Compared to the tens of thousands of strong, well-equipped Northern troops and the powerful bombs that Lord Jason had mysteriously acquired, Jon and the soldiers who served the East family worshipped their own lord, Jason. It was already circulating quietly in the military camp that Lord Jason should become the King in the North. Once the ghoul army was eliminated, they even believed he would be eligible to become the King of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
Faced with Stannis, the "king" who had been defeated and fled ignominiously by the Lannisters and Tyrells, the Northerners harbored little respect. Furthermore, Robb had already led the North and the Riverlands to independence before his death, restoring the title of King in the North. Therefore, Stannis's claim to be the king was not acknowledged by the people of the North at all.
"I think you should know that Robb was our King in the North and the Trident," Jon stated, neither humble nor arrogant, and even slightly resentful. "We no longer submit to the Iron Throne or to the King of the Iron Throne you claim. The people of the North no longer recognize Joffrey, who now sits on that iron chair. Therefore, it is entirely appropriate for me to call you 'Lord'!"
Jon's words, which were full of righteous anger, made Stannis's face darken. Jon genuinely disliked the Southern kings. He was filled with hatred for King Joffrey, who was responsible for the deaths of Lord Eddard and Robb. If Jon hadn't joined the Night's Watch in the year 263 (assuming this is the intended year for the action), he would have joined Robb to fight the Lannisters when Robb marched south.
Davos saw that the meeting between the two was on the verge of collapsing from the start, and he immediately stepped in to mediate.
Stannis, conscious of his noble status, didn't bother to argue further with a bastard knight. He spoke a few perfunctory words and then directly sent Jon out.
Davos's Counsel
When only Stannis and Davos remained in the tent, the anger on Stannis's face slowly faded, replaced by worry and unwillingness. "You saw it too, Davos. The Northerners' attitude towards me worries me greatly. I fear I won't actually receive any help from them."
Although Davos also understood the Northerners' attitude from Jon's demeanor, aside from seeking aid from the North, who else in the Seven Kingdoms could help them?
With a sigh, Davos said, partly reassuringly and partly hopefully, "Perhaps this is merely Jon Snow's opinion. After all, he is Lord Eddard's bastard son. Given the deaths of Lord Eddard and Lord Robb, it's understandable that he dislikes us Southerners. I believe you should still go to Castle Black and meet Lord Jason East, who currently controls the entire North and the Riverlands. Perhaps he will have a more positive attitude toward you. He is, after all, an outsider from a distant land, and he needs you, Your Majesty!"
Davos believed Lord Jason would be a crucial point of leverage. According to Westeros thinking, a foreigner lacked the support of a king, making his rule in Westeros utterly illegitimate. No one would truly obey a Gentile. Therefore, if Stannis, in his capacity as king, promised to hand the entire North over to Jason East, then Jason would gain the legitimacy to rule the North.
At the same time, this action would further confirm Stannis's identity as the King of the Seven Kingdoms and bring the entire Northern region, including the Riverlands, under his command. This was precisely why Stannis was willing to follow the advice of the Red Witch, Melisandre, leave Storm's End, and travel all the way to the Wall in the North. Ghouls, or whatever they were, were supposed to be the Night's Watch's concern, not his.
The Red Woman's Search
Jon waited at Stannis's camp for two days and finally led them to Castle Black. Stannis's fleet was left at Seal Bay, and Stannis followed Jon on the road with his most elite army of over two thousand soldiers.
Angry that Jon Snow had been rude to him, Stannis ignored Jon and his company throughout the journey, letting Davos handle all the logistics and communication.
The Scarlet Witch, Melisandre, rode beside Jon. At such a close distance, Jon could clearly sense the fiery aura emanating from her, which he found astonishing.
During her few days at Stannis's camp, Melisandre had met Jon several times, asking carefully about the ghouls and the Night King. Knowing that the ghoul army was approaching Castle Black and that a decisive battle between humans and ghouls was imminent, Melisandre felt increasingly certain that coming North was the right decision.
"I brought you some Dragonglass," she said, "I hope it can help you."
With that, Melisandre took a palm-sized black spar from the pocket of her red robe.
Jon looked at the black stone in her hand and said in surprise, "This is indeed the kind of Dragonglass that can kill the White Walkers and the Night King; I've seen it before." He and his men followed Lord Jason, and they naturally knew there was a kind of obsidian called "Dragonglass" that contained fire magic elements and could kill ghouls and White Walkers. However, obsidian was very rare in the North.
Yet, since Lord Jason brought a powerful new bomb more than a month ago, they no longer needed this black spar.
So, Jon smiled confidently. "Thank you very much for the Dragonglass you brought, Lady Melisandre, but we don't need these stones anymore."
Surprise showed on Melisandre's delicate white face. "Why? You must know that the White Walkers possess ice magic in their bodies, and ordinary swords can't kill them at all. Only these Dragonglass crystals, which contain fire elements, can completely destroy them."
"Yes, I know, but we've acquired better weapons against those monsters than these obsidians, which are difficult to work with and brittle!" Jon smiled mysteriously. Having seen a terrifying weapon called a "Burning Bomb," he was confident in destroying the ghouls.
Melisandre looked puzzled. "Better weapons?"
After thinking it over, the Scarlet Witch's eyes lit up, and she looked at Jon with bright interest. "So, you've found the legendary horn that can awaken the sleeping underground giant?"
"No, not that," Jon shook his head repeatedly. Mance Rayder had already shown them the horn, and it was useless; the rumors were false.
"Then what is it?" Melisandre asked anxiously. "Is it some other magical weapon?"
Jon refused to tell her, simply smiling. "I'm sorry, madam, I can't tell you right now. But when you fight the ghouls, you'll see for yourself what it is. You'll be amazed, I promise!"
Melisandre asked several more times, but seeing that Jon truly did not intend to tell her, the Scarlet Witch could only give up. She remained secretly curious about what terrible weapon the Northerners were hiding.
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