"Your honor nearly killed me!" Princess Adda heard the knight's mutterings, and she screamed:
"You are dismissed! Do not let me see you in Vizima again, or I will have my father chop off your head!"
Then she looked around, trying to find the Lord of White Orchard: "Where is Viriles? Such a big thing happened in White Orchard, where is the Lord?"
The cattle and sheep in the White Orchard Lord's mansion suffered the most casualties last night. Fortunately, all the shepherds here have resigned, which gave Milva the opportunity to kill a lot of cattle and sheep.
That is why the goat-horned demon first appeared near the lord's mansion. In theory, Sir Villiers was one of the first people to encounter it.
The princess arrived and was going to live in the largest house in the area, but the owner of the house was now missing. At first, some people thought he had been killed by the goat-horned demon, but only the body of the fat butler was found in the house.
Everyone searched for Sir Villiers for a long time, and finally it was Lann who activated his witcher senses and tracked him all the way.
Finally, everyone stopped in front of the Villiers family cemetery with strange expressions.
Zoltan crossed his arms and said, "Why did he... run in here? Did he think that his ancestors would protect him from being harmed by monsters?"
Yarpen was less tactful. He said in a careless manner: "This is just an idiot. He must have lost his way in a panic. Sorry, Princess, I didn't mean to offend you."
Princess Adda's face turned even worse, not because of the dwarf's words, but because the tax collector sent by the king whispered a few words to her:
"It is said that ghosts exist in the Villiers family cemetery, and most people don't dare to approach it."
Ghost? Hearing the tax officer's words, Yada looked at Lan for help.
Lann nodded and said, "I have heard of this rumor. If I am right, it is a monster called a 'demon spirit', born from the resentment of a dead person or a curse. I am curious about how the ancestors of the lord's family could give birth to a demon spirit. According to the rumor, there may be more than one."
After hearing the professional judgment of the demon hunter, Yada hesitated to speak. However, the tax collector sent by the king's eyes lit up and looked at Lann and the soldiers behind him hopefully:
"Then I wonder if Lord Lannister could show mercy and rid White Orchard of this evil? The villagers of White Orchard will surely sing praises of your grace."
Lan looked at the tax collector and waited for a moment, but did not hear the reminder sound of the demon hunting mission.
Lan En sneered: "Is it to eliminate this harm for Baiguoyuan, or to eliminate this harm for you? You are quite courageous."
Seeing that Lan En was a little angry, Yada glared at the tax officer with dissatisfaction and said quickly:
"You must be tired after your long journey back to White Orchard. I think it will take some time for the dwarves to clean up the monster's body. How about you stay and rest for a while?"
After she finished speaking, she approached Lann, thought about it and finally stopped calling him "Lannister". She changed her name and said:
"When I called you to the palace, I really had something important to discuss with you, but you ran away. Don't be so rude again this time, Lan."
…
At the White Orchard Mansion, House is reporting to Lann on the handling of the goat-horned demon. The dwarves are not Lann's subordinates, so they want to share a portion of the spoils.
In the end, in addition to the sudden mutagen that Lann took away, he also got the whole head of the goat-horned demon. The dwarves prepared to embalm it according to Lann's request and then hang it on the side of Black Wind's saddle.
As for the skin, tendons, hooves and other parts of the goat-horned demon, they were all divided up by the dwarves. They were going to make weapons and leather armor. Zoltan also had channels to sell them to alchemists or pharmacists.
To be honest, they were the ones who contributed the most in this battle, while Lann and the Cintra cavalry were just watching from the sidelines. This distribution was very reasonable.
Yada waited quietly for House to finish his report to Lane, without any impatience. She only stopped drinking after the other party saluted and retreated.
Lan looked at the princess who had been waiting silently. The princess was undoubtedly beautiful.
The experience with the vampire bird endowed this body with wildness, while her identity as a princess and so many years of education added a touch of elegance to her every move.
At this moment, she had taken off her armor and was leaning lazily in the chair.
The bold clothes, like those of a sorceress, are revealing and close-fitting, outlining the girl's beautiful curves; the fiery red hair contrasts with the cold white skin, just like ice cubes slowly simmering over a low fire in the snow.
Lan took the initiative to pick up the wine jug and filled Yada's empty glass, then poured himself a glass.
He did some calculations in his mind and realized that many materials of the Goat-Horned Demon needed to be processed on the spot, so they would need to stay in the White Fruit Garden for about three more days.
"I have finished my work. If nothing unexpected happens, I will go to Maribor and transfer to Redania's Niuburg in three days. Before that, my time belongs to Her Royal Highness the Princess. You said before that you had something important to discuss with me?"
Lan took a sip of the wine in his glass, which was the color of Adda's red hair.
It looks a lot like her neck, too.
"I've heard about the current situation in Cintra. You need allies, right?"
Lan nodded. "I'm sure you're aware of the Northern Talks that will be held at Haji Fortress soon. The reason I left so early was to gain as much support as possible for Cintra. But as you can see, your father and I disagree."
Yada had a different idea: "You can't be friends with my father, but you can be friends with me. I need allies too."
Lann was stunned for a moment, and carefully looked at the princess of Temeria from top to bottom. He thought of a possibility. But he still said tentatively:
"Your Highness, you are joking. You are Foltest's only daughter. Who in the whole of Temeria is not your ally? Do you want to go one step further on the foundation of your father and turn Temeria from 'the first power in the North' into 'the only power in the North'?"
In response to Lan's teasing, Yada shook her head and said, "I am just the only daughter of my father and mother, the only daughter of the king and queen. But my father has countless illegitimate sons and daughters, many of whom are older than me."
Adda said seriously: "I don't believe you can't see this. When I grow up a little bit, I will definitely be married to a prince. The prince of Redania is about my age. I heard that your princess of Cintra was once betrothed to him?"
Lan nodded, confirming the princess's idea.
Adda continued, "The illegitimate child can be made legitimate at any time. I know what kind of proposal your father gave you. If he can recognize a illegitimate child in order to win over Cintra, he can support another illegitimate child to inherit the kingdom."
Adda sighed and said, "Even a figure like Queen Calanthe needs to get married to stabilize the voices of opposition in the kingdom, let alone me?"
After hearing these words, Lann's eyes became serious. He looked up and down at the girl in front of him. It turned out that she had long since gotten rid of her identity as a cursed princess.
She seemed to fit in very well with the political environment of Temeria.
"So, Your Highness, you want to form an alliance with Cintra, right?" Lan asked, "Let Cintra, which is adjacent to Temeria, support you to take the throne, so that you can become the first queen in the history of Temeria."
Adda nodded: "In exchange, I will do everything I can to help Xintra. From helping you to helping myself, I believe you will be more trusting of me."
Lan nodded: "So, how can I trust you?"
How the two sides of the alliance build trust is naturally the top priority, and Yada seems to have a plan for this.
After hearing Lann's question, Yatan's temperament suddenly changed. Her eyes suddenly became aggressive, as if she had turned back into the vampire bird.
She stared at Lan's cheek, as if she wanted to eat Lan up completely and suck the marrow out of him.
"This is exactly what my father suggested. Only through deeper communication and the exchange of blood can we better understand each other and gain each other's trust."
Lann keenly felt that something was wrong with Yada, and with his rich negotiation experience, he also accurately understood Yada's intentions.
It was the same negotiation, the same bargaining chips. In a trance, he seemed to have returned to that night a year ago, when he was facing the tree spirit of Brokilon.
Will Lane accept the offer?
He thought about it and did not agree immediately. He planned to negotiate it out first and explain the pros and cons to Princess Yada at the same time to avoid being held accountable later.
Lann said regretfully, "Princess Yada, you may not know that demon hunters are infertile. I may not be able to put your proposal into practice."
Yada was stunned for a moment, her eyes became clear, and then turned disgusted: "You...can't do it?"
Lan was also stunned, his eyes became fierce, he corrected: "It's not that I can't do it, it's that you can't do it. On the contrary, the demon hunter has enhanced my abilities - all-round enhancement."
Yada took a while to react to Lan's cryptic words before she realized the meaning. Her eyes lit up again - wouldn't that be better?
兰恩义正言辞地继续说道：“所以请你收回对我侮辱的话语，否则我会让你见识见识为什么我在民间会有‘兰尼斯特，有债必偿’的名号。”
雅妲舔了舔舌头：“我要是不收回呢，让我见识见识？”
……
在白果园领主府的卧室中，泰莫利亚的雅妲公主和辛特拉的兰尼斯特伯爵展开了亲切而友好的会谈。
由于兰尼斯特伯爵的身体原因，雅妲公主原计划与辛特拉签订的合作协议遭到了搁置，转而采用更直接也更简略的计划增进两国的友谊。
本次交流使得双方第一次知根知底，也为下一次的合作打下了坚实的基础。
可喜可贺，可喜可贺。
……
从白天到黄昏，从黄昏到深夜，再从深夜到白天。
清晨，第一缕阳光照进来的时候，兰恩睁开了眼睛，觉得有点迷糊。
虽然精神不佳，但是还是要起床办正事。
兰恩先看了一眼身边瘫软成棉花的雅妲公主，她的某些身体素质似乎还有吸血妖鸟的性质残留，远超常人。
在端详了她一会之后，兰恩由衷地感叹起来：雅妲公主长得不像弗尔泰斯特，那就只能是像她的母亲王后雅妲了。
近距离观察她的面容，依稀可见那曾经让泰莫利亚动**不安的美貌，兰恩突然有些理解弗尔泰斯特为什么会有这么炙热且不为常人理解的爱了。
说起来，弗尔泰斯特希望通过希里来让两国联盟，而兰恩却先一步通过弗尔泰斯特的女儿达成了联盟，这又何尝不是一种牛头人呢。
联想到雅妲的名字和外貌都源自于弗尔泰斯特的妻子，这一切又更加地刺激了起来。
兰恩摇了摇头把危险的想法赶出脑子，晃晃悠悠地披上一件睡袍，坐到书桌前面，手掌一翻从【物品栏】中取出了自己的【狮鹫学派联络笔记】，借着清晨的阳光开始书写起来。
“尊敬的老师，见字如面：
我已在泰莫利亚游**许久，经过与泰莫利亚国王弗尔泰斯特的会面，我深切地认识到了北境国王们的固执，战争形势的严峻，也是因此我更加迫切地需要您的帮助……”
按照惯例，先卖一波惨，这是小辈的特权。能够把人拐过来最好，拐不过来就当是累积积分了，下次继续。
“不过好在我在泰莫利亚找到了新的朋友，经过与新朋友的友好协商，也算是为辛特拉找到了一条出路。我付出了不轻的代价，只希望这能够勉强帮助到我的国家。这是我的责任，也是我的义务……”
兰恩差点被自己感动。但是对于详细的过程他觉得杰隆还是不要知道为妙。
“我在白果园遇到了一头羊角魔，与士兵们一起花费了不轻的功夫才将他猎下，让本地居民免于侵害。我并没有接取委托，事后也没有抽取酬劳，这是狮鹫学派的精神，也是我想要成立猎魔人教团的初衷之一。我真心希望这样的场景可以出现在整个辛特拉，并以此扩散到北境乃至整块大陆……”
胡扯一通之后，最后兰恩才写下自己的真实目的：
“我在羊角魔的身体里面找到了一团突发诱变物，根据您交予我的笔记，它似乎可以熬制特殊的煎药。待您有空，还要劳烦开启传送门，我需要您的指导……”
写到这里的时候，兰恩的脑子似乎都有了阵阵眩晕感。
“兰恩？”
突然，兰恩的背后传来一阵迷糊的声音。那声音本来应该是清脆的、如鸟雀般的，现在却充满了疲惫，带着微微的沙哑和让人深陷的慵懒质感。
紧接着兰恩就感觉身后传来了一阵令人苦恼的阻塞，两条柔软而紧实的胳膊环住了他的脖子，红色的头发轻轻摩擦着他的脖子、侧脸和肩膀，似乎想要点出火花。
“你怎么穿着我的衣服？”
兰恩听到这个问题之后愣了一下，低头看去，自己披着的竟然是雅妲的斗篷。
骚话卡在嘴边，兰恩硬生生咽了下去。刚刚起床的时候实在太过迷糊，随手摸了件衣服，没想到竟然这么马叉虫。
“我在记录到泰莫利亚发生的事情，然后写信准备让亚尔潘帮我带回辛特拉。”
兰恩自然不可能告诉雅妲公主狮鹫学派的联络方法，随口胡诌了个理由。此刻他也已经把笔记内容写完，把本子合上。
转过头来，兰恩端详着眼前表情还有些迷胧的公主，突然发现她头上的白发消失了。
这又是个什么原理？
而雅妲看到兰恩这么出神地看着自己，有些得意地勾起了嘴角。看着那双狮瞳，她突发奇想。
“兰恩，维理雷斯家族的墓园，你能帮我清理了吗，我想看看猎魔人的本事。”
雅妲做出苦恼的神色：“这个税务官我想要收服，那么白果园以后就是我的了。有这么一群妖灵在我的领地上，我会很难受的。”
兰恩愣了愣，不是因为雅妲的话，而是因为系统在这个时候突然传来了提示音。
【发现任务－家族和睦：
维理雷斯家族的地下墓园中有着大量游**的妖灵，亡者无法安息，让生者也无法安宁。尘归尘，土归土，亡者之灵应该回到它们本该去的地方，这种错误应该由猎魔人来矫正。】
这是一个狩魔任务。让兰恩愣住的却不是因为这个任务的出现，而是因为之前任务没有出现。
税务官之前也拜托自己除掉妖灵来着，为什么那个时候狩魔任务没有出现，反而雅妲公主给自己委托的时候出现了。
难道是因为税务官没有给报酬吗？狩魔任务形成的机制这么猎魔人的吗？
看到兰恩思考沉默不语的样子，雅妲似乎误会了什么，她靠得兰恩更近了一点，声音也压得更低了一点：
“怎么，猎魔人。辛特拉的雄狮连这个都做不到吗？”
兰恩回过神，目露不屑。这女人难道以为可以这样轻易拿捏自己吗？他与雅妲公主只是纯粹的利益交换，根本不存在什么其他暧昧的因素。
但是还没等他义正言辞地拒绝，系统又传来了提示音：
【任务－家族和睦－已完成】
兰恩又愣住，眼神清澈起来，这又是个什么意思？
按照之前自己在辛特拉和布洛奇隆刷支线的经验，任务只要接下来就是自己的。之后是谁完成的并不重要，自己都能够获得经验。
难道有人在刚刚自己躺平的时候也正在和妖灵肉搏，然后被自己卡着点接取任务，送自己躺赢了？
得去看看。
看着雅妲公主的眼神，兰恩故作潇洒地点头答应，起身就想去维理雷斯家族墓园查看一下情况。
但是雅妲看到兰恩答应了自己的要求之后笑的很开心，很满意自己测试的结果。她并不在意那个墓地里面的妖灵到底怎么样，她只在意眼前人对自己的要求答不答应。
“你还真的和我听过的那些传闻一样，乐衷于这些事情。我听说有人还给你起了编了个谚语一样的东西，怎么说来着——‘兰尼斯特，有债必偿’？”
兰恩一边穿衣服一边头也不回地说道：“这句话并不是说我乐于助人，而是我会对那些被我帮助后却恩将仇报的人施以惩罚，对于冒犯我的人我也一定会给予回应。”
雅妲公主对于兰恩的离去有些不满，她不是真的要兰恩离开这里去杀妖灵。
突然，她眼睛一亮，恶作剧一般地从背后摸到兰恩身边，在对方莫名其妙的眼神中用虎牙咬了一下兰恩的脖子，留下牙印。
接着她娇笑着把自己盛放在被子上：“现在我冒犯你了，你要怎么做呢，兰尼斯特？”
猎魔人兰恩停下了手上的动作，看着眼前的吸血妖鸟危险地眯起狮瞳，这是猎杀时刻：
“有债必偿！”
……
直到中午，兰恩才结束了猎魔。
他来到维理雷斯家族墓园旁边，竟然看到了凯拉·梅兹。
淡金色头发的女术士正指挥着几个白果园的卫兵进墓穴里面去往外面搬着什么东西。
墓穴的门口摆着几具卫兵的尸体，他们各个面色惊恐，死状凄惨。
看到兰恩过来，凯拉·梅兹目光戏谑地吸了吸鼻子，闻到了一股熟悉的味道。
兰恩则看着那些死去的士兵，这便是他在辛特拉一直不带着城卫队去野外狩猎魔物的原因，也是之前让辛特拉骑兵不跟自己一起和羊角魔贴身肉搏的原因。
虽然从理论上讲，这个世界除了少数几个天花板个体，其他任何的魔物乃至残物都可以用人堆死，但是付出的代价也是巨大的。
普通人对于魔物缺乏足够的了解和应对经验，理论上一个农夫拿着草叉也能杀死水鬼，然而事实上却经常能看到着甲的士兵被水鬼撕开喉咙。
更何况面对的是妖灵，哪怕有着凯拉·梅兹这个女术士的帮助，这些卫兵也死伤惨重。
"When the king heard that there was a goat-horned demon lurking nearby, he immediately asked me to come to White Orchard to check on her precious daughter. Who knew that Princess Adda didn't need 'protection' at all."