There are no detailed records of the Ice Giant's age and strength, because it is unique in the world and there is no second Ice Giant in the world that can be observed and recorded.
So ancient and powerful is it that no one knows when it first appeared in Skellige's poetry and legend; even the oldest people on the island can recall that their grandparents used to still crying children in the middle of the night with ghost stories about the Frost Giants.
Lann could be sure that this ice giant was at least many times stronger than the old spearhead he had defeated.
If Easter succeeds in defeating the Frost Giants, there is no doubt that he will become an epic hero like the ancestor in Skellige poetry. At that time, let alone becoming king, perhaps no one will object to changing the throne to an inheritance system.
At the same time, it can be expected that this demon hunting mission will definitely bring huge benefits to Lann.
But at this moment, Lann was filled with worry and he didn't want to complete this task.
He turned to King Bran and said, "What do you think of this matter? With all due respect, this is really... too dangerous."
King Bran's expression was not much better than Lann's. In the past few days, he had repeatedly persuaded his brother not to take risks, but he had never succeeded.
"The Skellige people value three things the most: honor, the deeds of their ancestors, and divine weapons." King Bran sighed, "Easter is determined to pursue honor, and this is also following in the footsteps of his ancestors. I should support her..."
"Then support me." Easter said, "I will take warriors from my family with me, and find a blacksmith to make a weapon for me that can kill the ice giant. Then I will land on Udvik Island."
"Don't be anxious, my brother." King Bran advised hurriedly, "I have invited the other five families to a banquet on Little Skellige Island in three days. At that time, Lann and I will persuade them to send troops. Perhaps you don't need to become king at all, and naturally you don't need to take risks..."
Easter retorted: "Even if they agree, this level of support will never be as powerful as 'Revenge for the King'."
Now even Lann began to persuade East: "Maybe we don't need to be so anxious. Let me try first. If it doesn't work, we can plan the route of the Frost Giants."
Then even Ciri joined in. Although the girl had no idea how strong the ice giants were, seeing King Bran and Lann in this state, they must be very dangerous.
The little girl doesn't want to lose her grandfather too.
Finally, Easter sighed and reluctantly agreed to let Lann and King Bran contact the other five families first. But in the process, he would also prepare the team and wait for the right time to attack on his own.
King Bran looked at Lann with gratitude and reached out to touch Ciri's head, but after looking at his greasy hands, he gave up.
Not wanting to talk about the Frost Giants anymore, His Majesty the King decided to change the subject and start talking about the situation in the north and south of the continent.
"Nilfgaard..." King Bran sighed, "I never thought it would become such a huge country. I once took a ship to plunder their 'City of Golden Towers'."
"I also went to rob them." Kratz, who had been silent, finally found an opportunity to interrupt. "That city is indeed beautiful. When the sun shines on it, the whole city looks like gold. I really thought it was all gold, but I returned disappointed."
"At that time, that city was the entire territory of Nilfgaard." East frowned, not knowing what he was thinking of. "Emhyr... Who would have thought that guy would turn a small city into the behemoth it is today in such a short time."
This statement silenced everyone present. Nilfgaard was their enemy, but no one present could deny the Emperor Emhyr's skill and courage, and no one could deny the current power of the Black Sun Empire.
King Bran took a deep breath and patted his head: "Don't think about the past. Now that the enemy has appeared, we only need to think of ways to deal with him."
"There are still a few days until the banquet begins. What are your plans during this time, Lan? How about I arrange for a few people to show you around?"
Hearing King Bran's question, Lann fell into deep thought: "If it's arranged..."
…
"Can you tell me more about the ghost on the mountain?"
At the dock of Great Skellige Island, Lan asked a man dressed as a mountaineer.
Facing Lann, the three demon hunters behind him, and the forty or so Cintra soldiers behind them, even the Skellige people, who were known for their bravery, couldn't help but look nervous.
"Look at your armor... You are from Cintra, right? Who are you and why are you interested in this?"
"I heard about this from the gossip of the sailors at the dock. I heard that you knew the details, so I came here to ask for your advice." Lann said politely, "I am Lann of Cintra, Lann Lannister Rhaanron."
Behind Lann, Milva and House looked at each other and sighed softly in their hearts.
When he was in Brokilon, the Duke was keen on helping the people solve all kinds of trivial matters.
At that time, one could explain the Duke's enthusiasm for this kind of thing, thinking that it was stabilizing the lives of his subjects - I didn't expect that he would still be like this after coming to Skellige.
When the mountain people heard Lan's name at first, they just felt that it sounded familiar, but after looking carefully at Lan's cloak, hair, and eyes, they suddenly reacted.
"You are the Lion of Cintra?" The mountain dweller jumped up. "I have heard your stories in the tavern, and sailors and merchants returning from the sea often bring back your poems. Your performance on the battlefield sounds really inspiring, man!"
"Oh my God, you don't even look much older than my son! Don't worry, kid. I can't say anything about other families, but we on the island of Skellige will definitely support you. We also have an irreconcilable feud with the Nilfgaardians!"
House, who was standing behind Lann, clenched his fists. Damn, why is this mountain man so disrespectful? Did he just want to pat the Duke on the shoulder? Should I bring people to break that hand later?
Lan En didn't really care about etiquette. If the other person was a noble and was rude to him, Lan En would feel offended; but if it was a commoner who didn't know the details of etiquette, Lan En wouldn't take it to heart at all.
Besides, this is Skellige.
"Yes, yes." Lann smiled, "Kratz is my cousin, and he invited me to visit here recently. I was thinking if I could help him or something, and I just happened to hear rumors of ghosts on the mountain, so I wanted to come and see if there was anything I could do."
"I know. 'A Lannister's word is worth a thousand gold', right? I've heard it." The mountaineer laughed. "I say you are a Skellige man, a son of the Isles. That's more fitting for you!"
House let out a deep breath. He felt that he should knock out a few teeth of this bragging mountain man.
The unconscious mountain dweller continued to say to Lan: "You want to know about the ghosts on the mountain. You have asked the right person. Listen to me..."
After a while, the system's prompt sounded in Lan's ears——
[Discovery Mission - Cabin in the Woods:
In order to provide a resting place for hunters and woodcutters in the mountains, kind-hearted mountain people built a hut as a transit station. But one day, a horrific murder occurred there, and the vengeful spirits have been wandering there ever since. The mountain people's axes are helpless against the empty souls, and perhaps the demon hunter can solve this problem. 】
Lan nodded with satisfaction, turned around and thought for a moment before extending his hand: "Geralt, are you willing to make the trip? I'll arrange for Milva and five other people to follow you. Can you teach them how to deal with these evil spirits? This mission can also be registered at the castle and you can get paid. All the bounty will be yours."
Geralt sighed: "Of course you can, but what's the point of doing this..."
"The Demon Hunter Order." Before Lann could answer, Cohen said it decisively.
He patted Lann's shoulder vigorously: "This is what our Griffin School is like... No, this is what a demon hunter should do!"
"Entrust this to me, Lan. I can give up the bounty and distribute the money to the families that have been harmed by evil spirits. They need the money more!"
Lann couldn't help but twitch his lips when facing Coen who suddenly felt a sense of mission: "No, no, Coen, that's not necessary... I would like to discuss this matter later. Although the bounty is nothing to me, it is still indispensable to the entire demon hunter group..."
After some kind words of persuasion to calm Cohen down, the energetic Griffin Witcher finally went up the mountain with Geralt.
Kolgrim crossed his arms and watched his two companions go away, then looked at Lann: "What about me? What work do I have?"
After all, this was not Brokilon, where Lann could have his men collect tasks directly, and then wait in the study comfortably for the experience to be delivered to him after the tasks were completed. Now he had to take the initiative to find tasks.
"House!"
"I am here, my Lord!"
Lan pointed to the tavern and said, "Go and help me collect some intelligence. Not just the information entrusted to me, but also help me get information about other families in the archipelago, especially their attitudes towards Nilfgaard and Cintra."
"Yes, sir!"
House lowered his head and responded in a sonorous voice. Suddenly, he heard a sound of breaking wind coming from in front of him. He looked up and saw a purse flying out of the Duke's hand.
"Don't be stingy with the drink money, buy others a few drinks when necessary. People in the islands don't pay much attention to etiquette, so you should be polite. Of course, don't be afraid of difficulties. If you have any trouble, come to me. Cousin Kratz is also one of our family, don't worry."
House took the purse at a loss, and touched his waist with his other hand: "Ah... Sir, I haven't spent all the reward you gave me last time..."
"Then bring a few more brothers to drink together, and teach them how to gather information. If you have a few more helpers, you will have an easier time in the future."
“…Yes, sir.”
After saying this, Lann led the rest of the people to the next dock without looking back.
Three Cintra troopers followed behind House, a little nervously.
Riding horses to fight is their nature, drinking and bragging in the tavern is their pleasure, but they are not really good at gathering intelligence.
"Mr. House...what should we do?"
The servant with a lion-headed silver sword on his waist tossed the purse in his hand and looked at the tavern next to him.
From inside came the sounds of excited drinking, noise, and cheers.
House reached into his arms and touched his collection, feeling confident.
…
"Want a game of Gwent?"
It was daytime, but the taverns of Skellige were bustling at all times.
As soon as you enter the door, you will be surrounded by the aroma of charcoal-grilled meat, the wheat aroma of fresh bread, and the mellow aroma of strong beer.
Directly facing the door was the tavern owner's bar, where there was an incredibly large grill with large pieces of meat and fish on it; there was a target hung on the west side of the tavern, where several people were betting on knife throwing; the east side of the tavern had been cleared out, and several people seemed to be wrestling or boxing.
House's target was naturally the card table on the west side of the tavern. He played cards with others for 20 crowns per round, and the money given by the Duke was enough for him to lose from now until tomorrow morning - if he kept losing.
If his opponent loses the game, he has to order a glass of wine or a special delicacy for House, and then tell him a new story that happened locally - as an outsider, this request is reasonable.
I don’t know how long it took.
When House sat down again, there was a glass of golden ale on his left hand and a plate of sea salt-baked sturgeon with mashed radish on his right hand - because the number of sturgeons has dropped sharply, this dish is now quite expensive.
The three Cintra cavalrymen following behind him had red faces and were obviously drunk. Each of them was holding a large plate with three or four steaks, grilled fish, a large pile of mashed radish and potatoes, and mushrooms and beets.
They whispered:
"Hey, I can't eat anymore...how about you?"
"I can't drink any more. If I drink any more, it will cause trouble... Mr. House didn't seem to drink much. He gave it all to us..."
"Really... powerful, you are worthy of being a member of the lion group, Mr. House... It seems that we haven't spent any money since we entered the tavern?"
"If this continues, I'm even worried that our money will increase..."
“Has having more money become something to worry about?”
The three Cintra cavalrymen had bitter faces. They never thought that drinking and eating meat would become such an embarrassing thing.
In front of them, House's opponent wailed, slammed his hands on the table, and screamed in disbelief:
"How come you even have cards like this? How can 'Northern Realm' beat my 'Monster' deck?"
House raised his chin slightly, put away the card with the blond knight on the table, and said lightly: "Lannister is invincible!"
The guy who lost the game had a dangerous look in his eyes, as if he was about to start a fight. But his intention was quickly discovered. It was obvious that House had seen many gamblers who lost so much money that they were mad at each other.
The sword attendant snapped his fingers, and the three cavalrymen behind him immediately slammed three trays on the table, and the murderous aura of the battlefield veterans slowly emanated from them.
The gambler immediately shrank back and said, "Sir, I have no money left. Really, I lost it all. I don't even have money to buy you a drink. I originally thought that I could turn the tables this time..."
He was busy explaining, while the four people opposite him had no expression on their faces. So he thought for a moment, and hurriedly took out a blueprint with an unknown drawing on it, and handed it to House:
"This is all I have. This is all I have. It...it's a blueprint, a very valuable blueprint, definitely worth twenty or even fifty crowns. If converted into coins, it's enough for your people to have a full meal in the tavern!"
House raised his eyebrows and took it casually: "My friend, I sympathize with you, really, but if you use items as collateral, the price is not something you can decide..."
As he spoke, House's voice became smaller and smaller.
He frowned.
On the blueprint in his hand, there was a long sword with a bear head hilt. The size and material of the long sword were marked in detail. As long as a qualified blacksmith was found, it would not be difficult to make a similar long sword.
The gambler saw House's expression and thought he was dissatisfied for a moment, so he explained hastily: "Sir, to be honest, I used to be a tavern owner, and I once entertained a strange man in the tavern - he was as strong as a bear, but his card skills were as bad as a water ghost! He lost a full two hundred crowns from me in one night, and in the end he had nothing left to lose, so he mortgaged this thing to me, saying that it was a very valuable equipment blueprint!"
House raised the blueprint in his hand: "So you know what this is?"
The gambler's voice suddenly became quieter: "I... can't understand the words on it, but the strong man said at the time that this thing is more valuable than the money he lost to me. I don't think he is a liar."
House thought for a moment and asked, "Where did the man go later?"
Unexpectedly, the gambler suddenly became excited when he heard this question: "That guy originally said that he would bring money to redeem this broken...this blueprint, but that night my tavern was suddenly attacked by a group of people, and the man ran away in the chaos! Fortunately, because of Mr. Easter's incident, the number of patrols around the island doubled during that period, and the lord's soldiers discovered the enemy in time and captured them, otherwise I'm afraid my tavern would have been burned down!"
House looked at the blueprint in his hand with a thoughtful expression: "Do you know where the group of attackers came from? Where is that man now?"
The gambler gave a strange look: "Why do you care about this?"
House said as if it was a matter of course: "You lost the game, and you have to treat me to a meal and tell me a story. This is a good story."
Hearing House's words that he had acknowledged the value of the blueprint and that he didn't have to pay for it, the gambler's face suddenly brightened.
"According to Lord Kratz's later statement, that group of people seemed to be from the Principality of the 'Arc Coast', which is a vassal state of Redania. As for that man... he must still be in Skellige. A penniless gambler like him can't escape at all!"
After hearing the gambler's last few words, the four Houses immediately gave him strange looks, as if to say "As a gambler you're not much better."
And that man is in Skellige... It's the same as saying nothing... Never mind, I'll go back and report to the Duke. If he is really interested, there will definitely be a way.
House was very unhappy that he had to trouble the adults to do it personally for such a small matter.
"My card skills are pretty good..." The gambler said in a low voice, facing the four people's gaze, "Although the guards arrived in time that night, my tavern still suffered a lot of losses, so I wanted to come out and have some fun. I still own a tavern and a business."
"Then why don't you buy it on credit, instead of using this 'valuable' drawing as a bargain for a glass of wine?"
The gambler was speechless.
House knew what he was thinking. This guy probably didn't know the value of something and just wanted to sell this piece of "waste paper" that he couldn't understand as soon as possible. If it could be used to buy a glass of wine, he would consider it a profit.
Especially when you have lost so much that you have nothing left to lose.
Seeing several drunken sailors looking at him, House knew that he should stop here for today. The Skellige people were famous for their solidarity, and he was a foreigner. He had won too many games before, and now he had beaten another man to the point where he almost lost his pants. It was time to quit while he was ahead.
Recalling the Duke's advice to "be kind to others", House coughed lightly, took out ten crowns from his pocket and put them on the table:
"This blueprint is indeed valuable, and I don't want to take advantage of you. You sound like a poor man, so use the money to take a truck so you don't have to walk back on foot."
Upon hearing this, the gambler suddenly looked up with shining eyes: "The man said this blueprint is worth two hundred..."
"Get out!" House slammed the table.
Not to mention that House was angry, even the sailors around him who originally wanted to help the locals withdrew their gazes.
"Gambler!" House spat fiercely as he watched the other person staggering away.
Shaking his head like the Duke, House asked a few cavalrymen to sit down, thinking that he would deal with all the steaks in front of him and then go home.
A sailor suddenly sat down in front of him.
"What can I do for you?"
In response to House's question, the sailor laughed: "You look like a nice guy. You seem to be interested in that bear-like man? I can tell you."
"Besides that, I know a little secret that Cintra might care about. If you want to know, I can tell you as well."
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