In the hollow, there was a deathly silence.
Only the crackling of the bonfire and the heavy breathing of the crowd could be heard.
Everyone seemed to be frozen, staring blankly at the figure standing in the center of the clearing.
Linn.
He held the longclaw, his body covered in shimmering ice shards, sparkling in the firelight.
What just happened?
That dead man, immune to blades and almost invincible... just... gone?
Smashed to pieces by their commander's sword?
"Won... won?"
A young Ranger stammered out two words, his voice trembling.
"We... won!"
"Our Lord won!"
Someone shouted it first.
The next second.
"Oh—!!!"
"Our Lord is mighty!"
"Long live Lord Linn!"
Deafening cheers, like a mountain collapse and a tsunami, erupted in the silent hollow!
The ecstasy of surviving a disaster, combined with the worship of a strong man, completely ignited the emotions of all the soldiers at this moment.
They threw away their weapons and rushed madly towards Linn.
"old gods above!!"
"Simply incredible!"
Toren and Jason's faces were also filled with fanaticism.
They looked at Linn, who was being tossed into the air by the crowd, their eyes filled with undisguised adoration.
This battle completely overturned their understanding.
It also completely established Linn's god-like status in their hearts.
They had seen with their own eyes how fragile a warrior was against that terrifying Other.
But such a terrifying creature was actually shattered by Linn's sword!
He was simply too strong!
Arya, holding the warm dragon egg, looked at Linn, who was surrounded by the crowd.
Her gray eyes shone as if they held the entire starry sky.
Her small face was full of pride and joy.
Look!
That's my Linn!
He's more powerful than any hero in the stories!
After Linn was put down by the crowd, his chest was still heaving violently.
That battle just now had almost exhausted all his physical and mental strength.
Especially that last move; it looked graceful, but in reality, it was extremely dangerous.
If that Other had reacted a little faster, or if there had been any slight error in his rudimentary understanding of Ice Magic.
Then, what would be lying on the ground now would be his own body, split in half.
It was still too forced.
His current strength was fine for dealing with wights.
But for Others, it was still a bit lacking.
Linn's gaze fell on his attribute panel.
[Killed Other x1, Experience +100]
One hundred experience points!
An Other actually gave one hundred experience points!
It was a huge profit!
High risk, high reward!
A bold idea also arose in Linn's mind.
It would be great if he could also mass-produce Others.
Whether it was using them to do some shady things, or using the Others he created to farm experience, both seemed like good options.
However, the system clearly stated that they were hostile creatures.
Perhaps this path wouldn't work, but he still had to try.
Linn decided to put all his experience points into Ice Magic next!
To see if any earth-shattering changes would occur!
Linn suppressed the ecstasy in his heart, his face returning to its usual calm.
He raised the longclaw in his hand and shouted loudly:
"Clean up the battlefield!"
"Gather the bodies of our fallen brothers, burn them with fire, and don't let them turn into wights!"
"Then, break camp immediately!"
"We're going home!"
"Going home!"
The soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers again... The journey home was no longer filled with the previous suppression and tension.
Instead, there was a high morale and a heartfelt pride.
They, this expeditionary force of one hundred and fifty men.
Had killed a legendary Other!
Even though they didn't do much.
But this glorious achievement made every one of them stand tall.
And their gazes towards their commander became even more fervent.
Linn didn't pay attention to the fervent gazes of his subordinates.
Most of his time was spent studying the dragon egg in his arms.
Ever since it absorbed the power of ice and fire, the dragon egg had remained in a warm state.
Linn could clearly feel its heartbeat growing stronger inside.
That sense of longing and adoration also became clearer.
It was growing.
It was eager to hatch.
He had to find a suitable "birthing room" for it.
Moreover, feeding a dragon was also a challenge.
Although dragons could hunt fish in the ocean or catch livestock on the grasslands by themselves.
But after all, the North was sparsely populated, and livestock were the lifeblood of every fiefdom.
He couldn't very well make small moves under the nose of his superior.
If he were to exchange gold coins for livestock to feed the dragon, with the dragon's enormous size, it would probably bankrupt him.
Linn's gaze deepened.
It seemed that the location of his fiefdom was crucial.
At the very least, he had to ensure the acquisition of wealth.
Time passed in Linn's contemplation... When the familiar black silhouette reappeared on the horizon, the entire team erupted in a cheer.
On the city wall, the Nights Watch lookout also spotted them.
"Linn is back!"
"Quick! Go report to lord commander!"
The news spread like wildfire throughout Castle Black.
When Linn led the team through the gloomy tunnel and into the castle courtyard, almost all the Nights Watch had gathered there.
Jeor Mormont, Maester Aemon, Jon Snow... everyone stood there.
"Linn!"
Lord Commander Mormont was the first to greet him.
He looked Linn up and down, and seeing him safe and sound, a look of relief appeared on his aged face.
"You... you're back."
"Yes, Lord Commander."
Linn dismounted and bowed slightly to Mormont.
"As you can see, we are back."
Mormont's gaze swept over the spirited and high-spirited soldiers behind Linn.
His heart was filled with doubt.
They had only been out for a few days?
How had the demeanor of this team changed so completely?
"What's the situation?"
Mormont asked in a low voice.
"Did you find that place?"
"Found it." Linn nodded.
"Then... what about the 'blessing of the old gods,' the key to fighting the Others, as mentioned on the human skin map?"
Mormont's voice carried a hint of undisguised anticipation.
Linn hadn't had time to answer.
A sarcastic voice rang out from the side.
"Hmph, looking at his empty hands, you know he returned empty-handed."
Alliser Thorne stepped out from the crowd, a gloating sneer on his face.
"I said it, all that talk about the old gods' guidance, prophecies, it's all lies!"
"lord commander, you shouldn't have believed him!"
"Let him take a hundred and fifty brothers to their deaths!"
Thorne's voice was loud, deliberately letting everyone around hear it.
He wanted to expose Linn's "lie" in front of everyone and make him lose face.
But the other Nights Watch members remained silent.
It was just a temporary setback, besides, everyone Linn took out came back alive.
They could just go look again.
Toren and Jason and the others heard Thorne's criticism and immediately became furious.
They were about to draw their swords on the spot.
But Linn raised his hand to stop them.
He looked at the jumping Thorne, as if watching a comical clown.
"Ser Thorne."
Linn's voice was calm.
"Who told you I came back empty-handed?"
"Oh?" Thorne raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.
"Then what did you find? A few glowing stones? Or a talking branch?"
Several of his confidants behind him burst into laughter.
Linn ignored him.
He simply turned around and carefully took the object wrapped in thick animal hide from Arya's arms.
Then, in front of everyone.
He peeled back the animal hide, layer by layer.