Lynn and his party rode back to Winterfell.
During the journey, Lynn either rode his horse or performed necessary physical training.
If attribute points could be improved through his own efforts, he would never waste any time that could be used for improvement.
Time quietly slipped away during the monotonous journey.
Finally, the huge gray outline of Winterfell reappeared on the horizon.
The Direwolf banners on the city walls flapped in the cold wind, as if welcoming their return.
The appearance of the group caused a small commotion at the city gate.
Robb Stark and Ser Rodrik rushed over when they heard the news.
When they saw who it was, their steps involuntarily slowed.
This group was completely different from when they left.
Every soldier was silent, their movements uniform.
Lynn, who walked at the very front, made them feel an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity.
His face was still calm.
But in those eyes, something deeper had settled.
Most striking were the two longswords at his waist.
One they recognized: longclaw, the Valyrian steel sword gifted by the Old Bear, though the bear's head on the hilt had been replaced with a Direwolf's head.
The ravens had already mentioned this.
And the other one... Robb's breath hitched.
That longsword, with its slender blade and a hilt shaped like a black jade dragon's head, he had only seen in illustrations in ancient scrolls.
The ancestral sword of the Targaryen royal family—dark sister!
How could this thing be at Lynn's waist?
"Lynn!"
Robb suppressed the turmoil in his heart and quickly went to meet him.
"You're back!"
Lynn dismounted, nodding to Robb and Ser Rodrik in greeting.
"How is Bran?" Lynn immediately asked about what he cared about most.
"He's doing well."
At the mention of his brother, a hint of warmth appeared on Robb's tense face.
"Maester Luwin says he's recovering very quickly and can already walk a few steps while holding onto the wall."
Lynn felt a little relieved upon hearing this.
Just then, Arya, like an agile kitten, leaped from the horse's back and rushed into Robb's arms.
"Robb!"
"Arya?" Robb delightedly hugged his little sister.
Arya broke free from his embrace, her face full of unconcealed pride.
"We went to the Wall! And we even went beyond the Wall!"
"We killed many wildlings, and Lynn even killed a... a very scary monster!"
The little girl gesticulated wildly, incoherently describing her adventure, her words full of adoration for Lynn.
Robb and Ser Rodrik exchanged glances, their gazes at Lynn becoming increasingly complex.
How many secrets did this man truly hide?
...Lynn first went to see Bran.
The once lively and active boy now sat quietly in a chair, the scenery outside the window no longer tempting him to climb.
Clearly, that 'accidental' fall had left an indelible shadow in his heart.
Lynn gave him Jon's letter and conveyed Jon's longing.
Seeing the long-lost smile on Bran's face, Lynn also felt a sense of relief.
Bran, who had not become the Three-Eyed Raven, was still the lovable Stark child.
Only Bran did not know that his fate had been completely rewritten by the man before him, in an invisible way.
He was no longer paralyzed, nor would he be targeted by the Three-Eyed Raven.
In this life, he could peacefully serve as Robb's vassal.
Lynn was arranged in the most spacious room in the guest tower.
The fireplace blazed, hot springs flowed through the pipes, and the room was as warm as spring.
Winter liked this temperature very much.
But it still preferred to curl up in the animal skins and then lie on the bear skin rug in front of the fireplace, its three heads comfortably dozing.
In just a few days, its size had expanded as if inflated, growing a full circle.
It was now about the size of a half-grown hunting dog.
Its scales shimmered with an ethereal blue-green glow in the firelight.
Its once slender forelegs had also become thick and strong.
The sharp claws at the ends occasionally scraped unconsciously across the rug, leaving deep marks.
The personalities of its three heads also became more distinct.
The middle head, with amber eyes, was the most stable.
It slept most of the time, occasionally opening its eyes to gaze at Lynn with an almost scrutinizing look.
This gave Lynn the illusion that it seemed to be thinking.
The left head, with ethereal blue eyes, was a diligent sentinel.
It was constantly vigilant; any rustle would make it crane its neck and emit a threatening growl from its throat.
As for the right head, with blood-red eyes, it was still a synonym for irritability and greed.
It was either tearing at the rug or trying to gnaw on table legs, as if there were only two things in its world:
destruction and eating.
Lynn sat at the table, holding the ancient Valyrian book left by Aemon, softly chanting ancient words.
"Lykirī." (Quiet.)
As soon as the words fell, the blood-red head, which was about to take a bite out of a chair, paused.
It shook its head impatiently, its blood-red eyes full of reluctance.
But under Lynn's gentle gaze, it eventually lay back down sullenly, emitting a grumbling sound from its throat.
Now, they were finally quiet.
Lynn's lips curved slightly upwards.
Although this little fellow was irritable, it was quite obedient.
A moment later, a knock sounded at the door.
"Lynn, it's me, Robb."
Lynn raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I'm here, please come in."
The door was pushed open.
Robb Stark and Maester Luwin entered, one after the other.
Their gazes immediately fell on the two swords at Lynn's waist.
Especially dark sister, with its black jade dragon hilt.
The ancient sharpness it exuded made the air in the entire room feel several degrees heavier.
"Lynn, I must say, your return has brought us a surprise."
Robb's tone was complex.
He walked up to Lynn, his eyes filled with inquiry.
"Commander Mormont gifting you longclaw, I can understand that. But this one..."
His gaze fell on dark sister.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is the ancestral sword of the Targaryen royal family."
Maester Luwin also walked over, his gray eyes filled with a scholar's rigor and fascination.
He leaned in, carefully examining the dragon carving on the hilt and the unique ripples on the blade.
He was so excited that his fingers beneath his gray robe trembled slightly.
"Gods above, it really is dark sister..."
"It's been missing for nearly a hundred years..."
Maester Luwin looked up.
"You...where did you find it?"
Lynn just smiled, not answering.
He reached out and patted the book on his body.
"An old friend gave it to me."
His movement startled the little fellow on the rug.
"Come, get acquainted."
The middle head, with amber eyes, groggily lifted itself, letting out a yawn.
"This is..."
Robb's attention was drawn.
He saw a strange creature's head emerge from under the animal skin, a pair of molten gold-like eyes curiously examining him.
"What kind of strange creature is this?"
Robb frowned.
It looked too strange.
Its entire body was also covered in scales.
When they arrived, to avoid attracting attention, Winter had been kept in a cage covered with black cloth; this was Robb's first time seeing it.
However, the next second.
The left head, with ethereal blue eyes, suddenly emerged from another piece of animal skin, letting out a hostile hiss at the two uninvited guests.
Immediately after, the right head, with blood-red eyes, also emerged, baring its mouth full of serrated fangs, with even faint black smoke rising from its maw.
"Bang!"
The animal skins were completely pushed aside by the three heads, sliding to the ground.
A complete monster, with three heads, four legs, and a pair of ferocious fleshy wings folded on its back, was fully exposed before Robb and Maester Luwin.
The air in the room instantly solidified.
The expression on Robb's face went from curiosity, to confusion, then to horror, finally turning blank.
He instinctively took a step back, his hand already gripping his sword hilt, his body trembling slightly from the immense shock.
"In the name of the Old Gods and the New..."
Maester Luwin's voice was no longer calm.
The color drained completely from his face, and his eyes, which had read countless tomes, were now as wide as copper bells.
His boasted reason and knowledge were shattered into pieces before this living magical creature.
"A dragon..."
Maester Luwin's lips trembled as he uttered the word.
"This is a dragon..."
No, it was more terrifying and stranger than a dragon.
Three heads!
This was not a dragon at all!
This was simply a monster that had crawled out of the Seven Hells!
Lynn slowly stood up and walked to Winter's side, reaching out to gently stroke its middle head, as if petting a docile kitten.
He looked at Robb, who was now dumbfounded, and spoke calmly.
"This is my biggest gain this time."
"Coincidentally, I also have something I need to ask of you."
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