Lan looked at himself in the mirror.
Although he was going to attend a banquet, he was wearing simple leather armor with a white robe on the outside, a blue waist guard and deerskin belt, and a black bear fur vest on his shoulders.
He no longer carried two swords on his back, but only a long dagger with a lion's head as the handle tied around his waist.
This was an awkward outfit, not fitting with Lann's knightly attire for fighting on horseback, nor with the fighting style of the Griffin School's demon hunters.
But this is indeed the dress I will prepare for the banquet later.
The Skelligers don't like fancy silks, and they dress for banquets as if they were going to the battlefield. For them, banquets are places to enjoy meat, wine, and even fists, and indulging themselves is the first priority. Those who wear women's clothes that are too awkward to move will be laughed at by them.
But later, the islanders, who were too full of martial virtues, found that it was too easy to cause a big noise by attending the banquet with axes and wearing iron armor. The drunken idiots themselves didn't know where their weapons would fly in the next second.
So they made concessions: only wearing leather armor and daggers, and adding some decorations according to their own preferences. In this way, if they go crazy, the guards beside them can hold them down in time.
This style of banquet is very different from that of the mainland, but Cintra has the old Skellige druid Mossak as an advisor, and the thoughtful old butler Ens has already made preparations for Lann to avoid impoliteness.
Milva helped Lann adjust his collar, then walked out of the room contentedly, picked up her beloved longbow and prepared to follow as a guard.
Then Ciri came running in, looked at Lan, and helped him straighten his collar which was messed up by Milva.
"How come you can't even put on your clothes by yourself now? Was it the same when you were fighting outside?"
Lann sighed and avoided the topic: "Let's go, don't keep the lords waiting for too long."
…
The banquet had already begun, and the entrance of Lann and his party attracted a lot of attention, but everyone was just watching coldly and no one took the initiative to come forward and talk to them.
Or perhaps they were waiting for King Bran to take the initiative to introduce this young man who had a great reputation but needed a favor from him.
Knowing that the etiquette templates he had learned before would not be useful in Skellige, Lan showed his truest side. He no longer wore a decent smile that might cause disgust among the islanders, but instead scanned the banquet scene with his lion eyes slightly narrowed with an expressionless face.
He is looking for his purpose.
In addition to the seven major families, there were also many vassal states, heirs, and warriors they admired who came with them. Therefore, the entire banquet did not look like the royal family's reception room, but rather a neatly decorated buffet restaurant.
Almost no one was sitting. Everyone was walking and running around freely, choosing their favorite seafood, bread, and drinks from the dining tables that could be seen everywhere, and laughing wildly from time to time.
Lann even saw the place where the table was originally placed was cleared aside by a few men, and a circle of people gathered to start a boxing match, all because of doubts about a hunt.
"House."
Lann whispered, and the sword attendant strode forward in response.
"Where is the lord you told me about before, the one who might have taken in the witcher."
"Sir, he is..."
The sword servant followed Lann and scanned the crowd. Just as he was about to answer the lord's question, a familiar laugh interrupted their conversation.
"Lane!"
King Bran was standing behind him, and when Lann turned around, he patted his shoulder with his right hand, treating him affectionately as if he were his own son or nephew.
House bowed his head and saluted the king, then turned aside at Lann's signal.
King Bran was accompanied by a graceful lady and a gentle young man. After seeing Lann, the young man smiled friendly.
"This is my wife and my son. They were not in the castle a few days ago, so I was unable to introduce them to you."
Lann bowed to King Bran's wife, Birna Bran, as a junior.
The queen was the only one who could give Lan a "familiar feeling of nobility". She wore a black dress embellished with diamonds, pearl necklaces sewn on the lapels and draped over her chest, her long hair was meticulously braided into a whip and tied into a bun behind her head, and she exuded the smell of some kind of perfume produced in Nilfgaard.
It was hard to find fault with her manners, for as she walked the hem of her skirt swayed neatly and regularly like the waves of the ocean.
In response to Lan's greeting, she gave a proper and distant smile.
"Long time no see, Lann, Ciri."
Lan had no impression of her, but Ciri greeted her with a courtesy that was no less polite than Birna's.
…
As for the other young man, Svanrigi an Tursek, he was much more straightforward. He went forward to hug Lan enthusiastically, and humorously performed chivalrous etiquette on Ciri, which made the little girl giggle.
"You should get closer to each other, Svanrej, just like the two children of Kratz. The future belongs to you young people. Only when you unite can you defeat the powerful enemy."
Before her son could respond to his father's instructions, Queen Birna suddenly said, "As long as we are on the island and on the sea, we have no enemies in Skellige."
King Bran frowned slightly, looked at his embarrassed son and shook his head.
He strode forward, away from his wife and closer to Lane.
With his left hand around the shoulders of the golden-haired, lion-eyed duke and his right hand on the little princess's head, King Bran slowly led them towards the banquet.
"I just saw you seem to be talking to your servant. Did I disturb you?"
"Not really. In fact, I may need your help."
Lan raised his chin slightly. With his height, he was still half a head shorter than King Bran.
"I'm looking for Lord Torgeir. My servant has received news that a warrior I really want to make friends with is currently serving him. I want to use him as a bridge to get to know that warrior."
"Anyone who can be praised like this by you, Lan, must be a true warrior!"
King Bran laughed loudly, searched the crowd for a while, and pointed at a middle-aged man with white hair and beard. The man had a long beard tied together with two knots. He was watching a boxing match in a corner of the hall and was one of the people cheering the loudest.
"That's Thorgil, nicknamed 'Blood Red'. He was a very brave sea warrior when he was young." Bran agreed. "In terms of relationship, he is also a member of our Tuersek family and my elder, but now he has been separated. If you want to meet him, I can introduce him to you."
"That's great." Lann smiled sincerely.
…
His gaze followed the direction of King Bran, but he no longer looked at the blood-red Thorgil he was looking for, but noticed the two boxers who were being watched.
It was more of a beating than a boxing match. A boxer who was obviously taller and stronger than his opponent was throwing punches one after another, while his opponent kept retreating. The sound of flesh hitting flesh left no doubt in the listener's mind - even if his arms were blocking, he would definitely be injured under such heavy punches.
In fact, his opponent could barely lift his arms, but Lane suspected that the big man was holding back.
From the shouts of the onlookers, it can be heard that this warrior, who has clearly suppressed his opponents, seems to have defeated several challengers in succession.
Lane couldn't see his face because the boxer had his back to him.
He was just about to go forward and make friends, but King Bran's arm on his shoulder began to exert force and forcibly turned his body in another direction.
"As long as I'm here, Thorgil can go and meet him anytime."
"But the people from the other five major families have already arrived. It's rare to get them all together at once like today. I think it would be better for you to go and greet them first."
Lan thought about it and felt that this sentence made sense. Things still need to be prioritized.
"I think East should have introduced them to you in detail, about their respective characteristics and positions?"
Lan nodded.
…
Skellige consists of six islands and seven houses.
The strongest family at present is naturally the Tursek family, which has the current king and the former king. Their territory is the Little Skellig Island, which has the most beautiful scenery, the most delicious food, and the best shipbuilders in the archipelago.
Next is the Clete, where Kratz is from. This is also a family that often has kings. They and another family share the Great Skellig Island, which is the largest island in the archipelago, with the most prosperous port and the most densely populated.
These two companies basically account for half of Skellige's power and are also Lann's most solid backing in the archipelago.
Next is the Sea-Rose family, whose current leader is Dona an Sindar, a respected elder. Their territory is the island of Indarsfair, the birthplace of the cult of Freya, the goddess of fertility, love, beauty and harvest.
The remaining family forces are basically the same.
The patriarch of the Drummond family, nicknamed "The Madman", was named Lugo and occupied the southern part of the Great Skellig Island.
The Lord of the Brokvar Family is called Udarek. His fiefdom is the island of Spiekeroog, which is covered with snow all year round and has a famous tournament arena.
The head of the Dimen family is called Hog Blackhand, who occupies Faroe Island. Hog Blackhand has superb military power, but his territory is the most desolate and primitive island.
There is also the Todaloch family, whose patriarch is named Harold. Their territory is the island of Undvik, which was once the second largest island after Great Skellige until the ice giants appeared here - the one that Easter wanted to defeat.
The above is what East taught Lan, combined with some information Lan obtained in his previous life.
It's very mixed, with a lot of names of people and places. You don't need to remember them deliberately, as they will be introduced slowly later.
…
After hearing Lann's answer, King Bran nodded with satisfaction. "I know this is complicated. Although the Skellige Islands are small, the intricate relationships are no simpler than those in your northern territories. I heard that you have good grades in noble genealogy and heraldry. I will explain them to you one by one later."
"I'll briefly tell you about it first, and then I'll take you to meet them."
"Donaan Sinda of Haimei, you can tell from his name that he is our relative, but his family is a devout believer of the goddess Freya. If you want to gain his support, in addition to blood, you also need to look at faith."
"Harold has a good relationship with us, so there is no problem. Hogg Blackhand will require you to pay a certain price. Udarek is mysterious, but at least we can communicate. The only one I am not sure about is Lugo, he is just like his nickname..."
"Your Majesty, are you okay? I seem to hear you talking about me?" A voice interrupted the conversation between King Bran and Lann, "Do you mind if I join in your conversation? I can't wait to meet this famous 'Lion'!"
King Bran's unfinished words reached Lann's ears at this time: "He is just like his nickname... a 'madman'."
…
Hearing King Bran's words, Mad Lugo was not angry. Instead, he smiled as if he was praised, just because this nickname was given to him by his enemy.
Seeing King Bran's slightly displeased look, he bowed to his king, fulfilling his duty as a subject.
After this ceremony, his brief aura of a "subject" disappeared completely, and he turned into a sailor, or even a pirate.
"The Lion of Cintra, right?" Lugo's eyes quickly locked onto Lann beside King Bran, "I heard you want my fleet, my sailors, my support? No problem!"
He touched the dagger at his waist, his eyes flashing with excitement: "Duel with me, the famous 'Lion'! If you win, you will gain my respect and friendship. How many men I will send out and how the spoils will be delivered all depend on your performance in the duel."
"Too bad we're not allowed to bring axes to the party, only sissy things like daggers - but we can have a boxing match first, just as a warm-up."
Oh no?
After hearing this, Kolgrim, who was not far away, looked towards the madman Luca, his snake eyes flashing dangerously.
And Lann was lost in thought with a serious look on his face.
I didn’t expect that the first lord to communicate would be the madman Lugo, and the way of communication was so sudden and ridiculous.
As a patriarch, it seems absurd to tie the fate of the family to such a child's play duel, but it seems very reasonable when it happens to the madman Lugo.
The Drummond family led by Lugo the Mad had an annoying tradition - they were pretentious but had no real ability. It was said that they originally lived on the island of Udvik, but later moved to the more affluent island of Great Skellige and took root in the south, starting a century-long land conflict with the Clet family of Kratz.
By Lugo's generation, he had already insisted that it was Kratz who stole their family's territory, and the entire Great Skellige Island should belong to the Drummond family. It was not until a boxing match that excited his opponent that he had to swallow his anger due to the dual weakness of personal strength and family power.
Lannhe was willing to have a fistfight with this guy. If the other party could keep his promise, that would be the best. If not, he would just take it as a way to vent his anger for his cousin Kratz.
…
King Bran looked at Lann, and the lion-like young man gave him a confident look.
"Of course, Lugo. A duel between warriors is always exciting." King Bran nodded and agreed to the madman Lugo's request for a duel.
"But not now. How about waiting until the banquet starts? Such a fight should be used to bring excitement to an event, and should be surrounded by the crowd's onlookers and cheers!"
Madman Lugo cracked his lips: "Follow your will, Your Majesty."
No matter how unruly the lords are, they all have basic respect for King Bran. After all, he is the king they elected.
This kind of respect is only limited to the king, and is rarely shown to those around him.
After giving Lann a provocative look, the madman Lugo licked his lips and left with excitement on his face.
Lan was even more excited than him.
King Bran himself was the focus of everyone's attention. The ministers should have stepped forward to greet him one by one, but as the king seemed to be teaching the younger generation, they politely left space for them.
It also means observing the people of Sintra.
After seeing the madman Lugo come forward to talk, everyone who was interested began to ask each other what had happened.
Anyone who is familiar with the character of the madman Lugo can guess what just happened by looking at the way he communicates with Lan.
They all showed different expectations.
King Bran took Lann in his arms and walked to the innermost position facing the banquet hall door. He took out a pair of silver cups and a knife and knocked them gently twice.
“Ding, ding ding——”
The host of the banquet was calling everyone's attention; the king was about to speak.
Now everyone's eyes were turned over.
"First of all, thank you all for coming to my banquet today. I hope the wine and dishes from our Little Skellig Island will suit your taste."
The generous islanders immediately cheered in unison:
"It was delicious and I enjoyed it very much. Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The smile on the king's face became even more satisfied.
"There are no secrets in the archipelago, and I believe you can guess why I invited you here. But no matter what the final result is, I hope it will not damage the unity of the archipelago, and I don't want anything to happen that will damage our glory."
"Now, let's start today's banquet with a glass of good wine."
King Bran raised the horn cup in his hand above his head and uttered the unique battle cry of the Skellige people: "Renalug!"
The relaxed and free atmosphere suddenly became serious, and then became more heated.
Everyone raised their glasses and beat their chests hard: "Rena Lug! Rena Lug! Rena Lug!"
After drinking the wine, King Bran embraced Lann and said in a friendly way: "Next, I would like to formally introduce a man to you, a warrior you have heard of..."
…
When everyone's eyes were focused on King Bran and Lann, there was only one person who was looking around uneasily, standing out from everyone else.
That person was Queen Birna Bran.
Her son looked at his father and Lann beside him in admiration; while she herself carefully looked at the Cintra guards who entered with Lann.
The folks of Skellige, who do not know how to be reserved in their words, have a rumor going around: "A brave king, a vain queen, and a cowardly prince."
Her husband was indeed a hero, and that was why Birna married him; but Birna did not admit that she was vain, she just thought that the people of Skellige were rude; she did not think that her son was cowardly, she just listened to her more, which was good.
Her son just needed a chance, and becoming king would be great. Therefore, Birna was committed to abolishing the king election system in Skellige and promoting the inheritance system.
But now her husband is actually going to give up the throne on his own initiative, which she cannot accept.
Therefore, the cause of all this, the people of Cintria, must disappear. If necessary, the "Sea Knight" Ester Tursek must also disappear as well.
Who could be the assassin sent by the fallen druid Artis? If he was going to act, wouldn't it be the best time to take advantage of the moment when everyone's attention was drawn to the king?
Or should we wait until everyone is drunk?
Queen Birna crossed her chest with her left arm, holding a glass of Toussaint's East of East wine in her right hand, and leisurely pulled her son towards her guards - who knew whether the disturbing fallen druid would have any inappropriate thoughts, the safety of herself and her son was the most important thing.
[Who could it be?] The queen thought to herself, [The guard in plate armor? The woman with the longbow? Or one of the guards behind them?]
As she was thinking, Birna suddenly found something wrong.
None of these Cintrians wore helmets.
There are only so many of them, and they must be familiar with each other. Even if they are fully armed, they might be able to distinguish friend from foe from subtle habitual movements, let alone in their current exposed state?
So the assassins definitely wouldn't be among the people of Cintra.
Birna suddenly felt a bloody taste in the bright red wine in her mouth, and a chill suddenly rushed from her tailbone to the top of her head and spread to every hair tip.
There were people wearing helmets in the hall - they were the guards of the Tursek family.
It turns out that now is indeed the best time for the assassin to take action, because everyone's attention is focused on King Bran.
…
"roar!!"
A deafening beast roar interrupted King Bran's introduction and completely drained Birna's energy.
That was the roar of an animal that every Skellige person was extremely familiar with, a top predator that even organized exploration teams had to avoid.
The Skellige Bear.
"roar!!"
The guard behind him suddenly roared at him, followed by a panicked and short scream.
A strong fishy smell enveloped Birna, and a thicker, stickier liquid of the same color as the wine in her glass suddenly splashed all over her.
She trembled and looked down, only to see blood flowing over her lambskin high heels and soaking through her velvet skirt.
A black shadow that was countless times bigger than her pounced towards her, but her confused thoughts disrupted her actions and she stood there in a daze.
"Mother!"
A young and resolute voice came into Birna's ears, and then she felt a strong force, and she was picked up by a familiar pair of arms and flew out.
That was her son with King Bran, the one she had tried so hard to break the original intention of the Skellige king election system, her pride - Svanrige an Tursek.
But then, Birna felt that the direction of her flying in mid-air suddenly changed, and an even more irresistible force acted on her.
That was the force of the giant bear hitting his son.
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