Why did these people, who had clearly entered their territory and even their home without paying any attention to anyone else, still go to the trouble of knocking on the windows and doors outside their rooms?

"Come in." Lan rubbed his temple with a headache and shouted loudly.

A polite and charming voice came into Lan's ears at the same time as the door opened. It was a good singing voice:

"I hope I didn't bother you by coming here uninvited, Lan."

There was no moonwalking as before, no empty choir that penetrated into the soul. He just walked in calmly, carried a chair from the other side of the room with both hands to Lan's desk, and sat down opposite him calmly.

If we ignore the still time, he really is just like an ordinary businessman received by Lord Lann, even a down-and-out one.

The two backpacks he carried across his shoulders were too small, and he didn't even exchange them for a larger bag that could properly wrap the things inside. He looked extremely shabby.

But Lane knew that if anyone really thought this man was ordinary, they were seriously mistaken.

He is a dimensional traveler, he is a rule maker, he is a mystery that no one knows.

He is the mirror master who is both god and devil - Gaunter O'Dimm.

"Long time no see, Lan. I'm glad to see that you like the gift I gave you so much."

Master Mirror looked into Lan's lion eyes and said sincerely, "I sincerely hope that you can be as happy as I am."

This was the first time that Lann faced the real Mirror Master consciously. During the last communication, he was unable to move at all.

What should ordinary people do when faced with such a ceiling in combat effectiveness? Pray humbly? Fawn on others?

Geralt's attitude in the original book is a good reference, that kind of neither humble nor arrogant and even a little sarcastic. Master Mirror seems to like this way of communication very much.

In other words, Lann should treat the Mirror Master the same way he treated the bard Milo Glass.

"I really can't say I don't like it, but I can't say I like it either." Lan looked at the Mirror Master expressionlessly, "O'Dimm—can I call you that?"

"I'd be happier if you called me Gaunt."

"So, O'Dimm - I want to know if you spent a lot of time and effort to give this gift?"

"First, with just a small coincidence, the dangerous situation will become a desperate one. Then you will give me a little help to save my life, and this help also comes with a little power. After I have a little power, you will help me create a more powerful enemy, thereby arousing my desire for more powerful power and facilitating our subsequent transaction."

Lann said calmly: "If you really just wanted to repay me for my wine as you said, you could have shown up earlier and let me recover so that I could save Cintra. But you didn't, so you chose to let me bear the hatred of the destruction of my country and my family, and become the enemy of half of the continent or even the entire continent, right?

There is no such thing as "Wait until I have thought of a suitable reward before you show up". You have already prepared a reward for me from the beginning, because I will definitely ask for that reward, and I can't ask for any other reward. Everything is for your transaction to proceed as agreed, right?"

Master Mirror sat opposite Lann. As the Lion-Eyed One exposed and framed him, he did not get angry at all. Instead, the smile on his face grew bigger and bigger. The novelty of seeing the treasure and the joy of meeting his own kind were more and more reflected on his face.

"No, no, no, Lan, you misunderstood me," said Master Mirror sincerely.

"You only talked about the transaction part. There is also the poetry part. How can the battle of the demon hunter to save his family and defend his country be as exciting as the revenge battle of the prince of the last kingdom? I have been looking forward to more new themes from you. These are touching stories that I can share in other worlds."

Master Mirror sincerely corrected the cognitive errors in Lan's language, as if he was teaching a child how to understand the world.

"Transaction? Transaction is secondary to the story. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lan's face twitched, as if he had not expected the Mirror Master to be so frank.

He clenched his fists and repeatedly reminded himself that he was facing the ceiling of his combat effectiveness and now was not the time to turn against himself.

"Let's get down to business - your deal. Take out the contract from your bag. It's about to fall out of your tattered bag. If you need, I can help you get a bigger and sturdier bag."

"This contract? It's not for you, and we don't need these things between us."

Master Mirror picked up the quill in mid-air, played with the feathers at the end, and then began to dictate the deal he had prepared for Lan:

"Just as I see in you now, I love stories. Before I get your story, I will tell you a story: about a heartless scoundrel who is as despicable and shameful as anyone can be, and who refuses to pay his debts. He is a beast in human skin who feeds on the suffering of others!"

When he said the last sentence, Master Mirror gritted his teeth.

Lann said expressionlessly: "Although I feel like you are introducing yourself, I can see that you really don't like him. What did this person do to you?"

The rogue and the beast that the Mirror Master spoke of was named Olgierd von Everec.

He was born into a nomadic family. His ancestors were awarded nobility in Redania for their military exploits and were one of the founders of the Redanian dynasty.

But such a noble family eventually fell into poverty. Like many clichéd stories, this fallen noble tried to change the fate of his family, but ended up going bankrupt and being abandoned by his lover; in the end he had to turn to the devil for help in exchange for wealth and to save his love.

But this guy is different from the idiots in other stories. Although he messed up a lot of things, he is talented in black magic and some tricks:

Before meeting the Mirror Master, he had taught himself black magic to the extent of "cursing others to turn into frogs" or "summoning dark astral creatures from afar"; after signing a contract with the Mirror Master, he quickly discovered the loopholes in the contract and made the following conditions:

Olgierd promised to give his soul to the Mirror Master in exchange for status and wealth. But if the Mirror Master wanted to obtain the soul and complete the contract, he had to fulfill Olgierd's three wishes first, but he could not do it himself, but through an agent.

Lann was not the Mirror Master's first choice, but we must admire Ogierd's wisdom and means here: after all, if the agent sent by the Mirror Master before had played a role, there would be no need for Lann now.

"I need someone who is not just a thug, but also smart and fearless, like - you, Lan."

Lann deadpanned, "I'm flattered by your compliment."

Master Mirror nodded. "I can feel it. Lan, I need an ally, a friend, and I think you are the one I'm looking for."

Lan opened his arms and indicated his location. "But O'Dimm, as you can see, I have a mess to deal with right now. In your words, I'm writing a story for you, so I don't have time to travel all the way to Redania to be a genie that grants other people's wishes for you."

Facing Lann's refusal, Master Mirror seemed to have anticipated it. He smiled mysteriously and said:

"Have you forgotten, Lan, I told you - 'When the time is right, I will come to you again', I never lie."

Hearing this, a confused look appeared on Lan's face.

But Master Mirror did not intend to explain, and continued to speak: "I believe this will be a smooth journey, and my commission will be a brilliant embellishment in your story. Let's contact each other after you arrive in Redania. I am waiting for your good news."

After saying this, Master Mirror smiled mysteriously:

"By the way, Lan. You have gained far more than you imagined about your Demon Hunter mutation. After all, how could the gift I gave you be defective? There are more surprises waiting for you to develop. When you know the full content of this mutation, I believe you will really thank me."

What does that mean? Lan En was about to ask again when he heard a knock at the door.

The sound in the quiet space suddenly attracted Lan's attention. How could there be another person knocking on the door in a place where time stood still?

Then he reacted and looked back, but the place where Master Mirror had been sitting was empty.

The gel-like concave ink rippled a little and then became flat, and the feather pen suspended in the air fell on the table with a "pop" sound.

And right opposite Lann, there was a small plain mirror that appeared at some point. There was no decoration on the back of the mirror, and only the crystal clearness of the mirror was worthy of praise. You could buy such a mirror from any traveling merchant on the street.

But this mirror is definitely not ordinary, because it was left by the Mirror Master.

Lan En remembered that in the original book, the Mirror Master would leave a mark on the agent, which was considered as an encouragement and also as a token of trust. Now it seems that this mirror is the token left by the Mirror Master for himself, but he has not yet agreed to the other party's commission?

“Knock, knock, knock.” The knocks on the door became more urgent, and then the druid’s voice came, “Lan, are you in there?”

"Yes." Lann stood up and wanted to open the door for Mossak, but after getting Lann's response, the old druid did not wait and pushed the door open.

His expression was very serious and he was holding a letter in his hand.

"Lane, the Northern Kingdom is holding a war meeting, and Cintra is invited."

The North-South peace talks are coming.

After hearing what Mossak said, Lann suddenly felt that the matter was not simple, and hurriedly took the letter and began to read it carefully.

In short, after the Northern Kingdom blocked Nilfgaard from entering the North, the two sides were currently at a stalemate. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the next strategic deployment.

Because the situation has developed to this stage, it is no longer something that any major country in the North can decide on its own. They have fully realized Nilfgaard's huge ambitions and powerful strength.

If the North wants to pursue its victory and even defeat Nilfgaard, then it needs thorough cooperation; and if it wants to negotiate with Nilfgaard, then how to negotiate, what to pay and what to gain, all these also require overall coordination among the various forces in the North.