Chapter 230

I have no iron shovel, and I don't know who is the witch.

Shadow Tower, Winterfell, Forest Clan

He turned and left, and behind him a fierce cheer rose again.

【10】 Great Wall

Are those free folk wounded little dogs? He wasn't sure, but if he ignored them, he would only see them in the gutters, see them one by one joining the army of the dead, corpses piling up until they flooded the Great Wall.

He didn't know whether a hundred thousand corpses could be stacked high enough to let the remaining ghosts climb over the top of the Great Wall.

His math wasn't as good as his sister's.

Sister. If those free folk really are wounded dogs, only his sister could be that witch.

Great Wall

He stopped and gazed into the distance; the ice wall of the Great Wall rose high before him, a dirty smoky gray, looking cold and merciless, as if mocking him.

Qiongen

none.

Shanmu, Qiongen

Shanmu, Maester, Ailin

He showed a look of surprise; Qiongen knew he would surely speak, waiting for him to continue. As expected.

"Guess where I've gotten to?" He placed his hand on Qiongen's elbow, "The library, the library— I never imagined the library would be tucked behind a pile of salted fish warehouses. Guess what I found?" He leaned close to Qiongen, pulling a stack of books from his bosom, "Take a look!"

"Are you reading in the library?" Qiongen realized; he should have immediately found the library and seized him.

"Of course. I've been staying there all along; I originally wanted to go out and find you, but the books were simply too captivating. I swore many times, saying I'd go find you after finishing this page, yet as I turned page after page, I forgot my oath. You won't blame me, will you?"

"As long as you're not hungry or tired, that's fine." Qiongen said, looking at his red eyes.

"Hungry? Not at all; there's far too much food in the warehouse, though the salted fish is terribly fishy—I prefer carrots, which, although frozen hard, I must admit each one tastes decent." He said excitedly; Qiongen really didn't want to interrupt him, "By the way, do you know what I've read?"

Black Castle, Sir, Meiliste

Sir Meiliste, Commander Ma'ersi, Magan

"You must go back." Qiongen had to say this to him, "You are a Night's Watch of the Black Castle, not of the Shadow Tower." These aren't reasons.

Sam remained silent, like a frightened little bird.

"I need you by my side to give counsel."

"Why? Me?" He wondered.

"Yes." He grabbed his arm with a backhand, led him aside, and frankly spoke his mind. Sam hesitated for a moment.

"Sam, think about it—how many of those free folk are like Gilly; could you bear to send them all to the Others?"

"The … oh, I can't say that name, it's too frightening. What I mean is, no, I don't want to."

"Very well. How should we arrange these prisoners? We can't keep them penned in the wilderness forever, nor can we feed them forever! And those beyond the Wall—I don't know how many can still survive now, but the number will only grow, not shrink. The only one who can save them is my sister."

Stark's lands, Shitate

none.

none.

"If Maric knew, he'd surely have you hanged. He'd certainly think you're a traitor to the Night's Watch!" Sam, vexed, scratched his head and cheeks, "Are the mountain clans and the soldiers of Winterfell all your people?"

Sir Luodelike, Forest Clan

Maester Mulin, Winterfell

none.

Maester Yimeng, Ma'ersi

"Qiongen! You don't need them to like you." His small eyes shone; Qiongen liked this Sam, "Although the mountain clans don't like the free folk, they will surely support you becoming Commander of the Night's Watch, let alone Lord Rodrik and so many Night's Watch brothers who have seen your success. As long as you run, you will surely succeed!"

"You must be joking! Lord Rodrik has no vote; those who can vote are..."

"I certainly know." Sam gave a faint smile, never having looked more confident than now, "But when he and the mountain clan chieftains stand behind you, the Night's Watch brothers will automatically regard this strength as yours; they won't choose to aid them against dangerous giants—would they instead pick old folk or whatever timid and coarse lot?"

"I am no great man, and my age..."

"In some eyes, you are greater than a great man, Qiongen; age is no issue—among nearly a thousand Night's Watch commanders, getting your age into the top ten would be hard. Moreover, your sister is only a few breaths older than you, equally shouldering the burden of the whole North."

Qiongen wavered, tightly gripping the warmth in his hand, his thumb already hooked onto the smooth ivory-carved white wolf head atop it.

Yeah, I've always been avoiding her; I can't always trail behind her.

"This is a method." Qiongen murmured slowly, "At least I must first try to be the witch for these prisoners."

none.

Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Paipu, Gelan, Ma'ersi, Sir Ailisha, Jienuos

Sir Meiliste, Katepaike, Paipu, Gelan

Longnight Fort, Black Gate

"Hey, isn't it?" Sam's face lit up with joy again; Qiongen knew it was pure delight, "Regarding the Bloodraven Duke, he too was a Night's Watch commander, though rumor has it he went missing during a cavalry patrol beyond the Wall."

"I certainly know that." Qiongen smiled, "But what you discovered in the book isn't this sort of thing, is it?"

Of course there's more. This book fell from the shelf, letting me see it—it's practically a miracle. According to the records in the book and the accounts here, various signs indicate that this Blood Raven Duke knew full well that something would happen to him after going beyond the border, or perhaps he deliberately left; it's not impossible. He looked around, then said, "He had arranged a successor, settled many posthumous affairs, made other preparations—not preparations for after going beyond the border, but preparations for never returning—of course, no one noticed at the time. Moreover, he burned everything he had brought from the capital, such as medals, long bows... The quartermaster Jola, who accompanied the army, recorded this expedition, and it's all here. Look, right here," he pulled out the book and pointed, "Jola is certain he didn't bring the Black Sisters on this campaign—that is also a Valyrian steel sword, oh—but he brought a strange box, and he is certain the box contains a dragon egg. Qiongen, it's a dragon egg!"