Old York, Dragon Fanatic

After Jon decided to challenge Hidden Fire Peak, the elders and tribal representatives decided to stay in the Painted Dog Tribe for the time being.

After all, traveling back and forth took time.

Xiuwolf took it upon himself to explain the history of Hidden Fire Peak and the routes people had once used to climb it.

He said that the farther up they went, the fewer climbers there should be.

Because the God of Hidden Fire Peak did not like noise.

"Elder Xiuwolf, before the mountain suffered that collapse, how many people successfully reached the summit of Hidden Fire Peak?"

"Five or six, perhaps. But usually, only one person made it to the top every five or six years.

"Those who reached the summit would receive the Fire Witches' recognition."

"The Fire Witches' recognition? How did the Fire Witches get up there? And what exactly was their recognition?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know that. It happened far too long ago." Xiuwolf answered Jon's question with a response that sounded as though he had rehearsed it thousands of times.

There did not seem to be anything wrong with it.

After all, tribes like this had no reliable written records.

It was already impressive if they knew who their grandfathers were.

How could they remember things from one or two hundred years ago?

Jon said he would make preparations and set out the next day.

The moment Xiuwolf left, Old York eagerly leaned in.

His somewhat cloudy pale eyes gleamed sharply. He was so close that Jon could feel his breath.

"What is it, Old York?"

"Nettles!"

"What?!"

"Nettles! Sheepstealer! Their first Fire Witch was Nettles! Up on that mountain, there may be the last dragon—Sheepstealer!"

At that moment, Old York's role as a fanatical dragon enthusiast came into play.

He said that more than ten years after Aegon III Targaryen inherited the Iron Throne, knights from the Vale discovered a dragon in a cave.

On the dragon's back sat a white-haired woman dressed in tattered clothes.

That dragon had to be Sheepstealer, and that woman had to be Nettles.

During that Targaryen civil war, the Targaryen royal family had been divided into the Blacks and the Greens.

The leader of the Greens was Rhaenyra Targaryen, daughter and heir of Viserys I.

After the Blacks lost dragons and dragonriders one after another, Rhaenyra recruited dragonriders extensively from bastards with Targaryen blood in order to make use of the dragons in her possession.

Nettles was one such bastard—or rather, bastard girl.

She had originally guarded Harrenhal with Daemon, Rhaenyra's consort, but for some reason, Daemon had made Nettles leave.

After that, she was never seen again.

In short, Nettles, the "bastard dragonrider," was the Painted Dog Tribe's first Fire Witch.

"Then by your reasoning, Xiuwolf has been helping us because of... dragon eggs?"

Without a doubt, Sheepstealer was surely dead by now.

Dragons only lived a little over two hundred years.

The only reason Xiuwolf was helping Jon so enthusiastically could be the dragon eggs Nettles had left behind.

Otherwise, if it was merely dragon bones, they did not seem to hold much value.

At least, not enough for him to do all this for them.

Though not every Targaryen was fireproof, most of them were highly resistant to heat.

Thinking of Xiuwolf's apparent immunity to scalding, Jon became even more certain of the man's goal.

Nettles had lived among the Painted Dog Tribe for so long. It was hardly strange that she might have left behind some Targaryen blood.

"So Xiuwolf took notice of my skills and thought I could find a way up the mountain. That's why he's been sparing no effort to help me."

"Mm! That must be it!"

"Then when we set out, let's bring more men. We need to make sure we can control the situation."

"Leave it to me!"

Before long, it was time to depart.

The elders and representatives from the other tribes came to see them off.

Cheek was no longer wholly focused on making trouble for Jon. Instead, he unexpectedly told him to stay safe.

Including Jon and Old York, their side had sent ten men in total: five Winterfell soldiers and five old veterans.

Xiuwolf, who had volunteered to serve as their guide, also brought more than ten household guards.

Xiuwolf's son, Hugh, was among them.

For some reason, though, those household guards looked rather bloated.

Seeing that Jon had brought so many men, Hugh hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"Lord Jon, didn't we agree before? The God of Hidden Fire Peak likes quiet. You've brought so many people..."

"Then why do you need to bring more than ten men as guides?"

"They're carrying our luggage. They'll return halfway up the mountain." Xiuwolf patched up his son's excuse. "The paths get narrower the farther up we go. Too many people will only make passage difficult, and they might trample those narrow mountain paths apart."

Jon inwardly laughed at how clumsy their excuse was.

"Then let these old fellows stay. They've lived in the mountains since childhood and hold the Mountain God in reverence."

Xiuwolf was still dissatisfied, but seeing that Jon had brought only old men, he had no choice but to agree.

Jon, meanwhile, was confident that even if his side was outnumbered, they could still defeat Xiuwolf.

Not long afterward, the group left the tribe and set out for Hidden Fire Peak.

Along the way, Xiuwolf chatted aimlessly with Jon, seemingly trying to make him lower his guard.

Jon did not mind. Making small talk and spouting harmless pleasantries came easily to him.

But before they had gone very far, a figure burst out of the woods ahead.

Everyone immediately went on alert. Some drew bows, while others drew swords.

Yet when they saw who it was, they relaxed instead.

"Hey! Jon! Uh... Elder Xiuwolf."

"Sola? Why are you here?"

"Hidden Fire Peak is dangerous. I want to go with you."

Hearing that, Old York beside them scratched his head.

Girls from these uncivilized tribes really were direct.

A girl from Westeros would never say something like that.

Even saying, "I will pray for you before the gods," would already be quite blatant.

He felt more and more that his granddaughter had no chance of competing.

Jon naturally had a headache as well.

He did not want to invite any romantic entanglements.

But night was approaching, and he could not leave her alone in the wilderness.

So he could only discuss with Xiuwolf and let her stay with them.

But just as everyone set up camp and prepared to rest, another figure barged into their campsite.

It was Haken, the "Vinegar King."

When he could not find Sola in the tribe, he only needed to think for a moment to know where she had gone.

So he followed after her while no one was watching.

This unexpected development caught Xiuwolf somewhat off guard.

With so many people around, what he intended to do next would become difficult.

Jon also realized that no matter what Xiuwolf intended to do later, having witnesses nearby would restrain him to some extent and make him more cautious.

The next day, the group set out again.

Along the way, Sola followed behind Jon like a tail, constantly asking him questions.

As for Haken, he looked as though he wanted to bore several holes through Jon with his eyes.

Fortunately, after less than two days, they reached Hidden Fire Peak.

Looking up, the steep mountain peak, which had seemingly once housed dragons, stood like a pillar supporting the heavens.

Vegetation still grew all the way up to its waist, but above that, it was completely barren.

"This is Hidden Fire Peak. Let me lead the way for you," Xiuwolf's son Hugh said.