of the North; you helped us conquer the Westerlands."

During the march into the Westerlands, the North Coast Fleet commanded by Helene had been raiding the coastal areas of the Westerlands, including the Hollow Hill of House Banefort, the Crag of House Westerling, Fair Isle of House Farman, Ketch of House Kenning, and Feastfires of House Prester. The territories of these nobles were all raided by the North Fleet.

Even the fishing villages near Lannisport and Casterly Rock did not escape.

Helene tickled Robb and laughed, "I heard that you conquered Casterly Rock with thick smoke. Robb, you and Jon are both geniuses at war! Jon burned the Heatwave River, and you used thick smoke to conquer Casterly Rock."

The Casterly Rock in the north was still emitting thick smoke; the entire Casterly Rock had turned into a smoke castle, and the thick smoke obscured the northern sky.

After the battle to ambush Casterly Rock began, Robb dispatched fishing boats loaded with wildfire to attack the cave harbor of Casterly Rock, igniting the Lannister ships moored in the harbor. Many fishing nets and canvases were ignited by the wildfire and burned fiercely, and subsequently, the entire harbor, docks, and warehouses were all ablaze.

Afterward, the giants smashed open the Lion Gate, directly ignited piles of firewood at the Lion Gate, and continued to pump in thick smoke.

Robb said, "Now Casterly Rock is full of thick smoke; we must wait until the smoke dissipates before we send soldiers into Casterly Rock."

Helene Pyke clapped her hands, and soldiers immediately brought forward Emmon Frey, Genna Lannister, and their son Ser Cleos Frey and others.

The Iron Bitch Helene said, "Duke Tywin's sister Genna, with her husband Emmon Frey, was taking a group of children, grandchildren, family members, and personal guards, intending to flee by boat from the seaside, but they were captured by our Northern warships."

Genna is Duke Tywin's sister, with a head of golden hair; she was fat and bloated, with a full chest, and her golden silk gown seemed about to burst. She wore a pure gold necklace strung with sapphires.

Emmon Frey is the second son of Lord Walder Frey. He married Genna but had lived in Lannisport and Casterly Rock for many years, effectively marrying into House Lannister. Emmon Frey was as thin as a hemp stalk, and his eyes were filled with fear and brimming with tears.

The coward Emmon Frey, upon seeing Robb, immediately knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Young Wolf, Ser Brynden Tully, I am a member of House Frey with pure blood. After the Lannisters went to war with the Riverlands, I tried many times to flee back to The Twins to join the Frey army and fight for Eddard Stark, but unfortunately, I never had the chance. I beg you, show me mercy!"

Lady Genna was furious and slapped Emmon Frey, "Spineless thing, Emmon, do you think that by begging for mercy, the Starks and Tullys will spare you? All men must die; begging for mercy at the last moment is useless and will only make others look down on you!"

The Iron Bitch Helene laughed wickedly, "Lady Genna has a lot of backbone. Originally, when my fleet was attacking the city, we shot and killed the Lannisport garrison Captain Ser Harrison Lannister, but Lady Genna took over command and repelled the fleet's multiple attacks."

Robb stared at Lady Genna, "Our army has already captured Lannisport and Casterly Rock. Ser Barristan has taken Ketch and Feastfires. The Lannister rule in the Westerlands has collapsed. Lady Genna, surrender is your only choice."

Lady Genna gave a light snort, "How could a lion kneel to a direwolf? Don't think you can do whatever you want. Duke Tywin will lead his army to kill every one of you. Do you still remember 'The Rains of Castamere'?"

Robb said disdainfully, "At Castamere, the Stark Army sang 'The Rains of Castamere' and crushed Duke Tywin's army like a hot knife through butter. Duke Tywin was in a sorry state and fled back to Casterly Rock. He tried to put up a desperate struggle, but in the end, Casterly Rock still fell."

"Since ancient times, Casterly Rock has never fallen. This time, it was taken by the Stark Army, and thick smoke filled every hall, every cave, and every corner of Casterly Rock. I suspect that the Kingslayer, Ser Kevan, and Duke Tywin all died in Casterly Rock."

Genna was somewhat heartbroken; she clenched her fists and trembled, "Even if you killed Duke Tywin, Duke Tywin will be reborn from death like the Death Storm, Rhaegar Targaryen! A Lannister always pays his debts! We will definitely take revenge, take revenge on the Starks, the Tullys, and take revenge on every invader!"

Having said that, Genna swung her fist at Robb, but Robb easily dodged it. Afterward, Greatjon Umber, who was standing by, pinned Lady Genna down, and soldiers put shackles on her and took her away.

Brynden Tully looked at Lady Genna's retreating figure, "Lady Genna is a woman with backbone, but she is too paranoid. She actually longs for the people of House Lannister to become the undead to take revenge; how truly degenerate!"

Roose Bolton said in a soft voice, "The women of House Lannister are all of this ilk. House Lannister lives in golden caves and sits on gold mines; their bloodline is destined to be greedy and crazy. Cersei becoming a Corpse Queen is also because of her Lannister bloodline."

"If Lady Genna and Queen Cersei were willing to use leeches to suck blood, they could undoubtedly eliminate the madness in their bloodline."

Roose Bolton is a staunch supporter of Leech Therapy and uses leeches to suck blood every day. However, after entering the Westerlands to fight, Roose Bolton's mood has not been good, because Roose Bolton's House Bolton is responsible for protecting the supply train.

In the terrain of the Westerlands, the mountainous landscape makes the massive supply train very easy to attack. Being responsible for the supply train is a thankless task, and House Bolton has suffered relatively high casualties, yet has always been denied the honor of the vanguard.

Thousands of Lannisport garrison soldiers and members of House Lannister were captured. The Stark Army seized a large amount of supplies, grain, warhorses, armor, and weapons. The mansions of House Lannister in Lannisport, the weapons and armor in the armories, and the warhorses in the stables were all looted clean.

However, after Ser Brynden Tully entered the city, he immediately dispatched soldiers to protect the goldsmith shops on Goldsmith Street, the blacksmith shops on Blacksmith Street, and the silversmith shops, so many craftsmen were spared from being looted.

The Westerlands possess a large amount of gold. The gold and silver mines in areas like Castamere, Casterly Rock, Nun Castle, and Pendrey Hills have rich reserves, and the Westerlands need craftsmen to increase the value of the gold and silver.

Because the Lannisters are a massive family, many among the captives were blonde and blue-eyed, and the Lannister characteristics were very obvious. Subsequently, Robb announced Eddard Stark's order.

"According to my father's order, whether it is the Lannisters of Casterly Rock or the Lannisters of Lannisport, or the distant relatives of the Lannisters like the Lannetts, Lannys, and Lantells, as long as they bear the surname Lannister, all are to be put in shackles and escorted to the North to be settled in Wolf Castle on the Wall."

The Iron Bitch Helene revealed an evil smile.

"The Wolf Prince is trying to pull the Lannisters of the Westerlands out by the roots! In this way, the gold of the Westerlands will have nothing to do with House Lannister and their relatives."

Roose Bolton was full of praise, "If the people of House Lannister are left in the Westerlands, they will be a huge hidden danger in the future. Duke Tywin and Queen Cersei could both potentially make a comeback. When they return to the Westerlands, they will find that those blonde, blue-eyed relatives living in Lannisport have all gone to the North."

Greatjon Umber said in a gruff voice, "Let this bunch of Lannisters who think themselves noble go and feel the anger of the North's bitter cold! We will teach them how to use leaves to wipe their noble Lannister asses. Winter is coming, and the Wall needs every living person. Without a doubt, these Lannisters can contribute a share of strength to resisting the undead from Beyond the Wall."

The members of House Lannister, as well as their distant relatives the Lannetts, Lannys, Lantells, etc., numbered over a thousand. These blonde, blue-eyed men, women, and children were all put in shackles and driven onto ships.

Three blonde, blue-eyed young men tried to resist; they cursed incessantly and attacked the Northern soldiers. The Iron Bitch waved her hand, and these three young men were immediately hanged at the port. Afterward, these members of House Lannister became much more docile, like dejected ducks, lining up to board the ships.

They will take ships to the North, traveling north across Ironman's Bay and Blazewater Bay, reaching Bay of Ice, and then heading to Wolf Castle on the Wall to labor on the estates, and they may also be used to garrison the Wall during wartime.

A few days later, Lannisport returned to calm. After the city garrison was disbanded, the Winter Wolves took over the defense of the city.

At this time, the thick smoke at Casterly Rock finally dissipated, and soldiers from the Three Rivers Army, Winter Wolves, and Chick Eagle Army carried thousands of corpses out of the caves, halls, barracks, great halls, and armories of Casterly Rock; most of the corpses had died from smoke suffocation.

Only the Westerlands soldiers in the ring forts, platforms, watchtowers, and arrow towers escaped the disaster; these soldiers were scattered across the various platforms of the two-thousand-foot-tall Casterly Rock, trembling before the giant eagles. After Duke Tywin fled, Casterly Rock was left without a leader, and the surviving Westerlands soldiers, seeing the boundless enemies below the city, were terrified and could only choose to surrender.

They were the survivors of the smoke attack on Casterly Rock, and their total number did not exceed one thousand.

The corpses of the Westerlands soldiers piled up into a small hill, and Robb ordered the dead to be cremated to the north of Casterly Rock.

In the age of the undead, cremation is the safest.

The Young Wolf Robb and Ser Brynden, amidst the cheers of the soldiers and the roar of the direwolf Grey Wind, entered Casterly Rock through the Lion Gate.

The most magnificent, wealthiest, and most heavily defended castle in all of Westeros had fallen into the hands of the Starks, into the pocket of Eddard.

This was yet another magnificent castle captured by the Wolf King Eddard, following the Eyrie in the Vale and Harrenhal in the Riverlands.

The fall of Casterly Rock marked the end of Lannister rule in the Westerlands and the beginning of Stark rule.

The lion statues on both sides of the Lion Gate of Casterly Rock had already been moved away by giants, and local stonemasons had already begun carving direwolf statues.

The direwolf replaced the lion, just like the banners flying atop Casterly Rock. The Stark Army cut down the lion banners of House Lannister and replaced them with the direwolf banners of House Stark.

The mountains of armor, weapons, bows and arrows in Casterly Rock, the granaries filled with corn and wheat, and the stables with two thousand warhorses all fell into the hands of the Stark Army.

Robb, Ser Brynden, and the nobles of the North, the Riverlands, and the Vale were filled with admiration as they saw the winding corridors, the uniquely styled halls and bedrooms, the massive Golden Lion Throne, the magnificent golden gallery, and the Hall of Heroes hung with the ornate armor and swords of past Kings of the Rock, Lords of Lannister, and Westerlands knights.

However, the most valuable thing was still the gold mines within Casterly Rock.

The halls, barracks, armories, bedrooms, and kitchens of Casterly Rock were all expanded by excavating the gold veins.

Greatjon Umber looked at the gold in the mine tunnels, "No wonder Duke Tywin could lend King Robert millions of Gold Dragons. They possess so much gold; this gold is simply inexhaustible. Compared to gold, the silver of the Westerlands is as cheap as scrap metal."

Robb said, "Duke Tywin has rarely mined the gold mines of Casterly Rock in recent years; the gold mines of Castamere alone were enough for the Lannisters' extravagance and waste."

In the Golden Hall, Robb sat on the Golden Lion Throne, while the nobles of the Riverlands, the North, and the Vale sat on both sides of the hall. The nobles and soldiers opened the Blue Noble and golden wine from the Arbor—fine wines treasured by Duke Tywin—and held a feast using food from the Lannister kitchens.

The Red Viper Oberyn said excitedly, "Drinking Lannister wine, playing with Lannister women in a Lannister castle—this is truly the greatest joy in life."

Bronze Yohn said, "Prince Oberyn, Duke Tywin, the Kingslayer Jaime, and Ser Kevan have escaped; do you feel regret?"

The Red Viper Oberyn smiled, "For the old thief Tywin and the people of House Lannister, a quick and painless death is actually a mercy. Let Duke Tywin run! One day, I will complete the hunt and let Tywin live in fear and trepidation; that is also a form of revenge for me!"

The Hound Sandor said in a rough voice, "Speaking of revenge, the Red Viper at least slaughtered his enemy Amory Lorch, but where exactly did my older brother the Mountain Gregor escape to? I hunted the Mountain all the way, thinking he was in Casterly Rock or Lannisport, but I didn't find the Mountain's corpse here at all."

The Mountain Gregor was a target hunted by both the Hound Sandor and the Red Viper, but he had disappeared in the chaos of war.

Robb said, "The Mountain is not here; he likely fled to the Reach. The Mountain's troop, like Vargo Hoat's Brave Companions, has been routed and reduced to remnants and bandits."

"The Stark Army easily captured Clegane's Keep. My father long ago ordered that once the Lannisters were defeated, the Mountain's title and lands would be stripped, and the lands, castle, and taxes of Clegane's Keep would be regranted to you."

"Sandor Clegane, from now on, you are the Lord of Clegane's Keep."

Sandor didn't care at all, "I don't like Clegane's Keep one bit, but since it's being bestowed upon me, I have no choice but to accept it. Now, my older brother has truly become a stray dog, a Mountain who has lost his dog kennel. But I won't sit in Clegane's Keep waiting for the Mountain to seek revenge. I will continue to follow the Wolf King on his campaign."

Ser Brynden said, "Some captives say Duke Tywin fled to the Iron Islands to join King Balon, some say he fled to the Reach to join Mace Tyrell, and others say Duke Tywin went to King's Landing to join the Corpse Queen Serxi."

Robb said disdainfully, "After the fall of Casterly Rock and Lannisport, Duke Tywin is already a broken-backed dog; no matter where he flees, it will be difficult for him to stir up trouble again."

Ser Brynden said, "Casterly Rock can house tens of thousands of people; this is truly an impregnable castle. Robb, if not for your smoke strategy, we could never have captured Casterly Rock."

Robb said modestly, "Ser Brynden, you taught me a lot; the greatest credit for conquering the Westerlands belongs to my father and you."

"The war in the Westerlands is about to end. House Farman of Fair Isle has already sent envoys and sent a ward to announce their surrender. Only House Crakehall of Cornfield and House Swyft of Cornfield are still struggling to hold on, but I believe they will surrender soon as well."

"According to my father's instructions when he left the Westerlands, Ser Brynden, you will become the Acting Castellan of Casterly Rock and the Warden of the Westerlands."

Ser Brynden frowned, "Prince Rhaegar is ravaging the Riverlands with an undead army. The Riverlands are my home; I had originally intended to take my troops and return to the Riverlands to fight!"

Robb said, "Ser Brynden, the North and the Vale will fight side-by-side with the Riverlands. My father is personally holding Harrenhal, and I will also take many nobles and return to the Riverlands to fight. The Westerlands need you more."

"As long as you hold Casterly Rock and govern the Westerlands, Duke Tywin and the Kingslayer Jaime will have no way to retake the Westerlands."

At Storm's End, the banners on the battlements were the Crown of the Stag on one side and the Flame Heart banner on the other.

Because Robert the Death Storm used the Crown Stag Banner, this put Stannis, who was defending the battlements of Storm's End, in an awkward position, as Stannis used the Flame Heart Stag Banner.

The bright red flame heart almost completely swallowed the Crown of the Stag in the middle; if one didn't look closely, it was impossible to tell.

The Onion Knight Davos took the opportunity to advise Stannis that he should switch back to the traditional Crown Stag Banner of House Baratheon.

"Your Grace, Storm's End is the ancestral seat of House Baratheon. The Death Storm uses the Crown Stag Banner; if you fly the Flame Heart banner, it is not conducive to uniting the hearts of the Stormlands. People are not accustomed to fighting under unfamiliar banners."

In the end, Stannis adopted the advice of the Onion Knight Davos and switched back to the Crown Stag Banner; of course, on the other side of the banner, he still retained the flame heart symbolizing R'hllor.

The Red Woman Melisandre displayed her abilities before the undead; her flames helped Storm's End repel the undead army and the giant bats time and time again. The holy fire placed on the battlements of Storm's End made even the giant bats retreat.

However, Melisandre could not win the people's love. Melisandre, who came from a foreign land, began to sacrifice living people to R'hllor; these living people all came from the dungeons of Storm's End and were originally destined for execution.

The result was just as Melisandre had promised Stannis: Melisandre's power at Storm's End grew stronger and stronger, and she could easily ignite the giant bats in the air.

But this did not reduce people's worries. People began to whisper, and many felt that Melisandre, like the necromancers in King's Landing, relied on the fear and screams of the dying to absorb power. R'hllor was as cruel as the Great Other.

If the death-row prisoners in the dungeons of Storm's End ran out, would Melisandre sacrifice innocent living people next?

With the undead ravaging the land, the Red Woman Melisandre and her cruel Red God could not put the people of Storm's End at ease. Some nobles, knights, and common soldiers began to pray to the Seven.

The most typical representative of this was Ser Bonifer Hasty, the "Little Baelor," an old knight from the Stormlands. Because of his kind heart and devout faith in the Seven, he earned the nickname "Little Baelor."

This day, Stannis was on the walls of Storm's End inspecting the city defenses when Ser Bonifer Hasty walked over.

"Your Grace, yesterday I prayed to the Seven in the sept. The Crone told me that we need to form a Holy Knight Legion composed of believers of the Seven to resist the undead army. I request that Your Grace immediately form a Holy Knight Legion!"

Stannis's jaw tightened, "A Holy Knight Legion? I remember that during the time of Maegor I, the Faith Militant fought against the Iron Throne, making Westeros bleed. Your Holy Knight Legion sounds like the Faith Militant."

"Do you think I would let the Faith Militant cause trouble under my nose?"

Ser Bonifer explained, "Your Grace, this is not the Faith Militant. To be honest, when I was in King's Landing, I couldn't stand those High Septons who pretended to be devout; they were full of empty moralizing while actually being corrupt and depraved."

"The Holy Knight Legion swears loyalty to King Stannis, not the Church."

Stannis was unmoved, "I don't think it's necessary. If I form a Holy Knight Legion for the Seven today, will I have to form a Flame Legion for the Red God tomorrow?"

The Onion Knight Davos said, "Your Grace, the High Septon in Oldtown is calling on the believers of the Seven in Westeros, the knights anointed with holy oil, to overthrow Serxi and Joffrey on the Iron Throne in King's Landing and defeat the Lannisters."

"After Renly Baratheon gave up the crown, the only ones left competing with Your Grace for the Iron Throne are Joffrey, who blasphemes the Seven and worships the evil Great Other, and the Wolf King Eddard. The Wolf King Eddard has never been crowned king, but he controls the power of the North, the Vale, and the Riverlands. If nothing goes wrong, he will soon annex the lands of the Westerlands, and claiming the title of king is only a matter of time."

"The Wolf King Eddard is a believer in the Old Gods, and Joffrey is a believer in the Great Other. We can make good use of this. Now that the undead are ravaging the land, if Your Grace forms a Holy Knight Legion, you will certainly win the support of the believers of the Seven."

Melisandre, standing to the side, remained silent.

Stannis began to grind his teeth, "I never thought that for a crown, I would have to cater to this one and flatter that one. This is the price of a crown! Since that is the case, I agree to establish the Holy Knight Legion."

After Stannis left, the Onion Knight Davos said to Melisandre, "I once worried that you would oppose His Majesty forming the Holy Knight Legion. You seem less repulsed by the faith of the Seven than before."

Melisandre said, "Onion Knight, apart from R'hllor and the Great Other, there are no other gods in this world. The Northmen worship the Weirwood Heart Tree, and those south of the Neck worship the Seven; they are all false gods."

"The duel between light and darkness, between Fire and Ice, is eternal. Once humanity loses this war, the fire of life in the entire world will be extinguished."

"With the Undead running rampant and a great enemy at the gates, since the ignorant are willing to seek comfort from false gods, why should I stop them?"

The next day at noon, one thousand Holy Knights knelt before Stannis and, under the watch of the Seven, swore their allegiance to Stannis.

In the following days, the Holy Knight Legion, wielding the Burning Sword beneath the walls of Storm's End, defeated the Undead army of the death storm, and the death storm retreated back to the Kingswood.

Stannis and Melisandre stood on the walls of Storm's End, gazing at the overcast sky to the north.

"Fire is indeed the nemesis of the Undead. My soldiers have adapted to fighting the Undead. Perhaps the time for us to counterattack has arrived? Killing our way to King's Landing from here is the straight Kingsroad."

The large red ruby on Melisandre's snow-white neck pulsed with her heartbeat.

"Your Majesty, you must not underestimate the enemy. Our army sang songs of victory at Storm's End because the sacrifice I offered to R'hllor pleased the Red God, but the power of R'hllor in this place still cannot contend with the Great Other."

"In King's Landing, the Undead wizard Ogbeta must sacrifice seven followers of the Seven to the Great Other every day. I can only sacrifice one criminal a day; the criminals in Storm's End are almost used up."

"If we can sacrifice more living people to please the Red God, only when we have the power can we march on King's Landing."

Stannis gave a light snort, "Could it be that this war is a slaughter competition between the Red God and the Great Other? I am not Cersei; I do not allow the slaughter of the innocent."

Melisandre said gloomily, "But if there are no living sacrifices, we have no way to engage the Undead army. For the Undead wizard Ogbeta, resurrecting the ice dragon is only a matter of time."

"Just imagine, once the ice dragon Belerion sprays frost toward Storm's End, how will we resist the wrath of the Ice Dragon?"

"The prisoners in the dungeon are almost used up; we must find new sacrifices."

Stannis pondered for a long while, "The dungeons of Griffin's Roost, Tarth, and Estermont can be emptied to cope for a period of time. I will dispatch the Royal Fleet to attack the Stepstones; the pirates captured will be sacrificed directly to R'hllor."

Melisandre revealed a smile, "Your Majesty, this is a good idea. However, Your Majesty should still be careful of the threat of the Undead."

"That one-eyed man has appeared in the holy fire once again. This time I saw his emblem clearly; it is a golden Sea Monster!"

"This person is precisely the second brother of King Balon, Euron Greyjoy. He comes from the sea carrying an evil horn, surrounded by the corpses of crabs."

"Without a doubt, Euron will attack Claw Isle or Crab Isle."

Stannis said with disgust, "So it is Euron. If Robert had executed the damned Balon, Euron, and Victarion back then, the kingdom would be much more peaceful."

"I should still focus on the war at Storm's End. I believe the Royal Fleet and the Lys pirate Salladhor Saan can protect Crab Isle and Claw Isle."

"In these last two days, the Giant Bats seem to have become much fewer."

Melisandre said, "The Giant Bats have all gone north. I believe they went to besiege Harrenhal."

"After all, Harrenhal has the nemesis of the Undead; there are Magic Dragons there."

In the Godswood of Harrenhal, Shield Dawson and Sir Wyllis Wode walked over, escorting Wys.

Wys was short and fat with a bulbous nose; he was a servant of Lady Whent and one of the tower stewards.

Because Harrenhal was truly too large, with the Wailing Tower, Kingspyre Tower, Terror Tower, Widow's Tower, and Ghost Tower, every tower had a steward, and Wys was the steward of the Wailing Tower.

Arya pointed at Wys with Needle, "I saw it. In the dead of night, Wys prayed to a skull necklace, praying to the Great Other. He prayed for the Great Other to send down divine wrath to level Harrenhal."

Catelyn often ran into Wys in the sept. Every time she met Catelyn, Wys was kind-hearted and flattering. Catelyn thought the other party was a devout follower of the Seven; she never expected that Wys was actually a follower of the Great Other hidden in Harrenhal.

Catelyn looked at Wys, "Are you really a follower of the Great Other?"

Wys revealed a ferocious smile, "The Great Other will kill every one of you. Every night when I sleep, I can communicate with the ghosts of Harrenhal. Harrenhal is destined to be a castle of the Undead!"

"Harren the Black will curse you, the wedding guest Gorgen will make you flow with blood, and the madwoman Danelle Lothston will send out her bats and will kill every one of you."

Shield Dawson punched Wys in the face. Wys's teeth shattered and he spat blood, "My Lady, this guy is completely insane."

Wys spat out a few broken teeth, "The New and Old Gods will all tremble before the Great Other, and the followers of the Great Other will live forever in death and darkness!"

The Acting Castellan, Lord Rickard Karstark, said angrily, "This brat actually dares to blaspheme the Old Gods in the Godswood, before the sacred Weirwood Heart Tree! I will slaughter him and blood-sacrifice him to the Old Gods!"

Thereupon, Lord Rickard tore open Wys's chest with a dagger. The bloody corpse was hung under the Weirwood Heart Tree, and crows pecked at Wys's eyeballs.

Catelyn said worriedly, "Lord Rickard, those ghosts that Wys spoke of..."

Lord Rickard Karstark said disdainfully, "My Lady, Harrenhal is indeed full of ghosts, but could these ghosts be worse than those restless Undead outside Harrenhal? If the ghosts of Harrenhal dare to provoke us, we will kill them just the same."

"I am more worried about how many followers of the Great Other are still hidden among the living in Harrenhal. I do not believe Wys is the only follower of the Great Other in the vast Harrenhal. If the Undead and Giant Bats attack Harrenhal, it would be dangerous if these followers of the Great Other act as inside agents in the castle."

Catelyn secretly rejoiced that after the Wolf King Eddard took control of Harrenhal, he immediately blocked the postern gates of Harrenhal. Harrenhal once possessed many postern gates, and these small gates were easily utilized by traitors.

Now, Harrenhal only had the main gate, and the pressure of defense was greatly reduced.

After night fell, Catelyn, Sansa, and Arya stood on the balcony of the second floor of the Kingspyre Tower. The Water Dancer Syrio Forel, Shield Dawson, and Gendry stood guard to the side.

Gendry had already been promoted to a guard. He was the bastard son of Robert and also the foster son of the Wolf King Eddard. His weapon was a warhammer. Years of blacksmithing had allowed Gendry to train a body of muscle; he was as strong as a bull.

Earth-shattering horns came from all directions.

Tonight was destined to be another bloody night.

The Giant Bats had come, in swarms, obscuring the bright moonlit sky. Could these really be the bats of the madwoman Danelle?

Legend had it that Danelle Lothston would send out bats to capture children and bring them to Harrenhal. Danelle would eat the children and then bathe in the children's blood. To this day, in many ballads and stories, Danelle was the protagonist of terror, often used to scare children.

On the walls, crossbowmen in the towers fired with bows and crossbows. The Giant Bats flapped their wings, and the silver-haired, purple-eyed Rhaegar Targaryen jumped down from the back of a Giant Bat.

The crossbowmen on the walls were dumbfounded. Blue light flickered in Rhaegar Targaryen's eyes. The archers fired arrows at Rhaegar Targaryen, but Rhaegar Targaryen dodged with incomparable swiftness, then jumped into the crowd of crossbowmen, hacking down every opponent as if chopping melons and vegetables.

Many blue-eyed Undead jumped down from the Giant Bats, along with some skeleton warriors.

The crossbowmen were caught off guard. The Undead and skeleton warriors brandished Skull Swords, hacking away. The crossbowmen screamed repeatedly, blood flowing like a river.

The Magic Dragons Eagle Eye and Jinli flew to the top of the wall, bathing the Undead on the wall with Dragonfire. The Undead screamed repeatedly, and then four Giant Bats surrounded and attacked Eagle Eye and Jinli together.

These two Magic Dragons had not grown up after all. Under the siege of the Giant Bats, they fell from the wall and fought the bats on the ground.

The black and white bears, the Direwolf Nymeria, and Lady rushed up to tear and bite, only then killing the Giant Bats.

Lord Rickard was directing the battle on the other side of the wall. He roared, "Gather your courage, kill every bat, and Rhaegar too!"

The garrison on the wall fought desperately against the Undead, skeletons, and Giant Bats. The sounds of battle and screams were everywhere; everywhere was blood, severed limbs, and corpses. Soldiers killed by the Undead would not take long before resurrecting as blue-eyed dead men.

The Giant Bats transported the Undead to every tower. For a time, the Terror Tower, Wailing Tower, Ghost Tower, Kingspyre Tower, and Widow's Tower were filled with the sounds of battle. The sound of metal clashing echoed in every corner of the castle.

The Undead have broken into the Kingspyre Tower; Undead have appeared in both the first-floor hall and the second floor.

Water Dancer Syrio drew his Assassin Sword, "Gendry, protect Catelyn Stark, Miss Sansa, and Miss Arya, return to the room, and drop the latch!"

Catelyn, Sansa, and Arya followed Gendry, retreated into the room, and Gendry dropped the latch.

Sansa let out a long sigh of relief, "We are finally safe now."

No sooner had the words left her lips than a scream came from the window; a Giant Bat smashed through the window, carrying several Undead on its back, and Catelyn and Sansa screamed in terror.

Gendry swung his warhammer at the Giant Bat, and Arya used Needle to block an Undead.

Under the training of Water Dancer Syrio Forel, Arya had already mastered skillful techniques, but she was only a child after all; soon, the Undead knocked Arya's Needle flying.

The Undead thrust its Longsword at Arya, but fortunately, Gendry smashed that Undead to pieces, and Gendry shielded Arya.

Sansa and Catelyn finally managed to drop the latch, and Shield Dawson and Water Dancer Syrio Forel immediately rushed in; the two used torches to kill the Undead, and Gendry used his warhammer to smash the Giant Bat's head to a pulp.

There were more and more Undead on the second floor; Water Dancer Syrio and Shield Dawson protected Catelyn, Arya, and Sansa, charged out of the second floor, and arrived at the first floor, where the darkness was filled with corpses and Undead; Shield Dawson and Water Dancer Syrio blocked the Undead.

Catelyn, Sansa, and Arya arrived in the courtyard, where the situation was even worse.

The giant Leilei was covered in crawling Undead; Leilei strangled one Undead and stomped two more to death, but the number of Undead was increasing.

Sir Carole used his Burning Sword to kill a Giant Bat, but was stabbed to death by an Undead, and immediately became one of the Undead.

There were more and more Giant Bats in the air, and a group of Undead surrounded Sansa, Catelyn, and Arya.

The Direwolves Lady and Nymeria rushed up to protect their masters, but they were wounded by skeleton swords, bleeding profusely, and could only retreat to the side.

Gendry was struck in the head by a burly, bald Undead and fell to the ground.

Sansa began to cry, Catelyn fell into despair, and even Arya felt hopeless.

Suddenly, the screech of a giant eagle came from the sky, and dozens of giant eagles appeared above Harrenhal.

Wolf King Eddard arrived above Harrenhal with the Giant Eagle Legion and the Magic Dragon.

This time, Wolf King Eddard was riding on the back of the Magic Dragon Feilang for the first time, and he became a Dragonrider.

The Targaryen family relied on their bloodline to control magic dragons, while Wolf King Eddard relied on his warg abilities; he could control the Magic Dragon as easily as he controlled Direwolves and giant eagles.

This was a union belonging to a warg and a magic dragon, far superior to the Dragonriders of the Targaryen family; the Magic Dragon and Eddard were one in heart and mind.

When the soldiers of Harrenhal saw the Magic Dragon, the Giant Eagle Legion, and Wolf King Eddard arrive on the battlefield, their morale was immediately boosted.

Lord Rickard roared, "Long live the Wolf King, kill every enemy!"

"Long live the Wolf King, long live Stark!"

The Magic Dragon Feilang spat a mouthful of Dragonfire into the sky, and the flames ignited several Giant Bats in the night sky, which fell while shrieking.

As the first magic dragon hatched by the Wolf King, Feilang's size was three times that of Eagle Eye and Jinli, and it was also more ferocious, bloodthirsty, and its Dragonfire was even hotter.

The Magic Dragon Feilang's Dragonfire made the Giant Bats scatter in avoidance, and Wolf King Eddard rode the Magic Dragon, charging wildly through the sky.

Three hundred years ago, Aegon the Conqueror rode Balerion the Black Dread and burned Harrenhal with fire; the magic dragon played the role of the Grim Reaper at Harrenhal.

Three hundred years later, when the Undead ravaged Harrenhal, Wolf King Eddard and the Magic Dragon Feilang became the saviors of Harrenhal.

Eagle Eye and Jinli also flew into the sky, circling around Eddard, and together with their dragon-father Eddard, they performed a "Dance of the Magic Dragons"; the Undead and bats all became victims of the Dragonfire.

Blood stained the sky red.

Thanks to the god-like Aristoteles, Radiation Wasteland Old Ice-Stick, 160122122901557, King of Cinders' Will, and 20220604140735777 for the monthly tickets, thank you for the support!

(End of this chapter)