Ice and Fire: Conquering the World Starting from the Wall

"There's no time. You need to send a team to Caster's fortress immediately. If there are any survivors, they'll definitely go there."

Colin spoke calmly, as if he had not just defected from the Night's Watch, but had always been a member of the Free People.

"What's the point? I bet no more than a hundred people survived, let's just say there were a hundred."

A hundred ravens terrified of the White Walkers won't hinder our attack on the Wall; on the contrary, they'll demoralize the defenders.

It's clear that Mance is in a good mood. Losing a chameleon like Jon Snow in exchange for the Raiders' nightmare, "One-Handed" Colin, is a very worthwhile deal for him.

As for whether his betrayal was true or false, Mans had no doubt whatsoever, which stemmed from both his understanding of Colin himself and his unconditional trust in Lynn.

"No, the goal is not to hunt down the fleeing rangers, but to rescue them."

Colin stated bluntly:

"Your Star Child promised me that you would do everything in your power to save the life of every Night's Watch brother."

Mans frowned.

"This is not a good situation. The Thane people are clamoring for their heads in exchange for land and titles."

He turned his gaze to Lynn, his meaning clear: This is your policy.

"The number of survivors will double."

Lynn gave a simple and clear answer.

Mans was taken aback, and after a long silence, he finally spoke:

"Just send them back to the Great Wall. Castor won't eat them. Instead, he'll give them food and shelter... The food isn't great, but it'll be enough to fill their stomachs."

"That's not the case," Colin said slowly. "Having lived in the borderlands for so long, haven't you noticed anything amiss with Caster?"

Mans frowned again.

"To be honest, that bastard refused my request to summon his messenger, and the poor boy even had his tongue cut out. I was planning to teach Castor a lesson, but I just haven't had the time."

"It's not just that,"

Colin shook his head:

"I heard from Old Man Bear and Jon that one of Custer's daughters told them that he sacrificed his son to the pale god of cold."

"The god of cold, who walks only at night, has blue eyes, bright as blue stars, and is filled with chill."

Mans immediately realized that this was exactly the White Walkers that Lynn had described.

"Mormont and his Rangers had barely left Caster's fortress when the White Walkers followed them to the Fist of the First Men. Something's clearly wrong—remember Caster's catchphrase?"

"I am a devout person."

Mans repeated that Custer always had this phrase on his lips.

"So the god he worshipped was the White Walkers? I always thought that Castor was afraid his son would take away his house and wives, so he threw the newborn boy into the woods to freeze to death."

Colin shook his head.

"He fooled everyone."

"He had a daughter who was about to give birth, and fearing it was a boy, he begged Jon to take her away. Otherwise, perhaps no one would ever have known the truth."

"That bastard!"

Mans's face immediately darkened.

"Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but the horse carcasses that were left behind all had broken legs."

Colin continued.

"Of course, those whose legs can still move have probably all turned into corpse horses."

"This means the White Walkers are also short-handed. I recently learned that the White Walkers never act when there are many of them; they simply follow behind and slowly devour the enemy, waiting for their opportunity."

Lynn and Mans both agreed on this.

Of course, there was another reason: the free people always kept their fires burning brightly when they camped, because they knew that ghouls were afraid of fire.

Although the Night's Watch camp had stone walls for protection, they did not light many campfires to avoid being exposed, and their numbers were not large, making them a target for the White Walkers.

But there was one thing Lynn couldn't understand: from whom did Colin get the information?

You should know that the free people either hate him to death or are terrified of him to death, to the point that they can stop a child from crying at night.

"When I killed that White Walker, I saw many wights that were already dried up, and there were even many ancient creatures that were half-human and half-ape among them."

Lynn added.

He remembered the ghoul he had pushed to the ground, a short creature with a head shaped like an ape.

"We cannot allow the White Walkers to further strengthen their army of the dead. I have examined the signs of the battle at the scene; the number of wights that attacked could not exceed three times that of the Rangers."

As expected of the strongest Ranger, even injured like this, he still doesn't forget his job.

Lynn praised him in his heart.

Colin's meaning was clear: the guards here were the most elite of the Wall Legion, and even with fortifications, they couldn't withstand the ghouls' attack, which was enough to illustrate the kind of disaster humanity was about to face.

This is also why the man with the severed hand decisively surrendered to Lynn.

Not to mention that the Night's Watch is much weaker now, even if Old Man Bear led his troops back to the Wall intact, he probably wouldn't be able to hold off this well-trained wildling army.

Moreover, with the White Walkers now attacking, if we allow over 100,000 wildlings to become wights, and they do indeed bypass the Wall as Lynn predicted, then the entire continent will become a living hell.

Mans nodded in agreement: "Alright, I'll send Hamma's cavalry. But we can only do it tomorrow morning; traveling on horseback at night is suicidal."

"We might encounter White Walkers. I'll take the dragon with me tomorrow."

"Lynn said."

"No!"

Mans and Colin both objected.

"You and Long Tai are crucial; you absolutely cannot take any risks."

Mans' expression was resolute, and Colin nodded in agreement.

"If something happens to you, it will be very troublesome to settle the wild people."

Lynn explained to them that his armor could block their presence and prevent the White Walkers from detecting him, but the two men disagreed no matter what.

"When did you two start wearing the same pair of pants?"

Lynn found it somewhat amusing.

Although Mans and Colin had never heard of this kind of banter before, they felt it was very fitting for the current situation.

Before Mance defected from the Shadow Tower, Colin taught him swordsmanship. At that time, Colin used his right hand to wield the sword, which was not yet called "severed palm".

The two had a good relationship and were both among the best of the Rangers.

Unexpectedly, as time passed, they first went from being brothers in black to mortal enemies, and then, due to the threat of the White Walkers, they became partners who could sit at the same table again.

In contrast to Mance's romantic and unrestrained nature, Lynn saw extreme rationality in Colin.

He first learned about Jon Snow's character by ordering him to kill Ygritte himself; then, when faced with a Wildling siege, he calmly arranged for Jon to act as an undercover agent, and at a crucial moment, he did not hesitate to risk his own life to help him gain the Wildlings' trust.

(This suggestion is based on the original text; Colin's character is really well-developed.)

He is both meticulous and selfless.

Upon discovering that the White Walkers were invincible, he was able to set aside his vows and decisively cooperate with his former mortal enemies. His inner transformation was swift and decisive, prioritizing the interests of the living above all else. His unwavering character was comparable to that of the North Sea in Westeros.

It's worth noting that back then, in the Guardians' Hall, when Mance recited the Night's Watch oath again after more than ten years, he still felt an overwhelming surge of emotion.

The more Lynn thought about it, the more he felt that the forty military merits were well worth it.