The biting cold gradually receded, and the snow left over from winter began to melt. Spring wind swept across the land, and specks of green began to appear where the snow had melted.
At this moment, Marko stood on the Keep's watchtower, observing the situation outside, looking at the vast expanse of white.
It can be said that to this day, Marko, who is in another world, is still receiving his grace. He is an existence that every member of the Flower Nation cannot forget.
Therefore, at any time, Marko firmly remembers to put the interests of his people first. In order to rule the country he built with his own hands, Marko has been working hard. Fortunately, he has a large group of talented people under him, which has made it easier for him to make some decisions.
Moreover, Moonshadow and the others sometimes provide Marko with assistance in certain matters. Over the years, with the improvement of infrastructure, many things in the government have become complicated. However, fortunately, Marko had already cultivated a large number of people in the early stages, and now he can just fill these vacancies with talents.
Just as Marko was lost in thought, a gust of fragrance suddenly entered Marko's nostrils. Then, he felt his waist being embraced.
Marko grabbed the person's small hand, pulled her in front of him, and after gently kissing her forehead, he asked:
"Why didn't you rest a little longer? I just have a lot to think about, that's why I came here. You don't need to worry."
Moonshadow shook her head. "I felt your mood was a bit unsettled, so I came out to see you. Are you worried about what's happening in the south?"
"A little, yes. Just like I told you, as time goes on, everything in this timeline is developing in an unknown direction. The situation in King's Landing is getting more chaotic, and many people have joined the fray."
Marko nodded in response. Qyburn's involvement had helped Marko understand many things, especially the changes in King's Landing, which surprised him.
Moonshadow had heard the Three-Eyed Raven talk about timelines, so she knew what Marko meant. As time passed, many things changed.
But this was the best outcome for the Children of the Forest. Because the Three-Eyed Raven had said that the future of humanity and the world would inevitably lead to destruction. However, Marko's appearance had completely changed this world.
But this change was also uncertain, and it could easily slip out of control. So, this was also a problem that Moonshadow was worried about.
However, Marko patiently comforted Moonshadow, who was even more worried than he was. At the same time, he also felt a bit of emotion about his own powerful influence, as the events of Westeros were being affected by Marko.
The direction of things was completely different. First, Tywin Lannister was not dead. Second, the influence of the Church and the Citadel had joined the Small Council, gradually affecting the course of the Seven Kingdoms.
Last time, when Qyburn came to offer his services to Marko, although he tried his best to hide his little secrets, Marko's telepathic abilities still "tricked" him into revealing his true intentions.
What Marko didn't expect was that this guy actually wanted to play both sides. It turned out that after Qyburn arrived at Winterfell, he realized that his talents were not particularly outstanding here; at most, he could only hope to reach the middle ranks in his lifetime.
Therefore, Qyburn planned to learn magic here, gather some information, and then make a run for it. He wanted to return and become the head of intelligence in King's Landing.
It was just that Marko's telepathic magic truly terrified him. As a result, when Maester Marwyn introduced him, Qyburn's emotional fluctuations were too great, and Marko sensed something was amiss.
In the end, Marko gave him two choices: the first was to become one of Marko's people completely, and the second was to leave directly, but then he would never have the opportunity to become a member of the Valyrian Empire.
Qyburn was also a sensible man. Without a second thought, he agreed to Marko. Then, he directly swore allegiance to Marko. To control him, Marko offered him the "Immortality" option.
Upon hearing "Immortality," Qyburn just stood there in a daze. Then Marko told him some of the drawbacks of becoming a vampire. After thinking for a few seconds, this guy agreed to Marko.
Qyburn had spent his life researching the "truth" of this world, and his passion intensified after witnessing the marvels of magic.
Expelled from the Citadel for his forbidden studies, Qyburn readily accepted Marko's offer of "Immortality" after some consideration.
"Oh, my! My dear master, you're here with Sister Moonshadow again, without us! So envious! I want some too!"
With a burst of silvery laughter, Marko suddenly felt himself and Moonshadow embraced. He turned his head and saw Mu had run over.
Marko reached out and put his arm around her, whispering, "Why are you here? Why aren't you resting?"
"This one started chattering the moment she noticed you were gone. We were both woken up by her. In human form, our energy levels are similar to humans. Our nice sleep was ruined by her."
Maeve said with a touch of discontent. Over time, her dislike for Mu had lessened somewhat. Although they still bickered occasionally, things usually improved with Marko's soothing words.
Later, after admiring the snowy scenery from the watchtower, they returned to the Keep. In the Keep's meeting room, the servants served breakfast.
Cake, milk, sausages, and the youtiao and soy milk that Marko loved. After all this time, Marko still wasn't used to Western food, so he'd specifically instructed the chef to develop a variety of Huaxia delicacies.
As Marko and the others were enjoying their breakfast, a servant whispered something in Marko's ear. Marko nodded in response.
After the door opened, a pale-faced Qyburn, accompanied by two figures in black robes, arrived at the table where Marko was sitting. After bowing to Marko, Qyburn said:
"Your Majesty! I have recovered. Thank you for your help. These two masters have been a great help to me. I have finally found my life's direction. I am truly grateful to you!"
Marko nodded lightly, his voice serious.
"Then begin carrying out the tasks I've assigned to you! I need you to go to the Haunted Forest Beyond the Wall to eliminate the White Walkers and Wights. The number of White Walkers there seems to be gradually decreasing, and the wildling tribes in the Frostfangs have been constantly asking for our help.
Although they lack food and weapons, they have been actively fighting against the White Walkers and Wights. We now have a large amount of food and resources. It's time to expand our influence to Beyond the Wall.
We must establish a bridgehead there to fight against the Others. The North is the foundation of everything, and we cannot let the war spread here. In addition, I will also provide you with 1,000 Stone Golems and 100 Imps. The rest will be supported by Hardhome. We don't need human soldiers to fight this time, do you understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty! We will certainly strive to complete your mission," the three individuals below replied in unison to Marko.
After the Winter Festival concluded, Marko had Dany perform the vampire transformation ritual for Qyburn. The ultimate dark magic, "Vampirism," was a spell similar to undead conversion.
As the first test subject, Qyburn endured torment under the effects of this magic for nearly an entire winter. However, he ultimately persevered, though he remained comatose until recently recovering.
The vampires within the system did not share the limitations of those on Earth; they could survive in sunlight. Necromancers in the world of Ashan generally chose to become vampires, allowing them to better pursue "Immortality."
After Qyburn's transformation, Marko summoned the final two undead creature slots from the refugee recruitment center: Lich Master Vladimir and Ghoul Natir.
Perhaps due to the influence of the White Walkers, the abilities of all three of these unit types had reached their maximum potential. Furthermore, they all possessed the ability to use the "Undead Resurrection" spell, and their mana levels had reached the ultimate cap of 100 points.
Over this period, the situation in Beyond the Wall had improved. Marko, unsure if the White Walkers had retreated or were readjusting their offensive plans, decided to seize this opportunity to reclaim the Haunted Forest ahead of schedule and push the front line to the Milkwater.
And there, a defensive line was established. Thanks to the effect of the Vitality Magic Well, the millennia-old ice and snow at Hardhome were gradually melting, restoring the seasonal weather patterns of the past.
If they could seize this opportunity to drive out the White Walkers from the Haunted Forest, Marko's undead troops would have a chance to subdue the entire Wights army. Whether they were used as cannon fodder or cheap labor, the plan to conquer the Haunted Forest needed to be prepared in advance.
After breakfast, Marko was about to tease Moonshadow and the others when a knock on the door interrupted him. With no other choice, Marko had to call them in.
Soon after, Brynden Rivers entered, accompanied by Aegon Targaryen, Theon Greyjoy, and Ramsay Bolton. Sitting upright, Marko asked them:
"Are you all ready? How is the troop assembly coming along?"
At this moment, Brynden suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty! We have gathered a force of nearly 3,000 men. They are all ready to become the chosen of the gods and fight for the Empire!"
After returning to Winterfell, Marko had used his previous reward to directly convert nearly 5,000 Brute soldiers. Later, when the system reached the upper limit for Brute soldiers, Marko also completed the hidden quest, "Thousands of Troops."
The system directly refunded all of Marko's expenses. The reward of 100,000 gold had barely been touched. Then, Marko used the system reward of the Level 3 soldier summoning authority to summon a Winter Wolf Rider unit of 1,000 men, all under the command of Godric.
Hearing the news, Marko opened his stat panel, ready to plan how to use these resources to expand his army.
Currently, there are nearly 5,000 Brute soldiers stationed near Hornwood, 2,000 in Hardhome, 1,000 in Griffin's Roost, and 2,000 in Winterfell. The soldiers from Hardhome will go with Henk Crowl to Beyond the Wall.
The troops from Winterfell will march with Marko to White Harbor. Therefore, Marko also needs a portion of Crossbowmen ranged units and Defenders soldiers this time. The combat effectiveness and coordination of the Northern soldiers and wildling warriors are too poor in war, making it impossible to achieve maximum military effect.
Therefore, in the later stages, Marko will use the system soldiers as the main force, trying to reduce the consumption of local soldiers and making them logistics and baggage troops.
Owned City: Winterfell
Emblem: Holy Sun
Motto: Light and Order
Owner: Marko Baelerris
Hero Level: 15
Hero Skills: Advanced Offense, Advanced Leadership, Diplomacy, Retribution, Finance… (omitted)
Special Abilities: Kingly Demeanor, Omniscience.
Owned Buildings: Town Hall, Militia Barracks, Blacksmith, Fortress, Tavern, Market, Archer Tower… (omitted)
Building Level: 15
Troops: 2,000 Brutes, 410 Crossbowmen, 45 Royal Gryphons, 300 Defenders, 1,000 Winter Wolf Riders, 1 Holy Unicorn, 2 Angels… (omitted) (Winterfell Garrison).
Resources: Gold 293,453, Wood 50, Ore 50, Crystal 30, Mercury 30, Gems 30, Sulfur 30.
After taking stock of his resources and selling off the odd pieces of some rare system resources, Marko confidently arrived at the square of Winterfell. He looked at the more than 3,000 people in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.
Marko first spent 130,000 gold to summon 1,000 Defender soldiers, and then another 160,000 gold to summon 2,000 Crossbowmen.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, as your troop numbers continue to increase, the system has cracked some of the training system's limitations. You can now train system soldiers normally. Currently, you can spend 1,700 gold to convert 20 civilians. The system will convert them into Priests for free."
After spending 1,700 gold, 20 Priests in blue robes, holding warhammers, appeared in the square. They were some of the soldiers who hadn't been successfully converted, and they were lamenting their bad luck when they were directly converted into Priests.
Subsequently, Marko bought some more resources, gathered enough for the conversion cost, and then converted these 20 Priests into Inquisitors and Zealots respectively.
Unlike the troops of other races, these Inquisitors and Zealots did not get a magic value cap breakthrough. Since ranged attacks were still restricted by the world consciousness, they could only be considered magic infantry.
However, their current strength was already close to that of Knights, and they were just waiting for Marko to convert them into Knights next time. It seemed that in no time, Marko's Paladin order would appear in this world.
About a week later, Marko's army marched浩浩荡荡 towards the location of Sheephead Mountain. This time, Marko would use over 2,000 earth golems as vanguards, gathering nearly 10,000 troops to wipe out Stannis's allied forces in one fell swoop.
Meanwhile, after the army left, in a hidden hut in Winter Town, three ravens flew towards the southeast at an extremely fast speed.
The middle-aged man, who had just finished securing his doors and windows after releasing the raven, had his bedroom door burst open with a loud "bang."
A group of people in black leather armor then stormed in, a line of crossbows aimed at the middle-aged man. A young man then addressed him:
"Sir Asad Condon! You are under arrest for treason. You may choose to find a trial by combat, but we have gathered sufficient intelligence. You won't escape. Prepare to face the goblins!"
"Hmph! You damned heretics, the Seven will punish you!"
Sir Asad Condon muttered under his breath, then raised his hands. Just when everyone thought he was surrendering, he suddenly pulled a lever. A wooden panel dropped down, and the wolf-spirit soldiers hastily fired their crossbows, but the panel blocked all the bolts.
"Crack... Shatter..."
With the sound of a window shattering, Sir Asad Condon broke through the window of his bedroom and jumped out of his secret residence.
Just when Sir Assad Connington thought he could escape, he felt as if something had grabbed his foot. Then, everything went topsy-turvy.
He passed out, dazed, in the street. A large group of soldiers stood there, all dressed in black leather armor and cloaks. They had short swords at their waists and held clubs that reached their eyebrows. They appeared to be from Marko's garrison.