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.
After hearing the little princess' question, Alice turned around and chuckled, "Yes, the female night demon. Her name is 'Nanomi'. We will return to Cintra together later."
At the moment when the soul in the painting finished speaking, a sound of cold air was heard in the hall.
"hiss--"
Kolgrim smiled with satisfaction and praised sincerely: "As expected of Lan, you can do this so easily."
Cohen nodded in admiration and agreed, "I've heard of female night demons spending the night with humans and even demon hunters, but this is the first time I've heard of someone being able to bring a female night demon home."
Geralt wanted to say something, but Yennefer's eyes silenced him.
Ciri’s expression became serious.
The little princess walked around the room, picked up a bearskin cloak and covered Geralt's shoulders with it. "Geralt, can you use your witcher senses to see if there are any more traces of female demons on Lann?"
White Wolf was stunned for a moment, then shook his head with amusement: "Then I have to record the pheromones on the female Night Demon before I can compare them. But don't worry, I see that although there are many new pheromones on Lann's body, they are not very strong. He is not as close to the carriers of these new pheromones as I am, let alone with you."
Ciri narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, and then took off her cloak and threw it aside in the stunned eyes of the White Wolf.
She turned to Yennefer and said, "Is there any magic that can make the body grow faster? I want to learn it."
Yennefer's face darkened when she saw the cloak on Geralt's shoulders that didn't match his clothes at all. After seeing the cloak, her face lightened up a little and she replied gently, "You're dreaming, ugly girl."
…
Lann followed the butler to the banquet hall, which was already full of people.
Unlike the last time we met, Easter was wearing a dark crown on his head without any gemstones or other precious metal carvings. It was said that the blacksmith of the Tursek family melted Easter's first steel sword and cast it into this crown.
Iron Crown, a very distinctive Islander style.
At this moment, he sat in the most conspicuous position in the hall like a mascot, sipping wine from time to time, and returning greetings when vassals and lords came forward to greet him. Obviously, he was bored to death, and his eyes lit up when he saw Lan En coming over.
"This is the last thing I want to look back on in my career as a King. I never thought I would have to go through it again."
East smiled bitterly at Lan, then looked behind the young man twice: "Where's Ciri? Why didn't she come with you?"
Lan scratched his left cheek: "She's not ready yet, it will take some time..."
Easter shook his head, sighed "this little guy", and then pulled Lan to his side.
Just at this time, a lord came forward to ask Easter a question, and it happened to be an acquaintance.
"Uncle Thorgil." East smiled and opened his arms to hug the middle-aged man in front of him. He had white hair and beard, but a strong body. Two knots bound his long beard so as not to interfere with his swinging and fighting movements.
"Your Majesty." Thorgil bowed to East first, then opened his arms and hugged East, patting each other on the back and laughing, "I really didn't expect that I would be able to call you this for the second time in my lifetime."
East smiled and said, "I hope you can help me coordinate the future military deployment."
"Of course, I can't wait any longer." Thorgeir clinked his glasses with Easter's. "The Golden Tower City wailed under my axe, but I took you, Bran, and Kratz with me. There is nothing to be afraid of in Nilfgaard!"
Thorgil laughed. He was an elder of the Tuersek family, so he spoke to Easter without restraint. "Bran... it's a pity for Bran. By the way, where are the others?"
Easter's face froze for a moment, and he whispered, "Something happened to Birna, and Bran is dealing with family affairs. He will come back to apologize to other family members soon, and I hope you can help take care of her..."
Easter didn't say what it was, but Thorgil obviously guessed something. He cursed: "I've said long ago that woman is not suitable to be married home, but Bran was bewitched by her at that time! This brat, this brat! "
The noise made by this elder attracted a lot of attention from the surroundings, but fortunately he quickly realized this and adjusted his mood. After simply clinking glasses with Easter and greeting Lan, he stepped aside again and said, "I want to introduce a warrior to you, but I think you have already met him."
It was Ged, the bear-faction witcher, also wearing a rather neat leather robe, grinning at Easter and Lannister.
Being introduced to the king by the lord in such an occasion shows that Thorgil regards Gerd as one of the Tursek family's own, and he is the kind of absolute confidant who can be entrusted with his care in times of crisis. If Thorgil has any female family members, he may arrange a marriage between them and Gerd.
After a brief greeting, Thorgil took Gerd away, while East whispered to Lann, "I heard that you tried to recruit Gerd before, but he didn't want to go back to Cintra with you?"
Lan nodded regretfully: "He is tired of the life of licking blood on the edge of a knife, and seems to want to retire."
Easter sighed, "I know Geralt well enough to know that the life of a regular demon hunter is always full of sorrow. Gerd is a true warrior, and this ending seems good for him... But if you are really obsessed with him, I can find a way to get him involved in the battle later."
As the king, he ordered Thorgeir to send troops. As his confidant and comrade-in-arms, could Gerd not follow him?
But Lane considered the tempting idea and shook his head.
"Let me think about it..."
Easter nodded, then pointed to several corners in the hall.
"People from the other families are basically here too, and they will come over to say hello to me soon. You just stand behind me, and after I say hello to them, you can chat with them as well."
Lann agreed without hesitation, and then asked curiously: "Have you discussed the matter of sending troops with them?"
Talking about this topic, Easter finally showed a satisfied smile on his face: "Eradication of the Svalblod sect is an achievement that is enough to be written into history books. The major families have no reason to refuse this time and have all agreed to send troops."
Lann couldn't help but be infected by East's smile: "That's great!"
The soon-to-be-crowned King of Skellige patted the Duke of Cintra on the shoulder and said, "But I still plan to appease the two neutral families - Udarek of the Brokvar family and Harold of the Todaloch family. There is still a gap between obeying my orders because of my reputation and supporting me from the bottom of my heart to take the initiative to send troops."
Lan nodded and searched for the lords of the two neutral families among the crowd of people toasting below.
Lann quickly caught sight of Chief Udarek's face, which looked like he had taken too much anesthetic powder. If Lann's memory of his previous life was correct, the reason why Udarek's face, which looked like he had overindulged in sex and taken the wrong drugs, looked like this today was not because of any bad habits in life, but because he was haunted by an evil spirit.
But Udarek did not seek help because it involved some bloody secrets of the big family.
Lann showed a thoughtful expression, and then said to East: "Leave Udarek to me. I know roughly how to make him owe us a favor and gain his 100% support."
Easter showed an interested look when he heard this: "You know the chieftain of Skellige better than I, the king of Skellige? Is this also the ability brought by your ancient blood?"
Lan smiled without saying anything, raised his glass and clinked it with Easter's.
"But I don't seem to have seen Lord Harold of the Todaloch family. Hasn't he arrived yet?"
Lann scanned the room, but he didn't see the bearded man whom he had met at the previous banquet. The Todaloch family was a family of blacksmiths and shipbuilders, and they were much stronger than the average Skelliger. They should have been very eye-catching.
Instead, he found Jutta Ann Dimen in the crowd. The Iron Lady was already wearing an exquisite dress, followed by guards, and had obviously successfully inherited the position of the clan leader.
After seeing Lan's gaze, an expression suddenly appeared on her face, which was serious towards other men. She blinked quickly several times, projecting unspeakable emotions.
Lann quickly put on a smile that conformed to social etiquette, nodded slightly, and immediately looked away to look around - fortunately Ciri hadn't followed him yet, otherwise he would have to explain for a long time.
Hearing Lann's confusion about Lord Harold's absence, Easter explained, "The island he's on isn't close to us, so he might still be on the way. He's never been very concerned about the collective affairs of the archipelago, and his family has never participated in the king's election. If you want to gain his friendship, you can only rely on personal connections."
Lan nodded thoughtfully.
…
Lords and vassals came to Ester one after another, and extended sincere greetings to the new king. Some old ministers who had followed Ester to become the previous king were particularly moved, and expressed their longing for Ester, and said that they would do their best to follow him to fight against Nilfgaard.
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.
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