Chapter 2. Blood Pact

After carefully examining the blood-red characters in front of him several times, Robb didn't rush to sign the contract.

He bent down and placed Bloodwind back on the ground, and the blood-red characters suddenly disappeared.

He tried picking up another direwolf pup, but the blood-red characters still didn't appear.

Finally, when Robb picked up Bloodwind again, the characters reappeared before his eyes, just as he had expected.

"Robb, let me help you! That Jon boy has found another direwolf pup," Theon said as he walked over, scooping up the remaining three pups into his arms.

"Destiny is set, but it can change! Come on, let's go home."

Confirming that only Bloodwind could trigger his cheat ability, Robb carefully cradled the direwolf pup in his arms and spoke a sentence that left Theon baffled.

What was wrong with him today?

Theon, looking at the foster brother he had known for nearly 10 years, suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

When Robb and his group safely returned to Winterfell, his mother, Catelyn Tully, along with Sansa, Arya, Rickon, Maester Luwin, and Hodor, were already waiting at the main keep's entrance.

Following noble tradition, they exchanged formal greetings, and then Robb's three younger siblings excitedly took the three direwolf pups from Theon's arms.

Initially, Catelyn wanted to question Robb in detail about his sudden fainting. But with his little secret, Robb was really eager to leave.

He quickly apologized to his parents and, holding his Bloodwind, was the first to return to the main keep.

As for dinner, the servants would naturally come to notify him.

Robb's room was located on the second floor of the main keep, on the far left side. The room had good lighting, was bright and spacious, but the decor was simple, purely functional.

In fact, none of the rooms in Winterfell were lavishly decorated.

Each corner of the room had a large candlestick. At night, when all were lit, the entire room would be illuminated brightly.

Above the wall where the door was located, a row of wooden ducts the size of a fist was embedded.

Winterfell was originally built over a hot spring, and the heat from the spring was channeled through these ducts, circulating within the castle walls to warm the various rooms of Winterfell.

This made Winterfell more comfortable during the harsh Northern winters than other castles. It was, essentially, like a super central heating system that only provided warmth.

In the center of the room stood a large wooden bed, layered with thick furs.

Opposite the bed was a wooden desk. To the left of the desk was a wardrobe, and to the right was a washstand. These were the only pieces of furniture in the room.

Bang!

After closing the door, Robb took a few steps to the bed and gently placed Bloodwind among the thick furs.

Whimper… mmm!

Whether it was hunger or something else, Bloodwind laid on the bed, sniffing around with its nose and letting out a faint whimper.

Sign the blood pact!

Back in his own room, Robb activated his cheat ability eagerly.

[Initiating blood pact!]

As soon as the blood-red characters changed in front of Robb's eyes, Bloodwind's yellow eyes on the bed instantly turned blood red, and it bit down on Robb's right hand at the base of his thumb.

Even though Bloodwind was still a pup, as a direwolf born to be a killer, its sharp teeth easily tore through the skin of Robb's right hand, and blood immediately began to flow.

However, the blood from Robb's right hand didn't drip onto the bed; it was all absorbed by Bloodwind.

Gradually, a faint red glow enveloped both Bloodwind and Robb, painting the entire room with a color reminiscent of the evening sky.

[Blood pact completed!]

After about a minute, the red light slowly receded into Robb and Bloodwind's bodies.

The blood-red hue in Bloodwind's eyes faded away. When it saw Robb's right hand still bleeding, it instinctively extended its warm, wet tongue to lick his wound.

After the contract was completed, Robb suddenly felt a slight telepathic connection with Bloodwind. It was as if he could sense its emotions, such as guilt, hunger, and thirst.

When he focused his gaze on Bloodwind, the blood-red characters appeared again.

[Name: Bloodwind, Contractor: Robb Stark]

[Constitution: 1, Speed: 2, Strength: 1]

[Species: Spirit-linked Direwolf (6)]

[Blood Pact Points: 0]

The information displayed by the blood-red characters was easy for Robb, who was well-versed in games back on Earth, to understand.

The first section didn't need further explanation. The second section showed Bloodwind's basic attributes, which, as a newborn pup, were understandable. Robb was looking forward to Bloodwind's future growth.

The third section must refer to the six direwolf pups acquired by the Stark family. He just didn't expect them to have the prefix "Spirit-linked."

It made sense that these six pups were of supernatural lineage.

After all, in the original series, Bran, without any guidance or training, could naturally establish a telepathic connection with his direwolf.

And the last time Arya saw her Nymeria, the pack of regular direwolves she led was nothing like her in size.

Robb speculated that if Bloodwind had been just an ordinary direwolf, they probably wouldn't have been able to sign the blood pact at all.

Blood Pact Points! They must be something that could help Bloodwind grow rapidly.

This fourth section was the most critical aspect of his cheat ability!

So, how could I obtain them?

Robb stared at the blood-red characters in front of him, his mind contemplating the possible ways to acquire Blood Pact Points.

"Whimper!"

Noticing that Robb was lost in thought, Bloodwind shifted its furry little body restlessly and let out a low growl.

Hunger... Thirst... Hunger!

These feelings kept transmitting to Robb for quite a while before he snapped out of his contemplation.

Leaving the little glutton alone on the bed, he opened the door and went out.

***

About half an hour later, Robb returned to his room, holding a small wooden basin. As he entered, he tried sending a thought to Bloodwind in his mind.

"Bloodwind, your dinner is here!"

But Bloodwind just lay lazily on the bed without moving, probably too weak from hunger to react.

Seeing Bloodwind in this state, Robb tilted his head in thought. He placed the small wooden basin on the desk, turned around, and began rummaging through his wardrobe.

The basin was filled with dog milk.

Earlier today, on their way back, Ser Rodrik had mentioned that his family had a red bitch that had just given birth, but most of the pups had died. It would be perfect to use her milk to feed these six direwolves.

The people of the North generally wore thick woolen clothing. Robb had a hard time finding a piece of linen fabric with an inner lining and eventually cut out a palm-sized piece using his sword.

He dipped one end of the cloth into the basin of dog milk, and the white liquid quickly soaked into it. Holding the small wooden basin in his right hand and the cloth in his left, Robb brought it to Bloodwind's mouth.

Bloodwind seemed to catch the scent of the dog milk. It first extended its tongue to lick the cloth and then suddenly opened its mouth to suck on the soaked end.

Robb repeated this process until all the milk in the small basin was fed to Bloodwind. Maintaining this position the whole time, he started to feel a bit of back and leg pain.

However, watching Bloodwind fall asleep contentedly on the bed after being fed, he felt a sense of accomplishment, like a first-time "father".

As Robb busied himself feeding Bloodwind, the sky outside gradually darkened.

At this moment, a male servant knocked on the door and came in, informing Robb that dinner was ready and lighting the candles in his room.

Robb nodded in acknowledgment, adjusted his attire, and headed out.

He walked along the dimly lit corridor, which remained shadowy even with the candles, for about 10 minutes before finally reaching the banquet hall from the main keep.

The Stark ancestors had evidently been very hospitable, as they had built the banquet hall quite large. The outer walls of the hall were made of gray stone and adorned with Stark banners featuring the direwolf.

As Robb pushed open the large door made of oak and steel, he saw eight long tables arranged inside the hall. They were separated by the central aisle, with four tables on each side. If all the seats were filled, it could accommodate at least several hundred people.

Of course, these tables were for entertaining ordinary guests.

The Stark family members and noble guests would dine at the long table on the high platform in the hall.

At this moment, the entire Stark family was already seated at the high table, with Jon and Theon present as well.

When there were no distinguished guests, Catelyn, for Eddard's sake, could tolerate a certain "bastard."

During dinner, Eddard and Catelyn sat close, tearing pieces of rye bread and whispering softly. Most of the conversation at the table was dominated by Theon, who loudly boasted to Robb's four younger siblings about how he had discovered the stag and the direwolf corpses.

Robb answered briefly at the beginning when Catelyn asked about his health, and then he quietly ate his food. After all, he had many things he needed to think through and sort out.

As he absentmindedly consumed most of the food on his plate, a line of blood-red characters suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Blood Pact Points +1]

What! Eating could earn Blood Pact Points?

Gaining a Blood Pact Point from eating filled Robb with joy.

"Robb, why are you so happy?"

Arya, who was sitting to Robb's right, noticed his expression. The curious girl immediately spoke up to ask.

"Arya, I've found that eating helps you grow!"

Now that he had earned a Blood Pact Point, Robb no longer felt as weighed down by his worries. He smiled and responded to Arya, then turned to the maid standing nearby and said, "Please bring me another serving."

"Humph! I'm not talking to you anymore. Eating so much, you're such a glutton!"

Arya, who had a considerable appetite herself but wasn't growing much, had always been sensitive about it. Hearing Robb's words, she felt like he was teasing her. She immediately turned away, throwing that remark at him and refusing to pay him any more attention.