Days after the election was suspended, Robb Stark's appointed "voting monitors" arrived at various forts along the Great Wall and began implementing a new one-person-one-vote election model.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was a one-sided victory for the reformers: the Shadow Tower had two hundred and thirty-six voting Night's Watchmen, while in the East Sea the number was two hundred and five—even if none of the four hundred or so votes went to Egger, he would not suffer a loss, but conversely, if even one of them abstained or abandoned the commander of their fortress in favor of Egger, his advantage would widen, closing in on the two-thirds victory line.

Voting in each fortress was conducted in a closed cubicle as instructed by Robb. With the results being kept secret and the task of counting votes also carried out by a neutral third party, it is conceivable that the situation of "all the votes for their respective superiors because they are afraid that their immediate superiors will wear small shoes for them in the future" will be greatly reduced.

Someone was going to vote for Iger, and no one doubted that, it was just a matter of how much it mattered - but Iger never pinned his hopes on someone he didn't know or understand...... His back road, and even the chance he really hopes to win, is actually another line: new votes.

Melisandre's followers officially took the oath to join the Night's Watch and became the black-clad men with the right to vote, and the number of recruits in the Castle Black's yards grew by the number of recruits who signed up to join the Legion in the grounds of Castle Black, attracted by propaganda and various treatments.

With the head of the sect persuaded by Melisandre to support the reformers, time was entirely on Egger's side. Recruits who have already begun their training and will soon be allowed to take the oath to join the Night's Watch...... The day they change their identity, that's when it all ends.

After accumulating a lot of experience, Egger, the unlucky time-traveler night watchman, is finally about to counterattack.

＊＊＊

The Night's Watch Fortress at the easternmost point of the Great Wall, the icy air flowed wildly. The ice wall grows low here, and disappears altogether after extending a few dozen meters into the sea – without its blocking of the howling north winds, and the cold and humidity blowing from Seal Bay, Donghaiwang has long been the most difficult place to endure along the Great Wall.

But today, it has ushered in a long-lost liveliness. The soldiers gathered noisily in the courtyard and began to talk about Robb Stark as the Winterfell soldier, who was outfitted with everyone, loudly announced Robb Stark's decision.

"Why is it necessary to vote for Donghaiwang, is it necessary? Except for Carter Pike, who else can we vote for, and who else will we vote for?"

"Vote for it, you have to vote for yourself, and you don't allow others to do it for you, otherwise it will be regarded as abstention?

"That's it, it's so cold that it's going to die, thank God the dead don't come to toss, but these damn nobles won't let us go, and I hope the strange ghosts will take them away!"

"Instead of complaining, it's better to finish voting and go back to the house to warm up!"

"Well, that makes sense, but when will this guy's nonsense be finished?"

......

Listening to the discussion of the night watchmen around him, Will flattened his mouth and turned his head closer to Gary beside him: "That guy Egg, it's really amazing now, he is still running for commander-in-chief with the two commanders...... After all, we are brothers and sisters who once patrolled the wall together and escaped from the ghosts in a team, will you vote for him?"

Gary squinted his lips: "Vote for him, I don't know what kind of virtue that kid is, how can he be the commander-in-chief, don't be kidding." ”

"You haven't seen him for almost two years, two years, enough time for a lot of things to happen, look at the things sent by the logistics department to the Great Wall, he can do a good job in King's Landing. ”

"Yes, I haven't seen you for two years, and I don't know when I go back to the Great Wall to see me, an old man, who really took care of this kid in vain. ”

"People also have a task to do, so it's not good to come to the East China Sea to look, just to see us. Gary's complaint was very reasonable, Will rubbed his head and didn't know what to say, but pinched the obsidian dagger that Egger had given him in his arms and now regarded as a talisman by him, and he decided to vote for his old comrade.

......

A few months ago, the Savage Army, led by Mance Rader, arrived outside the Wall, and small groups of people fled south on rafts around the Wall on Seal Bay. Donghaiwang was in a critical state due to lack of manpower, and after receiving the request for help, Jeo Mormont personally led most of the Rangers to help. Among these dozens of people were Egger's companions who had guarded the Great Wall and the newly dressed princes of the Valley.

The previous commander died unexpectedly, and Carter Pike took the vatane princes to Castle Black to run for commander-in-chief, leaving the remaining rangers at Castle Black, one of the two hundred votes "represented" by the commander.

They had nothing to do with the election, but with Robb Stark's intervention, they regained the opportunity to vote.

Hundreds of people in black pushed and squeezed towards the voting house, all trying to quickly cast their votes so that they could go back to the house to warm up. But the Winterfell soldiers on the stage raised their hands to reassure them, "Rest easy, there's another Lord from King's Landing, a follower of King Stannis, who wants to say a few words before everyone votes!"

The night watchmen booed, but were barely quiet under the restraint of the governors. In this place where the Emperor Gao is far away, the king's authority is almost none, but after all, the night watchman is still a part of the Seven Kingdoms, even if he disdains, he can't help but give face—after all, in the face of a great enemy like the Stranger, he has to count on support from the south at a critical moment.

Soon, a well-dressed man with a flaming coat of arms on his chest stepped up to the stage and began his somewhat confusing speech in full view of the soldiers from the East China Sea.

"Brave and strong brothers of the Night's Watch, the long night is long, sinister, terrible, evil, and mighty forces are gathering outside the fortress separated from us, and mortals can hardly resist it, and the long night that never ends is coming, and only all mankind can summon up the courage and uphold the faith of the flaming heart as all those present here......

......

"He's talking about something. Confused, Will asked Gary, "Why does it sound like a missionary?"

"It's the Red God again, these people look like dogs, they don't preach enough in the villages outside the fortress, and they run inside to fool our brothers in black!"

"But what we have to do today is not to vote for the commander-in-chief, why are we talking to the red god. ”

"There must be a reason, just keep listening. Gary stared contemptuously at the nobleman on the stage, waited for a moment, and sure enough, he heard the familiar name: "Look, doesn't this mention Egg? Haha, this kid really hasn't changed at all, he doesn't practice his skills well, and he has a lot of tricks." This guy actually said that he is the son of prophecy, the next commander-in-chief of the Chosen One, and only under his leadership can we defeat the old enemy of the Red God and put an end to Winter!"

"Iger is the Child of Prophecy?"

"Bah, do you believe it?" Gary rolled his eyes, "Bullshit prophecy, just a thing to scare children, and that kid dares to canvass for votes in this way." This is a stupid trick, and anyone with long eyes can see that the people who respect the king and his red god among the brothers in black are far less than the ones who want to do the red-robed female cousin, and it will not be of much use to talk about prophecy. ”

"If you don't believe anything, it's naturally a fool's luck to you. But I've heard that some brothers are starting to abandon their beliefs and turn to the Red God, gathering all day and night to watch the fire, or at least they will buy it. ”

"yes, the old faith never answers their prayers, so try a different god, right?" Gary smiled, "I don't know how they'll feel when they find out that the new faith is still like that." ”

"You haven't believed it, how do you know it's fake, and I've heard that the woman in the red robe does magic. Will pouted and said, "Besides, I think it makes sense to say that Egger is the one in the prophecy." Don't forget - when we were taken into the pit by Weimar Royce, Egger was the first to notice the anomaly, and before I went up the tree, he quietly reminded me to watch out for the dead, and you confessed, and it was he who killed the stranger and saved your life...... Can you explain all this unusual?"

"That's all luck!Don't talk nonsense, do you still want to say that he gave you that obsidian dagger to ensure that you don't die a few times out of the wall? This little dagger is so powerful, why don't you take it and kill all the strangers?" Gary snorted disdainfully, "Okay, okay, don't think nonsense, I'll vote for that bastard, but if you talk nonsense everywhere, aren't you afraid of being laughed at!"

Will obediently kept his mouth shut, Gary had been promoted to squad leader for merit, and now he was not only his senior, but also his commander. This veteran who grew up on the Great Wall was stabbed by a strange ghost two years ago, and Master Emonn cut off a lot of frostbitten necrotic flesh from the wound in order to save him. Because of the lack of chest muscles, he is no longer as good as he was back then, but things like seniority and experience don't disappear with injuries - among the grassroots rangers, Gary is sometimes better than some mid-level officers.

His mouth was closed, but his mind couldn't stop at all. Will was at first trying to convince Gary to vote for Egger as well, but as he thought about it, even he began to feel that "everything made sense". Egger's unpredictable prophet in his first encounter with the Stranger, the magic of being pursued by a terrifying enemy and succeeding in his killing, and the obsidian dagger he gave himself...... Yes, the Rangers who survived many missions outside the Fortress are a handful, but they are unique in being able to get in close contact with the dead countless times, and even encounter the annihilation of their teammates without being harmed!

For Will, Iger was no longer a mere comrade-in-arms of the Night's Watch, but more like a legend, a symbol, a belief. Now some say that he is the son of prophecy, some explain his peculiar wonders, and some dispel their doubts...... Even if it sounds a bit, why not believe it?

Maybe another day, I should try to believe in a red god?

＊＊＊

Gary didn't know, and even if he did, he wouldn't be interested in what's in Will's head. The other people are old and sophisticated, and their judgment of the reaction of the rest of the night watchmen is not inaccurate: after listening to the propaganda and canvassing of the royal nobleman on the stage, the voice of ridicule and questioning is obviously greater than the normal discussion, and many people even directly pointed out that this is a failed campaign public relations without implicitly.

"This Lord from King's Landing!" the Chief Affairs Officer of Donghaiwang was the first to stand up, "Egger West is a competent and excellent lobbyist and logistics officer, and thanks to his efforts, the warehouses of every fortress along the Great Wall, including the one I manage, are more than ever. If he comes to canvass for him in person, even if we don't choose to vote for him, we will welcome him warmly and treat him with courtesy. But now not only does he not show up himself, but he also lets you fool us with something as ambiguous as prophecy that can be interpreted at will, which makes us a little disdainful!"

The speech of the head of the family represented the opinions of many people, and it was quickly responded: "That is, I thought he was a logistics officer with some ability, but now it seems that he is just a liar who loves to play tricks, who knows what kind of lies he told about the materials he got from the south, and what he sold in exchange for them?"

......

Someone actually slandered his former comrades-in-arms and his beliefs? Will took a deep breath and was about to squeeze to the front of the crowd to speak, when Gary saw this, he grabbed him: "What are you going to do?"

"They actually said Egger was a liar!"

"Is he a liar, and it's not someone else's dictator, you don't even know how to speak, and you still want to learn from others to be eloquent? Iger can scold Mellister and Carter Pike in public, that's the name of the chief logistics officer, how old are you, what can you fight for?" The veteran glared at Will: "Stand well, wait for the stupid-looking southerner on the stage to leave, and vote for you." ”

Will resisted the urge to step forward and continue to stand in the crowd to watch, but the conversation in the middle of the crowd was not over, and the southerner on the stage responded first.

"I am not at the behest of Lord Egger or any of the Night's Watchmen! Lord Logistician will be the one who will lead humanity to defeat the Chill God, and that is what Lady Melisandre has come to by observing the Holy Fire, and that my lord Rahlo will do so!"

It's good that the post-party aristocrats on the stage don't defend themselves, but this explanation makes the election field more lively.

"Let that witch go back to Yasha! Twisting our waists around the Great Wall all day long, we can't prepare for war against the enemy with peace of mind!"

"That guy also said that he killed strange ghosts, and now it seems that even this is made up!"

"How dare you insult Lady Melisandre, she's an advisor to King Stannis!"

Donghai Wang already has a believer in the Red God, it is a matter of faith, and the speech of some people who are not at all determined immediately caused a quarrel, and in this chaos, Gary, who had just advised Will not to mess around, also forgot all his words, and became furious.

After living for most of his life, working with Egger to kill a strange ghost is the biggest capital he can brag about after dinner, and with this great feat, he even spoke a lot louder to those nobles, officers, and other people. He was blowing at familiar people when he was in Castle Black, and after being transferred to the East China Sea, he still blew at people he didn't know well...... Now, some people actually question the truth of this matter? Doesn't this mean that he is a liar and denies his life!

[Whether a person is a liar or not is not someone else's decision. Anyone can say comforting things, but it's a bit difficult to keep calm when it comes to yourself.

At least, Gary can't.

He jumped out.

"Fart!Who just said that Egg killed the stranger was made up?Stand up!" he roared in a thick voice, "The stranger is pale and powerful, the weapon is a translucent ice blade that freezes steel, and evil magic can resurrect the dead to fight for it, and when killed, it will completely melt and disappear...... These were first reported to Commander Mormont by Lao Tzu and Egger, and later confirmed by the large army of Rangers who went out to fight against the wall!

"It's not the first time that strange ghosts have appeared, so maybe you read these books and moved them here as your own experience. The voice of the person who said that just now was obviously much quieter, and he fought back: "Anyway, I didn't see you kill strange ghosts, God knows if it's true." ”

"You didn't see it!" This scoundrel can even say this, what should I do? Gary suddenly became dumbfounded, stood there for a few seconds, and then had an idea, turned to look around at the dark and oppressed night watchmen, and stretched out his finger to the person who questioned him about killing the stranger: "Fellow rangers, it is not only Iger and I who have killed the stranger!" When Commander Mormont led all the Rangers out of the Great Wall to carry out the draul capture plan, we fought side by side, and completed the feat of killing the stranger for the second time in a frontal battle, which is the common glory of all the Rangers! Now, someone actually said, 'I didn't see it anyway, God knows if it's true!' Then do we even have to discuss whether the alien ghost exists?

Gary was not trained to debate, but his ability to pull a little backup when arguing with others was self-taught, and he immediately tied himself to all the Rangers.

And the Ranger is not only in Castle Black.

Donghaiwang and the Shadow Tower are both small and well-organized, consisting of three departments: Rangers, Craftsmen, and Officers. The Night's Watch legion's capture of the ghouls and their delivery to the Seven Kingdoms was a feat under the command of Commander Mormont, with the participation of all the elite rangers of the three strongholds – not enough – plus a number of young and strong recruits. Gary's roar turned the situation on the election field from a quarrel between different religious beliefs and doubts about Egger's character to a confrontation between "the Rangers who took great risks to fight against the wall" and "the left-behind who never went out of the wall but spoke cool words". It is clear that the heroes who are fighting on the front lines have a complete moral superiority and public opinion superiority.

"The Strange Ghost does exist, I was there when the second one was killed, I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Frank, you have to apologize for the stupid thing you just said. ”

"Sorry...... I'm just questioning Egger......"

"Doubts need to be proven!" Gary pursued mercilessly, "I know Egger West, this is a smart little guy, I don't know if he will be a good commander, but with his courage to rush forward and fight in the face of strange spirits, I will vote for him!"

"That's right!" Will is a man of few words, and it won't be easy for him to squirt in public like Gary. But it was not difficult to follow the trend, he took the opportunity to take out the obsidian dagger that Egger gave him, and held it high in front of everyone: "This is the weapon that Egger used to kill the strange ghost in the first place! For his courage, I will also vote for him!"

......

On the wooden platform, the post-party member and the Red God Believer who knew that he had almost messed up had already quietly left taking advantage of the excitement, and the Stark House guard from Winterfell stood back in his position and took the opportunity to play a round: "Okay guys, it's your right to support whoever you want! Let's stop arguing and start voting!"

Seeing that he had successfully recovered the field, Gary, who was quite proud of the effect of his idea, did not continue to yell. He walked back to Will's side, and didn't forget to take the opportunity to remind his juniors: "See, this is what a smart person should do." We can't convince the entire Castle Black to vote for anyone other than their commander, but at least someone in the Rangers will consider our Egger...... Damn, put that dagger away, don't be ashamed!"

——