The air in Maester Aemon's chambers was thick with the scent of herbs.
Every corner was piled high with clutter, and glass vials filled with colored liquids lined the shelves.
The old Maester sat hunched over his table, his hands skillfully grinding dark green leaves with a mortar and pestle.
Though his eyes had long since gone blind and he could not see the leaves, he could smell them, and he could feel them.
"You have an interest in herbalism?"
Aemon's voice remained gentle.
He seemed to sense Lynn's arrival without needing to look.
"The guards are getting injured frequently these days. I wanted to learn some basic healing methods from you," Lynn said, pulling up a chair. His gaze fell on the strange, twisted plants scattered across the table.
Aemon's hands paused.
He turned his head, his cloudy, sightless eyes facing Lynn's direction.
"That is a Maester's duty."
Seeing that Lynn didn't reply, he continued speaking, as if to himself.
"Treating the wounded is merely the shallowest application of herbalism."
"True herbalism covers a field far more vast."
Lynn raised an eyebrow slightly.
He heard the hidden meaning in Aemon's words.
"For example?"
Aemon chuckled softly and resumed grinding the leaves.
"For example, draughts that induce deep slumber."
"Potions that cloud the mind and force a man to spill his secrets."
"Herbs that, when consumed, bolster a man's physical constitution."
"Or even... poisons that render an enemy unable to fight."
The old Maester spoke the last few words with exceptional lightness.
The room fell into a brief silence.
The fire in the hearth crackled softly.
Herbs that bolster physical constitution?
Wouldn't that save him from the tedious grinding of physical exercise?
"Are you willing to teach me?"
Lynn didn't beat around the bush; he asked directly.
The corner of Aemon's mouth hooked up in an almost imperceptible arc.
He poured the powder from his mortar into a small porcelain bowl.
"Power itself is neutral. The key lies in the heart of the wielder."
He stood up, his fingers tracing over several glass bottles on the medicine rack.
"You can use herbs to save people from fire and water."
"Or use poisons to take a life."
"The same herb can serve different purposes in different hands."
Lynn listened quietly, not interrupting.
"Which do you wish to learn?"
"Both."
Lynn's answer was crisp and decisive.
Aemon stopped moving. His blind eyes stared straight toward Lynn.
"Interesting."
The old Maester sat back down in his chair.
"Most people, when faced with this question, choose the side of justice."
"At least on the surface."
"But you..."
Aemon's voice held a trace of approval.
"You are honest."
Lynn didn't reply, waiting for Aemon to continue.
"In that case, we shall start with the basics."
Aemon pointed to the ground powder on the table.
"This is Nightshade. It has a mild paralyzing effect."
"Used alone, it only causes slight dizziness."
"But if combined with other herbs..."
He had Lynn pour some white powder from another bottle to mix with the green Nightshade.
"Add the extract of Bittervine, and the paralysis effect is multiplied several times over."
Lynn carefully noted down the compounding process.
He memorized every step.
"What about applying it to weapons?" Lynn asked.
Aemon's hand paused for a moment before he continued stirring the mixture.
"Poisons for weapons require stronger permeability."
"Ordinary poisons take a long time to take effect when contacting skin or wounds."
"But in battle, you often only have a split-second opportunity."
He had Lynn take down a small black bottle from the rack.
The bottle contained a dark green liquid that gave off a pungent, acrid smell.
"This is the sap of the 'Blood-Bane' tree. A large dose is fatal."
"But in a very small dose, it can rapidly paralyze the muscles surrounding a wound."
A glint of excitement flashed in Lynn's eyes.
This was exactly what he needed.
"But remember," Aemon's voice suddenly turned serious.
"Poison is a double-edged sword."
"If the wielder is careless, he will wound himself."
For the next few hours, Aemon explained the properties and preparation methods of various herbs in detail.
Lynn studied every nuance with total focus.
> [Through Maester Aemon's guidance, you have mastered a new skill.]
> [Herbalism (Beginner) 1/10]
The notification sound in his mind lifted Lynn's spirits.
As expected, learning with a mentor was far more efficient.
"These basics are enough for you to use for a while."
Aemon pushed several small bottles toward Lynn.
"Remember the formulas. You can mix them yourself in the future."
Lynn carefully tucked the bottles into his tunic.
A bottle of clotting agent, a bottle of ground Nightshade, and a bottle of Bittervine extract.
But the most eye-catching one was the bottle of dark green liquid.
The finished paralytic poison for coating weapons.
"Thank you for your guidance, Maester."
Lynn stood up to leave, but Aemon called out to him.
"Lynn."
The old Maester's voice carried a profound weight.
"Herbalism is only a means, not an end."
"True wisdom lies in knowing when to use it, and when to stay your hand."
Lynn nodded, then pushed the door open and left.
In the courtyard, Torren was leading a few guards in cleaning their equipment.
Seeing Lynn emerge, he immediately went to meet him.
"My Lord, the brothers are ready."
"We plan to go deeper this time, to hunt for larger wildling raiding parties."
Lynn looked at the sky; the sun was setting.
"No rush."
He pulled the bottle of dark green poison from his tunic.
"Treat the weapons first."
Torren looked at the small bottle in confusion.
"My Lord, this is?"
"Poison," Lynn answered concisely.
"Coat the blades. It will rob the enemy of their ability to fight rapidly."
Excitement flashed in Torren's eyes.
Northmen were pragmatic warriors.
As long as it gave them an advantage, they didn't care if the method was honorable or not.
"Distribute a little to everyone. And remember, do not let it touch your own wounds."
Lynn handed the bottle to Torren.
"Set out tomorrow after sunrise."
---
That night, Lynn lay in bed, finding it hard to sleep.
He kept replaying the gains of the last seven days in his mind.
Aside from Herbalism, the most important thing was the accumulation of Experience Points.
Over seven days, the three squads had rotated their sorties.
On average, they brought back over a dozen wildling heads every day.
> [Current Experience: 170]
The number put Lynn in an incredibly good mood.
It was enough to upgrade two skills to the next tier.
Lynn closed his eyes and began allocating the experience.
> [Consume 36 Experience Points to upgrade Light Sword to Expert?]
> [Confirm]
> [Light Sword (Expert) 0/500]
A warm current flooded his body.
Lynn felt that every move he knew became more exquisite and refined.
His understanding of the light sword ascended to a new level.
Leveling up a skill didn't just refine the techniques he had already mastered; it also enhanced his innate comprehension of the weapon to a certain degree.
> [Consume 66 Experience Points to upgrade One-Handed Sword to Expert?]
> [Confirm]
> [One-Handed Sword (Expert) 0/500]
Another wave of warmth washed over him.
Lynn could clearly feel his understanding of swordsmanship deepen even further.
The application of force, the timing of attacks, the angles of defense.
All of these were being imperceptibly improved.
Not only that.
Lynn discovered that there was a hidden commonality between the Light Sword and the One-Handed Sword.
Complementing each other, his understanding of light weaponry became profound.
> [Consume 16 Experience Points to upgrade Unarmed Combat to Expert?]
> [Confirm]
> [Unarmed Combat (Expert) 0/500]
> [Consume 4 Experience Points to upgrade Archery to Proficient?]
> [Confirm]
> [Archery (Proficient) 0/100]
> [Consume 9 Experience Points to upgrade Herbalism to Proficient?]
> [Confirm]
> [Herbalism (Proficient) 0/100]
---
Name: Lynn
Strength: 5 (4%)
Agility: 5 (0%)
Constitution: 5 (0%)
[One-Handed Sword (Expert) 0/500]
[Light Sword (Expert) 0/500]
[Horsemanship (Proficient) 1/100]
[Unarmed Combat (Expert) 0/500]
[Archery (Proficient) 0/100]
[Herbalism (Proficient) 0/100]
## Remaining Experience: 43
"Since my overall strength has improved, it's time to test it out on you lot."
Lynn looked out at the gathering Night's Watchmen, an excited grin spreading across his face.
"Let the war of attrition continue!"
"Line them up. I'm going to knock down every single one of you who isn't convinced!"