Castle of the Tursek family on the island of Little Skellig.
In the resting hall that East had prepared for Lann and the others, Lann took off his armor and put on a white robe, a red waist guard and a bearskin waistcoat - this was the attire for the banquet, and also the formal dress for ceremonial occasions such as celebrations.
The most important celebration in recent times will begin soon - Easter's coronation ceremony.
After completing the task of supporting East, he had a rare period of free time. What was Lan going to do during this short period of time before the celebration began?
——He sat down and spread out the [Griffin School Contact Notes]
“Dear teacher, I am writing to you:
I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much. After leaving Kaer Sirens, I went to Kaer Morhen, the headquarters of the Wolf Clan, and met Coen, a senior of the school. He and I hit it off right away and talked a lot about the future of the school. I felt that I had a huge responsibility on my shoulders. At the same time, I reached a consensus with Vesemir, the current mentor of the Wolf Clan, that the entire Wolf Clan would be relocated to Cintra soon. "
Human language translation: I talked with Cohen about the future, but that future is not the future without you, teacher! And the Wolf Clan is coming over as a whole. I am a newcomer to the Griffin School and I revived the Witcher Order, but the majority of people are from the Wolf Clan. Is this reasonable? It's unreasonable! So teacher, come quickly, and it's better to bring Kelda with you!
"Now I am in Skellige, and I was very surprised to meet a fellow from the Bear School. His name is Ged, and like the Cat School Kaiyan I mentioned to you before, he is also an outlier in the school: he has rich emotions and strong strength. Like our predecessor George, he also has the ability to hunt a real dragon alone - although it is a green dragon."
Human language translation: Even the Bear School has appeared now, and they are so powerful, comparable to our school's proud Dragon Slayer George! Counting the Snake School's Reso and the Wolf School's Vesemir, these are all great seniors! And the Griffin School only has two newcomers, me and Coen, to support the scene. How can it be enough? So teacher, come quickly, and it's better to bring Kelda with you!
"At the same time, I found a female night demon in Skellige who came to the continent at the beginning of the celestial conjunction. She revealed a piece of news to me - the celestial conjunction that appeared 1,500 years ago is about to reappear. I mentioned to you in my previous letter that many monsters that were dormant in the past suddenly woke up and became active - such as the ice giants in Skellige. Now the reason has been found. And I think new monsters will appear soon. This is a disaster more terrible than war. I only hope that I can let Cintra survive this upcoming crisis safely, and let the new witcher cult protect the civilians of the continent as much as possible..."
Human language translation: The celestial conjunction is coming! The people need demon hunters again! This is the job of the demon hunter cult, and now is the best time to revive the cult. In this chaotic world, no one can be immune. Do you hear the cries of the civilians in the distance? Can you sit still in Kel Siren? So come quickly, teacher, and it’s best to bring Kelda with you!
…
Although Geron had promised to help Lann in times of crisis, Lann still hoped Geron could stay in Cintra permanently. It was a waste for such a demon hunter master who practiced both magic and martial arts to live in seclusion at the edge of the world.
As for Kaer Siren Castle, it is naturally impossible to abandon it. This base camp, which was transformed from an ancient elven castle, is built on a rare magical place. In the novels of cultivating immortals, it is the so-called "blessed land". Although it is not as good as the elemental ring in Kaer Morhen, which can give demon hunters a complete transformation in a short period of time, it can subtly improve the spellcasting profession.
In Lann's plan, Kell Siren can become the base camp for spellcaster training, where a spellcaster base that is no less powerful than the Oak Ring or the Eltusa School of Magic can definitely be established.
Of course, all this is based on a prerequisite – the mentor comes down the mountain.
…
After writing the letter, Lann gently closed the notebook and put it back into the [Inventory] with a pat of his left hand.
Looking up at the hall, everyone else was also preparing for the ceremony, waiting for notification from the castle steward.
Ciri was there, of course. She had put on the white robe she had always dreamed of and was running around the living room. She seemed to mind the embarrassment of being restricted by the outfit when she was fighting the giant bear, and was now trying to get her body used to the outfit.
Yes, some people were annoyed by Ciri’s “sensible” behavior.
"Our princess is so lively. I believe Cintra's butler will be very pleased to see this." Yennefer leaned against the wall with her arms around her chest, shaking a glass of wine in her left hand. "But Ciri, if you mess up your clothes again, you will have to clean them up in front of the mirror!"
The sorceress was now wearing a black off-shoulder dress with feather-like decorations on the edge of the shoulder straps. An obsidian star-shaped necklace was attached to her distinct collarbone, making the skin and the bulge underneath look like spring snow.
It was obvious that Yennefer was also going to the party, and since she was there, Geralt would also be there.
The wolf-faction witcher also changed into a slightly tight black dress. He looked embarrassed and felt that the sorceress was teasing him.
"You'd better wear a robe or cloak on the outside." Seeing Geralt looking uncomfortable, Lann commented with a chuckle.
Yennefer was very persistent in wanting to wear the banquet dresses worn by the continental nobles with Geralt, which really didn't match the style of Skellige and made the White Wolf very uncomfortable.
When Geralt heard Lann's words, he immediately gave him a look of gratitude.
Also sitting in the room were Kolgrim and Cohen, still wearing their armor, who were obviously not going to attend the banquet. At this moment, they were looking at Geralt with gloating eyes.
Alice no longer possessed Lann's back, but was painting on the canvas in the corner of the hall, clearly inspired. Ciri would run past her from time to time, watching the spirit painting with curiosity.
“Boom boom boom—”
There was a knock on the door.
Apparently the moment Lane had been waiting for had arrived.
After obtaining consent, the butler of the Tursek family pushed the door open, his face full of joy.
"Lord Lannister, Princess Cirilla, our... His Majesty has summoned you two. Several other families are coming, and His Majesty wants to receive their greetings with you two."
At this time, the "Your Majesty" in the Steward's words was no longer King Bran.
Lan nodded, straightened his clothes slightly, and then turned a questioning look to Ciri.
The little princess looked at the hem of her skirt, which was messy from jumping, in distress, and looked at Yennefer with a pleading look, but the sorceress rolled her eyes with disdain.
"Lan En, you go first, I'll sort it out..."
Lann chuckled and shook his head, said hello to everyone in the room, and followed the butler out of the hall.
Ciri watched Lann's back as he left, saw the door of the hall being closed by the servants, and waited for the footsteps of the two to gradually disappear in the corridor.
Her eyes rolled slyly, no longer with the distressed look from before.
Under Yennefer's increasingly ferocious gaze, Ciri jumped quickly a few times and came to Alice's side.
"Alice...Teacher." Ciri called softly.
Alice was originally brought out by Lane as a painting teacher, and art lessons for the princess had already started some time ago.
"I heard you mention before that Lann was going to bring a female Night Demon back to Cintra... Is this true?"
After Ciri's words came out, the hall suddenly became quiet.
It was visibly evident that everyone's ears pricked up.
Even Yennefer turned slightly to look at Ciri. After a brief moment of thought, she smiled in appreciation.
During the time when Lann came back, everyone had heard some rumors about the female night demon. After all, Fetov's apprentice was too unfilial. Even after being beaten, he still wanted to go back to the forest to find Nanomi several times. As a result, the Heavenly Master had to advance the practical course that was originally planned to be taught to the apprentice before traveling on the continent.
The apprentice's screams continued for several days.
All the druids of the Oak Ring now have a negative example when teaching their disciples.
Although Lann had said that "the female Night Stalker will no longer be a problem for Skellige", Geralt and the others knew that Lann was not the type of person who would kill intelligent races at will, and Ged also inadvertently revealed that although the female Night Stalker behaved "carefree", she had a "pure" character.
Then it is easy to guess how Lane handled it.
But when they talked about it, Lane always avoided the topic.
Apart from Lan, Alice was the only one who knew about the Night Demon. But the spirit in the painting was so cold and aloof that even if people heard something about it and were curious, they were too embarrassed to talk to her - especially about this kind of topic.
It is Ciri who has to ask this question.
…
The crowd, who had long been agitated by curiosity, cheered in their hearts.
而听到小公主的问题后，爱丽丝转过头，轻笑一声：“是的，女夜魔，她的名字叫做‘娜诺米’，之后要一起回辛特拉。”
就在画中魂灵话语落下的那一瞬间，大厅内响起了一阵冷气倒抽的声音。
“嘶——”
寇格林姆带着一种满足了的微笑，由衷地赞叹：“不愧是兰恩啊，这么轻易就办到了这种事情”
柯恩也点头敬佩地附和道：“我听说过女夜魔和人类甚至猎魔人过夜，但还是第一次听到能够把女夜魔带回家的。”
杰洛特想说什么，被叶奈法用眼神硬生生按了回去。
希里的表情凝重起来了。
小公主在房间里面转了转，拿起一件熊皮披风盖到了杰洛特肩膀上：“杰洛特，你能用你的猎魔人感官看出兰恩身上有没有多出什么和女夜魔相关痕迹吗？”
白狼愣了愣，颇为好笑地摇头：“那我得先记录下女夜魔身上的信息素才能进行对比。但是你放心吧，我看兰恩身上虽然有多出新的信息素，但是都不算浓郁。他和这些新信息素的携带体都没有如我一般亲密，更不用说是和你了。”
希里满意地眯起了眼睛。随后在白狼愕然的眼神中把披风解下来扔到一边。
她转头向叶奈法：“有没有什么可以让身体快点长大的魔法吗？我想学。”
叶奈法在看到杰洛特肩膀上多出和衣服完全不搭的披风的时候脸都黑了一下，看到披风之后才面色稍霁，温和地回道：“你在做梦，丑丫头。”
……
兰恩跟随着总管到了宴会厅，里面已经满是人了。
伊斯特与上次见面的不同，他的头上已经戴上了一顶颜色深沉的王冠，上面没有任何的宝石或者其他贵重金属的雕琢。据说是图尔塞克家族的铁匠将伊斯特的第一把钢剑融化，铸成了这顶王冠。
铁王冠，非常鲜明的岛民风格。
此刻他好像一个吉祥物一样坐在大厅最显眼的位置，有一搭没一搭地啜饮美酒，等有封臣和领主上前致意的时候便回以问候。显然他已经无聊地不行了，当看到兰恩过来的时候连眼睛都亮了。
“在我曾经的国王生涯里面，这是最令我不想回顾的事情。真没想到我现在还要再经历一遍。”
伊斯特朝着兰恩苦笑道，随后朝青年身后张望了两下：“希里呢？怎么没有跟你一起过来？”
兰恩挠了挠左脸：“她还没准备好，要多花点时间……”
伊斯特摇摇头，感叹一句“这小家伙”之后便把兰恩拉到身边。
恰恰这时候有领主上前向伊斯特问完，还正好是个熟人。
“托尔吉尔叔叔。”伊斯特笑着张开双臂想要和眼前的中年男人拥抱。他须发皆白，却身材壮硕。两个绳结束缚了他长长的胡子，不至于干扰到他挥砍战斗的动作。
“陛下。”托尔吉尔先是朝着伊斯特鞠了一躬，随后才张开双臂和伊斯特抱在一起，互相用力地拍打对方的后背，大笑道，“我真的没想到有生之年还能够第二次这么称呼你。”
伊斯特笑道：“之后出兵的事情，还希望您能够多帮我协调。”
“当然，我早就等不及了。”托尔吉尔用力和伊斯特一碰酒杯，“当初的金塔之城在我的斧头下面哀鸣，还是我带着你、布兰、还有克拉茨他们一起去的呢，尼弗迦德根本没有什么可怕的！”
托尔吉尔哈哈大笑起来，他是图尔塞克家族的长辈，因此和伊斯特说起话来颇无忌惮，“布兰……只是可惜了布兰。说起来，他人呢？”
伊斯特脸色僵了一下，小声道：“碧尔娜出了问题，布兰在处理家事。一会他要回来朝着其他家族的人请罪，还希望您能够多帮忙一起照看一下……”
伊斯特没有说是什么事情，但是托尔吉尔显然猜到了什么，他破口大骂起来：“我早就说过那个女人不适合娶回家当老婆，偏偏布兰那时候被她迷了魂！这小子，这小子！！”
这位长辈闹出来的动静吸引了不少周围的视线，好在他很快就意识到了这一点，调整回来了情绪。和伊斯特简单碰杯、朝着兰恩微微致意之后，他又让开身体：“我要跟你介绍一位勇士，不过想来你早就见过他了。”
是格德，这熊派的猎魔人也穿了一身颇为工整的皮甲长袍，正冲着伊斯特和兰尼斯特咧嘴大笑。
在这种场合由领主介绍给国王，说明托尔吉尔是把格德当做图尔塞克家族的自己人来看待了，属于临危都能够托孤的那种绝对心腹。如果托尔吉尔有什么女性的家族晚辈之类的，可能都要撮合和格德之间的婚姻了。
简单寒暄之后，托尔吉尔带着格德离开，伊斯特则对着兰恩小声讨论：“听说你之前招揽格德，但是他不愿意跟你回辛特拉？”
兰恩遗憾地点头：“他厌倦了刀尖舔血的生活，似乎想要退休了。”
伊斯特叹息一声：“我和杰洛特很熟，知道常规猎魔人的生活总是充满了悲哀。格德是一个真正的勇士，这样的结局对他来说似乎也不错……但是如果你真的对他执著的话，我之后可以想办法让他参与到战斗之中来。”
以国王的身份下令让托尔吉尔出兵，作为心腹和战友的格德能够不跟着吗？
但是兰恩考虑了一下这个诱人的想法，还是摇了摇头。
“我再想想吧……”
伊斯特点头，随后指了指大厅里面的几个角落。
“另外几个家族的人基本也都来了，一会他们也要过来跟我打招呼。你就站在我的身后，在我和他们问好之后，你也和他们聊几句。”
兰恩自无不可地应下，随后好奇地问道：“您跟他们谈论过出兵的事情了吗？”
谈到这个话题，伊斯特脸上终于露出了满意的微笑：“剿灭斯瓦勃洛教派是足够写进史书里面的功绩，各大家族这回再没有推脱的理由，都同意出兵了。”
兰恩也不由地被伊斯特的笑容感染：“太好了！”
即将登基的史凯利格国王拍了拍辛特拉公爵的肩膀，说道：“不过我还是打算去安抚一下中立的两个家族——布洛克伐家族的乌达瑞克，还有托达洛赫家族的哈罗德。因为我的声望而服从我出兵，和发自内心地支持我主动出兵，两者之间还是有差距的。”
兰恩点头，在下面觥筹交错的人群中搜索着两个中立家族的领主。
乌达瑞克族长那张仿佛磕多了麻药粉的脸很快就被兰恩捕捉到了。如果兰恩前世记忆没有出错的话，乌达瑞克这张好似纵欲过度加磕错了药的脸之所以会呈现出今天这般的样貌，可不是因为什么生活的坏习惯，而是因为他被恶灵缠身。
但是乌达瑞克没有去寻求帮助，因为其中牵扯到了大家族的一些狗血辛秘。
兰恩露出了沉思的表情，随后对伊斯特说道：“乌达瑞克这边交给我处理吧，我大概知道该怎么让他欠我们的人情，获得他百分之百的支持。”
伊斯特闻言露出了感兴趣的神色：“你比我这个史凯利格国王还要了解史凯利格的族长？这也是你那上古之血带来的能力吗？”
兰恩笑而不语，举杯和伊斯特微微碰了一下。
“但是我似乎没有见到托达洛赫家族的哈罗德领主，他还没有来吗？”
兰恩的视线在场中扫视，始终没有见到在之前的宴会中有过一面之缘的大胡子，托达洛赫家族是铁匠世家和造船世家，远比一般的史凯利格人壮硕，原本应该非常引人注目才对。
他反而在人群里面发现了茱塔·安·迪门。这名铁娘子已经穿上了一身考究的礼服，身后有护卫跟随，显然已经成功继承了族长的位置。
在看到兰恩的视线之后，她那对其他男人不苟言笑的脸上突然出现了表情，眼睛快速眨了几下，投射出难言的情感来。
兰恩赶忙拉出一个符合社交礼仪的微笑，微微点头之后立刻挪开视线打量四周——幸好希里还没有跟过来，不然估计又要解释半天。
听到兰恩对于哈罗德领主没有出现的疑惑，伊斯特解释道：“他所在的岛屿离我们不近，可能现在还在路上吧。他对于群岛的集体事务一向不怎么上心，他的家族也从没有参加过国王的竞选，想要获得他的友谊基本只能够靠私交了。”
兰恩若有所思地点点头。
……
陆陆续续地不断有领主和封臣朝着伊斯特走过来，向着新国王致以真挚的问候。一些曾经追随伊斯特成为上上任国王的老臣还格外唏嘘，向着伊斯特倾诉自己的思念之情，并且表示自己之后一定会竭尽全力追随他对抗尼弗迦德。
Easter thanked them sincerely, then pulled Lan forward and introduced him to his followers as if he were his own son, asking them to greet each other.
The atmosphere of harmony between the king and his subjects ended with the arrival of Bran.
It's "Bran," not "King Bran."
This typical archipelago man was dressed no differently from before - except that he no longer had a crown on his head.
His mental state was not very good. His brows were furrowed and he seemed to be full of worries. This was unreasonable for a father whose son had just recovered from a serious illness. He should be overjoyed.
Not only Bran, but also Svanregi who was following behind him had an ugly look on his face, and even a stronger sense of despair.
This scene made everyone whisper: Could it be that at this point, "King" Bran regrets abdicating and does not want to hand over power to his brother?
And upon seeing this, Easter simply sighed, strode forward under the gaze of everyone, and gave his brother a full hug.
After the two whispered for a while, Bran shook his head gently at Easter, and Easter sighed again.
Then Bran walked to the center of the banquet and looked around. It was obvious that he had something to say, so the discussions of the people around him immediately subsided, looking at this king who was once highly respected and united everyone's trust.
"I don't need to tell you why we are all gathered here today." Bran spread his hands in the direction of Easter. "For my brother to regain the throne, the former 'Knight of the Sea', the future 'King of the Isles'."
Someone nearby immediately shouted, "Easter! Fire on the sea!"
"Hail! The leader who destroyed the evil god!"
"The absolute warrior who tamed the berserker!"
The person praising his brother brought a fleeting smile to Bran's face.
He looked at the crowd and found that among those cheering were Kratz, Dona from the Hewen family, and Jutta from the Dimen family. Although the madman Lugo from the Drummond family tried his best to hold his face tight, his excitement could be seen from his clenched hands.
Bran had long been accustomed to the half-dead appearance of Udavik of the Brokwal family.
But Bran frowned when he saw Harold of the Toddaloch family missing. If not all the people were there, what he was going to say later might have to be discounted.