From Witcher to Lord of the Empire.

Chapter 218 The King and the Former King

The westerly wind blows, the waves slap the shore like thunder, and white fountains rise from the cracks in the rocks.

Kratz wrapped the cloak around his body and stared at the terrace in front of him. He knew that someone would come over soon.

"Lord Kratz." A cautious voice sounded behind Kratz, "Is that lion from Sintra coming over today?"

Earl Kratz Ann Clayt, the lord of Skellige, the patriarch of the Clayt family, the man feared by the Nilfgaardians as the "Boar of the Sea" turned around and looked at the place where the question came from.

It was an ordinary island woman: thick hands and feet, bulging bust, rough and tanned skin.She was holding a basket of shells in her hand, and she was obviously about to go to work; she bowed slightly, expressing respect to the lord with her body language.

But this level of "respect" is not enough.

For a commoner, it is absolutely unacceptable to talk to the lord so directly and impolitely, and even being so close to the lord is a kind of disrespect.

If it was placed in some inland areas, some brutal lords could order the woman's tongue to be cut off just by relying on the words and deeds of this woman just now.

But this isn't an outback, or even a continent.This is the Skellige Islands, the hometown of the islanders and the sons of the mountains. The so-called class is very vague here. The people have respect and reverence for the nobles, but they will never bow their knees in fear.

Therefore, after hearing the woman's question, Kratz actually asked her in a leisurely manner: "What's the matter? You also want to see the lion of Cintra?"

"Yes, Lord Kratz...I heard that he is a very handsome knight, and he is very brave."

"Sailors can't satisfy you anymore. You have started to look for handsome knights? Then you may be disappointed. Our Earl Lannister has long been known."

The woman replied indifferently: "Is it the princess of Cintra? We don't care, and neither do other people. It's better..."

Kratz finally turned black this time: "What do you mean by other people?"

The woman turned back and pointed to the castle: "The other cooks, maids, laundrymen, etc. who are preparing the banquet inside are all waiting to see the majesty of the lion of Sintra!"

Kratz's neck stiffened.

He looked behind the woman, which was his beloved castle named "Keldra".

Knowing the arrival of Lan En and his party, he specially summoned a large number of maids to prepare a banquet. At this moment, it can be seen that these people only have seven or even five percent of their thoughts on the work at hand, and more thoughts through their work. There was a glance—on Kratz, or rather, on the balcony behind Kratz.

Kratz was about to yell at them, but suddenly felt a rootless wind blowing behind him, making his cloak rattle violently.

A fiery red portal appeared in midair.

The one who came out first was a blond knight wearing silver and black armor, and he was wearing a cloak sewn from a whole piece of great griffin skin.

Followed by a girl with mouse-gray hair, she was wearing a white gown, a reddish-brown buckskin belt, and a smaller griffin cloak, clutching the knight in front of her tightly.

Then came out three swordsmen with amber eyes. They wore badges in the shape of wolves, snakes, and griffins respectively, and their bodies swayed like sailors in a storm.

After that came a guard with a silver sword with a lion's head on his waist and a female archer with a mahogany longbow the size of his back. Behind them were forty guards.

Last to emerge was a sorceress with long black wavy hair, a star-shaped necklace of obsidian, and a scent of cloves and gooseberries.

The group of people who appeared out of nowhere attracted the attention of everyone in the castle in an instant, and many of them had fiery gazes of curiosity.

Kratz immediately yelled at his distracted friends:

"Didn't you see that our guests have already arrived? How are you still dawdling! You must know that King Bran will visit my castle in a short while. Do you want to entertain our king with such an appearance!"

Seeing the lord's anger, the waiters in the castle didn't dare to be too big or small, and hurriedly lowered their heads and speeded up the movements in their hands.

Kratz shook his head, turned around to say hello, but saw a squirrel gray whirlwind rushing into his arms.The huge force made him take several steps back involuntarily.

"Kratz, I miss you so much!" Ciri screamed, "And Halma and Caris? I miss them too!"

Ciri often vacationed in Skellige when she was young, and had close contacts with the Clayt family where Kratz belonged.According to seniority, Kratz is Ciri's uncle and Lann's cousin.

"Halma and Caris are out at sea, and they will come back at night." Referring to his proud son and daughter, Kratz's face also showed warmth like the sea breeze, and he tightened his arms Ciri, "My princess, you have grown taller... and your strength has also increased."

"And you, Lan." As he spoke, Kratz turned to Lan, and said with emotion, "You have grown taller, and only then can I remember your age. You are about the same age as Halma and I. It’s amazing to think that something like this has been achieved.”

Kratz came to support when Sintra was breached before, and met Lann outside Brokiron, and it has been almost a year since now.

I don't know if it's still in the puberty stage, or if it's a system-strengthened physique. Lan's height has increased by a few centimeters, and he can now stand at 1.8 feet—that is, [-] meters tall.

Of course, this development speed is still far behind Ciri's.

Facing Kratz's compliment, Lan, who had finally suppressed the discomfort of the portal, finally squeezed out a smile: "This process was not easy, and that's why I came to you today."

"I'm glad you came to ask for help, really." Kratz stepped forward and patted Lann's shoulder hard.

"I have arranged accommodation for you in the castle, and the butler will bring you desserts and drinks first, so you can take a break."

"I have also prepared a sumptuous dinner for you. Uncle East and King Bran will also come over at that time, and we will discuss other matters."

Everything was arranged in an orderly manner, Lan En and his party naturally did what they wanted without any objection.

Under the call of the lord, the stewards of the Clayt family came quickly, leading the way and taking the guests to the place they should go.

Lane noticed that when Yennefer passed by, Kratz seemed hesitant to speak, and wanted to come forward to talk to him; while Geralt's eyes flickered, his face was expressionless, but his emotions seemed to be written on his face.

On the other hand, the sorceress had a cold expression on her face, and she didn't even care.

When the ex-boyfriend sees the current boyfriend, it feels like a familiar Shura field.

"Kids, don't look blindly, let's go." Lan grabbed Ciri, who was probing his head, and quickly followed the housekeeper.

This action made the little princess dissatisfied.

……

They separated quickly and were led to their respective rooms.

"Thank you, let me be alone for a while."

The butler bowed to Lan En, and then slowly backed out.

Lane looked around.This bedroom is more than enough to be used as a living room. There are bookshelves and a long desk in the room, and the bed is big enough for five or six people to lie down. There is a balcony ten steps away, and there are three curious seabirds standing on it. looking at himself.

Lan En chuckled and patted the black magic scimitar on his back.Immediately, an emerald-colored void flame burned on it, but it didn't hurt Lann at all.

Immediately afterwards, a slim figure in a gothic dress appeared.She walked slowly to Lann's side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, looking at the sea view below.

"This is Skellige? I've only read about it in books before."

"Yes, Alice, this is Skellige."

After getting Lan En's affirmative answer, the soul in the beautiful painting couldn't help sighing: "It's so beautiful."

Their position affords unobstructed views of the ocean.

Straight ahead across the strait is Little Skellige Island, low and flat in the south and deep fjords in the north; in the distance to the left is the green Spekrugge Island, with its tusk-like outline and precipitous The cliffs stand above the waves, and the top of the mountain is hidden among the clouds; on the right, you can see the cliffs of Udvik Island, and the seagulls, petrels, cormorants and gannets gathered there.

"I heard that this place is jointly governed by seven families. The king is not an inheritance system, but elected by them?"

Lane nodded: "That's right, the seven families are distributed over the six islands and ruled by each. So the politics here are very complicated—but in a sense, it's very simple."

Alice nodded thoughtfully, and commented: "A wonderful country, wonderful customs, and a wonderful system."

As she said that, she turned her head to look at Lan's side face, admiring the lines and muscles on it from the perspective of a painter, and was intoxicated by the beauty of it.

"I guess you didn't just ask me to come out to enjoy the sea view with you, did you? Her Royal Highness can also do that."

Lan En nodded embarrassedly: "I'm going to trouble you to draw a few pictures."

"How many?"

"Seven paintings, one painting from each family. The number may be a bit too much, this is a big project."

"As a painter, I will enjoy it." Alice narrowed her eyes, and the dark eye shadow outlined a beautiful outline.

As long as there is a smile on the melancholy face, it will make people feel refreshed.

"But I also have a requirement, or demand - I need to go to various islands to collect scenery, so that I can draw paintings that meet the tastes of each family. After this need, you will always take me with you."

Hearing this sentence, although Alice still had a faint smile on her face, Lan knew that the lady was secretly expressing her dissatisfaction.

In Kaer Morhen before, Lann kept Alice possessed in the portrait, kept her in the castle, and went hunting by himself; the same was true for most of the time after returning to Brokiron.

Although in the process, Lane had introduced Alice to Ciri as a painting teacher, the little princess also had a high acceptance of the spirit in the painting.But now it seems that Alice is a little dissatisfied with this arrangement.

"Sorry, Alice." Lann made a verbal concession very simply, "A lot of battles were involved before, and you don't like to participate in these bloody scenes, so I did something else for your possession. arrangement; and I thought you would like it, because you are a painter, and the new life we ​​agreed to give you is also like this."

Alice chuckled and waited for Lane to finish explaining, then took a step forward gently.

Now she was almost only a palm away from Lan En. Although she was illusory, Lan En could still feel her veil gently rubbing against his cheek under the sea breeze.

"I like painting. When you took me out of the world of painting, you also promised me a new life - to be the painting teacher of the princess, and at the same time let my works be seen by more people."

"I like drawing, and I am very grateful to you, Lan." Alice leaned forward involuntarily as she spoke, "But I like something else now."

Lan felt something rubbing against his wrist, and he knew it was Alice's skirt blown up by the sea breeze.

He lowered his eyebrows slightly, and Alice just lifted his jaw slightly.

Alice is not a human being, she is not breathing, but at this moment, Lan still feels that his face has been swept by a hot current.

"So, what do you like now? Alice."

The soul in the painting chuckled, but did not answer directly.She took one last step forward, and the moment she touched Lan En, she turned into an emerald flame, enveloping Lan En's whole body.

The warm and soft touch was fleeting, and Lan only felt that his face was covered by a piece of silk.When he came back to his senses, the emerald-colored flames had re-condensed on the black magic scimitar behind him, leaving only an orchid-like voice echoing in the valley:
"Unless you have other mission needs, I don't want to enter the painting anymore. If there is a battle, I also want to participate. I think I should be pretty good."

"Lan, can you?"

Lan involuntarily stretched out his hand to hold the handle of the scimitar, and said softly, "Of course."
-
Dragon boats appeared one after another in the channel between Great Skellige and Little Skellige.The red and white sails gleamed in the sun, and the bronze shields hanging by the side of the ship gleamed.

"The coat of arms of the Tursek family is grandpa!" Ciri shouted excitedly after seeing the logo on the dragon boat.

"There is also King Bran." Lane added.

The king's car arrived, but everyone in Keerzhuo seemed to be accustomed to it.

These ships don't have the ostentation of a king at all, except for the exceptionally well-trained soldiers on the ship, it is impossible to see that the people on board have any dignity.

If you really want to say it, it is the reverence and admiration in the eyes of the castle guards all the way.

Because the two people who got off the boat were both kings elected by the crowd.One is the past and the other is the present.

As soon as he saw East Tursek, Ciri jumped on him.The two of them had met once before with the help of Mossak, and it was the first time for Lane to see East after Sintra was breached.

The handsome sea knight has visibly changed with the naked eye, white hair and wrinkles have occupied his face for a year.He stood with King Bran, and those who knew thought they were brothers, but those who didn't know probably mistook them as uncles and nephews.

But Lan can feel the burning flames under this vicissitudes of life, he is suppressing and waiting for an outbreak.

"Thank you, Lane."

That's all East said.

Then he opened his arms and hugged Lann tightly.

……

The appearance of King Bran and East is almost carved out of the same mold.

But he is taller and stronger than East. Compared with East, who has the title of "Sea Knight", he is more like "Sea Boar" Kratz in terms of body.

He could have been six and a half feet tall, with a waist wider than his shoulders and three bearskin belts tied around it.He wears chainrings and a leather-sewn vest over a colored and layered cotton coat.

When he stood in front of him, Lan seemed to see a bear.Lane also believed that no matter how big the waves and rainstorms were, the man in front of him would never shake in the boat.

Compared with the silent East, King Bran's character is also much bolder. At this moment, he is holding a lobster as long as Ciri's forearm with both hands, and there are already a lot of scallops and oysters piled up in front of him. empty shell.

Ciri sat between East and Bran, concentrating on a crab as big as her face.

East pays more attention to dining etiquette and uses knives and forks skillfully.Because he had to touch Ciri's head from time to time, he couldn't get his hands dirty.

"If you want to find the person who likes Uncle Bran the most in my castle, it must be my cook." Kratz joked, "Every time my uncle comes over, the cook always feels that her cooking skills have improved. .”

Sitting next to Kratz were two young men of Lann's age, a man and a woman.

The man has half-length dark brown hair and has grown a beard since he was young.

The woman has reddish-brown hair that is simply tied into a ponytail and draped behind her.

This is Halma and Caris, the sons and daughters of Kratz.They were all looking at Lan engrossedly at the moment, but the meanings in their eyes were not the same.

Fortunately, Lan En has long been used to the sight of others, he drank a glass of wine without changing his face, and asked East:
"Uncle, I heard something about you from Uncle Mossack."

East nodded: "Then he must have told you about my desire to regain the Skellige throne."

This sentence was spoken without any disguise, even if the current king of Skellige was sitting next to him.

And the king who was about to be usurped didn't care. He put down the lobster shell and sucked his fingers: "Don't look at me. I'm happy to see this matter come true. It was East who voluntarily gave up the throne. I wanted to travel around the sea, when Kratz was still young, and the patriarchs of the other six major families either had no intention of politics, or their brains suffered from landslides, I didn’t want the archipelago to sink in the hands of these people, so I agreed to run for king.”

"Although I have lived wonderfully during my reign, the ministers also complained: because I would rather take people out to sea to plunder than solve the political problems of the archipelago. There were even some rumors, saying I did it to avoid my garrulous wife at home—ha, how could a Son of the Islands be henpecked?"

"Deep in my heart, I am envious of East. So now he is willing to take back the burden that he threw to me. I wish for nothing."

King Bran monologues his thoughts very directly, words that no one in other countries in the mainland would dare to listen to.But the islanders at the dinner table were accustomed to the complaints in these words, and obviously listened too much.

Lan En took a sip of wine, and he was a little happy when he spoke so bluntly in a political situation, and he was assimilated unconsciously.

"But I heard there was a block?"

East nodded: "The abdication of the king cannot designate an heir, especially for me, who once gave up the throne, many lords think it is too childish."

Speaking of which, East smiled disdainfully: "Actually, they want to be kings themselves."

Lan En thought: "But uncle, you should have a lot of prestige in the archipelago, right?"

East replied affirmatively: "I already have a group of supporters, and with Bran's strong support, there is no problem in wanting to be king according to the normal voting system. But what I want is not only to be king, I also want to be king." We need the support of the major families, send troops to Nilfgaard, and help Cintra."

When he said this, East gave Ciri a tender look, and then turned to Lan: "Therefore, I need to reasonably shut the mouths of those patriarchs—according to the customs of the islanders."

"This method is a bit risky. I noticed these warriors behind you. Are they witchers? I saw Geralt among them—I might need their help."

Lan was taken aback. East should know that the witcher does not participate in politics. What is he doing as a king that requires the hand of the witcher?
East quickly explained: "Not long ago—about two months—an ice giant appeared on Udvik Island. We don't know what woke it up from its slumber, but it After it appeared, it wreaked havoc, and most of the island was destroyed because of it.”

"It's not just Udvik Island, this giant is said to be able to use ice magic to travel between different islands, and has the mysterious power to command the sirens. Various lords have organized troops to encircle and suppress this giant more than once. But every time, it’s a blowout.”

"And I'm going to hunt this ice giant and get its head."

"Help me regain Skellige's throne by honoring the bravest warrior with the mightiest monster. That is my plan."

The moment East's voice fell, the system's prompt sounded at this time:
[Discovery Mission - Wrath of the Glacier:
Unknown astronomical phenomena awakened the hibernating giant in advance, and it wreaked havoc, destroying everything that moved in front of it, and the beautiful Udvik Island was horribly destroyed; the danger of the giant beast is spreading to the entire Skellige , the brave sea knight hopes to win the crown for himself by crusade against monsters.Witcher, you may be able to help, after all you are helping yourself. 】

(End of this chapter)