The letter

Gary was also observing Jeor Mormont. Judging by everyone's reactions, it was not hard to guess that Jeor Mormont held a high position.

As one of Castle Black's senior figures, he should have appeared in Game of Thrones, right?

To be honest, the plot of Game of Thrones was convoluted, with three storylines advancing in parallel and scenes frequently jumping between three regions. On top of that, there was a wait between each season's release, and the long span of time had caused Gary to forget many of the events and characters.

Aside from a few main characters and the central plot, he could, at best, recognize the faces of many of the "supporting characters."

Take the old man before him, for example... huh, Gary did find him somewhat familiar.

"I wasn't sneaking into Castle Black. Hear me out. I came looking for someone, but they said the person I wanted to see had already gone to sleep and they couldn't announce me. I had no choice but to offer them a gold coin as payment. Who knew they'd get greedy, trick me into coming inside, and try to rob me of all my money? And then... you saw what happened."

Gary shrugged helplessly and looked toward the tunnel in disgust.

Alliser snorted. "An excuse full of holes. Since when do Wildlings use coins? Do you know how valuable a single gold dragon is?"

Gary glanced at Benjen and pulled a bulging purse from inside his clothes.

"Here. This is my money."

He deliberately pulled open the mouth of the purse, revealing the gleaming gold dragons inside. At a glance, there had to be at least twenty or thirty of them-a considerable fortune.

Everyone was stunned. None of them had imagined that a young Wildling could possess so much money.

Did that mean the young Wildling had not been lying?

Given his position, Jeor Mormont could not possibly put complete faith in a Wildling's side of the story.

He fell silent for a moment, then decided to follow procedure. "Put him in the dungeon for now. We'll investigate tomorrow."

"Wait, wait! I came looking for someone! I'm looking for Benjen!" Gary immediately shouted. He did not want to spend the night in a dungeon, treated like a criminal.

"Benjen. Benjen Stark," he added, glancing at Benjen again.

Jeor Mormont turned to look at Benjen beside him and asked in puzzlement, "Do you know him?"

Benjen stepped forward, studied Gary carefully, and said unhurriedly, "No. The way he ties his furs is unusual. It's unlike the methods of the nearby tribes. He should be a Wildling from beyond the Wall."

"Um... I did come from beyond the Wall," Gary explained quietly, having also heard Benjen's conjecture.

Then he took an envelope from inside his clothes. "My mother told me to find Benjen and give him this letter."

Jeor Mormont took the envelope from Gary without betraying any reaction and asked, "Where is your mother, then?"

Gary began to display his acting talents, feigning sorrow as he answered, "My mother was shot dead helping me escape the tribe."

Jeor Mormont said nothing. He opened the letter in his hands. Inside were two sheets of paper.

One sheet was badly yellowed, and even the handwriting had become somewhat blurred. It appeared to be quite old. The other sheet looked a little newer and contained much more writing.

By the firelight beside him, he skimmed the contents of the letter.

Jeor Mormont's expression suddenly changed. His brow furrowed, and he quickly folded the letter shut. "Benjen, bring this child and come with me to the Lord Commander's Tower."

With that, he turned and left first.

Benjen did not dwell on it and simply obeyed the Lord Commander's orders. He pushed past Alliser and, holding the shivering Gary, quickly followed the Lord Commander.

Alliser's expression was ugly. Had things taken a turn? What was written in that letter to make the Lord Commander lose his composure like that?

Allowing Wildlings into the Wall was a desecration of their sacred vows. How could the Lord Commander knowingly violate them...?

The thought left him even more frustrated.

After much consideration, Alliser decided to head to the Lord Commander's Tower. He could not stand by and watch the Lord Commander make a foolish mistake. The Wildling absolutely could not be allowed to remain at the Wall!

The Lord Commander's office, on the top floor of the Lord Commander's Tower, one of Castle Black's main buildings.

Jeor Mormont closed the door, leaving only himself, Benjen, and Gary in the room. He walked to his desk and lit the kerosene lamp on it.

"Read this letter first. What exactly is going on?"

Bewildered, Benjen took the letter and unfolded it to read.

The kerosene lamp in the room was reasonably bright. Its light fell across the paper, making every word exceptionally clear.

There were only a few lines on the first sheet, and the contents were simple. It described how, twelve years earlier, a man of House Stark had met a woman in Mole's Town, southeast of Castle Black. After several months together, the woman became pregnant, and the man left. Before leaving, he had written this pledge.

He promised that he would one day bring their child to Winterfell.

The signature at the end read: Year 279 after Aegon's Conquest, Brandon Stark.

The second sheet was the woman's own account of her experiences over the years. In the winter of the following year, she had given birth to a son, but Brandon Stark never came.

Another year passed, and the War of the Usurper broke out. With little of the money Brandon had left her remaining, the woman struggled to get by. Carrying her child, she set out alone for Winterfell to find Brandon.

Unfortunately, she encountered a band of mountain brigands on the road, who sold her to a merchant active in the north. In the end, the merchant sold her to a Wildling tribe beyond the Wall.

After that, unable to cross the glaciers and gorges alone, she could only remain with the Wildling tribe and raise her child.

She hoped her child would grow up healthy and one day return south of the Wall.

The writing ended abruptly there. Benjen and the others had already heard the rest of the story from Gary. His mother had died at the hands of Wildlings while helping him escape the tribe.

Jeor Mormont patted Benjen's shoulder and said gravely, "If this letter is genuine, that child is..."

Benjen took several deep breaths. "If he really is my eldest brother's bastard, House Stark will naturally accept him. But nothing has been established yet. Old Bear, I intend to take him back to Winterfell. There are still letters my eldest brother left behind there. We can compare the handwriting."

The lord of Winterfell, known as the Warden of the North, was Benjen's second elder brother, Eddard Stark.

Jeor Mormont nodded in agreement. "Very well. Rest tonight and leave first thing tomorrow."

"Old Bear, there's one more thing I need to trouble you with. Sorry for the trouble, but please send someone to Mole's Town to investigate whether the contents of the letter are true." Benjen planned to travel light and ride south, so he did not intend to stop in Mole's Town.

Jeor Mormont nodded. "Don't worry. Mole's Town is less than a hundred li from Castle Black. I'll send someone."

Benjen folded the sheets again and tucked them inside his leather armor. He bowed his head. "I'm counting on you, Old Bear."

"Go on." Jeor Mormont waved a hand.

Benjen led Gary out of the office and ran straight into Alliser, who had just arrived. The two looked at each other without speaking and passed by.

Alliser hurried into the office and said loudly, "Commander, Wildlings must not set a single foot inside the Wall! That rule has stood unbroken for centuries. Isn't it inappropriate for you to let a Wildling into Castle Black now?"

Jeor Mormont sat back down at his desk and answered, "Until we establish his identity, we cannot conclude that he is a Wildling. Go and rest. I'll give you all an explanation."

Alliser was dumbfounded. What spell had Benjen put on the Lord Commander? Why was he twisting the truth and spouting nonsense?

"He... how is he not a Wildling? Besides, he killed men..."

Alliser's face flushed red. He felt utterly stifled.

Jeor Mormont did not want to keep arguing either. He rubbed his forehead and waved a hand. "Go on."

Alliser asked curiously, "Commander, that letter..."

Jeor Mormont raised his head and interrupted him. "There was quite a commotion tonight. Thank you for your efforts. Go and get some rest."

Seeing that the Lord Commander had dismissed him, Alliser could only bow his head and leave the office, his face full of resentment.

The second-floor corridor of the Guard Tower, one of Castle Black's main buildings.

Benjen prepared a room for Gary. "I don't have any spare bedding. You'll have to make do here tonight."

Gary looked at the pile of dry grass on the bedboards and smiled. "It's fine. My living conditions beyond the Wall were worse than this."

Benjen hesitated for a moment before saying, "We haven't established any trust yet. As a precaution, I'll be taking your weapon and purse."

He turned, pointed at the door, and added, "I'll also lock the door. I'll open it for you when daylight comes tomorrow."

Gary trusted Benjen Stark's character. Without the slightest hesitation, he handed over his fur-wrapped sword and purse.

Still, he tried to negotiate. "Could you leave the door unlocked? There's no privy in this room. What if I need to piss in the middle of the night?"

Holding the fur-wrapped sword and purse, Benjen said, "There's a wooden bucket under the bedboards. You can use that."

He added one more reminder. "Get some rest. We have to leave first thing tomorrow."

With that, Benjen left the room.

Click.

After the door closed, there was the distinct sound of a lock sliding into place.

Gary flopped helplessly onto the bed and sighed. "House Stark, huh? Hopefully, it'll be a good place to go."