The Divine Hunter Chapter 7: Montes Distans

Shortly after Oaks and Cantilla set off, Linus used his privileges as a tutor at the academy to attend the hearing for the witchers.

In the next three days, they can enter most departments of Oxenfurt to observe with their certificates, except for the Alchemy Department and the Espionage Department.

These two colleges have strict supervision and do not accept audit students.

However, today happens to be a day off, so the hearing will not be available for the time being.

"Mr. Linus, I have some questions about raising griffins."

"Why is the master interested in this?"

Roy thought for a while and simply revealed the true identity of Gorfen.

"You use an alchemy item to change your form, and your body is a female griffon cub less than one year old?" Linus enthusiastically held Roy's hands, his face full of ecstasy, "Master, are you willing to tame Goel? Fen, instead of killing it, is indeed different from other demon hunters!"

"You agree with what I said before, right, endangered animal protectionism——"

"Um, I partially agree." Roy interrupted him immediately, "Tell me your suggestions first, how to better raise a griffon?"

"We must see the real body of Golfing... let's do a full physical examination," Linus pinched his beard and said seriously, "and then tailor a feeding plan."

"So you are still a veterinarian?"

“I have devoted my efforts to the zoo for many years and am responsible for everything. Naturally, if I understand a little bit, my level should be no less than that of any veterinarian in Ossenfort.”

Roy nodded. He also wanted to see if the daily care was up to standard and whether the little guy had any malnutrition.

"But we have to wait until night for the Gorfen to return to its original shape."

"Leave it to me to study first?"

"Alright."

That afternoon, everyone divided into two groups.

Roy came to the library alone.

Masters and apprentices Seret, Reso, and Furious followed Linus Peter and continued to take care of the endangered animals in the ecological park.

Compared to lifeless books, they are obviously more interested in living animals.

…

As one of the best universities in the world, Oxenfurt has a profound foundation.

The library is also surprisingly large. It is not just a certain floor of the building in other places, but a whole three-story building buried among the trees and flowers. Its scale exceeds the Meritelli Temple Library. .

The first and second floors of the library are open to students and the public, while the third floor is only open to teachers.

The structural layout of each floor is almost different. There are neat bookshelves densely lined up on both sides of the hall. The witcher made a rough estimate and found that there are about three to four thousand books in the collection, totaling tens of thousands of books.

In this era when literacy is not yet common, books are as valuable as money and gems, which shows the financial resources of Oxenfurt University.

Surrounded by the bookshelves are rows of rectangular tables connected end to end, which can accommodate about two to three hundred people. On the tables are exquisitely repaired pots placed at intervals, exuding a fresh fragrance and adding a touch of nature to the library. The vitality makes the hall more elegant.

With such a wonderful environment, the library is the most popular place to hang out at Oxenfurt College, even on days off.

Everywhere the demon hunter looked was filled with students immersed in studying and swimming in the ocean of knowledge.

Everyone kept silent in a tacit agreement, and the only sound in the hall could be heard as the pen tip scratched across the paper.

Roy stepped lightly and picked up a book called "Research on Rare Herbal Preparations and Diseases" from the bookshelf labeled Medicine and Herbal Medicine. Since Alchemy had reached level 2, he was more interested in medical books.

Then I walked around a few times with my book in hand and found an empty seat on the second floor of the library, next to the toilet.

The medical knowledge possessed by Oxenfurt Academy is exactly what he lacks. He does not have many herbal formulas, and several of them are folk remedies with narrow uses taught by Kalkstein.

Now that rare herbal knowledge and precious and rich herbal formulas were in front of him, he was dazzled and lost himself in the books.

…

Time flies in the focused state.

Roy was not sure how much time had passed. People came and went several times around him, and he memorized the formulas for medicines to treat three common diseases: flu, fever, and gastric acidity.

He began to feel restless, his fingers drew uncontrollably, and there were signs of an onset of painful yet happy alchemy addiction.

It is worth mentioning that even if he masters these formulas and refines potions, he can only use them for himself.

If you want to sell potions publicly in any big city in the north, you must pay a high formula patent fee, because the relevant laws in the north are very complete, especially in the commercially developed Redania. Misappropriation for commercial use is absolutely illegal.

But selling in the countryside or through underground channels is another matter.

While he was thinking, a gust of hot air hit his face, and someone stood in front of him and cleared his throat.

"Who are you?" The demon hunter raised his head, and a well-dressed man wearing an khaki round-brimmed hat and an energetic man appeared on the opposite side. He was in his twenties, exuding a strong bookish air, and was smiling. Looking forward.

"Sir, I'm very sorry to disturb your study," the man tried his best to lower his voice and try not to affect others, but his excitement was palpable.

His eyes looked vaguely at the witcher's right wrist resting on the desk, where an ancient scarlet symbol was accidentally exposed.

Roy rolled down his sleeves hastily.

Recently, the mark made by Master Mirror has not shown any reaction, and he has almost forgotten it completely.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Montes Distans, a graduate student in Occult Studies at the Oxenfurt School of Applied Archeology...I noticed your eyes. You are a demon hunter..."

The man paused and seemed to be considering his words.

Niubu occult graduate student?

The witcher thought for a few seconds, closed the book in his hand, stood up, and shook hands vigorously.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Montes, I am Roy, the snake witcher... I would like to ask, you don't look like a Redanian?"

This man has a slightly long and narrow face, a hooked nose, and deep eyebrows. His common language is relatively unfamiliar, and his accent is not like the Lei Suo people from the south, with a bit of a tongue-tied tongue.

"I am originally from Ofel, and by chance I came to Ossenfurt to study. I have been here for eight years."

Ophel, in The Witcher's mind, is located on the other side of the ocean, far away from the country at his feet.

"You came here by boat?"

"Yes, I drifted at sea for more than two months, encountered several unexpected accidents, and luckily survived and arrived at this continent." Montes said with a wry smile, "It was really a bad and long experience. ”

Roy was slightly disappointed, "Then you asked me...where have you seen this mark?"

"A book from my mentor's collection... How about we go out and discuss the specific situation?"

The man looked around and saw that some students were already dissatisfied with the sound of the discussion.

……

The sun is warm and warm.

The emerald green lawns of Oxenfurt Academy Island sway in the wind.

The black-haired demon hunter and the bookish-looking Montes walked along the golden forest path.

"What kind of book are you talking about? Myths, legends, poetry, or folktales?" Roy asked,

"That's a folk tale collected by the teacher," Montes said. "It records more than a dozen twists and turns and bizarre stories."

"For example," Roy said with interest, "I'm quite interested in these stories, let's hear them."

"Then I'll pick one at random." Montes walked around a holly tree and said slowly,

"Just around Oxenfurt...a poor girl was born during the solar eclipse. When she was ten years old, she was abandoned in the forest by her frightened parents. She lived a life of hunger and cold, relying on stealing and She deceived and even sold her body and life. Later, she joined a gang and committed all kinds of deceptions and abductions. After many years, she returned to her hometown with her accomplices during the second solar eclipse and killed all those who abandoned her."

The voice paused, "Then he entered the forest alone, naked and bathed in blood."

"No one saw her come out again... Since then, there has been a Tomb Witch in the forest that attacks passers-by."

"Obviously a fabricated story," Roy's eyes flashed with coldness. "It is used to stigmatize girls born during a solar eclipse. It is as nonsense as the curse of the black sun."

The Curse of the Black Sun, a prophecy left by the mad mage Etibad, roughly means that in the near future, girls born during the sixty solar eclipses will wear a golden crown on their heads, fill the river valley with blood, and resurrect a name. The demon named Niya caused the disaster of the world.

Because of this prophecy, the Daughters of the Black Sun have had a worse reputation than the Demon Hunters in the past few decades and have been despised by others. However, they do not have the strength of the Demon Hunters, so their end is even more miserable.

Countless poor girls were persecuted, or were inhumanely dissected by warlocks, or imprisoned in high towers, and died alone.

Among the famous victims were Shrike Renfri and Sylvia Anna, sister of the Duchess of Toussaint.

To this day, most people realize that this curse is empty talk, but there are still very few warlocks who firmly believe in it.

"There is no conclusion yet on whether the Curse of the Black Sun is true or false," Montes shook his head and said, "But it does refer to the two extinct human civilizations on this continent, the Great Tomb of the Wozigs, and Doc There must be some truth in the prophecy of human stone tablets."

"As for this story, if you don't believe it, just treat it as a joke."

Unconsciously, the two of them reached the wall on the edge of Academy Island. The demon hunter looked down at the sparkling water of the delta below and quietly rolled up his sleeves, revealing a tangled ball of blood-colored thread. "About this symbol , what other allusions are there?"

"It's an old story..." Montes said, "A bad gambler not only lost all his property, but also owed huge gambling debts, causing his family to be destroyed and his wife to be separated. So in a confused and heartbroken world, In the dead of night, he rushed to a secluded crossroads, found a crooked-neck tree, and prepared to hang himself. As soon as he put it on his neck, a stooped old woman shrouded in a cloak suddenly appeared and saved him. I took this life..."

"Wait, are you sure she is an old woman?"

"That's what the book says. Not only did the old woman save the gambler's life, but she also thoughtfully gave her a treasure - a teapot that could swallow gold. From then on, the man had money that he couldn't lose."

"What's the cost? Or should we say side effects, pie doesn't fall from the sky for no reason."

"The master is indeed a sober person. There is a prerequisite for the teapot to spit out gold. The owner must torture himself. The more severe the torture, the more generous the teapot will spit out."

"Let me guess, the man tortured himself to death in the end?" Roy said with a hint of sarcasm,

"That's not the case..." Montes shook his head and smiled, "Soon after, the man dragged his scarred body and jumped into the river to commit suicide! His successors searched the nearby watershed and found nothing. The body and the teapot were missing."

"And people with good deeds write down the man's experience, and it clearly records that he has the same **** mark on his body."

Roy thought thoughtfully, such a story of great joy and great tragedy is indeed the work of that person... The contractor disappeared for no reason, and he may have begun a "wonderful journey" towards nothingness, but how could that existence Disguised as a woman?

In his inherent impression, no matter how the other person changes his identity, he is at least still a man.

“According to my teacher’s many years of investigation, the blood symbol has appeared at least a dozen times around the world, and the carriers are without exception desperate people who have experienced huge changes. Before the accident, they encountered a mysterious figure with a changeable image. Most of the characters...are old women wearing cloaks."

"The mysterious man helped them get out of the predicament, but it was only temporary... In the end, without exception, it ended in tragedy." Montes spread his hands regretfully,

"These are all deeds in books or oral accounts, which are not detailed enough. It is very difficult to analyze and extract the principles of mysticism from them."

"But today, you are a living example." Montes implored, "Can you tell your own story? It's okay as a commission, and I will pay a considerable material fee."

Roy rubbed his temples and thought for a moment, then asked instead, "You study occultism, do you believe that demons and demons really exist in the world?"

"Although I have never seen the legendary existence with my own eyes, during the eight years of studying with my teacher, I witnessed many phenomena that cannot be explained by common sense. They all have certain similar characteristics, and there must be something that is difficult for ordinary people to detect. Mysterious power is driving them to develop." Montes looked determined and plausible,

"So I believe that there is no doubt that...in some invisible places, demons and devils exist."

"If my story will lead you to be related to these terrible beings, put you in extremely dangerous situations, die miserably, and even lead a life more painful than death, do you still want to get to the bottom of it?"

The witcher's voice was cold and emotionless, like a threat.

Montes' breath was stagnant.

"Young man, the discussion about marks is over. Listen to my advice and stop investigating. It's best to transfer to another department and stop studying mysticism." Roy patted his shoulder and said, "Get out as soon as possible. , get married, have children and leave offspring, it’s not too late.”

How can ordinary people fight against that kind of existence?

Once you are targeted by that person.

"Wait, Master!" Montes clenched his fists, pacing eagerly like an ant on a hot pot, "You think I'm young, inexperienced, and incapable, that's fine, but how about talking to you about someone else? ?"

"You mean that teacher? Does he have a given name?"

"Premething Shashilak, Professor of Occult Studies at Cowburg, have you heard of him?"

Roy was suddenly shocked~IndoMTL.com~The image of a wise old man immediately appeared in people's minds. Shashilak, isn't it the blind old man who was trapped in the rune circle by the Mirror Master many years later and suffered from nightmares and illusions?

He is undoubtedly an admirable person. He used his mortal flesh and blood to fight against the Mirror Master to the end. Of course, he also paid his life in the end.

Roy hesitated.

When Montes saw this, he instantly gained confidence, "Professor Shashilak has been deeply involved in the field of mysticism for decades, and all mysteries are invisible to him. I hope you will wait another half month until the professor is out of town. Return from collecting materials."

"As a mark bearer, you must have experienced despair. And the teacher must have a solution!"

"Half a month later, I have already left Oxenfurt, so let's forget it." The demon hunter shook his head and turned to leave, thinking whether contacting Shazlak now would trap him to death in advance.

"Where are you going?" Montes gasped, following the speeding witcher,

"Novigrad, let's talk again when we have the chance."