Dark Sister was two inches shorter than the standard steel swords carried by the Crownlands Guard, yet its overall proportions were slender and long. The hilt was slightly small, and Aegor's hand completely enveloped it with no room to spare, which was clearly a bit on the extreme side. Having done little heavy physical labor before and after transmigrating, his finger thickness and palm width were both below the average for men his age.
No wonder Bran referred to this sword as her.
As Visenya Targaryen's former personal sword, Dark Sister was clearly designed from the outset for women with slender hands. But more than the sword's appearance, what amazed Aegor was its weight, or rather, its density.
Even considering its slender and thin profile, it was too light. After weighing it, Aegor estimated that a steel sword of the same volume would weigh at least twice as much as Dark Sister. This meant that Valyrian steel had only about half the density of iron.
As is well known, F = ma. With two weapons of identical shape used by the same person, a weapon half the weight can be swung with twice the acceleration. Even without considering ephemeral properties like being magically forged, extremely resistant to cold, and effective against White Walkers, based solely on its physical characteristics of toughness, sharpness, and astonishing lightness, a Valyrian steel sword was absolutely top-tier equipment that any warrior would dream of in the age of cold weapons.
Aegor could not help but speculate on its composition and proportions. Could it be that the Valyrian Freehold, a thousand years ago, already possessed the technology to produce something similar to high-quality titanium alloys?
If conditions allowed, Aegor might actually analyze and research it, then attempt to replicate it. Unfortunately, this was far beyond what was currently needed and beyond the technical level achievable in the short term. Things had to be prioritized.
After observing it and fully satisfying his curiosity, Aegor began to ponder how to deal with the sword.
---
Bran said that a good sword belongs to a hero, what a beautiful expectation.
Leading thousands of soldiers to directly confront a sea of wights, wielding a legendary divine weapon to chop off the Night King's head, ending winter and saving all of humanity. Not only full of epic and heroic flavor, but it also felt great just thinking about it, exactly the grand happy ending a fantasy novel should have.
Moreover, even without considering the existence of White Walkers and thinking only from a personal perspective, wearing a Valyrian steel sword at one's waist is absolutely stylish and prestigious. The best part is that the family of this sword's original owner has long since died out, leaving no descendants, so no one will come knocking to claim it.
Keeping good things for oneself is an instinct anyone would have, but Aegor had a change of heart. He was neither a renowned warrior nor part of the nobility. Wearing a sword worth a fortune, equivalent to the entire Night's Watch Industry, as decoration on his waist was simply too flashy and wasteful, and he might even attract trouble by possessing such a treasure.
As a bane to White Walkers, a dragonsteel sword naturally needs to be used to fight White Walkers to be effective. And Aegor, by coincidence, was one of the few people in the world who had actually fought White Walkers. His understanding of these magical creatures' formidable qualities went far beyond abstract notions like throwing a sword can pierce a tree or throwing a spear can shoot a dragon.
Memory could no longer reconstruct all the details of that desperate struggle in the forest, but his physical senses could help at this moment. Upon recalling the White Walkers' ghostly blue eyes, the tiger's mouth of his sword hand felt as if it were cracking and throbbing slightly, and this was the result of his steel sword breaking and shattering in time, dissipating most of the force.
And the enemy had far more characteristics than just great strength.
The White Walkers could use magic, they were intelligent, and they had learned from the failure of the Battle of the Dawn. While Valyrian steel swords certainly countered them, would these beings, who had already lost their kind, foolishly offer themselves to the edge of dragonsteel?
All it would take is for thousands of wights to stand between him and the human warriors. Even if they stood still and let Aegor hack at them with Dark Sister, he would be exhausted to the point of collapse.
He was the supreme leader of the Night's Watch, the helmsman and backbone of the entire Gift. Human energy is limited, and to put it more pleasantly, each has his own specialty. Although he still maintained some exercise during his busy work, it was impossible for an ordinary adult male, who had passed the best age for martial training, to become a master while climbing from a small soldier to the Night's Watch Commander in just four years since transmigrating.
Aegor could personally lead the army, but he could not be at the forefront every time. If, because he held a White Walker bane in his hand, he rushed into the heart of every battle, disregarding everything to seek a duel with the Night King, that would be like winning a tire in a lottery and then spending money to buy a car, putting the cart before the horse.
This sword was wasted in his hands.
His strong rationality allowed Aegor, against human nature, to reach this conclusion in an instant.
The second thought was naturally to give it to someone else. Dark Sister was a woman's sword and was brought back from beyond the Wall by Brandon Stark. According to the original plot, it would most likely end up in the hands of Arya, who would become an excellent assassin, becoming the personal sword of this young Faceless Man, and finally be put to use in the ultimate battle against the White Walkers.
Unfortunately, due to his interference and protection, Arya did not have the opportunity to sail to Braavos to undergo the rigorous training of the House of Black and White. Although she still developed decent swordsmanship through talent and hard work, she was only outstanding among her peers, which was completely insufficient for the ultimate battlefield of ice and fire.
Aegor thought for a moment and completely discarded this wild idea, turning to other candidates. It was true that this was a woman's sword, but in serious weapon classification, there is no distinction between men's and women's. If Dark Sister were given a larger hilt and its balance slightly adjusted, it would be a slightly shorter, somewhat slender one-handed sword. Considering the toughness of Valyrian steel, there would not be much difference in actual use.
Among his trusted subordinates, whose swordsmanship was worthy of a Valyrian steel sword?
With Jon already having Longclaw, gifted by the Old Commander, Aegor thought long and hard, and it seemed only Jaime Lannister met the criteria.
Aegor was not very satisfied with this, for a simple reason. The Kingslayer was merely someone he had met earlier, was close to on a daily basis, and rarely disobeyed orders, he was merely seemingly his own man. He was now honestly staying in the Night's Watch simply because he was willing to, not out of loyalty or respect for his new Commander. To give such an unruly figure, whom he could not fully control, a precious Valyrian steel sword to win him over made him worry that it might be like throwing meat buns to a dog.
Furthermore, whether the gain was higher from an excellent warrior holding a dragonsteel weapon or from selling this sword to arm hundreds of soldiers with the huge sum obtained was truly debatable. Jaime Lannister was renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and his martial skills were indeed very high, but even if the Kingslayer could handle a dozen ordinary soldiers at once, would his efficiency in killing wights be higher than a Dragonglass Bomb when facing a sea of wights?
After struggling for a few seconds, a flash of inspiration struck Aegor. The two were not in conflict. What if he sold Dark Sister to House Lannister at a discount, but with the condition that Jaime must use this sword until the end of this war? Then he would have money and be able to keep this White Walker bane in the Night's Watch for the upcoming final battle.
As for whether Jaime would continue to carry the sword after the war or send it back to Casterly Rock for safekeeping, that would be an internal matter for House Lannister.
Simply perfect.
Aegor thought as he walked toward the Nightfort hall. It did not take him long to figure out how to deal with the sword in his hand, but just as he was about to make a decision and give the order, he suddenly heard the loud greeting of his guards.
"Good day, Lady Melisandre."
Several loyal guards had joined the Night's Watch Industry from King's Landing and were selected into the guard squad two years ago. There was naturally some tacit understanding between master and servants. This greeting seemed to be out of respect for the Red Priestess, but in reality, it was reminding the distracted Aegor. He looked up and indeed saw the Red Priestess walking toward him with a frown, covered in dust, clearly having rushed here immediately after hearing the news.
"That child is back from beyond the Wall?"
"Yes, why."
"At this time, could a normal person possibly survive the journey from beyond the Wall all the way back to Nightfort? Especially a cripple." The witch did not care for the Stark family at all and spoke mercilessly. She stared into Aegor's eyes with her deep red pupils. "Are you not worried that this is a spy, an infiltrator, or even an assassin sent by that unspeakable foreign god?"
Aegor had a headache.
These red priests who firmly believed in dualism were very much like the extremists and keyboard warriors in the real world before he transmigrated. In Melisandre's eyes, the world was either red or white. If you were not a comrade she recognized or did not agree with her views, you were an enemy. If you were not a follower of R'hllor, you were a heretic and suspected lackey of the cold god.
Aegor did not have the time or energy to change Melisandre's way of thinking. He shook his head. "Only one Greenseer appears among a thousand wargs. He can now see everything that has happened in the past and is happening now through the weirwoods and the eyes of countless living beings. He is one of the Night's Watch's most powerful helpers, not an enemy."
"No wonder I felt a strong aura of a foreign god the moment I entered this castle. Do you really dare to use such evil magic for your own purposes?" If Aegor had not been the Prophet she recognized, Melisandre would never have persuaded him so calmly. She was both anxious and angry, like an old mother disappointed in her child. "You now bear a heavy responsibility, and the enemy is likely to try to deal with you. You must be extremely vigilant. How can you be so trusting of outsiders?"
Melisandre was right, and Aegor also maintained some vigilance. Before transmigrating, he had heard the wild theory that Bran is the Night King. But Robb Stark's brother was alive and well right here, and without concrete evidence, could he rashly burn him to death and then fight a two-front war against the White Walkers and the North in the upcoming decisive battle?
"I just talked to him. Bran voluntarily offered to join the Night's Watch and will likely settle in Queenscrown. You will have plenty of opportunities to observe him in the future. For today, leave him be." The weary Lord Commander had no intention of saying more. He simply held up Dark Sister in his hand. "Here, this is what he brought back for me from beyond the Wall. I do not think the enemy would voluntarily send me such a great gift."
The witch frowned and looked down, about to scold Aegor again, but she was struck by the fire-aspected magic that rushed toward her. When she looked closely and saw the shape of a sword, her expression changed dramatically. "Lightbringer?!"
(To be continued.)
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