Chapter 301 The Force of Nature Is the Power of Life

Melisandre hopes to execute Mance Rayder by burning him at the stake because he is the "King beyond the Wall" and the king's blood in him has great power and can help Stannis win. Jon rejected her, believing that the way the Night's Watch executed traitors was by hanging or beheading, and Mance Rayder volunteered to be punished, so he could avoid the pain of separation, and the gallows would be his only destination.

"You eventually need to burn his body with fire, why waste it twice?" Melisandre showed her great charm, and the fiery red shadow danced in Jon's pupils. A warm feeling spread from his palm, along with the delicate touch and soft elasticity of the skin. But at the same time, there were scars from the fire and cuts from the oaths.

"Burning is too painful, and it is not the custom of the Northland and the ancestors. I still have more than 50,000 savages to appease, and I cannot take this risk."

"His Majesty the King has more than 30,000 knights, who will be your most reliable backing." Melisandre tugged on her collar and locked up the spring. "Stannis has the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, and he will rule the world, but the wildlings are only wild, they will not tame or help you."

Wildlings are more than just wild, and Ygritte is the best example. The thin girl with light red hair came to Jon's mind. "Sorry, Lady Melisandre, I cannot agree to your request. There will be no burning at the Night's Watch."

"What a shame," Melisandre said. "What a shame."

Mance Rayder thought he would walk to the gallows smiling, but he failed to laugh in the end, but he did not cry because of timidity. He kissed his son one last time, took a deep breath, and put the noose around his neck himself. "I should say something," he said to the crowd watching the execution: "But suddenly I don't want to say anything. If any of you are curious, you can ask me after you die."

Jon took off his glove and raised his right hand, letting Mance Rayder see the scar on his palm, and then swung it down hard. The King Beyond the Wall hung in the air, swaying, swaying. His time was over.

After a while his body was removed and brought to Maester Aemon. "He needs to tidy up his makeup and then be cremated." Jon told everyone. Only Mance's wife was allowed to watch, and most of the people dispersed. Tormund waited beside the pyre with a group of wildlings.

"Well, I don't have much time, so I can only say let's give it a try." Zhao Mai ran out of Maester Aemon's inner room, startling everyone. "I've never done this before, so don't be surprised whatever happens."

He cut Mance's clothes open with a knife, put one hand on his chest, and pressed the other on his forehead. "Sam, bring me the ointment!"

Sam held a black earthen jar in his hands, which was full of mercury-like liquid. Zhao Mai pulled him to help. The two of them used at least a thousand gold coins in materials to prepare this jar of potion, which made Sam feel distressed just thinking about it. However, when he heard what Zhao Mai was going to do, he suddenly felt that it was worth spending ten times the price.

"I'm going to try to resurrect Mance Rayder." Zhao Mai told everyone: "This is my first time doing this, so I can only say that I will give it a try. It is very likely that something will go wrong. You have to be considerate."

Mance Rayder's wife almost fainted, but Jon held her back. Master Aemon leaned on his cane and slowly and tremblingly sat on the chair beside him, his eyes radiating excitement.

"When I say pour, pour the oil on Mance's chest. Don't go too fast, just take your time." Zhao Mai said: "No matter what happens, don't disturb me, do you understand?"

Well, Zhao Mai really thought too much. They all kept their mouths shut and no one bothered him.

The force of nature gathered in his palm, and then slowly poured into the already cold corpse. He kept chanting incantations in a voice only he could understand, making complex gestures one after another. But these are not the most important things, communication with the force of nature is. It's not sounds, gestures, or precious oils that bring the dead back to life, but the force of nature.

Xiaohua floats in the air and guides Zhao Mai according to her own insights. The natural force must first break through the barrier between life and death, and find the soul according to the natural force characteristics of the corpse.

"Hey, I saw Mance Rayder's soul, but he looked stupid. He didn't seem to understand anything and didn't listen to me." Xiaohua pointed to the chair beside her: "He's right there. He's sitting here, tell him."

"Where?" Zhao Mai looked at the empty chair and blinked. Xiaohua pointed to her eyes and said, "Use green dreams."

"Oh, yes." Zhao Mai adjusted his stance to avoid falling after being lost in thought. Then he adjusted his natural force and entered the world of green dreams. This time, he finally saw Mance Rayder's soul.

He was dressed in gray, with a red patch on his broad cloak. Mance once said that as a night watchman, he was in danger during patrol and was rescued by wildlings. The savages mended his clothes and used this red patch. When he returned to the Night Watch, the commander did not allow him to leave the red patch and had to wear black clothes, which also prompted him to leave the Night Watch.

He didn't expect this incident to have such a great impact on him. Even after death, his soul would have a red patch. In the green dream, Zhao Mai could clearly feel the fluctuations of the Force. The natural Force was providing Mance Rayder with visible energy, allowing his soul to reappear in the world.

Zhao Mai walked up to him: "Mansi, I am resurrecting you. Are you willing to return to the world?"

The King Beyond the Wall remained motionless at first, staring at Zhao Mai blankly, and then opened his mouth after a while. He couldn't make a sound, but his mouth shape was still easy to identify: "Is it really okay?"

"There's no harm in trying, right?" Zhao Mai said, "Don't you want to watch your son grow up?"

Mentioning his son, Mance finally nodded. He used both hands to push himself up from the chair. Zhao Mai reached out to help him, but he shook his head stubbornly, followed the guidance of the natural force, and slowly walked towards his "corpse" step by step. He walked slower and slower, as if doing so consumed a lot of energy, as if he was carrying a thousand kilograms of weight. However, with strong will, Mance still completed the twelve steps. He took a few breaths, finally turned his head, and suddenly looked behind Zhao Mai with a horrified expression. Then, his soul entered the body.

Zhao Mai was startled by his last expression and quickly looked back. But there was nothing behind him, just the normal décor of Maester Aemon's house. Xiaohua also expressed ignorance and speculated that Mance's soul might be frightened by the feeling of "regaining life".

At this moment, Mance took a sharp breath and opened his eyes.