Aside from Arya's extreme displeasure that she didn't see the giant heart tree at the bottom of the well in the end, the Northern Patrol team's visit to the Long Night Castle was a success...... However, after a good night's rest, the real challenge comes next.

They were about to inspect the villages and fortresses that had been inhabited by the "wildlings", or the new land-grantees.

Emotionally speaking, Egger was eager to use all the mountain clan people as extras to fool through this test. But the concern that paper can't hold the fire is one thing, and the other is ...... There are not so many idle mountain dwellers in the land grant, and the current financial situation of the night watchman industry does not allow for willful big moves.

Not to mention - he actually put a lot of thought into it, remotely controlling another ...... It is likely to determine the outcome of this land-granting power struggle.

There was a lot going on, and Iger wasn't entirely inactive, but he took steps to make sure that his patrols didn't go too far: the route was carefully planned to ensure that it passed only those tribes that originally lived far from the Great Wall, had fewer conflicts with the people of the North, had a lingua franca culturally, and were more cooperative in the implementation of the land-grant resettlement program.

Choosing the right route was just a good start, and on top of that, Iger made a series of arrangements to distract the northern patrol as much as possible when they arrived, so that they would not unknowingly find a bunch of problems that would make them feel bad about the land grant resettlement program.

＊＊＊

Icemark, an abandoned fortress inhabited by five medium-sized tribes of new landgrants. The snow began to fall heavier and heavier a few days ago, and there was no intention of stopping, and for the first time in thousands of years, the rulers of the northern frontier had come into contact with a large number of Cypriot foreigners in a non-hostile capacity.

Also at the foot of the Great Wall, it is also an ancient night watchman's castle, but the atmosphere of the team is completely different from visiting the Long Night Castle, and before they really enter it, the guards brought by the northern families have been reminded by their respective leaders, and they have checked their equipment, adjusted the position of their weapons, and tightened the string in their minds to be vigilant - they are all afraid that if they are not careful, their lord will also end up with Jeo Mormont.

......

"The biggest difference between the new land-grantees and the hill clansmen is that the stairs leading to the top of the Great Wall have not been rebuilt or repaired, and the logistics department has not allocated funds or provided resources for building walls. The former was to ensure that the Wall was completely under the control of the Night's Watch or a reliable ally, and the latter was to ensure that the Legion would have the upper hand militarily in the event of a possible internal conflict in the land grant. ”

Knowing that the northern princes did not trust the foreigners, Egger simply gave up on convincing everyone that the new landgivers were reliable, and instead did the opposite: as he walked to Icemark, he introduced to the nobles who accompanied him more measures he had arranged to prevent the new landowners from revolting. Needless to say, the scene of the settlement speaks for itself: low fences made of sticks and branches that can only be used to protect against wild animals, dilapidated residential buildings that no one can see more than five meters high, and deserted courtyards and corridors between houses......

Covered by white snow, Icemark City, which had been inhabited for months, still looked like a ruin.

They were all abandoned fortresses by the Night's Watch, but the new land-granting garrison and the hill clansman's castle seemed so far apart. Among them, the poor foundation is one reason, in addition, the foreigners of the original Sai are used to living without a fixed place, and now they have settled down and have no sense of "home", and half of the young people go to Houguan Town to seek jobs to support themselves...... The combination of subjective and objective factors, and the fact that no one has the heart to engage in construction, are the real reasons why this settlement is still desolate.

Of course, it is not as miserable as it seems, but the weather is too cold and there is not much surplus food, most of the residents hide in their houses to sleep to save energy, and the white snow reinforces the visual experience of desolation.

The ugly daughter-in-law always wanted to see her in-laws, and the ordinary residents could hide in their houses and do nothing, but the head of the tribe could not help but see the master of the north, the leader of the five tribes, who had been called out by the scouts who arrived a moment earlier, wrapped in old fur, alone or with three or two retinues, stood sparsely on the edge of the fence of the fortress, forming a team to greet the lord of the north.

......

It's strange that for many years, the Seven Kingdoms have been another world on the other side of the wall at the end of the world for the Cypriot foreigners, an imaginary enemy, an object of hatred, and occasionally a whetstone, a source of metalwork, and new female members for the "heroes" to prove their mettle.

The change of identity is only a matter of surrender, but the change in mentality and inherent concepts cannot be completed in a short period of time, and in the face of a bunch of high-level aristocrats who once despised the "kneeling people", a sense of eccentricity arises spontaneously.

This sense of weirdness brings an awkward atmosphere.

If the patriarch of the Filint clan is just a little stupid, then the leaders of the five new landgiver tribes are completely speechless...... After trying to introduce himself according to Egger's previous instructions and briefly report on the state of the fortress, the leaders soon forgot their words and did not know how to continue the conversation.

Fortunately, Iger was present, and the general person in charge of the land grant resettlement plan certainly wouldn't watch the atmosphere go down like this, and he picked up in time before more than half of them noticed that they were uncomfortable: "Many of the young people among the new land donors have gone to Houguan Town to seek work, so this place looks ...... Well, some people are sparsely populated, but on the whole, order and law have started to extend here and start to work. However, I will put that aside for today, and for now, I will take you to meet someone first. ”

The nobles of the northern realm were curious, but out of trust and at least respect for Egg, and because this ghost weather was really enough to kill people, there were not too many doubts, surrounded by the guards, the group was led by him into the "gate" of Ice Trace City. Under the uneasy gaze of the new land-grants, who peered into the surrounding low-slung houses and half-buried tents, they walked to the ruins of the main fort where the Night's Watch had been stationed, and opened the heavy fur curtain to enter.

The core of the entire fortress, which should have been three stories and more than ten meters high when it was originally intact, has now collapsed in two upper floors, and the remaining one floor is still relatively intact, repairing and plugging holes and stairwells, and lighting a fireplace...... Although it was a little empty, it was surprisingly warm and comfortable compared to the ice and snow outside.

It was usually a meeting place for the leaders of the five tribes to discuss important matters and exchange daily necessities with each other, but now the northern delegation has been vacated and used as a guest house.

Right now, a middle-aged woman and two teenagers were sitting on a stool by the fireplace, and when they saw Iger leading someone in, they quickly stood up and looked at everyone with their hands and feet.

Robb looked at the three of them, but didn't see any difference in them, and looked back at Egger suspiciously, "Who are we going to see?"

Egg smiled faintly and did not answer the question directly: "Lord Morse Amber, I remember the last time you visited the Last Hearth, you angrily yelled at me that the wildlings had taken your only daughter captive...... Do you remember that?"

The hint was too obvious, and Morse Amber, who was standing bored in the crowd, stared intently at the woman standing by the fireplace.

......

There is a total population in the north, and there are several big nobles, and they always unite with each other under the command of the Stark family, and the news of anyone who has something will spread quickly. Among those present, except for Robb, who was not born at the time of the incident, the rest of the people with names and surnames had heard of this unfortunate accident in Amber's family...... They all looked surprised and looked at several representatives of the Amber family in unison.

Big Jon Amber turned his head to stare at Egger, his eyes wide, "What do you mean? You mean, the man in front of us is my uncle's daughter, my long-lost sister?"

Iger shrugged: "At least that's what she calls herself, is it, Lord Morse is here, isn't it the most convenient way to identify herself?"

......

The nobles of the northern realm immediately became calm, patting the ice and snowflakes on their bodies while discussing it. There were quite a few people present who had seen Morse's daughter. But that was twenty years ago, and what they saw at that time was a young and energetic aristocratic lady like Arya, who was standing beside Robb at the moment, but now in front of them was a "middle-aged savage woman" with a yellow and thin face and a weathered face...... To say that they are human beings is really hard to believe quickly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, be quiet!" After a few seconds of commotion, Robb suppressed the scene, frowned and asked the subject, "Morse, is there any way you can recognize your daughter?" Or, this lady, what evidence do you have to prove that you are Morse Amber's daughter?"

The woman looked at the princes of the northern realm a little nervously, in fact, she could not recognize any of them, and took the two teenagers and walked a few steps towards the one-eyed man who was supposed to be her father, but in fact she didn't even know her, and she whispered: "Father, on the day I was taken captive, I quarreled with you at breakfast, and the last thing you said to me was-'Get out, stinky girl, don't let me see you again.'" I thought, if you don't see it, you won't see it, I'm going to run to a place where you'll never find it, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life...... Then I stole my favorite little mare out of the city, and after riding a few miles north, I was ambushed by a raiding party, who tripped over my horse and seized me, and plundered several small villages far from the castle, and then forced me to join them north over the Great Wall and return to the tribe. After that, I lived with them until Mance Rader surrendered with all the freedmen, and I returned to the south of the Wall. ”

The words that made Morse regret for more than 20 years after he said it obviously made him unforgettable for life, the most hateful northern nobleman in the patrol group, only one of the remaining eyes instantly filled with wetness, he took two steps to his daughter, who had been through more than 20 years of wind and frost outside the Saiwai, and now looked like his sister was believed by everyone, and his voice began to tremble: "I'm sorry, dear ......"

"There is no intention of interrupting this touching reunion. "I don't doubt the veracity of the story, but it could also be what Morse's real daughter, who was kidnapped, confided in the others." Do you have any evidence that is not easy to falsify, such as birthmarks and scars, that can show your identity?"

"I have a very protruding black mole on my lower back, and it hurts when I press it hard...... So I've always liked to sleep on my side or on my stomach. Without hesitation, the woman replied, "If necessary, I will show you when there is no one, father." ”

Morse had only one daughter, and about her features it is naturally impossible to forget. At this time, he did not hesitate, strode forward, and pulled his daughter into his arms and hugged him without caring about the eyes of the people around him, and the action was so big that he couldn't help but suspect that he would strangle people to death, and scared the two children around the woman to retreat half a step.

Obviously a man with a tiger's back and a waist half a head taller than Egger, he was a tough guy one moment, but the next second he quickly choked up and almost couldn't speak: "I said angry things that day, my dear, please forgive me...... I know...... I know that nothing I say will erase the suffering you have suffered for so many years, but since fate has brought you back to me, I swear that I will never let you be hurt by anyone again!"

The woman was also quick to burst into tears: "No, it is I who should ask for forgiveness, father. It was my own willfulness that drew the punishment of Heaven on me...... I'm really sorry, I'm sorry......"

So, as the old peel said, in front of everyone's eyes, a touching reunion began. The father and daughter hugged each other and said words of self-reproach, and after a while they separated, Morse Amber only then noticed the two teenagers standing on the side at a loss: "These two, are they my grandsons?"

"Well, one is Angus and the other is Benny, and I gave them both names. Children, called grandpa. ”

"What about their damn daddy?"

"Died while attacking the Wall with Mance Red. ”

"Dead?" Morse gritted his teeth at first, but unfortunately there was no one to vent his anger, but in the end he could only sigh: "Good death, even if he doesn't die, I will kill him today." ”

After thinking about it, he probably felt that it was inappropriate to say that he was going to kill them in front of his grandson, so he shut up, and didn't care that the two children didn't know him at all, so he pulled them over and hugged them: "Good children, don't worry, it's all over." When this tour is over, you're going to come back to the last Fireplace with me - hey, Jon, are you okay kid?"

It's impossible for the uncle's two grandsons to come and snatch the inheritance of the Amber family, so what does Big Jon have to worry about? ”

＊＊＊

Egger's plan worked, and the pace of the visit to Icemark was completely disrupted by the reunion, and the Northern Princes completely forgot about the new land-giver tribe and gathered around Morse and his daughter...... After greeting for a while, it was Luce Burton who was the first to react, first letting a group of tribal leaders disperse, then ordering the guards of the patrol to begin arranging the defense of the foothold, and finally signaling Iger to go to Zhangluo to receive and arrange.

Morse's relationship with his daughter is deeper than expected, which is a good thing. Iger was secretly delighted. He had a little notebook of all the things that needed to be done, but were too trivial to forget—finding Morse's daughter for Raven Eater was one of them, and he ordered the work to begin before returning from the North, and soon got the good news when he returned to Castle Black with Robb.

It's not for nothing that things went so quickly and smoothly - in fact, it wasn't Egger's men who found Morse Amber's daughter at all: as early as the surrender of Mance Rader to the Night's Watch with his army of savages, and the Amber's daughter's tribe was assigned to live in Icemark, she identified herself to the head of the logistics department's residence. But the result was obvious: the staff brought by Egger from the south did not know the members of the northern nobles, and less than ten people had to manage the affairs of the entire fortress, and they were already busy to death, when a savage woman dressed in tatters and with a face full of traces of time suddenly ran and said that she was the daughter of a certain northern nobleman, and asked the logistics department to send someone to send her home...... Will you immediately take it seriously?

The logistics department didn't take her words seriously, and she could have rushed back to the last Hearthplace City by herself...... However, the night watchman is particularly strict in the management of the new donors, and leaving the station without permission is a very serious violation. So, after Morse Amber's daughter returned to the south of the Great Wall after a lapse of twenty years, she was still an orphan and widow and a miserable mother for a few months, until Iger ordered her to be searched for in the land grant...... The logistics officer of Icemark City remembered her existence and reported the situation to Command.

For Amber's daughter, the Night's Watch's initial neglect of her had left her and her two children with a few more months of hard work, but for Egger, the timing was just right. Sending it to Morse when the Northern Princes visited Icemark not only bought at least one more night of preparation for the new landowners, but also effortlessly diverted the attention of the most disgusted wildlings among the nobles...... What is especially important is that the logistics department has arranged for a reliable person to communicate with Amber's daughter in advance—Iger hopes that through this noblewoman from the north who has lived outside the Cyprus for half her life, she will quietly convey a message that is extremely beneficial to the land-grant resettlement plan: the difference between the settlers, freemen, or "savages", and the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms is not as great as ordinary people think.

——