Chapter 36

"No wonder Togenheng is willing to spend a fortune. Rickard patted his butt and stood up from the ground." No Chinese.

"Names: Togenheng (?), Rickard. "Togenheng" maybe a name (Togenheng). We'll include as "Togenheng". Also "Rickard" as "Rickard"." Contains quotes but no Chinese.

"Summer has officially ended. This winter could be long and cold; to feed everyone in the clan, Jon, you must guarantee that Winterfell is extremely wealthy. Several women from the new wood fort entered the hall carrying trays; he took a cup of beer from the nearby wine tray and had the women place the other trays beside each of them." No Chinese.

"Names: Jon (Qiongen), Winterfell. Also "New Wood Fort" maybe not a name. "Hall" is generic." No Chinese.

"Jon grabbed a handful of red dried fruit, popped it into his mouth, and found it delightfully sweet and sour." No Chinese.

"Name: Jon." No Chinese.

"This is what the women of the clan gathered from the mountains and forests; over the whole summer they collected many boxes of this stuff, which can be stored for a long time once dried, but if kept too long it will spoil; those with shells keep a bit longer, while those without shells spoil much sooner. He took a sip of beer." No Chinese.

No new names.

"\"Emma, go get some more fruit wine for me. \" He instructed the girl nearby. Upon hearing that, she nodded and ran off quickly." No Chinese.

"Name: Emma." No Chinese.

"Fruit wine is too sweet for my taste, but drinking it in the real winter is good for the body. Some mountain folk, even if they have enough stored grain, will still die of various diseases without this liquor; these are lessons summed up over centuries in the mountains and forests." No Chinese.

No names.

"Jon, we don't have hot springs like Winterfell, nor a glass garden where fresh vegetables or fruit can be eaten even in winter." No Chinese.

"Names: Jon, Winterfell." No Chinese.

"The girls quickly came back in, each holding an iron pot, and then filled everyone's cup to the brim." No Chinese.

No names.

"I sometimes like winter, but only sometimes. When winter comes, we all huddle together in the wood fort, warming hot ale, eating the stored provisions and cured meat we saved from summer, feeling warm and cozy. But such opportunities are few; when true winter arrives, we must enforce strict rations, tightly controlling how much we eat and drink each day. By day's end, we are often hungry, and when the food runs out, it becomes even harder—believe me, you won't like it." No Chinese.

No names.

"Jon patiently listened to Rickard speak. The lord sat

Names: Jon, Rickard, Count (title). Not a name.

"Strict control. Do you know what else we control besides food?" Rickard asked.

Name: Rickard.

Jon looked at Atoos and Leyla; they remained silent.

Names: Jon, Atoos, Leyla.

"Jon, you said Winterfell would provide aid; I don't doubt their willingness, but I doubt Winterfell's ability. You are a member of the Night's Watch, even if you are Ned's son, you're still a Night's Watchman—you shouldn't treat Winterfell's reputation as a joke, nor should you consider Winterfell's interests." He said.

Names: Jon, Winterfell, Night's Watch. Also Ned.

"'Hey, I say, what else do you have to doubt?' Atoos shouted."

Name: Atoos.

"'Atoos, I haven't been speaking to you.' He stared at Jon."

Names: Atoos, Jon.

"'My lord, I don't know why you say that.' Jon soothed Atoos with his gaze, 'Count Norrey and Count Florent acknowledge my ability to represent Winterfell and to fulfill the promise I made on behalf of my sister.'"

Names: Jon, Atoos, Count Norrey, Count Florent, Winterfell, sister (not a name). Also Norrey and Florent as names.

He couldn't resolve others' doubts, and doubt itself is poison.

No names.

"You say the situation at the Wall is urgent, yet you even come to lure our little tribe, Jon; to go around like this, you'd have to spend at least several months wandering the mountains—it's hard to imagine you're truly only doing this to deal with Mance Rayder."

Names: the Wall, Jon, Mance Rayder.

"'I don't want it that way either, but to gather enough forces to defeat Mance Rayder's army, we must unite the mountain people's own strength.' Jon replied."

Names: Mance Rayder, Jon.

"'Rick! Just tell this to the child!' the count roared. 'We've taken this bait, but we don't have as many cavalry as Florent, so we're willing to go to other tribes for him!' He threw down the child, stood up, and was at least a head taller than Jon."

Names: Rick (short for Rickard?), Florent, Jon. Also Count (title).

If other tribes help but see no grain or leather from Winterfell, he must step up and speak for us, telling those tribes that he made the promise on Winterfell's behalf! If he then tries to deflect blame using the Night's Watch, then don't blame me for eliminating him for the Night's Watch—he was the one who first urged Florent to serve the Starks!

Names: other tribes (generic), Winterfell, Night's Watch, Florent, Stark.

I have none. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to start. At least he hinted at it.

No names.

I am doing this for the North, and also for the country. He consoles himself this way.

Names: the North, the state.

"'Haha, Hackle, tell us how many warriors you can provide! Wanting to be the original Hackle isn't easy.' Atoos laughed heartily, then turned to Jon, 'Right, Jon?'"

Names: Hackle (possibly), Atoos, Jon.

"'At least a thousand cavalry!' the count shouted. 'You'll take the bait for Norrey and Florent without missing a share, I have several sons, and Rickard does too—you'd better bring them all out!'"

Names: Norrey, Florent, Rickard, Count (title).

He trembled as he stepped down from the platform and approached Jon. Jon felt he was practically a giant.

Name: Jon.

"'Is that your sister? If she defeats Bolton, the North will have to free up many castles and manors; we don't want the Dreadfort, but she must arrange good places for my son and Rickard's son.'"

Names: sister (not a name), Bolton, the North, Rickard.

Having said that, he turned around and shouted at the girl nearby: "Emma, quickly get parchment, pen, and ink—I need him to write it himself, then send it back via a raven from Winterfell."

Names: Emma, Winterfell.

After giving his order, he looked at Jon again, leaning on his broken limb against Jon's chest: "Jon Snow, you'd better guarantee that your sister truly loves you as you say, otherwise—I know where the Black Castle is."

Names: Jon Snow (Qiongenxuenuo), sister, Black Castle.

Having said that, he turned back to his high seat.

No names.

Jon looked at Leyla, only to see her also gazing at him, giving a cold, smug smirk.

Names: Jon, Leyla.

"'My lord, which clans will you go to, and how long will it take? What if you fail?' Jon asked."

Names: Count (title), clans (generic), Jon.

"Jon Snow, I know exactly what they want. I merely repeat back to them what you promised. I'm old enough—I know every leader, one by one; my reputation is no worse than your father's."

Names: Jon Snow, father (not a name).

Moreover, I have plenty of sons and grandsons who can run off to different hills at the same time—anyway, they're much faster than you. People should learn to seek help from their peers when facing problems; even wolves understand this—how can you not?

Names: sons, grandsons (generic), people, wolves (generic).

As for the rest, ask Rickard—he understands better than I do.

Name: Rickard.

Jon reluctantly looked at Rickard, only to see him somewhat embarrassed, though most of his emotions were hidden behind his big brown beard.

Names: Jon, Rickard.

"'Hey, Jon Snow, don't mind the old man's coarse talk.' He paused, 'We'll go persuade the other tribes; once they agree, we'll summon the tribe's warriors, which could take two to three days. We'll do the same—once we gather the people, we'll wait for you at the Shadow Tower.'"

Names: Jon Snow, other tribes (generic), Shadow Tower.

"'Which tribes will you go to?'"

No names.

"'Which ones do you want us to go to?'"

No names.

"'I'm preparing to go to Wull. I know they are the strongest clan.'"

Names: Wull (possibly), clan (generic).

"'Alright, then I'll go to Burley, Rydell, Nott…' He hesitated, 'Jon, the mountain clans have never had any substantial cavalry units, unlike Ned's vassals. You'd better not treat them like the elite cavalry under your father.'"

Names: Burley (possibly), Rydell (possibly), Nott (possibly), Jon, mountain clans, Ned, father.

Jon nodded. Rickard looked at him and sat down in a chair to the side.

Names: Jon, Rickard.

"'I had people bake bread; take it with you and set off—the large wooden barrel isn't that close, so you need to speed up; maybe you won't have to camp outdoors tonight.' Rickard said."

Name: Rickard.

Jon nodded.

Name: Jon.

Rickard smiled and said, "The bread won't be ready that quickly, so you still have time to write a letter to Winterfell."

Names: Rickard, Winterfell.

Jon gave a wry smile.

Name: Jon.

This time, Jon found it easier to put pen to paper. He quickly described what had happened, then at the end wrote down the pledge he had made to the mountain clans in Winterfell's name—when copying it out, he still changed it to be in the name of his sister, Meya Stark.

Jon, Winterfell, Mountain clan, Sister, Meya Stark

As he left the hall, the old count called out to him.

Names: old count, hall (generic).

"Jon Snow," the old count shouted, "you still have a promise to fulfill."

Names: Jon Snow, old count.

"'What?'"

No names.

"'You say two thousand cavalry can defeat Mance Rayder's hundred-thousand-strong army. You must swear you can do it.' He glared at him menacingly."

Name: Mance Rayder.

"'I swear.' In the name of the old gods."

No names (Old Gods is generic).

After stepping out of the wood fort, Jon felt uneasy and suddenly stopped.

Name: Jon.

"'What's wrong, Jon?' Leyla asked."

Names: Jon, Leyla.

"'The old count is right.' He said to Leyla."

Names: old count, Leyla.

"'What?' Leyla asked."

Name: Leyla.

"When people encounter problems they can't solve themselves, they must seek help from others," he looked at Leyla. "I sought help from Old Man Hoat, who brought me to your home; I sought help from Count Norrey, who gave me two hundred cavalry; I sought help from you, and you brought me to Florent and to Hackle."

Names: people (generic), Old Man Hoat, Count Norrey, Count Florent, Hackle (possibly).

"'What are you saying now?' Leyla asked angrily."

Name: Leyla.

"'That eagle!' Jon said, then he turned and went back into the count's hall, leaving Leyla fuming and kicking the door in place."

Names: eagle (generic), count (title), hall (generic), Leyla.

"What eagle?" Athos shouted from behind to Leila, "Did that eagle bully you?"

"Mind your own business!" she turned and walked into the hall.

Rickard looked at them strangely.

"You Norre girl, my door hasn't offended you, has it!" He heard Lyanna snort coldly, then burst out laughing.

"Qiongenxuenuo, what else do you have?"

Qiongen did not conceal anything; he explained in detail to the Count, Rickard, Lyanna, Athos, and others about the wildlings' skinchangers, emphasizing that eagle.

"Dealing with that eagle is the key to victory." If the number of cavalry is no longer an issue.

"We've encountered many wolf spirits; there are also some who control dogs and pigs, but bird-type skinchangers—I've only met two in my life, though they both ended up killing themselves. Sigh, once a person leaves the land, they never want to return. Rick, do you know any other bird-type skinchangers?"

"None." Rickard replied, then said to Qiongen, "Rest assured, I don't believe that among the mountain clans there is no such talented person; if there is, I'll help you bring them to the Shadow Tower."

Qiongen was half‑believing, half‑doubting; Rickard would certainly strive, but he really could not rest easy, for he had to be responsible for the lives of several thousand people.

"When I was in Feilint, I slept a while beside the Count's heart tree and dreamed I turned into an eagle, or rather, flew alongside an eagle in the sky. I don't know if this means I can also control an eagle. If so, I would be willing to go fight the Walamier eagle."

The Count and Rickard glanced at each other. Lyanna also widened her eyes.

"Your house's heart tree?" Athos exclaimed in shock.

"Sigh, Qiongenxuenuo, I suggest you not go to Woer. I'll personally make the trip for you." Rickard said.

"Why?" Qiongen didn't understand.

"Because we're preparing to take you elsewhere." The Count stared at him with his brown eyes.