From Witcher to Lord of the Empire.

Chapter 199 What is the name of the King of the North?
Looking around, Fortesty said: "Niflgaard is our enemy, there is no problem with that."

"Temeria alone is enough to deal with Nilfgaard, but it would be better if there was a gate to keep the enemy out, and that's fine."

"But what about after that? After recovering Cintra? Who will rule Cintra?"

Folterstadt pointed out a key question: "Is it Lannister? Or is it Cirila who hasn't been seen for more than a year?"

Lan frowned, he knew what Fultesty was going to say.But he still replied:
"Naturally, it is Princess Cirilla, she is the granddaughter of Aunt Calanthe, and the first in line to the throne."

"Very well, now that you have said that, there is a second question."

"Thanks to your 'Knight and Princess' story, everyone in the North knows the relationship between the lion and the cub, but—" said Folterstadt, "you are no longer a knight, but A witcher, right?"

Lan's lion eyes looked directly at Fultesty: "Yes, I never denied that."

"Then, as I said—everyone knows about your relationship, what about Princess Sirilla's marriage when she grows up? As far as I know, demon hunters are sterile."

Fultesty shook his head: "We can't spend so much effort to support Cintra, only to see Cintra collapse again after decades because there is no heir? How can we then Do, have another meeting and support Cintra again?"

Now the words are really on the point, not only Henselt, but even Vizmir II, Queen Mi Wei, and Demavi have become hesitant on their faces.

Vizmir II frowned, and said, "That will be considered later, and now the issue of Nilfgaard bears the brunt..."

"But it's something that has to be considered, sooner or later," retorted Folterstadt.

The other kings had to admit that it was indeed a matter of discussion.

"Just one solution, I would say." Henselt laughed. "Have their princess—that's Ciriella—marry someone's son here. That's what you hit, Folterstadt." Do you have an idea? I heard that you have quite a few illegitimate children!"

"If I remember correctly, you have no heir, Henselt, and you have never planned to have another one." Demavi of Aedirn said abruptly.

Henselt slapped the table and stood up.

Lan looked at Fultesty, knowing that the king still hadn't given up on his original idea.It seems that Adda hasn't persuaded her father to give Sintra more help during this time.

Lane knew he had to make some commitments at this point.

"Princess Sirilla is only 12 years old this year, far from the age of marriage." Lan said slowly, "But I can assure you that there will be an heir of lion blood in Cintra in the future."

"Not only that!" Henselt stroked his beard, fearing that the world would not be chaotic, "The heir must be related to someone we attended the meeting today. After all, we helped Sintra, so there must be something in return, right? I didn't think about it for myself this time, because I don't have a son!"

Vizmir II fell silent.Demawi no longer confronted Henselt, but looked at Lane.

This is in the interests of all countries in the north.

Only Queen Miwei lowered her eyes: "My two sons are not good enough to be a king, and there is no need to be a prince to harm other countries."

Fultesty praised hypocritically: "So your beauty and kindness spread to the north, Mi Wei."

Lan faced everyone's gaze, and looked at them one by one.

But the thoughts in his mind went beyond this meeting: If he remembered correctly, everyone present except Queen Mi Wei died young.

When and how did they all die?Can you speed up the process yourself?
There are too many countries in the northern border...

Lan En said meaningfully: "I am not ignorant of the general situation. If your majesty insists, the monarch of Sintra in the future will definitely be a family with your heirs."

"I also know that this is the best result for Sintra. But the princess is still young, so we have to discuss who to make a marriage contract with."

"Excellent." Fultesty nodded with satisfaction, as if he had won, "Our help to Sintra is also based on this agreement. If Sintra breaks the contract in the future, we also have the right to take back our help!"

This was a blatant threat, and Lan was looking straight at the other party at the moment.

"Of course. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will not give you a chance to withdraw your help."

Lann was a little humorous, and the kings present also showed different levels of laughter in cooperation.

So Lane laughed too.

…………

Just when every participant in Haji Fortress thought they had succeeded, a dark force was brewing not far from Pontar Valley.

In the forest camp, the non-human troops who had attracted the fork-tailed dragon and corpse-eating monsters to Queen Miwei before were reorganizing their equipment.

Of course, there is a more official name for these non-human race troops - Scoia'tael.

Compared with last time, they now have a lot fewer people.

They are mixed races.

The bodies of the elves are long and tall, and many of them have tattoos in the shape of vines and leaves.They carefully inspected their bows and arrows, and of course knives and spears.

The dwarves used the stone used as a stool as a whetstone to strike their axes for the last time. They talked and laughed with the elves, and they didn't see the swords of the outsiders at all.

Halflings are about the same height as dwarves, but with thinner hands and feet.They were arranging leather slingshots, stuffing stone after stone as smooth as pebbles into leather pouches.

Dwarfs and halflings are smaller than both dwarves and halflings, and gnomes can only do some logistical tasks, such as helping everyone organize equipment.

"Your hands and feet are more nimble, why don't you be scouts in a while, someone needs to be sentry." A dwarf suddenly said to the halfling beside him, "Leave the charge to us, after all, you are not good at fighting."

The halfling pouted: "It's not that we're not good at fighting, we just like peace. But humans didn't let us go because of this. This time just let you see how brave halflings can be to protect their families."

The dwarf wrinkled his nose and began to laugh.

The leader of this group of Scoia'tael was a male elf, sitting at the very edge of the camp.

From the perspective of body shape, he seems to be no different from the elves around him, equally slender and strong.

He was wearing a red turban, under which were a pair of pale yellow eyes.Certainly not the witcher's cat's eyes, his pupils were of a normal shape.

"Iorves!" Suddenly a companion called out his name, causing the leader of the Scoia'tael to turn around.

"what's up?"

"Instructions came from Nilfgaard." The speaker was dressed in a linen robe, and looked like he was a spellcaster. "He told us to do it right away to interfere with the progress of the meeting."

Iorves nodded after hearing this, and turned his gaze back to the forest, as if waiting for something.

"His news was given too late. Even if we do it now, we can't interfere with the meeting."

"But we can try to interfere with the North."

The leader of the elves gazed into the depths of the forest.

From the mountain peak in the east, there was a faint hawk cry.

From the plain in the west, there seemed to be another roar that looked like a dragon but not a dragon.

As the sun gradually set, elves and halflings emerged from the dense forest one after another.They were all in disarray and suffered minor or serious injuries.

"Thirteen people are missing." The adjutant who was in charge of counting the number stepped forward and whispered in Iorveth's ear.

The elf leader nodded gravely.

Immediately, a dwarf stepped forward to help the injured companions and bandaged their wounds.

Iorveth continued to stand on the edge of the camp until moonrise.

But the person he was waiting for still didn't come back.

He can't wait.Not because the people out there are precious, but because the tasks they are going to perform are the top priority.

"Go, go and see!"

After counting five confidants, Iorves led them through the woods like walking on the ground, even the evening wind could not catch up with their footsteps.

A faint smell of blood appeared in the air.

"Wow!" "Wow!" "Wow!"

Iorves was startled by the strange sound, and when he looked up, it turned out to be a group of wood crows.

The animals are rarely seen together in such large groups.

Except for the task target that the team sent out by Iorves will contact, that guy will often be followed by Wood Crow.

In other words, their mission was completed, and the mission target was drawn out from the depths of the dense forest.

But where are they now?

"tick" "tick"

Iorveth soon saw them.

A vine rushing out of the ground pierced the body of an elf like a sharp thorn, entering from the left waist and exiting from the right shoulder.

The ground under him has been completely stained dark red, and the abdominal cavity is like a dry pool, still dripping blood.

[The blood hasn't drained yet. 】Iorveth thought to himself,【They were just killed not long ago. 】

Seven or eight crows hung down on the elf's corpse, pecking at the rare fresh meat.

The team brought by Iorves was furious and wanted to drive the crows away, so as to contain the corpses of their companions.

But a veiny hand held him down.

The owner of this hand is not at peace, but he has a greater responsibility.

"Don't disturb our mission goal, just go ahead and see."

The elves looked at the leader hesitantly, although they were reluctant in their hearts, they still followed suit.They also know the rules of survival in the jungle.

The team continued to move forward, and soon saw the remaining companions——

Some of them had their limbs eaten by wild wolves, some were buried in the ground by countless twisted plants, and some seemed to have been directly smashed into pieces by a huge palm.

All the deaths were miserable.

"The whole army was wiped out." The adjutant said with a grim expression.

"Their mission is completed." Iorveth muttered to himself, "But we can't take them home, because this may disturb the mission target they attracted with their lives."

"On the other end, we sacrificed a whole team to lure the monster in the direction of humans."

"Iorves, is it really worth it?" an elf team member couldn't help but say, "Can a monster really cause damage to the human army?"

The leader didn't answer, and made a few gestures to signal everyone to retreat.

The wolf and the crow haven't left yet, and the corpses are still fresh. They need to leave here as soon as possible, lest the monster is really still wandering around and looking for them.

"If it's an ordinary monster, it's hard to say. But if it's it, maybe it's really possible."

Iorves shook his head: "However, I never thought that I could really rely on them to accomplish things. No matter how powerful monsters are, they are just monsters, and they are nothing more than a mantis in front of an established army. I just need them to be able to produce enough monsters. Riots, creating opportunities for our assassination."

After explaining his companion's doubts, he turned his head and took a deep look at the companions who died deep in the jungle, and bowed his head in silent tribute to them.

"The descendants of the mountain people, the compatriots of Ain Sidi, all fell on the road of pursuing freedom. Your blood and tears will not be shed in vain, but will only forge the sword of our revenge..."

…………

Fort Haji.

It has been several days since the talks ended, and during this time Lane has been signing various cooperation agreements with various kings.The king and the king also used this rare time to communicate with each other and determine the general policy for the next few years.

The commitment of Leiria and the United Kingdom of Livia to advance and retreat with Sintra is unquestionable.Later, when Cintra fought back against Nilfgaard, they joined forces to resist the black sun together;

Redania will provide Sintra with a certain amount of war supplies, which even Lane cannot buy with money; at the same time, Vizmir II also promised to use his own port to provide Sintra with water transportation Convenience in this regard, so that resources from other countries can support Sintra in a timely manner;
Aedirn is next to the United Kingdom of Leiria and Livia, and they will send a force to join Queen Mivi to fight against Nilfgaard. It is also a rare country that directly sends troops to support;

Kaedwin insisted on eradicating the Scoia'tael in the country first, but King Henselt, under the supervision of all parties, also determined that he would not go over the old accounts with Aedirn during the frontline battle. If he violated, he would be punished by the northern border The other great powers attacked it;

There are many non-human races in Temeria's territory, so the Scoia'tael is also showing signs of emerging. Furtestay decided to form a special force to clean up the Scoia'tael and join forces with Kaedwin to suppress the rebellion. Don't go too far by killing innocent people indiscriminately, and exacerbate racial conflicts to the extent that it will harm the interests of all countries.

At the same time, for Sintra, Fultesty promised to let the dwarves of Mahakam provide support in terms of equipment, but asked Lan to discuss it by himself.

Although Lann has already had Zieglin, Zoltan, Machete and other dwarves as bridges, the dwarves are still subjects of Fuertestey in name—even if the relationship between the dwarves and Fulterstay is the same as that of Novigrad. The Eternal Flame is the same as Vizmir II.

In other words, if Lane finally agreed to cooperate with the dwarves, but Fultestay objected, the plan would still not be implemented in the end.

Now that Lane has obtained a verbal agreement from Folterstadt, it can be regarded as clearing away all worries.

Lane didn't want to ask for more.Having received direct help from three of the five participating countries, including military support from the two countries, Lan was already very satisfied.

Go back and contact Marshal Vesselkid to combine the Sintra soldiers, and then go to Skellige to ask for naval support. That force is enough to break out another Battle of Mount Sodden.

More than enough to recover Sintra.

When the day when Sintra is restored, Lane will truly have a country as its backing, and the available resources will also experience an explosive increase.

At that time, his strength will also usher in a real leap, and the many layouts made in the early stage will be eligible to collect the net...

I don't know where the thoughts diverged, Lan shook his head and drove the trivial thoughts out of his brain.

There are still no shadows about collecting nets and the like. It is better to focus on keeping the road under your feet steady first.

"Alice, which paintings do you think would be better to pick out as gifts?"

At this time, in front of Lane were various paintings confiscated from the Everec Manor, all of which were created by Alice before and after her marriage. There were various themes, including portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and so on.

There may be a gap between Alice's current level and writing ability, but it is enough as a gift.

Anyway, Queen Miwei started, and Lane planned to send a copy to every king present.

Hearing Lan En's question, Alice was in a daze: "Sorry, I was distracted..."

"Oh?" Lan raised his eyebrows, "These paintings remind you of the old days?"

Alice shook her head: "No, although the journey with you is still short, these wonderful days have almost made me forget the pain of the past..."

"I'm just lamenting Nilfgaard... When I was educated, it was still a name known only to people with rich knowledge; when I and Ogierd just got married, although I heard it rose rapidly, but But I didn’t expect that today it would become such an empire that unified the south.”

"It's your destined enemy, isn't it?"

Lane nodded: "I have reasons why I have to fight him. As I grow up, these reasons become more and more deeply rooted."

"I think." Alice said, "If we really want to deal with such an empire that has unified the south, shouldn't there be a hero in the north as well?"

Lan raised his eyebrows: "You mean 'King of the North'?"

Alice covered her mouth and smiled lightly: "I thought you would laugh at my whimsical ideas. But Lane, you can understand me so smoothly, and even think about the title-could it be that you already have one? Do you have the same opinion as me?"

Earl Lion froze for a moment, and the smile in his eyes grew stronger.

Alice lowered her eyes: "Am I being too clever? That doesn't seem like a good thing for a lady?"

Lan En looked at the demon spirit in the painting and shook his head: "Don't deny yourself, excellence is not a mistake. Your wisdom is a surprise to me, and it is a great thing."

The two looked at each other, then moved their gaze away tacitly, and projected it on the painting in front of them again.

They quickly selected three paintings that were in line with the recipient's preferences and sent them to Henselt, Demawi and Fultesty respectively.

Lan En was about to call the attendants into the house, but suddenly heard a rapid knock on the door.

"My lord, my lord! There is a situation!"

Lan En was taken aback, the voice seemed to be House, shouldn't he be in the butler group, why did he come back now?

"Enter!"

House slammed into the door and saw Lan eagerly preparing to open his mouth, but was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise.

"Ugh-"

The sound was loud enough for everyone in Haji Fortress to hear, it was a bugle.

And listening to the rhythm, it is no longer the contact number for identifying friend and foe when Lan and others arrived, but——

"Enemy attack?"

Lan En was startled. Who would have the guts to attack here, where the great powers in the north gather?
The corridor suddenly became noisy, and there were shouts, shouts, and the collision of steel greaves hitting the ground.

Without waiting for Lane's order, all the Sintra soldiers gathered outside the house quickly and orderly, and the guards of each king also gathered around their respective lords, waiting for orders.

Striding to the window, Lann inspected not far away, and Kaedwin's barracks was in sight.

A large area of ​​flames ignited under the banner of the unicorn, and several figures used the snatched horses to rush between the tents, continuously pouring unknown liquids and various powders into the crowd.

As night fell, Lan En couldn't see the faces of those figures clearly, but the screams from far away in the barracks answered his doubts.

"Squirrel Party!!"

Lan frowned, he really didn't expect to meet this organization in this place.

Along the way, Lane has heard too many people mention this organization in various forms in too many places.

To put it simply, this is a guerrilla group composed of "non-human races" who are dissatisfied with the status quo under the oppression of humans in the North.

They are called "Squirrel Party" for two reasons: one is because these guerrillas will hang squirrel furs on their hats or clothing as decorations; the other is because these guerrillas are always hidden in the forest , feed on nuts like squirrels.

Of course, this kind of organization that rose up to resist oppression at the beginning will often deteriorate over time.

Lann remembered that some Scoia'tael leaders later changed their minds to be officers of the Nilfgaardian Army to fight against the northern border due to various political considerations, which could be regarded as serving humanity.

(End of this chapter)