"I don't know, but I can make a guess." Melisandre pursed her lips and winked at Aegon: "After all, the first Otherslayer in Westeros for a thousand years is sitting here, isn't he?"
After some discussion, the atmosphere unconsciously changed from explosive hostility to friendliness. This old bitch who knows how many years she's lived... her skill at guiding conversations is too strong. Aegon didn't know what to say, so he just put on a stern face: "Stop talking nonsense, start your guess."
"From the images I saw and the death process you described, the White Walkers' bodies should operate entirely on magic, nearly without substance," the witch said. "All creatures can be killed by physical matter and magic, but there are two ways we can achieve near-immunity to physical attacks..."
"Immune to physical damage."
"A new word you invented, quite fitting. Animals in nature choose to make their bodies stronger and harder to approach this goal, like turtles, like dragons... they rely on tough shells or scales and skin to resist external... well, physical damage. But gods naturally have other means. The cold god took the other extreme: making the servants' bodies entirely magical, giving the White Walkers near immunity to physical damage. Unless completely flattened and crushed by overwhelming force, they are almost immortal."
"Why are they afraid of dragonglass?"
"They are not afraid of Dragonglass, but the fire attribute magic contained within Dragonglass," Melisandre said with certainty. "This magic is completely opposite to the attributes within the cold god's servants, conflicting with each other, instantly disrupting the ice magic that forms their bodies, causing them to collapse and disintegrate."
"Isn't the Lord of Light the god of fire? You claim to be His servant, you should be good at fire magic, right?"
"Actually, I only know fire magic," Melisandre admitted. "But unfortunately, if you expect me to go the North to the The Wall to help you fight the White Walkers, I cannot. Not only because I have a more important mission, but also... the truth is, I can't deal with a single White Walker."
"Could it be that the fire magic you can use isn't even comparable to the magic content in an Dragonglass dagger?"
"Have you forgotten what I said? The cold god is the sworn enemy of the Lord of Light. If His servants could be killed by any small fire magic, then this war would have ended a thousand years ago," the witch shook her head. "We just said that the White Walkers' bodies are nearly without substance, but 'nearly' is not entirely. If they were just a ball of magic, then any small fire magic could disperse them... that tiny bit of substance exists precisely to prevent this from happening."
The woman raised her hand and slowly traced her fingers over Aegon's thin black shirt: "If I were willing to pay any price, I could instantly ignite all the fabric on your body. You would be severely burned and could even die without treatment... But what would happen if I used this against the White Walkers?"
Aegon politely dodged her touch: "It wouldn't burn at all?"
"Correct, it wouldn't burn at all." Melisandre smiled and withdrew her hand: "The White Walkers' bodies are entirely formed by magic, but on the outside, there is a thin layer of ice armor—ordinary weapons can easily penetrate this ice armor but cannot harm their core. Fire magic is a threat to them, but it cannot penetrate their physical bodies. The existence of its body allows it to remain unharmed even if buried alive by Dragonglass or stepping into a sea of fire. Only by damaging and injecting fire attribute magic, after damaging and destroying their bodies, and then infusing them with fire attribute magic, can their structural stability be destroyed. This is how you killed that White Walker with the Dragonglass dagger—the hardness and sharpness of the dragonglass itself penetrated the protective layer on the White Walker's body, and the fire magic contained within the Dragonglass dispersed the stable ice magic within it, killing it instantly." She paused and added: "Of course, destructive fire magic with enough power can directly kill White Walkers, but the person who can wield fire magic of that level hasn't been born yet."
"Then... what about the legend that valyrian steel can also kill White Walkers?"
"valyrian steel is the wrong name given to it by the people of Westeros. More accurately, it should be called Valyrian metal. If you get a chance, test it with a magnet and you'll know—it contains no iron at all, so it naturally cannot be called steel. The Valyrian people forged this extremely light and tough substance using several rare and precious metals combined with magic. I have come into contact with this metal, and it is clear that extremely powerful fire magic was used during the forging process, leaving residual magic even after hundreds of years."
"Mixed metal? So, valyrian steel is actually an alloy, should it be called Valyrian Alloy?"
"Al...loy?" Melisandre frowned in confusion. Why does this Night's Watch like to invent new words? "What it's called doesn't matter, suit yourself."
"I see. To kill White Walkers, the most convenient way is to penetrate their bodies and destroy their physical structure with substances containing fire attribute magic." Aegon nodded, suddenly feeling a bit scared in retrospect: "So if I encounter that White Walker again while wearing armor, how would I kill them?"
"Generally speaking, armor severely hinders the wearer's movement and spellcasting. Magic is not a very penetrating energy, and spellcasters should wear as simple and light clothing as possible, which is why I never wear underwear or outerwear—if you force a full suit of armor on me, the power of the spells I release would be reduced by at least half." A genuine-looking smile appeared on Melisandre's lips: "But there's no guarantee they won't actually take your suggestion. My advice for this is—go back and use your brain, think about what to do if you really encounter this situation."
Never wears underwear? Aegon subconsciously lowered his gaze, then quickly pulled it back, realizing he had spent too much time here, and stood up: "That's like saying nothing."
"Indeed, I apologize, but when it comes to killing White Walkers, aren't you the expert?" Melisandre also stood up: "Are you leaving already? Very well... I have removed the mark that 'demigod' left in your body, and the lingering aura of the Lord of Light will ensure He would never dare monitor or harm you again. You are free to do what you wish."
"You removed one and left another mark!" It took Aegon a few seconds to react, and the anger he had managed to quell flared up again: "What's the point? Neither of them are good people!"
"Wherever there is fire, the influence of the Lord of Light can reach. With the mark of the Lord of Light, the demigod who is hostile to the cold god and the other servants of the Lord of Light will not harm you. And if you are worried about me constantly watching you, I can only say I don't have the ability or the inclination." The witch was unfazed by Aegon's roar. "This cost me my power, consider it an apology for the previous offense, believe it or not. The only regrettable thing is that I cannot remove the traces the cold god left on you. For this, I can only advise: try not to go North of the Wall again."
"But didn't you say the aura the cold god left on me was very weak? Why can you remove the stronger one but not the weaker one?"
"An adult wolf can bite a newborn hatchling to death in one bite, but even so, a dragon is a stronger life than a wolf. Although the cold god is evil, He is a true god, just awakening from a long slumber, and will become stronger and stronger as Winter approaches. While that poor demigod facing Him in the North is already declining from his peak and heading towards death." Melisandre sighed: "The Long Night is dark, and dangers are everywhere... Take care, Night's Watch friend. Also, please tell the guards at the door before you leave: we have reached an understanding with each other, this misunderstanding should end. We both have more important things to do, don't we?"
How could Aegon still be angry at this moment? He stopped at the door, nodded, and pushed the door open.
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