From Winterfell to Castle Black, one must cross the dense forests of the Wolfswood, traverse the towering Northern mountains, pass through the vast wilderness of House Umber's lands, and enter the "New Gift" and "Gift" belonging to the Night's Watch before truly arriving at the Wall.
The "Gift" was land given to the Night's Watch by Brandon the Builder, King in the North, 8,000 years ago to sustain the Wall's operations. It extended twenty-five leagues south from the Wall, requiring the Night's Watch to send stewards to farm it themselves.
The "New Gift" was an additional twenty-five leagues given by Queen Alysanne after House Targaryen took over Westeros.
Unlike the rocky and barren Gift, the New Gift was relatively fertile land. Before being gifted, it was direct territory of House Stark, farmed by generations of peasants.
Each year, they only needed to pay taxes to the Night's Watch to continue living there as before.
However, when Aldric's group passed through, whether in the Gift or the New Gift, almost no one was working in the fields or orchards.
According to First Ranger Benjen, the abandonment of the Gift was because the Night's Watch lacked the manpower to farm it.
The New Gift's abandonment was due to the reduction in Night's Watch numbers, leading to lax border defense. More and more Wildlings sneaked over the Wall to raid, forcing many New Gift residents to flee south to House Umber's lands for protection.
Invasions by foreign races always start with the weakening of border defenses. Weak borders often stem from the ruler's neglect, ultimately leading to the destruction of the entire nation and civilization by surging foreign warriors. History shows this time and again.
Logistics is the guarantee of an army's combat effectiveness. Seeing fertile land abandoned like this, Aldric was more anxious than the King, but he was powerless. He could only close his eyes and ears to avoid annoyance.
The group took six days to cover the last fifty leagues.
When the Wall smashed into their vision like a towering mountain, everyone was shocked into silence.
Even Tyrion, who had read various descriptions of the Wall in books, found its scale beyond his wildest imagination. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Gods, it's tall."
"Yeah, really too tall..."
Aldric responded absentmindedly, feeling specks of magic pouring into his body.
Tyrion thought Aldric was awed by the scale like him and reminded, "Let's go. Only a few miles left. Once there, you can lie on top and look down."
Aldric snapped back, smiled, and answered, "Right, let's go."
Since using up his mana to save Kevin and Juan in the Wolfswood, Aldric had felt a profound emptiness inside, like a beast gnawing at his chest, roaring to be filled.
Now, as the Wall got closer, Aldric felt free mana in the air like morning mist in winter, condensing on his skin, seeping into his muscles, and finally hiding in his soul.
Although it was only a fingernail's worth, not enough for even a low-level Purification spell, it was indeed slowly accumulating.
This discovery excited Aldric so much that he accidentally spoke aloud, catching Kevin's attention.
When they distanced themselves from others, Kevin whispered, "What is magic, Teacher?"
"Magic... I can't describe it well." Aldric looked around, saw no one noticing, and lowered his voice. "It's roughly a miraculous energy that allows me to cast Light spells."
"But Teacher, I remember you saying all Holy spells are gifts from the Sun God An'she?"
"The spell skills are, but the energy consumed to cast them isn't. Think of it like a Maester's ink. To write a book, you need ink, but ink alone can't write a book."
Kevin nodded. "I understand... Then Teacher! How can I feel this energy?!"
Seeing Kevin's eager eyes, Aldric didn't know what to say. He couldn't say he didn't know, right?
So Aldric asked back, "Kevin, I ask you, do you think the power of the Sun is great?"
"Of course?"
"Is it holy?"
"Of course it's holy!"
"Then why do you think you can possess it just by me talking and you listening?"
Kevin was speechless, face and ears turning deep red.
After a long while, he asked, "Teacher, what should I do? Just tell me, and I'll do it."
"You must pass the Sun God's test."
Kevin's tone became urgent, seeing a tangible path to the supernatural in Aldric's answer. "Teacher, what is the Sun God's test? Please tell me!"
Yes, what is the Sun God's test?
Another hard question.
Seeing his student's eager eyes, Aldric knew he couldn't stall anymore.
Since the fight with the Kingslayer and the Hound in Winterfell, Aldric realized he and Kevin were truly from two different worlds with vastly different values.
As Tyrion said, with Aldric's current strength, he could join a great lord, become a sharp blade, sweep away injustice, accumulate merit, and become a new lord.
But Aldric couldn't. His upbringing taught him that people are equal in personality; social status differences should only come from ability and division of labor.
He couldn't accept kneeling to a lord, pledging loyalty to his descendants, and having his own descendants kneel to that lord's descendants forever.
Just thinking about it made Aldric feel deep despair.
But in this land, this had solidified into a law of nature.
Ruling power could only be held by the warrior nobility. Those holding faith (Septons) and knowledge (Maesters) had to vow celibacy and leave no heirs.
This was strange.
In Aldric's homeland, the strongest eras were created when those holding faith and knowledge also possessed martial power.
Separating the three and placing martial power above the others only brought continuous war and chaos.
This wasn't normal. Aldric didn't accept it, so his actions clashed with this world.
This was the source of his conflict with Kevin.
Although Kevin compromised, Aldric knew Kevin compromised to his "Lord" Aldric, not his "Teacher" Aldric.
Kevin hadn't truly accepted Aldric's values; he just admitted fault according to tradition.
If this continued, Kevin would eventually part ways or even turn against him.
Aldric didn't want that. He needed to explain his views fundamentally to his student. Wasn't this the best chance?
After deliberation, Aldric said, "Kevin, the Sun God's tests are everywhere. You might encounter them anytime, anywhere. So I can't tell you exactly what the test is, but I can tell you what the Sun God values."
"What does the Sun God value?"
Aldric pointed at the sun high in the sky. "First, the Sun is selfless. It hangs high, burning itself to bring light and heat to the world. Second, the Sun is fair. It treats animals, plants, mountains, and oceans equally..."
In the remaining short journey, combining his poor astrophysics knowledge, Aldric imbued the Sun's power with moral significance and taught it to Kevin as the doctrine of "An'she Faith."
The moral standards naturally came from the values education he received on Earth.
However, considering the constitution of Westerosi babies, Aldric temporarily only threw out the French Revolution trio (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity), adding a pinch of Paris Commune concepts as seasoning.
As for the thoughts of the three great mentors of the Internationale, the version was too advanced. Aldric feared taking it out now would cause sudden death, so he hid it, waiting to release suitable parts when the time was right.
Although the content wasn't too deep, even the shallowest parts were far nobler and greater than "get promoted, get rich, wife dies." It was perfect for a fourteen-or-fifteen-year-old boy full of noble spirit and knightly glory like Kevin.
And just the parts Aldric remembered and agreed with were enough to teach for months.
Later, he could use "Memory Reinforcement" skills to dig up contents he read but didn't think deeply about, expanding them chapter by chapter, point by point. That would last a long time.
Then letting Kevin understand and practice... by then, Aldric should have figured out a solution, right?
Slowly, amidst teaching and learning, Benjen's small caravan entered the magnificent yet dilapidated castle at the foot of the Wall—Castle Black, headquarters of the Night's Watch.
Castle Black was a historic fortress at the northern end of the Kingsroad.
Half a mile south of Castle Black was a village called Mole's Town.
Castle Black wasn't a true castle; it had no walls on the east, west, or south, only the Wall to the north.
It consisted of several stone towers and wooden keeps. Beneath them were underground tunnels called "wormways" connecting them.
Rarely used in summer, they were the only way to move around in winter.
Entering the main castle area, Benjen went to the Lord Commander's Tower to report.
As First Ranger, Benjen was already in the decision-making circle.
He went to Winterfell not just to visit family, but to report border defenses to the Ruler of the North, his brother Lord Eddard Stark.
Now back, and coincidentally meeting King Robert touring the North, he naturally had to convey the feedback from the realm's rulers to other Night's Watch leaders immediately.
However, Benjen didn't neglect Tyrion and the guests. Shortly after he entered the tower, a fierce-looking middle-aged man in black came out. "I am Bass, Kennelmaster of the Night's Watch. Lord Commander Mormont sent me to settle you."
Tyrion extended his hand. "Hello, I am Tyrion Lannister. Glad to have a Kennelmaster receive us; at least we don't have to worry about dog bites."
Bass bowed, shook hands, and led them to a dilapidated, leaning tower.
"This is Hardin's Tower. Long ago, it housed officers." Bass introduced. "But now, with barracks half-empty, it's vacant. Used for guests and new brothers who haven't passed training. Did you bring bedding?"
After Tyrion confirmed, Bass pointed to creaky doors. "Pick any room you like."
"One room each is fine, but don't expect anyone to clean for you. Best stay on the same floor so I can find you easily."
Just as he walked out, Bass turned back to Tyrion. "Lannister, the Old Bear wants to see you at dinner."
Tyrion smiled exaggeratedly. "Understood, officer. I'll dress up prettily to see the old man."
Bass nodded and left for good.
It was late. Aldric picked a pleasing room, moved in with his luggage, and rejected Kevin's request to room together.
Since it hadn't been lived in for ages, cleaning took an hour.
Only when Kevin knocked did he realize it was dinner time.
Since Tyrion went to the banquet with Jack, only Morris and the Aldric trio went to the hall.
Though guests, to the Night's Watch, they clearly weren't the VIP kind, so they ate in the common hall with the black brothers.
The food was simple: a piece of smoked meat, pickles, a chunk of hard bread, hot soup, and a small cup of ale. A fat cook served it. Lining up gave Aldric a strange sense of familiarity.
What's missing? Aldric thought for a while. Ah, just the cafeteria lady shaking the spoon.
"Not used to our food?"
Benjen sat opposite Aldric with his tray. "Hobb was just a common farmer before coming here. Back home, he only knew how to boil beans, so don't expect too much."
"Why did he come to the Wall?"
"Owed money to a landed knight and couldn't pay. Poor guy."
Benjen tore a piece of bread with his teeth. "About going beyond the Wall with us... want to reconsider?"
On the road, Aldric had asked to see the lands beyond, and Benjen had agreed.
Seeing Benjen wanting to back out, Aldric asked, "What's wrong? Any changes?"
"Not really. But in the afternoon meeting, the Old Bear told me Wildling activity has increased significantly since I left. Going out now is dangerous."
"I wear the black; ranging is my duty. But you are a guest. Not worth the risk."
"If you want to see the Wall, I can arrange a brother to guide you. This high wall should be enough for you to look at until you leave."
Aldric shook his head. "First Ranger Benjen, if you worry it's dangerous outside, you should definitely take me. You've seen my skill."
The day Sandor Clegane fought Aldric, Benjen was in the yard, witnessing Aldric schooling the "Hound" like an adult teaching a child.
"If you insist, fine. Three days later, I'll take a few good men beyond the Wall. We leave at dawn. Be prepared."
"What preparation?"
"Bring extra food, wear more clothes. Don't bring your squire."
"Deal."