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.
布洛克伐家族领主叫做乌达瑞克。封地是史派克鲁格岛，常年积雪，有着著名的比武竞技场。
迪门家族族长叫做霍格·黑手，占据法罗岛。霍格·黑手的武力高超，但是领地却是最荒凉、最原始的岛。
还有托达洛赫家族，族长名为哈罗德，领地是乌德维克岛，这曾经是仅次于大史凯利格的岛屿，直到这里出现了寒冰巨人——也就是伊斯特想要讨伐的那一头。
以上，就是伊斯特跟兰恩教导的内容，也结合了一些兰恩前世获得的信息。
很杂，人名地名很多，不用刻意去记，反正之后会慢慢介绍。
……
在听到兰恩的回答后，布兰王满意地点头，“我知道这很复杂。史凯利格群岛虽然小，但是错综的关系不会比你们北境简单；听说你的贵族谱系学和纹章学的成绩都不错，我之后会一个一个地给你解释。”
“我先简单地跟你说一下，之后再带你去跟他们认识。”
“海玫的多纳·安·辛达，从他的名字你就能够看出来是我们的亲戚，但是他们家族是虔诚的弗蕾雅女神信徒。如果想要获得他的支持，除了血脉之外，还要看信仰。”
“哈罗德和我们的关系不错，不成问题；霍格·黑手需要你付出一定的代价；乌达瑞克神神叨叨的，但是起码可以交流；我唯一猜不准的是卢戈，他就和他的绰号一样……”
“陛下，你还好吗，我似乎听到你在谈论我？”一个声音插进布兰王和兰恩对话之中，“介意我加入你们之间的谈话中吗？我迫不及待地想要认识这个大名鼎鼎的‘雄狮’啊！”
布兰王还未说完的话这时候才传入兰恩的耳朵中：“他就和他的绰号一样……是个‘疯子’。”
……
听到布兰王的话，疯子卢戈不但不恼怒，反而露出恍若被赞扬的笑，只因为这个绰号是他的敌人给予他的。
看到布兰王略微不悦的眼神，他朝着自己的国王行了一礼，尽到一名臣子的本分。
而在这一礼结束后，他身上短暂的“臣子”气势顿时消失殆尽，转而变成一个水手，乃至于海盗。
“辛特拉的雄狮，对吗？”卢戈的视线迅速在布兰王的身边锁定到兰恩身上，“我听说你想要我的船队，我的水手，我的支援？没有问题！”
他摸了摸自己腰间的匕首，眼睛里面闪出兴奋的光：“和我决斗吧，声名显赫的‘雄狮’！如果你赢了，那就可以获得我的尊重和友谊，我出动多少人手、战利品怎么交割，全都看你在决斗中的表现。”
“可惜宴会不让带斧头，只有匕首这种东西娘娘腔一样的东西——不过我们可以先来一场拳击赛，就当做热身了。”
哦豁？
不远处的寇格林姆听闻后朝着疯子卢卡看过来，蛇瞳闪着危险的光。
而兰恩，一脸认真地陷入沉思。
没想到第一个交流的领主会是疯子卢戈，交流的方式也是这么地突然而且荒谬。
作为一名族长，将家族的命运系在这种恍若儿戏的决斗之中看似荒谬，但是发生在疯子卢戈身上又似乎非常地合理。
疯子卢戈所带领的德拉蒙家族有个令人讨厌的传统——自命不凡却没什么大本事。据说他们原本居住在乌德维克岛，但是后来搬迁到了更为富裕的大史凯利格岛，并且在南部扎根，与克拉茨所在的克莱特家族开启了长达百年的土地矛盾。
到了卢戈这一代，他已经坚持认为是克拉茨偷了他们家族的领土，整个大史凯利格岛应该都归德拉蒙家族所有。直到一场让他的对手激动不已的拳击赛之后，他才不得不碍于个人实力和家族势力的双重弱势而忍气吞声。
兰恩和乐意和这个家伙来一场拳拳到肉的自由搏击。如果对方能够遵守诺言最好，如果不能，就当做是替自己的表兄克拉茨出一口恶气了。
……
布兰王看向兰恩，狮子一般的青年对他露出自信的眼神。
“当然了，卢戈。一场勇士的对决总是激动人心的。”布兰王点头，应允了疯子卢戈的决斗申请。
“不过不是现在。等宴会开始怎么样？这样的战斗应该用来给一场活动带来**，还应该环绕在众人的围观与喝彩之下！”
疯子卢戈裂开嘴角：“遵循您的意志，陛下。”
对于布兰王，再怎么桀骜的领主都有着基本的尊敬，毕竟这是他们推举出来的国王。
这种尊敬也只限于国王，对于他身边的人则是寥寥。
在给兰恩丢下一个挑衅的眼神之后，疯子卢戈舔了舔嘴唇，满脸兴奋地离去。
兰恩比他还要兴奋。
布兰王本身就是大家视线的焦点，大臣们原应该上前一一行礼问候，不过是看着国王似乎在教导晚辈，所以都很有礼貌地为他们留出了空间。
也有观察辛特拉人的意思。
而在看到疯子卢戈上前搭话之后，有心人都开始互相打听发生了什么。
熟知疯子卢戈禀性的人，看到他和兰恩交流的神态就能够把刚刚发生的事情猜得八九不离十了。
他们皆露出了意味不一的期待。
布兰王搂过兰恩走到正对宴会厅大门最靠内的位置，取来一副银杯和小刀，轻轻敲击两下。
“叮，叮叮——”
宴会的主人在召集众人的注意力，国王要讲话了。
这下子所有人的视线都投了过来。
“首先，感谢各位来参加我今天的宴会，希望我们小史凯利格岛的美酒和菜肴能够符合你们的口味。”
豪爽的岛民立刻配合地传来喝彩的声音：
“美味至极，尽兴至极，感谢陛下！”
国王脸上的笑容更加满意。
“群岛没有秘密，我也相信诸位能够猜出来我邀请你们到来是为了什么。但是不管最终的结果怎么样，我都希望这不会损伤群岛的团结，也不希望这中间发生任何有损我们荣耀的事情。”
“现在，让我们一起用一杯美酒开启今天的宴会吧。”
布兰王将手中的牛角杯高举过头顶，发出独属于史凯利格人的战吼：“瑞那鲁格！”
放松、自由的气氛猛然一肃，随后愈发热烈起来。
所有人高举酒杯，用力捶打自己的胸膛：“瑞那鲁格！瑞那鲁格！瑞那鲁格！”
仰头饮尽美酒，布兰王一把将兰恩搂过来，毫不避讳亲昵：“接下来，我要向正式向诸位介绍一个人，一位诸位早有耳闻的勇士……”
……
所有人的视线都集中在布兰王和兰恩身上的时候，只有一个人的在不安地打量周围，与所有人格格不入。
那个人就是王后碧尔娜·布兰。
她的儿子崇拜地看着自己的父亲，以及父亲身边的兰恩；而她自己则小心翼翼地打量着跟随兰恩一起入场的辛特拉护卫。
言语不知道避讳的史凯利格民间有着传言：“英勇的国王，虚荣的王后，懦弱的王子。”
自己的丈夫确实是个英雄，碧尔娜因此才嫁给他；但是碧尔娜不承认自己虚荣，她只是觉得史凯利格人不知礼；她也不觉得自己儿子懦弱，儿子只是格外听自己的话而已，这很好。
儿子只是需要一个机会，成为国王就很不错。因此碧尔娜致力于废除史凯利格的国王选举制度，推行继承制度。
但是现在自己的丈夫居然要主动放弃王位了，这是她不能接受的。
所以这一切的诱因——辛特拉人，必须消失。如果有必要的话，“海上骑士”伊斯特·图尔塞克也要一并消失。
哪个会是堕落德鲁伊亚提斯安排进来的刺客呢？如果是要行动的话，趁着现在所有人的注意都被国王吸引的时候才是最佳时机吧？
还是说要等到所有人都喝醉之后呢？
碧尔娜王后左手抱胸，右手端着一杯陶森特的东之东葡萄酒，优哉游哉地拉着儿子靠近了自己的侍卫——谁知道那令人不安的堕落德鲁伊会不会有什么不该有的想法，自己和儿子的安全才是最重要的。
【会是谁呢？】王后心中暗忖，【那个穿着板甲的侍卫？拿着长弓的女人？还是他们身后的那群侍卫中的一员呢？】
正思考着，碧尔娜突然发现了不对劲的地方。
这些辛特拉人都没有带头盔。
他们就这么多人，彼此之间肯定是熟知的，就算全副武装都说不定可以从细微的习惯动作分辨出敌我，更何况是现在这样面无遮拦的状态？
所以刺客肯定不会在辛特拉人中间。
碧尔娜突然感觉到口中鲜红的葡萄酒泛起血腥味，一股寒气猛然从她的尾椎直冲头顶，蔓延到每一根发梢。
大厅里面是有带着头盔的人的——那就是图尔塞克家族的侍卫们。
事实证明，现在确实是刺客行动的最好时机，因为所有人的注意力都集中在了布兰王的身上。
……
“吼！！”
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.