The sun tilted westward, with only half of its red orb remaining, announcing the approach of night and drawing away some of the sultry heat.
A massive figure casting an extremely long shadow appeared in the afterglow of the setting sun, accompanied by the sound of thumping footsteps.
A castle was visible in the distance. Ned calculated in his mind and found that a journey that would take at least three days of non-stop riding had been covered by him in a single afternoon.
Along the way, he had encountered scattered pedestrians. Upon seeing the giant from afar, every single one of them had turned and fled in terror. Some were even so frightened that they collapsed on the spot, watching with trembling hearts as the giant thundered closer and then thundered away, leaving a gust of wind in its wake—a scene that would become an unforgettable memory for the rest of their lives. He expected that before long, the giant would be embellished into rumors and local ghost stories, slowly spreading from this place as people came and went.
The giant slowly came to a halt, suddenly realizing that in this form, approaching the city rashly would surely draw panicked attacks from the city guards.
Although he felt a strange confidence in this newly transformed giant body—confident that he would not be harmed by the city guards—he did not want to endure pointless attacks. Furthermore, The Stormlands were Robert's territory; he hadn't come to lay siege, but to inquire about the whereabouts of Robert's army so he could regroup with them.
After some thought, he considered shouting toward the city from a distance to announce his identity and intentions first. Even if the giant's appearance would inevitably cause a commotion in the city, it would save him from many complications.
This was provided that Ned could speak using the giant's body. The awkward part was that currently, he could only let out roars; he couldn't even utter a single complete word or syllable as a giant... "Beep—"
"civilization main body crisis has been resolved. sub-colony rig adaptation level is below the command threshold. Retract?"
"Unable to contact the thoughts of the civilization main body. The emergency program has no authority to make decisions while ensuring the safety of the civilization main body!"
"Beep—"
"Mutation detected in the sub-colony rig under unknown energy."
"Executing main program default commands immediately."
"Disconnecting sub-colony rig link. Disconnecting sub-colony rig energy supply."
"Completing independent programming for the sub-colony rig."
"sub-colony rig program stripping complete. Filling with primary induction program."
"Naming: Ultra-Low-Level Laborer Armor, abbreviated as Hyper-Bitter Rig."
"Execution complete."
"Beep—"
...Amidst his distress, Ned was astonished to find a faint purple light enveloping him. Looking closely, it was emitted by the dark purple patterns writhing on his body. Simultaneously, a wave of dizziness washed over him, making his legs go soft. In his haste, he supported himself with his right hand and sank into a half-kneeling position. His knee hit the ground with a dull thud.
A profound sensation Ned had never experienced before surged into his heart. It felt as if his entire body was soaking in the hot springs of Winterfell. Every muscle fiber seemed to be dissolving and differentiating, and a warm touch spread from his right palm, which was in contact with the ground, to the rest of his body.
The dark purple patterns twisted as the giant's body turned fluid, churning and slowly shrinking. First, the dark purple patterns thinned and sank inward, like a fine net of fishing line cutting into the skin. The light also retracted into the giant's body. From a distance, it looked like a giant, hollowed-out human statue kneeling on the ground, emitting a dim purple glow.
Then, the parts that were not hollowed out seemed to lose their support, suddenly shrinking and collapsing. The massive body shriveled abruptly, kicking up a sudden gale. The dim purple light inside slowly gathered at his right hand before gradually dissipating.
As the dust swirled, a dark purple humanoid figure appeared kneeling where the giant had been. The purple wriggled and burrowed deep inside, revealing a pale, long face. Soon, Ned's figure emerged, with an Infant still tied to his chest.
A joyful smile broke across Ned's solemn, long face, though the pale smile betrayed an irrepressible weakness. He slowly stood up and stroked the head of the still-sleeping Infant with his right hand.
His gaze swept over his tattered, blood-stained light armor. Through the cracks, he could see new skin, and the wound on his right leg had also fully recovered.
Then his gray eyes focused on his right hand. He turned it over. Thanks to the setting sun that was still struggling to stay above the horizon, Ned was able to see a pattern formed by intertwining dark purple lines on his palm. The pattern was neat and symmetrical. Bringing his palm closer, he could see extremely fine lines spreading from the center of his palm to his five fingers.
Ned sensed carefully and found that the pattern on his palm indeed began to glow and flow slowly according to his will, as if it would cover his entire body and turn him into a giant again in the next second. He quickly withdrew the thought, and the pattern returned to its original state. The corners of his dry, cracked mouth curled back uncontrollably.
He suddenly clenched his right hand tightly, his fist trembling slightly. He gazed deeply at the Infant in his arms with a complex look for a moment.
He glanced at the castle, which had become a black dot in the distance, gave a helpless sigh, gathered his thoughts, and began to walk.
Ned walked until the sky was dotted with stars and the bright moon hung high before arriving at the city gates. After loudly stating his identity and purpose without reservation, the Lords Eldest Son, who was left in charge of the city, welcomed Ned inside.
The Lords Eldest Son carefully noted that although Lord Eddard Stark looked disheveled and his light armor was covered in scars, he was actually unharmed. His gray eyes were so bright that the young man dared not look directly at them. Most peculiar of all was the Infant tied to his chest.
However, he did not rashly ask any questions, only feeling a secret curiosity.
Turning down the Lords Eldest Son's offer to hold a feast for him, and after inquiring about the whereabouts of Robert's army, Ned ate a hasty meal in the guest room arranged for him. He then called for a servant to find a Wet Nurse.
Before long, a dark-haired woman of pleasant appearance knocked on the door.
After handing the soundly sleeping Infant to the Wet Nurse, Ned stepped out and stood guard at the door, waiting quietly with his exhausted body.
While waiting, Ned thought of his sister and the others who had been hastily buried in the ruins of the Tower of Joy. He decided that once everything was settled, he would move his sister's remains to the family crypt, while the bodies of Arthur, Hollan, and the others would be returned to their respective families.
As for the Infant who died in his sister's arms, it was, as expected, a bastard child born of Rhaegar's coercion. Although the child had died prematurely and should not have had to bear the sins committed by the father's generation, burying it in the family crypt and letting the news spread would not only damage the family's honor but also shame Robert.
Given Robert's temperament, if he found out, he would likely disturb the generations of Stark, cause a scene in the Winterfell crypts, and scatter the bastard child's ashes to the wind.
At this thought, Ned's mood couldn't help but sour. He rubbed his palm twice with his right thumb.
Robert was leading his army in a standoff against Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident River; the fires of war would likely ignite within a few days.
The fuse for this war against the Targaryen royalty was his sister Lyanna, who was betrothed to Robert. She had been forcibly taken by Prince Rhaegar. When their father and brother went south to King's Landing to seek justice to no avail, they met a tragic end instead.
Strictly speaking, this was a blood feud for House Stark. But Ned, who had grown up with Robert, understood that as things stood, the blood feud for his father, brother, and sister must be avenged, and the Targaryen must perish. However, the matter of the bastard child must be kept secret.
He let out a long breath. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The Wet Nurse stepped out timidly, holding the Infant, her face filled with trepidation.
Seeing this, Ned hurried forward and asked, "What's wrong?"
"My Lord, this child has been sleeping the whole time. I tried to feed him, but he didn't respond at all." The young Wet Nurse mumbled, a hint of a sob in her voice.
Ned was stunned. He reached out to take the child and looked him over. Recalling the child's peculiarities, he was puzzled. He thought that no matter what, it was still a child. No matter how different he was from ordinary people, could it be that he didn't even need to drink milk?
After pondering for a moment, he remembered how his own injuries had recovered after transforming into a giant, and he seemed to understand.
So, he comforted the young Wet Nurse and let her go to rest. He returned to the room with the child, placed him on the bed, tidied himself up, and then fell into a deep sleep... Ned was startled awake by a chill. He flipped over and sat up from the bed, his gaze immediately going to his side. The Infant was safe and sound. Looking closely, he could see the child's belly rising and falling slightly with his breath. The chill was coming from the child.
He touched the Infant's body; the temperature was normal, but when he took his hand away, he felt a wave of coldness. The light around the child seemed to be slightly insufficient, appearing just a fraction darker compared to the bright room.
Only then did Ned realize it was broad daylight. The soft morning sunlight streamed through the window, filling the room, and the air seemed to carry a fresh scent.
Ned stretched his waist comfortably. In a good mood, he got out of bed, tidied himself up, took the Infant, and called for a servant to lead him to the Lords Eldest Son.
After some pleasantries, Ned changed into a brand-new set of light armor that had been gifted to him. He politely declined the Lords Eldest Son's invitation to stay, requesting only two warhorses and some food and water before riding out of the city toward the Trident River... An Chang felt as if he had returned to Earth. His lovely daughter was waving at him not far away. With excitement, he ran toward her, but suddenly a bloody maw appeared out of nowhere and swallowed her. It chewed a few times and then gulped her down.
The splashing blood sprayed onto An Chang's face, and he was even licked by the thick, saliva-covered tongue extending from the giant mouth.
An indescribable feeling gathered in his chest, as if it would explode in the next second. Despair had not yet completely enveloped An Chang; before he could even make a move, the tongue swept him up.
Forgetting even his useless resistance, he, whose heart was as dead as ashes, could still feel the stinging pain of the giant mouth's sharp teeth piercing his flesh.
The giant mouth chewed slowly, tearing An Chang's body apart bit by bit.
Is this what Nini felt? To be ridiculously ground into mincemeat bit by bit, slowly losing life amidst pain and despair... The father she saw as everything, and who saw her as everything in return... I... what did I do?
I couldn't do anything! Aahhh!
As an ordinary person, perhaps the only thing he could do was follow after his daughter, accompanying her to be ground into mincemeat as food, dying within that giant mouth.
If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would beat this giant mouth to death! Beat all the monsters to death! I want to live well with my daughter; I don't want us to become food for a giant mouth together!
If I cannot do it as a human, then I will... His consciousness came to an abrupt halt, and darkness enveloped everything... An Chang woke up.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn luffy1898