Iger was startled.

It's not that being seen through makes him flustered, or how heart-wrenching and unexpected Luce Burton's words are, but the position of the two of them at the moment.

They're not in the vaults of Houguan or the Castle of Terror, where they can talk about the most perverse topics—they're on the walls of Deeplinburg, now a temporary command post for the Northern Army!

The castle, which had only been captured by the Iron Men a few months earlier and had recently been plunged into a state of war, was on high alert, with heavily armed guards stationed at intervals along the wall, and patrols coming and going to ensure that the line was not breached...... Isn't the old skinner not afraid of being heard by people with bright ears?

Iger quickly glanced around: the two had just passed a sentry, still a dozen meters away from the next post, and this old guy had taken advantage of such a short window to speak, and the row of northern soldiers standing on the city wall could not have imagined that a great vassal with the highest strength in the north would say such a dangerous thing to the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch under their noses.

(Are you crazy, do I know you very well!)

Egger can be regarded as aware of Liu Bei's feeling of being shocked by the spoon in his hand when Cao Cao called him a hero, Rao is that he reacted quickly, and he didn't know how to respond for a while-pretending not to understand? He didn't have that level of friendship with Luce Bolton, and the timing was not right, was it?

The two walked side by side, and although their steps were not fast, they quickly approached the next sentry, and it was even more difficult to say anything.

Iger simply pondered and remained silent.

Fortunately, Old Skinning had no intention of waiting for Egg's reply at all, and after abruptly startling the Night's Watch, he quickly jumped on to another topic as if he hadn't said anything about the call just now: "According to the agreement between me and the other adults during the day, the Bolton family, as a big family living further north of the city, should provide at least 1,000 gold dragons to support the operation of the Night's Watch Legion to defend against the ghosts. But after thinking about it, I had a different idea-if I want to do great things, what can I do with these hundreds or thousands? I am willing to lend 10,000 gold dragons to the Night's Watch Legion to support the construction and development of the land granted under the Commander's rule. ”

Despite the turmoil in his heart and the fact that he knew that the money was not easy to get, Egger still made a look of surprise in a very respectful manner: "If this is the case, I have to thank Lord Bolton for his generosity on behalf of the residents of the land grant, and the night watchman will definitely use this money properly to make the best use of it!"

"You're welcome, Commander-in-Chief. Bolton nodded in the slightest change in his expression, accepting Egger's thanks. The two of them chatted casually again, and after passing a sentry, they returned to the previous topic: "I don't want the night watchman to do anything for me right away, I just want to remind you - opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared." To the west, the Iron Islands could not be leveled by building a few warships, to the south, the Dorne of the River Bend and the puppet king they supported still existed, and on the other side of the Narrow Sea, the Targaryen girl occupied Slave Bay and became the queen of the liberators, and she had three dragons. ”

After changing the subject to avoid the ears of one of the sentinels, Old Skinning stopped, leaned against the edge of the wooden wall, and said the last words while looking out at the endless wolf forest under the moonlight: "After building your land and repelling the army of the dead...... Maybe we can work together and make a name for ourselves in Westeros. ”

＊＊＊

This is the end of the conversation between the two.

The meaningful content is nothing more than "you are not like someone who can keep to yourself", "opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared", and "maybe we can cooperate".

It may seem like nothing has been said, but there is too much to say – properly organized, and the lingua franca of Westeros can be just as profound and meaningful.

I have always used my own rhetoric to persuade others to participate in my own plans, but I didn't expect that there will be today?

Egger suddenly has a strange feeling that the character is wrong, as if he is in a strategy game, only this time he has become a player, and he has become an NPC: Luce Burton owes himself a favor by speaking for himself in front of Robb Stark and lending him 10,000 gold dragons at a critical moment. And with this seemingly inexplicable remark to an outsider today, he reminded himself that his help was not without purpose, and that he hoped to be rewarded in the future.

As for what the reward is, most of the old peelers themselves don't know - he is also waiting for an opportunity.

After defeating the Iron People and repelling the Strangers, what else can he, the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch, do?

Iger had no plans.

It is a bit too optimistic and underestimated to consider this when the natural enemies of all mankind are still eyeing the outside world and may launch a final battle at any time. But just as when I was a child, I used to turn to the last to look at the essay questions in the Chinese exam, and Iger was already thinking about it all the time subconsciously, and he didn't need to be reminded by Luce Burton at all.

In today's conversation, the Earl of Bolton is nothing more than lifting the gauze covering a cruel reality in advance, so that Iger is forced to face it now:

The Stark House and the North are a giant tree that has grown for thousands of years, and the land that has been revitalized by the Wildlings under Egger's leadership is a small seedling under this giant tree. Big trees can shelter small seedlings from wind, frost, rain and snow, and protect them from early death...... However, rooted in the barren and harsh climate of the land grant and the Great Wall, the growth of the seedlings is actually forcibly maintained by the perfusion of foreign nutrient solutions.

Someday, the seedlings will grow to the point where they need to compete with the trees for sunlight, water, and nutrients – and at that point, they will either break through the canopy of the giant tree and soak up the sun to continue their life cycle, or they will continue to weaken in its shadow, after being cut off from foreign blood transfusions...... Eventually, Asuka did his best to hide his bow, and because it was no longer useful, he returned to the road of decline before Iger crossed over, and gradually disappeared into history.

This association was very unpleasant to Egger.

But after all, he doesn't have a historical feud with Stark like the Burton family, which has fought with Stark for countless generations, and even a break is justified. If you are faced with this difficult situation in the possible future, how should you choose?

......

He had a terrible dream that night.

In his dream, after he helped the North to settle the Iron Islands, and easily defeated the Strangers with the help of the Dragon Crystal Artillery, the Land-Giving Army became strong and its overall strength grew to its peak, and then he turned his gun and helped Ruth Bolton overthrow the Stark family and become the king of the North. And then ...... They continued to march south, and with the power of firearms, they conquered the other six countries one after another.

In the end, he became the first emperor of Westeros, and then he killed Luce Bolton and the heroes of the Night's Watch estate, and sat on the Iron Throne, becoming a real loner.

......

Egger hadn't been awakened by a nightmare in a long time, and he lay on the sweaty bed and thought for a while, realizing that this was not the future he wanted.

After all, he is a person with an independent will, not an NPC who follows simple logical statements, can use money to brush up on favorability, and relies on data to determine behavior, not to mention that Luce Bolton just borrowed 10,000 gold dragons from the night watch, even if he gave himself 1 million gold dragons?

If there is no way to get rid of the shackles of the Night's Watch without destroying the Stark family, then what if he will be the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch for the rest of his life?

No matter how low the bottom line is, there has to be one.

——