Westeros welcomed its first snowfall since the long summer began. This heralded the complete end of the eleven-year-long summer.
More than a year later, Lu Xuan and Daenerys once again set foot on the land of Westeros. This time, however, they brought an army of 30,000 men, plus 500 warships. Of course, most of the warships were contributed by the nine city-states.
At Daenerys's friendly urging, they generously donated over three hundred warships laden with various supplies to support Daenerys's return to Westeros and resolve the Long Night crisis.
Dragonstone was originally Targaryen territory. However, after the fall of the Targaryens, it became Stannis's fiefdom. The island has a decent strategic position, but it's poor in resources and not considered a desirable location. However, its dragonglass mines are key to ending the Long Night.
Even though Lu Xuan has mastered the forging method of Valyrian steel, creating an army entirely armed with Valyrian steel is still a bit far-fetched. To solve the immediate problem, they still need to rely on dragon crystal weapons.
There were still some remnants of Stannis's forces on Dragonstone, but they were essentially powerless now. With the four dragons circling overhead, the entire island of Dragonstone was utterly defenseless.
The North, the Great Wall.
"Have you heard? The Dragon Queen has taken over Dragonstone."
"That would be wonderful. To be honest, I really hope that Her Majesty can unite the seven kingdoms. Because I probably can't stand life without barbecued fresh meat anymore."
"Haha, I prefer the kind of bread covered in honey. I heard that people on the Queen's side eat that for breakfast."
"I never ate breakfast before I was on the Night's Watch. They ate honey bread??"
"What do you think? Otherwise, why would I hope that the Queen can unify the seven kingdoms?"
A few Night's Watchmen stood on the Wall chatting idly. The absence of war was quite a relief for them. They even started discussing what the cooks would prepare that evening. Ever since Daenerys began sponsoring the Wall, they had frequently enjoyed dishes from Essos—foods that even the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms couldn't afford.
"Woo..." A distant horn sounded.
"Listen, the rangers are back. Dinner's ready, who wants to go first?"
Before his companions could respond, they heard another bugle call coming from afar.
"Waaah..."
The men's expressions changed instantly. One horn signal meant cavalry, two horns meant savages. But the savages had long since entered the Wall and become allies. Where did those two horns come from?
"Waaah..."
When the third horn sounded, all the Night's Watchmen were stunned for a moment. Then the entire Wall exploded.
"It's the White Walkers! Three horn sounds! It's the White Walkers! Send the signal!"
All thirteen castles along the Wall were mobilized. Countless Night's Watchmen and wildlings stormed the walls.
From the distant Ghost Forest in front of the Great Wall, a dense multitude of sounds began to emerge. This time, they made no attempt to conceal themselves. They simply swaggered out.
In front of the Great Wall stretched nearly two kilometers of forest, all of which had been cleared away. The clearing was now teeming with countless ghouls, mixed with a large number of other ghosts. And their numbers continued to increase, seemingly without end.
“Signal Winterfell and send them to reinforce us.”
"They won't come. Winterfell isn't under the Stark family's rule anymore. Those Bolton bitches are only good for fighting amongst themselves."
“They will come,” Mansred said meaningfully. In terms of strategy and tactics, he was among the most cunning in the Seven Kingdoms, capable of leading 100,000 free men to force a rebellion at the Wall. He knew very well that Daenerys was not the type to let the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms benefit at her expense.
Lu Xuan and Daenerys also received the news. However, neither of them was in a hurry. Although the undead army had arrived, the Night King had not yet appeared. The legendary Horn of Winter had also yet to materialize.
"Do you really think it's been found?" Dani was a little uneasy about the Horn of Winter.
"It should be, but there are still some problems. The temperature is still dropping, which means its power hasn't returned to its strongest. The use of the Winter Horn may also require certain prerequisites. We still have some time. You go and find reinforcements from various countries. I'll go to the Great Wall to oversee things."
Lu Xuan rode Viserion to the Great Wall. The arrival of a giant dragon significantly boosted the morale of the Great Wall.
“My lord,” Mansred greeted him.
"How is the situation?"
"Just like the previous two days, they just stood there, neither attacking nor retreating. However, the number of White Walkers has clearly increased in the last few days."
"It looks like they're preparing to make their move. Another batch of dragon crystal weapons from the first wave of Dragonstone support has arrived. However, they've been left behind in the rear, so you should also be prepared."
Mansred understood Lu Xuan's meaning, and a look of surprise flashed across his face.
"Could it be true? The Great Wall might collapse?"
"Given the current situation, it's very possible. With two plans in place, even if the Great Wall collapses, we won't be without any means of resistance. We've prepared a large number of wildfire bombs; under their cover, even the Undead Legion won't be in danger for a short time."
"What about the Night King? If we don't kill it, winter won't end. Humanity still won't achieve final victory."
"The Night King is a matter for me to consider. What you need to do is lead your free people well. They have long been afraid of the White Walkers, so don't hold them back."
"I understand, sir."
At that moment, Allisa approached. As the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, he was incredibly busy. He even began to regret taking on the role. After all, none of the countless Lord Commanders had faced such a dual challenge of winter and the White Walkers' invasion.
"My lord, the Night's Watch has made all the preparations."
"Very good, you can take a break now, but make sure the soldiers stay warm. The temperature is getting lower and lower, and I suspect the Night King might be preparing to make his move."
After inspecting the city walls, Lu Xuan went to the weirwood where the Night Watchmen swore their oaths.
Although Lu Xuan and the Three-Eyed Raven were mortal enemies, adhering to the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Lu Xuan decided to avoid the Three-Eyed Raven. After all, in the entire human world, the Three-Eyed Raven was probably the one who understood the Night King best.
The ancient weirwood still stood, its trunk bearing scars of human faces, like tears of blood. Lu Xuan stood quietly before the weirwood. Soon after, a flock of crows circled overhead.
One of them landed in front of Lu Xuan. The third eye on its forehead stared intently at Lu Xuan.
"Hello, Green Prophet, we meet again."
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