Autumn had fully arrived in Westeros.
The Mountains of the Moon looked desolate.
As the wind rustled through the branches like waves, the group climbed up a high slope, only to find the path ahead suddenly narrowing.
It was so steep they practically needed to use both hands and feet to continue upward.
"Jon, put these on," Hughwolf said, taking out several pairs of special wooden climbing shoes.
These shoes looked a bit like high heels, but the heels were made of specialized wooden blocks.
Standing on flat ground would pitch you forward, but wearing them while climbing provided extra stability.
Jon looked at Sora beside him and asked:
"Miss Sora, did you bring these shoes?"
"Mm, I did!" Sora patted her basket. Seeing Jon care about her, joy was written all over her face.
Jon then looked at Hakon. Clearly, he had left in a hurry and hadn't brought a spare pair.
"Hakon, take mine."
"Huh? No need."
Hakon hadn't expected his "rival" Jon to be so selfless. But remembering Sora's attitude toward Jon, he coldly refused.
"Miss Sora, please pass them to him for me."
"But what about you?"
"Me?"
Jon looked around, tore off some vines, and tied them around his heels, smiling.
"This will do."
Sora took Jon's wooden shoes and turned to Hakon. "Here."
Looking at the shoes handed over by his crush, Hakon hesitated.
On one hand, they came from his rival; on the other, Sora was giving them to him.
Finally, under Sora's urging, he accepted.
Watching this scene, Hughwolf felt it was all unnecessary.
He just wanted to climb up quickly.
"My Lord, let's move faster. The path will get slippery at night."
"Mm."
Jon nodded. It seemed they couldn't finish the climb in one day.
After distributing the equipment, the group began their ascent.
Hughwolf sent men to lead the way, while the porters carrying luggage brought up the rear, effectively sandwiching Jon and his group in the middle.
They climbed practically stepping in the footprints of the person before them.
Jon secretly activated his [God's Eye View] and saw they looked like a string of cicadas crawling up a tree trunk.
He also noticed that the men Hughwolf brought were all wearing leather armor under their clothes!
Why wear armor to climb a mountain? Most likely, it was for dealing with him.
By afternoon, although everyone still had strength, they reached a relatively flat area.
Continuing forward would be risky as darkness fell.
So they decided to camp there.
With a push tomorrow, they should reach the exposed rock face.
Hughwolf took the opportunity to approach Jon again to discuss the next steps.
"Jon, we brought ropes for you. It all depends on you now. If you can find a way over that cliff, please drop the rope down so we can set up a rope ladder."
"Elder Hughwolf, you came well prepared. It seems you're quite interested in the place where the Fire Witches lived too?"
Seeing Jon practically piercing his intentions, Hughwolf didn't deny it.
"I'm over forty. How many years do I have left? It would be wonderful to climb up and take a look."
Jon smiled and said nothing.
Just then, Sora approached Jon.
"Jon, I brought a blanket for you. It might get cold tonight..."
Although Sora was bold for a tribal girl, speaking of such things made her shy. Her voice grew quieter as she spoke.
"Thank you, but Miss Sora, you should use it yourself. I grew up in the North; I'm used to the cold."
Seeing Hakon glaring at him with green eyes of jealousy, Jon politely declined.
Not that Jon feared Hakon, but he was now seventy percent sure Hughwolf had bad intentions.
He didn't want to push Hakon to the opposing side because of Sora.
"Then let's sleep... sleep next to each other. We'll... both be warm."
Alright, alright, stop talking. Someone is about to explode over there.
"No need. I'll sleep next to Old York."
After the "sleeping arrangements crisis," everyone finally rested.
But no one slept well.
The ground was uneven, and turning over was risky.
A careless move could send you rolling down the mountain.
So they kept a watch throughout the night.
The long night finally gave way to dawn. once the morning mist cleared, the group resumed their journey.
By noon, they reached the perilous rock face.
The grey-white cliff had only tiny protruding stones.
Moreover, the crevices were filled with dirt, and some had weeds growing in them, making them unreliable handholds.
As far as the eye could see, only a single pine tree grew high up on the cliff.
To loop a rope around it would require an incredibly tricky angle.
Throwing a rope up dozens of meters by hand was virtually impossible.
Even Bran couldn't climb this.
A somewhat dark thought flashed through Jon's mind.
"Jon, this is it. If you climb up, not only will you gain the alliance of the other tribes, but these old bones of mine will also get a chance to see the view from Fire-Cache Peak," Hughwolf said.
But Old York suddenly interjected:
"My Lord, this... this is harder to climb than a castle wall! One slip and you're dead. Why don't we leave? I feel like defeating the Lannisters would be easier than climbing this."
At this moment, Sora also spoke up to dissuade him. Seeing such a sheer cliff, she too had second thoughts.
Sora was young; this was her first time climbing so high.
"Yes, Jon. Maybe we should go back. I'm willing to go with you to fight those Lannisters."
Listening to everyone's discouragement, Jon looked troubled and "hesitant."
"Jon, we're already here. I believe with your skills, this won't be a problem!" someone in Hughwolf's group shouted. It was his son, Hugh.
"This..."
Jon murmured, secretly observing Hughwolf's reaction.
Actually, Old York speaking up was part of the plan.
Jon wanted to see if Hughwolf would make a move against him if he refused to climb.
"If you're scared, forget it. Unless you grow wings, I don't think anyone can get up there," Hakon added.
Perhaps because Jon gave him the climbing shoes yesterday, or because he refused Sora's offer to share a blanket, Hakon—though still proud—also felt Jon shouldn't force himself.
Of course, he also considered that if Jon really climbed up, he and Sora would have zero chance.
Finally, Jon made up his mind. He turned to Hughwolf and said:
"Elder Hughwolf, thank you for your help along the way. I've decided not to continue the climb. Later, I will use more weapons and food to recruit men. If the warriors still aren't willing to follow me, then so be it."
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Hughwolf eagerly revealed his fangs.
His men drew their bronze knives one by one.
A dozen men surrounded Jon and his group.
"Outsider, you are climbing today whether you want to or not!"