The Divine Hunter Chapter 23: Mistaken the reflection in the lake for the stars in the sky

On a cloudy morning, there was strong humidity in the air.

Outside the city of Sintra, there is an endless wilderness.

Two rulers, a group of officials from the Royal Council, and sorceresses accompanying the army were watching the ceremony.

"Your Majesty East, Your Majesty Calanthe, the warriors of Cintra have been assembled." An old man with white hair, blue armor and a straight back said, "A total of ten thousand soldiers have been gathered. More than a thousand men, including nine thousand brothers of Cintra and three thousand Vizima troops led by Ser John Tanaris."

Everyone's eyes were filled with darkness. Cintra soldiers with blue-backed Three Lions emblems on their chests were lined up on both sides with the Temerian army. Their armors were shiny and they carried a variety of weapons. Swords, flails, shields, stone crossbows, the weapons collided with the armor and made loud sounds.

Two thousand people were riding on war horses, their eyes burning brightly under their helmets.

The chilling atmosphere made the horses snort and clap their hooves uneasily.

The sound of drums and bagpipes echoed around, playing songs before the war.

"As long as you give the order, the army will immediately go to the Manada Valley and dig fortifications."

"In addition, fuel and materials have been delivered to the garrison station in the Ihlenwald forest area, and the brothers there are ready to sacrifice their lives for the country."

"We will receive news as soon as Nilfgaard crosses the Amer Pass."

Easter smoothed his beard with his muscular hands and took a step forward,

As soon as he raised his hand, the originally noisy army suddenly fell silent. The sound of drums and bagpipes, the sound of weapons clashing with armor, all disappeared, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

Easter's gaze calmly swept over the dark soldiers, which seemed to contain a raging and powerful force like a volcanic eruption.

"Brothers of Cintra, I believe you all know the purpose of today. The Nilfgaardians in the south have been carrying out unjust aggression and atrocities for a long time. Starting in 1239, they occupied Ebin, and then continued to attack Cintra. Terra covets her."

"Now they are stationed in Amer Mountain and may invade our homes at any time, occupy our land, burn our houses, kill our relatives, steal our wealth, and ruin our women."

"Men of Cintra, let me ask you this, are we going to sit back and wait for death?"

"Fuck that son of a bitch!"

"Drive the Nilfgaardians back home!"

"Kill all the southern barbarians!"

The military formation was crowded with people, and the mountains roared and the tsunami roared.

Tide-like shouts spread in all directions, and a small earthquake seemed to have erupted across the plain.

"Today, all of you who are about to go to Manada are heroes of the country!" East's tone dropped, with an unspeakable heaviness,

"I don't want to deceive you. The number of Nilfgaardians is twice that of Cintra, and they are well-equipped and have strong soldiers. Once we go to war with them, injuries, bloodshed, and sacrifices are inevitable." East choked up slightly. Said, "This means that a considerable number of our brothers will never see their relatives again."

"But because of this, we have to throw away our weapons and kowtow to the invaders?"

"There are no cowards in Cintra, only soldiers who died in battle!" Beside East, Vesekid raised his arms and shouted, his white hair and beard trembling, "Never surrender!"

"Fight! Fight!" The soldiers stamped their weapons on the ground. Their faces, either green or roughened by the sea breeze, were red with anger, and their eyes were wide open as if they were about to spit fire.

"Bleed dry!"

"Victory or death!"

East echoed hoarsely and waved his fist,

"As long as Nilfgaard dares to come, we will fight against it!"

"The Nilfgaardians are fighting for evil ambitions, but we are the teachers of justice and the guardians of our homeland. We have stronger faith, the blessing of the goddess Freya, and the blessing of the sea!"

"Even if it costs us our lives, we swear to live and die with Sintra!"

"Justice will prevail!"

"Victory!"

"Victory!"

East looked around at the boiling military formation, his heart was ups and downs, the veins on his fists clenched in front of his chest were prominent, and he couldn't help but nodded heavily.

Wearing men's clothing, Calanthe, who was heroic and beautiful, took a deep breath and glanced past his soldiers and husband. His face became determined, and his emerald green eyes were frighteningly bright.

Beside her, Triss Merigold, who was wearing a blue and red hunting suit with red hair tied back, was trembling uncontrollably.

"Vesekid, let everyone stay alert and set off immediately!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The white-haired old man took the order and retreated.

Another Mossack, carrying a staff, wearing a deer-antler helmet and a thick beard, stepped forward,

"Your Majesty, King Bran has arranged fifty warships. Each ship has a hundred Skellige men. They are both sailors and brave warriors, one against ten."

"Skellige's warships are moving at full speed and will reach the port within five days."

"And I have invited several old friends from the Skellid Druid Circle to help eliminate possible sea storms."

The Cintra royal family suddenly became energetic.

Mossack nodded and paused,

"In addition, Evelyn, who I sent to Novigrad, sent back news that the situation at Gawain's House is consistent with Roy and Geralt's description."

"The orphans received good care there and received free education without any abuse or injustice."

"You are so generous even to a stranger with no relatives, let alone the daughter of your own destiny."

East held Calanthe's hands and looked at each other with tenderness in his eyes, followed by a flash of determination.

The blood of Sintra must not be tarnished by the South!

Before the war, they arranged a way out for their only relatives, so they had no worries. Doing this also preserves a seed for Cintra. If the war fails, there will be hope for a comeback in the future!

Calanthe touched her belly regretfully again. She and East had tried many times, but several months had passed and there was still no movement.

As if this is fate!

……

The cliffside of a stone lake somewhere in Aibing.

An owl fluttered its wings across a field filled with haunted shipwrecks, and flew into a window on the castle's mottled wall.

"Plop..." In the brilliant light and a burst of pale smoke, the owl turned into a graceful human form——

A girl in a red velvet dress, her face shrouded in a layer of constantly changing colored light, appeared in the hall, her dress rustling as she walked.

Tall columns support the vaults, and huge chandeliers hang from the ceiling, looking like giant spiders.

Lydia van Bradvoort saw the person waiting for her,

"Lydia, come closer." A tall, handsome and noble man wearing a knight-style jacket sat on a throne-like chair and smiled softly at her, as if he didn't dislike her at all. Weird appearance.

"Tell me, what have you gained from this interesting and exciting journey?" He looked into the woman's eyes, and his voice was as sincere and sincere as ever, making Lydia fascinated.

Unfortunately, there was no love there that she expected.

Lydia moved her lips, but there was no sound. Her throat, like her broken jaw, had long been destroyed and mutated in that terrible experiment, and only the magic wave transmitted her voice.

The man closed his eyes and listened for a moment.

"The East of Sintra inherited the vagaries of the sea?" He raised his eyebrows,

"According to his past behavior, it is impossible to suddenly put down his dignity. Now he is hunting down spies in the city and going to Vizima to ask for help in person? This is completely different from his previous personality."

"What made him aware of the threat from the south?" His soliloquy was not over yet,

"Henselt, Demavi, and Vizmir II all stayed at home and watched, but Foltest wanted to support him. What stimulation did he receive?"

He rubbed his chin and fell into deep thought.

"The military camp in the Magtuga Highlands is covered by magic released by the Southern Magician. Even if he sends out scouts, the information he can see is limited."

"The 20,000-strong Nilfgaardian army would not make the king of Temeria so fearful. Who is influencing his judgment?"

“At this juncture, 3,000 people were suddenly sent out to support,”

Lydia’s lips moved again,

"So misfortunes never come singly... Skellige's fifty warships are ready to go and can cross the sea at any time?"

"It's really amazing. My original estimate would take at least half a year!"

"The extra three thousand soldiers and Skellige's fleet will undoubtedly affect the speed of Nilfgaard's capture of Cintra."

Speaking of the last few words, the man's tone became cold, "Our plan will be blocked."

Although he is an important member of the Northern Warlock Brotherhood.

But he always wanted to get more benefits from the Southern Emperor.

"If Nilfgaard cannot show absolute strength, what name and reason should I use to quickly unite everyone in the Warlock Brotherhood to share the same enemy?"

Only a shocking change can his bold and risky proposal be approved.

His power within the Brotherhood will only increase further.

"No matter who the spoilers are, they think they can disrupt the general trend and think they can stop me by doing this. That is to mistake the reflection on the lake for the stars in the night sky!"

He rose from his throne and walked through the corridors that surrounded the hall, the aisles where the statues were.

Enter a bright bedroom.

It’s like a small library, filled with bookshelves and stacked with countless thick tomes, all of which are precious collections, such as the great work "The Invisible World" by the three mages who first landed in mankind, "Natural Magic", "Magic of Ancient Races"...

In front of the desk, there is a large tank filled with azure sea water. The five-color shining glass is covered with ancient mantras. There is a dark golden round metal cover the size of a banana leaf hanging above the glass tank. It was full of pits and holes.

There is a black "model ship" sailing slowly and comfortably in the tank.

The man walked to the water tank, turned his back to the woman and cast a spell. His hands and fingers moved through the air, and a cool tide surged up and filled the entire room.

Unprecedentedly strong magical light shrouded his back, forming a dazzling halo above his head, making him look like a **** in the sky, and Lydia was dazzled.

She has never seen anyone else possess such unfathomable magic power and precise magic control.

Even the most senior person in the association, the five-hundred-year-old Gerhard of Eller, is not as good as the man in front of him, not to mention that he has skills that far surpass all the warlocks.

As he waved his fingertips, the magic in the entire room surged crazily.

The wind is strong.

The calm and clear water surface of the glass tank suddenly appeared with countless small ripples, dense bubbles emerged from the water surface, and the waves roared. It was a real stormy sea surface!

Gradually all the foam and ripples converged at one point, forming a vortex magnified a thousand times in the center of the tank,

"Boom!"

The round metal cover suddenly exploded with terrifying thunder, and dark clouds as black as ink emerged from the holes on it.

The man's short brown hair and shirt were blown by the wind!

The mantra was recited more urgently.

Jagged lightning burst out from the black clouds, connecting to the water like jellyfish tentacles.

The miniature vortex, distorted dark clouds, and forked lightning merged to form a funnel-shaped, high-speed rotating waterspout. The model ship was instantly sucked into it, and the spindle-shaped hull was dragged up by an invisible force, entering Dark clouds under the metal cover.

In an instant, a deafening explosion tore through the air.

Like some kind of signal, the "celestial simulation" between the metal cover and the glass tank ended completely, and the water in the tank returned to calm. ~IndoMTL.com~ Model ship missing.

As if everything before was an illusion and a bubble.

"Bang!"

There was a loud noise like the earth was shattering from outside the library window.

Lydia quickly went to the window and looked around - under the cliff where the castle was located, and on the rough dry river bed not far away, a huge sailboat wreckage suddenly appeared.

The hull of the ship was almost torn apart, the ship's planks were covered with scorch marks, and around the wreckage were dozens of corpses that died in horrible conditions.

A group of vultures let out piercing screams of joy, landed on the wreckage, and began to feast.

Lydia's calm eyes looked further.

On the Gobi Desert, the wreckage of dozens of large ships are dotted here and there, with numerous bones and countless dead souls among them.

"Huh...the equipment is normal! Lydia," the man breathed a sigh of relief, "send me a message to remind the warlocks in the south to summon a storm to stop the fleet supported by Skellige. If it fails, drive the fleet away. To the Seidna Abyss."

The woman nodded and looked at him with a hint of reverence and love.

"Notify our great Emperor again... No, forget it, I will write the letter myself... You go down first."

A trace of reluctance flashed in Lydia's eyes, but the man ignored her and sat directly in front of the desk, twitching his fingers casually.

“With all due respect to His Majesty Emhyr Emreth,

Your most loyal allies have discovered some unpleasant surprises... Vizima... Cintra... Skellige... Nilfgaard's northward advance may be hindered... Your original raid plan must be advanced. There may be more unfavorable factors if we delay it any longer..."

In front of the desk, an uncontrolled quill rubbed the paper, making a series of slight "rustling" sounds.

The bright magic lamp illuminated Wigefortz's unusually handsome face and a smile at the corner of his mouth.

And the burning ambition in his eyes.