The Divine Hunter Chapter 17: Expatriation and return
One morning, the light was dim and the air was humid, exuding the smell of night rain and morning fog.
The carriage convoy coming from the extreme west passed through the suburbs of Vizima and the suspension bridge over the lake, entered the trading area, and was escorted by heavily armed soldiers before entering Foltest Castle in the north of Vizima.
A man with a majestic hooked nose wearing a blue cloak got out of the carriage and looked sideways.
The breeze blowing from the vast expanse of blue Lake Vizima conveyed peace, but there was another fierce and tough battle waiting for him inside the castle.
……
The king of Temeria sat on the throne at the head of the rectangular table, with a crown on his head and a red cloak. He held the handle with one hand and his chin with the other, showing his proud posture in front of the visitors.
Princess Yada sat on his right side and remained silent.
"There have been no cowards in Sintra since ancient times. The bloodiness and bravery of your soldiers are famous throughout the north. Coupled with the wise commanders of your Excellency and the Lioness of Sintra. They will definitely be able to defeat those who came from the south. The barbarians attack head-on and let them remember!"
"Your Majesty Foltest, thank you for thinking so highly of me." Across the table, East, who had a bandit-like beard, glanced at the leader of the meeting with his penetrating eyes, "With your foresight, Scouts must have been sent to Mount Amer to conduct reconnaissance, and Nilfgaard's tens of thousands of troops have already revealed a majestic corner."
"With your wisdom, you should have seen that their plans are far more than just Sintra."
"So what? For the Nilfgaardians, the Yaruga River is an insurmountable chasm. The river is under the control of our northern country, and the river mouth and supply routes are under our control. . The flanks are also protected by three fortresses of Skellige, Sidaris, and Verden."
"The 'children' of Nilfgaard cannot ensure the safety of the supply line without controlling the estuary and river banks. If they dare to cross, they will never come back!" Foltest looked confident, as if he was saying to Xin The disaster of Terra had nothing to do with Temeria.
Easter looked out the window and took a deep breath. The rain fell unknowingly, and the annoying raindrops hit the window sill. "I come from Skellige. Children of the sea never like to beat around the bush, so I just To put it bluntly..."
"The men of Cintra are known for their bravery. However, our land is limited, and the number of good soldiers and generals we can train is also limited. We are powerless in the face of sheer numbers."
"You also have the brave and capable ally Skellige."
"Boom!" Thunder rolled, and silver snakes shuttled through the dark clouds.
"That's all!" East emphasized loudly, "To put it bluntly, even if our men fight **** battles, the possibility of Sintra falling is still frighteningly high."
"From your perspective, you should understand that Temeria cannot stay out of the matter." East paused, his tone dry, but he has seen the future no matter how painful it is, and he will face it all now, "Once The southerners control Sintra, an important strategic area at the mouth of the Yaruga River. It will become the thorn in the back of all the kingdoms in the north...The southerners will use this as a stronghold to continuously launch attacks to the north, harassing His Majesty's land and people. . Even slowly affecting the economy and culture of the north."
"But if Cintra's defense force is strong enough, it will become a steel gate, acting as a barrier south of the Yaruga River, keeping Nilfgaard out and making it difficult to advance."
"I have not denied this." King Temeria frowned, "So this time I will overcome all difficulties, reject the council's suggestion, and discuss it with you."
"I will omit all the details..." East said bluntly, "I hope your Majesty can send troops to support Sintra,"
"But you must understand that I have no reason to agree to your request." Foltest's eyes lit up, "I have heard about the meeting you held. Toussaint, Sidaris, Brugg, Even Lyria and Rivia, which are under the rule of your vassal state Verden and Calanthe's cousin Queen Meve, all rejected the request for alliance."
Easter’s face was gloomy.
"Redania, Aedirn, and Kaedwen don't even bother to pay attention to you. I have also expressed my interests to them through letters, but they still refuse to cooperate." He continued, "I am Taemori Why do you, King of Asia, demand that the brothers under my command shed blood and sacrifice in vain, take risks, and shed blood for other countries?"
"Just because of a potential controllable threat?" The tall, strong, and handsome man's intention was obvious, "Or is there some relationship between Cintra and Temeria that must be saved, such as Talking about tributary countries? Maybe there will be in the future."
"Your Majesty!" East's bearded face turned red with anger, and he quietly clenched his fists, "Cintra is a free and independent country, and will never be attached to other forces, whether it is Nilfgaard Or other countries, they can only choose cooperation."
"And the people of Cintra will never accept someone of non-royal blood as their ruler. I have only one good granddaughter, and as far as I know, you - the beautiful Princess Yada."
This time it was Foltest's turn to turn pale and red.
"But I never wanted to let you help in vain. Cintra is willing to pay real money as a reward..." East said solemnly before he got angry, "I want to hire Temoli on a hiring basis. The Armenian army resisted the invasion of Nilfgaard."
"Oh? If it were a year ago, I would definitely kick you out!" Foltest changed his position, holding his knees with one hand and rubbing his chin with the other, with a serious light shining in his eyes, thinking for a moment , "But now, how much money do you plan to pay, and how many troops do you want?
"Ten thousand people... cavalry... armored infantry. During the period of assistance, Cintra will pay all remuneration on behalf of Temeria, baggage supplies, weapons and equipment maintenance, in accordance with your country's standards, and compensation for injuries and deaths. We also provide the gold."
"Then, I, Esther Tursek, swear on the honor of the Tursek family and the King of Cintra that as long as the country still exists, the black knight will never touch the land of Temeria. ”
The King of Temeria shook his head decisively without thinking,
"The lion's mouth is open. There is absolutely no way for ten thousand people... The battle has not yet begun, how can I let my family suffer. The maximum number is three thousand, and the number of troops is decided by me."
"Secondly, you want to take away my lovely and respectable soldiers as mercenaries. Should you give their real 'friends' some spiritual comfort? We need a slow and detailed discussion."
Easter breathed a sigh of relief, and his face became as solemn as iron. Next came the most intense "fierce battle". He had to hold on to the bottom line and never let his queen down.
He glanced out the window. The strange and shrill wind finally stopped, and the dark clouds showed signs of disappearing.
……
"Counsellor Triss, Consultant Kayla, Consultant Feikat, please sit down!" After a long time, Foltest's slightly brisk voice rang out. He rubbed the ring on his hand, his brown eyes flashing strangely. The bright light makes me happy.
The bearded East on the other side had cold sweat on his forehead and a trace of pain on his face.
Both of them had an agreement in hand.
"I have agreed with Lord East and will send soldiers to Cintra in the near future." Foltest's voice was sonorous and powerful, "If the 'child' in the south wants war, then give him war. . I have always advocated peace, but if they want force, then we have to let them see who is more powerful."
"But now there is a difficult choice before us. In addition to soldiers, we also need a skilled spellcaster to accompany the army."
"Is any of the three consultants willing to take on this important task?" The king of Temeria glanced at East deliberately, "Because the task is more dangerous, the participants will receive a generous compensation. Believe me, East will never treat you badly."
The three royal advisors fell silent.
As long as he is not stupid, he will not take the initiative to go to the most dangerous place at this time.
If you want to go, it won’t be a woman’s turn.
Keira Metz has been paying attention to her best friend's expression. When she caught a glimpse of her stubborn expression with her red lips pursed and her chin raised slightly, her heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, the silly best friend took a step forward in front of the two kings, held up the hem of her skirt with her fingertips, and made a very formal curtsey.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go to Sintra to assist the army in resisting the invaders from the south."
"Ms. Triss, have you thought it through?" Foltest glanced at her graceful curves under her blue slim-fitting leather jacket, with a bit of regret in his eyes. In so many days, he has not had the opportunity to kiss her. .
The sorceress nodded heavily, memories suddenly rolling through her mind.
The witcher once told her that she would be seriously injured in the future battle on Mount Soden. If what he said was true, then her life would probably not be in danger this time when she went to Sintra.
Triss could only comfort herself with this lame and ridiculous reason.
I don’t know, how is that guy doing now?
……
The dim hall under the temple island.
Roy is watching quietly.
In the light falling from the brazier.
A gargoyle covered in moss, with a belly as big as a bucket, and carrying a pair of petite wings that were extremely disproportionate to its size, was circling around a dry fountain pool, walking slowly, its glass bead-like eyes flashing green, The figure looked very clumsy and heavy, and every step made the ground tremble slightly.
But it suddenly flapped its small wings and disappeared into the air at an incredible speed. With a flash, it appeared near a wooden dummy ten meters away.
"Duang!"
The long stone claws swung horizontally and tore the dummy in half.
It hunched over, opened its mouth, and sprayed dark green sour liquid towards the remaining half of the dummy.
"Puff...Puff"
The wood made a horrifying sound, was corroded until it was filled with smoke, and turned into a pile of garbage in the blink of an eye.
"Bang!"
Resounding applause!
Under some kind of order, the gargoyle walked to the corner of the hall with its belly banging, and found a beautiful woman in a black lace dress and flaming red lips. He squatted down like a pet and let her caress him.
"Bang!"
The woman clapped her hands again.
The green light in the gargoyle's bulging eyes went out, losing all its vitality, squatting on the ground and turning into a lifeless statue.
"Okay, Coral, I didn't expect you to be an expert on golems!" Roy walked up to the sorceress and naturally hugged her slender waist, with a look of novelty in his eyes, "Its behavior just now seems to be better than Jiu The one at the bottom of the valley is even more powerful."
"The gargoyle at the bottom of the lake has existed for hundreds of years. Its heart has been severely worn and its strength has been greatly reduced." A smile appeared on the woman's red lips, "And this one was almost created by me from head to toe. It is almost the same as the new one. . The material cost alone cost two thousand kronor."
"Absolutely great value for money."
"Within a hundred years, the gargoyle will be self-sufficient without any additional cost. It will become the most loyal and cost-effective bodyguard!"
Roy stepped forward cautiously and tried to touch the cold shell of the gargoyle a few times, but the latter showed no reaction.
"Giggle...what are you afraid of? I have already put all the members of Gawain's house on the safe list. It doesn't matter when they come in or out."
"But you have to remind those ADHD patients not to take advantage of it. Gargoyles are not training tools for those little ghosts to play with."
The two discussed the mutagen conversion solution that was still under research. Afterwards, the sorceress returned to the laboratory to continue research, and Roy hurried back to Gawain's house.
……
Eskar is looking at the uninvited guest. He has the iconic vertical pupils of a witcher and is indigo. However, he is dressed in rags like a beggar or a tramp. His whole body exudes an unpleasant smell of sweat and rancidity. .
Wearing a sparkling gryphon pendant around his neck.
He looked along the windows outside the classrooms and workshops, with obvious shock and confusion on his face. The smell was carried into the room by the wind, and the children couldn't help but frowned their brows and noses.
"Is this really the most chivalrous Griffin witcher?"
How obscene it looks.
He turned around and looked at his old friend Cohen. He had been away for more than two months, and he had actually changed from a handsome young man to a ragged and dusty homeless man. However, he was full of energy, wearing three colors of white, yellow and green The mixed-colored pupils were frighteningly bright.
"If Igesena, the rising star of the cabaret, knew that her boyfriend had fallen to this point, wouldn't she fight with that guy?"
"Hey, man, you actually succeeded!" A cheerful shout came, and Roy waved and rushed into the courtyard. He glanced at Geron Moru and couldn't help but smile.
Subsequently, the two Griffins and Eskar followed him and sat under the wooden pile.
The twelve apprentices were probably taken out for training by Cat Vulture. During their trip to Toussaint, they had killed water ghosts and soaked in manure pits, which made them much bolder.
"Keen, tell me, where have you been in the past two months?" Roy asked, looking at Keen's dusty and dirty face.
"I took Geron from Toussaint to worship at Caer Siren, and then returned to Novigrad."
"The distance is not short." Eskar raised his eyebrows.
"Except for meditating five hours a day, I spend the rest of my time traveling." Cohen said happily, "This journey was not in vain after all."
He glanced at the Griffin sect beside him, their eyes met, they were two friends who cherished each other.
"We all want to understand some problems, so we no longer struggle, degenerate, and give up on ourselves."
Jie Long nodded silently. ~IndoMTL.com~ This time, there was no such heart-stopping despair and emptiness in his eyes. There was a little more anger, and occasionally there was a flash of determination.
His body is no longer in the shocking skinny state, and looks healthier than it was two months ago.
Roy nodded.
"Have the number of children in the school increased again?" Cohen asked with his fingers clasped.
"Well, thirty new children arrived not long ago, and now there are fifty children in total."
"These students are both male and female," Geron Moru asked, "Are you all going to train as new witchers?"
"To be exact, there are currently only twelve apprentices learning the way of demon hunters." Roy and Eskar exchanged a look with pride on their faces, "But I promise there will be more and more in the future. The more."
"I didn't expect that there would be an organization developing so much demon hunters today." Geron Moru shook his head with slight admiration, "You are indeed creating a miracle."
"So what do you two think about it?" Roy glanced at the two Griffin factions calmly,
"I am willing to join the Brotherhood, and Cohen is no exception." Jaylon wrapped his right fist in the palm of his left hand, squeezed it hard, glanced at Roy and Eskar sincerely, and said in a hoarse voice, "But I hope you can help us find Mr. Elan first."
"No matter the outcome. And I heard Cohen say before that you seem to have some clues about the whereabouts of Teacher Elan."
"That requires the use of the Book of Shadows, and Brother Jielong must also cooperate throughout the process."
"Shall we start now?"
"I suggest you two take a day off and change your clothes." Roy glanced at their tattered clothes and shook his head, "Don't let Igsena see you like this, otherwise I'm afraid she will go crazy. !"
Keen's expression suddenly changed.