Leaving the sinkhole, the black Dragon roared as it flew away to the west. Having escaped death, the group sighed in relief.
Seeing that they were about to part ways, Hadvar stopped Jonas, saying that he would go to Riverwood to rest for a while, and if he needed help, he could go to the town and find his uncle.
Hadvar also said that he would entrust a friend to send word to Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun; with a Dragon appearing, they had to be prepared.
Jonas was thinking only of Baron Dilo and completely missed Hadvar's subtle hint. He just nodded, "Mm, sounds good. You go ahead, I'm going to take a trip to Winterhold."
"But..."
"Goodbye, my good friend." Jonas flew up with a whoosh, whistling away towards the northeast.
Hadvar stood there stunned, "But do you even know the way to Winterhold?"
Jonas did not know the way to Winterhold. He only felt that something in the northeast was pulling him, a sense of déjà vu. The mountains and rivers along the way, even though he had never been there in his memory, felt strangely familiar, like scenery from a dream.
The journey from the warm plains to the biting winds of the Tundra, especially the Winterhold hold, made Jonas feel a palpitation in his heart.
He recalled seeing a "Skyrim Travel Guide" years ago—he couldn't remember when—which mentioned that Winterhold was a dilapidated village. Yet, what appeared before him now was a massive city clinging to the cliffs, with incredibly complex depths, roads running through the mountains, and lights piercing through the snow screen.
If the original Winterhold was a candy bean sitting on the corner of a sea cliff, then now it was a web tightly wrapping around that corner.
Looking down from the sky, the city of Winterhold was like a crown, and the College of Winterhold, hanging isolated on the island, was like a shining pearl.
"Mage, you have violated the 'Levitation Act.' Land immediately and submit to inspection!" A high-pitched shout came from an observation deck on the mountain top outside the city, making even the falling snow tremble.
Jonas obediently landed on the observation deck. A Khajiit mage walked towards him, and upon seeing the boy, froze instantly, "Jona?"
"Who are you?"
The Khajiit mage turned and asked his companions, "Jona, Jonas is back!"
The boy was a bit confused. Half a minute later, he was taken into the observation deck. With the warm fireplace, steaming mead, and large chunks of spider leg meat, after a full meal, his body felt warm and his mind much clearer.
"You know me?"
"Oh, it seems you've lost your memory too."
After some conversation, Jonas became confused again.
"I have an adoptive father? Wait, I come from High Rock? But I remember the White-Gold Tower... Baron Dilo is my best friend? What else? Hmm? I was trapped in the past time? What? Nineteen years? Ah? My adoptive father is missing?" The amount of information was overwhelming. His former classmates chattered on and on, and by the end, Jonas was numb.
At this moment, Dilo rushed over and embraced his old friend, "You kid, you're finally back!"
Meeting an old friend, although Jonas didn't remember the heroic, rough-looking man before him, the sense of intimacy could not be faked.
The boy was led to meet his adoptive mother, a dignified Nord woman draped in a comfortable white bear fur cloak, wearing a silk gown underneath. Her emerald green eyes were like clear pools. Although clearly not young, she still possessed the lively Life Qi of a young girl, making people feel close to her at first sight.
"Ma'am, I am Jonas." The boy was a bit nervous.
"You've come. It's good that you're still alive. You don't recognize me now, right? It doesn't matter. We can get to know each other again. I am Serana, your adoptive father's lover."
"Mother."
"There is no need to force it. Your adoptive father always only let you call him'Sir,' so you can just call me 'Ma'am.'"
Serana beckoned to him and led Dilo and the boy, surrounded by a group of warriors clad in steel armor, to the top of the highest tower in Winterhold. From here, one could see the statue of Azura on the nearby mountaintop. The city in the wind and snow was veiled in mist; being inside it felt like a different experience compared to scouting from high above.
It was already dark, but there were still many pedestrians on the road, carrying torches and lanterns, laughing continuously as they wove between shops and houses. Commerce was free and prosperous, and children were playing, their joy bringing a smile to one's face. The guards were all wearing heavy steel armor, with hot steam occasionally venting from the valves on their backs, creating a pillar of snow in such low temperatures.
The buildings in the city were clustered together, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and each cluster was very dense and orderly, which was pleasing to the eye. They were all built of hard materials like brick, concrete, and granite, looking cold, solemn, and tidy, giving a sense of strictness.
The roads were continuous and interlaced, winding along the mountainside, cutting the city into six or seven rings back and forth. There were also many scenes inside the mountain, which could not be seen from the outside, but they were surely very orderly as well.
Looking north, there were many giant steel ships traveling on the Sea of Ghosts. Winterhold's location was not suitable for building a port, but one could see a long line of ships constantly arriving and disappearing behind the mountain wall, making one wonder where they went. In fact, they had hollowed out the mountain to create a semi-enclosed harbor. The cargo throughput was enormous; in a bitterly cold place like Winterhold, it would have been impossible to develop so rapidly without sea transport.
Serana introduced all these details to Jonas one by one.
"The construction of this city took only fifteen years. Firstly, it relied on the blueprints left behind by your'Sir,' on how to connect various industries, how to tunnel through mountains and build houses, machinery, labor, and so on. Secondly, it was because the people of Winterhold put aside their prejudices and worked closely with the College, gaining the miraculous power of the mages. That is the only way it could have such speed. Slowly, this has already become the greatest city in Skyrim, even surpassing Whiterun."
Jonas was speechless, only feeling that human spirit could have such power to change the world. It was truly moving. With such great power, what difficulties could they not overcome?
"Sir is truly amazing."
"That is natural. Have you really forgotten him?"
"...Yes." Jonas felt an inexplicable shame in his heart. Having been bombarded by various information earlier, he had already lost some of his judgment, feeling only that losing his memory was a truly regrettable thing. Only now did he notice that his adoptive mother had other plans.
"Then you should go find him when you have time."
"I heard he has been missing for several months."
"But he is not dead, after all... Let's not talk about this for now. He had already foreseen your destiny. Since you are a Dragonborn, you must face two major enemies."
"Two major enemies?"
"One is the World-Eater, Alduin, and the other is the first Dragonborn far away in Solstheim. Even if you hide at home, you will have to face them sooner or later. Since that is the case, it is better to take the initiative. Your'Sir' left three things for you. I can give you two of them in advance. As for the last item, you must come back to me when you have truly decided to live through death."
Jonas frowned. What did it mean to decide to live through death?
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