Chapter 234

The election has become ugly by now.

A candidate was absurdly hacked to death in the hall for his insolent remarks, casting a disgraceful shadow over this election. But he is now in a predicament and must continue the performance amid the ugliness.

When Shan Mu placed the proposal for Lord Commander before him, he once thought he could win election with convincing results, but by today, this expectation has already shattered.

Lord Luo De Li Ke, this is after all the place where the Night's Watch brothers hold their election." He interrupted Lord Luo De Li Ke's bombastic speech, turned his head to look at the other Night's Watch brothers, his eyes meeting those of the brothers staring at him; he could not read the expression in their eyes, could not grasp their expectations or attitudes, he felt he could explain many things, but the many words he wanted to say felt tasteless on his lips: "I only want to tell the Night's Watch brothers one thing: I am not a traitor, nor have I ever been."

Low murmurs rose in the room; he slumped into his seat, and Pai Pu and Ge Lan patted his shoulder.

The hall fell silent for a long time.

"I saw Qiongenxuenuo lead the Mountain Forest Clan's great army through the passage of the Shadow Tower, cross the Wall, and defeat the wildling army; I believe Qiongenxuenuo has never betrayed the Night's Watch. If such a person is also called a "traitor," I don't know who could be a true lord." Lord Mei Li Si Te rose to speak, cutting off the discussion: "This is a promising young man."

He thanked Lord Mei Li Si Te, but his speech was clearly not over; Qiongen did not know what else might spill from his mouth that would fill him with anticipation and dread.

"Lord Luo De Li Ke has already said that, for Winterfell, they would rather take such a promising young man back to raise him as heir— the Lord of Winterfell, a title held by his father, grandfather, and brothers, and his brother Luo Bo Si Ta Ke once reigned as King in the North— whether Lord of Winterfell or King in the North, this is a height none of us could ever reach; so, brothers of the Night's Watch, by now you all know what he has given up for this."

A discussion arose among the crowd.

These were very persuasive words. Qiongen himself also felt deeply moved.

If the Night's Watch were truly disbanded, he could easily renounce his vows and return to Winterfell as his sister's heir? That is Winterfell—how many times had he imagined standing on the battlements, shouting, 'Lord of Winterfell'?

He thought of Luo Bo—when they parted, snowflakes melted in his reddish-brown hair; he thought of Lady Kai Se Lin, and of those icy eyes staring straight at him.

"But I do have a question," Lord Mei Li Si Te interrupted his reverie; he nodded to indicate agreement and answer, "You have properly cared for the wildling prisoners, and during their escort there has been no lapse, visible to all. Yet I once heard some faint rumors in the Shadow Tower; I ought not to bring rumors to question, but this concerns the very foundation of the Night's Watch, so I must ask, hoping you can answer candidly—I will judge your attitude based on your reply."

He nodded, trying to assume a candid posture.

"There are rumors that you wish to reach an agreement with the wildlings beyond the Wall, letting them cross over to fight for your sister and live on her lands. May I ask you to confirm whether this is a rumor? Furthermore, if you were to become the actual Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, would you act accordingly?" Lord Mei Li Si Te gave him a solemn look, then sat back down in his seat.

Lord Ai Li Sha had already sneered, waiting for him to make a fool of himself, and the chief of the Mountain Forest Clan seated at the high table also set down his wine cup, awaiting his reply.

He had many ways to evade the question, such as denying the rumor, or saying that as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch he would not actively propose this—but if it were an order from the Lady of Winterfell, there would be nothing he could do. But this was originally what he wanted to do; he did not wish to deceive, so he kicked aside Shi Lin Te's dirty skull, rose and walked toward the dais, patted Shan Mu to signal him to step down, and yielded the speaking floor to him.

"Perhaps what you have heard is not a rumor." After he said this, the hall erupted in tumult; he raised his hand to signal for quiet so he could continue, "Nowadays, I do not know how many of the Night's Watch brothers are still deceiving themselves—the Others and wights exist only in legend. There is no need for me to tell you: the Night's Watch who survived from the Fist of the First Men all saw hordes of wights, some brothers even saw Others coming with wind and snow, and among us there is even one who killed an Other with dragon glass. I say this merely to tell everyone that the enemy the Night's Watch has awaited for thousands of years has appeared."

The hall instantly fell silent.

"I do not know how many among you, Lord Commander candidates, are preparing for this great foe." His hand had already touched the sword at his waist, feeling strength drawn from the blade, "To fight the legendary monsters, we must unite all who can be united. I once lived among the wildlings for a time, which needs no denial, but precisely because of that I know they are ordinary people who can be united. I do not worry about these wildlings causing trouble on the lands of the North, for I have already easily defeated them with the North's power; I have no doubt I could easily defeat them a second time, and my sister could defeat them countless times."

The hall remained silent, the Night's Watch brothers stared at each other.

"But I lack confidence in whether we can defeat those dead men who come with wind and snow. Many of our Night's Watch warriors have seen them; Old Bear leads the Night's Watch elite stationed on the mountain peaks, their steel blades ineffective, their sharp arrows ignored—we are easily breached and defeated by these wights, and now only you brothers remain of the Night's Watch. I know you are brave, but relying solely on us we cannot defend such a long Wall; should these ghosts cross the Wall, they would bring misfortune upon the Seven Kingdoms and we ourselves would sink into the dark night. Therefore we need the wildlings' strength, and this is precisely the best moment—we have defeated them and can offer the Wall as refuge, so in defending the Wall we can take the lead."

Most of the Night's Watch remained silent, and Lord Ai Li Sha rose at this moment to sneer.

"Wildlings, what a fine term—we all know they are nothing but a bunch of savages. Now this half-breed wants me to fight side by side with savages! How many of our brothers have died at the hands of savages?"

Not fewer than the savages killed by the Night's Watch.

"What if they are not obedient after reaching the Wall? What if they sneak into our rooms and slit our throats? What if they rebel and attack the Seven Kingdoms? As for the Others you mentioned, can they cross the Wall?"

"What to do, what to do—if he can only raise questions, then nothing will ever get done."

"Do you see that our thousands of captives are now restless? When negotiating, I will separate the dangerous elements among them and demand hostages from their leaders. As for their attacking the Seven Kingdoms, I think at least you need not worry; if anything happens, I will explain it to my sister. As for whether the Wall can defend against the Others, maybe it can, maybe it cannot, but I cannot wager the lives of the Seven Kingdoms on the 'cannot' option."

Lord Ai Li Sha gritted his teeth and glared at Qiongen; he was dissatisfied with his reply.

"Qiongen, I sense your ambition. I know there are ways to divide them, but how many wildlings are there, and how many can we feed? Damn, you castle-born folk probably don't know what hunger feels like, do you? I tell you, when a person is starving, they will commit any evil act—let alone these wildlings. How do you plan to solve this problem?" At this moment Ka Te Pai Ke also rose to his feet, and everyone in the hall turned their eyes to this East Sea Commander: "If you can solve this, I too could not refuse to help!"

Qiongen drew a deep breath, feeling that what was bound to come would come.

"I and Shan Mu have previously communicated about this matter," Qiongen said heavily, "I think only I can resolve this difficulty for all of you."

"Seek help from your older sister? Your older sister's troubles are no fewer than yours!"

"You're right, but I'm not ready to beg her for food just yet," the Night's Watch brothers began to snicker, while Qiongen remained solemn, answering, "I will demand the wildlings surrender all their valuables; these will be taken to the city‑states of the Eastern Continent to be exchanged for gold, silver, and grain. I do not intend to ask my sister for this, but to ask you."

Hmph! As long as you have enough money, I'll go get enough grain for you, but where would those poor wretches get gold, silver, and valuables? Goat hooves or deer antlers?

He sighed, and had no choice but to draw his sword from his waist again, pull it out in the hall, and then thrust it into the hall's table so everyone could see it clearly.

The white wolf howls, the gray blade gleams.

「Everyone knows how rare a Valyrian steel sword is; everyone understands how many noble, wealthy families cannot obtain one despite seeking it. 」 He saw Sir Rodrick's stern face silently accusing him, and saw many of the Night Watch either surprised or greedy. 「It was obtained by my sister during her overseas travels, and she gave it to me when I joined the Night Watch. I have the right to do with it as I please. If those goat hooves and deer antlers are worthless, I hope this Valyrian steel sword can fetch enough grain for me and the free folk. »

If it's not enough, there are still the Dark Sisters.