"Disappeared?" Viserys locked his eyes tightly on the old man's face covered with traces of time and said softly, "That's true. In the records of Iron Throne and Night's Watch, he has always been recorded as missing, but you seem to know more."
Aemon took a deep breath of cold air and said in a low voice, "Yes, some people said that he had died in Beyond the Wall, and others said that he and the Night's Watch who accompanied him were all killed by Wildlings, but just before he led the team away from Wall, he came to me once."
"Although he was still wearing Night's Watch's black cloak at the time, his eyes had become a little... different. He told me that he saw too many eyes in his dream and heard Weirwood's whisper."
"He also said that Wall is not just a wall to defend Wildlings, it is also a seal, and the darkness of Beyond the Wall is gathering, and someone needs to go closer to watch."
The old man paused and seemed to be considering his words. He continued, "He said that he wanted to find the 'root' and the knowledge that had been forgotten by Westeros. At the time, I just thought it was his nonsense. After all, he was already old at that time and his health was not as good as before."
"But now it seems that maybe from that moment on, he was no longer just Brynden. Raven, but became a part of Greenseer. Later, the news came that all their team of Night's Watch had disappeared."
"Before coming to Wall, I had never really seen the mysterious power. Until late one night, when I was reading ancient books in the castle Tower, I could always feel a kind of gaze. Then I looked up and saw a crow with three eyes landing next to me. Its gaze looked very deep, as if it had experienced countless years of precipitation."
"The crow didn't speak at first and just looked at me quietly. But with the look in its eyes, I quickly recognized its identity, that is Brynden."
Aemon's voice was as soft as a sigh, and he said, "Although its appearance has changed, the feeling of looking directly into the heart through the soul is something I will never forget. Moreover, Three-Eyed Crow did not speak. The familiar voice of Brynden rang in my mind. He said, Aemon, when Long Night comes, only Fire and Blood can bring light."
"I haven't seen that crow since."
Aemon shook his head when he said this, with a self-deprecating smile on his lips, and continued, "I thought it was just an illusion caused by being too tired. Until the last time you came here, when you mentioned the name 'Greenseer', all the memories were finally put together."
"Brynden did not disappear, he just existed in a different way. He became part of the land of Beyond the Wall and became their prophet Children of the Forest."
Viserys listened with rapt attention. It turned out that Aemon had already crossed paths with Greenseer decades ago. After all, Wall is the only one in which Aemon and Brynden are both members of House Targaryen.
And Brynden chose to hand over Horn of Winter to him, perhaps not because of his threat, but because of Greenseer's own ability to see across time. It is possible that Brynden was just following the trend at that time.
"So, he trusts you and trusts me." Aemon said slowly, with some relief in his tone, "Because he knows that the same blood flows in our bodies, which is the Dragonlord bloodline that can resonate with Dragon and understand the ancient Magic."
"Viserys, I hope that no matter what happens in the future, you need to remember that Brynden gives you not only a Horn that can destroy Wall, but also a responsibility, a responsibility for exercising the true power of Westeros."
"Also, you have to be careful, Viserys, when trading with someone who owns the ancient Magic, you often have to pay an invisible price. He let you get Horn, maybe because he saw some kind of future that we must face, and in that future, the collapse of Wall is an inevitable part."
Viserys just nodded perfunctorily, and then said, "I will keep it in mind, grandfather. No matter how many unknown threats there are behind, House Targaryen led by me will not flinch, and I will also ensure that the interests of House Targaryen are not harmed."
"Benefits..." Aemon sighed lightly and didn't say much.
For an old man like him who has been watching Wall all his life, some things are heavier than the interests of the family, such as oaths, such as responsibilities, such as those Ancient Other God who are close to Wall in the cold wind.
The three of them walked the rest of the journey in silence.
When Maester's Tower returned, Samwell was waiting at the door holding a stack of thick parchment rolls. Seeing Viserys and the others bringing Maester Aemon back safely, a relieved smile finally appeared on their chubby faces.
"Your Majesty Viserys, Daenerys Princess, Maester Aemon, you are back. I have just compiled a batch of records about First Men Ruins and the sacrifices."
Viserys nodded slightly and motioned for Sam to come into the room to talk in detail. After briefly reading some documents, he said, "Sam, what you have compiled is useful. You can continue to organize and organize everything you can find. I will pick it up before I leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Sam breathed a sigh of relief, as if he was afraid that Viserys would think he was not good enough. "Some of the records about 'Last Hero' in these materials are very obscure. I am trying to compare them with different translations, hoping to find some clues about Others's weaknesses."
Viserys didn't say anything more, he just patted Sam on the shoulder and asked him to continue working hard, saying that he was very optimistic about him and would let him take over Maester from Night's Watch in the future.
In the next two days, Viserys and Daenerys did not go far. They were always active around Castle Black.
On the morning of the first day, they did not ride the dragon. Viserys asked Mormont Lord Commander to arrange for someone to take him and Daenerys to the top of Wall on the elevator.
The huge wooden Winch made a dull creaking sound, the iron chains were tight, and the cage carrying several people slowly rose. As the height climbed, the biting cold wind around them became more and more biting, as if countless tiny ice knives were scraping their bodies.
Daenerys subconsciously tightened the fur cloak on her body, Silver-Haired Figure was flying in the wind, but her purple Roland eyes showed no fear or flinching. Instead, they burned with an almost fanatical curiosity and excitement. She liked to experience this special experience, especially with Viserys.
When the basket finally stopped at the top of Wall, an indescribable feeling of shock came over me.