"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?
Lann continued righteously, "So please take back your insults to me, or I will show you why I have the reputation of 'Lannister, a debt must be paid' among the people."
Yada licked her tongue and said, "What if I don't take it back? Let me see what you think?"
…
In the bedroom of Lord White Orchard, Princess Adda of Temeria and Lord Lannister of Cintra held a cordial and friendly conversation.
Due to Lord Lannister's health, Princess Adda's original plan to sign a cooperation agreement with Cintra was put on hold, and instead a more direct and simpler plan was adopted to enhance the friendship between the two countries.
This exchange enabled both parties to get to know each other well for the first time and also laid a solid foundation for the next cooperation.
Congratulations, congratulations.
…
From day to dusk, from dusk to late night, and from late night to day.
In the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight came in, Lan opened his eyes and felt a little confused.
Although I'm not in good spirits, I still have to get up and do my work.
Lan first glanced at Princess Yada, who was as limp as cotton beside him. Some of her physical qualities seemed to have retained the characteristics of the vampire bird, far exceeding those of ordinary people.
After looking at her for a while, Lann sighed sincerely: If Princess Adda doesn't look like Foltest, then she can only look like her mother, Queen Adda.
Observing her face closely, he could vaguely see the beauty that once made Temeria uneasy, and Lann suddenly understood why Foltest had such a passionate and incomprehensible love.
Speaking of which, Foltest hoped to form an alliance between the two countries through Ciri, but Lann had already reached an alliance through Foltest's daughter. Isn't this also a kind of minotaur?
Considering that Adda's name and appearance both come from Foltest's wife, it all becomes even more exciting.
Lann shook his head to get rid of the dangerous thoughts, put on a bathrobe, sat down in front of the desk, flipped his hand and took out his Griffin School Contact Notes from the Inventory, and began to write in the morning sunlight.
“Dear teacher, I am writing to you:
I have been traveling in Temeria for a long time. After meeting with King Foltest of Temeria, I deeply realized the stubbornness of the northern kings and the severity of the war situation. That is why I urgently need your help..."
As usual, I'll start by showing my pity, which is the privilege of the younger generation. If I can seduce someone, that's the best. If I can't, I'll just accumulate points and continue next time.
"But fortunately, I found new friends in Temeria. After friendly negotiations with my new friends, I found a way out for Cintra. I paid a heavy price, and I only hope that this can barely help my country. This is my responsibility and my obligation..."
Lann was almost moved by himself, but he thought it would be better for Jielong not to know the details of the process.
"I encountered a goat-horned demon in the White Orchard. Together with the soldiers, I spent a lot of effort to hunt it down, saving the local residents from harm. I did not accept the commission, and did not take any reward afterwards. This is the spirit of the Griffin School, and it is also one of the original intentions of establishing the Demon Hunter Cult. I sincerely hope that such a scene can appear in the whole of Cintra, and spread to the North and even the entire continent..."
After a lot of nonsense, Lan finally wrote down his true purpose:
"I found a sudden mutagenic substance in the body of the goat-horned demon. According to the notes you gave me, it seems that it can be used to make special decoctions. When you are free, please open the portal. I need your guidance..."
As he wrote this, Lane felt dizzy.
"Lane?"
Suddenly, a confused voice came from behind Lan. The voice should have been clear and bird-like, but now it was full of fatigue, with a slight hoarseness and a lazy texture that made people sink deeply.
Then Lan felt a distressing blockage behind him, and two soft and tight arms wrapped around his neck, and red hair gently rubbed his neck, side face and shoulders, as if trying to ignite sparks.
"Why are you wearing my clothes?"
Lan was stunned when he heard this question. He looked down and found that he was wearing Yada's cloak.
The dirty words stuck in his mouth, and Lan swallowed them hard. When he just got up, he was too confused and touched a piece of clothing casually. He didn't expect it to be so stupid.
"I'm recording what happened in Temeria, and writing a letter for Yarpan to bring back to Cintra for me."
Lann naturally couldn't tell Princess Yada how to contact the Griffin School, so he made up a reason. At this moment, he had finished writing the contents of his notes and closed the book.
Turning around, Lan looked at the princess, whose expression was still a little dazed, and suddenly found that the white hair on her head had disappeared.
What is the principle behind this?
When Yada saw Lann staring at her intently, she raised her lips in a smug manner. Looking at those lion eyes, she suddenly had an idea.
"Lane, can you help me clean up the cemetery of the Villiers family? I want to see the skills of the demon hunter."
Yada made a distressed expression: "I want to subdue this tax collector, so that the White Orchard will be mine from now on. I will feel very uncomfortable if there is such a group of demons in my territory."
Lan En was stunned, not because of Yada's words, but because the system suddenly sounded a prompt at this time.
[Discovery Mission - Family Harmony:
There are a large number of wandering demon spirits in the underground cemetery of the Villiers family. The dead cannot rest in peace, and the living cannot rest in peace. From dust to dust, from earth to earth, the spirits of the dead should return to where they belong. This mistake should be corrected by the demon hunters.
This was a demon hunting mission. What made Lan En stunned was not the appearance of this mission, but the fact that the previous mission did not appear.
The tax collector had asked me to get rid of the evil spirits before, so why didn't the demon hunting mission appear at that time, but appeared when Princess Yada commissioned me?
Is it because the tax collector didn't pay? Is the mechanism of the demon hunting mission so demon hunter-like?
Seeing Lan En thinking and remaining silent, Yada seemed to have misunderstood something. She moved closer to Lan En and lowered her voice:
"Why, witcher. Can't the lion of Cintra even do this?"
Lan En came back to his senses, his eyes showing disdain. Did this woman think she could manipulate him so easily? He and Princess Yada were just exchanging interests, there was no other ambiguous factor at all.
But before he could righteously refuse, the system sounded another prompt:
[Mission - Family Harmony - Completed]
Lan En was stunned again, his eyes became clear, what did this mean?
According to my previous experience in side quests in Cintra and Brokilon, as long as I take the quest, it's mine. It doesn't matter who completes it, I can still gain experience.
Could it be that someone was fighting a demon spirit when I was lying down just now, and then I took the task at the right time, allowing me to win by lying down?
Got to go see.
Looking at Princess Yada's eyes, Lann nodded in agreement in a nonchalant manner, then stood up and wanted to go to the Villiers family cemetery to check the situation.
But when Yada saw Lann agreed to her request, she smiled happily and was very satisfied with the results of her test. She didn't care what the evil spirits in the cemetery were like, she only cared whether the person in front of her agreed to her request.
"You are as devoted to these things as I have heard. I heard someone even made up a proverb about you. What is it? 'A Lannister must pay his debts.'"
Lan En said without looking back while putting on his clothes: "This sentence does not mean that I am willing to help others, but I will punish those who repay my help with hatred, and I will definitely respond to those who offend me."
Princess Yada was somewhat dissatisfied with Lan's departure. She didn't really want Lan to leave here to kill the monsters.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she approached Lan from behind as if to play a prank. In the other's puzzled look, she bit Lan's neck with her fangs, leaving a tooth mark.
Then she smiled and laid herself on the quilt: "Now that I have offended you, what are you going to do, Lannister?"
The demon hunter Lann stopped what he was doing and looked at the vampire bird in front of him with his lion eyes narrowed dangerously. This was the hunting time:
"Debts must be paid!"
…
It was not until noon that Lann finished hunting the demon.
He came to the Villiers family cemetery and saw Keira Metz.
The sorceress with light blond hair was directing several White Orchard guards to go into the tomb and move something out.
At the entrance of the tomb were the bodies of several guards, all of them with terrified faces and died miserably.
Seeing Lane coming over, Keira Metz looked at him playfully and sniffed, smelling a familiar scent.
Lann looked at the dead soldiers. This was the reason why he never took the city guards to hunt monsters in the wild in Cintra, and why he had asked the Cintra cavalry not to fight the goat demons in close combat with him.
Although theoretically, except for a few ceiling individuals, all other monsters and even remnants in this world can be killed by piles of people, the price to pay is also huge.
Ordinary people lack sufficient understanding and experience in dealing with monsters. In theory, a farmer with a pitchfork can kill a water ghost, but in reality, it is often seen that armored soldiers have their throats ripped open by water ghosts.
What's more, they were facing a demon spirit. Even with the help of the sorceress Keira Metz, these guards suffered heavy casualties.
"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."
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