The glacier beneath their feet seemed as if a series of light bulbs had been buried inside it. Then someone flipped a switch. As the current passed through, the bulbs lit up one by one, from far to near.
However, the red glow was far too dim and unsteady, more like a flickering candle flame swaying in the wind.
"By the Seven Gods, is the Wall burning?!"
Even though the light was faint, it was clearly visible to the naked eye, and cries of alarm immediately rang out atop the Wall.
Looking up, the entire Wall was shrouded in a thin layer of red light. Against the snow-covered land, it looked very much like a rope of fire lying across the ground.
The red glow came from the magic within the formations embedded in the Wall.
Magic repaired the formations and drove them to operate slowly, and the operating formations in turn automatically gathered the magic of heaven and earth.
Through this virtuous cycle, magic continuously flowed into the Wall, gradually filling the cracks in the glacier.
"Crack, crack." Wherever the magic flowed, the glacier began to heal on its own, just like a wound on skin closing under a healing spell.
Sir Sevin said blankly, "So this is repairing the Wall? It's like a divine miracle!"
"It was the same last time," Sir Mellister said. Even though this was not his first time witnessing it, he was still extremely excited. "As long as the Dragon Queen is here, we won't lose. Even if the Wall collapses, it can be rebuilt."
"I heard thirty kilometers collapsed over at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea," said Scholar Tamulin of the Shadow Tower, shaking his head with a dismissive expression.
Sir Mellister said gravely, "We can first build strongpoints, then repair it section by section toward Eastwatch.
"Eight thousand years ago, the Night's Watch could build a Wall five hundred kilometers long. Are we really incapable of repairing just thirty kilometers?"
"Even if it's repaired, the White Walkers might blow it down again. I hear the Night King has obtained the Horn of Winter," Sir Sevin said helplessly.
"This time, maybe things will be different," Sir Mellister said uncertainly.
"Don't worry. This time is not the same as before. Even if the Night King blows his throat hoarse, he won't be able to bring down a single section of the Wall."
Sir Aliser of Castle Black had similar concerns. The Dragon Queen, wearing a smug expression, reassured him. "The Horn of Winter specifically targets the power of the wind god within the weirwood, while I am using a complete set of fire-based divine power.
"Moreover, the internal formations have been readjusted. I spent the past two days modifying them."
As she said this, Dany's expression became somewhat strange.
Just as she had said, two days earlier she had already arranged for Big Black to notify the Night's Watch along the Wall to carry out a strategic withdrawal in stages. Yet it was only today that the formal repair of the Wall truly began.
This was because she had discovered that the Wall occupied an extremely special position. The Wall stood in the world's front courtyard, the greenseer sanctuary was the main gate, and beyond that to the north lay another world.
The lands beyond the Wall, between the sanctuary and the Wall itself, formed a buffer zone between Westeros and the world beyond.
Such a special position also granted the Wall special benefits.
First, the Wall stood at a convergence point of the world's magic. Ninety-nine percent of the magic driving the formations within the Wall came from here.
The last time Dany replenished the Wall's magic, what use could the magic of merely two giant dragons be to such a colossal structure? Why could it last for years without being exhausted?
The main reason was that the Wall's location itself was rich in magic. The dragons' magic drove the formations to operate, and once in operation, the formations automatically absorbed the free magic of heaven and earth.
This was also why Melisandre's magic surged wildly after she arrived at the Wall.
If explained in the terminology of xianxia cultivation, the Wall was built within a blessed paradise.
In addition to the abundance of magic, the fluctuations of the surrounding laws were also exceptionally active.
This gave Dany an idea: could she treat the Wall as her own place of cultivation?
After that, she returned to the place where she had first met the gate guardian: the Nightfort.
Once, the Nightfort had been ruled by the Night King. The White Walker Bride and the Night King ruled it for thirteen years. Once, the Nightfort witnessed the most infamous violation of guest right in Westeros, when the Rat Cook was born in its kitchens. Once, the "Seventy-Nine Sentinels" fled from here, were captured and brought back, and entombed in solid ice. Once, a brave girl named Dany Flint, inspired by Hua Mulan, disguised herself as a man to join the Night's Watch at the Nightfort. When her companions discovered her identity, she was brutally assaulted to death. Once, the legendary hero "Star-Eyes" Simeon saw two hellhounds fighting here. Once, "Mad Axe" went on a mad slaughter of his fellow brothers of the Watch.
And once, the Dragon Queen entered the Black Gate at the Nightfort, and then burned the Rat Cook to death.
The Wall was the most wondrous place in Westeros, and the Nightfort was the most peculiar place on the Wall.
Countless legendary events occurred here, and countless legendary monsters appeared here.
Returning to this familiar ground, Dany unexpectedly discovered the Nightfort's true peculiarity. The gate guardian was gone, and the Black Gate had disappeared, but behind the wall where the Black Gate once stood, there was still a space.
Take a plastic bag, blow air into it through the opening until it bulges, then tie the opening with a string. If the world of A Song of Ice and Fire were that bag, the Wall would be the opening, and the strange space within the Nightfort's wall would be a "spatial fold" at the mouth of the bag.
In the past, the gate guardian's divine realm had been placed here. Now, when Big Black opened a spatial gate and Dany entered, she was astonished to discover that she could hear the world singing.
At the beginning of the world's creation, the Song of Laws was open to all living beings. The gate guardian heard the Song of Wind, and then sang his own Song of Wind.
Later, the world gradually became "stingy," and the Song of Laws was hidden away. Even holy spirits found it difficult to hear the world's song. At least, before meeting the gate guardian, Dany had never heard the Song of the World's Laws while practicing meditation techniques.
Now she heard it. It was as if she had returned to the beginning of the world.
"My gods, this isn't just a sacred cultivation ground anymore. This place itself is a treasure!"
Dany named it the "Source of the World" and resolved to claim this precious land for herself.
She spent two days modifying the formations so that those within the Wall would perfectly match Little Gold.
Well, the Dragon Queen was burdened with countless affairs. Staying behind herself was impossible, but she could leave a dragon behind.
The dragon would serve as both the magic source and control core of the Wall's formations, and at the same time cultivate using this precious land.
Big Black, Little Green, and Little White needed to follow the Dragon Queen into battle. Little Red was too young to shoulder such responsibility. Thus, the two-and-a-half-year-old Little Gold was summoned and stuffed into the Wall to serve as a "battery."
"I feel that Little Gold will surpass the three of you, rise from behind, and become the top dog," Dany said with a strange laugh to the three great dragons.
This was not a joke.
From now on, whenever Dany cultivated, she would be together with Little Gold's dragon spirit. The Song of Laws she had mastered was not necessarily something Little Gold could master, but he was always watching, listening, and personally experiencing it in his dragon-spirit state. How could his experience not skyrocket?
Moreover, by staying year-round in a place like the "World Source," even a pig could gain intelligence. No matter how dull a giant dragon might be, it was still smarter than a pig, right?
"Caw, caw, caw. Excellent. You actually left the giant dragon within the Wall to maintain the operation of the formation. Wonderful."
At the Black Castle, on the ninth floor of the King's Tower, by the window, a red-eyed black raven beat its wings in extreme excitement.
"Even if the Night King returns to the foot of the Wall holding the Horn of Winter, the Wall will no longer collapse."
"After the Wall's formation was activated, the temperature at Black Castle didn't rise?" Dany asked in confusion.
"Of course it didn't rise. In the future, when the sun completely goes out, the temperature will drop even lower. The Wall only slows the rate at which the temperature falls; it cannot make the temperature rise. Only a new sun can bring summer to the world."
The excitement in the raven's eyes faded, replaced by a trace of human-like helplessness.
"You still haven't found the Night King?" Dany asked again.
"The Night King seized one-tenth of the Green Seer's mark. I cannot track it through the trees, but I can guess its direction," the raven said in a heavy tone.
Dany replied calmly, "I don't need you to guess. I already know. Winterfell, right? If it wants to take the North, it definitely won't let Winterfell go."
"Will you go to the aid of Winterfell?" Bran's voice was as light as a breeze.
"That depends on whether it has the value of being rescued."
"I think it has great value. Winterfell can become a forward stronghold to block the army of the Others," Bran said hurriedly.
Dany waved her hand. "I don't want what you think; I want what I think. The affairs of Black Castle are temporarily settled. I will personally make a trip to Winterfell.
Now, it's time for you to hand over the payment for repairing the Wall."
Bran gave her a deep look, then spread his wings and flew into the dim sky. Moments later, a flock of ravens came crying as they flew in from the north.
There were too many ravens, circling above Black Castle like a dark cloud. The already dim sky grew even darker. The Night's Watch below were all alarmed, pointing and shouting at the sky.
Dany did not care what others thought. She sent a mental wave toward the ravens above. "I am the successor chosen by your Mother Goddess. I can bring you true rebirth.
If you are tired of your current lives, you may follow me to begin a second life. If you do not wish to leave the Three-Eyed Raven, I will not force you."
"Hiss." As soon as her words ended, a beam of fire shot from the Dragon Queen's left eye. Like a thin veil woven of phosphorescence, it flew seven or eight meters through the air, then suddenly expanded and transformed into a cawing raven.
When the raven flew into the sky, the other ravens stared at it in astonishment.
"Look at it. It seems like Carbon Tooth?"
"That's Carbon Tooth, right? I remember Carbon Tooth and Woodfruit went with that human queen last time."
"Carbon Tooth, where have you been these days? You seem different."
The ravens chirped noisily, speaking the Source Language that humans could not understand.
"Carbon Tooth? I'm not Carbon Tooth. Carbon Tooth sounds awful. My name is Misty. You can call me 'Little Mist'!"
The large raven cried loudly. With a bang, it exploded into a bright red little sun.
It was about the size of a plate, and in the middle of the sun was the face of a little girl.
At that moment, the little face was scrunched up as she looked left and right, pouting as she cried, "It's so cold here. Aren't you all freezing?"
"Ahhh, Carbon Tooth turned into a fireball!"
"Carbon Tooth, is this your second life? It's so strange."
"Carbon Tooth, it's so cold. If you turn into a fireball, won't you go out?"
The large ravens sensed that although the little sun's form had changed, its aura had not. They were no longer afraid and gathered around Little Mist, calling out to her.
"Ah, look. A sun appeared in the sky!"
"Are you stupid? How could there be such a small sun? It must be the Dragon Queen's fire magic."
"Don't you think the sky looks much brighter? Like a little sun."
"It's just too dark. If you hang an oil lamp on the Wall, the people below would also think it looks like the sun."
"It's different."
On the ground, the Night's Watch also began shouting in alarm.
"Bang!" The little sun changed again. Urged on by the surrounding ravens, Little Mist transformed into a small beauty with fluttering dragonfly wings.
"This is my everyday form!" Little Mist tugged at her petal-woven dress and spun around proudly.
"So ugly!"
"Mother Goddess, Carbon Tooth actually became this ugly, just like a human."
(End of Chapter)
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