The west wind blew strongly, the waves beat against the shore with a thunderous sound, and white fountains rose again and again between the cracks in the rocks.
Kratz wrapped his cloak around himself and stared at the terrace in front of him. He knew someone would come over soon.
"Lord Kratz." A cautious voice sounded behind Kratz, "Is the lion of Cintra coming here today?"
Count Cratz an Clet, Lord of Skellige, patriarch of the Clet family, the man feared by the Nilfgaardians as "The Boar of the Sea" turned around and looked in the direction where the question was asked.
She was an ordinary island woman: thick hands and feet, bulging breasts, rough skin and tanned brown. She was holding a basket of shells in her hands, and was obviously about to work; she was slightly bent, using body language to express respect to the lord.
But this level of "respect" is far from enough.
For a commoner, it is absolutely not acceptable to speak to the lord in such a direct and impolite manner. Even approaching the lord so closely is considered disrespectful.
If it happened in some inland areas, some cruel lords would order the woman's tongue to be cut off just based on her words and actions.
But this is not the inland, or even the mainland. This is the Skellige Islands, the home of the islanders and the children of the mountains. The so-called class here is very vague. The people respect and admire the nobles, but they will never bow down to them in fear.
So after hearing the woman's question, Kratz actually asked her leisurely: "What's the matter? Do you also want to see the lions of Cintra?"
"Yes, Lord Kratz... I heard that he was an extremely handsome knight, and extremely brave."
"Sailors can no longer satisfy you, so you start looking for a handsome knight? You may be disappointed, because our Lord Lannister has already been taken."
The woman replied nonchalantly: "She's the Princess of Cintra, right? We don't care, and neither do others. This is actually better..."
Kratz finally got angry this time: "What do you mean by others?"
The woman turned around and pointed to the castle. "The other cooks, maids, laundry workers, and others who are preparing for the banquet are all waiting to see the Lion of Cintra!"
Kratz's neck stiffened.
He looked behind the woman, and that was his beloved castle called "Keldra".
Knowing that Lann and his party were coming, he specially summoned a large number of maids to prepare a banquet. At this moment, it can be seen that these people only paid 70% or even 50% of their attention to the work in their hands, and more of their attention was projected through their eyes - on Kratz, or in other words, on the balcony behind Kratz.
Kratz was about to yell at them when he suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing behind him, making his cloak rustle violently.
A fiery red portal appeared in mid-air.
The first to come out was a blond knight wearing silver-black armor and a cloak made from a whole piece of giant griffin skin.
Following closely behind was a girl with mouse-gray hair, wearing a white gown and a reddish-brown deerskin belt, and a smaller griffin cloak, holding tightly to the knight in front of her.
Then came out three swordsmen with amber eyes. They wore badges in the shape of wolves, snakes, and griffins respectively. They swayed like sailors in a storm.
Next came a guard with a silver sword with a lion head on his waist and a female archer with a full-length mahogany longbow on her back, and behind them were forty more guards.
The last to emerge was a sorceress with long wavy black hair, a star-shaped obsidian necklace, and a scent of cloves and currants.
The group of people who appeared out of nowhere instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the castle, many of whom were filled with curious gazes.
Kratz immediately shouted at his own people who were distracted:
"Don't you see our guests are already here? Why are you still dawdling? You know King Bran will be visiting my castle soon. Do you want to entertain our king in this way?"
Seeing that the lord was angry, the waiters in the castle no longer dared to act disrespectfully and hurriedly lowered their heads and quickened their movements.
Kratz shook his head and turned around to say hello, but he saw a mouse-gray whirlwind rushing into his arms. The huge force made him take several steps back.
"Kratz, I missed you so much!" Ciri screamed, "And what about Hjalma and Caris? I missed them too!"
When Ciri was young, she often vacationed in Skellige and had close contacts with the Clet family, to which Kratz belonged. According to seniority, Kratz was Ciri's uncle and Lann's cousin.
"Halmar and Caris have gone out to sea. They will be back in the evening." When Kratz mentioned his proud son and daughter, his face was filled with the warmth of the sea breeze. He hugged Ciri tightly and said, "My princess, you have grown taller... and stronger."
"And you, Lan." Kratz turned to Lan and said with emotion, "You have grown taller, too. Only now can I remember your age. You are about the same age as my Hjalmar, but I didn't expect that you have achieved such results."
Kratz had come to support when Cintra was breached before, and had met Lann outside Brokilon. It had been almost a year since then.
I don't know if it's because he's still in the growth stage or his physique has been strengthened by the system, but Lann's height has grown by a few centimeters and he is now 6.2 feet tall - that is, 1.88 meters tall.
Of course, this development speed is still far behind Ciri.
Facing Kratz's praise, Lan, who had finally suppressed the discomfort of the portal, finally forced a smile: "This process was not easy, and that's why I came to see you today."
"I'm glad you came for help, really." Kratz stepped forward and patted Lann's shoulder hard.
"I have arranged accommodation for you in the castle. The butler will bring you desserts and drinks. You can rest for a while."
"I have also prepared a sumptuous dinner for you. Uncle Easter and King Bran will also come over, and we can discuss other matters."
Everything was arranged in an orderly manner, and Lann and his group naturally followed the host's wishes without any objection.
The butlers of the Clet family came quickly at the call of the lord, and each led the way and took the guests to where they should go.
Lann noticed that when Yennefer passed by, Kratz seemed to be hesitant to speak and wanted to come forward to talk; while Geralt's eyes flickered and his face was expressionless, but his emotions seemed to be written on his face.
On the other hand, the sorceress looked indifferent, even indifferent.
When the ex-boyfriend meets the current boyfriend, there is a familiar feeling of Shura Field.
"Little kid, stop looking around and hurry up." Lann grabbed Ciri, who was peeking out, and quickly followed the butler.
This action caused dissatisfaction in the little princess.
…
They quickly separated and were led to their respective rooms.
"Thank you for your hard work. Please leave me alone for a while."
The butler bowed to Lann and then slowly retreated.
Lan looked around. This bedroom was more than enough to be used as a living room. There were bookshelves and a long desk in the room, and the bed was big enough for five or six people to lie down. There was also a balcony ten steps away, where three seabirds were standing and looking at him curiously.
Lann chuckled and patted the black magic scimitar behind him. Immediately, emerald-colored void flames burned on it, but it did not hurt Lann at all.
Then, a slender figure in a Gothic-style long skirt appeared. She slowly walked to Lan's side and stood side by side with him, looking at the sea view below.
"Is this Skellige? I've only seen descriptions of this place in books before."
"Yes, Alice, this is Skellige."
After receiving Lan's affirmative answer, the beautiful soul in the painting couldn't help but exclaim: "It's so beautiful."
Their location offers unobstructed views of the sea.
Directly ahead, across the channel, is Little Skellig Island, low and flat in the south and bordered by a deep fjord in the north. Far to the left is the green island of Spiekerg, its fang-like outline and steep cliffs rising above the waves, its peak hidden among the clouds. To the right, you can see the cliffs of Udvik Island, with the seagulls, petrels, cormorants and gannets that gather there.
"I heard that this place is governed by seven families together, and the king is not inherited, but elected by them?"
Lan nodded. "Yes, seven families are spread over six islands, each ruling their own territory. So the politics here are very complicated—but in a sense, very simple."
Alice nodded thoughtfully and commented, "What a wonderful country, wonderful customs, and wonderful system."
As she spoke, she turned her head to look at Lan's profile, admiring the lines and muscle direction from a painter's perspective, intoxicated by the beauty of it.
"I guess you asked me to come out not just to accompany you to enjoy the sea view? Your Highness the Princess can do that, too."
Lan nodded shyly: "I'll trouble you to draw a few pictures."
“How many?”
"Seven paintings. Each family will send one painting. The number may be a bit too much. This is a big project."
"As a painter, I will enjoy it." Alice narrowed her eyes, and the dark eye shadow outlined a beautiful contour.
A smile on a melancholy face can make people feel refreshed.
"But I also have a request, or a need - I need to go to various islands to collect inspiration so that I can draw paintings that suit the tastes of each family. This requires you to always take me with you."
Hearing this, although Alice still had a faint smile on her face, Lan knew that the lady was expressing her dissatisfaction implicitly.
During his time at Kaer Morhen, Lane had kept Alice in the portrait, leaving her in the castle while he went out hunting; this was also the case for most of the time after returning to Brokilon.
Although during this process, Lann had introduced Alice to Ciri as a painting teacher, and the little princess was very receptive to the souls in the paintings, it seemed that Alice was a little dissatisfied with this arrangement.
"I'm sorry, Alice." Lann made a verbal concession very straightforwardly. "There were a lot of battles involved before, and you didn't like to participate in these bloody scenes, so I made other arrangements for your possession; and I thought you would like it because you are a painter, and the new life we agreed to give you was also like this."
Alice chuckled and waited for Lann to finish explaining, then took a gentle step forward.
Now she was only a palm's distance away from Lan. Although she was illusory, Lan could still feel her veil gently rubbing against his cheek in the sea breeze.
"I like painting. When you took me out of the painting world, you also promised me a new life - to become the princess's painting teacher and to let more people see my works."
"I like painting, and I'm very grateful to you, Lan." Alice leaned forward slightly involuntarily while speaking, "but I like something else now."
Lan felt something rubbing against his wrist, and he knew it was Alice's skirt blown up by the sea breeze.
He lowered his eyebrows slightly, and Alice just raised her chin slightly.
Alice was not human and was not breathing, but at this moment Lann still felt a hot current sweeping across his face.
"So, what are you into now, Alice?"
The spirit in the painting chuckled and did not answer directly. She took one last step forward and turned into emerald flames the moment she touched Lan, enveloping Lan's entire body.
The warm, soft touch was fleeting, and Lan felt as if a piece of silk had covered his face. When he came to his senses, the emerald flame had already condensed on the black magic scimitar behind him, leaving only the voice like an orchid in the valley echoing:
"Unless you have another mission, I don't want to enter the painting again. If there is a battle, I also want to participate. I think I should be pretty good."
"Lane, is that okay?"
Lann involuntarily reached out and grasped the handle of the scimitar, and said softly, "Of course."
…
…
In the strait between Great Skellig and Little Skellig, dragon ships appeared one after another, their red and white sails gleaming in the sun, and the bronze shields hanging on the sides of the ships also gleaming.
"The coat of arms of the Tursek family, grandpa is here!" Ciri shouted excitedly after seeing the logo on the dragon boat.
"And King Bran is coming too," Lann added.
The king's carriage arrived, but the people of Keldore seemed accustomed to it.
These ships did not have the pomp and ceremony of a king at all. Apart from the extremely well-trained soldiers on board, there was no sign of nobility among the people on board.
If I had to say something, it would be the respectful and admiring looks of the castle guards along the way.
Because the two men who came down from the boat were both kings elected by the people, one was a former king, and the other is a current king.
As soon as she saw Ester Tursek, Ciri rushed over. The two of them had met once before with the help of Mossak, and it was the first time Lann saw Ester after Cintra was conquered.
The handsome sea knight had aged visibly, with white hair and wrinkles covering his face in the past year. When he stood with King Bran, those who knew him would think they were brothers, while those who didn't would probably mistake them for uncle and nephew.
But Lan could feel the fire burning beneath this weathered appearance. He was suppressing it and waiting for it to erupt.
"Good job, Lan."
That was all Easter said.
Then he opened his arms and hugged Lan tightly.
…
King Bran looks almost exactly like Easter.
But he is taller and stronger than Easter, and compared with Easter, who has the title of "Sea Knight", his physique is more like "Sea Boar" Kratz.
He was about six and a half feet tall, with a waist wider than his shoulders, and three bearskin belts tied around it. He wore a chainmail and leather vest, and underneath it was a cotton coat of distinct colors and layers.
When he stood in front of him, Lann seemed to see a bear. Lann also believed that no matter how big the waves or how heavy the rain was, the man in front of him would never shake in the boat.
Compared to the silent Easter, King Bran's character is much more generous. At this moment, he is holding a lobster as long as Ciri's forearm in both hands and gnawing on it. There are also a lot of empty shells of scallops and oysters piled up in front of him.
Ciri sat between Esther and Bran, concentrating on a crab as big as her face.
Easter paid more attention to dining etiquette and used the knife and fork skillfully. Because he had to touch Ciri's head from time to time, he couldn't get his hands dirty.
"If you were to find someone in my castle who likes Uncle Bran the most, it would definitely be my cook." Kratz joked, "Every time my uncle comes over, the cook always feels that her cooking skills have improved."
Sitting next to Kratz were two young people, a man and a woman, about the same age as Lane.
The man had medium-length dark brown hair and had already started growing a beard at a young age.
The woman had reddish-brown hair, which was simply tied into a ponytail and draped behind her.
These are Hjalmar and Caris, the children of Kratz. They are both looking at Lan intently, but the meanings in their eyes are different.
Fortunately, Lann had long been accustomed to other people's gazes. He drank a glass of wine without changing his expression and asked Easter:
"Uncle, I heard something about you from Uncle Mossak."
Easter nodded. "Then he must have told you that I wanted to regain the throne of Skellige."
He said this without disguising it, even though the current King of Skellige was sitting next to him.
The king who was about to be usurped didn't care. He put down the lobster shell and sucked his fingers. "Don't look at me. I am happy to see this happen. It was East who gave up the throne and wanted to travel the sea. At that time, Kratz was still young. The patriarchs of the other six families were either not interested in politics or had a landslide in their brains. I didn't want to let the archipelago sink in the hands of these people, so I agreed to run for king."
"Although I have had a wonderful time during my reign, my ministers have complained because I prefer to lead people out to sea to plunder rather than solve the political problems of the archipelago. There are even rumors that I do this to avoid my chatty wife at home - ha, how can a son of the archipelago be afraid of his wife?"
"Deep down in my heart, I envy Easter. So now that he is willing to take back the burden that was thrown to me, I couldn't ask for more."
King Bran expressed his thoughts very directly, which no one in other countries on the mainland would dare to listen to. However, the islanders at the table were accustomed to the complaints in these words, and they had obviously heard them many times.
Lan took a sip of wine. He was actually somewhat happy to hear such straightforward words spoken in a political setting. He was unconsciously assimilated.
"But I heard there were obstacles?"
Easter nodded. "A king's abdication does not mean he can designate an heir, especially for someone like me who once gave up the throne. Many lords think this is too much of a joke."
At this point, Easter smiled disdainfully: "In fact, they themselves want to be king."
Lan En thought: "But uncle, you should have a great reputation in the archipelago, right?"
Easter answered affirmatively: "I already have a group of supporters, and with Bran's support, there will be no problem for me to become king according to the normal voting system. But I want more than just to be king. I also need the support of all the major families to send troops to Nilfgaard and help Cintra."
At this point, East looked at Ciri gently, then turned to Lan: "So I need to properly shut up those chiefs - according to the islanders' customs."
"This method is a bit risky. I noticed these warriors behind you. Are they witchers? I saw Geralt among them - I may need their help."
Lann was stunned. Easter should know that witchers do not participate in politics. What could he do as king that required the help of witchers?
Easter quickly explained, "An ice giant appeared on Udvik Island not long ago - about two months ago. We don't know what woke it up from its slumber, but it caused massive destruction after it appeared, destroying most of the island."
"It's not just Udvik Island. It's said that this giant can use ice magic to travel between different islands, and has the mysterious power to command female sea monsters. The various lords have organized armies to encircle and suppress this giant more than once, but they were defeated every time."
"And I'm going to hunt this ice giant and get its head."
"My plan is to use the most powerful monsters to honor the most courageous warriors and help me regain the throne of Skellige."
Just as East finished speaking, the system prompt sounded:
[Discovery Mission - Glacier's Fury:
An unknown astronomical phenomenon awakens the hibernating giant early, and it wreaks havoc and destroys everything that moves in front of it. The beautiful island of Udvik has been horribly damaged; the danger of the giant beast is spreading to the entire Skellige, and the brave sea knight hopes to win the crown for himself by defeating the monster. Demon hunter, you may be able to help, after all, this is also helping yourself. 】
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