After some time, Lord Mace and the others gradually recovered from their shock.
"Why? Why did the Three-Eyed Raven choose Velas to be his successor?" Gals asked, somewhat puzzled.
"I guess because this generation's Three-Eyed Raven has reached his limit," Lynd said in a deep voice, "No matter how powerful the Three-Eyed Raven's power is, his body is just that of an ordinary mortal. Over a hundred years is already the limit of a mortal's lifespan."
Lord Garlan heard this and suddenly speculated, "Then, with Velas actively going to the Wall now, could it be that he wants to become the Three-Eyed Raven's successor?"
Lynd was stunned when he heard this, as Garlan's guess was something he hadn't considered before, but he quickly shook his head and said, "Impossible. Velas's body has already changed under the influence of Garth the Gardener's power. It's impossible for the Three-Eyed Raven's power to enter Velas's body again."
"What's the deal with Garth the Gardener?" Lord Mace redirected the topic back on track and asked.
Lynd explained, "Back then, the Three-Eyed Raven wanted Velas to be his successor, but he unexpectedly activated the ancestral bloodline within Velas, which was Garth the Gardener's bloodline. The resonance of the bloodline awakened Garth the Gardener's power, which was dormant in the Three-Heart Tree in Highgarden's Godswood, and then possessed Velas. So, the Velas you've seen all these years is actually also Garth the Gardener."
Even though they had already reacted with shock before, Lord Mace and the others were still dumbfounded at this moment.
Lynd ignored the shocked expressions of everyone in the room and continued, "At that time, the Three-Eyed Raven and Garth the Gardener even fought over Velas's body, which directly led to Velas falling into a coma. During the struggle for Velas's body, the Three-Eyed Raven once took Velas's soul Beyond the Wall. Although Garth the Gardener eventually regained Velas's soul, Velas's soul was injured by the White Walker Queen at that time. This White Walker Queen is very likely the wife of The Night King, the former Lord Commander of the Nights Watch. And the injured part of Velas was precisely his waist, which is the reason for his paralysis. His paralysis is not due to a physical injury, but a soul injury."
At this point, Lynd paused, allowing those in the room to slowly process these matters.
After a long while, Lord Mace slowly said, "What do these things have to do with him joining the Nights Watch?"
"I once saw the Other leading the Corpse Ghoul Army Beyond the Wall, but those Others and Corpse Ghouls are just a drop in the bucket for the Other race. Velas is the true, and only, person who has been to the Other's city in the Eternal Winter Land and seen the complete state of the Other race. He knows better than anyone how terrifying the Others are. This is why he spares no effort to strengthen the Nights Watch at the Wall and diligently establish defenses along the Blackwater River. Because once the Others cross the Wall, then the North, Riverlands, the Vale, and even the Westerlands will quickly fall. The southern territories will only be able to rely on the Blackwater River and other rivers to hold them back for a short while."
"You also know about this, which is why you unified the Stepstones and aimed for the Disputed Lands, wanting to seek refuge across the Narrow Sea when things got their worst." Although Lord Mace's talent was very average, he had, after all, been in the position of Duke for so long, and he still had political acumen. He quickly connected Lynd's actions over the years.
To Lord Mace's speculation, Lynd only smiled and did not answer.
"Why didn't you tell me these things beforehand?" Lord Mace said with a hint of complaint.
Lynd countered, "Lord Duke, if Lord Velas and I had said similar things before, would you have believed us?"
"I..." Lord Mace wanted to say that he would, but he knew very well that he would only consider it to be crazy talk.
Gals asked in confusion, "The Three-Eyed Raven's lifespan is quickly coming to an end, which means that the important force blocking the Others from moving south will disappear. Will the Others come directly to the Wall? Is Velas trying to replace the Three-Eyed Raven and go Beyond the Wall to block the Others?"
"Probably not." Lynd shook his head and said, "The Three-Eyed Raven can block the Others because of his special power. Velas's power comes from Garth the Gardener; he cannot replace the Three-Eyed Raven."
"I think Brother Velas might do something on the Wall." Lord Garlan suddenly interjected, saying, "I once saw Brother Velas studying the patterns he had traced from the winter horn. He told me they were related to the Wall, but he didn't give me more details. Now that I think about it, he must have some ideas about the Wall."
Lynd also nodded, as he also felt that Velas must have gone to the Wall for a purpose.
"Velas went to the Wall, so what about Garth the Gardener?" Compared to Lord Mace and Lord Garlan, who were more concerned about Velas's situation, Gals, as the steward of Highgarden, was more concerned about matters related to Highgarden's interests.
There had always been a rumor that Highgarden's territory enjoyed good weather and fertile land year after year, yielding abundant harvests, because it was blessed by Garth the Gardener. In the past, Gals had dismissed such claims, but now he knew that this claim was very likely true. His greatest concern was that if Velas, as the incarnation of Garth the Gardener, went to the Wall, would Garth the Gardener also leave Highgarden, and would it affect Highgarden's current situation?
As Gals asked, Lord Mace and Lord Garlan also realized this problem, and their expressions became somewhat gloomy.
"Velas should have made preparations. He has already prepared another vessel for Garth the Gardener." Lynd said, looking at where Margaery had left earlier.
Seeing Lynd's action, everyone was stunned, and then seemed to realize something, saying in unison, "Is it Margaery?"
Lynd nodded.
"Does Margaery know about this?" Lord Garlan asked in a deep voice.
"I don't think she knows," Lynd shook his head and said, "And as I said, Velas found a vessel, not an incarnation. Margaery has Garth the Gardener's power, but she cannot use it like Velas can. She is just a vessel for this power."
"Why did he make Margaery the vessel? Are Garlan and Loras not suitable?" Gals asked, puzzled.
"I don't know that. Perhaps Miss Margaery has something special about her, just like Velas's bloodline, that can contain Garth the Gardener's power." Lynd shook his head and said, "Lord Duke, actually, you don't need to think too much. Garth the Gardener's power comes from the Three-Heart Tree. The Three-Heart Tree is the root. As long as the Three-Heart Tree exists, Highgarden's environment will not change much."
Although Lord Mace and the others nodded slightly, indicating their understanding, when they heard Lynd's words, their faces did not show that they took this statement seriously.
After explaining Velas's situation, Lynd did not stay in Highgarden any longer. After bidding farewell to Lord Mace, he and Lord Garlan went to the Highgarden gardens, picked up Augustus, who was surrounded by a group of girls, and returned to the Golden Rose Garden outside the city.
On the way to escort Lynd out of Highgarden, Lord Garlan suddenly asked, "Lynd, you said Brother Velas put Garth the Gardener's power into Margaery's body. Is that true, or for some other reason?"
Lynd turned and looked, saying, "Lord Garlan, you want to ask if I said that to prevent the marriage alliance between Highgarden and the Iron Throne, right?"
Lord Garlan looked embarrassed and nodded.
Lynd then asked, "Do you think I need to prevent the marriage alliance between Highgarden and the Iron Throne now?"
Lord Garlan hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
Lynd smiled and said nothing more.
On the very night Lynd met the Lord of Highgarden, a richly dressed knight arrived at the Golden Rose Garden.
"Ser Jaime, long time no see!" Lynd looked at the knight led by the Redemption Sisters, threw the beef in his hand high into the air, and a group of Longwing Dragon hatchlings flapped their still-weak wings, flying up and each biting a piece of beef, tearing it into shreds.
"Damn it! What is this? Baby dragons?" Jaime Lannister exclaimed in surprise when he saw these Longwing Dragon hatchlings.
"These are all Longwing Dragon hatchlings." Lynd took a towel to wipe the beef blood from his hands and said, "In Maester Barth's book, 'Dragons, Wyverns, and Longwing Dragons: The Unnatural History of the Dragon,' it was mentioned that the dragons of the current world were created by Valyria's Blood Witches using Longwing Dragons. However, I found that his research should be wrong. Firstly, Blood Witches are not as powerful as he imagined; their blood magic cannot transform species, let alone transform an ordinary biological species into a magical species. Secondly, although Longwing Dragons resemble dragons in appearance, their body structures have fundamental differences. The most obvious difference is their knees: dragons' knees bend forward, like a dog's, while Longwing Dragons' knees bend backward, like a chicken's."
"Longwing Dragon?" Jaime walked up to one of the Longwing Dragons and tried to reach out and touch it. However, the Longwing Dragon hatchling was extremely fierce. As it dodged his outstretched hand, it bit his arm hard. Fortunately, his arm was protected by armor, so he was not injured. Otherwise, judging by the teeth marks on the armor alone, such a bite would definitely tear his skin and flesh, and even break bones.
"What a fierce fellow!" Jaime was also startled, taking a few steps back and looking at the teeth marks on his armor with lingering fear. Then he saw the Chosen of God easily commanding these Longwing Dragons to bite things, sit down, and even return to their cages. His expression changed slightly, and he said, "Are you taming Longwing Dragons?"
Knowing full well that such matters could not be kept from anyone, Lynd did not conceal it and nodded in admission, "Yes, I am indeed taming Longwing Dragons. Once this batch of Longwing Dragons grows up, they should be the first batch of Summerhall's Dragon Knights. Although Longwing Dragons are far from comparable to dragons in terms of combat power alone, they can still play a significant role in war."
Looking at the dozen or so Longwing Dragon hatchlings and the dozen or so Chosen of God before him, Jaime couldn't help but take a deep breath and say, "Linde Terra, you truly are a terrifying fellow."
Lynd turned to look at Jaime and said, "You didn't come here just to tell me I'm terrifying, did you?"
"It's King who wants to see you," Jaime returned to the main topic.
Lynd hesitated for a moment, told Jaime to wait, then returned to his room to change clothes, left the others behind, and departed the Golden Rose Garden with Jaime alone.
"This doesn't seem to be the way to Highgarden?" Lynd asked, looking at the path Jaime was leading him down.
"This is the town outside Highgarden. Our King is enjoying himself at the largest brothel in town, Myrilla's Spring," Jaime said with disdain when mentioning King Robert. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh, by the way, your guide, Joel Flower's fiancée, Lady Myrilla, seems to be the owner of this brothel. It seems they're getting married tomorrow, but no important figures will be attending. What about you? Will you attend?"
Lynd answered affirmatively, "Attending Lord Joel's wedding is one of the reasons I came to Highgarden."
"Just as I guessed, you'll definitely attend." Jaime nodded, then said with considerable envy, "I've heard all about your deeds on the continent of Essos. I initially thought they were just exaggerations by bards, but after seeing the ships sent by Kohor to transport prisoners and confiscated property that day, I realized it was all true. The god of calamity, the god of magic, plus the storm god, and the Chosen of the Seven—I almost thought you were an incarnation of the Thousand-Faced God."
Hearing Jaime's words, Lynd was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but smile, saying nothing.
Jaime continued, "You once mentioned to Uncle Kevan inviting Tyrion to work for you at Summerhall. Uncle Kevan told Tyrion about it. Although he didn't show much at the time, I know he felt a great deal of regret. He felt that with his talent, if he worked by your side, he could at least become the Governor of the Stepstones."
"You're right, he certainly has the talent to be a governor of a region." Lynd also nodded in agreement, saying, "It's a pity he is Tyrion Lannister, the legitimate heir of House Lannister, and the future Lord of Casterly Rock. If you don't take off your white cloak, he will never be able to leave Casterly Rock."
Hearing Lynd's words, Jaime's expression darkened slightly. Then he looked at Lynd and said, "You think I'm limiting my brother's future?"
"No," Lynd shook his head, "Not just you, but also Lord Tywin. You care too much about his dwarf appearance. Your special care for him, and your father's cold attitude towards him, are both hurting him."
"You think my care for him is hurting him?" Jaime said, somewhat displeased.
Lynd looked at Jaime and said, "All he needs is to be treated as a normal person, and your care is telling him that you care very much about his dwarf appearance."
Jaime was silent for a moment and said, "It's not me, the whole society is like this. Even if I change my mind, I can't change the whole society's mind."
"But have you changed your mind?" Lynd countered.
Jaime remained silent, not speaking to Lynd again until they entered the town outside Highgarden.
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