Neither the southerners nor the northerners quite understood His Majesty Lann's obsession with demon hunting and his preference for the demon hunter community.
Well, it's true that His Majesty Lann is a demon hunter himself. But judging from the wisdom that His Majesty Lann has always shown, he shouldn't be someone who makes absurd decisions for personal reasons.
When he was the commander-in-chief of the North, he used the terms of war to improve the status of the witchers in the entire North, and secured "Witcher Stations" as a place for the witchers to stay in every country, even a tiny country the size of a city.
In the process of pacifying the south, His Majesty Lann even regarded "dispatching demon hunters" as a measure of equal status with "stabilizing the people's hearts", which left some generals in the army puzzled.
But what happened next once again proved His Majesty Lan's foresight.
A new round of celestial sphere conjunction has begun.
Countries and cities with demon hunters stationed there were in turmoil for a while, but the situation was soon calmed down. Leaders of various countries found that even if the demon hunters themselves could not solve the problem, they could still get more senior demon hunter instructors, senior warlocks, or even His Majesty Lann to come in person.
For the first time, they took the witcher seriously.
At that time, the south had not yet been completely unified, and many independent provinces were devastated by the new monsters. In the end, they hurriedly recognized the legitimate rule of Queen Cirilla, hoping to be incorporated into the radiation zone of the Demon Hunter Order as soon as possible and obtain support.
After setting some restrictions, His Majesty Lan readily accepted it.
Today, Lann has not yet truly become emperor, but he has already spread the demon hunters to every corner of his rule.
Even though they received support and gained tangible benefits, it was still difficult for the nobles to understand Lann's actions.
But the common people began to pray and praise Lan.
…
Toussaint, the fairy-tale country, is also the southern country closest to the north, almost directly bordering Sintra.
Due to certain political considerations, Lann plans to set up a new branch for the Witcher Order and build a new castle.
Geralt gave a reference opinion on the location of the new castle: Toussaint.
This is the place with the best wine, the friendliest atmosphere for witchers in the old days, and the most neutral position in the Civil War.
Most importantly - after the generous sacrifice of the great poet Dandelion, the ruler of Toussaint, Duchess Anna, was willing to offer her own land to host this great and selfless group of witchers.
Since then, Toussaint has had the largest witcher castle in the entire continent, becoming the second core of the witcher cult besides the Cintra headquarters.
If any country has any large commission, they often choose to come here to meet with the church's external spokesperson.
The new Demon Hunter Conference is also held here.
…
At the round table, all members of the "Monster Hunter Council" were present, with two new faces.
One of them sat next to Gede from the Bear Faction. This demon hunter had short white hair, war marks on his face, and a pair of axes on his waist in addition to his two swords.
Although he was smaller than Gede and Reso, he was still much stronger than the others.
Another demon hunter sat alone at a corner of the conference table, without any companions from his classmates. In addition to his two swords, he also had a silver-inlaid round shield on his back.
The two newcomers didn't talk much, but the old witchers were chatting animatedly.
"I met a guy dressed very strangely. I think he fell from another world where the celestial spheres meet." Kolgrim said mysteriously, "That guy has arms and eyes made of iron! There are also blood vessels made of copper and silver wires in his body!"
"Oh?" Kelda showed an interested look, "Did you learn about the customs of the other world from him?"
"No, that unlucky guy had to rush into the evil ghost's lair for some reason. When I found him, only fragments were left."
Kolgrim shrugged. "I did find a diary from the body. It was written in some local language and other incomprehensible words."
Kelda, who loves research, immediately said, "Let me see it!"
Kolgrim had no objection. After groping for a while, he took out a notebook from his pocket, which immediately attracted the attention of people around the round table.
Because the craftsmanship on that book doesn't seem to be what it should be in this era.
The old Griffin soon began to mutter to himself in the corner: "What is Lexington? What is a bullet?"
"What does cybermaniac mean? Does he think he's crazy?"
Eskar and Reso did not participate in the discussion. They just wrote and drew on the papers in front of them, as if they were going to report something.
They are both hard working people.
Suddenly, a bright emerald light lit up inside the room, attracting the attention of all the demon hunters.
"Long time no see, everyone." Before the light faded, Lann's voice came out from inside.
The witcher called out loudly, and the two new faces stood up directly. Among them, the witcher carrying a round shield was the most nervous.
"Long live His Majesty Lann and His Majesty Cirilla!" Lambert shouted loudly, holding up his wine glass.
Ciri's face twitched, and she shook the wolf head badge on her neck: "The tavern in Toussaint will not be open to you for a month!"
The witchers laughed even louder.
Lane and the others laughed wildly for a moment, then gestured for silence.
"Teacher, are you doing well in Toussaint recently?" Lann looked at Jeroen first.
Gerald nodded with a smile. Toussaint was his hometown, which was one of the reasons why Lan chose Toussaint as the new site of the castle.
Although this place holds many memories that Jielong does not want to recall, it is still a place he cannot give up.
Jeron was happy, and Lann smiled sincerely.
Then he turned to all the witchers and said, "I'm sorry, everyone. Ciri and I are a little late for reasons that everyone knows."
"Before we begin today's topic, please let us welcome the two new members of the Demon Hunter Council—"
Lan first pointed at the white-haired demon hunter next to Gede.
"Hakan Hellens!"
Hakan Hellens is one of the few bear factions like Gerd who has feelings for the school. He even has the idea of reviving the school in his heart. After learning about the news of the Demon Hunter Order, he took the initiative to join.
As a recommender, Gede introduced him to the Demon Hunter Council. Although Gede himself is powerful, the bear faction now only occupies one seat in the council, and many links involving voting can only experience the sense of participation.
Hakan's appearance solved Gede's urgent need. After a period of investigation on his character and power, he recommended Hakan to his superiors. In view of Gede's long-standing reputation, everyone expressed their willingness to accept him.
Afterwards, Gerd kept hoping that other bear companions with whom he had feelings would come to join him, but unfortunately he never met any.
…
After introducing the new bear faction member, Lan pointed to the other side, to the demon hunter carrying a round shield.
"And the Manticore companion who came all the way from Zerekan—Caleb Asma!"
Caleb, a lean man with dreadlocks like a desert dweller, was finally contacted through Saskia with great difficulty.
They were the branch that had split from the Demon Hunter Cult and had run the farthest, even crossing the Flying Dragon Mountains in the north to the inland country of Zerekan. They abandoned the Demon Hunter tradition and chose to become the guards of the Zerekan royal family.
It is a pity that the demon hunters before Lann who were involved in political struggles all had a bad ending, and the Manticore School in Zerekan can now be described as "lingering on".
Now they heard that a member of the royal family in the North had become a witcher and wanted to rebuild the cult, so they, who had long been accustomed to being royal bodyguards, immediately moved their entire group south to join the cult.
However, due to its new membership, the Manticore only got one seat in the parliament.
They also expressed their understanding that this situation had already exceeded their most optimistic expectations and they did not dare to ask for more.
"Since then, the six schools that split off during the golden age have finally gathered together in the sect today." Lann said with emotion.
The witchers cheered and applauded in response, spilling most of the wine in their glasses onto the table.
After welcoming the new members, Lann motioned for everyone to take a seat and the meeting officially began.
“Are there any difficulties in implementing the measures proposed at the last meeting?”
First of all, we need to solve the historical problems.
"Eskal?" Lann turned his gaze towards the Wolf Faction.
Because he was calm and reliable, he entrusted many important tasks to Eskar.
"Things are going smoothly on my end." Eskar gave the good news.
"You asked us to search for any escaped Wild Hunt members near Thaned Island along the way. Indeed, there were some, but we quickly eliminated them."
In addition to Eskar himself, his team also includes Vesemir and Geralt, all of whom have undergone secondary mutations, making it easy for them to capture the scattered deserters.
"Some of them even disguised themselves as the elves of our Ain Sid tribe, married and had children here - we didn't kill them, we wanted to wait for you to make the decision."
Lann hesitated for a moment and said, "I'll go check on them later. Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?"
艾斯卡尔思考了一会，突然眼睛一亮：“在清缴狂猎的过程里我们遇到了一个很不错的骑士。他叫做德拉科，也在主动帮助附近的平民，甚至有独自对抗狂猎的战绩。”
艾斯卡尔发出由衷的赞叹：“他刀剑娴熟，甚至和当初那个叫邦纳德的赏金猎人差不多；他还是你的崇拜者，非常希望能够加入你的狮子卫队。”
“现在在陶森特吗？”
“对。”
兰恩点点头，沉吟道：“开完这个会我就去见见他。如果资质和品行可以的话，我会在考察一段时间后用上古之血帮助他进行猎魔人突变，吸纳进狮子学派。”
艾斯卡尔露出心满意足的笑容，摊手表示他的报告完毕了。
……
于是兰恩又转向雷索：“你这边的情况呢？”
雷索这边负责带着所有的蛇派成员在南方活动，搜索在金塔之城附近有没有当初一战漏掉的艾恩·艾尔精灵。
对于建派理念就是对抗狂猎的蛇派来说，他们也很乐意去解决这些由狂猎供养起来的精灵同族。
“杀得很干净，我们没发现漏网之鱼。”雷索的语气甚至有点失落，“你的狮鹫骑士团确实厉害。”
兰恩哈哈大笑。
“但是……”雷索话锋猛然一转，“我们发现了别的艾恩·艾尔，由天球交汇过来的艾恩·艾尔。”
兰恩的脸色一肃：“你杀了他们？”
雷索却在摇头：“我们没动手，但是她死了——这是我要跟你说的第二个问题。”
“南方的民间有很多团伙自发起来消灭魔物，他们的行事手段跟我们不一样。”
“我遇到的这个艾恩·艾尔不是战士，她似乎是个女药师，而且还爱上了一个狼人。”雷索说着炸裂程度堪比第一代上古之血的故事，“那个狼人是个佣兵，在战争中失去了女儿却无法接受，一直自我催眠是女儿失踪了。”
“我们在追踪那个艾恩·艾尔的时候遇到了那个狼人，帮他捋清楚了真相。那个艾恩·艾尔的女医师在这个过程中也一直有出力。”
“他因为对狼人的爱愿意留下来接受你的审判以求一线生机，所以我们想着把他们暂时安置到附近的村庄，等跟你交流过后再定夺怎么处置他们。”
雷索说到这里的时候脸上露出遗憾的表情：“结果那个狼人的身份被村民发现，和艾恩·艾尔女精灵一起被附近的村民杀了，我们赶过去的时候一切都晚了。”
蛇派颇有些意兴阑珊的味道。其他猎魔人也都是满脸唏嘘。
在他们漫长的生涯中，不乏遇到很多一心向善、甚至乐于助人的狼人、变形怪等等非人种族，结果他们也往往死于极端的村民之手。
其中一些还是被他们帮助过的人们。
兰恩点了点头：“我明白了，回头我会颁布法令尝试着规范这种行为……这会很难，实施起来也是一个漫长的过程。”
“但是总比没有好。”雷索点头道。
……
蛇派的报告也就此完毕。
“还有什么要报告的地方吗？”
听到兰恩的询问，兰伯特跳起来举起右手：“我有一个提案！”
兰恩挑了挑眉。
果然，这个总是不着调的猎魔人下一句话直接让维瑟米尔捂住了脸。
“我觉得我们的城堡外面还可以建一间酒馆，专门用来提供给猎魔人和过来沟通的各国代表。”
兰伯特的表情**漾。
“他们也可以直接把委托直接在酒馆里面发布——你们不觉得‘酒馆’和‘委托’这两样东西很配吗？”
……
没人理兰伯特。
兰恩深吸一口气，环顾四周。猎魔人们都知道接下来才是这次会议真正的主题。
“我计划再次扩大学徒的招收规模，范围也辐射到包括南方在内的大陆所有区域。”
兰恩看着众猎魔人的表情，大家脸上却都仿佛在说“不出所料”。
显然这不是兰恩第一次提议和实施学徒扩招。
而他们显然有话要说。
猎魔人们对视许久，互相推诿了一会，最后还是由杰隆带着担忧的语气开口。
“原则上我们是没有意见的，最近魔物因为天球交汇变多，人手确实需要再经过补充。”
“但是我们知道你的目的并没有这么简单。”杰隆的渐渐变得严肃，“南方的局势还没有彻底平稳下来，到处都是需要耗费人力物力的事情。这种情况下你还拨款训练新的学徒……”
“兰恩，你说实话。你其实是不是更看重这些学徒对你力量的增强作用？”
时至今日，猎魔人都已经了解了兰恩“狮群”的运作机制。
被赋予上古之血力量的“狮群”成员可以通过惩奸除恶来增强力量，这早就已经不是秘密。
而兰恩的实力在这个过程中急速膨胀，自然也瞒不过亲近之人的眼睛。
“我们对此并没有什么意见，这对于学徒们也是好事。但是……”杰隆关心道，“我们担心你会过于……沉迷其中。”
“你已经是有史以来最强的人了，兰恩。就算是阿尔祖也比不过你。你还要继续变强吗？”
兰恩并没有因为杰隆的质疑有什么情绪，反而有些温暖。
轻笑一声，他微微摇头：“还不够，老师。我的力量还不够。”
“你已经快要统治大陆了，异界的艾恩·艾尔也不再是问题了，你还要力量做什么？”
杰隆语气恳切：“难道你还要翻过飞龙山脉去进攻泽瑞坎和哈克兰？还是说你想要跨越大海去征服欧菲尔？”
“泽瑞坎和欧菲尔，如果以后有时间的话倒不是不能作为计划。”兰恩煞有其事地说。
“但这些都不是我的目的，老师。”
兰恩看着杰隆，随后环视圆桌周围的猎魔人。
“诸位，我的身上有很多标签，每次传令官在外交场合唱名的时候都要说一大段。”
兰恩戏谑道：“辛特拉的狮王、屠龙者、拂晓之剑……巴拉巴拉巴拉，我知道你们有时候听到了都会笑出声。”
“但是在这些称号中，最重要的一个是——‘上古之血的继承者’。”
兰恩朝着猎魔人们张开双手：“说实话。除了光复辛特拉是我真正愿意主动去做的事情以外，平定北境、征战南方、消灭狂猎，这些都是我不得已而为之的。”
“我并不想这么做，但是它们的动乱却会干扰到我真正的目的，阻止我去对付我真正的敌人。所以我不得不把他们先一步作为麻烦解决掉。”
“事实上，直到今天，属于我的征战才真正开始。”兰恩拉起希里的手。
吐出那个预言中的名字：“我的真正敌人是——白霜。”
“那是足够毁灭世界的力量。而为了对付它，我也需要与之相对的、真正能够拯救世界的力量。”
兰恩的眼神诚恳：“我现在的实力还远远不够。”
……
1270年6月13日，北境诸国宣布原【北境军事统一联盟】更改为【北方王国政治军事统一联盟】，依旧以辛特拉为核心国。
所有官方文件开始在正式场合给兰恩冠以“北境之王”的称呼。
1270年6月18日，南方各附属国、行省再次合并，抛弃原本的【尼弗迦德】国号，仅保留原本的金塔之城作为【尼弗迦德行省】。
新国号为【辛特拉帝国】
1270年7月1日，在辛特拉皇帝兰恩的推动下，“猎魔人法案”在南方各行省实施，猎魔人学徒再次扩招。
1270年8月1日，北境诸国完成权利的平和过度，所有王国自愿变为辛特拉帝国的附属国或行省。
1270年10月1日，猎魔人学徒第三次扩招。
1271年3月1日，猎魔人学徒第四次扩招。
1271年5月1日，五月节。辛特拉皇帝兰恩登基一周年、以及与女王希里成婚一周年的纪念日。
……
兰恩深吸一口气，看着面板中跳动的数字，面露沉思。
月光从窗外莹莹地撒进来，照在希里的后背上。那细腻的皮肤比月光还要皎洁。
微风扬起纱窗，隐隐能够看到国都里面冲天的篝火，男男女女围绕着火焰欢腾跳跃，一起为自己的狮王与雌狮庆贺。
“你走神了？”
希里原本迷离的眼神猛然一肃，咬牙切齿地看着兰恩。
“就算你的身体因为上古之血增强了……你也不能这么敷衍我！”
希里面色通红，狠狠一拳砸在兰恩肌肉分明的胸膛，结果却被那劲韧的皮肤弹得整个人向后仰起。不但没有伤到兰恩，还把自己痛得咬牙切齿。
当然，咬牙切齿也可能是因为别的什么。
兰恩哈哈大笑。
……
城池中的火焰愈发升腾，直到火焰的颜色于天边的破晓融为一体。
兰恩走到阳台上，摩擦指尖，回味着腻滑的触感，长叹一声。
他刚刚确实走神了。
因为白霜。
这么长时间来，他的实力愈发膨胀，但是对于如何解决这个灭世危机，直到今天却都没有丝毫头绪。
The original book leaves a lot of blank space in the description of how to eliminate the white frost, and the detailed methods are only mentioned briefly.
How can the Ancient Blood fight against the White Frost?
Is it to destroy some world-destroying monster? Or to negotiate with the consciousness incarnation of some great being? Or to plug the source of the constant spray of ice cubes?
Lan had no idea, so he was upset and almost angered Ciri.
During this period of time, he had been asking warlocks and historians to search through ancient books and interpret the prophecy about the ancient blood from various angles, but to no avail.
After all, it is a crisis of world destruction, and it is gradually approaching.
With Lan's current strength, he could actually abandon this world with the people he cherishes and seek a new world just like the elves did in the past.
People like dryads, vampires, and female night demons all joined Lann for this reason.
But Lane wanted more.
If possible, he hopes to save the world. That's why he is so eager to improve his strength and continue to train the army.
And now, since the known documents and history of the elves, humans, and even other ancient races cannot find the answer that Lann wants.
He only had one choice.
"Tsk, I really don't want to see him." Lan En looked up helplessly, gazing at the starry sky, and in a trance he saw another pair of eyes.
Back in the bedroom, Ciri collapsed in the quilt, the gauze curtains were blown across her back.
Lann made the final decision in his heart and gently left a kiss on his wife's forehead.
Then he turned and entered his study, where he sat cross-legged, his body glowing with an emerald light.
Consciousness sinks into the system.
【Crossover】, start.
…
No channel or medium was needed anymore. At that moment, a huge weight was lifted from Lann's body, and his consciousness suddenly rose into the brilliant starry sky.
He looked around, and the huge amount of energy in his body seemed to have found an outlet at this moment, and countless stars were lit up in his sight.
Although the distance between them was unknown how many light years, the scenes among the stars automatically appeared in front of Lan's eyes, as if they were very close at hand, flashing like a slide that had been accelerated countless times.
There are vehicles made of steel shuttling through the desert, warriors using roars as weapons roaming the battlefield, and hunters equipped with strange armor shuttling between the claws of monsters...
Countless worlds appeared before Lan's eyes, and each world stretched out a hand to pull him, beg him, and even demand something.
And a voice full of surprise sounded in Lan's ears.
"Ha, Lane!"
Lan turned around and looked at the businessman who looked very happy.
He was still dressed like a wanderer, with a crew cut that was easy to manage and a brown linen long-sleeved sweatshirt. He had two cross-body bags slung across his left and right, from which half a scroll of parchment emanated, exuding a faint, uncomfortable aura.
He came walking on the stars, with open arms and a warm welcome.
"Lan, you're finally here!"
There is an indescribable joy in the words.
Lan took a deep breath and was about to speak, but the person in front of him stopped him with his hand.
Master Mirror looked Lan up and down as if he were appreciating a work of art. His tone was full of emotion, as if he were composing a poem.
"Why are you here so late? What's keeping you up?"
"No, no, don't speak yet. You are not strong enough to speak yet. We need to save some strength for the next world."
"I'm not planning on going to the next world yet." Lann said coldly.
He spoke.
Mirror Master's expression became visibly depressed.
"You are still so disobedient - okay."
Everything that just happened seemed to be just a welcome. Master Mirror's mood soon calmed down. His arms, which had been waving wildly, were crossed neatly in front of his chest again, and his face had a half-smile on it.
"I know your purpose. I know everything. And I can tell you. I can give you the answer."
"But you should also know that I have my own rules, which I am unwilling to break."
Lann sighed: "I know."
"Besides, you are not qualified to ask anything from me now—because you owe me a favor, remember?"
Lann sighed again: "I remember it."
"So?" Master Mirror spread out his palms and shook them towards himself a few times, as if indicating something, with anticipation in his eyes.
Lann sighed again.
"We travelers should help each other. You helped me, so I should help you too, right?" Lann looked at Master Mirror with satisfaction in his eyes.
"That's right, Lane, that's right."
"You did save me. Regardless of your rules, I should have repaid you." Lann shook his head, "It's just that your style of doing things always makes people feel uneasy."
"You misunderstood me, Lan." Master Mirror looked sincere, "That's because you are different to them."
"…This doesn't make me feel any more reassured."
Lan looked back at his own world. The hazy starry sky wrapped the continent like a cradle.
"So until I get what I want, how can I repay you for the favor?"
The curve on Mirror Master's face began to rise, and his eyes became more satisfied.
"We have a little misunderstanding, but it's okay. We will have plenty of time in the future. After all, in this vast world, only we are the same. Only we can understand each other and truly communicate."
"So first of all, you have to gain my true friendship and become someone who truly stands shoulder to shoulder with me - Lan Enyo."
Master Mirror put emphasis on the word "real".
"You are very talented and I am sure we will get along very well."
"It's the same as before. You know my job. I like to sign contracts with people - but there are always people who break them."
"So you have to go to those new worlds to help me collect my bad debts. And after that, I don't care what you want to do with that world."
"Believe me, maybe during our journey, you will naturally discover the answer you want."
"after all……"
Master Mirror turned around and opened his arms towards the countless twinkling stars.
"This endless world has endless possibilities!"
Lann looked at the Mirror Master from behind. The countless tiny stars seemed to be held in his arms. He owned the entire starry sky.
So Lan also stretched out his hand and clenched his palm. A ray of light was pinched between his fingertips, floated out from his arms, and belonged to him from then on.
"How's it going, Lan?"
Lan, the blond lion king, the demon hunter.
He took a deep breath, looked at his fingertips, and said slowly:
"Fulfill your contract and save my world."
“Let’s start with that.”
(End of the book)