The man in front of him came with the so-called "secret".

One secret is the whereabouts of the man carrying the steel sword blueprint that House is concerned about, and the other secret is the so-called "information that everyone in Cintra wants to know."

Exactly what House wanted.

But House knows better: there is no free lunch in the world.

This was the truth that House had learned from Lann, but he forgot that he was in Skellige now.

The sword attendant said seriously, "What do I need to pay, sailor?"

The sailor gestured to the table. "If it's a friend, a glass of wine or a steak would be enough."

"What if I want to know the man's whereabouts and that little secret at the same time?"

"If it's a friend, it's a glass of wine and a steak."

House was stunned, and seemed to hear the sound of waves and sea breeze outside the tavern.

So he smiled and said, "I want to make friends with you."

The sailor pulled the beer and the pile of steak with satisfaction. He seemed very hungry and it seemed that he had lost a lot of money playing cards.

"Come one at a time, sailor. Tell me about that bear-like man first."

"I thought you would be concerned about my 'little secret' first." The sailor stuffed his steak into his mouth and said vaguely: "The bear-like man should go to Little Skellig Island, where Mr. Easter and King Bran's family are."

House nodded. This was good news. He and his group would also be going to Little Skellig Island later, so it would be on the way.

"I hope your information is accurate. Then tell me your 'little secret'. I want to know what information is so important to us, the people of Cintra?"

"You are from Cintra, right?" The sailor drank the beer, and seeing that House and the others didn't care, he pulled another glass of wine over with a smile, "You are here to seek help against Nilfgaard, right? There is no need to deny it, everyone in Skellige knows it."

"so what?"

"Mr. Easter's desire to return to the throne has become a hot topic. He has many supporters, but also many opponents." The sailor said carelessly, "And the most fiercely opposed one is King Bran's wife, Queen Birna!"

House frowned, he didn't expect to hear such news.

"No offense, but I still want to ask - how did you know this kind of news, and how did you exchange it for steak and wine so carelessly?"

"Ha, this is Skellige, not your inland." The sailor shook his head proudly, "Just this news... everyone in Skellige knows it!"

…

"Everyone in Skellige knows that there is absolutely no chance of success against a behemoth like Nilfgaard," the man said. "What's more, King Bran wants to abdicate in favor of Easter and abandon everything to deal with Nilfgaard. Can you accept this?"

The man who was speaking was tall, strong, bald, and had a big beard, which was in line with the islanders' aesthetic of a "man".

But he was wearing a bearskin cloak and a wolfskin shirt, a sealskin belt, and holding a thick oak staff in his hand - showing his identity as a druid.

Although the druid lineage has always been about practicing both magic and martial arts, the "martial" flavor on this man is a bit too strong. He can even give people a feeling of "blood", "powerful", and even "murderous" just from eye contact.

"Can you accept this?"

The druid repeated his last question. When he said this, he looked up, revealing three parallel battle patterns painted on his face, made of animal blood and elixir pigments.

In front of him was a woman, slender and delicate, forming a sharp contrast with the druid, like the beast and the beauty.

The woman seemed to be provoked by the druid's rough aura and almost wanted to retreat. But then she remembered her identity and straightened her back, but her eyes shifted involuntarily.

"No, I can't accept that."

Birna Bran took a deep breath, suppressed her discomfort, and turned her gaze back to the druid: "I can't accept it. I can't accept that my husband has lost the throne, and I can't accept that my son has lost the life he should have."

[What you cannot accept the most is losing your rights.] The druid added the following words for the queen in his mind, and he couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

But his expression became sincere and confident: "Great, Your Majesty. After talking to you for so long, this is the first time you have expressed your inner thoughts to me so directly. It seems that the people of Cintra have indeed put a lot of pressure on you."

"Just tell me, Artis, what is your plan?" Queen Birna raised her chin and said arrogantly, "Since you want to ask for my help, you should not ask me questions, but help me solve the problems."

"If you satisfy me, I will give the Svalblod sect a piece of land to survive. Maybe it's a mountain, maybe it's an island - it all depends on your performance next."

[What I want is not just an island or a mountain.] Druiditis sneered in his heart again, sneering at the conditions given by the queen.

But his body language and expression still showed a strong ability to confuse people, and he showed just enough excitement: "Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty."

"According to the information you gave me, in three days, His Majesty the King will host a banquet on Little Skellige Island to entertain the people of Cintra and summon the seven major families of the archipelago. I will have my Welka people wear Cintra's armor and assassinate the lords participating in the banquet to provoke conflicts among them."

"Ha, your Velka Berserkers? Even the madman Lugo wouldn't believe such a low-level frame-up."

"Of course not Berserkers, Your Majesty. They are Skellige men at first glance. I will select ordinary Welka warriors to complete this task, but I will select the most delicate and tender ones who look most like mainlanders."

"Oh, then the question arises again: How can ordinary Vilka people sneak into the banquet and complete the assassination mission?"

"To sneak into the banquet, we need your help, Your Majesty. I believe that is not worth mentioning to you." Atis whispered, "As for the assassination mission... they don't need to complete it. They just need to show up, draw their swords, and then die."

The queen nodded in satisfaction. "That sounds good. They are very qualified warriors. But I thought you would be more cautious. After all, I heard that there are not many Welka people left."

Atis lowered his head with a pious expression: "Everything... for my god Svablo!"

…

…

In order to welcome the gathering of the seven major families of Skellige, Lann and his party moved to the island of Little Skellige.

This island is managed by the Tuersek family, where King Easter and King Bran belong. According to their relationship, Lan and his party should have landed here through the portal, and the Tuersek family should have entertained them.

This is what should be done if it was Mossak who opened the portal.

However, the fact is that Lann and his party landed first on the Great Skellige Island ruled by the Clet Family - because it was Yennefer who opened the portal.

So why did Yennefer do this?

"Geralt, where is Yennefer?"

Easter arranged a one-bedroom apartment for Lann that was many times larger than the previous one. At this moment, Lann, the witchers, and his close servants were resting here together.

Kolgrim and Cohen discussed the usage of sigils and sword oil, the servants were standing guard meticulously, and Alice floated out of the possessed scimitar to draw on the side.

Geralt was leaning against the window, enjoying the sea breeze expressionlessly. He glanced at Lann after hearing his question.

"I guess he's talking to Kratz about something. You should know more about the politics between witches and lords than I do."

White Wolf said the truth, but Lann knew it was not the truth.

If I remember correctly, there was a relationship between Yennefer and Kratz. In the process of the White Wolf looking for his daughter in the future, Yennefer fled from the coercion and custody of the sorceress's gathering place, and the place of refuge she teleported to was the Great Skellige Island where Kratz was, and then staged a good show of letting the ex-boyfriend help the current boyfriend.

As a sorceress, Yennefer is now over ninety years old, so it is normal for her to have some romantic past; anyway, White Wolf has had his share of affairs with many women.

Although Geralt and Yennefer have achieved a certain sense of "fate connection" through various bizarre experiences, there are still many twists and turns that cannot be told to outsiders.

However, since Yennefer was invited back by Lann and others to return to Kaer Morhen with Geralt, their relationship has now become much more stable. Geralt can even say that this is the most peaceful time he has spent with Yennefer.

"Geralt." Lann suddenly said sadly, "Do you feel that since Ciri came into being, the relationship between you and Yennefer has become much more harmonious and beautiful?"

White Wolf pretended to be absent-minded while watching the scenery, but his eyes suddenly became fixed: "What are you implying?"

…

While they were talking, the door of the room opened.

The people who came in without knocking or announcing anything could only be Yennefer and Ciri, whom they were talking about just now.

Yennefer walked to the side of the white wolf, crossed her arms, and looked at Geralt with such a straight gaze that he felt uncomfortable and turned his face to the side.

Ciri hugged Lan's arm without any hesitation, and began to sway as she told him where she had been and what she had done that day.

Seeing the White Wolf's hesitant expression, Lann smiled and took the initiative to ask Ciri:

"I remember you went out alone this morning. How did you run into Yennefer on the road? What did you do?"

As expected, Lan saw the white wolf's ears perked up from the corner of his vision.

"Oh, I'm playing with Hjalmar, and Caris is here too!" Ciri didn't notice the changes in the adults around her at all. "I don't know what Yennefer is talking about with Kratz, but they don't seem to be happy. Because when she saw me, she said something like 'Ciri, you must be tired from playing' and forced me to come back."

Ciri glared at Yennefer angrily when she said this: "I haven't seen Hjalmar and the others for a long time. I'm not tired!"

Although the sound was very slight, Lann, who had keen senses, still heard Geralt let out a long sigh of relief.

Then, Geralt began to look at Lann in the same way that Lann had just looked at him.

…

"Halma." Lan repeated what Ciri said.

"Yes, Hjalma." Ciri nodded. "And Caris, we used to play together when we were little, but you seldom came back then..."

Because of the close family relationship, Ciri is also close to Kratz's children. If she really had to choose one to be "closer" to, Ciri would have a better relationship with Hjalmar rather than Caris, who is also a girl.

All this happened because of a childhood farce: when he was a teenager, Hjalmar’s skating speed was so fast in Skellige that even adults couldn’t beat him - until Ciri showed up.

In the skating competition they competed against each other, Hjalmar broke his limbs and left a long scar on his face because he was too eager to succeed. After being scolded by the elders, Ciri stayed by the bedridden Hjalmar's side, reading poems to the seriously injured boy, chatting with him and relieving his boredom.

Yennefer seemed to know this story, and she jokingly told the ending of the story: "It is said that after Hjalmar recovered from his injury, he immediately announced to Kratz that he was engaged to Ciri, and Kratz did give him a bride - a brand new whip."

The sorceress sighed and shook her head, "Poor child, he had just recovered from his serious injuries and was able to walk, but he was beaten and bedridden again."

Ciri was very open when she talked about this matter, but she was a little distressed: "I didn't expect Hjalmar to think about that. How could I possibly agree to his proposal..."

As she spoke, she shook the hand that was holding Lan's arm again, and blinked her big eyes at the dark golden lion's pupils.

At this moment, Lann suddenly felt a tingling sensation.

When he turned around, he saw the witchers sitting at the round table discussing the previous topic without changing their expressions, and the servants were holding their weapons with their eyes straight ahead and doing their duties diligently.

But the perceptive Lann could clearly tell that the communication between the demon hunters was completely incoherent, and the postures of the servants holding their weapons were so awkward that people couldn't help but want to help them adjust them.

It was obvious that they were not doing what they were doing a breath ago.

In the middle of the table, there was a wine glass that was shaking and almost falling over. It was obvious that someone had just made a big move and hit it.

…

Lan En chuckled.

He didn't really care about what happened between Ciri and Hjalma.

Being young and ignorant is one thing, but if we talk about “innocent little kids”, Ciri and I are truly “childhood sweethearts” who have grown up together.

Halma was just Ciri's occasional playmate on vacation. In other words, Lan's childhood sweetheart was better than Halma.

And if you look deeper, Lann is still the most powerful "green plum from heaven"!

Shaking his head, Lann drove out the messy thoughts in his mind. Just as he was about to scold the servants to adjust their posture, there was a knock on the door.

“Boom boom boom—”

"Enter."

The door opened and two young people with reddish-brown hair, a man and a woman, walked in.

"Halma, Caris!" Ciri exclaimed in surprise, "Are you here to see me?"

…

The demon hunters who were chatting suddenly stopped talking, and the expressions on the faces of the servants who were standing guard diligently became more serious.

Halmar's typical rough face showed a sea breeze smile. He was about the same age as Lan, but he had started to grow a beard.

Lann suddenly took a step to the left to block his sight, thought for a while, and asked:

"Halma, I remember that if we go by seniority, I am your...uncle, right?"

The bearded young man was suddenly stunned.

"It seems so... Why do you suddenly bring this up?"

"It's okay, I just haven't been back for a long time, and I want to sort out the relationship between us." Lan En smiled with satisfaction, "What do you want?"

This time Hjalma did not speak again, but Caris stepped forward.

Caris's hair color is very similar to Triss's, but it's not as bright red. A deep, dark brown is the main tone of her hair.

Although she is a woman, she still has the temperament of an islander. She is neatly dressed, wearing a thin cotton coat that covers her body that is usually well-trained. This outfit allows her to get off the boat or go up the mountain at any time without hindering her movements.

In addition, she was wearing a bearskin vest and a bearskin belt, which were said to be taken from the same bear as the bearskin decorations on King Bran, and this bear was hunted by King Bran, Caris and his guards.

Unlike Hjalma who went straight to Ciri, after entering the house, Caris's focus was on Lan.

That’s right. When playing as a child, if Ciri was closer to Hjalma, then Caris was closer to Lann.

"I'm sorry, Ciri. We are here on a 'mission' this time, but it's not for you." Caris smiled and said, "We are looking for Lann."

…

A cliff stands at the junction of the sea and the mountain next to the castle.

In the changing light and shadow of the morning sun, the outline of the cliff was illuminated by soft colors, and even the stones were reflected with silver waves.

Artists or scholars would be delighted to see this place. With the cool sea breeze, the melodious calls of gulls, and the swaying shadows of trees, this would be a good place for retreat.

However, those who truly enjoy such scenery and features are not hermits or scholars.

It was a simple tomb.

A lonely, sad grave.

A lonelier, sadder man stood in front of this grave.

He didn't speak for a long time, until he heard footsteps behind him, then he finally uttered a word.

"I'm sorry... I buried Calanthe here so hastily. I know there is a royal cemetery in Cintra." Easter said, "But the Tursek family doesn't have a cemetery, and we islanders... rarely need graves."

The people of Skellige either died in the sea or were buried in the mountains; but some true warriors, when realizing that their death was approaching, chose to go into the forest alone with a dagger to hunt giant bears, and let glory put an end to their lives.

Hearing what Easter said, Lan stopped three steps away from Easter and folded his wrists at his waist.

"I know this place... My aunt mentioned it before. She likes the scenery here the most." Lan En sighed, "It's been more than a year now, but this is the first time I come to pay homage to my aunt... I really shouldn't do this."

All the sadness in East's body disappeared at a certain moment. He had been sad for too long. It was enough.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Lann. What you do outside is what can truly make my love happy."

Lann bowed his head in silence, mourning for his elders.

After a few breaths, he raised his eyes and said, "Caris said you should wait for me here."

"That's right." Ester nodded. "On the one hand, I want to bring you to see my beloved. After Cintra is recovered, you can move her back and let her sleep with her ancestors."

"On the other hand, people from the other five major families will be coming tomorrow. Do you have any ideas? Do you need me to introduce them to you?"

Lann let out a long breath: "If it's possible, it couldn't be better."