Chapter 44: The Scouting Party in the Haunted Forest
The Wall, Castle Black — the Hall
"You know nothing! Those men must be gathering their strength again, preparing to counterattack us!"
The ranger named Joman grew more and more excited as he spoke, finally standing up abruptly.
"Sit down, Joman!"
"What are you doing?"
"Those wildlings may be hateful, but they probably don't have the ability to cross the Wall!"
"Don't forget, there have been several times in history where wildlings managed to climb over the Wall…"
"It's also possible they don't need to climb the Wall at all; they just need to come over and kill us all!"
…With Joman taking the lead, the Night's Watch brothers present became somewhat chaotic, each voicing their opinions as the entire hall echoed with their voices.
Thump, thump, thump…
"Quiet!"
Seeing the scene turn chaotic, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont slightly regretted starting this topic of conversation.
The pressure these men had been under lately was quite high. Once upon a time, the Night's Watch had been spread across the entire length of the Wall.
But now, the entire Night's Watch had only about three hundred brothers left. The increasing burden of patrol duties and the constant reduction in manpower had left a lingering sense of pessimism within the order.
"I hope you still remember the oaths you swore. We are the watchers on the Wall. The history of our Night's Watch is older than many of the families in this world!"
With the authority of the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont's voice instantly quelled the chaos.
"Respected Lord Commander, I, Samwell Tarly, request to form a small team to investigate the situation and find out what happened to our missing brothers."
Just then, Jon's voice rang out from the crowd. Immediately after, everyone saw a figure that looked like a bodybuilder from Blue Star.
The current Jon was tall and robust, with well-defined muscle lines, standing there like a flawless sculpture.
Because he had come in a hurry, he was only wearing a tight-fitting robe, which showcased his physique and drew envious looks from those around him.
Jon's eyes revealed confidence and determination, as if he could easily overcome any difficulty or challenge.
His smile radiated friendliness and charisma, making people instinctively want to draw closer to him. With Jon's appearance, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became livelier.
"This kid is practically a monster!"
"Seven Gods above! If he went to a castle to seduce noble ladies, I bet not a single one would refuse him!"
"Did you know? He runs every day while carrying a log…"
…Jon's appearance immediately drew everyone's attention. They discussed various things about Jon—or rather, Samwell Tarly—with either envy or astonishment.
"Sam, sit down. We're discussing organizing a Great Ranging, not some scouting party."
Jon's interruption had disrupted Jeor Mormont's original plan, but he knew very well that this young man genuinely cared about the Night's Watch.
"Lord Commander, I think Joman is right. If this is a trap set by the wildlings, we're very likely to be ambushed."
Jon's words gained the approval of some of the brothers, who nodded and began murmuring among themselves.
"Let me lead a few brothers to investigate properly. Then we can decide our next move based on the information we bring back."
When Jon finished speaking, even more people voiced their agreement.
"I think it's a good idea…"
"Everyone knows Sam's strength…"
"If someone told me he could kill a snow bear with his bare hands, I wouldn't doubt it…"
"Some wildlings get along with us. If we talk to them, we'll definitely learn something…"
…Seeing more and more brothers nodding and discussing Jon's proposal, Jeor Mormont began to lean toward accepting it.
In truth, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont had never dismissed the possibility of a trap.
However, as time passed, fear and exhaustion had begun to spread among the Night's Watch. This war-weariness was like a disease.
It could turn once-brave men into cowards. Realizing this, Jeor Mormont had considered organizing a full-scale Great Ranging with all available manpower.
Samwell's performance during this period had given many disheartened brothers a new goal to strive toward.
In any organization, newcomers were always more energetic and daring than veterans—not out of recklessness, but because they had not yet fully grasped the dangers of their environment.
Samwell's actions had kept many new recruits enthusiastic, even as some veterans remained indifferent.
Still, the upper ranks of the Night's Watch, led by Jeor Mormont, were satisfied with this outcome. Energetic subordinates made leadership easier.
After a brief discussion with Maester Aemon and several other senior officers, Jeor Mormont finally made his decision.
"Very well! I approve your proposal, Samwell Tarly. Now—who among the brothers of the Night's Watch is willing to go with him?"
Jeor Mormont's voice rang through the hall once more, silencing the discussions.
"I'll go…"
"Don't leave me out…"
"I'm heading into the Haunted Forest to kill wildlings…"
…After a moment of silence, voices erupted throughout Castle Black. Though most volunteers were new recruits, even some veterans were stirred by the younger brothers' enthusiasm.
A few hours later… Clank… clank…
As the iron gate mechanism slowly opened, five figures on warhorses appeared at the tunnel exit beneath the Wall.
After a unified selection, Grenn, Pyp, Toad, Eddison Tollett, and Samwell Tarly (possessed by Jon) formed the scouting party.
Since Jon had proposed the mission, he naturally became the leader. Apart from Eddison Tollett, the others were all recruits of the Night's Watch.
Eddison Tollett had not originally planned to join, but after building close relationships with them during daily duties, he fought for the role of guide when he saw them preparing to depart.
Although many others wished to join, Jon declined Lord Commander Jeor Mormont's suggestion to add more men, citing safety and coordination concerns.
"I really want to turn back right now. Why did I get carried away and follow you lot out here?"
"Because we're friends!"
Looking at the snow-covered wasteland that resembled the end of the world, Eddison Tollett blurted this out.
Before he could say anything else, the broad-shouldered Grenn spoke, leaving him speechless.
"Sam! Where do we start?"
Seeing Jon remain silent, Pyp asked the question.
"We'll go to the heart tree first. There, we'll find what we need."
Jon's voice carried clearly through the cold wind, as if spoken directly into each man's ears.
Whinny…
After giving the order, Jon nudged his horse forward.
This mission was no small matter, and Jon treated it seriously.
To deal with potential Others and wights, Jon had taken fire oil from the Night's Watch stores. Though he still lacked dragonglass weapons, fire oil alone would be enough to counter some wights.
As an added precaution, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont had even entrusted him with his family's ancestral Valyrian steel sword—Longclaw.
To Jon's surprise, after many twists of fate, Longclaw had once again ended up in his hands.
After traveling for more than ten minutes, the group entered the Haunted Forest and soon arrived beneath a heart tree.
Whoosh, whoosh…
"Sam… what exactly are we doing here?"
Under the howling wind, the massive heart tree looked like a monstrous face carved in bark, its bleeding sap making Eddison Tollett uneasy.
"I don't want to be the first brother of the Night's Watch to die of fright—that would be humiliating. Seven Gods above! No wonder House Royce abandoned the Old Gods. That face is terrifying! Look—it's bleeding!"
"We are here to seek revelation. To us, both the Old Gods and the Seven are sacred and unknowable. I cannot discern what they desire of me."
After approaching the heart tree, Jon spoke these cryptic words.
Howl…
Just as the others were confused, the sound of wolves howling echoed from deep within the forest, drawing closer by the second.
"On guard! Calm the horses!"
Sensing danger, Eddison Tollett barked the order.
Jon, however, did not react. He was immersed in his system, preparing to test a newly unlocked function—
the Magic Stone Mutation Module.
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