Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 278 - Hope Remains the Same
The Starks' ancestral magical system is not complex; its main framework consists of manipulating animal spirits and inducing cold-attribute celestial phenomena. Illusion is also involved, but its original purpose was to appease the deaths of their subordinates.

Wu Chen learned some of it and then passed on what he knew to Jon. The entire teaching session took about half a day.

Jon learned very quickly.

Perhaps because of his bloodline and the recognition he received from the collective consciousness, he could learn those complex spell structures with just a glance. Furthermore, the magic flowing within him and the willpower entrusted to him allowed his practical skills to grow at an unprecedented pace.

He quickly mastered a significant portion of the skills.

Having mastered these techniques, he, who already possessed a certain resistance to illusion effects, gained a significant boost in this area—perhaps because he had been wary from the very beginning due to the unpredictable appearances and disappearances of Wu Chen and the others. Therefore, the power of will surrounding him further amplified his strength in this aspect.

This allowed him to see through illusions and more effectively boost morale and command the army. The last vestige of potential danger around him vanished, because at this point, no one could betray him anymore.

That's good.

But this also meant that Wu Chen no longer needed to focus his attention on him for long—the chosen king now possessed sufficient self-defense capabilities. And after mastering illusion techniques, it would be slightly more difficult for Wu Chen to blend into his army as before.

It improves, but does not completely block.

With some effort, Wu Chen could still hide right under Jon's nose. But...

"It's not necessary."

After teaching Jon magic, Wu Chen set off back to the shrine where the library was located. Hera was still there, browsing through other books that Wu Chen didn't seem to care much about. Her research on Alaya was clearly not limited to a single region.

"Are you planning to leave, Dasster?" Hera stared at the book in her palm, her gaze unwavering. "Not planning to travel south with your chosen king, not planning to help him when he's in trouble?"

“I’m not his nanny.” Wu Chen looked at her and shook his head slightly. “Just like you’re not my nanny.”

Hera was definitely not his nanny—never was.

He and she just happened to be on the same path; their relationship was always more subtle than it appeared.

“Looks like you’ve got a target.” Hera smiled, continuing to flip through the book in her hands. She knew perfectly well why Dust had been teaching Jon Snow magic. Ultimately, it was simply a matter of paying someone to uncover his family secrets.

She understood Dust; she knew her classmate was an oddball—his favorite thing to do was to keep everything in perfect order. But if he stayed any longer, continuing to interact with Jon Snow, teaching him magic, offering assistance, and providing care, then sooner or later he would be dragged down into becoming a babysitter by his involvement.

Therefore, everything stops here. We cannot go any further, nor can we linger any longer.

"Where are you planning to go?" She already had a guess.

—The King's Landing.

“Junlin,” Wu Chen replied. “I feel that I am destined to find new lost items there. Moreover, I am also eager to access the dragon bones in that abandoned dragon's lair as soon as possible.”

Miracis, an otherworldly dragon projected into the world of Mondath. The final magic of Witch Dust in Mondath devoured and covered it. And in King's Landing, there lies its original skull.

She nodded. "Besides the dragon bones, what other plans are there?"

“I don’t know.” Wu Chen waved his hand. “Maybe I’ll kill a few people I used to hate, and make some friends that might be worth befriending. After that, I might cross the ocean and head to the continent of Essos. There, there is another person who is destined by fate.”

“You mentioned that person. She’s said to be the last Targaryen princess? Hmm, it’s a pity we arrived a little too late. According to you, that princess is already married. And someone as fastidious as you probably wouldn’t want to get too close to her,” Hera said casually, closing her book. “If you’d like, I can go in your place.”

"...I'm not that thirsty." Wu Chen's brow twitched slightly. "I've always been chaste."

"Oh, really?" However, Hera's gaze swept over him, landing on the back of his hand where the Alliance Mark should have been placed. "I thought you had a particular fondness for princesses, queens, and the like."

Wu Chen felt something was off.

It wasn't that the topic was off-limits, but the thought of Hera bringing it up made him feel uneasy. After all, a senior student shouldn't be a roommate or a "bro" (a term used to describe someone close to someone else). He still hoped that his interactions with Hera could be more refined and serious.

“…Sometimes, the situation is different.” He touched his palm, knowing that the magic within him was enough to manifest the Alliance Mark again and then activate it.

However, Hera simply smiled and shook her head.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to pry into your privacy. I just want to check your mental state so you don't make any strange mistakes at a crucial moment."

I hope so.

Wu Chen pursed his lips. He wasn't really keen on continuing what she was saying—he tugged at the collar of his robe and nodded slightly to Hera. This was a rather formal farewell, because he knew Hera would stay.

The Wall will inevitably crumble sooner or later, and Winterfell will bear the brunt of the subsequent offensive. As a knowledge explorer obsessed with new things, Hera would certainly have placed numerous monitoring devices on the Wall, and she herself would definitely not miss the first formal battle between the Night Army and the human forces.

She will pay attention, and she will even certainly intervene if the Westeros civilization cannot hold on. However, compared to the high-ranking witches who extend their love to everything connected to their loved ones, Wu Chen's self-perception is already different.

Things were different before, but they are definitely different now. He will only act as a guest on this land.

He saw Hera wave her hand.

So he turned and left.

But as he stepped out of the door, a whisper brushed past his ear.

“Dust,” the witch said softly. “I hope that until we find our way back, we will still be on the same path.”

Wu Chen paused for a moment.

Then nodded.

“I hope so too,” he said.

(End of this chapter)