Ancient Nightfort was born alongside The Wall and declined with The Night's Watch.
It has been abandoned for over two hundred years, and there is no doubt that every breath of air here is filled with decay and emptiness, and every inch of sight is filled with broken and desolate scenes.
Under the setting sun, Joffrey and the others stepped inside, occasionally startling fat old rats in the dark corners.
What do they survive on? No one knows.
"Hurry up and lead the way." Benjen and several black brothers kept a close eye on Osha's every move.
Osha walked silently at the front, exploring the way to the Kitchen based on memory and the marks on the ground. The deep well and the steps within it were there, and Black Gate was there.
Joffrey's figure rose and fell rhythmically with Rain's movements beneath him. Honestly, it was quite fun once you got used to it.
Tyrion's gaze was almost constantly fixed on his left arm, as if he could see the small bright flakes inside through his skin and flesh. This thing was called the "Weave Core 1.0 Official Version".
That's right, Tyrion became Joffrey's second test subject. Jon was the third.
Joffrey also reached a key conclusion: the location where the core was implanted had no effect on the collection and conversion of Source Energy or Magic Energy.
In other words, Osha's version of the core was now declared out of production.
After all, implanting it in the wrist or other parts was always more acceptable and better suited for promotion and popularization than stuffing it directly into the brain.
And the changes in the "Weave Core 1.0 Official Version" weren't limited to just this.
After finishing Osha's core, Joffrey quickly realized the upcoming problem – the shortage of Rune Energy.
Among the three pillars of magic – Source Energy, Rune Energy, and Magic Energy – Rune Energy had become the biggest bottleneck for widespread adoption.
Although the source of Source Energy was unknown, it was known that it could be continuously absorbed and converted into Magic Energy through Runes, and could be briefly brought to the material world for use and storage by human thought.
Magic Energy was derived from Source Energy and would rise with the popularization of Source Energy.
Only Rune Energy still had to be slowly accumulated daily through Runes or Rune Mirror Images in one's consciousness. Runes in items didn't work; it could only rely on people.
This was extremely detrimental to the early popularization of magic.
Creating a core like Osha's required consuming 7 units of Rune Energy, which required the daily accumulation of 7 Rune Mirror Image owners (Wizards).
It was estimated that there would be two to three hundred Wizards by the end of this year, and the two hundred-plus units of Rune Energy they provided daily would only be enough to produce a few dozen cores, which was simply negligible.
Therefore, the new core took a different approach and did not use any Rune Mirror Images.
Its material was selected from Gemstones or Crystals that could also absorb and store Source Energy. The communication function was handled by constantly consumed Information Magic Energy, which required regular recharging.
It was simple, almost crude.
But the functionality was hardly weakened; it only reduced the core's battery life and energy storage limit.
Looking at it optimistically, this could also better control the movements of the core users, regularly replenish Magic Energy, and regularly collect Source Energy, avoiding unexpected loss of control.
Thinking about it that way, it was just right, perfect!
But Tyrion clearly didn't think so. He couldn't help but complain to Joffrey through the Information Rune Mirror Image: "This core is completely useless to me!"
It really was useless.
Joffrey immediately changed the subject: "Did your Snow Bear learn communication magic? What does it know?"
"This is very important, it directly relates to our safety!"
Tyrion pouted: "Snowball's words are hard to understand, maybe it's saying that two people entered its body at that time."
Joffrey looked very serious.
"Don't underestimate him. If I'm not mistaken, that person is the famous Lord Bloodraven, Brynden Rivers!"
"The Wizard with a Thousand Eyes?!" Tyrion gradually became serious.
"That's him. He already has more eyes and is constantly spying on the Seven Kingdoms. Maybe Bloodraven is waiting for us at The Wall right now."
Joffrey actually thought this was possible.
In terms of motive, the Three-Eyed Crow's true intentions were difficult to determine, but he could certainly kill anyone.
In terms of strength, the Three-Eyed Crow had been Beyond the Wall for so many years, had Weirwoods as eyes, and was a Greenseer of the Children of the Forest, so he probably wouldn't flinch.
The Crow's eyes were indeed powerful, and perhaps he could really track their journey.
And The Wall.
Joffrey looked up, through the damaged hole, at the dim gray-blue giant serpent.
The Wall's Anti-Magic Runes restricted his magic, and he truly didn't know what the situation was like outside.
Perhaps Wildlings were waiting outside? Perhaps the Children of the Forest?
Joffrey regretted that it couldn't be the Three-Eyed Crow himself. Bloodraven, who had merged with the Weirwood, was difficult to move and would only direct remotely, which was extremely annoying.
Too bad, he couldn't kill him in a short time.
Joffrey's plan was on a tight schedule, with no time to go deep into the Haunted Forest to snipe the Three-Eyed Crow, and the Others gradually becoming active Beyond the Wall were of unknown strength, so acting rashly would be too arrogant.
During the development phase, don't be too reckless.
"Your Highness, my lords, this is the entrance to that secret passage," Osha said, pointing to a deep well several meters wide.
Joffrey snapped back to attention and saw that Rain had carried him to Nightfort's large Kitchen.
The enormous brick oven gaped empty, rusted meat hooks hung from the ceiling, and scarred, stained butcher blocks lined the walls.
A perfectly normal Kitchen, but it was here that the Rat Cook had chopped the Andal Prince into pieces and baked delicious man-meat pies in one of the ovens, which the Prince's father had praised highly.
Those who knew the story couldn't help but scare themselves.
Joffrey looked towards the center, where a pale, twisted Weirwood squeezed out from between the stones and grew up to the ceiling. Directly beneath the tree was a dark, deep well.
Benjen carefully leaned on the well lip and peered inside. "There really are steps along the well wall!"
Tyrion leaned over. "Ho, it's bottomless. Can these steps really let a Snow Bear climb up? I'm a little scared myself."
Joffrey jumped off Rain. "What are we waiting for? Let's go down and find out."
One by one, they moved into the well.
It was as if they were descending into the bottom of the sea. With each step down, the damp well wall grew colder, everything within sight grew darker, and the empty well shaft in the middle became more like an abyss.
They could only cling tightly to the well wall and move forward with difficulty.
Time stretched on until their eyes had adjusted to the darkness. After a long, long time, they finally saw the Black Gate.
Named the Black Gate, but it was a white Weirwood.
On the wood was the face of an old man who had been dead for thousands of years. In the darkness, it seemed to emit a faint white light.
The light Joffrey saw was not white.
The face opened its eyes.
It asked, "Who are you?" The voice was faint, but it echoed continuously in the silent well.
Joffrey reminded Benjen, "The Oath."
Benjen straightened slightly and said without hesitation, "I am the Sword in the Darkness. I am the Watcher on the Walls. I am the Fire That Burns Against the Cold, the Light That Brings the Dawn, the Horn That Wakes the Sleepers, the Shield That Guards the Realms of Men."
The face said, "Go."
Then, its mouth opened wider and wider
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