Those were giants. Lu Xuan and Daenerys put Jon Snow in charge of this matter, gathering as many giant survivors as possible from Ghostwood. It's said they found nearly two hundred men, women, and children in total. However, the first batch only brought over sixty able-bodied men. After all, it was agreed from the beginning: they'd be fed, but they'd have to help in the war.
Sixty giants, plus over forty mammoths from the ice plains, took up half the space of the sixty-odd ships. There was no way around it; those mammoths were simply too heavy. When Ser Jorah first saw these things, he nearly fell backward. Many of the new recruits around him almost turned and ran.
But realizing they were allies, they started to get excited again. The Golden Company had a famous unit: the elephant corps. Heavily armored elephants charging across the battlefield—doesn't that scare you? But compared to the elephants of Essos, and then to these mammoths... Elephant soldiers? Hah!!!
Aside from the giants and mammoths, the remaining transport ships were filled with elite free warriors. These warriors were selected from the strongest warriors of each tribe. The savages were honest, but also somewhat vain. They knew these warriors were going out to fight and earn food for their tribes. They were afraid their tribes' rations would be inferior to others, so they chose their best warriors to avoid bringing shame upon their tribes...
However, the giants occupied most of the ships, so the first wave of savage troops to arrive at the port numbered only about two thousand. And these two thousand weren't the key factor; the key factor was the shapeshifters among them.
Among the savages, there is no such idea that shapeshifters are evil. After all, they face various crises from birth, and any power that can save themselves and their tribe is something they cherish.
Shapeshifters are highly sought-after high-end combatants in all savage tribes. Most savage tribes will do their best to protect these shapeshifters. Therefore, the number of shapeshifters among the savages is extremely large. Hundreds could be easily identified. However, most of them are not very powerful. They can only contract with ordinary animals, such as rabbits, sparrows, and moles.
There are only one or two shapeshifters of the caliber of Valamir, the Six-Shape Man. Those who can contract with wolves and eagles are already top-tier shapeshifters.
However, in Lu Xuan's view, the savages, limited by their perspective and living conditions, did not fully utilize the abilities of shapeshifters. In actual combat, the role of a sparrow might far exceed that of a shadow lynx.
Imagine a group of generals holding a war meeting. A sparrow is outside the window; who would notice? This ability to detect even the smallest details is what makes shapeshifters so terrifying. As for combat power, even controlling a shadow lynx or a giant ice bear is of little use on the battlefield.
A total of 112 Xenomorphs, led by the Hexagonal Valamir, formed the core of the force. The remaining savage warriors essentially served as their guards. After all, the savages had extensive experience fighting alongside the Easywalkers.
More than two thousand wild warriors were brought into Meereen City during the torrential rain.
Compared to the nine major city-states, Meereen wasn't exactly the most prestigious city. But even so, for the wildlings, it was a scene they couldn't even dream of.
In the torrential rain, they couldn't really see what the surrounding buildings looked like. But the sheer size of the houses and pyramids was enough to amaze them. This was shared by some of the "wild men" who had been south of the Great Wall.
"I thought Winterfell in the North was the largest and most magnificent man-made structure in the world. But compared to the Dragon Queen's city, theirs is simply... simply..." He had limited vocabulary and couldn't quite put his finger on it. However, his companions understood what he meant.
Most of the wildlings were taken to pre-prepared encampments and settled in. Jon Snow, Varamir, and the leaders of these groups were taken to Daenerys's palace.
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Chapter 309 The Banquet and the New Imperial Guards
Jon Snow had never been to King's Landing, so he always thought Winterfell Castle was the most magnificent and opulent castle in the world. But when he saw Daenerys's palace, he regretted his lack of education... After all, when it came to enjoying life, the North bumpkin and the great lord of Meereen were worlds apart.
Magnificent, resplendent, with carved railings and jade steps, breathtakingly beautiful... If Lu Xuan were here, he would use these words to describe it. But here with Jon Snow, only "Wow..."
Jon Snow's gaze secretly swept over the scantily clad maids flitting about. He took a deep breath, suppressing the burgeoning desire within him. He followed the maids into Daenerys's palace. Although it was late at night, Daenerys was still hosting a banquet to entertain her followers who had traveled from afar.
As a bastard, Jon Snow rarely attended banquets at Winterfell. In fact, even if he did attend, the banquets at Winterfell paled in comparison to what was before him.
Compared to the rough, thick porcelain of Winterfell, the tableware in Daenerys's palace was as delicate as a young girl's skin. Well, Jon Snow hadn't even touched a young girl's skin. He'd only slept with one wildling woman...
And the food...why was it so beautiful? Every single item on the plate was arranged in a way that Jon couldn't comprehend. Winterfell isn't without its plating techniques, but compared to the professional chefs in Meereen, it's just laughable!
Tropical fruits he'd never seen before, wine as clear and lustrous as rubies. Roasted meat, coated in honey and exuding an irresistible aroma. Before Jon could finish his exclamation, Tormund beside him had already rushed forward. Because Mansray needed to stay behind to oversee things, Tormund, as his representative, led the wildling group.
The leader of the shapeshifters, Valamir, was also unable to contain himself. Although he had spent several years living a life of 'offering' among the savages, compared to what he was seeing now, he felt that he was not living a life at all.
The two leaders, along with their subordinates, rushed to the table and began to eat without a word. As for dining etiquette, the savages didn't care about that. Soon, even Jon Snow was infected by their enthusiasm. The long journey, filled with poor food and sleep, had left him defenseless against the delicious food before him.
Moreover, he noticed that Daenerys didn't seem to reprimand them for their rudeness. She simply sat opposite them, smiling as she watched them eat. Finally, Jon couldn't resist any longer and reached for a large piece of roast meat, along with a large glass of wine, and began to eat. But then, he noticed that the maids had brought in someone he hadn't expected: the red-haired wildling Ygritte.
Jon glanced at Daenerys almost instinctively, only to see her smiling at him. He then gestured for the wildling woman to be placed next to him.
Although those around him seemed indifferent, Jon still felt incredibly embarrassed. The wildling woman, on the other hand, was very excited, seeing so much delicious food for the first time. She didn't even bother to greet her lover, and immediately started eating, constantly asking Jon to pass her food that she couldn't reach.
“Wow, this is delicious. I want more!” She took a sip of Jon’s wine and then insisted on having more. Jon was embarrassed to see that the remaining wine had already been devoured by Tormund and his men. Just then, a maidservant quickly stepped forward and placed another jug of wine in front of the wildling woman.
The wildling woman didn't even look, simply grabbing the flask and pouring the wine down her throat. Jon Snow nearly covered his face and ran away. At that moment, Lu Xuan arrived at the banquet. Given his past feat of instantly killing a White Walker in front of countless wildlings, even a wildling chieftain like Tormund couldn't help but move with a slight tameness upon seeing Lu Xuan.
The savages admired the strong most. Daenerys had displayed astonishing swordsmanship and fire magic, but most importantly, she possessed dragons. Lu Xuan, on the other hand, was genuinely powerful. Therefore, the savages became noticeably quieter upon seeing Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan greeted everyone with a smile.
"Don't worry about me, just continue." Seemingly having received Lu Xuan's approval, the sounds of the savages eating returned to normal. Lu Xuan didn't mind and sat down next to Jon.
How are you feeling?
"What?" Jon didn't react.
"Everything here."
"...It feels like a dream."
"Haha, don't be so nervous. You are a Targaryen, Daenerys's nephew. In a sense, you are closer to the master here than I am. So, don't hold back."
"Jon, have some, this is delicious." The wildling woman held up a crispy roasted pork leg and offered it to Jon's mouth. Jon awkwardly didn't know what to do with his hands.
“You should take it. Food is hard to come by for savages. They only share food with those they truly trust.”
Upon hearing this, Jon reached out and took the pork leg, taking a bite.
"How is it? Is it good?"
"tasty."
“I knew it…” The wild woman excitedly went to try other foods.
Lu Xuan sat to the side, watching their interaction with a smile. It wasn't until Jon awkwardly put down the pig's leg that he spoke.
"I've heard she's quite skilled at archery?"