Sincerity?
The ancient voice echoed in Lynn's mind, tinged with cautious probing.
Seeing Lynn relax, the three-eyed raven on the floor finally abandoned its groveling posture.
It straightened up, regaining some of the dignity befitting an ancient existence.
The atmosphere was no longer one of unilateral judgment and oppression.
A balance, built on mutual wariness, was quietly established between man and bird.
"That's right. Sincerity."
Lynn's voice was calm.
He reached out and soothingly scratched the chin of Winter's left head—the one with deep blue eyes. The cold scales felt hard against his fingers.
The head nuzzled his palm comfortably, emitting a soft purr from its throat like a strange cat.
"Since it's a partnership, you have to bring something tangible to the table."
Lynn's gaze fell back on the raven.
"My conditions are simple. Three things."
He raised a finger.
"First, I need weapons."
"Specifically, the two used by Brynden Rivers."
Lynn could clearly feel the raven's three eyes fixated on him intently.
"The Valyrian steel sword, Dark Sister."
"And the Weirwood longbow."
Lynn enunciated each word clearly.
The raven's body went rigid.
Those two weapons were the most dazzling symbols of Brynden Rivers' identity as a Targaryen prince and Hand of the King.
They were the glory that had accompanied him all his life, and his only link to the past after his exile to the Wall.
He cherished them deeply.
A long silence followed.
"...Very well."
It took a long time for the ancient voice to squeeze out those two words, as if it took all his strength.
"They are buried beside my rotting bones, north of the Wall. I will have a White Walker deliver them to you beyond the gates."
"Good."
Lynn's expression remained unchanged as he raised a second finger.
"Second matter."
"I need you to make the Night King cease all his current operations."
This statement caused a flicker of confusion in the raven's blood-red eye.
Ignoring it, Lynn continued.
"Not only that, I want him to constantly manufacture wights for me."
"At designated times, in designated locations."
"Making it convenient for my men to harvest them."
Deep silence reigned in Lynn's consciousness.
The raven looked as if it had been struck by lightning. Its feathers puffed up for a split second, and it instinctively took a half-step back.
It couldn't believe what it was hearing.
Using the army of the dead—a force capable of destroying the world—as... practice dummies?
What did he take the terrifying Night King for?
What on earth was going on in this man's head?
"Third."
Lynn didn't give it a chance to object, raising his third finger directly.
"I need the Greensight and the ability to skinchange."
"But," Lynn's tone sharpened abruptly.
"I only want the ability to see the past. I do not want your memories, and I certainly do not want your moldy, rotting consciousness that has lived for thousands of years polluting my mind."
Three conditions, each harsher than the last.
Each more unbelievable than the one before.
Especially the second and third.
One demanded the use of the undead army as a whetstone for his blades.
The other demanded the core of the Greenseer's legacy be completely castrated.
The room fell into a long silence once more.
Winter seemed to sense the heavy atmosphere. The three little heads quieted down, their mismatched eyes looking curiously between Lynn and the strange bird.
"The second condition... I cannot do."
Bloodraven's voice finally returned, carrying a heaviness unlike before.
"You underestimate the Night King."
"The ice magic within him is not inexhaustible."
"It is power he has accumulated for nearly a thousand years, all for the singular purpose of marching south and bringing winter to all of Westeros."
"Every wight raised, every large-scale spell cast, consumes his already limited reserves."
"To make him stop, and then force him to endlessly create targets for you... that would completely disrupt the plan he has built over a millennium. It would expose him to the world prematurely."
"In that event, neither you nor I would gain anything!"
Bloodraven paused, seeming to organize his words.
He was trying to make this madman understand the logic.
"Although he is me, we are two separate entities, merely sharing the same memories."
"He would not agree, and I cannot force him."
"As for your third condition..."
The Three-Eyed Raven's voice lost some of its hardness and took on a calculating tone.
"Separating the Greensight from the memories... that is an unprecedented attempt."
"It is very dangerous."
"Without those memories as signposts, you could easily become lost in the torrent of time, unable to return to a specific point in the past."
"But I can help you try."
The Three-Eyed Raven lowered its posture significantly.
"The first and third conditions, I can agree to."
"I believe this is sufficient proof of my sincerity."
Lynn listened quietly.
He knew the other party wasn't lying.
Perpetual motion machines didn't exist anywhere.
The Night King's power had its limits.
"Then, what are your conditions?" Lynn asked.
"You've gone to such lengths—delivering a dragon egg, offering a horn—surely not out of charity?"
"I want you to unite Westeros."
Bloodraven's voice regained its ancient vastness and majesty in that moment.
"I want you to sit on the Iron Throne."
"I need a united kingdom, a united army, and a supreme King."
"Only then can we stand against the true enemy when the Long Night falls."
The three-eyed raven fixed its blood-red eye intently on Lynn.
"The Great Other."
"That is our common enemy."
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