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 moved 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?"
Eskar thought for a while, and suddenly his eyes lit up: "In the process of clearing out the Wild Hunt, we met a very good knight. His name is Draco. He also took the initiative to help nearby civilians and even fought against the Wild Hunt alone."
Eskar gave a heartfelt compliment: "He is skilled in swordsmanship, even as skilled as the bounty hunter named Bonnard. He is also your admirer and very much hopes to join your Lion Guard."
"In Toussaint now?"
"right."
Lan nodded and said thoughtfully: "I will go to see him after this meeting. If his qualifications and character are good, I will use the ancient blood to help him mutate into a demon hunter after observing him for a period of time, and absorb him into the Lion School."
Eskar smiled with satisfaction and spread his hands to indicate that his report was finished.
…
So Lann turned to Reso again: "What's the situation on your side?"
Reso is responsible for leading all the Snake Faction members to move around in the south, searching for any Ion El elves that were missed in the previous battle near the Golden Tower City.
For the Snake Faction, whose founding philosophy is to fight against the Wild Hunt, they are also happy to deal with these elf fellows who are supported by the Wild Hunt.
"We killed them all, and we didn't find any fish that escaped." Lei Suo's tone was even a little disappointed. "Your Griffin Knights are really powerful."
Lane laughed.
"But..." Lei Suo suddenly changed the subject, "We found another Ain El, an Ain El that came from the celestial sphere."
Lan's face turned serious: "Did you kill them?"
Reso shook his head: "We didn't do anything, but she died - this is the second question I want to tell you."
"There are many gangs in the south who spontaneously fight against monsters. Their methods are different from ours."
"The Ain El I met was not a warrior. She seemed to be a female pharmacist, and she also fell in love with a werewolf." Letho told a story as explosive as the first generation of Ancient Blood. "The werewolf was a mercenary who lost his daughter in the war but couldn't accept it. He kept hypnotizing himself that his daughter was missing."
"We met the werewolf when we were tracking down Ain El, and helped him figure out the truth. The female doctor from Ain El also contributed throughout the process."
"He is willing to stay and accept your trial in order to have a chance of survival because of his love for werewolves. So we are thinking of temporarily placing them in a nearby village and will decide how to deal with them after communicating with you."
When Letho said this, he showed a regretful expression on his face: "As a result, the werewolf's identity was discovered by the villagers, and he and the Ain El elf were killed by nearby villagers. When we rushed over, it was too late."
The Snake Faction seemed to be somewhat uninterested. The other demon hunters also had sighs on their faces.
During their long careers, they encountered many non-human races such as werewolves, shapeshifters, etc. who were kind-hearted and even helpful. As a result, they often died at the hands of extreme villagers.
Some of them are people they have helped.
Lan nodded: "I understand. I will issue a decree to try to regulate this behavior... It will be difficult and a long process to implement."
"But it's better than nothing." Reso nodded.
…
This is the end of the Snake Faction’s report.
"Is there anything else you want to report?"
Hearing Lane's question, Lambert jumped up and raised his right hand: "I have a proposal!"
Lan raised an eyebrow.
Sure enough, the next sentence from this always out-of-tune witcher made Vesemir cover his face.
"I think we can build a tavern outside our castle, specifically for demon hunters and representatives from various countries who come here to communicate."
Lambert's expression was distorted.
"They can also post the commissions directly in the tavern - don't you think 'tavern' and 'commission' go well together?"
…
No one paid any attention to Lambert.
Lann took a deep breath and looked around. The witchers all knew that the next part was the real topic of this meeting.
"I plan to expand the recruitment of apprentices again, and the scope will radiate to all regions of the mainland including the south."
Lann looked at the expressions of the witchers, and everyone's face seemed to say "not surprising".
Apparently this isn’t the first time Lane has proposed and implemented an expansion of apprenticeships.
And they clearly have something to say.
The witchers stared at each other for a long time, blaming each other for a while, and finally Geron spoke with a worried tone.
"In principle, we have no objection. Recently, the number of monsters has increased due to the intersection of the celestial spheres, and we do need to replenish our manpower."
"But we know your purpose is not that simple." Jielong's voice gradually became serious. "The situation in the south has not yet been completely stabilized. There are things that require manpower and material resources everywhere. In this situation, you still allocate funds to train new apprentices..."
"Lan, tell me the truth. Do you actually value the effect of these apprentices in enhancing your strength more?"
By now, witchers have understood the operating mechanism of Rann's "lion pride".
It is no secret that members of the "Lion Pride" who are endowed with the power of ancient blood can increase their strength by punishing evil.
Lann's strength expanded rapidly during this process, and naturally could not be hidden from the eyes of those close to him.
"We have no objection to this, and it is also a good thing for the apprentices. But..." Jielong said with concern, "We are worried that you will be too... addicted to it."
"You are already the strongest man ever, Lan. Not even Alzu can beat you. Do you want to continue to get stronger?"
Lann did not feel any emotion because of Jielong's questioning, but instead felt a little warm.
With a chuckle, he shook his head slightly, "Not enough, Sensei. My strength is not enough."
"You are almost ruling the continent, and the alien world of Ain El is no longer a problem. What do you need power for?"
Geron asked earnestly, "Do you still want to cross the Wyvern Mountains to attack Zerekan and Haklan? Or do you want to cross the sea to conquer Orphir?"
"Zerekhan and Ophir, if we have time in the future, it's not impossible to make it a plan." Lann said seriously.
"But these are not my goals, teacher."
Lann looked at Geron, then looked around at the witchers around the round table.
"Gentlemen, I have many labels on my body, and I have to speak a long paragraph every time the herald calls out the names in diplomatic occasions."
Lann joked: "The Lion King of Cintra, the Dragon Slayer, the Sword of the Dawn... blah blah blah, I know you will laugh sometimes when you hear it."
"But among these titles, the most important one is - 'Inheritor of the Ancient Blood'."
Lann opened his arms towards the demon hunters and said, "To be honest. Apart from the recovery of Cintra, which was something I was really willing to do, pacifying the North, conquering the South, and destroying the Wild Hunt were all things I had to do."
"I don't want to do this, but their unrest will interfere with my real purpose and prevent me from dealing with my real enemies. So I have to deal with them first as a trouble."
"In fact, it wasn't until today that my battle really began." Lann took Ciri's hand.
Spitting out the name in the prophecy: "My real enemy is - White Frost."
"That is enough power to destroy the world. And in order to deal with it, I also need a corresponding power that can truly save the world."
Lann's eyes were sincere: "My current strength is far from enough."
…
On June 13, 1270, the northern countries announced that the original [Northern Military Unified Alliance] was changed to the [Northern Kingdom Political and Military Unified Alliance], with Cintra still as the core country.
All official documents began to formally refer to Lann as the "King of the North".
On June 18, 1270, the southern vassal states and provinces merged again, abandoning the original name of "Nilfgaard" and retaining only the original Golden Tower City as the "Nilfgaard Province".
The new country name is [Cintra Empire]
On July 1, 1270, under the promotion of Emperor Lann of Cintra, the "Witcher Act" was implemented in the southern provinces, and the enrollment of witcher apprentices was expanded again.
On August 1, 1270, the northern kingdoms completed the peaceful transition of power, and all kingdoms voluntarily became vassal states or provinces of the Cintra Empire.
On October 1, 1270, the enrollment of witcher apprentices was expanded for the third time.
On March 1, 1271, the enrollment of witcher apprentices was expanded for the fourth time.
May 1, 1271, May Day. The first anniversary of Emperor Rann's accession to the throne of Cintra and the first anniversary of his marriage to Queen Ciri.
…
Lan took a deep breath and looked at the numbers jumping on the panel with a thoughtful look on his face.
The moonlight shone in from the window, shining on Ciri's back. Her delicate skin was even brighter than the moonlight.
The breeze lifted the screen window, and one could vaguely see a bonfire rising into the sky inside the capital. Men and women jumped and danced around the flames, celebrating together for their lion king and lionesses.
"Are you distracted?"
Ciri's originally confused eyes suddenly became serious, and she looked at Lann with gritted teeth.
"Even if your body has been strengthened by the ancient blood... you can't treat me like this!"
Xili's face flushed, and she punched Lan's muscular chest hard, but was bounced back by the tough skin. Not only did she not hurt Lan, but she also gritted her teeth in pain.
Of course, the gnashing of teeth could be due to something else.
Lane laughed.
…
The flames in the city grew louder and louder until their color merged with the dawn in the sky.
Lan walked to the balcony, rubbed his fingertips, savored the greasy touch, and sighed.
He was definitely distracted just now.
Because of hoarfrost.
Over such a long period of time, his strength has grown, but until today he has no idea how to resolve this world-destroying crisis.
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 angry 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)
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